Mystery & Thriller

Wicked

wicked Wicked by Joanne Fluke

In this modern adaptation of Agatha Christine’s Ten Little Indians, we have a group of college kids staying in this old mansion for a writing workshop. Things start to go very wrong when they’re stuck on the property and fellow peers start getting picked off one by one, eerily like one student’s thriller, “Ten Little Writers.”

When starting this book, I was confused because I had no idea these were going to be college students, and then I had no idea what year of college they were even in. One girl, Angela, was going to be a freshman, but that’s all I got for deciding what age they were. It kind of read more like a young adult novel in that sense.

There wasn’t too much character development aside from our main girl, Eve. She went from being the mean girl who was going to reign the sorority and the school to being relaxed and caring. Because she was the only one who was fully developed, understandably as the MC, I didn’t care when a fellow student was picked off. There was no reason for me to care other than  “Oooo I wonder who is going to be killed next and when they’re going to start accusing each other.”

My biggest issue, and I don’t really recall it being explained, was WHY does NO ONE have a cell phone? The phone lines are disconnected to the house so they can’t call for help. You’re telling me that none of these college kids brought a cell phone with them? Yeah freaking right. College students are attached at the hip with their cell phones; I know, I used to be one. Even if the workshop had said that cell phones weren’t allowed, they still would have snuck them in to at least have them at night or during downtime. So that was wholly unrealistic to me.

I was able to figure out who the killer is pretty simply; the red herrings thrown in never detracted from who I knew it would be. There were some spelling errors, but other than that, it was still a fun and fast read.

three-stars

The Sound of Rain

the-sound-of-rain The Sound of Rain by Gregg Olsen

I have grown accustomed to female leads that are just kick ass detectives. So, at first, this one was a little hard for me to stomach. Nicole is a great detective with the extreme issue of being a total pushover and a gambling addict. They’re not a good combination at all as she takes out her stress of not saying anything to the people who manipulate her by gambling.

We know that Nicole has a downfall. We know she loses her job. But it was still tough for me to read. I just kept wanting to tell her to grow a spine and speak up for herself. But when she finally did, it was too late and it cost her dearly. This honestly would have been five stars for me if I hadn’t been so irritated with her, despite understanding why she was like that, I still wanted her to get a grip.

Part two of this book though…my God. Incredible. So many twists and turns, you really have no idea who the bad guys or the good guys are. It was an absolute roller coaster of discovering what exactly happened to the little girl whose case cost Nicole everything.

This is a must read. My only other issues besides the slow pacing of part one and Nicole’s immobility to defend her opinion, are the spelling errors and missing words in sentences. It pulls me out of the story every single time, especially because I’m an editor myself. Also, I don’t really think the title fits well with the story; I think there could have been something stronger.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this awesome read!

four-stars

Walk Into Silence

walk-into-silence Walk Into Silence by Susan McBride

Jo Larsen Series:
Book 1

So when I first started this book, I had felt like the adrenaline was kind of pushed, and it didn’t really get me into the story. That could have just been my mindset when I started reading, though. Because after I pushed through the first couple of chapters, I could not put this book down.

Jo is a detective whose gut instincts have definitely gotten her far. She was referenced a couple of times as being like a dog with a bone–very determined. A strong female lead is always enjoyable to read, especially when she doesn’t really question herself. She may have this past that’s incredibly painful that she’s trying to get away from, but it’s exactly that past that makes her a stronger detective.

The story of Jenny and her past as a parallel to Jo and her own past was really striking. It was so sad to read, to see how other people look at you when you’re consumed with grief. Jenny’s son had tragically fallen from a tree and died during her first marriage. The three-year anniversary is coming up and Jenny is seeking answers, no matter the cost. I loved all of the writing from Jenny’s perspective. Really, really great work there.

I adored Jo’s boyfriend, Adam, one of the medical examiners. He was so strong and determined to be there for Jo, even if she thought she didn’t need him. She really needed that foil against her mother who was not there for Jo when she needed her most. It was an important distinction to make her a stronger detective.

One thing I would have changed though is the formatting. There are two different perspectives in this book, Jo and Jenny, and those perspectives are in the same chapter while still being first person. It would have been better just to split each perspective into its own chapter. It was difficult to distinguish sometimes who was supposed to be talking and I had to keep going back to double check. This could have been a formatting issue with the Kindle and it could be fine for print.

Kind of funny how often Coke was the drink of choice in this book, it almost felt like an advertisement. Sorry if this review came off more like an essay, it just felt so right!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

four-stars

I Let You Go

i-let-you-go I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Tragedy befalls a single mother. We are then in the perspective of Jenna Gray, who is so devastated, that she decides to leave her home and try to start new somewhere a lot further away to help move on. The other perspective we’re in for part one of this book is of Detective Ray Stevens, who struggles with trying to maintain his family life while trying to promote up, all while feeling an undeniable connection to his new trainee. In these particular scenes, I am not familiar to the correct UK terminology for the police department, so I get quite confused and don’t remember what those acronyms mean. Not that that’s an issue with the book, it just pulls me out because I really should remember these things!

Quick note here: There is domestic violence in this novel. If that’s not something you can stomach–don’t pick it up.

Part one was honestly pretty slow. I understood why the pacing was that way and how it related to the story. The slowness was a parallel to the lull in the case for the detectives, and the recovery process Jenna was going through.

Part two, though…that’s where things really started picking up and I virtually could not put it down. A third perspective is introduced in this part and it is… quite chilling. There may be something sick and demented about enjoying the writing in this perspective, but it’s written very well, so it’s difficult not to appreciate it.

I didn’t really care too much about the relationship between Stevens and Kate, the trainee. It made sense with the book though, showing how tough the job can be while trying to stay happy with the home life you almost never see. He starts growing an attachment to the person he’s with for several hours, so it makes sense, I just feel like that was a subplot that didn’t pull me into the mystery of the book.

I really liked seeing the beginning of Jenna’s relationship with Ian, and how the manipulation process started. Again, I know it sounds creepy with me saying that, but to be inside of a man that…manipulative. Good stuff. I think this one is definitely worth the read. I know everyone and their mom has talked about the twist, but I liked that twist too. 😉

four-stars

Stalking Jack the Ripper

stalking-jack-the-ripperStalking Jack the Ripper by Kerry Maniscalco

For this to be a debut novel- Wow! This is a book that I read within a day because it was so good, I couldn’t put it down. I love anything that has to do with serial killers and this was no exception. The research done to make all of the bodies and investigations to be that of what actually occurred during the Ripper time was exceptional. I fell in love with how much Audrey Rose would rather be cutting into dead flesh than sitting at a tea party making small, appropriate conversations with other girls her age.

The relationship between her and Thomas Cresswell was swoon-worthy and highly amusing. I was ecstatic to find out that Maniscalco is going to be making this a series because her dialogue skills are spot on. While I do understand that this is supposed to be a young adult novel, the context of death and dead flesh does make this content that is for an older age. That being so, I wish there was more romance between Audrey Rose and Thomas. I know that it’s considered improper for the time, but there were multiple opportunities where I wished they would just kiss already. When they finally did, it was kind of disappointing because of how awesome the build up of it was. So my only issue was just that I wanted more between them.

I loved the character of Audrey Rose being so headstrong and determined to help find the killer and to protect future women from being killed by Leather Apron’s blade. She promoted the ideals of feminism by choosing to further her education in science instead of willfully choosing to work on her needlepoint skills. She has sharp wit and is exceedingly clever. She’s just what we would hope to be living in those times.

This was an exceptionally delightful read and I can’t wait for the sequel!

five-stars

The Couple Next Door

the-couple-next-doorThe Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

It’s been a while since I’ve rated a book 5 stars! All of the mysteries and thrillers I’ve read lately start off very promising, but then don’t end up making the cut. This story had me hooked from start to finish. I actually finished it in one day because I just did not want to put it down.

Marco and Anne Conti are invited to a dinner party–but the baby sitter cancels at the last minute. After a heated argument, they finally decide to leave the baby at home and they’ll take turns checking on her every half hour since it’s right next door. This set up is fine until the baby disappears.

This tale is weaved so well that I really wasn’t sure “whodunit” at all. I had even been texting my boyfriend about each development in the story and how I definitely would not have guessed what was going to happen with each new arc. With this being Shari’s debut novel, I am highly impressed. I cannot wait for her to write more books so I can spend a day devouring them.

I don’t even want to tell you more about this story because I don’t want to give anything away. I was just so distressed and excited with each new page. Read this book–it’s so well worth the time.

five-stars