Missing persons and dark family secrets: three intriguing mysteries from authors new to me

 

KNIFE RIVER by Justine Champine

 

The loss of a parent is always a terrible thing, but for Jess and her sister Liz the grief is compounded by uncertainty. On one hand they agree that their mother would never have just walked out on them when they were teenagers, on the other hand there has never been a body to bury or the chance to put their questions to rest. Whilst Liz has remained at home in their small country town, waiting for their mother to reappear and living the life of a recluse, Jess has jumped from relationship to relationship to fill the hole in her heart her mother has left behind. It almost comes as a relief when some bones are uncovered in a nearby forest. Perhaps the sisters will finally get some answers …

 

Champine does a great job in exploring the different manifestations of grief, right down to the sense of betrayal when a parent leaves us behind, no matter of the circumstances.  KNIFE RIVER is slow and character driven, full of emotions and atmosphere and the musings of two young women whose lives have been shaped by a terrible loss. Having experienced the death of a parent at a young age myself, there was a lot that resonated for me and validated some of my own experiences, especially the different ways the sisters act out their grief. I found both Jess and Liz believable and relatable, which made KNIFE RIVER a positive reading experience, despite its rather glum subject matter. And whilst unravelling the mystery seemed almost an afterthought, I was blown away by the final reveal, which came as a shock to say the least. No, KNIFE RIVER is not an uplifting book, but it is full of emotional weight and insight into the different manifestations of grief, which I found strangely cathartic. There was a lot of food for thought here, which made me think about the book long after I had finished reading.

 

 

THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK by Emiko Jean

 

Books about abduction and being held captive don’t always work well for me, so I was a bit hesitant when I first came across the premise of THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK. However, it came highly recommended from other readers with similar tastes to mine, so I decided to give it a go – and I’m glad I did! Not only did this book turn into a highly suspenseful mystery, but it also served me up a twist I definitely did not see coming.

 

I loved Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s character. Adopted at birth, her Asian background has always made her stand out in their small community, which perhaps has made her more determined to solve cases where others may have given up long ago. Chelsey also has a deeply personal reason to succeed in her career – not only does she want to make her beloved late father proud, but she also carries the legacy of her sister’s tragic death at the hands of her boyfriend when Chelsea was a child. When Ellie Black reappears in the woods after a two year absence, Chelsea is surprised at the girl’s reluctance to help police catch her abductor.

 

THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK features many themes I love in a mystery. The small-town setting, family secrets and loyalties, and tragedies that shape people’s future all made for well-rounded, intriguing characters here. I was extremely happy to be led in a completely different direction from your average abduction story and really enjoyed the unravelling of this clever mystery. If you like reading mysteries that break the mould and defy stereotypes, then this one is definitely for you!

 

 

HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE by Jeneva Rose

 

Losing a parent is difficult enough, but when you find out a deep dark family secret when sorting out your mother’s things, it can complicate things even further. In HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE, three estranged siblings meet in their old family home to put their mother to rest. Beth, the oldest, is the one who looked after her sick mother and held her hand as she passed. Admittedly, she feels resentful of her successful brother Michael and her drug addicted sister Nicole, who have left the difficult work of caring for their mother to her. There are a lot of complicated dynamics between the three siblings who over the years have become estranged, each wrapped up in his and her own lives and problems. Sorting out the estate was never going to be an easy task, with so many different emotions and agendas at play. It all takes a sinister turn when the three siblings sit down to watch an old family movie on the DHS player – the summer of 1999, an innocent time in all their memories. The recording shows their parents next to the body of a neighbour’s child, who went missing around that time. Then the tape goes blank. Gobsmacked, the siblings can’t agree on where to go from here. Show the tape to authorities to reopen the missing persons case, but potentially face their parents being accused of murder? Forget that they ever saw the tape? Try and investigate on their own?

 

HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE explores a unique and troubling dilemma, enhanced by the dynamics between the very different three siblings. As we get to know each of them a bit better and understand what drives their decisions, the mystery takes an even more complex turn. I loved the way the author slowly unravelled this very dark family mystery, bringing each character into their own. This was like slowly peeling away the layers of an onion, exposing the rotten core inside. Is anything the siblings have accepted as truth about their childhood really a lie? Each of them have slightly different memories of that time, which is fascinating and adds depth to the story. Admittedly, the ending didn’t come as a surprise to me, but I read a lot of mysteries. This did not take away my reading enjoyment, however, and I appreciated how the author wrapped up the loose threads at the end. An intriguing character study wrapped in the burrito of an old missing person’s case.

 

Book Review: NONE OF THIS IS TRUE by Lisa Jewell

 

Title: NONE OF THIS IS TRUE

Author:  Lisa Jewell

Read: September 2023

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

My musings:

 

Have you ever met one of your birthday twins, a person born on exactly the same day as you? I remember being at work one day, taking a woman’s details, and it turned out we were born merely an hour apart, albeit in different parts of the globe. A strange bond, nonetheless.

 

Josie Fair is having her 45^th birthday dinner with her husband at a local restaurant when she overhears people at a nearby table who are having a merry party for one of their group. As strange coincidences go, this woman, Alix Summers, is also celebrating her 45^th birthday. Josie finds out that the two women were not only born on the same day, but also in the same hospital. This chance encounter may have been the end of it, but now that Josie has found Alix, she will not let her go that easily.

 

I admit that stalkers and uninvited houseguests are some of my worst anxiety triggers in thrillers, so this book kept me up all night! As tensions escalated, I had to keep reading until I had all the answers, which was way past my bedtime (I advise to start this book when you have lots of free time).

 

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE is probably one of Jewell’s darkest books and one where she takes the unreliable narrator theme to an extreme (as hinted in the title). As a very seasoned and talented storyteller, she ratcheted up the tension slowly but steadily until it was impossible to put the book down. There were quite a few hair-raising moments (and a few EEEEWWWW ones, too), and I felt like helplessly watching a train speed towards the abyss. Considering this unbearable tension, I felt that the ending lost a bit of steam and felt strangely anti-climatic to me, though overall this did not detract from the unique premise of the story. I loved the podcast and Netflix-series style of the novel, which gave it a very contemporary feel and allowed for short, punchy chapters and different POVs without losing its flow.

  

Summary:

 

In summary, NONE OF THIS IS TRUE showcases Jewell’s talent as a storyteller and creator of original storylines. Like other thrillers that rely on untruths and hidden secrets, it’s best to go into this one blind and let it take you on a journey. It certainly kept me enthralled until the very end and not much sleep was to be had until I found out the answers.

Book Review: YELLOWFACE by R. F. Kuang

 

Title: YELLOWFACE

Author:  R.F. Kuang

Read: August 2023

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena's a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn't even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song--complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn't this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That's what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can't get away from Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June's (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface takes on questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation not only in the publishing industry but the persistent erasure of Asian-American voices and history by Western white society. R. F. Kuang's novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

My musings:

 

Have you ever dreamed of writing your own novel? Of sitting in some romantic café scribbling in your notebook and penning the next bestseller. Of having your book grace the front window of bookshops worldwide. After reading Kuang’s novel you may have a more sober perspective of the publishing industry. I never thought it would be easy to be a published author, but hadn’t imagined just how many minefields are lying in wait for any aspiring writer, including the questions at the heart of YELLOWFACE: who owns a story? Who is allowed to tell a story? Does your story have to mirror your own culture and experiences?

 

YELLOWFACE was peppered with ethical and moral dilemmas, and I fluctuated between empathy for June and horror at what she was doing. Many reviewers have stated that June is a thoroughly unlikeable character who is very obviously in the wrong, and many delighted in her downfall. And yet I found Kuang has created a character who is both morally reprehensible and also vulnerable, lonely and insecure. June always has justification for her actions, and some were strangely compelling, like watching a movie about a robbery and knowing it’s a crime, yet having some appreciation for the planning and thought that had gone into it. Hard to explain … Things got even more complex as Athena’s character was cast in a different light later in the novel, blurring the lines further.

 

I was particularly intrigued by the issue of cultural appropriation. Is a writer only allowed to write characters from their own cultural backgrounds? Where are the boundaries? Can you write a police novel or a medical thriller without ever having worked in those fields? I am sure that everyone has an opinion on this, and I imagine it’s a hotly debated issue, which made June’s justifications for her theft and reinvention all the more interesting.

 

All in all, YELLOWFACE is a brilliant, thought-provoking satire that delves into many of the issues encountered in the publishing industry today. With intriguing characters and many ethical questions, it made for fascinating reading from beginning to end. Entertaining and scandalising in equal parts, YELLOWFACE is one of the most original books I have read this year so far. 

Book Review: THE KIND WORTH SAVING by Peter Swanson

 

Title: THE KIND WORTH SAVING

Author:  Peter Swanson

Publisher:  Faber & Faber

Read: April 2023

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

There was always something slightly dangerous about Joan. So, when she turns up at private investigator Henry Kimball’s office asking him to investigate her husband, he can’t help feeling ill at ease. Just the sight of her stirs up a chilling memory: he knew Joan in his previous life as a high school English teacher, when he was at the center of a tragedy.

Now Joan needs his help in proving that her husband is cheating. But what should be a simple case of infidelity becomes much more complicated when Kimball finds two bodies in an uninhabited suburban home with a “for sale” sign out front. Suddenly it feels like the past is repeating itself, and Henry must go back to one of the worst days of his life to uncover the truth.

Is it possible that Joan knows something about that day, something she’s hidden all these years? Could there still be a killer out there, someone who believes they have gotten away with murder? Henry is determined to find out, but as he steps closer to the truth, a murderer is getting closer to him, and in this hair-raising game of cat and mouse only one of them will survive.

My musings:

 

Swanson’s wicked novel THE KIND WORTH KILLING was the type of book that immediately jumped onto my all-time favourites list, and I picked up its sequel with both excitement and trepidation – could it possibly live up to its predecessor? I think that Lily Kintner is that rare type of character you recognise as being totally without a normal moral compass but who you want to root for nonetheless, and I was curious to see how she had fared since the events in TKWK.

 

Henry Kimball is now a private investigator after having been forced to quit the police force (at this stage I realised that I had to re-read TKWK to refresh my memory and I’m glad that I did). He is hired by Joan Whalen, a woman he soon recognises as being one of his former students during a quick stint as a graduate English teacher before realising that the profession was not for him. Joan is curious to find out whether her suspicions are correct that her husband is cheating on her. In typical Swanson style, things escalate quickly from here and everyone seems to have secrets to hide.

 

Whilst Lily features in TKWS, she has only a peripheral role, and we mainly bear witness to both events in Joan’s past as well as the present mayhem the investigation creates. But don’t despair, because readers who are hoping for the same kind of flawed, amoral characters we saw in TKWK will soon find them here, as well. You don’t pick up either book if you’re easily triggered because here a normal moral compass doesn’t apply, so if this is not your thing, you should probably give this a miss. As for myself, I could appreciate the almost satirical character study of this wild bunch. Do these type of people exist in real life? I hope I will never have to find out. Was it entertaining though? Very much so – as the normal rules of society don’t apply, everything is possible, and the novel held a few clever surprises in store.

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Audiobook fest

 

No time for reading? Why not try an audio book? It's no secret that I absolutely love them. I listen to them everywhere - whilst doing the dishes, walking the dog, driving to and from work. They make the most boring chores enjoyable. Here are some beauties I have listened to recently. And the best news is, they are all available for free from your library on the Libby and Borrow Box apps.

ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE by Ashley Flowers

 

I love thrillers in which an adult protagonist returns home to a small country town and starts investigating a crime that has traumatised them in their younger years – this trope never gets old for me! In ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE, Margot returns home to the small town of Sarakusa, Indiana, to care for her uncle, who has recently been diagnosed with dementia. When a young child goes missing, Margot is reminded of the disappearance and murder of her best friend when they were six years old, a crime that has haunted her for two decades. Are there similarities between the two crimes? Hoping both to lay old demons to rest and perhaps revive her flagging career as a small town journalist, Margot starts asking questions …

 

I listened to the audio version of ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE and the story immediately drew me in, even though (or perhaps because of?) parts of it were slow burning character studies rather than an action-fuelled thriller. Carrying the burden of a childhood trauma, a dysfunctional family background and the stresses of caring for a sick loved one, Margot made for an intriguing and sympathetic character that was easy to root for. Her flashbacks to her childhood and the murder of her best friend made for two interesting stories running parallel to one another, and I was invested in finding out the answers to both.

 

ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE was an intriguing small-town mystery linking two separate crimes through the eyes of one protagonist. I really enjoyed the small town atmosphere and – even though this will be polarising – thought the ending was very cleverly carried off. I hope to read more from this author in future.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

WHEN THEY FIND HER by Lia Middleton

 

Weaving the best and the worst of parenthood into a taut psychological thriller made WHEN THEY FIND HER a nerve wrecking and heart breaking read from beginning to end. Savoured slowly through the (excellent) audio narration allowed me to immerse myself deeply in the novel’s flawed characters, a journey that is not for the faint of heart.

 

After an incident that is not revealed until much later in the book, Naomi Williams has not only lost her marriage but also custody of her four-year-old daughter Freya. Finally, she has managed to persuade her ex-husband Aiden to allow Freya to spend a night with Naomi at her remote farmhouse. That night, whilst Naomi is under the influence of heavy sleeping pills, something terrible happens to little Freya. Having no memory of the night, and trying to protect herself, Naomi reports her daughter as missing to police, starting a landslide that can only end in more tragedy …

 

You can see that no matter how this story pans out, there can be no winners at the end. And yet the journey to the answers was so cleverly woven and so intriguing that I couldn’t stop reading until I had all the answers. Love Naomi or hate her, she is an unreliable narrator of the best kind, always casting a shadow of doubt over everything she is willing to share with the reader.

 

If you are a reader who expects lots of action, then perhaps this won’t be the right book for you. Yet for those of you who, like me, can appreciate an excellent, in-depth character study of mental illness and addiction casting shadows on marriage and parenthood, then this book should definitely be on your list. With Naomi’s hazy recall of events, her denials and her excuses and her erratic decision making, the journey was both harrowing as well as utterly intriguing. The ending may also surprise you!

 

This was my first book by the author but it definitely won’t be the last.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

THIS TIME TOWMORROW by Emma Straub

 

Time travel books can go either way for me and the secret is usually whether the plot is clever enough to help me suspend disbelief. In THIS TIME TOMORROW, Straub focuses not so much on the intricacies of time travel, but on the emotional theme of second chances and our desire to help those we love most. As Alice tries time and time gain to save her father by turning back the clock and changing a few details of that fateful night when she was sixteen, we are instantly reminded of losses we have experienced ourselves. Who would not want to turn back the clock to have the chance to save one of loved ones? Having lost both my parents, I would give anything just to spend a few more moments with them and tell them how much I love them.

 

If you have any misgivings that this story would be overly emotional or soppy, rest assured that Straub doesn’t dwell there but lets her story flow easily from the pages, allowing the reader to fill in the gaps with their own emotional baggage. I found the book moving in a way that never crossed the line into melodrama, which is not an easy balance to achieve with themes of love, loss and grief. I was also pleasantly surprised that the teenage Alice was as easy to relate to as the adult one, again highlighting the author’s skill at characterisation. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed THIS TIME TOMORROW, reminding me to treasure the time I have with my loved ones and the memories of those who have passed. A touching story that prompted reflection and may have made me shed a tear or two.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

THE LAST PARTY by Claire Mackintosh

 

Mackintosh is one of my go-to authors when I want to read a good slow-burning mystery, and even though THE LAST PARTY wasn’t my favourite by the author, it still made for an intriguing read. Extra credits go to narrator Chloe Angharad Davies, without whom I would never have known how to pronounce the Welsh names and quotes in the story – and who brought each character to life for me.

 

Popular singer Rhys Lloyd is dead, and half of the locals of the small Welsh community of Cwm Coed seem to have a motive for murder. With so many people hating the man, solving the crime won’t be easy, even involving two murder squads, one from England and one from Wales.

 

With an extensive ensemble cast, multiple timelines and suspects galore, this police procedural allowed for plenty of armchair sleuthing. Unfortunately I found Rhys, the victim, so repulsive that I almost wanted to give a medal to his killer for ridding the community of a menace (or is it politically incorrect to admit this?). I did, however, really enjoy the chemistry between the two main investigating detectives, DC Ffion Morgan and DC Leon Brady. The picturesque Welsh lakeside setting made for a wonderful backdrop, and I was longing to take a plunge into its icy waters.

 

With this being the first of a series, we are bound to see more of Ffion and Leo, and I am very interested to see how their relationship will develop and what other crimes they will get to solve.

🌟🌟🌟1/2

THE PINK HOTEL by Liska Jacobs

 

Sometimes you just have to go into a book blind without overthinking whether you would like it or not. THE PINK HOTEL is probably not my usual choice of story, but I do love a good social critique and thoroughly enjoyed reading about the antics of the super-rich in a luxury hotel whilst around them the world is on fire. Some scenes oddly reminded me of scenes out of Titanic – the band plays on whilst the ship is sinking, i.e. the staff keep serving drinks so people don’t have to think about their imminent death. The Pink Hotel prides itself on giving in to its guests’ every whim, and we certainly meet an eclectic bunch here, all catered for by its dedicated staff.

 

This is the place young married couple Kit and Keith (Mr and Mrs Collins) find themselves in on their honeymoon. The Pink Hotel wasn’t Kit’s idea of a romantic getaway, and the couple certainly don’t fit the demographic, but Keith has met the hotel’s manager on a previous occasion and is hoping to secure a job here to provide them with a better future than their humdrum existence in rural Florida. Whilst Keith is easily mingling with the rich and famous and even working unpaid shifts in the hope of ingratiating himself with the hotel manager, Kit feels like a fish out of water, which is soon putting their marriage under strain. Meanwhile, outside the hotel’s lush grounds, wildfires are raging and riots are destroying homes, but the guests of the Pink Hotel party on, choosing to stay ignorant about anything that does not directly affect them.

 

I thought that THE PINK HOTEL was a well-written, dark social satire exploring both the fascination with the rich and famous as well as the unspoken class system that is ruling our society and our response to outside events. The characters, whilst sometimes a bit over the top, provided some entertainment and cringes, but were always strangely fascinating. Jacobs’ writing style is descriptive, which painted a vivid picture of the hotel’s lush gardens and its guests. The audio version of the book helped me to immerse myself in its atmospheric setting and stay engaged. Whilst there was little action as such (I lie – there was a gory scene involving a wildcat), the dark undertones and the characterisations were intriguing and kept me interested. I think that this book may not be for everyone, but readers who like a dark social critique should definitely give it a go. I certainly enjoyed it as something different from my usual reading choices, and characters that made me scrutinise my own feelings and choices in our times.

🌟🌟🌟1/2

NEXT OF KIN by Kia Abdullah

 

NEXT OF KIN was my first book by Kia Abdullah and a difficult one to review. It’s well written and immaculately researched, and yet I felt conflicted. This story is grim! Even if you get past the sheer tragedy of a child’s death from being left in a hot car in the middle of summer, there are more blows yet to come. As an ED nurse I’m not easily shocked, but the final few chapters felt like a punch in the gut and left me reeling. On one hand I applaud the author for her courage to tackle such a difficult matter, on the other I found the final reveal detracting from its initial premise even though it certainly added shock value and that “killer twist” that has become so popular in thrillers.

 

I can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t love this book more than I did, other than finding the pacing a bit inconsistent and struggling to connect to either one of the sisters (which perhaps made more sense as the story progressed). Purely as a family drama some of the emotional dynamics seemed a bit off to me, even though those also made more sense in the light of the “mystery” element. Gosh, it’s so hard to talk about this book without giving spoilers! I feel an intense need to discuss this with someone. So perhaps it would make a great bookclub book, if the audience can stomach some of the more gruelling elements. I really liked Kia Abdullah’s writing style though and will definitely read some of her other books.

 

🌟🌟🌟1/2 sitting-on-the-fence stars from me

Binge reading Gillian McAllister

Have you ever read a book, loved it and gone out straight away to get every book the author has ever written to have a huge binge reading session?

If you’ve ever read any of Gillian McAllister’s book, then you will have come to appreciate the ethical and moral dilemmas at the heart of every one of her stories. I love a book that throws me right into the middle of a tricky situation and makes me ponder how I would react if I was in the characters’ shoes (even if I feel like yelling at the characters at various points in the book). It’s one of the reasons McAllister has become one of my favourite devour-in-one-sitting authors!

 

THE EVIDENCE AGAINST YOU by Gillian McAllister

 

THE EVIDENCE AGAINST YOU is the sixth book I have read by this author and again it was a solid five stars for me, keeping me enthralled from beginning to end. McAllister knows how to create a well-rounded, interesting protagonist you cannot help but relate to, no matter what difficult situation they find themselves in. So even though it was impossible to imagine how I would react if I came face to face with my father after serving a life sentence for murdering my mother when I was in my teens – the scenario Izzy must deal with in McAllister’s latest novel – there were plenty of points where Izzy and I shared sentiments. The loss of a parent at a young age, for example. Or the way we still struggle with certain points of adulthood after losing our mother, without their adult presence as a compass point to orient our own lives towards. Izzy’s quest to find out information about her dead mother struck a deep chord with me, as did the emptiness her death has left in Izzy’s soul. I therefore found it easy to understand Izzy’s readiness to give her father a second chance, despite his murder conviction, his lies and his betrayal of her trust.

 

As is her trademark, McAllister weaves an intriguing mystery that not only kept me guessing the whole time, but also changed direction so many times that was suspended in a state of doubt the whole time whilst reading it. Who was telling the truth and who was lying? With her background in law, McAllister has a solid grip on the legal system, which grounded the novel in fact and made even the most difficult situations credible. With a main protagonist who is in equal parts scarred and vulnerable, but also brave and likeable, I could not tear myself away until I had all the answers.

 

THE EVIDENCE AGAINST YOU is the kind of top notch psychological thriller that makes me rush out and read everything McAllister has written, and eagerly await her next novel. If you are a fan of the genre, and enjoy a good ethical dilemma, then this book should definitely be on your list.

EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH by Gillian McAllister

  

In EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH, Rachel, a young pregnant doctor, catches a glimpse of a preview of an email on her partner’s ipad and has a terrible premonition that he is hiding something sinister from her. The more she digs into it, the more her suspicions grow as he clams up and refuses to talk about his past.

 

The theme of “how well do you really know your spouse” is a well-trodden trope in domestic noir thrillers, but for me it never gets old. I was instantly intrigued: what was Jack hiding from Rachel? And how far would I go to find out the truth if I was in her position?

 

As a slow burning character study, the book kept me reading eagerly to find out the answers, even though some of Rachel’s internal agonising was a bit repetitive at times. Don’t pick this one if you expect a lot of action or a twisty thriller, but if you enjoy ethical dilemmas and family secrets then it may be the right book for you. It definitely made me question some of my own ethics and morals and discover that there really wasn’t a black and white answer to the problem. Rachel’s medical background added an extra layer of interest to the story, and even though there weren’t any great surprises or twists in this one, it kept me interested until the end.

 

 

THAT NIGHT by Gillian McAllister

 

Three siblings, bound by a tragedy in their past. They live next door to one another, work together in the family business and stick together through thick and thin. Even their spouses can never be a part of their tight knit circle. They would do anything for one another, but does that include murder? On a dark night on holidays in Verona, Frannie, the baby of the family calls her older siblings for help. There has been a terrible accident and she doesn’t know what to do. It’s the night that will change the siblings’ lives forever. The night they will make a decision that will haunt them. How far are they prepared to go to help one of their own?

 

If you love a good ethical and moral dilemma, then this is the perfect read for you. Again, as with most of McAllister’s books, the answers aren’t black and white but will make you dig deep into your own psyche to ask yourself the difficult questions: what would you do if you were in the characters’ shoes? How far would you go to protect the ones you love most? How would your past experience (going as far back as your childhood) influence your decision? And what would be the point of no return for you, at which you would draw the line?

 

THAT NIGHT made for fascinating reading from beginning to end and I could not tear myself away, even as the train was thundering towards the abyss. I loved the way McAllister explores the sibling relationship and the events that have shaped their position in the family, ultimately guiding their decisions. The ending, which I anticipated to be difficult no matter where the story was ultimately headed, wrapped everything up in a satisfying finale, leaving me pondering my own position on the matter some more. An intriguing character study that looks into the heart of family dynamics. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from this author in future.

 

 

Book Review: WOLF PACK by Will Dean (Tuva Moodyson #5)

 

Title: WOLF PACK

Author: Will Dean

Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Read: September 2022

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

A closed community

Rose Farm is home to a group of survivalists, completely cut off from the outside world. Until now.

A missing person

A young woman goes missing within the perimeter of the farm compound. Can Tuva talk her way inside the tight-knit group to find her story?

A frantic search

As Tuva attempts to unmask the culprit, she gains unique access to the residents. But soon she finds herself in danger of the pack turning against her – will she make her way back to safety so she can expose the truth?

Will Dean’s most heart-pounding Tuva Moodyson thriller yet takes Tuva to her absolute limits in exposing a heinous crime, and in her own personal life. Can she, and will she, do the right thing?

My musings:

 

Oh how I love Tuva Moodyson! This series is just getting better and better.

 

Tuva has had her fair share of tragedy and is still reeling from the incident that almost killed her lover and put her in a coma. She now feels like she has little to lose, which is perhaps the reason she throws herself headlong into trying to solve another mystery, consequences be damned. A young woman has gone missing up near the mysterious Rose Farm, and no one is talking. It’s the sort of challenge Tuva cannot resist, even if it puts herself in danger.

 

With Tuva, Dean has created a strong, enigmatic, kick-ass female character who has not only overcome adversity (Tuva is deaf), but also never shies away from setting injustices right. Supported by a cast of weird and wonderful characters, and a remote, small-town setting, this series never disappoints. Over the previous four books, we have become very familiar with the small forest town of Gavrik and its inhabitants, and they all make a disappearance here. Whether it’s the creepy wood-turning sisters you’ve been hoping to catch up with, or the whiff of Tammy’s amazing cooking, Dean makes sure they are not forgotten.

 

I felt sad for Tuva in this one, because part of her bravery and determination not to back down reflects her inner loneliness after the tragedy that stole the love of her life from her. So perhaps this is the reason this book seemed more melancholy to me than its predecessors, even though it’s a solid mystery with lots of action and nail-biting scenes where Tuva puts herself in danger. For me, it’s the characters and the setting that make this series so irresistible, though of course I’m not knocking the well-plotted mystery that holds it all together (which I won’t go into here because it’s best to delve in blind for maximum surprise value).

 

The Tuva Moodyson series remains one of my favourite crime series and one I can’t get enough of. I hope that we will see a lot more of Tuva in future.

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: FOUND OBJECT by Anne Frasier

 

Title: FOUND OBJECT

Author:  Anne Frasier

Publisher:  Thomas & Mercer

Read: June 2022

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

 

Book Description:

 

 

Culpable in an exposé gone tragically wrong, investigative journalist Jupiter Bellarose takes her boss’s advice: head back to her hometown for a fluff piece and get her world in balance. But in Savannah, the past is waiting.

Twenty years ago Jupiter’s mother, actress and celebrated beauty Marie Nova, was murdered, leaving many in her wake: Jupiter’s father, who has erased memories of his wife’s murder with alcohol. The matriarch of the cosmetics company who helped make Marie a star—and who takes every opportunity to reopen old wounds. Then there’s the fragile cop with blood on his hands, and the killer whose confession no longer seems convincing.

With so many lingering questions, Jupiter must revisit the grisly event that has influenced every decision in her life. Maybe her homecoming will bring closure.

My musings:

 

The past catches up with a young investigative journalist when she returns to her old hometown, revisiting the memories of her mother’s brutal murder, in this intriguing mystery by Anne Frasier.

 

Jupiter Bellarose suffers the same consequences as many of her fictional protagonist counterparts when she is forced to face her childhood demons and return to her old hometown. Perhaps Jupiter has a more compelling reason than most to stay away, seeing that she was the one who first stumbled across the horrific crime scene, seeing her own mother Marie Nova decapitated in their home’s front yard. Who would ever want to revisit those memories? But after her last disastrous assignment, Jupiter needs a break, and visiting her father seems like a good idea at the time. Of course, as soon as she arrives, old memories come crashing down on her, facing her to confront her demons. Now an adult used to investigate and analyse clues, Jupiter realises that some things regarding her mother’s death don’t add up. And she starts asking questions …

 

FOUND OBJECTS drew me in straight away and I was thoroughly intrigued by the horrific mystery surrounding Marie Nova’s murder. I also really liked Jupiter as a main protagonist. With the right balance of past trauma and the inquisitive mind of an investigative journalist, her motivation for getting answers seemed genuine and she was well fleshed out to be believable and sympathetic. Having witnessed her mother’s murder gave Jupiter a vulnerable side that made me root for her the whole way, and I was as eager to get answers as she was.

 

As with many small-town mysteries, everyone seemed to be hiding something, including Jupiter’s father. Flashbacks to the past gave some background regarding Marie Nova, whose character was just as intriguing as that of her daughter. This was my first book by the author, and I enjoyed her writing style, especially her characterisations of the whole cast, making it impossible not to get emotionally involved. Perhaps there were a few too many plot twists towards the end, stretching credibility, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it kept me interested. 

 

Summary:

 

FOUND OBJECTS will appeal to readers who enjoy small-town mysteries driven by scarred protagonists whose past is about to come crashing down on them. There are lots of secrets and lies and plenty of plot twists. If you are able to suspend disbelief a little bit, then I can thoroughly recommend this book.

  

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

 

Book Review: ALL THAT’S LEFT UNSAID by Tracey Lien

 

Title: ALL THAT’S LEFT UNSAID

Author:  Tracey Lien

Publisher:  Harlequin Australia

Read: July 2022

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

 

Book Description:

 

Just let him go. These are the words Ky Tran will forever regret. The words she spoke when her parents called to ask if they should let her younger brother Denny out to celebrate his high school graduation with friends. That night, Denny—optimistic, guileless, brilliant Denny—is brutally murdered inside a busy restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, a refugee enclave facing violent crime, an indifferent police force, and the worst heroin epidemic in Australian history.

Returning home to Cabramatta for the funeral, Ky learns that the police are stumped by Denny’s case: a dozen people were at Lucky 8 restaurant when Denny died, but each of the bystanders claim to have seen nothing.

Desperately hoping that understanding what happened might ease her suffocating guilt, Ky sets aside her grief and determines to track down the witnesses herself. With each encounter, she peels back another layer of the place that shaped her and Denny, exposing trauma and seeds of violence that were planted well before that fateful celebration dinner: by colonialism, by the war in Vietnam, and by the choices they’ve all made to survive.

Alternating between Ky’s voice and the perspectives of the witnesses, Tracey Lien’s extraordinary debut is at once heart-pounding and heart-rending as it probes the intricate bonds of friendship, family, and community through an unforgettable cast of characters, all connected by a devastating crime. Combining evocative family drama and gripping suspense, All That’s Left Unsaid is a profound and moving page turner, perfect for readers of Liz Moore, Brit Bennett, and Celeste Ng.

My musings:

 

ALL THAT’S LEFT UNSAID is one of those books that starts off as a mystery but then ends up being so much more, leaving you emotionally exhausted at the end of it. If a book haunts my thoughts long after I turned the last page, I know that it has struck some deep emotion with me somewhere.

Ky, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, returns to her childhood home in Cabramatta after the violent death of her younger brother Denny Tran, killed at a local restaurant. Even though the murder happened in front of dozens of witnesses, everyone claims not to have seen anything, and the police investigation has come to a dead end so far. Dealing with her own grief and the heartbreak Denny’s death has caused her parents, Ky starts asking questions – someone just had to have seen who killed her brother. So why is no one talking?

Even though ALL THAT’S LEFT UNSAID centres around a murder, it is more than just a mystery. In her debut novel, Lien explores what it’s like to be an immigrant in Australia – and to be the child of immigrant parents. It is also an exploration of grief and guilt that transcends race and culture – because parents grieving for their child speak a universal language that is understood with the heart rather than words. The mark Denny’s death left on his parents broke my heart, especially as they are trying to get answers and find justice in a culture that is foreign to them, with many barriers standing in their way. Ky, on the other hand, also has burdens only a child of immigrant parents can understand. On top of her own grief, she juggles her parents’ expectations, the role of the “good child” she was cast into, the problem solver and translator, the one that got out and made a better life for herself.

The social commentary on immigrant life in Cabramatta thirty years ago was an eye opener for me, and added a lot of depth to the mystery. I loved the way Lien included other narrators in addition to the voice of Ky, our main protagonist. One character in particular really spoke to me and made me forge a deeper emotional connection to the story than I would have otherwise done.

 

Summary:

 

In summary, dealing with the struggles of immigrant life in Australia, inter-generational trauma, grief, guilt and the way children of immigrant parents feel torn between two cultures, ALL THAT’S LEFT UNSAID was a mystery with a powerful message that really touched my heart. If you love Celeste Ng’s or Amy Tan’s books, then you should definitely read this one.

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.