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Lain Ehmann

@lain.ehmann

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📒#30secondbookreviews
📒 Macmillan Audio + Crown Books Influencer
📒 Mystery + Suspense | Memoir | New Releases | Best-sellers

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#30secondbookreview
The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner

If someone looks like they have a perfect life in a thriller novel, you know things are about to go very wrong. Alice has the London house, the husband, and the beautiful daughter - but it all falls apart when she protects her family from a crazed intruder. As the police investigate the crime, it appears that the stranger who broke into their home may have not been a stranger at all. Lots of twists and turns in this one! by @lain.ehmann

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18 hours ago

#30secondbookreview
Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea

When Alexandra was only 17, her family is murdered — and she’s found at the crime scene with a shotgun. The police jump to the obvious conclusion, but while they’re building the case against Alexandra, the real killer escapes. 10 years later, Alex is a legal investigator intent on solving her family’s case herself. Along the way she uncovers a web of vigilante justice killings, making herself a target once again. The three separate timelines could have been confusing, but the author does a great job of laying things out clearly and keeping the threads separate — until they converge in a not totally surprising but still heart-pounding denouement. Well worth a read! by @lain.ehmann

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3 days ago

#30secondbookreview
All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby

Charon County, Virginia isn’t the most forward thinking spot. The high school is still named after a Confederate general, after all. Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff the county has elected, and he takes his charge to enforce the law equally. That proves easier said than done when a school shooting incident turns into a serial murder investigation that crosses color lines. Sheriff Crown faces obstacles from all sides as he tries to unravel the crime while also bringing some much-needed healing to the county. A great police procedural with a lot of insight into and compassion for the characters. I hope I see Titus Brown in more books. by @lain.ehmann

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4 days ago

#30secondbookreview
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

It was just next door. Who knew their baby would disappear when they were only a few yards away? Anne and Marco were destroyed when their young daughter, Cora, is kidnapped while they had dinner next door. As the police try to track down the kidnappers, lies and deceit are revealed. Get ready for a mind-bending ride. After reading this, you’re going to start wondering how much you know about your friends and family. by @lain.ehmann

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5 days ago

#30secondbookreview
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams

Everything you think Facebook might be up to is trueuu -and more. Sarah Wynn-Williams joined Facebook as an idealistic 20-something, and left over six years later as a jaded professional. Buckle up and get ready for a story of ruthless power, huge egos, sexual harassment, and cult-like culture. I do have to raise my eyebrows a bit as the author did not leave Facebook willingly — she was fired, despite her apparent moral and ethical objections to a lot of Facebook’s stated and unstated policies. I wonder why she stayed so long? I appreciate her perspective, but her words would mean more to me if she had left willingly, once her personal boundaries for integrity were crossed. by @lain.ehmann

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6 days ago

#30secondbookreview
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

This is the second in the “Molly the Maid” series. In this book, Molly, head maid at the Regency Grand Hotel in New York, and when a famous mystery novelist drops dead in the middle of a speech, the hotel staff is under suspicion. To complicate the situation, Molly knew the victim when she was a young child, and knows a bit too much about him. This is a great follow-up to Nita Prose’s first book, building on Molly’s unique perspective on life and the characters we met in the first novel. You could read this as a standalone, but I think you’ll enjoy it more if you read The Maid first. by @lain.ehmann

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7 days ago

#30secondbookreview
Heather by Caitlin Mullen

Small-town Police Chief Callie Hauser is going to do things different from her predecessors in the Jersey Pine Barrens - and that includes investigating the 30-year cold case of a deceased infant. As you might imagine, there are some people who would rather the past stay in the past. She struggles with her own demons that pull her farther into this mystery than she ever imagined - and it looks like she’s going to have to sacrifice something to make sure justice is served. A great blend of historical crime and present-day police procedural with a strong female protagonist.

Thanks to @macmillan.audio for the review copy #macaudio2026 # by @lain.ehmann

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8 days ago

#30secondbookreview
What Would Frida Do? By Arianna Davis

This short book is subtitled “A guide to living boldly.” Artist Frida Kahlo definitely lived boldly - but she also lived a life of physical pain, infidelity, depression, and self-proclaimed alcoholism. I found this book to be a romanticized oversimplification of her life. While there are lessons women can learn from Frida, I’m not sure looking to her as a role model is a great idea. Frida was human, but in death she’s become an icon, one whose faults are glossed over. The book was also quite repetitive, citing the same anecdotes from chapter to chapter. And the narrator mispronounced several words - a pet peeve of mine. If you love Frida, you’ll love this book. by @lain.ehmann

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10 days ago

#30secondbookreview
Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox

It’s the 25th anniversary of the Lone Star Princess Pageant - and it’s also the 25th anniversary of the night Ingrid’s twin sister disappeared. Ingrid returns to town, and as she encounters connections from those long ago days, the past comes bubbling to the surface. Old lies, jealousies, and betrayals will find new life in this year’s pageant - and not everyone will survive. A solid domestic thriller that will have you resolving to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Thanks to @macmillan.audio for the review copy. #macaudio2026 by @lain.ehmann

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11 days ago

#30secondbookreview
You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate

Wow. I think I have sad eyes after reading this book. It is absolutely depressing. Despite being a cultural icon for her role as Kelly Bundy on Married With Children, Christina Applegate’s life has been trauma after trauma. From abuse and neglect as a young child to an abusive relationship in her early 20s to cancer and then an MS diagnosis — It’s a lot. She’s a survivor, and though she’s now bed-bound, she’s still making her presence known in the world. As a side note, reading this along with the memoirs from Hayden Panettiere and Lena Dunham within a month’s period has me convinced that becoming a famous actress is a curse, not a blessing. by @lain.ehmann

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12 days ago

#30secondbookreview
Let’s play Make That Author!
Make sure to tell me how you did in the comments. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ by @lain.ehmann

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13 days ago

#30secondbookreview
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Can books bring strangers together? The answer you’ll find in The Reading List is a solid YES. Two unlikely people - Aleisha, a lonely teenager with a mentally ill mother, and Mukesh, a recent widower — wouldn’t consider themselves readers. But their paths cross at the local library, and when Aleisha finds a list of novels in a book, the unlikely pair strike up a friendship. This is a sweet book that was a tad confusing at times with side characters that don’t really fit into the narrative in a meaningful way, but I still loved it — and it made me want to start a book club. by @lain.ehmann

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14 days ago