Tag: thriller

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Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

Title: Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

Author: Lisa Unger

Genre: thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I have read many of her books including The Stranger Inside, but this one was my least favorite. The plot was a bit too disjointed. It explores the complexities of family, secrets, and genealogy, with a focus on the characters’ personal struggles and the eerie atmosphere of the isolated cabin. In theory, this should work, but I just couldn’t get into it. This book is mysterious, dark, medium-paced, and focuses on character flaws.

Hannah is a good character but has surrounded herself with awful people- her brother is a jerk, her best friend is vapid, her husband is keeping secrets. When they all go to a secluded cabin rumored to be haunted, with a big storm coming through, things don’t go as well as anticipated. Meanwhile, there’s an entire backstory of a seemingly unrelated character. And of course, it all comes together in the end, but this one just didn’t work for me.

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Bye, Baby

Title: Bye, Baby

Author: Carola Lovering

Genre: thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book

I HATED the characters in this book. The story is about two childhood friends, Billie and Cassie, and how their lives diverged. I guess I was supposed to be sympathetic to Billie because she’s not evil, but her neediness and desperation were so off-putting. And Cassie is an influencer, and I hated her from page one.

Billie is desperate for most of the book to get Cassie’s attention, but Cassie has a new friend group who understands her lifestyle, motherhood, her newfound fame, and her husband’s financial situation. Billie grew up with Cassie, and even though Cassie has always been a gold digger, she loved her anyway.

I did finish the book because I wanted to know what happened, but I can’t recommend this one to anyone. Both characters were so wretched that I don’t want to subject others to them.

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And There He Kept Her

Title: And There He Kept Her

Author: Joshua Moehling

Genre: thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book

I love discovering new authors, and I am happy to say Moehling is one I’ll read more from. I’ve already downloaded the next book in this series. This story follows Ben Packard, who returns to the town he and his family used to visit during the summer. Also, the town where his brother went missing twenty years ago. Packard is now the sheriff and is entangled in the disappearance of two teenagers.

The story is cat and mouse, and you know early on what happened to the teens, but following Packard is worth reading. He’s a great guy, and you root for him to find the truth and become the man he is in private. While this one didn’t keep me guessing because we know the fate of the teens from the start, but following the clues with Ben is a lot of fun.

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The Soulmate

Title: The Soulmate

Author: Sally Hepworth

Genre: thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’ve heard great things about Sally Hepworth’s books, so when I saw this pop up on NetGalley, I grabbed it. I also follow her on Instagram, where she posts delightful, fun things. However, this one fell a bit flat for me.

From GoodReads: Gabe and Pippa Gerard have just moved into their dream house: a cliffside cottage in a sleepy coastal town outside Melbourne. It’s a fresh start to their marriage and the perfect place to raise their two young daughters. But the house’s perfect façade hides something more sinister: The Spot, where the tall cliffs have become a popular place for those wishing to end their lives. After talking someone down from the ledge, Gabe becomes a local hero, saving person after person… until one night, he doesn’t. And Pippa sees Gabe the moment after it happened, standing alone at the cliff’s edge, arms outstretched, palms facing out.

The death is ruled a suicide— Gabe said it was a stranger devastated over her husband’s infidelity. But when Pippa discovers that Gabe knew the victim, she has more questions than answers. Plus, the woman’s husband swears she wouldn’t have jumped. Why would Gabe lie about not knowing her? Why would she have been at The Spot if not to jump? And did she really jump… or was she pushed? As Pippa works to uncover the truth, the foundations of the life they’ve built begin to crack, and their deepest secrets start to unravel. 

The story is told from Pippa’s perspective as well as from the person who died on the cliff, which is a bit weird. I’m not sure why it’s just not told in the third person omniscient. Not only is it from two perspectives, but it’s also in the past and present. This seems like an easy way to tell a story without giving too much away. However, using a different narrator is difficult. See the Dublin Murder Squad books for a masterclass in this style. Narrator aside, the story had some plot twists that were just crammed in there to be “interesting,” and I didn’t believe in them at all. I will probably give Hepworth another try but was underwhelmed by this one.

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The Night Shift

Title: The Night Shift

Author: Alex Finlay

Genre: thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I read Every Last Fear a while ago and thought it was pretty good. Good enough to want to read more of Finlay. So, when I saw this one on NetGalley, I grabbed it, expecting another pretty good book. I was surprised because this one was even better. I loved this one and flew through it in a couple of days.

From Goodreads: It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Y2K is expected to end in chaos: planes falling from the sky, elevators plunging to earth, world markets collapsing. A digital apocalypse. None of that happens. But at a Blockbuster Video in New Jersey, four teenagers working late at the store are attacked. Only one inexplicably survives. Police quickly identify a suspect, the boyfriend of one of the victims, who flees and is never seen again.

Fifteen years later, more teenage employees are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town, and again only one makes it out alive.

In the aftermath of the latest crime, three lives intersect: the lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive the horrors of her tragedy; the brother of the fugitive accused, who’s convinced the police have the wrong suspect; and FBI agent Sarah Keller who must delve into the secrets of both nights—stirring up memories of teen love and lies—to uncover the truth about murders on the night shift.

I loved that this book follows three different characters, Sarah Keller; Ella Monroe, the survivor of the original murders; and Chris Ford, the brother of the accused. Between those three, you get the full story. And there are some fun plot twists along the way. I did guess the big reveal at the end at the beginning of the book, but there were plenty of other surprises. I’m super critical of good writing, and Finlay wrote a beautifully tight story. I will definitely recommend this one.

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Jackal

Title: Jackal

Author: Erin E. Adams

Genre: Thriller/horror

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

When Liz Rocher goes back home for a friend’s wedding, her life gets turned upside down in the craziest of ways. I always love a well-written thriller, but the story also includes some horror elements, which is even better. The story revolves around missing Black girls, who the police basically ignore, but when Liz arrives, she begins to put some pieces together.

From Goodreads: It’s watching. Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn’t exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward, passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the day of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the couple’s daughter, Caroline, disappears—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood.

It’s taking. As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: A summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She’s seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in Liz’s high school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart removed. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can’t be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town’s history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls.

It’s your turn. With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline or be entirely consumed by the darkness.

I really enjoyed this book, and it definitely left me guessing. And there’s an element to this book that I absolutely won’t reveal because it would ruin so much. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by it, and Adams did an excellent job leading the reader to that reveal. Overall, four stars for this one, and I will be recommending it for sure!

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Breathless

Title: Breathless

Author: Amy McCulloch

Genre: thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book

I am terrified of mountains. I don’t ski, I don’t go to Colorado, and I have no desire to climb anything. But I’m a mountain-setting junkie. I cannot believe people pay money to climb. But I’m also in awe of those people because what they do pushes the limits of their entire existence. They are absolutely badass. I read Into Thin Air ages ago and couldn’t put it down. So, when a fiction book with a similar setting comes along, I’m in. And this book was excellent.

From Goodreads: Journalist Cecily Wong is in over her head. She’s come to Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world, to interview internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh on the last leg of a record-breaking series of summits. She’s given up everything for this story–her boyfriend, her life savings, the peace she’s made with her climbing failures in the past–but it’s a career-making opportunity. It could finally put her life back on track.

But when one climber dies in what everyone else assumes is a freak accident, she fears their expedition is in danger. And by the time a second climber dies, it’s too late to turn back. Stranded on a mountain in one of the most remote regions of the world, she’ll have to battle more than the elements in a harrowing fight for survival against a killer who is picking them off one by one.

What I loved most about this book is that the author is a climber herself, so the climbing aspect of the book is authentic. Not only does she nail that, the tension the mountain presents is matched by the horrifying deaths that occur along the way. Of course, climbing deaths occur, but the ones in the book seem suspicious. Cecily makes for a great amateur sleuth. Not only is she trying to uncover the mysteries of these deaths, but she’s also trying to scale Manaslu. This book was great. I listened to a good chunk of it and was hooked from the get-go.

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The Accomplice

Title: The Accomplice

Author: Lisa Lutz

Genre: thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Recently, I read a book with a snarky main character who was absolutely obnoxious. She had no good reason to be as rude as she was. She was wholly unlikeable, and I continually wished for her demise. This book has another snarky character, but it works. Luna has had an extraordinarily difficult life, has a good reason not to trust people, and, even though she keeps people at bay, she’s not rude for no reason. Having her as a main character makes the entire book worth reading.

From Goodreads: Owen Mann is charming, privileged, and chronically dissatisfied. Luna Grey is secretive, cautious, and pragmatic. Despite their differences, they begin forming a bond the moment they meet in college. Their names soon become indivisible–Owen and Luna, Luna and Owen–and stay that way even after an unexplained death rocks their social circle.

Years later, they’re still best friends when Luna finds Owen’s wife brutally murdered. The police investigation sheds some light on long-hidden secrets, but it can’t penetrate the wall of mystery that surrounds Owen. To get to the heart of what happened and why, Luna has to dig up the one secret she’s spent her whole life burying.
The Accomplice examines the bonds of shared history, what it costs to break them, and what happens when you start wondering if you ever truly knew the only person who truly knows you.

I loved that Owen and Luna are best friends and nothing more. There’s no romantic subtext, no googly eyes, no private longing. The twists and turns of the book make sense and even though I was guessing who did all the crimes (there are a few), I always believed the result because Lutz leads you down a plausible path. This is the only book of hers I’ve read, but I’ll definitely be checking out more.

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Alias Emma

Title: Alias Emma

Author: Ava Glass

Genre: spy thriller

Thank you NetGalley for this book.

I loved Alias when it was on tv. Sydney Bristow was just such a great character. And although I don’t read a ton of spy novels, when I saw this book’s description, I knew it would be a lot of fun to read. I was right. I flew through this thriller and enjoyed every minute of it.

From Goodreads: Nothing about Emma Makepeace is real. Not even her name.

A newly minted secret agent, Emma’s barely graduated from basic training when she gets the call for her first major assignment. Eager to serve her country and prove her worth, she dives in headfirst.

Emma must covertly travel across one of the world’s most watched cities to bring the reluctant–and handsome–son of Russian dissidents into protective custody, so long as the assassins from the Motherland don’t find him first. With London’s famous Ring of Steel hacked by the Russian government, the two must cross the city without being seen by the hundreds of thousands of CCTV cameras that document every inch of the city’s streets, alleys, and gutters.

Buses, subways, cars, and trains are out of the question. Traveling on foot, and operating without phones or bank cards that could reveal their location or identity, they have twelve hours to make it to safety. This will take all of Emma’s skills of disguise and subterfuge. But when Emma’s handler goes dark, there’s no one left to trust. And just one wrong move will get them both killed. 

What I loved most about this book were the twists and turns that any good spy story should have. Good guys, bad guys, double agents, rescues, deaths, evasion, and a good heroic lead. Emma is a great main character who takes her job seriously, but the story was really the shining star of the book. I was always guessing how Emma would get out of the predicament she was in and who was really trustworthy. I’m hoping this book is the first in a series because I’d love to read more of Emma’s adventures.

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Take It Back

Title: Take It Back

Author: Kia Abdullah

Genre: legal/domestic thriller

I don’t read enough books by Muslim authors, and this is a failing on my part. Not only do I want to support the community, but I also want to learn more about the Muslim ethnicity. So when I stumbled upon this book, I was eager to read and understand a bit more. Even though this book is fiction, being written by a Muslim author brings a level of authenticity to it. And I’m glad to say this book was really excellent overall. I definitely recommend it.

From Goodreads: The Victim: Jodie Wolfe, a physically flawed 16-year-old girl accuses four boys in her class of something unthinkable.

The Defendants: Four handsome teenagers from hard-working immigrant families, all with corroborating stories.

The Savior: Zara Kaleel, a former lawyer, one of London’s brightest legal minds, takes on this case. She believes her client, even though those closest to her do not.

Together, they enter the most explosive criminal trial of the year, where the only thing that matters is justice for Jodie. But this time justice comes at a devastating cost.

Poor Jodie. What a sad character. She was born with facial deformities and has grown up being called every taunting name, shunned from society, stared at by strangers, just a terrible world. Her father left after seeing her face, and her mother treats her like garbage. Jodie just wants to be loved and accepted like any other teenage girl. So, when she approaches Zara with the story of being gang-raped, Zara immediately takes her side and learns the boys she is accusing are Muslim, as is Zara. As much as Zara wants to support her community, she can’t just ignore Jodie’s claims. The Muslim community supports the accused, Zara is drawn into scandals, and plenty of people think Jodie is lying for attention. The plot just kept drawing me in. Did the boys do it? Whew… the story that unfolds is worth reading. I really enjoyed this book and wavered between Jodie telling the truth vs not. I won’t say how the book ends, but I will say I was left satisfied.