Hello Again

As much as it pains a part of me to say it, I want this series to end. Or at least end the Jasper part of the series. Have a new big bad villain after the third book. I am tired of having Evelyn being afraid at the idea that Jasper is still somewhere out there and he is going to harm her. She has grown a lot from the woman she was before she came to Alaska, but Jasper is still in her mind and she cannot truly move on with her life. Another reason I want the series to end is her relationship with Amarok. I don't feel like they have made much progress as a couple because there is still the chance that Evelyn is going to leave Alaska one day. Are they going anywhere? I am not convinced they are going to get their happy ending together show more which is a shame. So, as a reader who is invested in the series, I want to see Jasper getting what he finally deserves and for a clear answer on what Evelyn and Amarok are going to do with their relationship. Because in a chapter Evelyn seems committed to Amarok, and in in the other she wonders what she is going to do after the Hanover house. That wouldn't worry me, but it was mentioned a couple of times that Amarok is practically never going to leave Alaska and he will live his whole life there. Evelyn has a family elsewhere and she keeps that in the back of her mind.

As you know by now, each book has a villain besides Jasper and each one is intriguing in his own way. That continues to be the case with Lyman Bishop, a man who doesn't fit the usual mold for the people Evelyn studies. He could almost pass as a non-deadly person and he is making Evelyn's job harder. The thing is that I don't feel as if the author took the opportunity to explore all the possibilities that could happen with Lyman. I feel like the book was pulled into a hundred different directions and none of them was explored as much as it should have. The return of Amarok's ex was supposed to be something huge, but Evelyn barely paid her any attention when she came to town. Evelyn and Amarok's relationship had some development, but it happened mostly off the book and the very interesting villain didn't get much Evelyn time as the other two had.Take into consideration that this review comes from a person who loved the first two books and was very excited about reading this one. I want to see more development on Evelyn. She has become bolder in some parts of her character, but in the end, she is still afraid every day and that fear doesn't let her move on with her life. I understand she can never live her life like nothing happened, but I want her to LIVE more. I will continue with the series despite my rating for this book. show less

Hilltop, Alaska is home to the maximum-security prison known as Hanover House, which is the destination for some of the United States’ most deplorable criminals. Dr. Evelyn Talbot is the head psychiatrist working there and one of the founders of the institution. She works exclusively with the psychopaths housed in the facility. HELLO AGAIN brings Evelyn her most elusive patient yet, Dr. Lyman Bishop, better known as the Zombie Maker. Bishop is a recent arrival to the facility. He has gained his nickname of the Zombie Maker for his fondness of performing ice pick lobotomies on his victims. Immediately Bishop does not strike Evelyn as a psychopath. He is a man known for his cancer research and taking care of his mentally disabled show more sister. Has Bishop been wrongly convicted?

At the same time Evelyn works to better understand Bishop and the charges brought against him, she is forced to remember her past and what drew her to her profession. When Evelyn was sixteen her high school boyfriend, Jasper, kidnapped her, tortured her, murdered her friends, and left her for dead. Jasper was never caught thanks to the aid of his parents who tirelessly fought that he was innocent. Eighteen months ago Evelyn believes Jasper tried and failed to abduct her once again. Now another of her high school friends has turned up dead. Is Jasper back or is this some copycat killer?

With such a complicated plot of multiple stories being unravel simultaneously one could easily worry that Novak’s novel would be hard to follow, however, this is not the case. HELLO AGAIN allows the reader a look into multiple character’s minds, all while effortlessly tying the stories surrounding Evelyn together. I loved Novak’s glimpses into Jasper and Bishop’s minds. They both gave me chills reading through the way they were thinking.

The novel mainly focuses on Evelyn who is portrayed as a strong female lead who has been working to overcome an unthinkable past experience that continues to haunt her today. At times I questioned some of Evelyn’s actions or thoughts, but in the end I was happy with the way Novak evolved her novel’s star. HELLO AGAIN does have gory moments that may turn off some readers, but I don’t think it was anything over the top that you wouldn’t see on a TV show like Criminal Minds. Overall, I absolutely loved HELLO AGAIN and have already picked up book one in the series, as well the prequel. I look forward to learning more about Dr. Evelyn Talbot and the creation of Hanover House. Definitely add this book to your TBR when it comes out next month!

Thank you to Brenda Novak, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. show less

Wow! What a story. This was so much better than its predecessor, Her Darkest Nightmare.There were so many elements to this story. I could not imagine myself working with the criminally insane like Dr. Evelyn Talbot.

Imagine looking over your shoulder for 21 years not knowing when your psycho ex will attack. Knowing he is out there killing and the police cannot capture him. To make things more chilling you work with persons who remind you of your ordeal daily, placing your life in more danger. Well, this is the life of Dr. Evelyn Talbot.

Diving into the mind of a killer's, trying to figure out the reason for his actions is not a job for the faint of heart. All I can say is following Evelyn on this journey was both chilling and show more nerve-wracking.

After her kidnapping 18 months ago (at the hands of none other than her psycho ex) and betrayal from a former colleague, Evelyn has gained some form of normalcy in her life. Her relationship with Amarok has grown, and she has moved past her fears of intimacy. Everything appeared to be going well, but then someone murdered a high school friend, feeding on her fears once again. Is her ex responsible or is it someone who craves revenge? Meanwhile she has a new patient/prisoner called the zombie killer, who is highly intelligent and quite the sociopath.

Hello Again had me on edge from the first page. I could not stop listening. I enjoyed the mystery element, which was complex in nature. I had many questions in my head and the answers slowly came to light, which led to a few surprised reactions on my part. I feared for Evelyn and hoped she would be safe.

Evelyn and Amarok’s relationship developed nicely despite the many challenges. I thought the author struck a good balance between the suspense and the romance.

The story ended dramatically and had me hankering for more.

Narration
Once again Therese Plummer did an excellent job with the narration. I enjoyed the pace at which she read and it was a delight listening to her. I thought she did a great job with the voices for the large cast of characters, and her expressions were on point.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Hello Again by Brenda Novak provided another suspenseful and exciting tale in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles. show less

Hello Again by Brenda Novak

Evelyn is surrounded by psychopaths. Some near. Some far. But all very nasty and evil people. Could you live your life knowing there is someone waiting for just the right moment to pounce and then destroy you, your family and your whole life?

A thrilling read of suspense with lots of tension in the last half where you sit on the edge of your seat.
2nd in the series but can easily be read on its own.
You will want to read this in one sitting if you can.

And then you have to wait how long for the next book to come out? An ending, but also not.

I had a really good time with this book. I actually liked this book a lot more than the previous installment and am really glad that I decided to continue with the series. I thought that this book was very exciting and found myself wanting to keep reading for hours at a time just to find out how things would work out.

This is the second full length book in the Evelyn Talbot series and I do recommend reading this series in order since some parts of the story build on events from previous books. Evelyn is continuing her work at Hanover House and has a new psychopath to work with, Lyman Bishop or the Zombie Maker. Lyman is incredibly intelligent and somewhat challenging. Of course, there are other things going on around Evelyn as well so show more things are always interesting.

I really liked the complexity of the mystery in this book. I wasn't quite sure what I should think about certain events until something else that was connected occurred and everything fell into place. The way things were laid out really kept my interest level high. I thought that the fact that there were several interconnected threads also kept things rather exciting and there were quite a few surprises worked into the story. The relationship between Evelyn and Amarok does have a few developments but I thought that the story was much more balanced with the romantic aspect adding to the story and character development.

I thought that Therese Plummer did a great job with this book. I really enjoyed the pacing of her reading and she has a very pleasant voice that is easy to listen to for long periods of time. She was able to handle a fairly large cast of characters very well with distinct voices for each of the key players. I thought the she added a lot of emotion to the story and made some of the intense scenes even more exciting.

I would recommend this book to others. The series is really exciting and filled with wonderful characters. I can't wait to read more of this series so I can find out what is next for Evelyn Talbot.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the book from Audible. show less

Living in a remote town in Alaska where there is no crime, it was hard for Evelyn to see her dreams come true by building a prison for serial killers and learning everything she could about them. Living with the law enforcement officer should make her feel safe.

But....

Her past is catching up with her. Being the sole survivor of her high school sweetheart who tortured her and murdered her friends, leaving her chained in a shack with their decomposing bodies! Evelyn must constantly be on alert, He will return to finish what he started.

Brenda Novak brings her characters to life in such a way that you are fully immersed in the story line and don't want to put it down. You feel their pain, happiness and fears as they try to live a "normal" show more life.

This is the 2nd book in the Evelyn Talbot series. Cannot wait for the next book to come out.

I was given this ARC from St. Marin's Press

@brendanovak @stmartinspress show less

I liked it however 1) I figured out the killer almost right away & 2) things that happen at the end require a HUGE suspension of disbelief. Let me say it again-a HUGE suspension of disbelief.