Tag: Mystery

REVIEW – The Holdout by Graham Moore

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“In the stories, there’s always an answer at the end. Resolution. …But out here – it’s not like that. Out here, maybe somebody goes to jail. Maybe somebody doesn’t. But we never know the truth. The real, whole, definite truth. It’s impossible.”

This one started strong for me, dragged a bit in the middle, and finished with a relative bang.

“What sort of lunatic God would put these people in a room together?”

The Holdout is sure to be a memorable thriller for many due to its unique premise – 10 years after issuing a “not guilty” verdict in what seemed to be one of the biggest trials of the century, members of the jury are brought back together to work on a documentary series with a well-known murder podcast. When one of the jurors is found dead, our main character has to work to clear her own name, find the killer and attempt to solve the original disappearance/murder.

I had some of the plot here pegged from the beginning (I’m hard to surprise, sorry). I enjoyed the reading experience overall – I flew through this book over the course of one afternoon/evening. I think many thriller readers will love this one. It’s twisty and fun.

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Murder Can Confuse Your Chihuahua by Rose Pressey

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{Available April 28, 2020} I found myself in need of a quick, light cozy and this fit the bill! Murder Can Confuse Your Chihuahua had me laughing from the opening of chapter one.

As Celeste is prepping for a weeklong craft fair, she comes across a dead body by the river. What unfolds throughout the next few days is a twisty whodunnit, filled with suspicious characters. There’s also a slight supernatural element in this story.

There were a few repetitive parts – one plot point in particular was revealed twice, but I assume that will be fixed in the final copy.

Thank you Kensington Books for the ARC!

REVIEW – Mystic River by Dennis Lehane

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I do not give away five-star ratings lightly. This book EARNED it. Every step of the way. Mystic River is a heartbreaking, suspenseful story about three childhood friends (as close as three 11-year-old boys can be for about a year) who are torn apart by a terrifying event that changes their lives forever.

We quickly flash forward 25 years. The boys are now men – with their own lives and families. They each have their own demons to face throughout the book. A horrific, deeply personal murder occurs and brings Sean, Jimmy and Dave back together.

Man oh man this book is VISCERAL. A gloomy, desolate tone is set early on and it never lets up. It feels like you’re viewing the events through a smudged lens. The grief in this book is palpable – each man has something he’s lost (some losses are more raw and cut deeper than others, of course).

There’s a lot to be said about blame and the need for closure here. One character in particular – I found myself not liking him throughout the majority of the book, and then I felt so terrible for him and so deeply sad for how his life turned out. This book will make you feel things. Uncomfortable things. Sad, hopeless things.

Maybe I’m just 20 years late to the party, but if you haven’t read Mystic River yet I urge you to give it a try. (And I plan on watching the movie soon!)

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Pulp Friction by Julie Anne Lindsey

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{Available April 28, 2020} Pulp Friction is the second book in the new Cider Shop Mystery series (which I am loving, by the way). Winnie’s newly opened cider shop is doing well, and the book opens with a wedding in the orchard’s barn. The wedding atmosphere is super cozy and dreamy and makes me miss summer…until the groom ends up dead and foul play is suspected.

This book solidifies my desire to live in Blossom Valley with Winnie, Granny, Dot and Colton (yes, of course, Colton. So handsome!) This series hits all of the points that make a cozy series great – an adorable small town, a sweet little shop (I want apple cider and delicious pastries all of the time now), a wonderful cast of characters and murder mysteries that are just chilling enough to feel serious without ruining the overall lighthearted vibe of the book.

I had my theories about who the murdered could be in this book and I was spot on in some aspects and WAY OFF in others – which just made the entire experience more fun! This book ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger and sets the series up for a larger story – which I’m guessing will be explored more in-depth in the next book.

Thank you Kensington Books for providing me with the NetGalley ARC!

REVIEW – Have You Seen Me? by Kate White

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This has such a great premise – Ally shows up at work one morning, only to be told she hasn’t been employed there for five years. She spends the entire book piecing together the bits of her lost memory. There’s a cold case from her childhood that plays a role here, and overall I was interested to see where the story ended up.

However…it didn’t really end up anywhere. Do we figure out where she was? Yes. Do we find out what triggered her memory loss? Also, yes. (I don’t see these as spoilers, as it’s pretty much explained in the synopsis.) However, the tone of the book shifts in the last 100 or so pages and I found myself going “seriously?” during a few parts.

I think there’s an audience for this book – those who are new to the thriller genre or those who want to read a thriller without too much complexity or gore.

Thank you Harper/Harper Perennial for sending me a copy of this book!

REVIEW – Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

Aimeeeliz

Eight Perfect Murders starts off with a plot that aligns perfectly with the current era – it seems that a murderer is following a blog post that Mal wrote some years ago, detailing the “eight perfect murders” from classic thriller and mystery books.

The book is written somewhat as a memoir – we experience everything through Mal’s perspective. From his present-day investigation of the murders, to past memories featuring his deceased wife.

I was intrigued by the overall storyline – I was curious to see who the murderer was, and I definitely had my suspicions. However, although the reveal was surprising, I still found it a bit lackluster.

Regardless of my issues with this book, this was still a decent read. It’s slower than your typical thriller and has a bit of a noir feel to it, if that’s your cup of tea.

I won an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

REVIEW – The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel

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{Available March 31, 2020} Less than a thriller and more of an examination of familial relationships (primarily mother/daughter and brother/sister), The Familiar Dark is a gritty story with an of-the-moment setting. Anyone who has watched Ozark on Netflix will easily be able to picture Eve’s tiny, poor town in Missouri. The book gives off the same gray, unsettling vibe as the show, too.

After Eve’s daughter and her best friend are murdered on a run-down playground, Eve takes it upon herself to investigate the murders and exact revenge on the killer. What she uncovers is more horrific than she could have ever imagined.

There are some heartbreaking twists/reveals in this story, and the entire thing feels very desolate and hopeless. I wasn’t impressed with the ending when I first read it – some of it seems very out of character and almost like a stretch. But the more I think about it, and the more I think about the setting and the personal background of each character…i’m not ENTIRELY convinced that it’s plausible, but i’m starting to come around that maybe it was an inevitable conclusion for these characters. Just be forewarned: it’s dark and it’s sad and there are no winners in this book.

Thank you Dutton Books for the NetGalley ARC!

REVIEW – The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

Aimeeeliz

“…it didn’t matter how afraid or how careful you were – it could always be you.”

The Sun Down Motel pulled me in from the dedication page – anything that mentions Murderinos is sure to be right up my alley!

Carly, our main character, is set on investigating the unsolved disappearance in her family. 35 years ago, her aunt vanished without a trace from her night shift job at the Sun Down Motel. We learn, through dual timelines, that the Sun Down has a little bit of a…ghost problem, a knack for attracting unsavory characters and for facilitating questionable behavior. It also has a history of tragedy and violence. However, that doesn’t seem too out of place in Fell, NY. Fell is…odd. It gave me straight-up Derry, Maine, vibes. It often felt like an episode of the Twilight Zone.

“The world was different at night. Not just dark, not just quiet, but different.”

The parallels and transitions between past and present are excellent. The story is good. It’s a bit tighter at the beginning (and spookier) before focusing mostly on the investigation of a number of unsolved murders. This will likely be a memorable book for many readers, not because of it’s (somewhat predictable) twist, but due to it’s not-so-common premise – a little bit of a ghost story and a little bit of a thriller.

“Some of us like the dark. It’s what we know.”

REVIEW – Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen

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{Available March 3, 2020} Please See Us is an absolutely breathtaking debut novel. More of a mystery than a thriller, we follow two main characters in Atlantic City – a teenage psychic struggling to make ends meet and a young woman who has moved back home following a traumatic personal event.

Mullen absolutely NAILS the atmosphere here. I could feel the summer heat and humidity. I could see the rundown and condemned parts of the city – everything felt dull and gray and gritty. The seedy, faded casinos and motels just add to the overall icky and hopeless feeling of this book, which is a testament to the quality of the writing. There is some REALLY good writing here.

I love how Mullen examines the different types of women who end up as victims throughout the story. They come from different backgrounds. They have different thoughts and feelings. Each has a personal journey that led them to Atlantic City and, ultimately, to their deaths. The chapters that focus on the “Janes” are some of the best, and some of the hardest to read. After one towards the end, I found myself needing to pause for a moment before diving back in to the rest of the story.

There are some DARK themes explored here (I mean, besides the obvious…) but every piece feels absolutely necessary to the story.

Thank you Gallery Books for sending me this ARC!

REVIEW – Unfollow Me by Charlotte Duckworth

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{Available March 10, 2020} Unfollow Me starts with a chilling email to Violet, a social media influencer with more than one million subscribers on YouTube.

We learn early on (from the perspective of our two main characters – Lily and Yvonne) that Violet’s social media presence has inexplicably vanished, and no one knows where she is or if she’s okay.

These characters are OBSESSED with Violet – a woman they’ve never met, but think they know due to her constant vlogs of her daily life. It’s very relevant to society today, how many “influencers” have turned into micro-celebrities. They have fans, they have haters, they might even have stalkers. It also gave me MTV Diary vibes (throwback! Remember: you think you know, but you have no idea?!)

Details are revealed as the story progresses, and we do get chapters from Violet’s husband’s point of view as well. However, the majority of the book is confusing (not necessarily in a bad way). I found myself wanting to read more just so I could get some answers and find out wtf is going on.

Unfortunately, the ending was a little lackluster for me. I still enjoyed the book, and enjoyed the perspective it gave on “influencer” culture!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for the NetGalley ARC.