Nightcap Books

BOOK INFO

Title: The Birthday Girl

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Publisher: Dutton

Publish Date: August 6, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

In the thrilling, suspenseful new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz, all of Ellie de Florent-Stinson’s secrets come to light in one eventful evening full of twists, turns, and surprises.  

Before she became a glamorous fashion designer, Ellie de Florent-Stinson was a trailer-park teen about to turn sixteen. But a night of birthday celebration doesn’t go exactly as planned and descends into a night she’ll never be able to forget.

Now, on the cusp of her fortieth birthday, it appears Ellie has everything she ever wanted: a handsome husband; an accomplished, college-age stepdaughter; a beautiful ten-year-old girl; adorable and rambunctious six-year-old twin boys; lush, well-appointed homes in Los Angeles, Park City, and Palm Springs; a thriving career; and a dazzling circle of friends.

Except everything is not quite as perfect as it looks on the outside—Ellie is keeping many secrets. But hiding those skeletons has a cost, and it all comes to a head the night of her fabulous birthday party in the desert—where everyone who matters in her life shows up, invited or not. Old and new friends and frenemies, stepdaughters and business partners, ex-wives and ex-husbands congregate, and the glittering facade of Ellie’s life begins to crumble. 

Beautifully paced and full of surprises, The Birthday Girl is an enthralling tale of a life lived in shadow and its unavoidable consequences.

MY REVIEW

Ellie is turning forty, and she has a big birthday party planned. She’s invited everyone she knows and has everything planned to the last detail. Things do not go according to plan though. Something is up with her husband, her daughter has returned home unexpectedly from college, her best friend can’t make it, someone from her past has decided to drop by, and Ellie’s waiting on a last minuted business deal.

The Birthday Girl is told with alternating timelines – past (24 years ago) and present (birthday party). The past timeline is about Leo and Mish, two girls from the wrong side of town, on the night of Leo’s 16th birthday. They are best friends and excited to go out and celebrate, but things do not end happily. The present timeline is about Ellie, her lavish party, and the things happening in her life.

The Birthday Girl is listed as a thriller, but nothing is particularly surprising or shocking. Ellie is not the most likable character, but she’s realistic. She wants perfection, and to prove that she belongs. An entertaining book for readers who enjoy drama and mild suspense.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Turn of the Key

Author: Ruth Ware

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publish Date: August 6, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the home’s cameras, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder—but somebody is.

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

MY REVIEW

Rowan answers an ad for a live-in nanny position. The position seems a little too perfect, but Rowan ignores the warning signs. After getting the job, Rowan experiences some unexplained and disturbing events in the home. Her time there is difficult, and Rowan admits she made mistakes. When one of the children dies, Rowan insists she is not the killer.

Told from Rowan’s point of view in letters from prison to her attorney. Rowan attempts to explain everything that happened during her time with the family, and what led to her arrest. Strange events in the home, the creepy smart features of the house, and the behavior of the not-so-perfect children. Rowan is not a likable character, but she is realistic and evokes a little sympathy.

I enjoy the atmosphere that Ruth Ware creates in her novels. She is a master at writing creepy and atmospheric psychological thrillers. The setting for The Turn of the Key is a remote smart home in the Scottish Highlands. The property is large and has a dark history.

The Turn of the Key is a slow-burning and eerie psychological thriller. While there are some predictable things in the story, there are enough twists to keep it interesting. Fans of Ruth Ware are sure to enjoy The Turn of the Key. Creepy, unsettling, and atmospheric.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Ruth Ware:

1. In a Dark, Dark Wood
2. The Woman in Cabin 10
3. The Lying Game
4. The Death of Mrs. Westaway
5. The Turn of the Key
6. One by One
7. The It Girl
8. Zero Days
9. One Perfect Couple

BOOK INFO

Title: Someone We Know

Author: Shari Lapena

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publish Date: July 30, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Maybe you don’t know your neighbors as well as you thought you did . . .

“This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much. . . My son broke into your home recently while you were out.”

In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses–and into the owners’ computers as well–learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too.

Who is he, and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate, and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they’re telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets?

In this neighborhood, it’s not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide . . .

You never really know what people are capable of.

MY REVIEW

A nice, quiet neighborhood. Well, except that a man’s wife goes missing and a teenager is breaking into houses and hacking into computers. Everyone in the neighborhood is hiding something, and one of them is a killer.

Someone We Know has a lot of characters, and is told with alternating points of view. Some of the characters are better developed than others. All of the characters are keeping secrets, and most are suspects in a neighbor’s murder.

I enjoyed the mysterious plot, but had a hard time connecting with the characters. The setting is one of my favorites – idyllic neighborhood where everyone has something to hide. The ending isn’t a big shock, and a lot of readers will likely figure it out, but there are enough suspects and twists in the story to keep most readers guessing a bit.

Someone We Know is an entertaining and twisty thriller. Suspenseful, fun, and clever.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Shari Lapena:

1. The Couple Next Door
2. A Stranger in the House
3. An Unwanted Guest
4. Someone We Know
5. The End of Her
6. Not a Happy Family
7. Everyone Here Is Lying

BOOK INFO

Title: A Stranger on the Beach

Author: Michele Campbell

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: July 23, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Caroline Stark’s beach house was supposed to be her crowning achievement: a lavish, expensive space to showcase what she thought was her perfect family. But after a very public fight with her husband, she realizes things may not be as perfect as they seem: her husband is lying to her, the money is disappearing, and there’s a stranger on the beach outside her house.

As Caroline’s marriage and her carefully constructed lifestyle begin to collapse around her, she turns to Aidan, the stranger, for comfort…and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aidan’s infatuation with Caroline, her family, and her house becomes more and more destructive. But who is manipulating whom in this deadly game of obsession and control? Who will take the blame when someone ends up dead…and what is Caroline hiding?

MY REVIEW

Caroline Stark is living the dream life. Well, until her husband shows up late to their housewarming party… and with another woman. As Caroline’s marriage falls apart, so does her fancy life. When Caroline meets a stranger on the beach, Aiden, they have a brief fling. It’s clear from the start that Aiden’s feelings are stronger for Caroline than hers for him.

A Stranger on the Beach is told with the alternating points of view of Caroline and Aiden. Caroline’s POV is first person, while Aiden’s is third person. It’s clear their stories don’t match, but which one is lying is not clear. An entertaining unreliable narrator psychological thriller.

A Stranger on the Beach is the second book I’ve read by Michele Campbell, and I enjoyed this one slightly more than She Was the Quiet One. For avid readers of domestic suspense, A Stranger on the Beach isn’t too hard to figure out. Still, it was a fun, fast-paced read. Suspenseful and exciting.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Michele Campbell:

1. It’s Always the Husband
2. She Was the Quiet One
3. A Stranger on the Beach
4. The Wife Who Knew Too Much
5. The Intern