BOOK INFO

Title: The Woman in the Window

Author: A. J. Finn

Publisher: William Morrow

Publish Date: January 2, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening . . .

Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.

MY REVIEW

Anna has been suffering from agoraphobia for almost a year. She doesn’t leave her home, so she entertains herself by watching old movies, playing chess online, and watching her neighbors. She has become especially interested in the Russell family, who are new to the neighborhood. Due to her mental health, Anna is on several medications, and she also drinks quite a bit of wine. One night while watching out her window, she sees something she wasn’t meant to see. Afterward, she tries to connect the pieces and unravel the secrets of what is truth and what is all in her mind.

The first part of The Woman in the Window is slow and more about Anna and her situation, but the pace picks up later with an exciting mystery. Anna is a well-developed character, though it is never clear on how reliable she is. As the story progresses, even Anna herself is unsure of what is real.

The Woman in the Window is a slow building psychological thriller. Complex story. Intriguing characters. A great read for fans of psychological thrillers.

BOOK INFO

Title: She Was the Quiet One

Author: Michele Campbell

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: July 31, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

For Rose Enright, enrolling in a prestigious New England boarding school is the opportunity of a lifetime. But for Rose’s vulnerable twin sister Bel, Odell Academy is a place of temptation and danger. When Bel falls in with a crowd of wild rich kids who pressure her into hazing Rose, the sisters’ relationship is shattered. Rose turns to her dorm mother, Sarah Donovan, for advice. But Bel turns to Sarah’s husband Heath, a charismatic and ambitious teacher. Is Heath trying to help Bel or take advantage of her? In a world of privilege, seduction, and manipulation, only one sister will live to tell the truth.

In a novel full of twists, turns, and dark secrets, Michele Campbell once again proves her skill at crafting intricately spun and completely compelling plots.

MY REVIEW

Rose and Bel Enright are twin sisters. After their mother dies, their grandmother becomes their guardian, and enrolls them in a prestigious boarding school. Rose is excited about the opportunity, but Bel is not looking forward to the new changes. Heath and Sarah Donovan are teachers at the school, and they have recently been promoted to a position over one of the dorms. The dorm where Rose and Bel reside. Once at the school, the sisters drift apart, and as they grow further apart, each turns to the Donovans. Rose seeks advice from Sarah. Bel looks to Heath. As things escalate between the sisters, rumors fly, and only one of them lives to tell the truth.

In the first pages of the book, we learn one of the sisters is murdered. The story then rewinds to the beginning of the school year. As the school year progresses, we discover how they adjust to their new environment, and what leads to the death of one sister. The boarding school atmosphere presents both sides of the student body, the academic-focused students and the wilder partying students. The sisters are on opposite sides.

She Was the Quiet One is told with flashbacks and from the multiple viewpoints of Rose, Bel, and Sarah. Rose is focused and goal oriented. Bel is a rebel and a dreamer. Sarah is reserved and trying to be supportive of her ambitious husband. With two teenagers and one adult voice, this reads as a young adult novel.

Secrets and gossip fuel this dark and twisty tale. Family drama, scandal, and suspense.

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

BOOK INFO

Title: Girls’ Night Out

Author: Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Publisher: Lake Union

Publish Date: July 24, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

From the bestselling authors of The Good Widow comes a chilling novel of psychological suspense that will make you think twice about what your best friend may be hiding…

For estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, it’s time to heal the old wounds between them. Where better to repair those severed ties than on a girls’ getaway to the beautiful paradise of Tulum, Mexico? But even after they’re reunited, no one is being completely honest about the past or the secrets they’re hiding. When Ashley disappears on their girls’ night out, Natalie and Lauren have to try to piece together their hazy memories to figure out what could have happened to her, while also reconciling their feelings of guilt over their last moments together.

Was Ashley with the man she’d met only days before? Did she pack up and leave? Was she kidnapped? Or worse—could Natalie or Lauren have snapped under the weight of her own lies?

As the clock ticks, hour by hour, Natalie and Lauren’s search rushes headlong into growing suspicion and dread. Maybe their secrets run deeper and more dangerous than one of them is willing—or too afraid—to admit.

MY REVIEW

Three friends go on relaxing getaway to reconnect. The women are 40(ish) and have been friends since college. They have been through a lot together, but recently the friendship has been strained. Thinking a girls’ trip, with plenty of sun and booze, will fix everything, they head to Tulum, Mexico. While they reconnect and relax, things don’t really go as planned, especially when one of the friends is missing the last morning in Mexico.

The friends, Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, each have personal issues happening in their lives. Unfortunately, those issues have affected their friendship. Ashley and Natalie have a business together, and that has created tension between the two of them. Lauren lost her husband the previous year, and, soon after, had a falling out with Ashley and Natalie. Between work, marriage, and life in general, the friends haven’t been as close as they once were, and haven’t exactly been honest with one another about their lives.

This story is told through alternating viewpoints – Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren. The book starts with Natalie waking up after their last girls’ night out in Tulum and realizing Ashley is missing. The night before is a haze, but Natalie and Lauren have a hard time believing Ashley would leave and not let them know where she was. As the story unfolds, we learn more about each of the women, their past, their present, and what happened on their girls’ night out.

Friendship and secrets. A fast-paced, suspenseful, and compelling novel. Best read while sipping a mojito on the beach.

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

Books by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke:

1. Your Perfect Life
2. The Status of All Things
3. The Year We Turned Forty
4. The Good Widow
5. Girls’ Night Out
6. The Two Lila Bennetts
7. How to Save a Life

BOOK INFO

Title: Somebody’s Daughter

Author: David Bell

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: July 10, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

A man must save the life of a little girl who may be his own flesh and blood in this pulse-pounding novel of psychological suspense from the USA Today bestselling author of Kill All Your Darlings.

When Michael Frazier’s ex-wife, Erica, unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep, she drops a bombshell that threatens to rip his family apart: Her ten-year-old daughter is missing—and Michael is the father. Unsure whether this is the truth but unwilling to leave the girl’s fate to chance, Michael has no choice but to follow the elusive trail of the child he has always wanted but never knew he had.

Over the course of one night, lies that span a decade come bubbling to the surface, putting Michael, his wife, and his whole family in jeopardy. And as the window for a little girl’s safe return closes, Michael will have to decide who can be trusted and who is hiding the truth….

MY REVIEW

Michael finds himself in an odd situation when his ex-wife, Erica, shows up unexpectedly in his life. She needs help finding her missing daughter, who she claims is his daughter too. His marriage to Erica ended 10 years ago, and they have had no contact with one another, so the surprise of a nine-year-old daughter is a big shock to him. Michael is a good guy though, so he wants to help find the little girl, whether she is his child or not. However, this does cause some problems with his current wife, Angela.

The story is told over about a day’s worth of time, but does include flashbacks to explain backstory. One important part of Michael’s life happened when he was a kid. A tragedy in his childhood greatly affected his life, along with the lives of his sister and parents.

The current day story is told from multiple viewpoints, so the reader is aware of the activities of Michael, Angela, and the detective on the case. The characters were not all likable, but they were believable. A lot of people were involved throughout the story, and some of the subplots were not as interesting, or really, even relevant.

Somebody’s Daughter is a suspenseful story full of family drama. A complex and gripping read.

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

Books by David Bell:

1. Cemetery Girl
2. The Hiding Place
3. Never Come Back
4. The Forgotten Girl
5. Somebody I Used to Know
6. Since She Went Away
7. Bring Her Home
8. Somebody’s Daughter
9. Layover
10. The Request
11. Kill All Your Darlings
12. The Finalists
13. She’s Gone
14. Try Not to Breathe

BOOK INFO

Title: Still Lives

Author: Maria Hummel

Publisher: Counterpoint Press

Publish Date: June 5, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Kim Lord is an avant–garde figure, feminist icon, and agent provocateur in the L.A. art scene. Her groundbreaking new exhibition Still Lives is comprised of self–portraits depicting herself as famous, murdered women―the Black Dahlia, Chandra Levy, Nicole Brown Simpson, among many others―and the works are as compelling as they are disturbing, implicating a culture that is too accustomed to violence against women.

As the city’s richest art patrons pour into the Rocque Museum’s opening night, all the staff, including editor Maggie Richter, hope the event will be enough to save the historic institution’s flailing finances.

Except Kim Lord never shows up to her own gala.

Fear mounts as the hours and days drag on and Lord remains missing. Suspicion falls on the up–and–coming gallerist Greg Shaw Ferguson, who happens to be Maggie’s ex. A rogue’s gallery of eccentric art world figures could also have motive for the act, and as Maggie gets drawn into her own investigation of Lord’s disappearance, she’ll come to suspect all of those closest to her.

Set against a culture that often fetishizes violence, Still Lives is a page–turning exodus into the art world’s hall of mirrors, and one woman’s journey into the belly of an industry flooded with money and secrets.

MY REVIEW

Maggie works in an art gallery where an exciting new exhibition is premiering. The exhibition is by Kim Lord, and includes self-portraits depicting herself as famous murder victims. On opening night, Kim is a no-show. As hours and days pass, it appears something sinister may have happened to Kim. Maggie starts asking questions, and trying to piece together what has happened to Kim.

Still Lives is told from Maggie’s point of view. As Maggie looks into Kim’s disappearance, she learns more about her coworkers and the art gallery. There is plenty of drama and secrets, and Maggie herself has a curious past. While the characters were interesting, I never connected to them or was drawn into the story. I did find the art world to be a compelling setting for the story. Still Lives is a good read, but not as thrilling as I was hoping for.

Books by Maria Hummel:

1. Still Lives
2. Lesson in Red

BOOK INFO

Title: Sunburn

Author: Laura Lippman

Publisher: William Morrow

Publish Date: February 20, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with a superb novel of psychological suspense about a pair of lovers with the best intentions and the worst luck: two people locked in a passionate yet uncompromising game of cat and mouse. But instead of rules, this game has dark secrets, forbidden desires, inevitable betrayals—and cold-blooded murder.

One is playing a long game. But which one?

They meet at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through. Yet she stays and he stays—drawn to this mysterious redhead whose quiet stillness both unnerves and excites him. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other—dangerous, even lethal, secrets.

Then someone dies. Was it an accident, or part of a plan? By now, Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each other’s lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away—or even if they want to. Is their love strong enough to withstand the truth, or will it ultimately destroy them?

Something—or someone—has to give.

Which one will it be?

Inspired by James M. Cain’s masterpieces The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce, Sunburn is a tantalizing modern noir from the incomparable Laura Lippman.

MY REVIEW

Polly and Adam meet while each is passing through the small town of Belleville. They both decide to stay in the town, and become more and more drawn to one another. But, each of them has secrets and isn’t being entirely truthful about why they were passing through town.

Well-developed, interesting characters. Engaging story. Sunburn is a great read for fans of psychological thrillers.

Books by Laura Lippman:

1. After I’m Gone
2. Wilde Lake
3. Sunburn
4. Lady in the Lake
5. Dream Girl
6. Prom Mom