The Breakdown, by B. A. Paris ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

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

Release Date: July 18th, 2017

336 Pages

Synopsis: Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside–the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or, the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

B. A. Paris has already gained a worldwide following with last year’s Behind Closed Doors. I still haven’t gotten around to reading that, but I read so many rave reviews about it, that when Breakdown appeared on NetGalley I didn’t think twice about requesting it. While I didn’t dislike it, there was something missing for me. 

I liked the main character, Cass, very much. She’s a woman who is tormented by a split second decision that she made, one that many of us would have the same problem with. Adding to that, is her worrying over her memory lapses and the possibility that she may be developing early-onset dementia as her mother did. For the first half of the book, While I completely emphasized with what she was going through, I grew impatient at times with her naïveté and gullibility. There are so many repetitive scenes showing Cass feeling guilty, or afraid that she’s going to be the murderer’s next victim, at one point I thought “Oh get on with it already!” And of course felt guilty myself immediately after. 

The other main issue was that the entire storyline seemed to rest solely on the mystery of who the murderer was, and was he/she really stalking Cass, or was this all in her head. I think it was about three or four chapters in that I already figured out what was really going on. The list of rather bland, two-dimensional suspects was quite short, so it was not only fairly easy to guess who the villain was, but also what their motivations were. As I plodded through the pages, I kept hoping that there was going to be some shocking twist at the end which would prove me wrong, but except for a couple of small surprises, this didn’t happen. 

The ending I felt was too abrupt, although in the last few chapters I did appreciate Cass changing from a self-doubting damsel in distress, to revenge/justice seeking, force to be reckoned with. 

In the end, I confess, that after all the hype I was a little disappointed with The Breakdown. However, with its sympathetic heroine and the realistic plot that had me thinking a few times “Hmm. What would I do in that situation?” I would try another book by this author. And once again, I’m in the minority in regards to my opinion. The vast majority of reviews I’ve read on Goodreads have been positive. My blogging buddy Carrie at https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress.com absolutely loved this and has written a wonderful review if you’d like to check it out.

Breaking (Burning), by Danielle Rollins ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Dysfunctional Relationships, Horror, Mystery, Suicide, Supernatural, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Childrens for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: Charlotte has always been content in the shadow of her two best friends at the prestigious Underhill Preparatory Institute. Ariel is daring and mysterious. Devon is beautiful and brilliant. Without Charlotte never lived up to the standards of the school–or her demanding mother–her two best friends became the family she never had. When Ariel and Devon suddenly commit suicide within a month of each other, Charlotte refuses to accept it as coincidence. But as the clues point to a dangerous secret at Underhill Prep, Charlotte is suddenly in over her head. There’s a reason the students of Underhill are so exceptional, and the people responsible are willing to kill to protect the truth…

Breaking is the “companion book” to Burning, which means that technically you could read this as a standalone, but I personally think you’ll get more out of it if you read the books in order. 

Breaking has more mystery to it than the previous book, as it opens with the main character, Charlotte, dealing with her two best friend’s suicides only a month apart. She discovers that one of them has left a clue behind, and she determinedly sets out to find out what really happened. None of the characters are very likable. There are flashbacks to when Ari and Devon were still alive, and they both gave off that stereotypical “mean girl” vibe, with Charlotte being the follower. But, there’s a twist near the end of the book which gives a creative twist to this trope which is why I changed my mind about the 2 star rating I was considering giving this. I had mixed feelings about Charlotte. She came across as self-pitying and insecure throughout much of the book, but the more you find out about the relationship she has with her mother, the more understandable this is. And, as the story progressed, she did get stronger. There’s a big build-up to the romance that develops between Charlotte and Jack, but for me, there wasn’t enough chemistry between them.

The plot itself is interesting and kept me guessing for the majority of the story. It’s the last 100 or so pages though, where things get truly exciting and the events from Burning are tied into what’s been happening here. 

Overall, I though Breaking was an okay sequel that could have used more character development. The ending leaves no doubt that there’ll be a third book, and I’m interested in how things will turn out. Because of the darker themes and some brutally graphic scenes, I’d recommend this for older teens who are looking for contemporary fiction with a hint of the supernatural.

Every Last Lie, by Mary Kubica ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Family Relationships, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks To NetGalley and Park Row Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

288 Pages

Synopsis: “The bad man, Daddy. The bad man is after us.”

Clara Solberg’s world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is left remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon. 

Tormented by grief and her obsession that Nick’s death was far more than just an accident, Clara is plunged into a desperate hunt for the truth. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And, more important, why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out–and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara’s investigation and Nick’s last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date–one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.

While I’ve certainly heard of Mary Kubica, Every Last Lie is the first book of hers that I’ve read, but after finishing it I can certainly understand why she’s so popular. It starts off a little slowly, but the pace picks up after the first few chapters. The characters of Clara and Nick are ones you can’t help but become emotionally invested in. Both of them are flawed and make many mistakes, but this just makes them even more relatable. Because of this, my heart was breaking for the both of them throughout the story, especially Nick, who I really became attached to. I have to admit I found myself getting a bit weepy during his chapters, especially in the latter half of the book when the fateful last day was approaching. There are so many twists to what caused Nick’s fatal crash, that right up until the end I had no idea what the outcome of Clara’s investigation was going to be. There are basically just two reasons why I’ve only given this 4 stars. Because of the author’s reputation and the suspenseful build-up, when the end came, I thought it was a little flat. And, there were a few plot holes that I didn’t feel were addressed, which is a pet peeve of mine. Otherwise, I think this is a great mystery/suspense novel that’ll make a wonderful beach and vacation read. I already had Mary Kubica on my list of TBR authors, but I’m definitely moving her previous books nearer to the top of my list now.

Don’t Close Your Eyes, by Holly Seddon ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Agoraphobia, Alcohol Abuse, Child Abuse, Dysfunctional Families, LGBT, Mystery, Suspense

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

Release Date: July 4th, 2017

336 Pages

Synopsis: Twin sisters Robin and Sarah haven’t spoken in years.

Robin can’t leave her house. A complete shut-in, she spends her days spying on her neighbors, subtly meddling in their lives. But she can’t keep her demons out forever. Someone from her past has returned, and is desperate to get inside.

Sarah can’t go home. Her husband has kicked her out, forcibly denying her access to their toddler. Sarah will do anything to get their daughter back, but she’s unraveling under the mounting pressure of concealing the secrets of her past. And her lies are catching up to her.

The novel takes readers back in time to witness the complex family dynamics that formed Robin and Sarah into the emotionally damaged young women they’ve become. As the gripping and intricate layers of their shared past are slowly peeled away, the shocks and twists will keep readers breathless long after the final page.

Don’t Close Your Eyes is a slow burning suspense story, which takes a look at two dysfunctional families who start out as friends, but are torn apart by secrets and lies. It’s told in the alternating POVs of Robin and Sarah, and also flashes back and forth from the 1990s and the present day. Just as she did in her debut novel Try Not To Breathe, Holly Seddon is not afraid to tackle the more sinister aspects of family life. The beginning of the story is seemingly innocuous, but it’s not long before the first cracks appear, which ultimately send each character on their own self-destructive journey. Seddon is brutally honest regarding her flawed characters and they come off as being very realistic, if not completely likable. The pacing of the book stays steady until the last quarter, when everything I thought I understood was turned on its head, literally leaving me gasping in disbelief. The shocking ending tied everything up wonderfully which left me completely satisfied. I highly recommend Don’t Close Your Eyes to readers who enjoy a dark story exploring complex family relationships. 

 

The Silent Corner (Jane Hawk #1) by, Dean Koontz ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Techno-Thriller

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

Release Date: Available Now

464 Pages

Synopsis: “I very much need to be dead.”

These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for but took his own life. In the aftermath, his widow, Jane Hawk, does what all her grief, fear, and fury demands: find the truth, no matter what. People of talent and accomplishment, people admired and happy and sound of mind, have been committing suicide in surprising numbers. When Jane seeks to learn why, she becomes the most-wanted fugitive in America. Her powerful enemies are protecting a secret so terrifying that they will exterminate anyone in their way. 

But all their power and viciousness may not me enough to stop a woman as clever as they are cold-blooded, as relentless as they are ruthless and who is driven by a righteous rage they can never understand. Because it is born of love.

I’ve been reading Dean Koontz since I was a teen, and while it’s been a rocky road at times–loved the Odd Thomas series and standalones like Watchers but had a difficult time with ones like The Darkest Evening Of the Year and Funhouse–he has still remained one of my favorite horror writers. The Silent Corner, the first novel in the Jane Hawk trilogy is less like Stephen King, and more like Michael Crichton. It’s a thrilling and pulse-pounding ride from start to finish and despite it being just under 500 pages, I read it over the course of two days because I literally could not put it down! Jane Hawk is a kick-ass heroine who ripped out my heart and stomped all over it. There’s no doubt she’s a tough cookie, but her heartbreak and anger over the loss of her husband resonates off the page. Her anguish is further compounded, when because of threats by this faceless sinister conspiracy, she is forced to send her sweet son into hiding while she embarks on a cross-country odyssey to uncover what’s behind the burgeoning epidemic of suicides by well-adjusted people, with no previous signs of depression. Jane is of course the star of the story, but there are a few quirky allies she meets along the way which make this story even more enjoyable. The villains are a little more two-dimensional, but they weren’t bad enough to spoil the book for me. The pacing is just insane and this, coupled with short chapters, makes it difficult to tear yourself away. The Silent Corner is a fantastic beginning to this new trilogy and thankfully the second book, The Whispering Room is due out in January, because I don’t think I could wait any longer. Longtime Koontz fans won’t be disappointed by this, and if you haven’t read any books by him, this is an excellent book to start with.

 

Lockdown, by Laurie R. King ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Abuse, Diversity, Dysfunctional Families, Gang Violence, Mystery, School Shootings, Suspense

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

Release Date: Available Now

336 Pages

Synopsis: Career Day at Guadalupe Middle School: a day given to innocent hopes and youthful dreams. A day no one in attendance will ever forget.

A year ago, Principal Linda McDonald arrived at Guadalupe determined to overturn the school’s reputation for truancy, gang violence, and neglect. One of her initiatives is Career Day–bringing together children, teachers, and community presenters in a celebration of the future. But there are some in attendance who reject McDonald’s bright vision. 

A principal with a secret. A husband with a murky past. A cop with too many questions. A kid under pressure to prove himself. A girl struggling to escape a mother’s history. A young basketball player with an affection for guns.

Even the school janitor has a story he dare not reveal.

But no one at the gathering anticipates the shocking turn of events that will transform a day of possibilities into an explosive confrontation.

Laurie R. King is best known for her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, of which I’m a devoted fan. She’s also written the contemporary mystery Kate Martinelli series, which I haven’t tried yet, but after reading Lockdown, I definitely will be. I thought going into this, that it would be a thriller about a school shooting, and I was eagerly anticipating how the author would handle this topic. While it started off a little slow and a bit chaotic, in the end I was completely captivated by the character-driven story. It took me a little while though to get used to the way the story unfolds. It’s told from several different viewpoints including: the Principal’s, her husband, a police officer, and a few students. It also jumps between different time periods and adds in the mysterious disappearance of a young student, and because of these things I felt as though I was getting whiplash at first. But the characters are so well written, that within the first fifty pages I settled in and couldn’t tear myself away. Their lives and backstories are integral to what unfolds on Career Day, and they add to the slow- building suspense. Because each of them has something going on that could result in the violent act that happens at this small California town’s middle school, I really had no idea who the shooter was going to be. When the story arrives at its climax, what happens makes sense and leads to a satisfying conclusion. Overall I found Lockdown to be a creative standalone from Laurie R. King that solidifies her respected reputation. I highly recommend it to fans of hers, as well as readers who enjoy a good character-driven mystery.

Missing, By Kelley Armstrong – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

384 Pages

Synopsis: The only thing Winter Crane likes about Reeve’s End is that soon she’ll leave it. Like her best friend did. Like her sister did. Like most of the teens born in town have done. There’s nothing for them here but abandoned mines and empty futures. They’re better off taking a chance elsewhere.

The only thing Winter will miss is the woods. Her only refuge. At least it was. Until the day she found Lennon left for dead, bleeding in a tree.

But now Lennon is gone too. And he has Winter questioning what she once thought was true. What if nobody left at all? What if they’re all missing?

I’ve been a fan of Kelley Armstrong since she came out with Bitten, the first book in her Women Of the Underworld series, so it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that I was going to request this when it appeared on NetGalley. While I don’t think Missing is one of her best books, it was still, for the most part, enjoyable. One of the things I like about this author is the way her writing seamlessly flows. It makes it practically effortless to breeze through her books, and even though I found the plot in this to be a little slower moving than some of her others, I still finished this in two sittings. One strength here is Armstrong’s critical look at social class norms through her characters. Winter lives in a trailer park with her drunkenly abusive father, and often goes hungry. Lennon and his brother Jude (gotta love the Beatles reference), have grown up in luxury with their adoptive wealthy parents. The issues of class, privilege and Southern “chivalry” are all explored within the context of the story and its characters. The isolated and small town setting of Reeve’s End in Kentucky is very atmospheric and helps create a menacing air. Residents here not only distrust outsiders, they’re continually keeping an eye on each other. As a result, it’s not difficult to wonder if the kids who left Reeve’s End did so willingly, or are missing due to a far more sinister reason. The best part of the book is Winter. Having lost her mother and stuck in this going nowhere town, she is nevertheless a girl with a plan. She avoids her father as much as possible, and is ready to leave like her older sister. But her plans are upended when after spending a night in the woods, she stumbles across Lennon, which in turn leads her down a dangerous path. Winter is an easy character to become emotionally invested in. She’s courageous, stubborn, and not afraid to speak her mind. She’s also determined to find out who or what is behind these disappearances especially when she discovers that her assumptions regarding her sister may be wrong. The secondary characters aren’t as well drawn, particularly in regards to the adults who either come across as one dimensional or are stereotyped as in the case of the police. Is it me, or is the way authority figures are portrayed in YA fiction seem more often than not, to fit these characteristics? Anyway, there are many creepy twists and turns and more than a few red herrings tossed in the reader’s path, which will keep you guessing almost right up until the somewhat rushed ending. Which brings me to my last issue. The big reveal comes pretty much out of left field. The villain did not make their appearance until right before then, and this basically left me scratching my head. I personally don’t like it when an author throws in a previously unknown character at the conclusion, but other readers might not mind it. Overall, though, I found Missing to be a quick read that’s light on romance but heavy on suspense. It also brings up the very real issue of how easy it is under the right circumstances, for someone to go missing, and not have enough questions raised. Teens who like mystery and suspense and a strong main character should definitely enjoy this. 

 

 

 

Deceived, by Heena Rathore P. ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thrillers, Serial Killers, Suspense

Thanks to Heena for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 24th, 2017

350 Pages

Synopsis: How well do you know your loved ones?

A girl struggling to cope with the murders of her mother and five-year-old brother.

A journalist chasing the ghost of a potential serial killer.

A thirteen-year-old girl who slaughtered her parents.

And a revenge-driven psychopath who is about to destroy everyone’s life.

After 9 years, a young writer is still coping with the brutal murders of her mother and five-year-old brother, as she moves into a house of horrors, to start a new life with her lover. Will friends and family be ably to redeem Ally out of the impending doom in time? Will her infallible love become the key to the destruction of her already fragile world? Will madness prevail over love; true love over revenge?

Deceived is a gripping psychological thriller that mazes through the deepest, darkest emotions of the human mind through the story of a vulnerable girl who treads in the mist of deception bred from a long unforgiven betrayal.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating reading Deceived since our fellow blogger Heena, announced several months ago that she was going to be coming out with her first novel. Before I proceed with my review, let me say, if you haven’t checked out her author blog at https://heenarathorep.com and her review blog at https://thereadingbud.com please do. I know to book lovers a cover can make a big difference as far as drawing our attention. As soon as I saw the cover of Deceived, I had to know more and I’m so happy to say that the story delivered on that first promise. The foreward which is written by crime blogger and author Patrick H. Moore, sets the tone by writing about the difference between Psychopaths and Sociopaths. From there the story takes off and maintains a very fast pace. Although I guessed at some revelations, there were others that managed to catch me by surprise. Heena does a great job juggling the perspectives of four different characters as well as two time periods set thirty years apart. There’s a nice seamless flow to the chapters, which when added to the fast pace, makes this book difficult to put down. The journal entries from the mysterious psychopath known only as “Mikey”, add a further creepy tone to the story. Some of the scenes, especially toward the end are graphically violent and bloody, which had even me cringing. None of these are gratuitous however, and they fit in with the rest of the story. One word of warning to animal lovers, Ally has a loyal German Shepherd named Max who does suffer at the hands of Mikey, so you might want to skim over those couple sections. There are just a couple of issues I ran into which prevented this from being a perfect read for me. The first concerns the dialogue between the characters. At certain times I found it to be awkward, which was a little distracting. And then there’s Allison, who I really liked, yet at the same time she left me extremely frustrated at times. She’s a smart, capable and independent woman, who’s survived this horrible trauma in her past, but she allows herself to be manipulated which results in not only her life being put in danger, but the people she loves and cares about as well. There are plenty of warning signs that she ignores, which had me wanting to take her by the shoulders and yell ” What is wrong with you? Wake up! Run and don’t look back!” Overall though, Deceived is a wonderful page-turner and I recommend it to mystery, suspense and psychological thriller enthusiasts. Heena has another book in the works called Sinister Town which I’m eagerly awaiting, especially after reading her exciting debut.

I Found You, by Lisa Jewell ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thrillers, Suspense

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

Release Date: Available Now

352 Pages

Synopsis: In a windswept British seaside town, single mom, Alice Lake finds a man sitting on the beach outside her home. He has no name, no jacket, and no idea how he got there. Against her better judgement, she invites him inside.

Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.

Twenty-three years earlier, Gray and Kirsty are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. Their annual trip to the quaint seaside town is passing by uneventfully, until an enigmatic young man starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortable–and it’s not that he’s playing the role of protective older brother.

Two decades of secrets, a missing husband, and a man with no memory are at the heart of this brilliant new novel, filled with “beautiful writing, believable characters, packet narrative, and dark secrets” (London Daily Mail) that makes Lisa Jewell so beloved on both sides of the Atlantic.

Despite Lisa Jewell being one of my favorite suspense authors, I hesitated over requesting this because of the multiple perspectives and time spans. I just read a book that did this and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tackle another. Thankfully, while the previous book’s use of this plot was jarring and confusing, In I Found You, Lisa Jewell seamlessly moves back and forth between her characters and timelines, leaving you breathlessly wondering how the puzzle pieces will all fit together. Jewell’s novels tend to be character-driven and her latest is no different, although I have to be honest and admit I had a difficult time connecting to Alice. She’s someone who has already been involved in a string of bad relationships, yet she brings home a stranger who’s suffering from amnesia, and then within a few days is completely smitten with him? Even the romantic in me found this to be unrealistic. But there’s something that ties all these characters together, their need to be loved. That need leads to questionable decisions on all their parts, but their desperation also leads to the very intriguing mystery them all together. I spent the majority of the novel not knowing who to trust or how everything was related. I second-guessed myself several times, right up until the satisfying conclusion. Overall, I Found You has a clever and suspense-filled plot, combined with quirky characters, that further shows why Lisa Jewell is a force to be reckoned with in the genres of mystery, suspense, and psychological thrillers. 

Full Wolf Moon (Jeremy Logan #5), by Lincoln Child ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Werewolves

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

Release Date: Available Now

256 Pages

Synopsis: Legends, no matter how outlandish, are often grounded in reality. This has been the guiding principle behind the exhilarating career of Jeremy Logan, the “enigmologist” –an investigator who specializes in analyzing phenomena that have no obvious explanation–previously seen in The Forgotten Room, The Third Gate, and Deep Storm. Logan has often found himself in situations where keeping an open mind could mean the difference between life and death, and that has never been more true than now.

Logan travels to an isolated writer’s retreat deep in the Adirondacks to finally work on his book when the remote community is rocked by the grisly discovery of a dead hiker on Desolation Mountain. The body has been severely mauled, but the unusual savagery of the bite and claw marks call into question the initial suspicions of a wild bear attack. When Logan is asked to help investigate, he discovers no shortage of suspects capable of such an attack–and no shortage of locals willing to point the finger and spread incredible rumors. One rumor, too impossible to believe, has even the forest ranger believing in werewolves. As Logan gets to know the remote deep-woods landscape, including a respected woman scientist still struggling with the violent loss of her father in these very woods, Logan realizes he’s up against something he has never seen before.

It’s been fun seeing the character of Jeremy Logan be developed from a secondary character to the starring role in The Forgotten Room and now Full Wolf Moon. While I’m not as fond of him as I am of Pendergast in the series Lincoln Child co-writes with Douglas Preston, he’s still a likable character. In his latest adventure, a little more of his backstory is revealed, which makes him more relatable then I found him in the previous books.. As for the story, well I enjoyed it, but found some parts a little formulaic. I guessed who was behind the grisly attacks a little past halfway through the book which took some of the excitement away. The secondary characters could have been a little more well-developed, but I think the relatively short length of the book made this impossible. The setting is very atmospheric and has reaffirmed my determination to never go camping! The ending also neatly ties everything up. Despite my issues with Full Wolf Moon, it’s still a fun and quick read that combines science and the supernatural which results in an interesting take on werewolves. It can definitely be read as a standalone, although I suggest reading at least The Forgotten Room before picking this up, just to get a better sense of Logan. It’s a good book to take to the beach or on vacation. I’m looking forward to Jeremy Logan’s next adventure.