I love Torre's suspense novels and this one grabbed me from the very beginning. A story of jealousy, power, and marriage, of how one woman relentlesslI love Torre's suspense novels and this one grabbed me from the very beginning. A story of jealousy, power, and marriage, of how one woman relentlessly coveted what she didn't have, but deeply desired, and how another woman ruthlessly defended what was her own. I couldn't wait to see how far the women in the book would take it, how far they would push, who would yield in this wicked game between neighbors. A chilling, soapy domestic thriller impossible not to devour....more
A girl’s disappearance upends a man’s life, while a neighboring family begins to fracture beneath the weight of the secrets they hide.
Thirty-three-yeaA girl’s disappearance upends a man’s life, while a neighboring family begins to fracture beneath the weight of the secrets they hide.
Thirty-three-year-old lecturer Owen Pick has just been accused of sexual misconduct by two of his students. Suspended, angry and spiraling, Owen returns to his aunt’s spare bedroom where he rages about women in Incel forums.
Across the street, Cate and Roan Fours struggle to mend the tears of their frayed marriage. Cate suspects Roan strays, but her mistrust once made everything wildly unravel and she is determined to get their relationship back on track.
But Roan doesn’t realize his once-patient seventeen-year-old Saffyre Maddox has become obsessed with his shadowed life. She lurks just out of sight as she learns the secrets he hides from him family.
Everything changes, however, when Saffyre suddenly vanishes. Their lives intersect in ways unforeseen as we untangle the events that led to the teen’s disappearance.
I’m such a huge fan of Lisa Jewell, but unfortunately her latest felt a little lackluster. The pacing seemed slower than usual despite short-format chapters and I wanted her to delve deeper with some of the characters—really reveal some of the darker, more nuanced parts of who they were. No big surprises shook the narrative and up until the very last page, I’d hoped Lisa would pull the rug out from under us.
While this one felt a little flat, I can’t wait to see what story she’ll give us next....more
With his latest, Jo Nesbo explores the ties that bind two brothers together. Roy and Carl Opgard are no strangers to violence. Together, they’ve surviWith his latest, Jo Nesbo explores the ties that bind two brothers together. Roy and Carl Opgard are no strangers to violence. Together, they’ve survived those who’ve wronged them in the small Norwegian mountain town in which they grew up. While Carl fled abroad to become an entrepreneur, Roy stayed behind to run a petrol station in town.
But Carl surprisingly returns with his new bride, Shannon, at his side. Carl has big plans for the them, and for the town—they’re to build a grand hotel and spa on their very own land, the same land where their parents plummeted to their death.
And with a plan that seems too good to be true, tensions begin to simmer, and the brothers are once again a target. To make matters more complicated, questions around unexplained deaths resurface, bringing unwanted scrutiny which threatens to reveal long-buried secrets.
With a gradual and deliberate mastery, Nesbo reveals sinister truths about Roy and Carl. Truths so dark, disturbing and insidious that you can’t seem to look away from what happens next.
THE KINGDOM imparts a classic Nordic Noir narrative with its dour, ominous atmosphere, dark themes, and the nuanced character study of the two flawed brothers—in particular, the introspective Roy Opgard.
The illusions of family and loyalty are masterfully deconstructed by Jo Nesbo as tension gradually ratchets towards a shocking set of events.
The more I thought about the book, the more I appreciated how layered and brilliant it was in its unfurling, but initially, because I was expecting a pace akin to the Harry Hole novels, it admittedly felt a little slow. This is a different side of Nesbo and a different type of story altogether. Knowing that may better frame expectations and allow you to enjoy this sinister standalone from a truly exceptional author....more
In true Kerrigan Byrne style, Courting Trouble was the kind of love story that sweeps you away from the very beginning. This latest was a stirring secIn true Kerrigan Byrne style, Courting Trouble was the kind of love story that sweeps you away from the very beginning. This latest was a stirring second chance at love story, a forbidden romance between two people whose fates were so inextricably tied. I devoured it and absolutely loved it....more
A girl strikes a desperate deal with the darkness, binding them together through time, cursed to be fo“Never pray to the gods that answer after dark.”
A girl strikes a desperate deal with the darkness, binding them together through time, cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets, in the ironically unforgettable THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE.
V.E. Schwab delivers one of my favorite books of the year—a story beautifully poetic, deeply romantic and utterly mesmerizing.
Our story takes shape in 1714 France as Addie LaRue longs to escape her small-town fate. In a moment of desperation, she pleads to the dark for her freedom. And while her plea is answered, it’s not without a cost.
“I am stronger than your god and older than your devil. I am the darkness between stars, and the roots beneath the earth. I am promise, and potential, and when it comes to playing games, I divine the rules, I set the pieces, and I choose when to play.”
Destined to live forever (or until she surrenders her soul), Addie must live her days forgotten the moment anyone looks away.
In an incredible—and invisible—life spanning centuries and continents, we accompany Addie as she struggles to make a living, through days of devastation and war, forgotten by lovers, a muse for the world’s brightest, but inescapably and infinitely alone.
Until 300 years later, in a small New York City book shop, a boy remembers.
And everything changes.
This book is one you can’t help but devour. A spellbinding adventure brimming with joy and heartache all at once. A story about love and loss, desperation and resilience, courage and sacrifice, darkness and light. I was swept away by Addie’s story, by a million magical moments that brought Schwab’s words to life in a way that felt wonderfully visceral.
There was a gossamer, dreamy quality to the narrative and I could have endlessly reveled in its magic. It was just perfect.
“What is a person, if not the marks they leave behind?”...more
With the second installment of the Devil You Know series, Kerrigan Byrne delivers a passionate love story between an imposing Scot and a spirited mathWith the second installment of the Devil You Know series, Kerrigan Byrne delivers a passionate love story between an imposing Scot and a spirited mathematician… and it’s utterly wonderful.
In this latest, we get to know Cassius Gerard Ramsay—Lord Chief Justice of the High Court. Ramsay is brother to the Duke of Redmayne (HOW TO LOVE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS) and a man without indulgences, abiding by an unshakable moral code.
No one challenges his restraint, however, like the red-haired Cecilia Teague—a intelligent, sharp-witted woman who lives life to the fullest. She makes him want to break all his rules, but his deep mistrust of women halts his desire to pursue her.
But when Cecilia inherits a gambling hall and collides with Ramsay under the guise of The Scarlet Lady, his temper flares against the woman who runs an institution of deplorable morality, and one he fears is responsible for the disappearances of young girls.
Before too long though, both Cecilia and Ramsay uncover there is something far more sinister at play and she is squarely caught in the crosshairs. Together, they grapple with the truth of their past, their intensifying feelings and the danger that lurks in the shadows.
I devoured every page of this story. Byrne’s storytelling prowess is all-consuming with characters who are flawed, vulnerable and strong all at once. The narrative boldly explores feminist power and independence, and how it connects with one’s identity and choices—a wonderful underpinning to how the love story evolves. A thread of suspense ratchets tension towards a wholly satisfying finale in this daring and delightful story that is sure to sweep you away....more
With a riveting locked-door mystery, Ruth Ware once again proves why she is the reigning queen of suspense and without a doubt, the Agatha Christie ofWith a riveting locked-door mystery, Ruth Ware once again proves why she is the reigning queen of suspense and without a doubt, the Agatha Christie of our generation.
Ware masterfully re-imagines Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE with 11 people trapped in a posh ski chalet after an avalanche.
When the team from Snoop—a music-sharing tech startup—arrives at the luxurious chalet high in the snowy French Alps, breathtaking vistas serve to quell the anxiety of the impending, mandatory bonding with coworkers.
But something more than anxiety simmers below the surface, as secrets plague the company on the brink of buyout. Before the first night is even over, anger boils over and loyalties are tested as tension ratchets inside the chalet. Outside, however, the weather threatens something far more sinister.
When the avalanche hits, one of their own isn’t back from skiing and the rest of the group is essentially cut off from the rest of the world. As the snowstorm relentlessly rages, hostility and panic inside reaches a fever pitch, especially when someone is found dead. It’s clear there’s a murderer among them, and they’re being picked off, one by one.
Ruth Ware brilliantly sets the scene in the familiar mystery narrative—the dreadful feeling of isolation, the panic it evokes, the tension that thrums in a group hiding far more than they let on. It’s as terrifying as it is timely. Never a dull moment as secret motivations come to light, egos clashing amongst this group of hipster techies. Misdirections aplenty kept me guessing until the very end with a seriously brilliant, heart-pounding climax. Somehow, Ware gets better and better with each book she delivers, tightening her craft in ways that make it incredibly exciting for thriller and mystery junkies like me.
Do not miss this propulsive, adrenaline-fueled thriller—you’ll relish every page, I promise....more
With THE TRUEST THING, Samantha Young caps an incredible series with a sweeping finale that left me breathless.
This fourth and final installment in thWith THE TRUEST THING, Samantha Young caps an incredible series with a sweeping finale that left me breathless.
This fourth and final installment in the Hart’s Boardwalk series is utterly perfect—a love story nine years in the making. We finally learn the truth behind Hartwell’s two-timing villain and how he fell hard and fast for a quiet bookstore owner. Their story is anything but straightforward, rather, it’s a twisted journey punctuated by deception and heartbreak, scarred by secrets which fester just beneath the surface.
Jack Devlin fell for Emery Saunders the first moment he saw her across Cooper’s Bar, and she too was smitten with him from the start. But the spark between them blew out almost as soon as it caught flame. Jack became Hartwell’s pariah not long after. He was the man who betrayed his best friend. The man who worked for an unscrupulous father everyone detested. But Jack had a secret which hijacked the life he intended and isolated him from those who once loved him.
Through the years, Emery saw a side to Jack no one knew about, but Jack, ever protecting those he loved most, hurt her time and time again. Once his big secret is revealed, however, Jack is finally free from his father’s machinations. Now, he must summon the courage to repair the relationships he may have irrevocably damaged, starting with the woman he’s loved for nearly a decade.
Set against the small, seaside town of Hartwell, these stories have roused to life so vividly. Stories about love, forgiveness and friendship. I’ve connected deeply with these characters, each who have longed for a second chance at love, a second chance at life. Jack and Emery’s romance was particularly moving—the push and pull between them, spanning years, intensified each moment to an unbearable fever pitch, making their happily ever after all the sweeter.
Young has penned something really special with this series. And this latest, well, it’s a wonderful, sweeping love story I couldn’t have loved more....more
With A KINGDOM OF FLESH AND FIRE, Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers an explosive sequel even better than its pulse-pounding predecessor.
This book is besWith A KINGDOM OF FLESH AND FIRE, Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers an explosive sequel even better than its pulse-pounding predecessor.
This book is best entered blind, so I’ll keep it to some high-level beats and impressions (and please don’t proceed if you’ve not yet read the first book in the series).
‘FLESH AND FIRE’ picks up directly after A KINGDOM OF BLOOD AND ASH. Poppy is reeling after realizing everything she’s ever known is a lie, including the man she’d started to fall for. As the Maiden, she’d been caged beneath the veil of protection, only to discover she was the pawn in far darker and deadlier machinations.
And again, Poppy finds herself captive, but now under the vise of Prince Casteel Da’Neer—a situation far more dangerous than before. With him, her resolve wavers. With him, it becomes harder to ferret true intention. With him, her heart muddles the clarity she needs to find her path to freedom.
But the more Poppy uncovers, the tighter everything tangles together. And to make matters more complicated, Casteel may be the only one who wants her around, albeit for his own traitorous agenda. The Ascended want her back only to use her. The Descenters want her dead. And the Wolven don’t trust her.
As the road to Atlantia nears, Poppy’s powers intensify and the clarity she sought is murkier than ever. But the secrets between kingdoms, from those near to her, hidden in her blood, her past—they change everything. And as the skies begin to bleed, and those asleep begin to rouse, she’s never been closer to a truth she never could’ve imagined.
With this latest, Armentrout has woven a tale that gradually, brilliantly builds. Much of the novel’s first part focuses on Poppy and Casteel—them as individuals, as well as their evolving relationship. All Poppy has ever wanted is freedom. To make her own choices. To pave her own path wherever it may lead. But she finds herself in a situation that gets more complicated along the way, and she must balance her longing or freedom with the pull to sacrifice for the greater good.
With Casteel, she must find her bearing. Theirs is a relationship shaped by both truth and lie, sacrifice and vengeance, and most importantly, a reluctant-yet-inescapable surrender to what they feel in their hearts. The closer they get to Atlantia, the narrative begins to shift towards secrets which will define the future for Poppy, Casteel, and both kingdoms alike. The culmination of it all will leave you breathless.
With WHEN SHE WAS GOOD, bestselling author Michael Robotham delivers a dark and gripping follow up to GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL, continuing the story of surWith WHEN SHE WAS GOOD, bestselling author Michael Robotham delivers a dark and gripping follow up to GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL, continuing the story of survivor Evie Cormac and criminal psychologist Cyrus Haven. In GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL, we met Evie Cormac—dubbed Angel Face when she was found dirty and malnourished in the home of a man who was tortured to death. After being placed in a secure children’s home, her identity remains a mystery even now. Cyrus, who grew close to the churlish, broken teenager when he temporarily fostered her, remains intent on figuring out who Evie is and what happened to her so long ago.
Despite good intentions, however, Cyrus puts Evie in danger once again as he makes an important connection from her past. Soon, she’s back on the radar of those who seek to permanently silence her.
To complicate matters further, Cyrus is pulled in to help assess the mysterious death of a retired police officer—a man who’d been digging into an old case with ties to child disappearances and murders.
Before too long, shocking connections are made as terrible secrets come to light and Cyrus races against the clock to keep Evie from being found and killed.
Robotham brilliantly weaves a narrative that’s horrifying and twisted as tension steadily ratchets. The danger feels urgent and real as the story deepens and darkens in ways unforeseen.
There are so many aspects of this book to love. The extraordinary writing. The visceral, textured atmosphere. The propulsive mystery of the case. But most of all, it’s the flawed, broken characters at the story’s center. Both Cryus and Evie make for a fascinating study. They’re deeply scarred survivors of trauma looking to mend the broken parts within and somehow, they’ve found something solid, a tremulous sort of solace, in each other.
A truly fantastic, utterly enthralling thriller. I hope there’s more to come....more
With THE SILENT WIFE, bestselling author Karin Slaughter delivers an extraordinary procedural thriller that’s all at once brutal, poignant and utterlyWith THE SILENT WIFE, bestselling author Karin Slaughter delivers an extraordinary procedural thriller that’s all at once brutal, poignant and utterly mesmerizing.
Slaughter opens with the shocking assault of college student Beckey Caterino—a crime from years past investigated by medical examiner Sara Linton’s late husband, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver.
Beckey’s brutal attack—along with the rapes and murders of other women—arise following a prison riot as an inmate insists that he was set up to take the fall by Tolliver and his corrupt team. He claims the real perpetrator is out there still, preying on women across the state. And when another woman is found viciously murdered, it looks to be substantiating proof.
Will Trent and his partner, Faith, must revisit the nearly decade-old cases if they’re to catch what looks to be a serial killer. Worse yet, Will must seek the help of the woman he loves (Sara), despite opening a wound he fears has not yet healed. Their investigation takes shocking turns with consequences that weigh heavily emotionally, and which undoubtedly change the lives of everyone involved.
As always, Slaughter is unflinching in her portrayal of crime, making it all too real and terrifying. Through past and present alternating chapters, we uncover the dreadful fates that befell the women, and experience the strain of Sara and Jeffrey’s relationship leading up to his death.
The case is brutal, the investigation is fascinating, and the aftermath is deeply affecting. Through the story, Slaughter poignantly explores the stigma of rape and the long-lasting effects of trauma. She also evolves Will and Sara’s relationship, as they struggle to find solid ground amidst the turmoil of the case.
I’m such a fervid fan of Slaughter’s books because they truly feel to have it all—perfect pacing with thoughtful, twisty plots that come alive through well-drawn characters. They balance the very real horrors we sometimes see in the world with relationships and interactions that have depth and rouse emotion and relatability.
This one is one of her best—a chilling whodunit you won’t be able to put down....more
Bestselling author Alice Feeney delivers a taut and enthralling suspense with HIS & HERS—her latest about a newsreader and a detective who investigateBestselling author Alice Feeney delivers a taut and enthralling suspense with HIS & HERS—her latest about a newsreader and a detective who investigate a brutal murder in the British village where they both grew up.
We first meet BBC news presenter Anna Andrews—perfectly polished on the outside but falling apart under the weight of a recent tragedy. Anna returns to Blackdown, the small town she once fled to forget her painful past, and now the scene of a murder she must cover.
Anna crosses paths with Detective Jack Harper, who fears he’ll become the primary murder suspect should anyone discover his connection with the victim.
Anna and Jack soon realize something far more sinister, calculated and personal is afoot—someone is dredging up long-buried secrets and one of them may be next to die.
Through his and hers alternating chapters, we gradually learn more about Anna and Jack—their past, their ugly secrets and flawed intentions. We also have an unnamed third narrator whose chilling first-hand account amps the desire to figure it all out. But ever the queen of misdirection, Feeney pens a narrative that makes you think you have it all figured it out only to have the rug pulled from under you, time and time again. I couldn’t stop reading.
Dark, tense, unsettling and punctuated by shocking twists, Feeney once again delivers the thriller everyone will be talking about this summer....more
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