Mystery Thriller Archives – Page 12 of 13

The Line That Held Us by David Joy [Book Review]

Posted on November 11, 2018January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Line That Held Us

Author: David Joy

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Publish Date: August 14, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

When Darl Moody went hunting after a monster buck he’s chased for years, he never expected he’d accidentally shoot a man digging ginseng. Worse yet, he’s killed a Brewer, a family notorious for vengeance and violence. With nowhere to turn, Darl calls on the help of the only man he knows will answer, his best friend, Calvin Hooper. But when Dwayne Brewer comes looking for his missing brother and stumbles onto a blood trail leading straight back to Darl and Calvin, a nightmare of revenge rips apart their world. The Line That Held Us is a story of friendship and family, a tale balanced between destruction and redemption, where the only hope is to hold on tight, clenching to those you love. What will you do for the people who mean the most, and what will you grasp to when all that you have is gone? The only certainty in a place so shredded is that no one will get away unscathed.

MY REVIEW

Darl goes deer hunting and accidentally shoots a man. When he realizes who the man is, and that he is the brother of a very violent man, Darl enlists the help of his best friend Calvin to dispose of the body. The dead man’s brother, Dwayne, starts looking for him and finds the path leads to Darl.

The Line That Held Us is a story about revenge. This novel starts with Darl doing something bad – hunting in the off season – and gets much, much worse. Dwayne’s grief leads him down a brutal path of vengeance.

The characters are compelling, but a little stereotypical. Darl isn’t really likable. He’s the kind of guy who breaks the rules and makes poor decisions, but isn’t necessarily a bad person. Calvin is a stand-up guy though, and I liked him. He’s a hard-working man who is loyal to his family and friends. Dwayne’s got a reputation for violence, but he’s also kind of creepy. He’s a cruel man with a bad temper.

A gritty and intense novel about love and vengeance. Dark, gruesome, and suspenseful.

Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King [Book Review]

Posted on November 10, 2018January 15, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Series: Bill Hodges Trilogy
Book 1: Mr. Mercedes
Book 2: Finders Keepers
Book 3: End of Watch

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Scribner

Genre: Mystery Thriller

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK 1 – Mr. Mercedes

In a mega-stakes, high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands.

In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.

MY REVIEW

A driver plowed into a crowd, killing and injuring many innocent people. The killer drove a stolen Mercedes, and was never caught. Bill Hodges is a retired police officer who worked the Mercedes case. The case has haunted him, and his interest in the case is reignited after he receives a letter from someone claiming to be the Mercedes driver. Hodges starts investigating the case on his own, hoping to prevent another tragedy from happening.

Mr. Mercedes is told from multiple points of view – Hodges and the killer’s. Bill Hodges is an interesting character. He’s depressed and lonely, but also has a desire to help and the determination to solve his old case. The killer is a very disturbed character that is smart and diabolical.

BOOK 2 – Finders Keepers

“Wake up, genius.” So begins King’s instantly riveting story about a vengeful reader. The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after 35 years.

Not since Misery has King played with the notion of a reader whose obsession with a writer gets dangerous. Finders Keepers is spectacular, heart-pounding suspense, but it is also King writing about how literature shapes a life – for good, for bad, forever.

MY REVIEW

A boy finds some money and wants to give it to his parents to help his family. The boy’s father was injured when the Mercedes driver from, Mr. Mercedes, hit him. The family has struggled financially, especially after his father’s injury, so the money seems like a wonderful find. Unfortunately, the money was stolen from a writer, along with a series of notebooks containing the author’s last works. The thief buried his treasure, but wound up in prison on unrelated charges. Retired detective Bill Hodges enters the story late, with his helpers Jerome and and Holly.

I read Mr. Mercedes first, but Finders Keepers could be read without having read Book 1. At first, I wasn’t sure how Hodges would come into this story, but it all comes together in the end. This one was as good as, or better, than Mr. Mercedes. Disturbing, intriguing, and exciting.

BOOK 3 – End of Watch

In End of Watch, the diabolical “Mercedes Killer” drives his enemies to suicide, and if Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney don’t figure out a way to stop him, they’ll be victims themselves.

In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed and many more were badly injured, has been in the clinic for five years, in a vegetative state. According to his doctors, anything approaching a complete recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room.

Retired police detective Bill Hodges, the unlikely hero of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney – the woman who delivered the blow to Hartsfield’s head that put him in the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the Mercedes Massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend, Jerome Robinson, and his teenage sister, Barbara. Brady Hartsfield is back and planning revenge not just on Hodges and his friends but on an entire city.

In End of Watch, Stephen King brings the Hodges trilogy to a sublimely terrifying conclusion, combining the detective fiction of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers with the heart-pounding supernatural suspense that has been his best-selling trademark. The result is an unnerving look at human vulnerability and chilling suspense. No one does it better than King.

MY REVIEW

Something has awakened in Brady Hartsfield, the Mercedes killer. He has been in a vegetative state for five years, but he’s slowly recovering,. Along with his recovery, he has developed a special ability. Meanwhile, Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney are staying busy with their investigation agency, and their latest case involves victims of the Mercedes killer. They believe Brady is somehow involved with the new string of deaths, and Hodges is determined to catch him.

I do recommend reading books 1 and 2 (Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers) in the series first. End of Watch develops a more supernatural element than the previous books in the series. Personally, I preferred the previous two books, but this was still a good ending to the series. I guess this one seemed more like a Stephen King novel, whereas the other books were basically crime thrillers. Overall, I enjoyed this series. Dark and exciting.

Final Girls by Riley Sager [Book Review]

Posted on November 8, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Final Girls

Author: Riley Sager

Publisher: Dutton

Publish Date: July 11, 2017

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Ten years ago, six friends went on vacation. One made it out alive….

In that instant, college student Quincy Carpenter became a member of a very exclusive club—a group of survivors the press dubbed “The Final Girls”: Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who endured the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape the massacre at Pine Cottage. Despite the media’s attempts, the three girls have never met.

Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life. Her mind won’t let her recall the events of that night; the past is in the past…until the first Final Girl is found dead in her bathtub and the second Final Girl appears on Quincy’s doorstep.

Blowing through Quincy’s life like a hurricane, Sam seems intent on making her relive the trauma of her ordeal. When disturbing details about Lisa’s death emerge, Quincy desperately tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies while evading both the police and bloodthirsty reporters. Quincy knows that in order to survive she has to remember what really happened at Pine Cottage.

Because the only thing worse than being a Final Girl is being a dead one.

MY REVIEW

The Final Girls is a moniker used to label survivors of horror movie style attacks. While in college, Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with some friends. During their trip, the group was attacked and everyone was killed, except for Quincy. Being the lone survivor of the massacre made Quincy a Final Girl. There are only two other Final Girls, Lisa and Sam. Fast forward ten years… Quincy learns that Lisa, the first Final Girl, has died. Lisa’s death hits Quincy hard. Even though they had never met, the Final Girls have something in common that no one else can understand. Soon, Sam shows up on Quincy’s doorstep. As Sam inserts herself into Quincy’s life, she also pressures Quincy to remember the night of the attack. Quincy starts to realize that something is not right with her memories, Sam’s behavior, and Lisa’s death.

The story is told from Quincy’s point of view in the present day, but also contains flashbacks to the night she and her friends were attacked. Quincy had a very difficult time coping with the massacre, and between self-medicating and her desire to forget, she has managed to suppress her memories of the attack. A big part of the story deals with Lisa accepting her Final Girl status and remembering what happened.

Final Girls is a fun and exciting thriller. Unreliable characters. Twisty plot. Good for fans of thrillers who enjoy the final girl trope. Entertaining and suspenseful.

Books by Riley Sager:

Final Girls
The Last Time I Lied
Lock Every Door
Home Before Dark
Survive the Night
The House Across the Lake
The Only One Left
Middle of the Night

The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton [Book Review]

Posted on October 21, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The President is Missing

Author: James Patterson and Bill Clinton

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company and Knopf

Publish Date: June 4, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

BOOK BLURB

The President Is Missing confronts a threat so huge that it jeopardizes not just Pennsylvania Avenue and Wall Street, but all of America. Uncertainty and fear grip the nation. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the Cabinet. Even the President himself becomes a suspect, and then he disappears from public view . . .

Set over the course of three days, The President Is Missing sheds a stunning light upon the inner workings and vulnerabilities of our nation. Filled with information that only a former commander in chief could know, this is the most authentic, terrifying novel to come along in many years.

MY REVIEW

I have been seeing and hearing about this book all over the place. The President is Missing is a collaboration between former president Bill Clinton and well-known author James Patterson. In this political thriller, the President is suspected of negotiating with a terrorist and the term impeachment is thrown around, the United States is under threat of a terrorist cyberattack, the President suffers from a serious medical condition, and there is a mole at the top level of the government.

This novel had a lot happening in it. At times, it seemed like too much. Even with everything going on, it sometimes moved a little too slow. There was a fair bit of information about the branches of government and their roles. So, maybe it was all the back and forth between characters and storylines that slightly threw off the flow for me.

The characters were plentiful and varied. The story centered around the President though, and, except for his medical condition, he was pretty much perfect – smart, brave, powerful, selfless, humorous, and attractive. This was a serious case of Gary Stu.

As to be expected by a novel from James Patterson, this was a mostly fast-paced and exciting read. This was in no way a realistic story, but it was entertaining. Honestly, I wasn’t wowed with this latest James Patterson novel. I think fans of Patterson will like this one as well as they enjoy his other thrillers. I’ve read (almost) all of Patterson’s books, and while this one wasn’t the best, it definitely wasn’t the worst either.

The Witch Elm by Tana French [Book Review]

Posted on October 4, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Witch Elm

Author: Tana French

Publisher: Viking

Publish Date: October 9, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

From the writer who “inspires cultic devotion in readers” (The New Yorker) and has been called “incandescent” by Stephen King, “absolutely mesmerizing” by Gillian Flynn, and “unputdownable” (People) comes a gripping new novel that turns a crime story inside out.

Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who’s dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life—he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family’s ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden—and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.

A spellbinding standalone from one of the best suspense writers working today, The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we’re capable of, when we no longer know who we are.

MY REVIEW

After returning home from a night out, Toby is attacked when he surprises two burglars in his place. He is severely beaten, and has a long road to recovery. During his recovery stage, he moves to his family’s ancestral home where his uncle resides. One day, when the whole family is gathered there for one of their routine family get-togethers, a skull is discovered in the trunk of an elm tree. As detectives investigate, Toby realizes his past may not be quite like he remembers it.

Toby is a happy and pretty lucky guy. Before the attack, things always seemed to work out for the best in Toby’s life. In some ways, that made his friends and family upset with him, because he didn’t necessarily recognize or understand when they had struggles in life. However, things change for Toby after his attack. This book covers a lot of topics – privilege, bullying, sexual harassment, memories, identity, and family loyalty.

The writing, as usual with Tana French’s books, is superb. The story is slow though. It’s mostly a good slow, but there was a portion of the book where nothing really happened. This book relies heavily on the characters. Other than the attack on Toby and a mysterious skull in the yard, very little other action occurs. I was really into the first part of this book, but then things slowed down. Real slow. Then, a skull was found in a tree. Ooh, a mystery. Then slow, again. I kept waiting for something to finally happen. And then it did happen. And it was glorious. Okay, maybe not glorious, but I was happy with how things unraveled.

The Witch Elm is a slow burning psychological thriller. Detailed, atmospheric, complex, and tragic.

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

Books by Tana French:

The Witch Elm
The Searcher
The Hunter

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton [Book Review]

Posted on September 10, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Author: Stuart Turton

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Publish Date: September 18, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

BOOK BLURB

A murder mystery novel inspired by Agatha Christie with a dash of Groundhog Day and a hint of Quantum Leap and Downton Abbey.

Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked-room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man’s race against time to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

MY REVIEW

A repeating day. Aiden wakes up in a different body everyday, but the result is always the same… Evelyn Hardcastle dies. The only way for Aiden to get free of the repeating day is to solve the mystery behind Evelyn’s death.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a murder mystery, but with a dash of science fiction and a smidgen of historical fiction. The repeating day and body hopping is very sci-fi, the setting and characters read like a period piece, and the atmosphere has a very Gothic feel.

Aiden is in a different body each day, but the story isn’t told in a linear fashion. The body hopping combined with time hopping made for a confusing read. Some of the bodies Aiden inhabits are very similar to one another, and I had trouble keeping up with which guy he was each day. I realize the hopping around adds to the story and makes it more complex. After all, Aiden himself is confused about what is going on. In that respect, it is like you’re in the mind of Aiden and his perplexing situation.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is clever and complex, but confusing. A unique and imaginative debut novel.

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

Books by Stuart Turton:

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
The Devil and the Dark Water
The Last Murder at the End of the World

Manual for a Murder by Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias [Book Review]

Posted on August 27, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Manual for a Murder

Author: Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias

Publisher: Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias

Publish Date: June 24, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Manual for a Murder by Gonçalo J. Nunes Dias

BOOK BLURB

Marina, a 38-year-old accountant in a crumbling relationship, falls in love with a charming colleague who is married with a son. The two begin a torrid relationship. One commits a murder.

Oscar, a homicide detective, is assigned to the case. He is a man dedicated to his work and to his family, and he likes to joke about and mock the typical American police series.

MY REVIEW

Marina has an affair with a married coworker. After their affair ends, her former lover’s wife is killed. Oscar is a police detective investigating the death. When Oscar finds out about the affair, Marina is added to the suspect list.

This story is divided into three parts. The first and last are from Marina’s point of view and the second is from Oscar’s point of view. The two different viewpoints add a little more intensity to the story than if only one was presented.

I read a translated version of this book. There were some parts that read a little awkward, and that slowed the flow of the story for me. This is a short book though, so it was still a fast read.

Dark, clever, and tragic. A good read for mystery fans.

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

The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor [Book Review]

Posted on June 24, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Chalk Man

Author: C.J. Tudor

Publisher: Crown

Publish Date: January 9, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

A riveting psychological suspense debut that weaves a mystery about a childhood game gone dangerously awry, and will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking ending

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are on the verge of adolescence, spending their days biking in search of adventure. The chalk men are their secret code, stick figures they draw for one another as hidden messages. But one morning the friends find a chalk man leading them to the woods. They follow the message, only to find the dead body of a teenage girl.

In 2016, Eddie is nursing a drinking problem and trying to forget his past, until one day he gets a letter containing a chalk man—the same one he and his friends saw when they found the body. Soon he learns that all his old friends received the same note. When one of them is killed, Eddie realizes that saving himself means figuring out what happened all those years ago. But digging into the past proves more dangerous than he could have known. Because in this town, everyone has secrets, no one is innocent, and some will do anything to bury the truth.

MY REVIEW

In 1986, Eddie and his friends discover the body of a teen girl in the woods. In 2016, Eddie and his friends are grown, and the mysteries they faced in 1986 come back to haunt them.

The Chalk Man is told from Eddie’s viewpoint and two time periods – 1986 and 2016. Eddie recalls his youth as a twelve-year-old and the time he spent with his friends – Fat Gav, Metal Mickey, Hoppo, and Nicky. Each of the kids has challenges in their lives, making them a little different from the other kids in their small English town, and what draws them to be unlikely friends. As the kids hang out and have adventures, they start using chalk to draw stick figures and leave coded notes for each other.

In 2016, Eddie receives a mysterious message that includes a piece of chalk. When he realizes his old friends have also received notes with chalk, he becomes determined to find out who is behind the messages. As he looks into the past, Eddie learns everyone has secrets, and some people don’t want the truth to come out.

The switch between past and present was compelling. Traumatic events happen to the kids during their youths, including witnessing a terrible accident, losing a brother, and living with an abusive parent. It was interesting to see how past events shaped the friends lives and what they were like as adults.

An enjoyable read, but I did feel that some parts were not fully developed. Good for fans of psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators. A great debut novel. Dark, creepy, and suspenseful.

Books by C.J. Tudor:

The Chalk Man
The Hiding Place
The Other People
The Burning Girls
The Drift
The Gathering

The Girl From Blind River by Gale Massey [Book Review]

Posted on April 15, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Girl from Blind River

Author: Gale Massey

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publish Date: July 10, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

The Girl from Blind River by Gale Massey

BOOK BLURB

A gritty tale of how far we’ll go to protect the ones we love for fans of Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone from Gale Massey, a talented new name in crime fiction.

Everyone says the Elders family are nothing but cheats, thieves, and convicts, a fact nineteen-year old Jamie Elders has been trying desperately to escape. She may have the natural talent of a poker savant, but her dreams of going pro and getting the hell out of the tiny town of Blind River, New York are going nowhere fast. Especially once she lands in a huge pile of debt to her uncle Loyal.

At Loyal’s beck and call until her debt is repaid, Jamie can’t easily walk away, not with her younger brother Toby left at his mercy. So when Loyal demands Jamie’s help cleaning up a mess late one night, she has no choice but to agree. But disposing of a dead man and covering up his connection to the town’s most powerful judge goes beyond family duty. When it comes out that the victim was a beloved athlete and Loyal pins the murder on Toby, only Jamie can save him. But with a dogged detective on her trail and her own future at stake, she’ll have to decide: embrace her inner criminal, or defy it; and face the consequences.

MY REVIEW

Jamie Elders desperately wants to escape her small town, and her family’s reputation as criminals. Unfortunately, she makes a poor decision, and winds up in debt to her uncle. Since she is now in debt to him, he expects her to follow his demands. One night, those demands include disposing of a dead man. With Jamie’s future on the line, she must decide to be a criminal, or follow the law.

The Girl From Blind River is a debut novel by Gale Massey. Well developed characters in an interesting story. Jamie is 19-years-old, and dreams of playing poker professionally. She grew up around card games, and has a knack for it. The story has a lot to do with poker, which I found fun to read.

Jamie makes plenty of bad decisions, as do other characters in The Girl From Blind River, but I kept cheering for her. She has a heartbreaking backstory, but stayed smart and strong.

I received a physical copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.

When the Serpent Bites by Nesly Clerge [Book Review]

Posted on March 26, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: When the Serpent Bites

Author: Nesly Clerge

Publisher: Nesly Clerge

Publish Date: October 30, 2015

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: The Starks Trilogy #1

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Frederick Starks has it all—a gorgeous wife who was his high school sweetheart, three beautiful children, a mansion and cars others envy, millions in the bank, respected in his community, admired by his employees, loved and respected by loyal friends. He revels in the hard-earned power and control he’s acquired. As the saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold,” which Starks discovers when gut-wrenching betrayal by his wife sends him over the edge and into a maximum security prison. There, Starks is a new “fish,” stripped of nearly everything he’s always relied on. In that place, where inmates and guards have their own rules and codes of conduct, Starks is forced to face the darker side of life, and his own darker side, especially when the betrayals, both inside and outside the prison, don’t stop. He must choose which path to follow when the line between right and wrong becomes blurred: one that leads to getting out of the physical and emotional hellhole he finds himself in or one that keeps him alive.

MY REVIEW

Frederick Starks and his wife are separated, but he’s never forgiven her, or the man she had an affair. Starks confronts the man, and things get out of control. So out of control, Starks is arrested, tried, convicted, and sent to a maximum security prison. Starks is used to being the one who holds the power, but in prison, he faces a much darker side of life.

When the Serpent Bites is the first book in The Starks Trilogy by Nesly Clerge. This story ends in a way that made me want to read the next book.

The writing was great. A very engaging story of a privileged man ending up in a maximum security prison. The first part of the novel covers the trial and the second part is about prison life. Both were interesting. I liked that the trial part was included, but it wasn’t the focus of the story. The focus is always Starks, and the decisions he has made in the past and how he reacts to his current situation. He likes to have a plan and have everything in order, and his life is turned upside down in a moment of violence. During his time in prison, he reflects upon his past, while still trying to maintain control.

Starks is not a likable man. He is an entitled, controlling misogynist. I kept waiting for him to gain some redeeming qualities, but he never did. My main complaint about Starks is that he never takes responsibility for his actions. It’s always someone else’s fault. However, I wanted to like Starks. I plan on reading the next book to see if I’m all wrong about him.

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

Books in The Starks Trilogy:

When the Serpent Bites
When the Dragon Roars
When the Phoenix Rises

Bonfire by Krysten Ritter [Book Review]

Posted on March 24, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Bonfire

Author: Krysten Ritter

Publisher: Three Rivers Press

Publish Date: November 7, 2017

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Nothing burns as bright as the truth.

It has been ten years since Abby Williams left home and scrubbed away all visible evidence of her small-town roots. Now working as an environmental lawyer in Chicago, she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands.

But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life Abby painstakingly created begins to crack. Tasked with investigating Optimal Plastics, the town’s most high-profile company and economic heart, Abby begins to find strange connections to Barrens’s biggest scandal from more than a decade ago, involving the popular Kaycee Mitchell and her closest friends—just before Kaycee disappeared for good.

Abby knows the key to solving any case lies in the weak spots, the unanswered questions. But as she tries desperately to find out what really happened to Kaycee, troubling memories begin to resurface and she begins to doubt her own observations. And when she unearths an even more disturbing secret—a ritual called “The Game”—it will threaten reputations, and lives, in the community and risk exposing a darkness that may consume her.

With tantalizing twists, slow-burning suspense, and a remote rural town of just five claustrophobic square miles, Bonfire is a dark exploration of what happens when your past and present collide.

MY REVIEW

Abby left her home town 10 years ago, right after she graduated high school. She has since become an environmental law attorney, and her newest case takes her back to the small town she grew up in. The new case brings the company that is the biggest economic support in her old town under fire for pollution. While back in town working the pollution case, Abby begins to suspect there is a connection between the disappearance of a classmate ten years ago and a current scandal in the community.

Young woman returns home after years away. Small town scandal. Mean girls. From the book description, I was expecting more of an environmental crime thriller. It was a mystery thriller, but didn’t have much to do with environmental crimes.

Complex characters in a fast-paced story. I love strong female protagonists, and Abby fit that category. I was a bit disappointed that Abby seemed to waver some in strength toward the end of Bonfire.

Bonfire thrilling debut novel. Well-written and easy to read. The ending seemed a little rushed, but overall a great read. Good for fans of Sharp Objects, The Lying Game, and The Good Daughter.

This Is How It Ends by Eva Dolan [Book Review]

Posted on February 22, 2018January 14, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: This Is How It Ends

Author: Eva Dolan

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Publish Date: March 13, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Three hundred gone. Just six left.
The building was once home to families, friends, children, couples, love, life. Now, almost every apartment is empty, the inhabitants forced out by the developers tearing down the old social housing to build luxury homes.

Only a few of the inhabitants have fought back against the attempts to evict them from their homes and their histories. And they have been joined by passionate student protester and would-be journalist, Ella, who is leading a high-profile media campaign to protect those who refuse to leave.

One night, Ella returns home to find a horrible scene awaiting her-the dead body of a mysterious man. Panicked, she calls her neighbor Molly, who convinces her that the police won’t believe she’s innocent. Together the two women concoct a gruesome plan to hide the body.

But the secret won’t stay buried for long. As truth hangs in the balance, a neighbor tells Molly he had heard Ella arguing with a man in the hallway and mistrust grows between Ella and Molly, as repercussions of that night threaten to change both women’s lives forever.

MY REVIEW

Ella and Molly are activists. Ella is young and new to the activist community, whereas Molly is older and has been involved with the activist community for years. They are both living in a building that is evicting the tenants, and most tenants have already left. After a rooftop party, Molly receives a call from Ella to come help her. When Molly arrives, there is a dead man in Ella’s apartment. Due to the women’s backgrounds, they don’t think the police will believe they’re innocent, so they opt to dispose of his body and not report his death. As time progresses, mistrust grows between the two women.

This Is How It Ends is told from two points of view, Ella and Molly. The book starts with the defining event (i.e., the dead guy) between these two women, then Ella’s story moves in reverse chronological order, while Molly’s story moves forward with the present day. The alternating viewpoints were interesting, because this is the type of story where that works, but the time changes (past vs present) were sometimes confusing.

This Is How It Ends was a quick read, but I wasn’t really interested in the characters. I was never drawn into the story and fully immersed. The last half of the book was much more intriguing than the first half, and I did enjoy the twist at the end.

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

Books by Eva Dolan:

This Is How It Ends