Stay Awake by Megan Goldin The title of Megan Goldin's newest thriller, "Stay Awake," is important. We find out that those two words have been vital to the survival of the main character, Liv Reese, for two different reasons. Why must Liv Reese stay awake? Why has she written those words on her arms? On … Continue reading ‘Stay Awake’ by Megan Goldin is filled with mystery and suspense
psychological thriller
‘The Family Plot’ by Megan Collins is a twisted story of a family history built on lies
The Family Plot by Megan Collins In the very first sentence of "The Family Plot," by Megan Collins, the first person narrator shares the fact that she was named Dahlia after Black Dahlia, an actress who was gruesomely murdered. Likewise, her siblings were named after other murder victims, including her twin brother, Andy, named after … Continue reading ‘The Family Plot’ by Megan Collins is a twisted story of a family history built on lies
‘Hostage’ by Clare Mackintosh is a seat-of-your-pants thriller about betrayal, love, and family
Hostage by Clare Mackintosh With "Hostage," Clare Mackintosh gives us a thriller with nonstop action and not one set of hostages, but two. The family at the center of these hostage situations is the Holbrook family: Adam, MIna and Sophia. Adam is a police inspector and Mina is a flight attendant. Sophia is their adopted … Continue reading ‘Hostage’ by Clare Mackintosh is a seat-of-your-pants thriller about betrayal, love, and family
‘False Witness’ by Karin Slaughter is a brutal and compelling account of what we will do for love
False Witness by Karin Slaughter With her latest thriller, "False Witness," author Karin Slaughter creates three characters we can't stop thinking about. We meet sisters Callie and Leigh, both raised by a brutal, uncaring mother in extreme poverty. Both abused physically, sexually, and emotionally. What is different is how Callie and Leigh react to that … Continue reading ‘False Witness’ by Karin Slaughter is a brutal and compelling account of what we will do for love
‘The Wife Stalker’ by Liv Constantine is a twisted tale of treachery
"The Wife Stalker" by Liv Constantine is a suitable second book for the authors who created the thrilling "The Last Mrs. Parrish." Like the first book by the two sisters who write together under the name Liv Constantine, this one features alternating narratives and stories that appear to lead in one direction only to completely … Continue reading ‘The Wife Stalker’ by Liv Constantine is a twisted tale of treachery
‘Something She’s Not Telling Us’ by Darcey Bell; a novel set of liars
In "Something She's Not Telling Us," author Darcey Bell makes it pretty clear that there are some unreliable narrators telling the story. The main character, Charlotte, appears to have a perfect life. Her husband has made enough money that now he can pursue his passion, theater, and she owns a group of flower shops and … Continue reading ‘Something She’s Not Telling Us’ by Darcey Bell; a novel set of liars
‘No Bad Deed’ by Heather Chavez; one wrong move and watch out!
In "No Bad Deed," debut author Heather Chavez presents readers with the thought that making one wrong move or just one poor decision, might change our lives. In fact, Cassie Larkin has always regretted not helping a victim of abuse she witnessed when she was in college, and she's tried to make up for that … Continue reading ‘No Bad Deed’ by Heather Chavez; one wrong move and watch out!
‘The Other Mrs.’ by Mary Kubica is a twisty and dark mystery
Like many popular mysteries, "The Other Mrs." by Mary Kubica has multiple narrators, but in this psychological suspense novel, readers are lead down the wrong dark path. Or rather, we are led down a path that goes in the right direction, but we completely miss the shady crooked path that goes to the heart of … Continue reading ‘The Other Mrs.’ by Mary Kubica is a twisty and dark mystery
‘The Family Upstairs’ is a taut psychological thriller by Lisa Jewell
Lisa Jewell is no stranger to bestseller lists, and with this new chilling novel, "The Family Upstairs," her bestselling streak will surely continue unabated. This mystery features several narrators, but only Henry, the son of the wealthy Lamb family, is a first person narrator. Libby Jones, the main character, was adopted as a child and … Continue reading ‘The Family Upstairs’ is a taut psychological thriller by Lisa Jewell
‘Anyone’ by Charles Soule is for everyone
Charles Coule's brilliant second novel, "Anyone," presents us with a wonderful and terrible proposition: how would you like to be able to enter someone's -- anyone else's -- body? That proposition, that profound question, is the crux of the issues created by Soule and the crux of the problems experienced by his protagonist, Gabrielle White. … Continue reading ‘Anyone’ by Charles Soule is for everyone
‘The Escape Room’ by Megan Goldin: nonstop action from the first page to the last
Greed and arrogance are qualities that permeate the personalities of the characters in Megan Goldin's "The Escape Room." The first chapter offers the reader clues that the story will not end well for some of those characters, but just how that comes about is part of the mystery and the thrill. Four hedge fund traders … Continue reading ‘The Escape Room’ by Megan Goldin: nonstop action from the first page to the last
‘The Two Lila Bennetts’ by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is clever and frightening
As someone who went through law school and gave criminal law a thought, my feelings after reading "The Two Lila Bennetts" is that authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke got it all right. I'll never forget working for a criminal law firm while going to law school at night. A lawyer once said to me, … Continue reading ‘The Two Lila Bennetts’ by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is clever and frightening
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