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.

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.

Book Review: BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME by Jaqueline Bublitz

 

Title: BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME

Author:  Jaqueline Bublitz

Publisher:  Atria / Emily Bestler Books

Read: August 2022

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

 

 

Book Description:

 

This is not just another novel about a dead girl.

When she arrived in New York on her 18th birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice Lee was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city's latest Jane Doe, an unidentified murder victim.

Ruby Jones is also trying to start over; she travelled halfway around the world only to find herself lonelier than ever. Until she finds Alice's body by the Hudson River.

From this first, devastating encounter, the two women form an unbreakable bond. Alice is sure that Ruby is the key to solving the mystery of her life - and death. And Ruby - struggling to forget what she saw that morning - finds herself unable to let Alice go. Not until she is given the ending she deserves.

Before You Knew My Name doesn't ask whodunnit. Instead, this powerful, hopeful novel asks: Who was she? And what did she leave behind? The answers might surprise you.

 

My musings:

 

It’s wonderful how the books that will most affect you emotionally somehow find their way to you. When I was first invited to read BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME, the book hadn’t even been on my radar but its premise intrigued me. “this is not just another novel about a dead girl” is an apt description of Jacqueline Bublitz’s  debut novel, because it is unlike any other story I have ever read.

We know from the beginning that Alice Lee, the narrator of the story, is dead, telling us about her fate from beyond the grave. The catch was that I hadn’t counted on how Alice would reel me in, show me the world through her eyes and utterly break my heart in the process! Then there is Ruby Jones, who arrives in New York City on the same day Alice does, with just as much baggage and just as many hopes and dreams for a better future. The one thing that will link the two women together is Alice’s death, because it is Ruby who will find her body, and who will not be able to put the unidentified dead girl out of her mind.

BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME captures the essence of being alive, trying to make a mark on the world. Alice Lee, the riverside Jane Doe, the unidentified victim of a brutal murder, is not ready to be forgotten, lost among all the other nameless girls out there who have never gotten justice. Her life has been cruelly robbed just as she was forging a new bright future for herself. But how do the dead get justice, how can they make themselves heard? Ruby, the jogger who finds Alice’s body, could have simply moved on with her life, filed the experience away, tried to forget all about it. Instead, she becomes obsessed with finding out more about the dead girl she found on the riverbank that horrible rainy day. A life has been taken, and Ruby cannot let it go. Just like that, a connection is formed between two strangers, one dead and one alive.

If I had any doubts about a narrator telling her story from beyond the grave being able to touch me emotionally, I was soon swept away by Bublitz’s beautiful prosaic writing and the emotional insights she offers on every page. Both Alice and Ruby are flawed in ways most readers will be able to relate, from a time they too tried to find their place in the world. Alice’s mix of street smarts and innocence immediately got under my skin and I found myself caring deeply for her, which opened doors to emotions deeply buried and not often explored. It’s always the sign of a great book if it has the power to make you cry, and this book certainly hit hard.  My heart shattered into a million pieces the moment Alice’s life was stolen from her, and I couldn’t stop reading until the story reached its finale.

 

Summary:

 

BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME is a poignant, beautifully written and emotionally charged book about connection, grief and new beginnings that shot an arrow deeply into my heart and lodged there. It is one of the best books I have read this year. Don’t miss it!

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria / Emily Bestler Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

 

Book Review: NO HARD FEELINGS by Genevieve Novak

 

Title: NO HARD FEELINGS

Author:  Genevieve Novak

Publisher:  HarperCollins AU

Read: May 2022

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

 

Book Description:

 

Penny can't help but compare herself to her friends. Annie is about to become a senior associate at her law firm, Bec has just got engaged, Leo is dating everyone this side of the Yarra, and Penny is just ... waiting. Waiting for Max, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, to allow her to spend the night, waiting for the promotion she was promised, waiting for her Valium to kick in. Waiting for her real life to start.

Out of excuses and sick of falling behind, Penny is determined to turn things around. She's going to make it work with Max, impress her tyrannical boss, quit seeing her useless therapist, remember to water her plants, and stop having panic attacks in the work toilets.

But soon she's back to doomscrolling on Instagram, necking bottles of Aldi's finest sauvignon blanc, and criticising herself with renewed vigour and loathing. As her goals seem further away than ever, she has to wonder: when bad habits feel so good, how do you trust what's right for you?

My musings:

 

Quite a few years have passed since I was in my late twenties, and yet I could instantly relate to Penny, Genevieve Novak’s protagonist in NO HARD FEELINGS. Penny is at that stage in her life where some of her friends have moved on, getting married, having babies or being caught up in high flying careers. None of these things have yet worked out for Penny herself, and she feels stuck, waiting for her on-again, off-again boyfriend Max to finally commit to a relationship or getting her long awaited promotion at work. Every time she thinks she is close to her goal, something goes wrong and she is thrown into despair. Is it any wonder her two best friends are losing patience with her?

Novak writes with honesty and heart and a generous dose of self-deprecating humour that made me chuckle even as Penny goes through moments of despair. There was something original and refreshing in Novak’s prose that kept me reading late into the night and stay engaged, despite being able to predict where the story was headed.

NO HARD FEELINGS is a coming-of-age story of sorts, as Penny slowly comes to grips with her own self, which she has been trying very hard to suppress in her desire to belong and live up to the expectations she has put upon herself by constantly comparing herself to others. Even though I am almost twice Penny’s age now and already had two children by the time I was twenty-seven, many of her observations still rang true, especially her desire for purpose and belonging. Let’s be honest, some of Penny’s self-doubts and insecurities will be encountered by most of us at some stage in our lives, and Novak’s observations are spot on (even though I felt like yelling at Penny in frustration at times, especially when she goes back AGAIN to her jerk of an ex-boyfriend).

 

Summary:

 

All in all, NO HARD FEELINGS was a pleasure to read and a book I may have passed by if I had not arrived on my doorstep one morning courtesy of the publisher. Thank you, it would have been a terrible shame to miss this one! I laughed, I raged and I deeply felt for Penny. To be so emotionally involved with a character is the sign of a great story, and I recommend it to women of all ages who have ever felt stuck or a bit lost in their life. A feel-good read that ticked all the boxes.

 

 

Thank you to HarperCollins AU for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: THE IT GIRL by Ruth Ware

 

Title: THE IT GIRL

Author: Ruth Ware

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia

Read: May 2022

Expected publication: 3 August 2022

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

  

April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.

Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.

My musings:

 

It’s no secret that Ruth Ware is one of my favourite authors and I will devour anything she has written. In THE IT GIRL, she once again showcases the writing style she is famous for: the slow-burning, character driven mystery that keeps you guessing the whole time. Featuring her trademark slightly damaged / neurotic character, there is that delicious element of doubt whether they are being totally honest with you, which adds additional challenges to the armchair detective. My initial theory, as clever as I though it was, was ultimately proven wrong again!

Hannah is one of Ware’s trademark characters. Not completely likeable, slightly obsessive, neurotic, suspicious and hiding her own secrets, she was nevertheless relatable and quickly drew me into the story. There are few people who won’t be able to relate to an average, even a bit boring person being drawn into the limelight of a more glamorous friend and falling under their spell. Hannah Jones, an only child, bookish and as average as her surname (no slight intended), is instantly smitten by her vivacious roommate April Coutts-Clivenden as soon as they meet in their dorm room in Oxford. And here is one of Ware’s other skills that instantly draws me to her books: her ability to create a dark atmospheric setting, in this case Oxford College. Who can’t imagine sinister going-ons in those dark halls and narrow staircases? A place where creepy porters patrol the grounds, and a high wall keeps you out (or in) at night.

As in her previous novel THE LYING GAME, THE IT GIRL features a group of college friends whose dynamics drive the “THEN” part of the novel, recounting the events leading up to April’s murder. The “NOW” focuses on an adult Hannah, now married to April’s former boyfriend and living far from the scene of the crime, in Edinburgh. When Hannah hears that the man who had been convicted of April’s murder has died in prison, past memories resurface, even though she has tried so very hard to keep them buried.

 

Summary:

 

THE IT GIRL is a must read for fans of dark academia or those who love mysteries based on friendship dynamics. It’s one of those rare books that features a clever twist that remains plausible and shows how cleverly plotted this book really was, and how all the clues led up to this point (and yet I totally missed them). It’s a delicious slow burn with an atmospheric setting that made for some great armchair travel. If you are a fan of Ware’s writing then you will most likely enjoy this one as well – I know I did!

 

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

Book Review: RUN TIME by Catherine Ryan Howard

 

Title: RUN TIME

Author:  Catherine Ryan Howard

Publisher:  Blackstone Publishing

Read: April 2022

Expected publication: 16 August 2022

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Movie-making can be murder...

The project:
Final Draft, a psychological horror. Promising Young Thing Steve Dade will direct.

The tagline:
'Based on a terrifying true story. That hasn't happened - yet.'

The location:
A cottage deep in a forest, miles from anywhere in the wintry wilds of West Cork.

The lead:
Former soap-star Adele Rafferty has stepped in to replace the original actress at the very last minute. She can't help but hope that this will be her big break.

The problem:
Something isn't quite right on the set of Final Draft.
Adele is about to discover that the real horror lies off the page..

 

My musings:

 

I love the way CRH’s mind works. Nothing is ever straightforward. I may trust that the characters are telling me the truth, but in the end they always manage to surprise me. In RUN TIME, CRH takes the theme of your typical horror movie and runs with it, drawing on her brother’s experiences with the world of film. I really enjoyed how the book managed to be both a “book within a book” as well as a movie within a book, with all three mediums intersecting to create a deliciously descriptive backdrop. The concept of life mirroring a horror movie script was an intriguing and refreshingly original concept. I also felt that the chapters of screenplay provided an interesting contrast from the main story and were very “visual” – it gave me the feeling of bingeing on a favourite Netflix series. 

As with her previous book, 56 DAYS, RUN TIME relies heavily on an atmospheric, claustrophobic setting – in this case the film set of a horror novel deep in some dark Irish woods (at night time in the rain). As it plays out over a short period of time, the story is both character driven as well as paying attention to the little details that will ultimately give you the clues to what is really happening here. Our main character Adele’s fragile state of mind and overactive imagination adds another element to the unreliable narrator theme that worked well here. Some old worn horror movie tropes were skilfully woven into the story in a way that both played them down as movie props and simultaneously added tension to the story as things started to happen to Adele that she couldn't explain.

Perhaps my only quibble is that the story got bogged down a bit towards the middle just as things started to go bump in the night - I would have loved to see those scenes exploited a bit more to ratchet up tension. That said, the final reveal took me by surprise and showed me just how cleverly plotted CRH's latest book really was. 

 

Summary:

 

Whilst RUN TIME wasn’t my all time favourite CRH book, it was an enjoyable and captivating novel I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I look forward to what the author will come up with next.

 

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

Book Review: THE BIRDCAGE by Eve Chase

 

Title: THE BIRDCAGE

Author:  Eve Chase

Publisher:  G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Read: March 2022

Expected publication: 19 July 2022

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Kat, Flossie and Lauren are half-sisters who share a famous artist father - and a terrible secret.

Each has found their way of burying it. Over the years they've grown apart, and into wildly different lives. But an invitation to Rock Point, the Cornish cliff house where they once sat for their father's most celebrated painting, Girls with Birdcage, reunites them.

Rock Point is a beautiful, windswept place, thick with secrets, electrically charged with the one subject the family daren't discuss. And there is someone in the shadows watching the house, their every move. Someone who remembers the girls in the painting. What they did.

The sisters must unlock the truth to set themselves free - and find each other again.

 

My musings:

 

Eve Chase knows how to write sister relationships, as she proves once again in her latest book, which was a delicious read full of family secrets and intrigue. THE BIRDCAGE. She is also very skilled in creating an atmospheric setting, so it wasn’t really a surprise that I instantly felt transported to Rock Point, the old artist’s mansion on top of a Cornish cliff. It is here that half sisters Kat, Flora and Lauren meet, summoned by their father, the eccentric artist Charlie Finch. Each one of the sisters embarks on the journey with some trepidation, owing to the dark secret they have been harbouring for 20 years, each of them honouring the unspoken Finch code of silence that has weighed heavily on them. Has the time come to finally confront the past? 

 

As with Chase’s previous books, each character is colourfully drawn and instantly came to life in my mind, especially the eccentric Charlie. There was even a talking African grey parrot, Bertha, who will spill a secret or two in this ill-fated family reunion. I loved the way each sister has a very distinct personality, which added to the complexity of their relationships.  

 

Told in two separate timelines, the story focuses not only on the family reunion and the sisters’ waiting for Charlie’s big announcement, but also on the events of twenty years ago, the year of the famous eclipse, when a terrible tragedy tore the sisters apart. The central mystery was intriguing and further aided by the little morsels Bertha would reveal at the most inopportune moments. It’s the first time I have ever seen a parrot used to give clues to the reader to solve the puzzle, and I loved it! The old house featured like a character in its own right, making this a most colourful and interesting cast that easily swept me along on their quest for the truth. 

 

I first fell in love with this author when I read THE GLASS HOUSE, and her latest book continued this trend. I now look forward to reading her entire backlist. If you love a good sister mystery and family secrets, then you can’t go wrong with this one! 

 

 

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY by Sulari Gentill

 

Title: THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY

Author:  Sulari Gentill

Publisher:  Poisoned Pen Press

Read: May 2022

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers sitting at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

 

My musings:

 

I’m trying to decide where to start with my review of THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY, because this book is unlike anything I have ever read. If you think that Sulari Gentill broke the mould with her previous book, AFTER SHE WROTE HIM, then you will be thrilled to hear that she has done it again! The book within a book theme may not be new, but Gentill has added elements to it that were unique and clever and had me eagerly anticipating the course of action the story would take.

 

I am torn – on one hand I want to tell you all about the brilliant course this book took (call it a “twist” for lack of a better word), on the other hand I absolutely don’t want to give you any spoilers. When the moment came, I was so taken aback that I gasped loudly, waking my dog out of a deep sleep. So I am going to take the latter option and keep my mouth tightly zipped, even though I am dying to discuss it!

 

I can safely give away that the story features a book-within-a-book and correspondence from one of the author’s devout fans who is giving feedback on her novel as she is writing it. The story also contains a solid mystery that was fun to solve, so really it ticked all the boxes for me. But most of all, it was original and intriguing and made me grin a few times with that subtle Aussie humour that maybe only Aussies get, but which was refreshing and quirky.

 

Sorry folks, I am going to leave it at that! Let’s just says that THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY will appeal to readers who are looking for a mystery that transcends all the boundaries and breaks the mould of the sea of same-old books out there. When you get to the spot in the novel that I am (not) talking about, you will know, trust me! I enjoyed every minute of it and look forward to what crazy idea the author will cook up next.

 

 

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

Book Review: THE LAST TO VANISH by Megan Miranda

 

Title: THE LAST TO VANISH

Author:  Megan Miranda

Publisher:  Scribner / Marysue Rucci Books

Read: March 2022

Expected publication: 26 July 2022

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

Ten years ago, Abigail Lovett fell into a job she loves, managing The Passage Inn, a cozy, upscale resort nestled in the North Carolina mountain town of Cutter’s Pass. Cutter’s Pass is best known for its outdoor offerings—rafting and hiking, with access to the Appalachian trail by way of a gorgeous waterfall—and its mysterious history. As the book begins, the string of unsolved disappearances that has haunted the town is once again thrust into the spotlight when journalist Landon West, who was staying at the inn to investigate the story of the vanishing trail, then disappears himself.

Abby has sometimes felt like an outsider within the community, but she’s come to view Cutter’s Pass as her home. When Landon’s brother Trey shows up looking for answers, Abby can’t help but feel the town closing ranks. And she’s still on the outside. When she finds incriminating evidence that may bring them closer to the truth, Abby soon discovers how little she knows about her coworkers, neighbors, and even those closest to her.

My musings:

 

A suspenseful mystery set in a small town near the Appalachian trail? Yes please! Good mysteries that feature wilderness areas and hiking are not easy to find, but Megan Miranda, an avid hiker herself, has nailed it with her latest novel THE LAST TO VANISH. From a deliciously claustrophobic wilderness setting, to an old unsolved mystery, to small town secrets, this book contained everything that I love in a mystery and was a delight to read. The best books are those who make you come up with the wildest theories, and then still manage to prove you wrong. 

 

Over the last few years, Miranda has firmly engraved her name on my favourite authors list. I particularly enjoy her atmospheric setting and the interpersonal dynamics between her characters, which add an extra layer to her mysteries. Abigail Lovett, our protagonist in THE LAST TO VANISH only gradually gives up her own secrets as the story unfolds, which provided some unexpected twists that I certainly didn’t see coming. Personally, I loved the way the story got off to a slow simmer, but soon heated up as we got closer to finding out the truth. And what can be more enticing than the unsolved cases of hikers vanishing off a mountain without a trace? Add a remote lodge, patchy phone and internet reception and a bunch of locals who want the past to stay hidden, and the stage is set. 

 

I would hate to give spoilers, so I won’t say any more than that, only that I savoured this book like a treat every night and found it hard to tear myself away. A lot of mysteries become repetitive or predictable in a “been there, done that” way of a seasoned reader, but not here – I was thrilled until the end and the armchair detective in me had to admit defeat. 

  

Summary:

 

All in all, THE LAST TO VANISH once again confirmed why Miranda is one of my favourite thriller writers today. With her trademark atmospheric setting, enigmatic young female lead and an intriguing unsolved mystery from the past, it ticked all the right boxes for me! 

Thank you to Scribner / Marysue Rucci Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.