Book Review: TRACED by Catherine Jinks

 

 

Title: TRACED

Author:  Catherine Jinks

Read: January 2025

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

 

Book Description (Goodreads):

 

Jane is a contact tracer. She has to call a lot of people and some of them don’t want to talk. Various reasons—tax or immigration issues, infidelity. Domestic abuse.

Jane knows all about that. She and her daughter Tara have spent years in hiding from Tara’s manipulative and terrifying ex. Now, as Jane talks to a close contact, she realises the woman on the phone is scared of the same man—and he’s close. Too close.

Suddenly the past comes slamming back into the present as Jane realises she and Tara can’t keep running forever.

One day, they’re going to be found.

My musings:

 

This book was utterly terrifying! TRACED starts with our main protagonist, Jane, a covid-19 contact tracer, calling people who have unwittingly been exposed to the virus and reminding them to isolate for 14 days until they have been declared virus-free. Nicole, her latest client, sounds absolutely terrified when she hears that her cousin has just tested covid-positive. She confides in Jane that she is scared that her fiancé, who controls her every move, will be furious that she allowed her cousin to visit, and that she is afraid for her life. At first, Jane thinks that Nicole is overreacting – but once she hears who her fiancé is, she knows that Nicole’s life truly is in danger.

 

We soon learn that Jane speaks from experience: her own daughter Tara only narrowly escaped from the clutches of her abusive, controlling ex, which involved changing her name and moving to a place he would never think to look for her. After being so very careful, Jane has once more crossed his path, and she is terrified that he will come after her and Tara.

 

TRACED was a taut domestic thriller with a constant undercurrent of danger that built tension as it raced towards its utterly terrifying finale. It was frightening and confronting to witness Jane and Tara’s well-grounded fears and their feeling of helplessness as once again the noose threatens to tighten around their necks, despite all their efforts to stay under the radar. I found Jane’s voice extremely compelling, to a point where I fervently wished death upon one particular character in the book. I was biting my nails as the inevitable showdown neared!

 

TRACED surpassed all my expectations and is my first 5-star read for the year. If you love an original, enigmatic protagonist, then Jane is the perfect character. A race against time in an atmospheric Australian setting, fighting a very real battle many women in our society face every day – which is perhaps one reason this book was so terrifying. Jinks is a talented writer, and I look forward to reading more of her books in future. Highly recommended!

Looking for scary Halloween reads? Try Jennifer McMahon, the queen of subtle horror

 

MY DARLING GIRL by Jennifer McMahon

Are you a bit of a Christmas grinch and don’t like the Hallmark-sweet Christmas books that everyone seems to love at that time of year – but still want to join in and choose a seasonal read? Then McMahon’s novel is definitely for you! This book might be set in the time leading up to Christmas, with all the decorations, the food, the festivity, but deep down inside there’s nothing jolly about it. In fact, it’s creepy AF! Buckle up for one scary ride!

 

Since THE DROWNING KIND, I have been looking forward to McMahon’s books when I’m in the mood for a good chill. The thing I love about her writing is the perfect blend between psychological thriller, family drama and subtle horror. Here you won’t find any of the overdone horror tropes that usually are a big turnoff for me. That said, McMahon’s books aren’t any less scary, just more believable. She has mastered the perfection in hiding her chills in life’s ordinary moments, with only brief flashes of teeth visible. At times we may even believe that it’s all in Alison’s head. Is it though? After all, the monsters we should fear most are the ones that hide in plain sight, that make everyone else think that we are the problem.

 

I really loved Alison as a main protagonist. She is a family person through and through, a loving wife and mother who will do anything for her family, even pretend that she loves Christmas just to make them happy. For someone who has had to overcome some terrible childhood trauma, she has done very well to build a good life for herself and her family. This is all being threatened by the news that her mother is dying and wants to reconcile with Alison and spend her final days at their house. Alison agrees, despite her misgivings and the many memories of the abuse she was subjected to as a child. Abuse so terrible that her brother moved to another state and has broken off all contact with his mother. Alison is ready to forgive and forget, for the sake of her two girls, who should get to know their grandmother. This may prove to be a huge mistake …

 

MY DARLING GIRL has definitely made it onto my favourites list for this year. McMahon writes in a way that enabled me to picture the scene and the characters very vividly in my mind, which made the story an immersive – and very chilling – read. Despite the goosebumps I am sad that it is over, so engrossed was I in the tale. The contrast between Christmas cheer and horror was brilliantly done, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who isn’t a fan of ordinary horror tropes but is looking for a scary read with supernatural overtones. I constantly asked myself what I would do in Alison’s place, and my imagined helplessness in the face of this situation scared me even more. A brilliantly executed story, all the stars from me!

THE DROWNING KIND by Jennifer McMahon

It surely reflects a lack of restraint when it comes to spooky books that I devoured THE DROWNING KIND as soon as I received it, even though it’s not being released until April. But I hope that I can redeem myself by singing its praises from the rooftops, because after keeping me up all night frantically reading and burrowing deeper into my doona as the story progressed, it was 5 stars all the way for me! Trigger warning: if you like swimming in dark rivers or lakes, enter at your own risk, because the thing that you thought was a bit of pond weed tickling your leg? It may just send you running for the hills, never to go near the water again!

 

THE DROWNING KIND revolves around water – but not any water. The underground springs near the small town of Brandenburg in Vermont have long been known for their healing power. All the locals know that this gift does not come without a price, and they choose to stay well away from them, but that does not stop desperate people flocking to the water, hoping for a cure or having their wishes granted. In 1929, Ethel, still childless at 37 and desperate for a baby, whispers her wish to the dark waters of the Brandenburg spring.

 

Fast forward to the present. Sisters Lexie and Jax have grown up swimming in their grandparents’ natural pool, dug into the mountainside and fed by a natural spring. They are not afraid of the dark, murky waters, even though one of their aunts drowned in this very pool as a young child. On some of their secret midnight trips, the girls even swear that they could see the shape of a little girl staring at them from the water. Now estranged in their adulthood, Jax has not seen Lexie for over a year, wary of her manic episodes related to her bipolar disorder. She is therefore both shocked and heartbroken when she finds out that Lexie has drowned in the pool during one of her midnight swims. When she travels to the house to sort out her sister’s affairs, she discovers that Lexie had recently become increasingly afraid of the pool. But was it really just a manifestation of her illness, or is there something more sinister afoot?

 

Squish, squish, tap tap, wet footsteps on the pavers – was that a glimpse of something alien in the water? Goodness me, this book was soooo creepy! The constant sense of foreboding and dread kept me turning the pages until late into the night, and all my childhood nightmares about the bodies of drowned victims floating up from the bottom of the lake we used to swim in as kids suddenly seemed all too real.

 

I loved everything about this book. Whilst the timeline in the 1930’s gradually revealed some of the pool’s dark history, Jax in the present is racing against time to solve the puzzle for herself. As the reader, I was trapped in the middle like a deer in the headlights.   

 

In summary, if you love Gothic, spooky stories with supernatural elements that will make your hair stand on end, then look no further. Told in two separate timelines that were equally creepy, the book kept me up all night and then stunned me with a finale so unexpected and shocking that I am still trying to get my head around it. With a constant sense of foreboding, the book gave me the chills the whole time! Very highly recommended. 

Book Review: THE LAST THING TO BURN by Will Dean

 

Title: THE LAST THING TO BURN

Author:  Will Dean

Read: August 2023

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

 

Book Description:

 

On an isolated farm in the United Kingdom, a woman is trapped by the monster who kidnapped her seven years ago. When she discovers she is pregnant, she resolves to protect her child no matter the cost, and starts to meticulously plan her escape. But when another woman is brought into the fold on the farm, her plans go awry. Can she save herself, her child, and this innocent woman at the same time? Or is she doomed to spend the remainder of her life captive on this farm?

My musings:

 

If you have been told by your doctor to reduce your stress levels, then stay clear of this book! THE LAST THING TO BURN is one of the most suspenseful, harrowing and disturbing psychological thrillers I have read in a long time, and yet I loved every nail-biting minute of it. No, it hasn’t done my stress levels any favours, but boy this was good!

 

I’m not usually a fan of captivity thrillers but had devoured and loved every book written by Will Dean so far and knew that it wouldn’t disappoint. Someone who can toss a handful of characters into a single bland setting and yet create tension that makes your hair stand on end like you’ve just stuck a pin into a powerpoint – that person is a true artist in my mind.

 

Jane (not her real name) and Len live in a little old farmhouse on a windswept plain somewhere in the less picturesque parts of England. Or perhaps this is doing the countryside an injustice, because Jane hasn’t had the chance to go anywhere else to explore the scenery. She makes no secret of the fact that she is a captive and would do anything to escape the hell Len is subjecting her to on a daily basis. That is probably all you need to know before delving into the story. Buckle up for the ride though, because just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, there’s another surprise in store for you.

 

Dean uses the little, bland things that make up everyday life to create an atmosphere so tense you could cut it with a knife. The secret is in the detail, and he is a master observer. I never realised how much murderous rage can be released inside me when the right triggers are being sprung. Dean doesn’t use preposterous plot twists or over-the-top conspiracies to spin his tale and capture the imagination, but each scene is so visceral, so powerful that it almost inflicts physical pain. Now this, readers, is a REAL psychological thriller. I carried Jane inside me even during the times when I wasn’t reading, like one of those heavy nightmares that still casts a shadow over the whole day even though you know it’s not real. To imagine that Dean’s book is based on real stories of people trafficking is almost too much to bear.

 

I’ll be totally honest when I say that THE LAST THING TO BURN is not an easy or comfortable read, and there are some very dark themes at play here. But to call it anything less than brilliant would be doing it an injustice. Crafted by a master storyteller, this psychological thriller will stay with you long after the last page has been turned. Enter at your own risk!

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: I AM THE SEA by Matt Stanley

 

Title: I AM THE SEA

Author:  Matt Stanley

Publisher:  Legend Press

Read: December 2021

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

 

Book Description:

 

1870. Apprentice lighthouseman James Meakes joins two others at the remote offshore rock of Ripshaw Reef - replacement for a keeper whose death there remains unexplained.Meakes' suspicions grow as he accustoms himself to his new vertical world. He finds clues, obscure messages and signs that a fourth occupant may be sharing the space, slipping unseen between staircases.

With winter approaching, the keepers become isolated utterly from shore. Sea and wind rage against the tower. Danger is part of the life. Death is not uncommon. And yet as the storm builds, the elements pale against a threat more wild and terrifying than any of them could have imagined. 

My musings:

 

Phew, what a crazy ride this book was! If you have had any ill-conceived romantic notions about the life of a lighthouse keeper, then this book will soon set you straight. It started innocently enough: young James Meakes arrives at the remote Ripsaw Reef Lighthouse to commence his six months term as trainee lighthouse keeper under the supervision of Principle Bartholomew and Assistant Keeper Adamson. On the same day, the body of another lighthouse keeper, Spencer, is taken away from the island for autopsy, as he has passed away in suspicious circumstances, a fact that will come to haunt James during his traineeship. Straight away, we learn of James’ fascination with the lighthouse and life within it, which he shares freely with the reader. I can never resist books about lighthouses, so was most intrigued to hear details of its construction and workings, as well as the regimented lives and power structure of the men living in its confines.

 

It soon becomes obvious that all is not well in the lighthouse. Assistant keeper Adamson never exchanges a civil word with the head keeper, and also gives James a hard time, playing multiple pranks on him as he is starting out in his apprenticeship. James becomes convinced that Adamson has a dark past and that he may pose a danger to him, especially once he discovers eerie writings on walls and in hidden cupboards, as well as a message in a bottle warning him of danger. Did the unlucky assistant keeper Spencer write these as a warning prior to his death? And whilst James is able to district himself with the strict routine of his work, things start going wrong when an inspector arrives from the mainland and upsets the delicate balance ...

 

Stanley sure knows how to set a scene. Whilst the lighthouse initially presented a fascinating and interesting backdrop of fine engineering and workmanship, it soon took on a sinister countenance as the weather closed in and young James began to suspect that all was not well in its confines. The claustrophobia slowly increased until it had dispelled the last vestiges of any romantic or cosy notions I may ever have entertained about life in a lighthouse. But like the birds attracted to its beacon and crashing against its solid walls to their certain death, I was equally compelled to read on, even as the atmosphere became decidedly sinister and eerie. Stanley’s writing, which initially progressed in an orderly, almost scientific fashion reflecting young James’ fascination with his new home and detailed descriptions of the lighthouse, became more frantic and disjointed as James becomes fearful for his own life.

 

I am impressed by the way the author pledges the lighthouse itself as a character in the story, from solid foundation to dangerous foe, as if it had turned against the men manning it. Such a deliciously claustrophobic atmosphere is something I always seek out but not often find in novels, and it was masterfully crafted here. From early on, in the back of my mind, a suspicion was growing, ultimately consuming me throughout the reading experience. And despite several misdirections and my hope to be proven wrong, I found that in the end my worst fears were confirmed in an action packed finale so dramatic and horrific that it will probably stay in my mind forever, whenever I lay eyes on a lighthouse. Some imagery would befit a Hitchcock movie, such as the scores of birds committing suicide by throwing themselves against the lighthouse windows attracted by the light. Others are a stark contrast in their beauty, such as the aurora borealis as glimpsed from the top of the tower. And some are made from your worst nightmares, not to be described here because I am not about to spoil the experience for you by giving too much away.

 

Summary:

 

All in all, I AM THE SEA is one of those dark, claustrophobic and highly atmospheric books that comes around only rarely. Written in the first person, it will make you question everything, from the reliability of the narrator to the unravelling of the mind as the isolation takes its toll. And whilst the fascinating facts about the engineering of the lighthouse and the regimen controlling the lives of its keepers was most interesting, the lighthouse and the surrounding hostile sea soon became an evil force that made me shiver. Or was the evil within its walls? Culminating in an action packed, violent and vicious finale, this is a book that should be on your must-read list if you love an eerie, claustrophobic setting and characters who all have something to hide. Cleverly crafted, this book really got under my skin and its images will haunt me for some time to come. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

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

Book Review: JAR OF HEARTS by Jennifer Hillier

Title: JAR OF HEARTS

Author:  Jennifer Hillier

Read: October 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Aged just 16, Geo's best friend Angela disappeared without a trace. Years later, Angela's body is discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home, revealed as yet another victim of the notorious serial killer Calvin James. Geo's high-school boyfriend.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what had happened and told no one, carrying the secret until she was arrested and sent to prison. Why would any woman protect a man capable of committing such a heinous crime? Geo had her reasons...

To Geo, Calvin is more than a monster, a serial killer with no remorse. And while Geo did her time, Calvin escaped and went on the run. Now released, Geo is ready to start over. But then the bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela...

As chilling secrets are revealed, everything turns on what really happened one fateful night, almost 20 years ago. Is it too late for anyone, Geo included, to survive the truth?

What attracted me to this book:

 

I’m always tempted by the promise of a dark thriller, and JAR OF HEARTS came highly recommended by a friend. Now that I have read it, I wonder why I hadn’t come across this book before? In the “information about the author” section, it states: “Jennifer Hillier imagines the worst about people and the writes about it.” This may explain why all her characters are hiding dark secrets and, even though I am not easily rattled, managed to surprise and shock me in the end.

My musings:

 

JAR OF HEARTS is both a coming of age novel as well as a serial killer thriller (with a twist). What if your first teenage love turns out to be a murderer? At 16-years-old, Georgina Shaw made one fatal error of judgement when she fell in love with the handsome, enigmatic bad-boy Calvin James, now better known as The Sweetbay Strangler. Now in her thirties, she stands accused of being an accessory in the murder of her best friend Angela Wong, who disappeared fourteen years ago.

 

The story of all the whys and hows and gory details in between are slowly explored in dual timelines, one in the present and one leading up to Angela’s disappearance. Georgina (“Geo”) provides us with the main POV, though we also hear from Kaiser Brodie, a detective who went to school with both Geo and Angela. And even though Geo is undoubtedly a messed up character, Hillier still manages to portray her in a way that made me root for her.

 

As dark and disturbing as this story turned out to be, I still gobbled it up like the cinnamon candy hearts Calvin shovels into his mouth whilst he contemplates his evil deeds. The darker and more graphic the story became, and the higher the body count, the faster and more frantically I was turning the pages. And just when I thought I had the answers – BAM! I ran straight into the sharp edges of one very cleverly concealed plot twist that knocked the wind out of me and cut me down to my very core.

 

 

Summary:

 

JAR OF HEARTS will appeal to readers who appreciate dark and gritty  thrillers that not only mess with your psyche, but also manage to question everything you have come to believe about your characters (and humanity in general). I also appreciated how the prison setting added extra depth to Georgina’s character, showcasing not only her resilience but also her courage and core of steel. If you love a thriller where each and every character has something to hide, and that clever “killer twist” right at the end, then you’ve come to the right place!

 

Book Review: I KNOW WHAT I SAW by Imran Mahmood

 

Title: I KNOW WHAT I SAW

Author:  Imran Mahmood

Read: September 2021

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Xander Shute - once a wealthy banker, now living on the streets - shelters for the night in an empty Mayfair flat. When he hears the occupants returning home, he scrambles to hide. Trapped in his hiding place, he hears the couple argue, and he soon finds himself witnessing a vicious murder.

But who was the dead woman, who the police later tell him can't have been there? And why is the man Xander saw her with evading justice?

As Xander searches for answers, his memory of the crime comes under scrutiny, forcing him to confront his long-buried past and the stories he's told about himself.

 

My musings:

 

I am always looking for psychological thrillers who are a bit different than the rest, and I KNOW WHAT I SAW perfectly fitted that bill. Xander, a homeless man with obvious psychological problems, made for the perfect unreliable character who constantly threw everything into doubt. There were so many intriguing threads to the story: how did a super intelligent, educated and well-off man end up living on the streets for 20 years? Why did his relationship with his partner end, and where is she now? What happened to his brother, Rory? What did he really witness that night? Because Xander’s memory is patchy, and he has trauma related problems that interfere with his ability to recall events, his account is often disjointed and confusing, in a way that benefited the story by adding a lot of tension and foreboding.

 

Mahmood has mastered the art of making us feel empathy for his very damaged main character, which is not easy to achieve. When I was in Xander’s head, I felt the same sense of confusion and terror his fractured mind conjured up. I found Xander’s quest for the truth, in spite of the personal threat this presented for him, moving and heart breaking, especially as more of his own history was revealed through flashbacks to his past. Even though I knew that nothing good could possibly come out of it, I was still floored by the final reveal.

 

Summary:

 

I KNOW WHAT I SAW is a slower, character driven psychological thriller that will put you into the mind of a tormented, traumatised soul. It is clever and multi-layered, making me guess to the very end, though I had my suspicions. Xander Shute is a unique character who doesn’t really fit any of the popular tropes, which made this one especially intriguing. Once I got into the story I could not tear myself away. Pick up this book if you are looking for an original psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator who will have you question everything you have read.

Book Review: BAD APPLES by Will Dean (Tuva Moodyson #4)

 

Title: BAD APPLES

Author:  Will Dean

Publisher:  Oneworld Publications

Read: August 2021

Expected publication: 7 October 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

 

Book Description:

 

It only takes one...

A murder

A resident of small-town Visberg is found decapitated

A festival

A cultish hilltop community ‘celebrates’ Pan Night after the apple harvest

A race against time

As Visberg closes ranks to keep its deadly secrets, there could not be a worse time for Tuva Moodyson to arrive as deputy editor of the local newspaper. Powerful forces are at play and no one dares speak out. But Tuva senses the story of her career, unaware that perhaps she is the story…

 

My musings:

 

If you’re looking for a creepy thriller with a gloomy, atmospheric setting this Halloween, then look no further! Noone writes a creepy forest better than Will Dean.

 

I’ve been a fan of the Tuva Moodyson series since the start and snapped up the book as soon as I could press “request” on Netgalley (thank you so much for granting me my wish!). Tuva, a journalist in a small remote Swedish town, stumbles once again into disaster when she comes across a decapitated corpse in the creepy forest surrounding the town. Even though it’s hard to believe, things go even further downhill from here. I love the way Dean’s mind works, and how he manages to create sinister scenes out of seemingly harmless everyday situations. For example, the image of the child biting into a rotten apple (mind the book’s title) was so creepy I am still thinking about it, and this was nothing compared to Dean’s other creations: the sinister trolls carved by the two creepy sisters, the balloons made out of animal intestines, the stuffed animals with dental work, a forest teeming with slugs and poisonous mushrooms etc etc. Dean writes in a way that brings all these nightmarish images to life like a dark creepy movie, and I loved every minute of it!

 

Dean has run with the Halloween topic and made it firmly his own. Though Halloween is celebrated by the children in Gavrik, the small neighbouring hilltown of Visberg has their own dark tradition: Pan Night. It makes Halloween a candyland paradise in comparison, because the happenings on Pan Night, to which only locals are invited, are very sinister indeed. And of course Tuva, who can never resist putting herself in danger, manages a sneak peak that will almost be her undoing.

 

Tuva is one of my favourite characters in crime fiction. Even though she is one tough cookie, Dean also manages to paint her vulnerable side: the grief for her deceased parents, her addictions, her deafness, her struggles with her sexuality. I was happy to see that she has not only made some great friends in Gavrik, but has also found love with Noora, grounding her somewhat. Being a journalist rather than a detective, Tuva leads us into the murder investigation from a completely different angle, which makes this series extra special to me.

 

Summary:

 

All in all, BAD APPLES is another deliciously dark instalment in Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson series, and maybe his creepiest yet? And even though he ending was wayyyyy out there, I loved the reel of dark and spooky images the book created in my mind. Coming out just in time for Halloween it’s the perfect spooky read to get into the spirit of the season – if you haven’t discovered this series yet, what are you waiting for?

 

 

 

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: FALSE WITNESS by Karin Slaughter

 

Title: FALSE WITNESS

Author:  Karin Slaughter

Read: August 2021

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 

 

Book Description:

 

AN ORDINARY LIFE

Leigh Coulton has worked hard to build what looks like a normal life. She has a good job as a defence attorney, a daughter doing well in school, and even her divorce is relatively civilised - her life is just as unremarkable as she'd always hoped it would be.

HIDES A DEVASTATING PAST

But Leigh's ordinary life masks a childhood which was far from average... a childhood tarnished by secrets, broken by betrayal, and finally torn apart by a devastating act of violence.

BUT NOW THE PAST IS CATCHING UP

Then a case lands on her desk - defending a wealthy man accused of rape. It's the highest profile case she's ever been given - a case which could transform her career, if she wins. But when she meets the accused, she realises that it's no coincidence that he's chosen her as his attorney. She knows him. And he knows her. More to the point, he knows what happened twenty years ago, and why Leigh has spent two decades running.

AND TIME IS RUNNING OUT

If she can't get him acquitted, she'll lose much more than the case. The only person who can help her is her younger, estranged sister Calli, the last person Leigh would ever want to ask for help. But suddenly she has no choice...

My musings:

 

Let me introduce my latest book hangover! Once I have gathered up the thousand pieces of my broken heart I may be able to read another book, but this gut wrenching story will stay in my mind for a long time to come. It was intense!

 

I have always looked for Slaughter’s books when I was in the mood for a dark, gritty thriller, but in FALSE WITNESS she also managed to sneak past all my defences as sisters Leigh and Callie fight a demon from their past. Not only was there murder, grit and mystery, but the sister relationship was so astutely and tenderly portrayed that it made me choke back tears many times. I also had to fight back an intense loathing for some of the other characters, putting me firmly into the sisters’ corner, no matter the dark secret that has shaped their lives. This roller coaster of emotions defined my reading journey, because every time I thought we were in safe waters I found that a raging waterfall was just around the corner. Talk about an adrenaline fuelled ride!

 

Anyone who has read Slaughter’s other books will know that she never shies away from the brutalities of life. She doesn’t beat around the bush. If you are triggered by anything ugly then this book is definitely not for you. Child abuse, paedophilia, drug addiction, murder, blackmail, guilt, trauma – it’s all there, and more. At times, it’s so violent and disturbing that you want to take a shower and just smell some flowers to get the darkness out of your head. Set in the present time also meant that Slaughter had to tackle the c-word, life in a covid world. It takes a skilled writer to bring the pandemic into her story without making it a main feature of the book, but here we just see people who are living with the reality of the virus, just as we are doing on a daily basis.

 

I can’t really say much more without giving anything away, except that the plot is so cleverly constructed that I fell for each and every red herring. I made my first assumption in the opening chapter and was promptly proven wrong, a theme that continued throughout the whole book. Having been emotionally totally sucked into the story, these moments winded me!

 

Summary:

 

All in all, FALSE WITNESS is the type of dark, gritty story you have come to expect from Karin Slaughter, but it is also full of heart. Her portrayal of the sister relationship between Leigh and Callie is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. As the sisters battle a dark demon from their past, only their love and loyalty may give them a chance to get out of this alive. It was gut wrenching, graphic and emotionally exhausting but also one of the best thrillers I have read this year.

Book Review: STRANDED by Sarah Goodwin

 

Title: STRANDED

Author:  Sarah Goodwin

Publisher:  Avon Books UK

Read: August 2021

Expected publication: 14 September 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

Eight strangers.
One island.
A secret you'd kill to keep.

When eight people arrive on the beautiful but remote Buidseach Island, they are ready for the challenge of a lifetime: to live alone for one year.

Eighteen months later, a woman is found in an isolated fishing village. She’s desperate to explain what happened to her: how the group fractured and friends became enemies; how they did what they must to survive until the boat came to collect them; how things turned deadly when the boat didn’t come…

But first Maddy must come to terms with the devastating secret that left them stranded, and her own role in the events that saw eight arrive and only three leave.

My musings:

 

For a long time, I was fascinated with the premise of reality TV shows like Survivor, until I found that they were more about bitching, backstabbing and forming alliances than actual survival skills and team work. Apparently this is what viewers like to see – go figure! If you are like me, and those things bring back all the bad memories about high school and some workplaces, then you may find this book super stressful to read. If you were one of the popular group who ruled the courtyard and inspired fear in the lesser mortals, you may also find it stressful – eventually.

 

I love how Sarah Goodwin has run with the theme and explored it all in depth. And be assured, bitching, backstabbing and forming alliances aside, there is plenty of survival to be had in STRANDED. It’s all that reality TV promised but never delivered (perhaps because no ethics committee would ever approve it), and despite biting my nails to the quick I appreciated the mounting tension and breath-holding levels of anxiety some of the scenes induced.

 

In a nutshell, STRANDED explores what happens when you put eight strangers together on a secluded island and let them sort out their own pecking order. If it’s one thing that the TV version of Survivor has shown us, it may not necessarily be the cleverest who win points, but the ones who can get the majority votes, even if they rule with bullying and threats. Maddy, with her history of a sheltered childhood, overprotective parents and home schooling, was never going to be well equipped for this type of power game, so as soon as she calls out the head bully, her fate is sealed. And if you think that someone in the group would stick up for the underdog, then think again – because suddenly Maddy finds herself out in the cold, fighting for survival. And the wilderness is the least of her problems ...

 

STRANDED was one of those books that totally took me by surprise. I was lured by the wilderness setting and found myself with a gripping, adrenalin-fuelled and tense read that was hard to put down. At times, it was also immensely frustrating as the voice of reason was overruled, time and time again. Even though Maddy was perhaps ill equipped for negotiation and getting her point across, it was easy to see how anyone could easily end up in her position. And once the die was cast, there was no going back. “Wow, that escalated fast”, I kept thinking, not realising that much worse was yet to come.

 

 

Summary:

 

STRANDED is a book that speaks to both our inner survival instinct as well as addressing the question: “If the world as we knew it ended tomorrow, how well equipped would you be to survive?” It also confronts the theme of herd mentality and how easily we fall for power rather than reason. It’s a LORD OF THE FLIES, adult version, and just as brutal. For those easily triggered, some scenes may turn your stomach and give you nightmares, but then the end-of-the-world scenario isn’t ever going to be pretty either, is it? I loved the background information about all those skills necessary for survival our ancestors knew but most of us have long un-learned: foraging, how to grow a crop in the wilderness, how to build a basic shelter and most of all, how to be part of the natural environment and work with it. It’s a clever, original and heart-pounding story that will keep me mulling over some of its themes for a long time to come.

 

 

 

 

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