You Can Never Tell, By Sarah Warburton ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Serial Killers, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 10th, 2021

288 Pages

Synopsis: Perfect for fans of Melanie Golding and Joshilyn Jackson, Sarah Warburton’s chilling thriller, inspired by the Moors Murder, explores the twisted side of suburbia.

Framed for embezzlement by her best friend Aimee, museum curator, Kacy Tremain and her husband Michael, move from New Jersey to a charming Texas suburb to escape their past. Kacy quickly makes new friends—preppy, inscrutable Elizabeth, chatty yet evasive Rahmia, and red-headed, unapologetic Lena. But good friends aren’t always what they seem.

As she navigates the unexpectedly cutthroat social scene of her new town, Kacy begins to receive taunting postcards—and worse, discovers cameras hidden in the wall of her home. Lena and her husband Brady reassure her that the cameras are just relics of a paranoid previous homeowner. Once the cameras are removed and Kacy’s fears are quelled, Kacy and Michael make the happy discovery that they are going to be new parents.

Months after the birth of their daughter, Michael accidentally makes a shocking discovery about Brady’s past. And when Lena suddenly goes missing, Kacy and Michael begin to uncover the truth about their neighbors—and it’s more terrible than anyone could have imagined.

Interlaced with transcripts of a chilling true life podcast that follow the tangled threads of the drama, You Can Never Tell is a taut and complex psychological thriller that never lets up until its breathless conclusion. (Goodreads)

You Can Never Tell was an entertaining read for me which I easily polished off in a couple of hours. For a fairly short story, the characters are impressively well-developed and I instantly connected with Kacy, who seemingly has terrible luck in picking friends. After being set-up for embezzlement by her bestie, Aimee, she escapes being criminally charged, but her professional and social life is ruined. Kacy has the opportunity to start over with her supportive husband, Michael, but her anxiety, depression and insecurity keep getting in the way. I felt so much sympathy for her, and not once did her emotional reactions seem over-the-top. Despite the trauma, she slowly starts settling in, even becoming pregnant, when would you believe it, one of her newfound friends turns out to be a serial killer! While there aren’t any big twists or surprises here, that didn’t take anything away from the fascinating story. I did think the first few chapters were slow to start, and the hunt for the killer was a bit drawn out. I’m also unsure about my feelings regarding the podcast transcripts. Usually I like it when an author cleverly inserts things like this into a story, but with this one, it seemed choppy and slightly annoying, maybe because the book was so short. Overall though, You Can Never Tell was quite the fun read that I believe will have wide appeal for readers looking for a solid suspense story with relatable characters.

 

The Final Girl Support Group, By Grady Hendrix ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ, Mystery, Serial Killers, Slasher Movies, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 13th, 2021

352 Pages

Synopsis: A fast-paced, thrilling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for, from the brilliant New York Times bestselling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.

In horror movies, the final girl is the one who’s left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated,the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?

Lynette Tarkington is a real-life final girl, who survived a massacre twenty-two years ago and it has defined every day of her life since. And she’s not alone. For more than a decade she’s been meeting with five other actual final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses a meeting and Lynette’s worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the one thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never give up. (Goodreads)

Remember how popular “slasher” movies were in the late 70s, 80s and 90s? Well picture a world where there are real life Final Girls, and those movies were based on the horrifying events that occurred in their lives. This is the premise of Grady Hendrix’s clever, highly entertaining The Final Girl Support Group. It’s a wild ride right from the beginning, and although it took me a little while to warm up to Lynette, once I learned more of her backstory I completely understood her over-the-top actions.

While the subject matter is admittedly dark, this has all of Hendrix’s trademark black humor as well. In between the chills, thrills, and yes, chuckles, are some thoughtful looks at how our society not only treats victims of violence, but the perpetrators themselves. There are fans of these monsters which at first seem unbelievable until you remember the devoted worshipers serial killers like Ted Bundy and Charles Manson had.

In this twisted tale you’ve got six traumatized survivors who for much of the book, aren’t exactly supporting each other, despite the title. They’re all dealing with the physical and emotional scars that their ordeals have left them in different ways which doesn’t leave much left over for anyone else. I spent a good portion of the book second guessing whether Lynette or one of her fellow survivors had finally gone over the edge and turned monster here, and there were enough twists to make my poor head spin. The last few climactic chapters are a kick-ass display of sisterhood and the ending was brilliant!

The Final Girl Support Group is perfect for horror fans looking for a fresh take on the slasher horror sub-genre. And unsurprisingly, it’s already been scooped up by Annapurna Pictures who will be developing it into a tv series. I can’t wait to see what they do with this story. Meanwhile, if you’re a fan of film franchises like Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street, and Scream, you’re going to want to read this book. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

Chasing the Boogeyman, By Richard Chizmar ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Metafiction, Mystery, Serial Killers, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 17th, 2021

336 Pages

Synopsis: The New York Times bestselling coauthor of Gwendy’s Button Box brings his signature “ thrilling page-turning” (Michael Koryta, author of How It Happened) prose to this story of small-town evil that combines the storytelling of Stephen King with the true-crime suspense of Michelle McNamara.

In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI, are certain that the is a living, breathing madman—and he’s playing games with them. For a once peaceful community, trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion, it feels like a nightmare that will never end.

Recent college graduate, Richard Chizmar, returns to his hometown just as a curfew is enacted, and a neighborhood watch is formed. In the midst of preparing for his wedding and embarking on a writing career, he soon finds himself thrust into the real-life horror story. Inspired by the terrifying events, Richard writes a personal account of the serial killer’s reign of terror, unaware that these events will continue to haunt him for years to come.

A clever, terrifying, and heartrending work of metafiction, Chasing the Boogeyman is the ultimate marriage between horror fiction and true crime. Chizmar’s “brilliant…absolutely fascinating, totally compelling, and immediately poignant” (C.J. Tudor, New York Times bestselling author) writing is on full display in this truly unique novel that will haunt you long after you turn the final page. (Goodreads)

I loved Gwendy’s Button Box, which Richard Chizmar coauthored with Stephen King so as soon as I saw Chasing the Boogeyman on NetGalley, I immediately requested it. It’s the second metafiction novel I’ve read this week, and it’s another that’s knocked my socks off!

The majority of the story is fiction but I had to continually remind myself of that the entire time I was reading. When you first start this it actually seems more like an autobiographical and true crime novel and that’s because it actually is. Edgewood, Maryland is a real small town in Maryland, and while it has the same issues that plague many communities across the country, overall it’s a picturesque slice of Americana. You can feel the love that Chizmar still has for it and its residents and his descriptive writing immediately drew me in with it’s nostalgic look at his boyhood home and family and friends. The horror starts with some mysterious and creepy events that actually occurred between 1986 and 1990. Using this as a jumping off point, the author than turns this into a haunting, supernatural tale unlike any other I’ve read. What transpires is unreal, mesmerizing, and utterly mind blowing and adding to this are the photos included at the end of each chapter. An absolute must read at the end of the book is the author’s note where Chizmar goes into detail regarding how and why he decided to write this, and the ingenious way the photos were created.

In the end, Chasing the Boogeyman is simply a brilliant piece of storytelling. I guarantee it will be one of this summer’s most talked about books, and I HIGHLY recommend it for fans of authors like Stephen King and Robert McCammon, and of the true crime and horror genres.

14 Ways to Die, By Vincent Ralph ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Death of a parent, Grief, Mystery, Serial Killers, Social Media, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 1st, 2021

400 Pages

Synopsis: A page-turning new YA thriller for the social media age, perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and One of Us Is Lying.

Ten years ago, Jess’s mother was murdered by the Magpie Man.

She was the first of his victims but not his last.

Now Jess is the star of a YouTube reality series and she’s using it to catch the killer once and for all.

The whole world is watching her every move.

And so is the Magpie Man. (Goodreads)

14 Ways To Die is an interesting mystery that’s filled with implausible situations that your rational mind will keep questioning, yet still manages to be a fun read thanks to a creative and fast-paced storyline, and likable characters. Using social media to catch serial killers has become a popular theme, and this gives it an intriguing spin of its own, as well as thoughtfully delving into how people handle grief differently. My biggest issue was that although I usually like shortish chapters, in this book there are 144 of them which added a certain choppiness and in the end made the story a little less gripping. For the most part though, I did enjoy this and I think it will appeal to a wide audience of older teens, especially those who like authors such as Karen McManus, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Maureen Johnson, and Holly Jackson.

Legacy, By Nora Roberts ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Domestic Abuse, Mystery, Romance, Serial Killers, Stalkers, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 25th, 2021

448 Pages

Synopsis: The #1 New York Times Bestselling author presents a new novel of a mother and a daughter, of ambition and romance, and of a traumatic past reawakened by a terrifying threat…

Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was  the day he nearly killed her—before her mother, Lina, stepped in.

Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland, where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with dogs, making a new best friend—and developing the stirrings of a crush on her friend’s ten-year-old brother. Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion dollar business. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos, following in Lina’s footsteps, but intent on maintaining creative control. And she’s just as cool-headed and ambitious as her mother. They aren’t close, but they’re cordial, as long as neither crosses the other.

But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian starts getting as a routine part of her daughter’s growing celebrity, Adrian can’t help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling. Year after year, they keep arriving—the postmarks changing but the menacing tone the same. They continue after she returns to Maryland and becomes reacquainted with Raylan, her childhood crush, all grown up and as gorgeously green-eyed as ever. Sometimes it even seems like the terrifying are indeed routine, like nothing will come of them. Until the murders start, and the escalation begins… (Goodreads)

Many of you know what that I’m a fan of Nora Roberts from the reviews I’ve written for some of her previous books. She’s an author I’ve come to rely on for exciting stories with complex yet relatable characters and steamy romance. While Legacy isn’t destined to be one of my favorites by the prolific author, I did enjoy it and finished it in two days.

There were a few things that prevented this from being a perfect read for me. First, there was the protagonist, Adrian, who I had mixed feelings about. She’s one of those strong female characters that Robert’s is famous for writing, but in this case there are a few times that her strength veers into obnoxious pushiness, particularly in regards to her health and fitness business. The romance winds up being sizzling, but the usual build-up that you find in a Roberts book is missing here due to the sheer volume of details and side stories. The mystery villain was a tad predictable, and like the romance didn’t truly make a full on appearance until the second half of the book. However, all that being said, all the characters come across as being very real, the romance, once it made an appearance was as passionate as I’ve come to expect, and the climax and ending were thrilling and utterly satisfying.

After finishing this I can tell you Legacy is a story told in three parts. The first looks at Adrian’s childhood and her relationship with her mother and grandparents. The second focuses mainly on the adult Adrian her business, and how it impacts the relationships she has. The third finally does a deep dive into the romance department and the mystery, and this of course was my favorite part of the book. As I said, I don’t think Legacy is one of Roberts’ best, but it’s still an entertaining and worthwhile read that I have little doubt will please her legions of fans. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, (here’s my one and only spoiler), as fans already know, Nora Roberts usually has dogs in her stories, and Legacy has two that will capture your heart. And, nothing bad happens to them!

The Last House On Needless Street, By Catriona Ward ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Abuse, Child Murders, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Horror, Mystery, Serial Killers, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: (US) September 28th, 2021, (UK) Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods, lives a family of three.

A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after the last time.

A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory.

And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible.

An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.

Rarely has just reading the synopsis for a book made me so desperate to get my hands on it, and rarely have I begun a story with certain preconceived notions, only to be taken on a journey so profound it moved me to tears. As usual, I will endeavor not to give away too many spoilers, but there are several themes that I feel I must provide warnings about. These include: Serial killers, child abuse (physical and psychological), child murder, and Dissociative Identity Disorder. As you can guess, The Last House on Needless Street will not be for everyone. It deals with extremely difficult subject matter, and I admit I found myself numerous times wanting to take a break, yet at the same time I couldn’t tear myself away. I never would have guessed from the opening chapter, where this tale would end. It starts as a sort of gothic-like horror, with what seems to be a little magic realism mixed in, courtesy of Olivia, the Bible reading cat, but what this turns into is a deeply personal exploration of the awe-inspiring power of the mind to adapt and survive truly unimaginable circumstances. In her afterward, Catriona Ward talks about how The Last House On Needless Street came to life, and the research she did into DID. Even without reading that, it’s obvious she did her due diligence, but it gives further insight. This latest offering from Ward is receiving well-deserved, widespread accolades from bestselling authors like Stephen King, Joe Hill, Joanne Harris, Alex North, and Sarah Pinborough, and the film rights have already been scooped up by Andy Serkis’ production company, Imaginarium Productions. All I can say is this is an instance where you can believe the hype. As I stated above, it won’t be for everyone, but if you decide to try it, you’re in for an utterly heartbreaking yet in the end, heartwarming story with memorable characters that I guarantee you’ll never forget.

Paradox Lake, By Vincent Zandri ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Rape, Rape of a Child, Serial Killers

Thanks to Edelweiss and Oceanview Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review review.

Release Date: May 18th, 2021

336 Pages

Synopsis: Sculptor and single mom, Rose Conley, is haunted by her tragic past and anxious about he uncertain future. She needs to get away from it all. On sabbatical from the college where she teaches art, she and her daughter rent a house for three months in the Adirondack lakeside community of Paradox.

Rose desperately needs time alone with her twelve-year-old daughter before the teenage years hit. In the wake of the premature deaths of her oldest daughter, Allison, and her husband, Charlie, Rose wants nothing more than to nurture Anna every moment she can.

But idyllic Paradox Lake transforms into a nightmare when a monster from the past, invades Rose’s retreat—and targets her daughter for his own special brand of horror.

I really loved the premise of Paradox Lake, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. For a horror story, I thought the first 40% of the book dragged and I was getting impatient for some action to kick in. This was made worse by the awkward dialogue between Rose and twelve-year-old Anna whose mother-daughter relationship I just didn’t find believable. It seems to be one those cases of a male writer attempting to the capture the POV of a female and not succeeding, and young Anna’s voice was even less believable. What Vincent Zandri does incredibly well here though, is conveying a monstrous evil that is so palpable it was actually quite terrifying, and he uses the background of Little Red Riding Hood creatively and with chilling effect. There are some scenes that are graphically gory and made even me cringe (which takes a lot), and the ending was completely crackers in pure slasher fashion. Because of this I’m giving Paradox Lake 3 Stars. I want to give fair warning though that this has several scenes which could trigger certain readers including: Rape, rape of a child, and the murder of a child. For me, while this wasn’t a perfect read, there was enough there that has me interested in checking out some of Zandri’s other books.

Girl 11, By Amy Suiter Clarke ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Mystery, PTSD, Serial Killers, Suspense, True Crime Podcasts

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

April 20th, 2021

352 Pages

Synopsis: Once a social worker, specializing in kids who were the victims of violent crime, Elle Castillo is now the host of a popular true crime podcast that tackles cold cases of missing children in her hometown of the Twin Cities. After two seasons of successfully solving cases, Elle decides to tackle her white whale—The Countdown Killer. Twenty years ago TCK abruptly stopped after establishing a pattern of taking and ritualistically murdering three girls over seven days, each a year younger than the last. No one’s ever known why, why he stopped with his eleventh victim, a girl of eleven years old, or why he followed the ritual at all.

When a listener phones in with a tip, Elle sets out to interview him, only to discover his dead boy. And within days, a child is abducted following the original TCK MO. Unlike the experts in the media and law enforcement who have always spun theories of a guilty suicide,  Elle never believed TCK had died, and her investigation was meant to lay that suspicion to rest. But instead, her podcast seems to be kicking up new victims. (Goodreads)

I need to begin by saying if you choose to pick up Girl, 11, be prepared to leave some expectations of rationality at the door. I also need to tell you that there are some scenes of child abuse which could be difficult for some readers. With those warnings out of the way, you guys—THIS. WAS. PHENOMENONAL! You know, in the way that you’re supposed to be doing laundry, and other real life stuff, but nothing gets done because you can’t put down the book you’re reading! Well, in my defense I did finally get the laundry done albeit much later than I had planned on. Seriously though, Girl, 11 had me from the very first page and it dug its hooks into me even more as I got deeper into the story.

Elle is a flawed and emotionally complicated character who never makes you question her motives, but does make you doubt her methods. She’s stubborn, obsessive and impulsive, which starts out as annoying, but as Amy Suiter Clarke drops little hints to an unknown childhood trauma, it’s obvious why Elle is so determined to do what she thinks is right, even when those around her have doubts. Unfortunately, in her quest for the truth she puts not only herself, but others in danger. But then, in the final chapters, comes the bombshell to end all bombshells regarding Elle’s past, and everything she’s done up until this point makes much more sense.The secondary characters are equally well written, but the standout for me is Martin, Elle’s dishy Mexican husband, whose skills as an ME are quite useful. Their relationship is really sweet, and I loved the dialogue between them.

The story is told mainly from Elle’s perspective and alternate with her podcast transcripts, but there are a few chapters scattered throughout where you hear from someone else which add some interesting layers to the story. The ones from the killer are chilling and made my flesh crawl. Another compelling aspect of this ripped-from-the-headlines plot is the question that’s raised about the positive vs the negative of focusing so much attention on the monsters who commit such evil atrocities. I can honestly say I was kept guessing right up until the end, and I’m glad I finished in the afternoon, because if I had done so right before bed, I never would have gone to sleep.

To sum things up, Girl, 11, is one of the most impressive debuts I’ve had the pleasure of coming across in recent memory. If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, complex characters, twisty mysteries, and heart-pounding suspense, I highly recommend this. Without being a psychic I can almost guarantee that this will become a series, and if it doesn’t, I’ll be extremely disappointed.

What She Found in the Woods, By Josephine Angelini ~ 2.0 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Mental Illness, Mystery, Serial Killers, Substance Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: December 1st, 2020

384 Pages

Synopsis: Running from a scandal at her New York private school, Magdalena heads to her family home to recover under the radar.

Over-medicated and under-confident, she’s fearful she’ll never escape her past.

Until she meets Bo out hiking. Gorgeous, wild, and free he makes her believe she might finally be able to move on.

But when a mutilated body is discovered in the woods, Magdalena realizes she can’t trust anyone.

Not even herself.

I’ve enjoyed Josephine Angelini’s previous books, especially her Starcrossed series, so it comes as a shock that I really didn’t care for her standalone What She Found in the Woods.

My biggest issue was the way social issues like mental illness and drug addiction were portrayed. I don’t want to venture into spoiler territory, but in my opinion these themes were used as shallow plot devices instead of being a thoughtful exploration of the afflictions that plague so many. I feel terrible writing this after reading Angelini’s reasons why she included these topics as part of the story, but as always, I feel the need to be honest with my review.

While the enigmatic Magdalena was a puzzle to me that I felt the need to solve, most of her teen friends were pampered, entitled brats who annoyed the heck out of me. The romance between Magdalena and Bo was sweet, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the main problems I had.

There were some elements here that I enjoyed, namely the mystery of what was really happening and who was responsible, but as intriguing as that was, my distaste for the mainly superficial depiction of the all too real illnesses that millions battle, overrode everything else. There are many positive reviews of What She Found in the Woods, on Goodreads, so if your interest is peaked by the premise, don’t just go by my opinion, as I believe I’m an outlier regarding my feelings. As I said, I’ve enjoyed Angelini’s other books, so I’m looking forward to her next.

 

They Never Learn, By Layne Fargo ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Serial Killers, Sexual Assault, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and and Gallery/Scout Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 13th, 2020

352 Pages

Synopsis: Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor. But she’s even better at getting away with murder.

Every year she searches for the worst man at Gorman University, and plots his well-deserved demise. Thanks to her meticulous planning, she’s avoided drawing attention to herself—but as she’s preparing for her biggest kill yet, the school starts probing into the growing body count on campus. Determined to keep her enemies close, Scarlett insinuates herself into the investigation and charms the woman in charge, Dr. Mina Pierce. Everything’s going according to her master plan…until she loses control with her latest victim, putting her secret life at risk of exposure.

Meanwhile, Gorman student Carly Schiller is just trying to survive her freshman year. Finally free of her emotionally abusive father, all Carly wants is to focus on her studies and fade into the background. Her new roommate has other ideas. Allison Hadley is cool and confident—everything Carly wishes she could be—and the two girls quickly form an intense friendship. So when Allison is sexually assaulted at a party, Carly becomes obsessed with making the attacker pay…and turning her fantasies about revenge into a reality.

After reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I was suffering from a book hangover and needed something completely different yet still enjoyable, and I found it in They Never Learn. The chapters alternate between Scarlett and Carly, and while there’s obviously a connection between them, there’s a surprise revelation about halfway through the book that blew me away. Scarlett is an antiheroine who I found myself rooting for. As the layers of her backstory are peeled back, I could understand how she set upon the road she did. Some secondary characters are a little stereotypical, but the important ones add much to the unfolding twisted tale. While there are aspects of the story that defy believability, the characters and exciting plot make this a compulsive read. With its mix of entertainment and thoughtful look at campus sexual assaults and misogyny, They Never Learn undoubtedly will attract a wide audience. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an edgy and addictive read with a surprisingly likable and relatable antiheroine.