Mystery Thriller Archives – Page 12 of 13

Guess Who by Chris McGeorge [Book Review]

Posted on November 21, 2018January 15, 2024 by Darinda

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BOOK INFO

Title: Guess Who

Author: Chris McGeorge

Publisher: Hanover Square Press

Publish Date: September 18, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

The rules are simple.

But the game is not.

At eleven years old, Morgan Sheppard solved the murder of a teacher when everyone else believed it to be a suicide. The publicity surrounding the case laid the foundation for his reputation as a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. He parlayed that fame into a gig as TV’s “resident detective,” solving the more typical tawdry daytime talk show mysteries like “Who is the father?” and “Is he cheating?”

Until, that is, Sheppard wakes up handcuffed to a bed in an unfamiliar hotel room. Around him, five strangers are slowly waking up, as well. Soon they discover a corpse in the bathtub and Sheppard is challenged to put his deductive skills to the test. One of the people in the room is the killer. He has three hours to solve the murder. If he doesn’t find the killer, they all will die.

An ingenious, page-turning debut, Chris McGeorge’s Guess Who matches the high-wire plotting of classic “locked room” mysteries into the unstoppable pacing of the modern-day thriller.

MY REVIEW

A group of strangers awakens in a locked hotel room, and soon discovers a dead body in the room with them. To escape the room, they are tasked with identifying the killer, who is one of them.

The main character, Morgan Sheppard, hosts a detective show on television. He is the primary target of the madman who has kidnapped them and locked them in a room with a corpse. The kidnapper appears on the room’s TV to address the strangers, and tells Shappard that to prove he is a good detective, he needs to solve the mystery. Since the punishment of not solving the mystery in the allotted time is death, the others are, obviously, trying to identify the killer too. Lots of drama, distrust, and arguments.

Throughout Guess Who, flashbacks of Sheppard’s childhood appear. When he was young, Sheppard solved a mystery, and that case brought him a lot of attention and fame. Ever since then, he has struggled with desiring the attention that fame affords, but also battling with personal demons.

Guess Who is a locked room mystery that started off strong. I enjoy this type of mystery, and was curious how the story would end. This one does have some twists, though I felt the story was a little too long and drawn out. Really, the ending was over-explained, and, for me, that took something away from the story. A good read for fans of locked room mysteries. Dark and twisted.

Books by Chris McGeorge:

Guess Who
Now You See Me
Inside Out
Half-Past Tomorrow
A Murder at Balmoral

Camouflage by Ivy Keating and Scott Spotson [Book Review]

Posted on November 14, 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: Camouflage

Author: Ivy Keating and Scott Spotson

Publisher: Champagne Book Group

Publish Date: September 23, 2018

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

Camouflage by Ivy Keating and Scott Spotson

BOOK BLURB

A missing man, a new police chief and an unexpected New England town mystery.

When Sean Dermott, the newly appointed police chief, sees the report that a popular local high school coach is missing, his growing fascination with the alluring Vanessa Strauss, who reported the disappearance, makes him determined to solve the case.

The investigation leads him and his team deep into Quarry Head Park, a local scenic preserve with nature trails and expansive views. There is no sign of the missing man, but what he does find terrifies him to the core.

From the depths of the park, a deadly prehistoric looking creature emerges, attacks swiftly and silently, leaving devastation in its wake. In the chaos which follows, it is up to Chief Dermott and a team of scientists to fight for balance by ensuring the safety of his town and preserving this remarkable discovery.

He will risk his career, his reputation and even his own life to stand by what he believes to be right. The question is, will he succeed, or will all be lost?

MY REVIEW

A man is reported missing in a small New England town. While investigating the case, the police become aware of an unusual creature living in the nearby nature preserve. The police chief contacts a local scientist/researcher to identify the animal. As the case unfolds, the police and scientists try to find balance between preserving a prehistoric animal and protecting public safety.

Camouflage has characters that are realistic and likable. The police chief is a little on the young side, and feels he needs to prove himself in his new job. Besides working hard on the two cases – missing man and prehistoric animal – he finds himself attracted to the woman who reported the missing man. A romance develops.

I especially liked the researchers. They were the right amount of excited and academic about a new, or rather, old, species being discovered. The scientists want to help, and the story does a good job with them explaining things to the police as they learn new information.

The scientists want to discover where the creature came from and what happened to its environment that caused it to move near the town. If they can figure that out, maybe they can return the animal back to its natural habitat.The police and scientists are working hard, but there are opposing sides. There are those who want to protect the animal and those who want to destroy it.

Camouflage is a sci-fi mystery with adventure and romance. Entertaining, thrilling, and fast-paced.

I received a digital copy of this book from Caffeinated PR Services in exchange for an honest review.

The Last by Hanna Jameson [Book Review]

Posted on November 12, 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 Last

Author: Hanna Jameson

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: April 9, 2019

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Jon thought he had all the time in the world to respond to his wife’s text message: I miss you so much. I feel bad about how we left it. Love you. But as he’s waiting in the lobby of the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland after an academic conference, still mulling over how to respond to his wife, he receives a string of horrifying push notifications. Washington, DC, has been hit with a nuclear bomb, then New York, then London, and finally Berlin. That’s all he knows before news outlets and social media goes black—and before the clouds on the horizon turn orange.

Two months later, there are twenty survivors holed up at the hotel, a place already tainted by its strange history of suicides and murders. Jon and the rest try to maintain some semblance of civilization. But when he goes up to the roof to investigate the hotel’s worsening water quality, he is shocked to discover the body of a young girl floating in one of the tanks, and is faced with the terrifying possibility that there might be a killer among the group.

As supplies dwindle and tensions rise, Jon becomes obsessed with discovering the truth behind the girl’s death. In this “brilliantly executed…chilling and extraordinary” post-apocalyptic mystery, “the questions Jameson poses—who will be with you at the end of the world, and what kind of person will you be?—are as haunting as the plot itself.” (Emily St. John Mandel, nationally bestselling author of Station Eleven).

MY REVIEW

Jon is staying at a hotel in Switzerland when nuclear war breaks out. The hotel is in a remote enough location that the employees and guests of the hotel are safe from the bombs, but cut off from society. Some people from the hotel decide to leave and find their way home, but Jon and 20 or so others remain at the hotel. After a couple of months in the hotel, the water pressure starts to disappear. While investigating the cause, the body of a young girl is found. Jon takes it upon himself to find out what happened to the girl, and he becomes obsessed with identifying the killer. Meanwhile, supplies decrease and tensions between the hotel residents increase.

Jon is an American visiting Switzerland for an academic conference. The novel is told from his point of view using a diary/journal style. Jon and his wife have a troubled marriage, and he feels guilty for how he left things with her. Part of his behavior is a result of his guilt, and his need to make things right.

We never know much about the attacks, just that various cities in the United States and Europe have been bombed. After the attacks, communication (i.e., internet access) is mostly lost. The hotel has resources, so they have basics like food, water, and shelter. It would have been nice to know a little more about the attacks, but that is not the primary focus of the story. The relationships between the survivors is the focus, and is very realistic. The hotel residents are varied in their nationalities, backgrounds, beliefs, and personalities. This seems accurate, and creates a lot of conflict.

This novel is more of a character study, and not a lot of action takes place. Based on the book description, I was expecting more mystery than is delivered. Still, the characters and their interactions were believable and interesting.

Fantastic setting. Interesting characters. Slow paced. Good for fans of apocalyptic stories with a little mystery.

Fun fact: My family and I were vacationing in Hawaii when we received a notification about a ballistic missile threat, so the whole finding out about the end of the world in a notification on your phone is kind of realistic.

I heard about this book from fellow book blogger Amy Sullivan @ Novel Gossip. Thank you for recommending this book and sending me the Netgalley widget!

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

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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

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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

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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

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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.