Book ~ "I'll Never Tell" (2019) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ What happened to Amanda Holmes?

Twenty years ago, she was found bludgeoned in a rowboat at the MacAllister family’s Camp Macaw. No one was ever charged with the crime.

Now, after their parents’ sudden deaths, the MacAllister siblings return to camp to read the will and decide what to do with the prime real estate the camp occupies. Ryan needs to sell. Margaux hasn’t made up her mind. Mary believes in leaving well enough alone. Kate and Liddie - the twins - have opposing views. And Sean Booth, the groundskeeper, just hopes he still has a home when all is said and done.

But it’s more complicated than a simple vote. The will stipulates that until they unravel the mystery of what happened to Amanda, they can’t settle the estate. Any one of them could have done it, and each one is holding a piece of the puzzle. Will they work together to finally discover the truth, or will their secrets finally tear the family apart?

It's the summer of 1998 and the MacAllisters run a summer camp. Margeaux is one of their teenage daughters and works there along with her best friend, Amanda, as camp counsellors. Amanda is found dead in July and no one was ever found guilty of her murder.

Twenty years later, the elder MacAllisters had died that spring in a train accident and their wish was to have their will read at the end of the summer. Ryan, Margeaux, Kiddie, Kate and Mary, their now adult children gather at the camp to attend the reading of the will. They assume they will all inherit the camp and some have plans/hopes to sell it while others don't. It turns out the will is convoluted so it's not as easy as they think. No one can forget about Amanda's death as it factors into the division of the property.

It's been a few years since I've read one of this author's book and I wasn't crazy about it. I found the writing boring and draggy and hard to get through. Alas, by the time I got to the end, I didn't really care "whodunnit" and it was actually a bit of a letdown. It is written in the adult children's voices in third person perspective and Amanda's voice in first person perspective (the chapters are labeled). As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Please Join Us" (2022) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ At thirty-nine, Nicole Mueller’s life is on the rocks. Her once brilliant law career is falling apart. She and her husband, Dan, are soon to be forced out of the apartment they love. After a warning from her firm’s senior partners, she receives an invitation from an exclusive women’s networking group, Panthera Leo. Membership is anonymous but every member is a successful professional. It sounds like the perfect solution to help Nicole revive her career. So despite Dan’s concerns that the group might be a cult, Nicole signs up for their retreat in Colorado.

Once there, she meets the other women who will make up her Pride. A CEO, an actress, a finance whiz, a congresswoman: Nicole can’t believe her luck. The founders of Panthera Leo are equally as impressive. They explain the group’s core philosophy: they’re a girl’s club in a boy’s club world.

Nicole is all in. And when she gets home, she soon sees dividends. Her new network quickly provides her with clients that help her relaunch her career and a great new apartment too. The favours she has to provide in return seem benign. But then she’s called to the congresswoman’s apartment late at night where she’s pressed into helping her cover up a crime. And suddenly, Dan’s concerns that something more sinister is at play seem all too relevant. Can Nicole extricate herself from the group before it’s too late? Or will joining Panthera Leo be the biggest mistake of her life?

Nicole is a partner at a law firm but because she's not gathering enough "points", her boss tells her that unless she bills more hours and brings in more clients, her job is on the line. She and her husband, Dan, are renting his elderly aunt Penny's apartment with the understanding that when she passes away, Nicole and Dan will be able to buy the apartment from the estate.

Around this time, Nicole receives an invitation to join a women's group, Panthera Leo. There is an initiation retreat in Colorado where she and other successful women have to earn their place in their Pride. Once she's done this, Nicole starts to see the benefits of being part of the group. She and Dan are offered a great apartment at a low rent, a huge case is dropped on her lap, etc. But then she starts to see the cost of these benefits and wonders if it's worth it.

I thought the premise of this book sounded good ... girl power! But it found the ending convoluted and then more convoluted and unbelievable. I had a hard time buying all the connections and that someone smart enough to be a lawyer would get sucked in like this. It's written in first person perspective in Nicole's voice. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Arranged" (2012) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ Anne Blythe has a great life: a good job, good friends and a potential book deal for her first novel. When it comes to finding someone to share it with, however, she just can't seem to get it right.

After yet another relationship ends, Anne comes across a business card for what she thinks is a dating service and she pockets it just in case. When her best friend, Sarah, announces she's engaged, Anne can't help feeling envious. On an impulse, she decides to give the service a try because maybe she could use a little assistance in finding the right man. But Anne soon discovers the company isn't a dating service; it's an exclusive, and pricey, arranged marriage service. She initially rejects the idea, but the more she thinks about it - and the company's success rate - the more it appeals to her. After all, arranged marriages are the norm for millions of women around the world, so why wouldn't it work for her?

A few months later, Anne is travelling to a Mexican resort, where in one short weekend she will meet and marry Jack. And against all odds, it seems to be working out - until Anne learns that Jack, and the company that arranged their marriage, are not what they seem at all.

Yet another of Anne's relationships has ended.  When her best friend, Sarah, gets engaged, Anne, who is in her early thirties, wants what Sarah has.  She had found a business card on the street for a matchmaking agency and she eventually calls them.  That's when she discovered that it's not a matchmaking agency but an agency that arranges marriages.  It costs $10,000 and there is a quite a rigorous process including an intensive questionnaire, counselling sessions before and after the marriage and a marriage/honeymoon in Mexico.

Anne signs up and is matched with Jack, another writer.  They feel a connection and go ahead with the marriage.  Things are going well between them until Anne discovers something about Jack.

I liked the writing style and thought it was well-paced.  It is written in first person perspective in Anne's voice.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

I thought this was an interesting premise ... an arranged marriage between two professionals who wouldn't normally do it for religious or cultural reasons.  I can't imagine being brave enough to do it.  Everything happens really quickly but I was buying it.  I liked Anne and Jack and thought they were good together and was cheering for them.  I liked Jack's sense of humour, which was at times a tad sarcastic.  I also liked William, Anne's boss, and his interactions with Anne ... they were funny together.  Anne had a lot of support with her friend, Sarah, and her brother and sister-in-law, Gilbert and Cathy.

I would recommend this book, especially if you are looking for something different in a chick lit.

Book ~ "Spun" (2014) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ Life has been rough for starlet Amber since leaving rehab. She’s been two years sober, but no one seems to believe her -- not the gossip media, not casting agents, and most certainly not her spotlight-loving parents. With her friendships ruined by betrayal and her career at a standstill, Amber’s just trying to get her life back on track. It doesn’t help that her former love, movie star Connor Parks, keeps trying to draw Amber back in, not just to their relationship but to his hard-partying ways. 

One fateful night, Amber breaks down and agrees to join him on board his private jet as it readies for take-off -- a decision that will change her life forever and expose her to a whole new level of scrutiny and heartbreak.

Amber is 25 and a former child star whose career has stalled.  She'd met Connor when he was her love interest on her show when she was 15 (he was a bit older).  In real life, they were on again/off again and he was/is the love of her life.  They both went to rehab for drugs and alcohol two years ago.  Despite what the paparazzi reports, it stuck for Amber but not for Connor.

During one of the times they are off again, Connor is continuously texting Amber, asking her to meet him on his private jet.  She does but jumps off the plane just before it takes off.  Tragedy strikes that night and Amber is left dealing with the ramifications.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It focuses on Amber, who was a character in Spin.  I haven't read that book but there was enough background provided so this one works as a stand alone.  If you have read Spin, it gives you an update on Amber.  I liked the writing style and thought it flowed well.  It is written in first person in Amber's voice ... it was like Amber was talking to me and telling me her story.

If you are looking for a story about a young star who has been there/done that and came out alive on the other side, you should check it out.

Book ~ "Hidden" (2013) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ When a married man suffers a sudden fatal accident, two women are shattered - his wife and someone else's - and past secrets, desires and regrets are brought to light. 

While walking home from work one evening, Jeff Manning is struck by a car and killed. Not one but two women fall to pieces at the news: his wife, Claire, and his co-worker, Tish. Reeling from her loss, Claire must comfort her grieving son and contend with funeral arrangements, well-meaning family members and the arrival of Jeff’s estranged brother - her ex-boyfriend - Tim. 

With Tish’s co-workers in the dark about her connection to Jeff outside the workplace, she volunteers to attend the funeral on the company’s behalf but only she knows the true risk of inserting herself into the wreckage of Jeff’s life. Told through the three voices of Jeff, Tish and Claire, Hidden explores the complexity of relationships, our personal choices and the responsibilities we have to the ones we love.

On a Friday right after firing the man who had hired him, Jeff decides to walk home, gets hit by a car and is instantly killed.  When his wife, Claire, is told the news a couple hours later, she is understandably devastated.  Her friends and family (including Jeff's family) gather around her to help her and her son, Seth, get through it.

Tish and Jeff worked for the same company but in different cities.  They met at a conference, kept in touch and have gotten close through texting, emails and meeting again at other conferences.  Tish wondered why Jeff hadn't responded to her emails and texts all weekend.  She is also devastated when she learns on Monday of his death but, unlike Claire, she has to keep it to herself so her co-workers, her husband and her daughter don't realize the true extent of her grief.

This story tackles an interesting dynamic ... a man with a wife and a close female friend ... and the interactions between the two when he suddenly dies.

This story is written in the first person, with the point of view shifting around between Jeff to Claire to Tish.  This way we get to know each of these characters, what they were thinking and why they've done what they've done.  Each speaks of the past so though the story starts with Jeff's death, we get filled in on their histories.  It was an interesting style when it was Jeff's point of view considering we know he's already dead.  Of the three main characters, I liked Jeff the best and felt sorry that he was dead ... he seemed like a nice guy.  Though I should have been sympathetic, I couldn't warm up to Claire or Tish.

Book ~ "Forgotten" (2012) Catherine McKenzie

From Goodreads ~ When everyone thinks you’re dead, how do you start your life over again? 

Emma Tupper, a young lawyer with a bright future, sets out on a journey after her mother’s death: to Africa, a place her mother always wanted to visit. But her mother’s dying gift has unexpected consequences. Emma falls ill during the trip and is just recovering when a massive earthquake hits, turning her one-month vacation into a six-month ordeal.  

When Emma returns home, she’s shocked to find that her friends and colleagues believed she was dead, that her apartment has been rented to a stranger and that her life has gone on without her. Can Emma pick up where she left off? Should she? As Emma struggles to recreate her old life, everyone around her thinks she should change – her job, her relationships, and even herself. But does she really want to sacrifice everything she’s working so hard to gain?

Can you imagine going on vacation for a month ... but because of an illness and an earthquake you don't make it back 'til six months later?  Someone else is living in your apartment, your job is no longer there, your boyfriend's phone number is no longer in service and you can't reach your best friend and just get her voicemail.  And when you do get back, you discover that everyone thought you were dead and life has moved on without you!

That's the premise of this book.

When Emma returns, she expects to pick her life back up as if she'd never left.  Dominic, who is now living in her apartment, advises Emma to use the experience to take a step back and see what is important to her ... does she really want her old life back?  She soon discovers that it's not as easy as she thought to carry on as if nothing had happened.

I enjoyed the writing style.  At times, it's funny and a bit sarcastic.  Warning:  the language is mature.  I found everything wrapped up very quickly at the end, though ... a bit too neat and tidy.

I'd never heard of Catherine McKenzie but I look forward to reading her other books.