These Deadly Games, By Diana Urban ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Gaming, Mystery, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 1st, 2022

416 Pages

Synopsis: Let’s play a game.

You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. If you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies.

Are you ready?

When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a video of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.

But then Crystal realizes each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister. Is someone trying to take her team out of the running for a gaming tournament? Or have they uncovered a secret from their past, and wants them to pay for what they did…

As Crystal makes the impossible choices between her friends and her sister, she must uncover the truth and find a way to outplay the kidnapper… before it’s too late.

Author of All Your Twisted Secrets, Diana Urban’s explosive sophomore novel, These Deadly Games, will keep you riveted until the final twist is revealed. (Goodreads)

These Deadly Games is another buzzy upcoming book making the rounds, and while I had a couple of issues with it I sped through it in three hours.

Let me get the negatives out of the way. I had a difficult time connecting to most of the characters, especially Crystal. Most of them were a bit obnoxious in one way or another, although I did warm up to a couple the further I got into the story and learned more about them. Crystal was especially difficult because adding to that was some poor decision making on her part. However, given that she’s sixteen, and put into an impossible situation I tried not to be too judgemental. And, as is usually the case with unsympathetic characters, they can make great suspects, which is what happens here. Up until the halfway point of the story I had pegged the role of the villain on everyone, including Crystal. Although I did deduce who it was well before the big reveal, it was still interesting because of all the unknown particulars. What makes me give this 4 stars though is the unique action-packed storyline and all the twists. All too often I’ve gone into a book that’s billed as a thriller only to find that it barely fits into the suspense genre. This story is a thriller in every sense, and I was absolutely glued to the pages as Crystal careened from one tormenting game to another, while at the same time desperately trying to unmask her tormentor. The ending when it came, unveiled a few last surprises that left me quite happy with the few hours I spent reading.

Overall, despite the mainly unlikable cast, I really enjoyed These Deadly Games. In her acknowledgments, Diana Urban mentions that her film agent is championing this in Hollywood, which isn’t surprising to me because I couldn’t help thinking what a fantastic movie or series this would make. If you love thrilling cat-and-mouse tales, I highly recommend this!

The Therapist, By B.A. Paris ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

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

Release Date: July 13th, 2021

320 Pages

Synopsis: When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…

The multimillion-copy New York Times bestselling author B.A. Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in The Therapist–a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret. (Goodreads)

I have to be honest and admit The Therapist isn’t one of my favorites by Paris, mainly due to the main character’s propensity for making bad decisions, but it dragged me in almost immediately and I couldn’t pull myself away. 

Alice is the type of protagonist that drives me a little crazy. She’s very likable on one hand, but on the other she’s not quite believable. I won’t divulge any spoilers, but some of her choices make no rational sense whatsoever. A few are even downright contradictory which really had me scratching my head. The other characters with all their secrets, I actually found far more interesting, especially Leo, whose motives kept me guessing through most of the book. The mystery of who killed Nina and why, kept me turning the pages, and the final reveal completely caught me by surprise. 

Although my feelings regarding the main character remained torn throughout the story The Therapist turned out to be an entertaining domestic thriller. It’s a very quick read, and is perfect for the beach or on vacation. I believe fans of B.A. Paris will be pleased by her latest offering, and if you haven’t read anything by her but enjoy a fast-paced twisty mystery, I recommend you give this a try.

The Stowaway, By James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Child Murders, Mystery, Serial Killers, Thriller

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

Release Date: September 21st, 2021

320 Pages

Synopsis: From internationally bestselling authors James Murray and Darren Wearmouth comes The Stowaway, a suspenseful masterpiece that leaves a cruise ship stranded at sea with a serial killer hiding aboard…

Two years ago, Maria Fontana was the deciding vote on a jury that set alleged serial killer Wyatt Butler free. Now, she and her family are enjoying vacation on a two week long transatlantic cruise. But when passengers are discovered brutally murdered in a similar way to Butler’s ritualistic MO, the ship goes on lockdown. Maria, one of only twelve people in the world with intimate knowledge of the case, faces a perilous ticking clock. Is it a copycat? Or is she trapped on board with the bloodthirsty maniac she chose to set free? (Goodreads)

To call The Stowaway a fast read doesn’t quite do it justice. I started this 320 page book about 7:00 in the evening and finished it two hours later. The plot isn’t one that requires a lot of deep thinking. The identity of the serial killer is fairly certain from the beginning, and there aren’t that many puzzle pieces to put together. The biggest issue I had concerned a decision Maria made in the first couple of chapters which put not only herself, but her twins at risk. While it was a noble gesture, given that she had two children it didn’t ring quite true to me, and it stayed in the back of mind throughout the rest of the book. It wasn’t enough to stop my enjoyment though. The story itself was extremely tense and suspenseful, and I honestly couldn’t guess how it was going to end. I do need to warn you though, the serial killer here goes after children and there are a few graphic scenes that even made me squeamish. Otherwise, The Stowaway is a heart pounding thriller that I guarantee you’ll find impossible to put down!

Never Saw Me Coming, By Vera Kurian ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Psychopaths, Rape References, Thriller

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

Release Date: September 7th, 2021

352 Pages

Synopsis: Meet Chloe Sevre. She’s a freshman honor student, a legging-wearing hot girl next door, who also happens to be a psychopath. Her hobbies include yogalates, frat parties and plotting to kill Will Bachman, a childhood friend who grievously wronged her.

Chloe is one of seven students at her DC-based college who are part of an unusual clinical study for psychopaths—students like herself who lack empathy and can’t comprehend emotions like fear or guilt. The study, led by a renowned psychologist, requires them to wear smart watches that track their moods and movements.

When one of the students in the study is found murdered in the psychology building, a dangerous game of cat and mouse begins, and Chloe goes from hunter to prey. As she races to identify the killer and put her own plan into action, she’ll be forced to decide if she can trust any of her fellow psychopaths—and everybody knows you should never trust a psychopath.

Never Saw Me Coming is a compulsive, voice-driven thriller by an exciting new voice in fiction, that will keep you pinned to the page and rooting for a would-be killer. (Goodreads)

Without a doubt, the premise for Never Saw Me Coming is decidedly different. Seven students diagnosed with psychopathy, given full rides to a Washington D.C. college with the only catch being that they have to participate in a psychological study in hopes that it will enable them to better understand their condition and be able to better function in society. Unsurprisingly, things veer off track quickly as two participants are murdered.

While Chloe is definitely the primary character, the reader also hears from Charles, a privileged, but abused student, and Andre, who is hiding a major secret. Chloe is the one who fascinated me the most as she’s part of two storylines: the mystery of who’s behind the murders, and her quest for vengeance against Will, (here’s my one spoiler) a childhood friend who raped her when she was twelve. There aren’t any graphic details about the assault, but you know it happened and certain readers might still have a problem with this. Chloe may be a psychopath and I found myself terrified, yet reluctantly liking her at the same time, despite her emotional detachment from others. Highly intelligent and self-aware, she has a snarky sense of humor that had me chuckling at times. Given how reprehensible Will is, my inner vigilante even wound up rooting for her. Charles is also interesting with his dysfunctional relationship with his abusive father, and his romantic one with his girlfriend Kristin. And Andre, well I can’t say much without revealing any spoilers, but while he starts out way over his head, he plays an integral role in the investigation.

The plot is fun and suspenseful, although the big reveal and climax was a bit chaotic. I also found it surprising that three such highly intelligent individuals so easily walked into a trap. That’s my only quibble though and I thoroughly enjoyed Never Saw Me Coming from beginning to end. Although the conclusion wraps everything up, it leaves an opening for a sequel, which I’m hoping for because I’d like to revisit these characters.

Unthinkable, By Brad Parks ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 27th, 2021

352 Pages

Synopsis: From international bestselling author Brad Parks comes a new thriller about an ordinary man who may be able to save the world as we know it—but to do so, he must make an impossible choice.

Nate Lovejoy is a self-proclaimed nobody, a stay-at-home dad who doesn’t believe he’s important to anyone but his wife and their two daughters. So it’s a shock when members of a powerful secret society kidnap and spirit Nate away to a mansion at the behest of their leader, Vanslow DeGange, who claims to know the future. He’s foreseen that a billion people could die—unless Nate acts.

It seems improbable, especially given what DeGange says will set this mass casualty incident in motion: a lawsuit against the biggest power company in Virginia, being brought by Nate’s wife, Jenny.

Nate quickly smells a scam being perpetrated by the power company. But at every turn, it becomes apparent there’s more to DeGange’s gift than Nate wants to acknowledge. A billion people really could die, and Nate might be the only one who can save them.

All he has to do is the unthinkable. (Goodreads)

As I believe in full disclosure, I want to warn you that Unthinkable  takes far-fetched to a whole new level. If you’re willing to leave rational thinking and skepticism at the door though, this is a wild ride that I guarantee you’ll find impossible to put down once you’ve started!

The big question is: What would you do if you were told that in order to save millions of people, you have to murder a person, and not only that, but it’s someone you love. This isn’t an entirely new concept. Various versions have been previously debated with one of the more popular hypotheticals being if you could go back in time, would you kill Hitler. So, take that, throw in the Butterfly Effect, and you have the basis for Unthinkable. 

The story is told through the alternating POVs of Nate and Jenny, and I was equally invested in each of their characters and what they were going through. The plot itself is a crazy roller coaster of a ride with plenty of twists and turns and an intriguing mystery teasingly woven through the narrative. 

In summation Unthinkable is an unputdownable thriller that is a fantastic concoction made up of a bit of existentialism and philosophy, likable characters, head-spinning twists, and a breakneck pace. Honestly, this is the epitome of a perfect Beach Book, so if you have vacation plans this summer, or even if you don’t and you’re looking for a great escape that you’ll likely finish in one or two sittings, mark your calendars for July 21.  And, if you’re thinking this would make for a great movie, you’re absolutely right. I’m already creating my dream cast!

The 22 Murders of Madison May, By Max Barry ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 6th, 2021

336 Pages

Synopsis: From the critically acclaimed author of Jennifer Government and Lexicon, comes mind-bending, speculative, psychological suspense, about a serial killer pursuing his victim through time and space, and the woman who is determined to stop him, even if it upends her own reality.

I love you. In every world.

Young real estate agent Madison May is shocked when a client at an open house says these words to her. The man, a stranger, seems to know far too much about her and professes his love—shortly before he murders her.

Felicity Staples hates reporting on murders. As a journalist for a midsize New York City paper, she know she must take on the assignment to research Madison May’s shocking murder, but the crime seems random and the suspect is in the wind. That is, until Felicity spots the killer on the subway right before he vanishes.

Soon Felicity senses her entire universe has shifted. No one remembers Madison May, or Felicity’s encounter with the mysterious man. And her cat is missing. Felicity realizes that in her pursuit of Madison’s killer, she followed him into a different dimension—one where everything about her existence is slightly altered. At first she is determined to return to the reality she knows, but when Madison May—in this world, a struggling actress—is murdered again, Felicity decides she must find the killer—and learns she is not the only one hunting him.

Traveling through different realities, Felicity uncovers the opportunity—and danger—of living more than one life. (Goodreads)

After reading the synopsis for The 22 Deaths of Madison May, the idea of a serial killer pursuing different versions of his victim through the multiverse immediately made me sit up and take notice. For the most part I’m happy to say that it lived up to my expectations. The pace was extremely fast except for a few chapters in the middle which seemed unnecessarily repetitive. Except for Felicity and Madison, the other characters weren’t all that well developed which wound up being my primary issue. I would have especially liked to know more about Clayton, the deranged, fiercely determined serial killer. He comes across as your stereotypical stalker who becomes obsessed with a pretty young woman. I was expecting a little more I guess given the complexity of the plot. The ending wrapped everything up pretty satisfactorily and the fate of Clayton is a wonderful example of someone getting their just desserts. Overall, The 22 Murders of Madison May, snagged my attention and I easily finished it in less than two days. The idea of the multiverse with different versions of us that are similar yet different fascinates me, and Max Barry’s take on it is quite entertaining. It’s also made me want to go back and read Max Barry’s previous books. I unhesitatingly recommend this to readers who enjoy speculative fiction and exciting mystery/thrillers. 

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!

Find You First, By Linwood Barclay ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Huntington’s Disease, Mystery, Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow/Custom House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 4th, 2020

448 Pages

Synopsis: The New York Times bestselling author of Elevator Pitch and master of psychological suspense returns with a riveting thriller in which the possible heirs of a dying tech millionaire are mysteriously being eliminated, one by one.

Tech millionaire Miles Cookson has more money than he can ever spend, and everything he could dream of—except time. He has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and there is a fifty percent chance it can be passed on to the next generation. For Miles, this means taking a long hard look at his past…

Two decades ago, a young, struggling, Miles was a sperm donor. Somewhere out there, he has kids—nine of them. And they might be about to inherit both the good and the bad from him—maybe his fortune, or maybe something much worse.

As Miles begins to search for the children he has never known, aspiring film documentarian, Chloe Swanson, embarks on a quest to find her biological father, armed with the knowledge that twenty-two years ago, her mother used a New York sperm bank to become pregnant.

When Miles and Chloe eventually connect, their excitement at finding each other is overshadowed by a series of mysterious and terrifying events. One by one, Mile’s other potential heirs are vanishing—every trace of them wiped, like they never existed at all.

Who is the vicious killer—another heir methodically erasing rivals? Or is there something even more sinister going on?

It’s a deadly race against time… (Goodreads)

I’ve been a fan of Linwood Barclay since I read No Time For Goodbye in 2007, and have rarely been disappointed, and I’m happy to say his upcoming Find You First is another page-turning winner! I loved both Miles and Chloe as protagonists and found it easy to connect with them. While Miles is a decent guy who wants to do the right thing, he tends to take those close to him for granted, but by the end of the book I think Chloe has had a positive effect on him. The villainous Jeremy Pritkin, whose motives kept me guessing, I kept picturing as Roger Stone for some odd reason. He’s a bit over-the-top but still weirdly fascinating. The plot makes use of today’s technology and headlines yet is somewhat far-fetched, but as usual with this prolific author’s storytelling, it’s so exciting that doesn’t matter. There are oodles of twists and turns which kept me completely captivated from beginning to end. After reading several dark books lately, I needed a bit of a breather, and Find You First certainly fit the bill. If you haven’t read any of Barclay’s previous books, this is a good one to start with.

Ace of Spades, By Faridah Àbiké-Íyímídé ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Homophobia, LGBTQ, Mystery, Racism, Suspense, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 1st, 2021

432 Pages

Synopsis: When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo are selected to be part of the elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too. 

Shortly after the announcement is made though, someone who goes by Aces, begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threatens every aspect of their carefully planned futures. 

As Aces shows no signs of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly? 

With heart-pounding suspense and relevant social commentary, comes a high-octane thriller from debut author Faridah Àbiké-Íyímídé.

Ace of Spades is one of the best debuts I’ve read and I believe it will be one of the most buzzed about books of 2021! The author brilliantly spins a complex web of lies and betrayals with timely social issues including: being LGBTQ in the black community, socioeconomic status, and institutionalized/systemic racism. I can tell you after reading countless books that attempt to be both issue-driven and suspenseful, it’s extremely difficult to do without one or the other suffering. That’s certainly not the case here. I literally could not tear myself away and despite this being over 400 pages, I easily finished it in one sitting. Chiamaka and Devon are flawed yet relatable and sympathetic characters, and my heart ached at the things they were forced to do to fit in and get ahead. While there were certain parts I guessed at early on, there were a couple of head-spinning twists that were utterly insane, especially the last one which resulted in me not being able to go to sleep after finishing. Ace of Spades is a book that is a must read for teens and adults. If I was still a children’s/YA librarian/ I’d be preordering multiple copies for my collection. This is a pitch-perfect book that not only entertains, but makes you think about the systemic racism that’s so prevalent in society and what people of color are forced to put up with day in and day out. A blurb likens it to Gossip Girl meets Get Out, and I certainly would go along with that. I encourage everyone to mark their calendars and preorder this or put it on hold at your library ASAP. I read in Newsweek that twenty-two-year-old Faridah Àbíké- Íyímídé received a seven figure advance from the publisher for her debut and a second as yet untitled book, and I can certainly understand why. I can’t wait to read her next novel.

The Minders, By John Marrs ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Computer Hacking, Dystopian Fiction, Espionage, Government Conspiracies, The United Kingdom, Thriller

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

Release Date: February 16th, 2021

416 Pages

Synopsis:

In this electrifying near-future thriller, five strangers guard government secrets, but only four can be trusted.

In the 21st century, information is king. But computers can be hacked and files can be broken into—so a unique government initiative has been born. Five ordinary people have been selected to become Minders—the latest weapon in thwarting cyberterrorism. Transformed by a revolutionary medical procedure, the country’s most classified information has been taken offline and turned into genetic code implanted in their heads.

Together, the five know every secret, the truth behind every government lie, conspiracy theory and cover up. In return, they’re given the chance for to leave their problems behind and a blank slate to start their lives anew.

But not everyone should be trusted, especially when they each have secrets of their own they’ll do anything to protect…(Goodreads)

The Minders is the third book by John Marrs set in the UK in the not too distant future. While you needn’t have read The One and The Passengers to keep up, I’d still recommend you do so to get a better sense of the world and technology. The chapters alternate between the five complex main characters, and as usual, Marrs does a solid job fleshing out their backstories. The plot itself is a little slower paced in the first half than in the previous books, but it’s still compelling, and given the increasing sophistication of hacking, I could see some of the things detailed in the book happening. My only quibble is that I felt like I was being told rather than shown what was happening, yet despite this, I was still drawn into the story. I have to say that after reading three books in this unnamed series now, I’ve found that the author is quite adept at making what would ordinarily be ludicrous plot points acceptable. Overall, The Minders is another exciting and creative piece of science fiction and a worthy follow-up to the previous books.