Nightcap Books

BOOK INFO

Title: False Step

Author: Victoria Helen Stone

Publisher: Lake Union

Publish Date: July 1, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Stay calm, keep smiling, and watch your step. In this marriage of secrets and lies, nothing is what it seems.

For days, all of Denver, Colorado, has worried over the fate of a missing child, little Tanner Holcomb. Then, a miracle: handsome, athletic Johnny Bradley finds him, frightened but unharmed, on a hiking trail miles from his wealthy family’s mountain home.

In a heartbeat, his rescuer goes from financially strapped fitness trainer to celebrated hero. The heat of the spotlight may prove too much for Johnny’s picture-perfect family, however. His wife, Veronica, despises the pressure of the sudden fame, afraid that secrets and bitter resentments of her marriage may come to light. And she’s willing to do anything to keep them hidden.

But when a shocking revelation exposes an even darker side to Tanner’s disappearance, Veronica realizes that nothing in her life can be trusted. And everything should be feared.

MY REVIEW

Veronica is suddenly in the spotlight when her husband, Johnny, finds a missing toddler. Johnny is enjoying being a hero and all the media attention, but Veronica is afraid her secrets may be revealed. When Veronica learns there was more to the toddler’s disappearance, she realizes her secrets are the least of her worries.

False Step is a combination of family drama and suspense. Veronica is unhappy with her life, primarily with her marriage. When Johnny is the local hero and in all the news, Veronica feels even more overwhelmed. Add in the mystery surrounding the toddler’s disappearance, and Veronica life is completely turned upside down.

False Step is a fast-paced and entertaining domestic suspense. This is a fairly predictable story, especially for avid readers of thrillers. Still, I found it to be an enjoyable summer read. Dark, fun, and compelling.

Books in the Jane Doe series:

1. Jane Doe
2. Problem Child

Other Books by Victoria Helen Stone:

1. Evelyn, After
2. Half Past
3. False Step
4. The Last One Home
5. At the Quiet Edge
6. The Hook

BOOK INFO

Title: I Know You

Author: Annabel Kantaria

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publish Date: June 28, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

A twisted domestic thriller in the vein of B. A. Paris and Shari Lapena that asks: How well do you know your friends?

That picture you posted?
I’ve seen it.
That location you tagged?
I’ve been there.
I know everything about your life . . .
And I’m going to destroy it.

A recent transplant from sunny California, life in the London suburbs is not what Taylor Watson expected. Far from the West End shops and city lights she imagined, she finds herself pregnant and lonely, with a husband frequently away on business and only social media to keep her company. It’s only after Taylor joins a book club and a walking group, that she finally starts to make some real-life friends.
Before long, Taylor’s hanging out with Anna, Sarah, Simon, and Caroline but, as her pregnancy progresses and her friendships blossom, a sense of unease develops. Nothing’s ever quite as it seems on the surface, and it soon becomes clear that Taylor’s new friends have secrets. One appears to be after Taylor’s husband, another’s always putting her down, and then there’s the question of Simon. Could he have feelings for Taylor?
But far more worryingly, one of the group’s not being too careful what they post on social media—and another is watching all too closely. Who’s stalking who . . . and why?

MY REVIEW

Taylor and her husband recently moved to the London suburbs from California. Her husband is gone a lot for work, and Taylor finds herself lonely and wanting friends. To make new friends, she joins a local walking group and a neighborhood book club. She makes a few friends, but as time progresses, Taylor learns that everyone is keeping secrets.

Taylor is a young woman in a marriage that has had some ups and downs, and now she’s expecting her first child. When she and her husband move to London, she’s hoping for a fresh start. The downside is that she doesn’t have any friends in their new town. When she starts to make friends, it seems all is great. Then things start to go wrong, and it seems everyone is a suspect.

I enjoyed the social media aspect of I Know You. With most everyone having some involvement on social media, it’s scary how easily people can be watched. I Know You did a good job of incorporating current trends into a suspenseful tale of a stalking. With so many secrets, this psychological thriller is a guessing game of who has done what. A quick and entertaining read.

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

BOOK INFO

Title: Her Daughter’s Mother

Author: Daniela Petrova

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Publish Date: June 18, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

She befriended the one woman she was never supposed to meet. Now she’s the key suspect in her disappearance. For fans of The Perfect Mother and The Wife Between Us comes a gripping psychological suspense debut about two strangers, one incredible connection, and the steep price of obsession.

Lana Stone has never considered herself a stalker–until the night she impulsively follows a familiar face through the streets of New York’s Upper West Side. Her target? The “anonymous” egg donor she’d selected through an agency, the one who’s making motherhood possible for her. Hungry to learn more about her, Lana plans only to watch her from a distance. But when circumstances bring them face-to-face, an unexpected friendship is born.

Katya, a student at Columbia, is the yin to Lana’s yang, an impulsive free spirit who lives life at the edge. And for pragmatic Lana, she’s a breath of fresh air and a welcome distraction from her painful breakup with her baby’s father. Then, just as suddenly as Katya entered Lana’s life, she disappears–and Lana might have been the last person to see her before she went missing. Determined to find out what became of the woman to whom she owes so much, Lana digs into Katya’s past, even as the police grow suspicious of her motives. But she’s unprepared for the secrets she unearths, and their power to change everything she thought she knew about those she loves best…

MY REVIEW

Lana and Tyler want a baby, but they have been unable to conceive. Soon after making the decision to use an egg donor, their relationship hits a rough patch. After their break-up, Lana sees a familiar face… the egg donor, Katya. Wanting to know more about the donor, Lana follows Katya, and the two end up hitting it off. Soon after their friendship gets started, Katya disappears. Lana may have been the last person to see Katya, and she becomes a suspect in her disappearance. Wanting to find the truth about what happened to Katya, Lana delves deeper into Katya’s life.

Told with alternating points of view – Lana and Katya. Both women are unreliable narrators. It’s clear from the beginning that Lana is hiding something from Katya, but it’s not clear what Katya is up to. Add in Tyler, and the story gets more complex.

Her Daughter’s Mother is a well done thriller. Lana and Katya both have stories to tell. Though I couldn’t really relate to either character, I was invested in the story and curious how it would end. Her Daughter’s Mother is a compelling novel of mystery and suspense. Full of secrets and lies, Her Mother’s Daughter kept me up late reading. Fantastic debut novel.

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