Queen of all-things mysterious and quirky drops the cute and enters into her own in the rough-and-tumble thriller The Passenger.
Leaving behind her deQueen of all-things mysterious and quirky drops the cute and enters into her own in the rough-and-tumble thriller The Passenger.
Leaving behind her delightful Spellman series heroine for a more mature, more serious, main character, a woman of many names, really known by no one except a homicidal bartender named Blue. And a sexypants detective named Dominic. To avoid apprehension and unwanted questioning, Tonya flees the state after her husband takes a header down the stairs. No spoilers here, folks, but this isn't her first rodeo - meaning that it's clear dear old "Tonya" is something of an old hat in changing things up and leaving things behind. It's a road trip across America - with our ever-adapting heroine in charge of the wheel. Call "shot gun" and get in the passenger seat with this one. It's a bumpy ride, but it'll be over in the blink of an eye with this thrilling release from one of this reader's favorite writers.
I was provided this copy by the publisher to review via NetGalley. Thanks n'at. ...more
A quicky, easy-to-read, psychological thriller that will delight both young and old alike. (I seriously finished this book in a few quick hours - it wA quicky, easy-to-read, psychological thriller that will delight both young and old alike. (I seriously finished this book in a few quick hours - it was that addictive that I wasn't able to put it down).
16 year old Chris awakes to find that he has been kidnapped by another teen - a rough-and-tumble boy who demands the whole truth about a situation that Chris thought was all but forgotten. The narrative moves between "now" and "then," pulling the reader into a space where time is forgotten and the truth is all but unknown.
I was provided this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks NetGalley and Sourcebooks - you're the bee's knees. ...more
Burr! Break out the gloves and ear muffs - because winter has officially arrived with this chilly psychological thriller that will have readers wonderBurr! Break out the gloves and ear muffs - because winter has officially arrived with this chilly psychological thriller that will have readers wondering just how well they know their own in-laws.
Nowadays, just about everything is being advertised as being just as twisty and dark and clever as Gone Girl - a nasty little book that has, quite rightly, captured an impressive fan-base. And, you know, it sort of bothers me that the industry has whored out Flynn's novel, forcing associations that are, in this case, tenuous at best. Yes, they both are books built on slow-burning betrayals committed by fairly despicable characters. But, unlike Gone Girl or even Herman Koch's recent works, I didn't get fully buy into or get lost in the anti-hero's nllarrative voice. Between the lack of depth of character and my lack of interest in the slow-to-warm plot, I was left only mildly satisfied by this book. Like the rest of the world, I was blown away by Gone Girl, and I was not blown away by this book. I'll get that out in the open. This, The Winter Girl, is not Gone Girl; but, it is relatively entertaining, and it should amuse those who like their characters...well, um, unlikable.
Married couple Elise and Scott have moved into her father's house in the Hamptons (or is it on the Hamptons) under the pretense of caring for him at the end of his life. But, really, these unemployed millennials are just waiting for the wretched man to die, hoping to inherit his significant wealth. You see, Elise isn't forthcoming about her past, but it is obvious to the reader (and her rather clueless husband) that her father's parenting skills left something to be desired. So, it is with great trepidation that they agree to care for him, in these late stages of cancer, at his house, so that he may die in peace, at home. With Scott and his father-in-law at odds, he indulges in practicing his photography, capturing the winter scenery of the all-but-abandoned vacation spot. When he becomes aware of the lights on an automatic timer on a house next door, Scott falls prey to temptation and indulges his curiosity about the empty dwelling. What's a little breaking and entering between neighbors, right? Wrong. And it all goes to shit from there.
I had difficulty with the pacing of the plot. It was pretty torturous - as in, I had to force myself to maintain interest, until about a third of the way into the book. It took way too much time to establish the situation - see also: rich, spoiled people who bore easily and, themselves, have too much time on their hands and no respect for their neighbors property. Winter Girl provided a shallow view of shallow people. All of the characters were voyeurs in their own way: taking pictures, taking videos, eavesdropping on one another and watching in other people's windows. Yes, they saw - but only the very surface of what they were watching; underneath all of them is a very different type of dirty, nasty truth.
Was the big reveal/twist of this porportedly Gone Girl-esque novel a shock? For me? Not too much. It certainly wasn't a satisfying reveal. I connected the weird dots of the story long before the "truth" came out. Maybe I didn't care as much - because I wasn't invested in the shallow rendering of these unlikable characters. There were moments in this book where my interest was peaked, and I had hope of a better, more satisfying read. For example (warning - minor spoiler), the history of miscarriage between Elise and Scott helped to define their relationship to one another. I wanted more from the characters, about their circumstances and personal history, and less silly running around in the woods between the houses.
I'm willing to accept that this just wasn't for me. It may be for you. (Disclaimer: I have a nine-week old and a two year old, and I'm operating on very little sleep and patience. This may have been the wrong read at the wrong time.
Thanks anyways, NetGalley! Keep those ARCs coming my direction!...more
Anna Janelle
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