You want to know the one thing that I absolutely love about Jaynes? She is FANTASTIC at grabbing her readers in at the first page and taking them on one heck of a ride!

Ok... phew where do I start with this one? The first chapter leaves you wanting more and let me tell you why! "He was also blissfully unaware that his life was about to change in every way imaginable - and within a year's time one of them would be dead and the other would be on the run."

I was so anxious to get rolling with this one after that last statement. After a pretty rough childhood, David Winters is living a successful life as a pediatrician. He also has an amazing trophy wife by his side Mia. Things couldn't get any better for David.

Soon, a new drug comes out at David's practice that he has to start administering to his patients. This mysterious drug is supposed to help infants and children beat the odds of getting sick. Unfortunately, David starts noticing some devastating and weird things occurring to his patients.

On the other hand, at his home life.... Mia starts to behave strangely and David is starting to feel like Mia isn't who she says she is.

Jaynes does a beautiful job interweaving the characters and the events that come crashing together like a freight train. Literally... one minute your scratching your head trying to figure out how the stories fit together and BAM!

I devoured this story in a day and a half! Super heart pumping with moments of terror! I even had to pick my jaw up at one point in the end.

I do have to say... I was left a tad sad what happened with the story! And... it's honestly pretty scary to think that the plot could happen in real life!

4 strong stars!!

Huge thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Published to GR: 9/17/18
Publication date: 9/25/18

Have to admit, I'm a big fan of this author having read and enjoyed everything she's written to date. She never ceases to amaze me with the way that she really gets under my skin with her characters and the situations in which they find themselves. This book was no exception to that but it also shocked me with its content as it's a bit of a scary, and completely plausible, premise which, at the end of the day, well, let's just say affected many more than those depicted within its pages.
We follow Dr Daniel Winters as he starts back at work after his honeymoon as a paediatrician at a rather prestigious clinic. There's this new drug that is being heavily recommended, one that will guard against the common cold; the bane of every parent, especially those who work. It also comes with bunch of vitamins and other wellness giving, immune system boosters and Daniel is instructed to push the drug out to all his patients. But then, one of his patients reacts badly to their first dose and he starts to question things and doesn't find much support. Delving deeper, he is shocked by what he finds. At the same time Mia, his new wife, also starts to behave strangely and, being as they had a bit of a whirlwind romance culminating in a speedy wedding, he can't help but wonder if she is somehow connected in things, but how? But when things start to get even more scary for Daniel, will he continue his fight with the moral minority or capitulate to the powerful majority?
This book was shocking! And so believable. I had no idea of some of the things I was reading as I discovered them so I did a bit of googling around and.. well.. my eyes were opened I can tell you. Yes, I do know, don't believe all you read on the internet but I'm talking about the facts of law surrounding key issues which are indisputable. Whether the rest is or not, well, it definitely made for a cracking, if at times harrowing, story.
I took to Daniel right from the off. He's a little bit wounded so I can well understand the way his romance spiralled quickly to marriage, his inner voice also made me more sympathetic to him as he faced his inner demons and battled with them throughout. His relationship with his sister was also very interesting and came across as real. Mia's story was just as emotive, but for different reasons which I can't go into here - spoilers.
As always with this author, there are no wasted words, no waffle, no padding. She just tells the story as it is and the story she tells is in no need of further embellishment. This is so refreshing in this day and age. The book is the length it should be to tell the story as it needs to be told. The characters are well described and, within my experience, true to life. Definitely easy to connect to / emote with.
If I have to make one slight criticism, it's that the ending wasn't quite right for me. One of the threads escalated a bit too far too fast and the other wasn't quite as resolved as I would have preferred. But I can accept both as written, the former a bit of a case of reap what you sow and the latter, well, it's how it had to be I guess. I can't expect every book to suit me personally and give me an ending wrapped up in a bow; life's just not like that!
All in all, a cracking addition to an already impressive back catalogue. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Dr. Daniel Winters has finally earned the life of his dreams. After much hard work, he has gotten a job at a prestigious pediatric office in LA and he is in the perfect position to become the partner pediatrician. To top things off, he's just married a beautiful woman who he believes is his perfect match. And that's where things start to unravel. A new drug is being pushed by the pharmaceutical companies and Daniel doesn't believe it's quite as safe as everyone is claiming. A fellow pediatrician and his family were recently found dead in their home and Daniel is wondering if there is a connection with speaking out against the drug. A very powerful force is at work and Daniel fears for his life but is still bound to his ideal of working in the best interest of his patients. Then, to make matters worse, his new wife is acting not quite herself. Could she be involved somehow? Or is it something else entirely?

I wavered between a 4 and a 5 for this book and I've settled on a 5 star rating. This book was quick moving, suspenseful, and very entertaining. I will definitely be reading more books by this author in the future. I highly recommend this one. It's a great read.

I received this through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Thomas & Mercer, and to Jennifer Jaynes for this opportunity.

This is a very good read that involves drug companies and their potential for misleading patients in order to maximise profit, alongside of which is a story involving a complex relationship between a doctor and a woman who seems to not be fully trustworthy. Who can you trust?

I did enjoy it, it's an easy read, with uneasy subject matter and I just found it slightly missing something and I'm struggling to articulate just what that 'something' was.

A good 3 * read from me and many thanks to net galley, the publishers and the author for the opportunity to preview.

Frightening fiction mystery that could be real. A unpleasant picture of the pharmaceutical industry and doctors pushing a vaccine that the public might not need and covering up the side effects. Then the secret life of Dr, winters wife is a story within the story, there is a lot of twists and turns in this book and the ending leaves you wanting more.

Many different threads of thrilling storylines, twists and turns. Very sad in many ways, and characters are hard to know and disappointing. Definitely interesting and worth reading though.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I could not put this book down once I started it. What a great thriller! Daniel has the job of his dreams in a thriving pediatric practice, the wife of his dreams and lives in the home of his dreams. When he returns to work after his honeymoon, he finds out his practice is pushing a new drug on their patients, and he has serious doubts about it. Then his wife begins to act strangely. Then people start dying. Confused, concerned and now suspicious of every move his wife makes, Daniel sets out to find out what is going on. Although he can't tell whether he is just paranoid or if he is justified in his thinking, Daniel is determined to find answers. Answers that could get him killed. Jennifer Jaynes has outdone herself in her latest book, be ready to read from the beginning to the end the minute you start it!

Scary is a real life - what f - type of way. Compelling and fascinating story. I did feel like it wasn't wrapped up completely, but the ending made sense in a weird way - just not a typical way! LOL

This is the best kind of book- the kind I stayed up all night reading! The story zipped along so fast that there wasn't a single moment I could put the book down and go to sleep. And oh, the suspense! Thank you for the great read :)

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I do not agree with all of the reviewers that rate this book either 4 or 5 stars. The blurb sounds great and I really looked forward to reading the book. Unfortunately, the material is covered in a very superficial manner. There is no depth to either the characters or the story. So much more could have been done with this idea.

The #1 USA Today and internationally bestselling author, Jennifer Jaynes returns following The Stranger Inside (#4 Stranger Series) with her latest emotionally charged thriller MALICE, Coming Sept. 25, 2018. (You are going to devour). Top Books of 2018 List.

The perfect life becomes the perfect nightmare in a twisting novel of twisty psychological suspense. Truth and deception. Trust and betrayal. The people closest to us may be the (strangers) we need to fear the most. How far will they go to protect their secrets?

MALICE is such a timely and electrifying novel ripped from today’s headlines. Jaynes brilliantly creates a terrifying scenario both complex and all too real.

"Psychological domestic suspense meets heart-pounding medical thriller." Think, Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies), Karin Slaughter, and Lisa Gardner meets Michael and Daniel Palmer.

As I have said previously in my reviews and reiterated here with MALICE: The author continues to deliver gripping, edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers solidifying her place alongside the best of female crime writers out today!

The setting of MALICE is in beautiful Malibu, California. Daniel has it all. The beautiful beachfront home in Malibu. The perfect career, the ideal wife, the perfect life. He loved just about everything about his job: practicing medicine, the patients, his colleagues. Even his mess of a boss, Teddy. Life was great. Until . . .

Daniel also has a darker, paranoid, and cynical side. He has an inner voice, which speaks to him throughout the book, as a warning (highly entertaining).

MALICE is written from different perspectives. The three main characters: Dr. Daniel Winters (pediatrician), his new wife, Mia, and Rachel (mother of Suzie-patient) and a few secondary characters. I enjoy this style, allowing the reader to experience the character’s emotions (and inner voices) first-hand.

Dr. Daniel Winters is living a fairy-tale life. He has a beachfront home in Malibu, a career as a respected pediatrician at a thriving Los Angeles practice, and a gorgeous new wife, Mia.

For a man whose past was rife with mental illness, addiction, and thoughts of suicide, it seems too good to be true. Soon the facade of Daniel’s perfect life turns deadly (both personally and professionally).

Daniel is a pediatric physician and runs a practice with Teddy. He has always respected Teddy. (a good ole boy type). Daniel has not always had this glamorous life. He has worked hard to push his past aside; however, his ongoing battle with his inner voice continues.

He does not trust women. He and his twin sister battled demons from their past with their father and appears all the woman in his life were beautiful. "Beautiful meant bad."

When he meets the mysterious Mia, he remains concerned with her beauty and a little paranoid. Always wondering what she is thinking or doing.

Soon after their honeymoon from the islands, he returns to his practice and discovers the medical practice is openly advertising a new immunoceutical vaccine, Respira and the pharmaceutical start-up, Immunext. This is puzzling to Daniel and he decides to do some research on his own. This is the first he has heard of this new drug.

In the meantime, a physician family is murdered. There are warnings. Could Respira be related to the murders? Now, Andy, his friend is concerned plus he has a patient that is having serious complications after taking the vaccine. On top of all this stress, his inner voice is speaking to him.

Plus his new wife who insisted she wanted to keep to a waitressing job (even though she does not need to work), is keeping secrets and acting very mysterious. Is he paranoid about everything, or are his instincts correct?

Are they in danger due to the new drug? Is his wife cheating on him and if so he must find out what she is up to. Talk about stress (both professionally and personally).

Heart-pounding adrenaline keeps the suspense high to the explosive conclusion! (would love to see a follow-up story with Mia and Teddy). With action-packed twists and turns and a cast of solid primary and secondary characters. (Teddy was one evil guy). A finely crafted plot, high tension, and moral complexity are just a few mentions in this riveting suspense thriller.

Risks of a new vaccination keep the pulse-pounding as well as Daniel and Mia's secrets. Jennifer most definitely raises the bar with MALICE—she is at the "top of her game!" She does this so well, I am hoping we see more of the medical storyline. (one of my favorites).

MALICE is a little different than the author’s previous novels. In the past, she has written crime suspense psychological thrillers centered around dysfunctional families, serial killers, and mental illness. Here there still is the psychological aspect, dysfunction families; however, with MALICE she adds social newsworthy highly-charged and controversial medical topics— real families are facing in today's world.

Wrenchingly scary. A terrifying tale of greed, tragedy, and murder— where either knowing too little or trusting too much can be deadly. Making readers think twice about a routine vaccination.

Jennifer explores many powerful themes in MALICE— such as love, marriage, family, motherhood, childcare, trust, deceit, mental health, betrayal, secrets, greed, power, politics, moral dilemmas, corruption, whistleblowing, murder, pediatrics, medical and pharmaceutical negligence, conspiracy, and malpractice.

Well-researched, I am sure with Jaynes’s integrative health background, and a mother of young children she is keenly aware preventive care is the cornerstone of pediatrics, and vaccination represents one of the most critical strategies in the prevention of disease in children.

However, public concern, both real and anecdotal, regarding the adverse effects of vaccines has been front and center since the time of the first smallpox inoculation in 1796. From too many vaccines leading to weakening of a children's immune system, the pincushion effect, to other serious side effects and health concerns such as autism and even death.

Controversy and public outcry have surrounded vaccines, particularly as certain states attempt to mandate them.

On one hand, such as the fictional book MALICE portrays— the damaging immunoceutical vaccine, Respira and the pharmaceutical start-up, Immunext, and the greedy physicians— however, the same real tragedy is occurring in our world today, harming our children, causing parents to doubt the doctors dictated by the giant pharmacy companies and their greed for money and power.

If you keep up with the news, you know the Big Pharm companies are in bed with the FDA. How many thousands die each year from pharmaceutical drugs and unnecessary vaccines. So many of our diseases could be cured with natural supplements, herbs, and integrative functional doctors, but of course, this is not what the pharmaceutical companies want.

The FDA is not protecting us. From malpractice, negligence, murder, and conspiracy. Some we may not even be aware of the damage until years later. Often this leads parents who want to protect their children to run in the opposite direction —refusing to have their children take any vaccines. Which is worse, the vaccine or the potential disease?

Jennifer dedicates MALICE to Colton Berrett— another vibrant young teen sacrificed by the HPV Vaccine. Heartbreaking, heart-shattering, devastating, horrific—and most importantly, unnecessary. Another tragic death of a child damaged by and caused by vaccines, and in this case, it was the Gardasil/Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine (HPV) that took his life. Colton is one of the thousands of severe vaccine injured children who ultimately lost his life and succumbed to the toxic travesty of vaccine injury and damage.

Readers if you have followed this story, it is tragic. (read more upcoming Q&A with the author).

It is difficult for parents and grandparents to follow the advice of physicians and the medical industry when they do not always have their best interest at heart. It takes more education on the part of the guardians and parents of these innocent children to control their child’s health and make wise medical decisions regarding their health, as well as our own. We hold their lives in our hands.

Back to Jennifer: MALICE is for fans of Daniel and Michael Palmer, Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner and throw in a mix of Lisa Unger, Chevy Stevens, and Jennifer Hillier to the ones mentioned above.

For me, Jaynes has always been a "rock star" and in my opinion a very undervalued psychological thriller author similar, to Hillier— until this past year when she received the movie deal. Here ’s hoping everyone discovers Jennifer Jaynes and her unwavering talent. Her books are ideal for prime-time TV or the big screen. She is a fantastic storyteller!

Looking forward to a prequel of The Stranger series. (now this would definitely be a fabulous series for Amazon video).

With more twists and turns than California's Pacific Highway, MALICE is a chilling, terrifying, and riveting action-packed suspense thriller which takes Jaynes favorite brand of suspense to new heights as she continues to raise the bar.

A special thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and #NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of #Malice.

Q&A with the Author coming up!

#JDCMustReadBooks

So good!! This was one of those classic thrillers that I love. Great mysterious story... love the main character as well!

LOVED this book. It was a quick and easy read and once I started i was hooked!!!! And the ending!!! What a shocker!

Yikes! That was chilling, such corruption made more scary because it could actually happen. Profits over people’s lives. There was a lot going on along with several viewpoints but it all meshed well together. It was very suspenseful and twisty. I liked the ending and hope that there will be a continuation of the story?!?!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book very much. I thought the story was new and refreshing. The topic was new to me. I couldn’t put the book down.
The writing was well developed. The author must have spent a ton of hours doing research because the story was very believable. The characters were interesting. I was invested in them and their fates.
The ending was kind of left open to a possibility for a second book. Or perhaps not?

Malice had a really good blurb, and I wanted to love it, but I found that the story didn't quite live up to what I expected it to be. There were lots of great ideas in the book, but they weren't explored in any depth - I didn't have any compassion for the characters when anything happened in the story, as I just hadn't developed any empathy for them. I mainly enjoyed the read, but felt it could have been better.

After a troubled childhood, conquering an alcohol addiction and years of hard work, Dr David Winters is living his best life. His career as a pediatrician is soaring and he's recently married the woman of his dreams, Mia.

"He was also blissfully unaware that his life was about to change in every way imaginable - and within a year's time one of them would be dead and the other would be on the run."

This is a short fast read that I flew through in one day. The story kept my attention from beginning to end with it's multiple storylines that at first seem unrelated but ultimately come crashing together leaving a trail of regret and devastation in it's wake.

Jennifer Jaynes seamlessly weaves this story featuring multiple POV's as well as several peripheral characters. My only complaint would be with David's inner dialogue, which is prevailent throughout the book. I found it monotonous and distracting and by halfway through the book I had stopped reading them altogether.

The plot was engrossing with palpable tension and peppered with moments of complete horror.


I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Dr. Daniel Winters was a happy man; he just had a fabulous honeymoon with his beautiful wife and was working at a prestigious practice as a pediatrician. Yes, life was good.

Upon Daniel's return to work from his honeymoon, Daniel noted a large early group of patients waiting. He asked the receptionist, Margy, why. "Respira, the newest thing." Dr. Teddy Reynolds - the practice's owner, told Daniel that a pharmacy rep would be around at lunchtime. At lunch, Daniel finds out that Respira protects against Rhinovirus and gives the immune system a boost. Interestingly, that night Daniel receives a call from a friend, Andy, (also a doctor) that where he works there have been Respira side effects; seizures, migraines, etc.

Daniel's wife, Mia, (whom he thinks is too beautiful to want him), is already acting suspiciously.
At work, Daniel questions Respira to his boss, Teddy who tells Daniel that they had been administering with no problems. Daniel, "Just playing it safe." Daniel's drinking begins to get out of hand.

Meanwhile, Rachael Jacobs' daughter, 18 month old Suzie, gets an injection of Respira from Daniel. Suzie has a bad reaction; soon after, Suzie is in the ER with seizures. Daniel asks Ted about this - Ted tells him the seizures are unrelated.

After more suspicion-inducing events, Daniel finally enlists Billy, an old friend, to follow Mia and report back with pictures. Also, Daniel begins to support the anti-Respira campaign...and drink more.

If things are not bad enough, Teddy tells the continually Respira-questioning Daniel just to put up with this. Teddy brings Daniel to his cabin to make this perfectly clear. While Daniel gets a stern taking to at the cabin, Billy finds Mia frequently visits a man - Christian.

Mia realizes it is time to tell Daniel the "whole truth" after which she will pack up and leave...

Great, fast read! A few twists that I did not see coming. So as not to reveal any spoilers, I leave you with; MUST read!

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a super read.

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com and Thomas & Mercer as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Dr. Daniel Winters seems to have it all. A gorgeous home in the Hollywood Hills, a beautiful new wife, and a part in a thriving pediatric medical practice that caters to the Hollywood elite. Fresh from a honeymoon to the Cayman Islands, he returns to work and learns of an astounding new medication that the practice has been supporting, called Respira. Respira is being touted as a wonder drug, expected to cure the common cold and boost children’s immune systems in the process. Dr. Winters is a bit reserved about the drug but is advised by his boss and mentor that it is safe.

Rachel Jacobs is a young single mother, whose daughter Suzie receives a dose of Respira, and has a seizure a few days later. But she recovers quickly, and her mother reluctantly consents to a second dose of the vaccine, with devastating results...

Mia Winters is Daniel’s new wife. Still enchanted by their fairy-tale courtship and wedding, she seems to be the perfect companion. But Daniel sees her texting someone, when she thinks he’s not watching. And he soon learns that she’s not at work when she tells him she will be. Plagued with self-doubt, Daniel assumes the worst, and a chasm develops between husband and wife. He hires a private investigator to follow her. And he begins to drink steadily as a result of his suspicions about Mia – and about Respira.

Attempts to discuss concerns about the new drug with his boss are met first with reassurance, then condescension, and finally outright anger, threats, and insistence that he continue to administer the drug. But Daniel fears for his patients and attends a clandestine meeting with a reporter – and soon finds that nothing is as it seems – and danger is everywhere…

Wow – this book grabs you by the hand right off the bat, takes you on a wild ride, and doesn’t let go until the very last page!! I LOVED it and I couldn’t put it down! A fortunately fictional (for the most part) novel about big pharma, money and greed, filled with non-stop action, crazy twists, and some surprises too. A great read!!

I am a fan of Jennifer Jaynes and she does not disappoint with Malice.

What really goes on behind pharmaceutical companies, doctors/pediatricians and the unsuspecting patients who trusts their doctors advice? This book will give you a whole new insight! The new med being pushed on children to take care of the common cold just may not be as safe as these doctor's are promising. Enter Daniel, a.k.a. Dr. Winters who is one of the pediatricians being persuaded to push this new med although that little voice in his head continues to nag him. After hearing from Rachel about how little Suzie went into seizures after being given Respira, he tries to find out more about the drug but finds out instead just how dangerous it is to not do as told and go against it.

This was definitely eye opening and a great thriller that I enjoyed. I will be anxiously waiting for the next book by this author.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me the advanced copy of this book!