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!

Erin Kelly has a new book out - woohoo! THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS

I was super excited to hear Erin Kelly has just released her latest novel, THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS, which follows on from her earlier novel THE POISON TREE. Whilst it could potentially be read as a standalone, I thoroughly recommend reading them in order to get the most out of Kelly’s excellent character development. I will therefore give you a quick recap of both:

THE POISON TREE by Erin Kelly

Sometimes I really crave a slow-burning, character study of family secrets and relationships, and Erin Kelly does this so well! Whilst HE SAID / SHE SAID remains my all-time favourite by this author, I really enjoyed her portrayal of the friendships in THE POISON TREE.

One thing I love about Erin Kelly’s writing is the languid way in which she builds her spider’s web of growing tension that gradually entangles the reader and holds them in its spell. Just as Karen, the straight-A student and only child of conservative parents gradually falls under the spell of the bohemian Capel siblings and their rambling, tumble down English mansion. I could easily picture straight and slightly awkward Karen being bewitched by the outgoing siblings whose free and easy lifestyle must feel totally alien and enchanting to her. Biba Capel is the sort of character who blazes into people’s lives like a bright comet of destruction, dazzling them with her light but in the end only leaving smoking ruins behind. Rex, who is more subdued and stable than his sister, holds his own allure as the brooding, overprotective male counterpart to his vivacious sibling.

Despite the slow build-up, Kelly makes it very clear that nothing good can come from these dynamics. And whilst I did predict a major part of the “twist” (I read A LOT of these mysteries), I was still invested to watch the slow descend into disaster as both Karen and Rex act as if remote-controlled by Biba’s destructive hand. I love a good character study, and the way poor Karen gets drawn into the Capel siblings’ world was well executed. I related to some of Karen’s fascination with the Capel’s lives – “straight A student falls for more exciting personalities” is a theme that really does play out in real life. A wonderful premise for a novel that is part character study and part domestic thriller and will undoubtedly stun some readers with its twist.

All in all, THE POISON TREE should probably be avoided by readers who don’t enjoy a slow-burning mystery, because their attention may wane in the first half, when the interpersonal dynamics are being set up. However, lovers of a good character study will appreciate the way Kelly builds her characters’ relationships that ultimately lead to disaster. I felt like I was watching a train chugga-chugg towards the abyss, unable to stop it as it built momentum with its unsuspecting passengers still dazzled by Biba’s light. A well-written story simmering with an undercurrent of tension and menace. 

 

THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS by Erin Kelly

 

There is a good reason why Erin Kelly is one of my favourite authors, and her latest novel proves the point very well. I was excited to find out that in HOUSE OF MIRRORS we were going to continue the story of THE POISON TREE and find out what happened after that fateful ending. Once again, Kelly excelled in character development and dark family secrets and has delivered the most intriguing family saga that kept me enthralled from beginning to end.

 

Karen and Rex are now middle aged and have a grown-up daughter, Alice, who is as much a free spirit as her parents were at her age – and isn’t that usually a parent’s worst nightmare? She is engaged to climate activist Gabe, a man whose sheer presence annoys Karen and who she suspects of being controlling and emotionally abusive to her daughter. Alice, in the meantime, is intrigued by her family’s dark legacy, especially her aunt Biba’s fate. As usual, each of the book’s character has their own agenda, making for some surprising plot twists that kept me on my toes.

 

Whilst HOUSE OF MIRRORS follows on from THE POISON TREE, it could potentially be read as a standalone – though I thoroughly recommend reading them in order to get the most out of Kelly’s excellent character development. I loved delving into the Capel family’s secrets and dysfunctional dynamics, a fun escape from my own everyday life. Kelly seems to excel with everything she writes, and again, her latest book was a winner for me!

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: THE FROZEN RIVER by Ariel Lawhon

 

Title: THE FROZEN RIVER

Author:  Ariel Lawhon

Read: August 2024

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

 

Book Description (Goodreads):

 

A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

My musings:

 

I love books based on real-life historical people, but not every author has the skill to imbue their fictional counterparts with as believable personalities as Lawhon has done with each and every one of her characters in THE FROZEN RIVER. For me, her book was like time travel back in time and place to meet midwife Martha Ballard as she is looking after the women in her small community in Maine. Of course, I knew that women of her time did not enjoy the same rights and freedom as we do today, but some of the historical facts still stunned me.

 

Based on the real Martha Ballard’s diary, which mainly recorded births and deaths and weather details, Lawhon blended fact and fiction to bring her own version of Martha and her large family to life. I liked her instantly, this intelligent, brave woman who will risk her own safety to fight for justice. Being a midwife, she is not only called upon to deliver babies but also to examine women who have been raped, or bodies when there has been an accident or a suspicious death. Martha is also able to read and write – not common for women of her time – and keeps a meticulous account of all her clients and events. When a man is found drowned in the river, she is the person called upon to determine what could have caused his accident. In Martha’s opinion, the death looks suspicious, with the man bearing wounds that point to a fight or an assault. She also knows that the same man had been accused of raping a local woman recently. But not everyone shares her opinion, and in a society where men have more power, this could prove to be very dangerous for her.

 

Thus starts a gripping mystery with a wonderfully atmospheric setting that had me spellbound from beginning to end – I could not get enough of this book! 

Audiobook Review: ONE PERFECT COUPLE by Ruth Ware

Title: ONE PERFECT COUPLE

Author: Ruth Ware

Narrator:  Imogen Church

Read: July 2024

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, The Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla find herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana—in order to win a cash prize.

But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real—and the stakes are life or death.

A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel so true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense.

 

My musings:

 

It’s no secret that Ruth Ware is one of my favourite mystery writers and that I love the slow-burning, simmering tension that drives her stories. Initially, I was worried that ONE PERFECT COUPLE seemed to be following a well-trodden path of other novels, but I should have had more faith in Ware’s skill of brewing a cup of her own special magic. As the story unfolded, it soon became clear that this was a very cleverly planned tale of murder and survival that would break the mould and offer the kind of surprising ending Ware is known for. However, the thing I appreciated most of all was how each character came into their own in the course of the story: if I had disliked just about every one of them when I started reading (hence my initial doubts), by the end of the story I felt quite proud of the survivors.

Described by various reviewers as a mixture between AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, SURVIVOR, and LORD OF THE FLIES, this closed-door mystery did pack a lot of plots into its pages. I’m not one to watch much reality TV, but ONE PERFECT COUPLE gave me more pleasure than any of those type of shows ever have. I must also say that it was the perfect story for an audio-book: read by the very skilled Imogen Church (who I think has narrated all of Ware’s previous books), the visual scenes had me totally hooked and really drove up the tension! My only little quibble was with the WHY reveal of the story, which seemed a little far fetched even for an intended-to-be unexpected plot twist – it just didn’t gel with what had otherwise been a very cleverly constructed story (taking this opportunity to mention the diary entries, which had me fooled the entire time).

 

 Summary:

 

All in all, ONE PERFECT COUPLE was tense, claustrophobic and atmospheric and made for captivating listening from beginning to end, even if it lacked the Gothic vibes I usually look for in Ware’s mysteries. I especially loved the character development and Ware’s keen observations of people acting and reacting under pressure. Despite my initial doubts I very much enjoyed ONE PERFECT COUPLE and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a clever closed-door mystery.

Book Review: DAUGHTER OF MINE by Megan Miranda

 

Title: DAUGHTER OF MINE

Author:  Megan Miranda

Read: April 2024

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town—and people—she left behind almost a decade earlier. But Hazel’s not the only relic of the past to return: a drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge…including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

My musings:

 

I love Megan Miranda’s books – she is the queen of the atmospheric, character driven slow-burn, with intriguing interpersonal dynamics between her characters, which add an extra layer to her mysteries. As with many of her other books, DAUGHTER OF MINE started off as a slow simmer, setting the scene, but it didn’t take long for the tension to build.

 

After the death of Mirror Lake’s beloved local detective, Perry Holt, his daughter Hazel returns home to join her two brothers and attend his memorial service. The town has been in the grip of a severe drought, which has caused the lake’s level to drop to an all-time low, revealing all kinds of sunken treasures in its depth. Hazel arrives just in time to see an old car being pulled from the mud, setting her sense on high alert. After her mother left the family home never to be seen again when Hazel was fourteen, she is afraid that the car might be somehow related to her disappearance. But there is another surprise in store for Hazel when she finds out that she is the sole heir to her father’s estate. She is convinced that her father is trying to send her a message from beyond the grave – but how can she find out what he was trying to warn her about?

 

As with all of Miranda’s novel, DAUGHTER OF MINE was cleverly constructed, with many red herrings and an underlying sense of danger and menace that had my hairs standing on edge as I was trying to work out the mystery. I love books where the reader finds out clues at the same time as the main character, with the great unknown creating a sinister foreshadowing. Together with Miranda’s hallmark atmospheric setting, all of these elements worked perfectly together to keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time, especially as the body count in the small town was beginning to mount.

 

If you love a good slow-burn with a small town setting and atmospheric nature backdrop, then you can’t go past Megan Miranda’s books. Every time I read her latest novel, I am wondering which is my favourite – and DAUGHTER OF MINE is a definite contender (though I think that THE ONLY SURVIVORS is still number 1 on my list). 

Book Review: HAS ANYONE SEEN CHARLOTTE SALTER? by Nicci French

 

Title: HAS ANYONE SEEN CHARLOTTE SALTER?

Author:  Nicci French

Read: March 2024

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

 

Book Description:

 

A nerve-tingling and atmospheric thriller from master of suspense Nicci French about two families shattered by tragedy and the secrets that have been waiting decades to be revealed.

 

On the day of Alec Salter’s fiftieth birthday party, just before Christmas 1990, his wife Charlotte vanishes. Most of the small English village of Glensted is at the party for hours before anyone realizes Charlotte is missing. While Alec brushes off her disappearance, their four children—especially fifteen-year-old Etty—grow increasingly anxious as the cold winter hours become days and she doesn’t return. When Charlotte’s coat is found by the river, they fear the worst.

 

Then the body of the Salters’ neighbor, Duncan Ackerley, is found floating in the river by his son Morgan and Etty. The police investigate and conclude that Duncan and Charlotte were having an affair before he killed her and committed suicide.

 

Thirty years later, Morgan Ackerley, a successful documentarian, has returned to Glensted with his older brother Greg to make podcast based on their shared tragedy with the Salters. Alec, stricken with dementia, is entering an elder care facility while Etty helps put his affairs in order. But as the Ackerleys ask to interview the Salters, the entire town gets caught up in the unresolved cases. Allegations are made, secrets are revealed, and a suspicious fire leads to a murder. With the podcast making national news, London sends Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor to Glensted to take over the investigation.

 

My musings:

 

It’s no secret that Nicci French are on my list of favourite writers, and I will snap up anything they write as soon as it comes out. So when I found out that HAS ANYONE SEEN CHARLOTTE SALTER? was available on audio, I settled in for a long and enjoyable read.

 

French are masters of characterisation and keen observers of the human psyche, a trait that made their latest book another 5-star read for me. It started off slowly, setting the scene: 15-year old Etty is the first to become alarmed when her mother fails to turn up for her husband’s 50^th birthday party. My alarm bells rang when everyone around her dismissed her fears as groundless, but when Charlotte Salter failed to appear after a few days, it became obvious that something was badly wrong here. Soon after, the body of the Salters’ neighbour and family friend is found dead in a nearby river. The police, eager to solve both cases, conclude that he must have taken his own life after feeling remorse for killing Charlotte. Case closed.

 

Thirty years later, the Salter children return to the family farm to clear out the house and organise for their father Alec, who is suffering from dementia, to go to a nursing home. Ever since their mother’s disappearance, the Salter children (now adults) have drifted apart, and even now refuse to open up about how Charlotte’s absence has affected them. It’s not until the two sons of the other victim decide to publish a podcast looking closer into the two deaths that they have to confront their past – with unexpected results.

 

HAS ANYONE SEEN CHARLOTTE SALTER? was a psychological thriller of the best kind. From the slow exploration of the two families’ grief and confusion, to the mystery surrounding Charlotte’s disappearance, this character driven tale kept me enthralled from beginning to end. In typical French fashion, nothing was as straight forward as it seemed, and there were plenty of surprises in store as we got a look into the past. I particularly loved how French describe the fallout of Charlotte’s disappearance on all her children, affecting their lives far into adulthood – especially Etty, whose personality has been totally transformed by grief.

 

As with most Nicci French novels, the story here had a deep emotional effect on me, and I still pondered the Salters’ story long after the book had concluded. Having lost my mother at a young age, I particularly related to the effect of grief on a young (and older) Etty.

 

Summary:

 

Lovers of slow burning, character driven mysteries will appreciate the way French unravel this cleverly constructed tale and their insight into the effects of crime on the victims’ families. One of my favourites so far this year!

 

Book Review: ANNA O by Matthew Blake

 

Title: ANNA O

Author:  Matthew Blake

Read: February 2024

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

We spend an average of 33 years of our lives asleep. But what really happens, and what are we capable of, when we sleep?

Anna Ogilvy was a budding twenty-five-year-old writer with a bright future. Then, one night, she stabbed two people to death with no apparent motive—and hasn’t woken up since. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the tabloids, Anna’s condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome.”

Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous “Anna O’”case and waking Anna up so she can stand trial. But he must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect—he’s got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own.

As Anna shows the first signs of stirring, Benedict must determine what really happened and whether Anna should be held responsible for her crimes.

Only Anna knows the truth about that night, but only Benedict knows how to discover it. And they’re both in danger from what they find out.

Joining the ranks of Gillian Flynn, A. J. Finn, and Alex Michaelides, Matthew Blake delivers the thriller of the year: a dark, twisty, and shocking mystery about a young woman who commits a double murder while sleepwalking, and then never opens her eyes again.

My musings:

 

Even with my shiftwork induced obsession with sleep, I was surprised to find out that the average person spends 33 years of their life asleep. 33 years of ZZZZ! But would I willingly sacrifice any of those blissful moments under the doona for more productivity? The answer is no. And yet there seem to be people who can multi-task and combine sleep with some amazing / terrifying feats, such as killing someone whilst sleepwalking. This is the crime Anna O has been accused of, and yet she cannot face trial, since she has never woken from her slumber since the fateful night her two friends were murdered four years ago.

 

Dr Benedict Price is a forensic psychologist specialising in sleep disorders and related crimes. As an expert in his field, he is tasked with the tricky job of waking Anna from her slumber. Facing issues in his own personal life and the ethical dilemmas that his job brings, Benedict has some reservations about the whole project, and yet cannot resist the opportunity to be involved in such a fascinating case. But will waking Anna put them both in danger?

 

I loved the whole premise of sleep disorders, sleepwalking and crimes committed whilst fast asleep and greedily hoovered up all the little morsels of insight into some case studies the author mentions along the way – I would have loved much more of this! But whilst I felt the science behind the novel fascinating and well presented, the actual thriller part of the book seemed to stall and lack in places, especially in the later half. I felt that both Benedict as well as Anna lacked character development, and despite its twists and turns, I guessed parts of the outcome of the story long before the final reveal. So perhaps this was not the thriller of the year for me, but as an original premise it made for hours of interesting reading and intrigue and I mostly enjoyed it. If you find sleep in general fascinating, then this book should definitely be on your list!

Book Review: TO THE RIVER by Vikki Wakefield

 

Title: TO THE RIVER

Author:  Vikki Wakefield

Read: March 2024

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

 

Book Description:

 

The Kelly family has always been trouble. When a fire in a remote caravan community kills nine people, including 17-year-old Sabine Kelly's mother and sister, Sabine confesses to the murders. Shortly after, she escapes custody and disappears. Recently made redundant from marriage, motherhood and her career, journalist Rachel Weirdermann has long suspected Sabine made her way back to the river-now, twelve years after the 'Caravan Murders', she has the time and the tenacity to corner a fugitive and land the story of the year.

Rachel's ambition lights the fuse leading to a brutal chain of events, and the web Sabine weaves will force Rachel to question everything she believes. Vikki Wakefield's compelling story is about class, corruption, love, loyalty, and the vindication of truth and justice. And a brave dog called Blue.

My musings:

 

After a somewhat disappointing start to my reading year, it came as a wonderful surprise to stumble across an unexpected gem, TO THE RIVER, a beautifully drawn story of resilience and justice despite disadvantage and corruption.

Sabine Kelly has been on the run from the law for 12 years after being accused of setting fire to a caravan park when she was only seventeen, killing nine people, including her own mother and sister. Journalist Rachel Weidermann has been fascinated by Sabine’s story since she first read about it and has been tirelessly investigating Sabine’s fate in the hopes of locating her and being able to write an expose’ that will save her flailing career. Through a weird twist of fate, Rachel and Sabine meet, setting a chain of events into motion that will put them both in danger.

I loved Sabine from the start, despite her murderous reputation, and my heart broke for her as we get to find out more about her childhood and years on the run. Rachel was initially a bit more difficult to warm to, but in the end she won me over as well. Wakefield writes with insight and a lot of heart, which shines through in all her characters. Each and every one of them (including Blue, the blue heeler) quickly took on shape in my head until they felt like real flesh and blood people as familiar to me as old friends. Further complimented by the backdrop of an atmospheric river and small town setting, the story soon swept me up and kept me captivated until the end, and I was sad to turn the last page and lose the connection to characters that had become very dear to me in the process of reading.

TO THE RIVER was the first book I have read by Vikki Wakefield but it won’t be my last – I just loved her writing style and the way she portrayed her characters. It’s always exciting to discover a new author to love, and I look forward to reading many more of her novels in future.

Book Review: FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston

 

Title: FIRST LIE WINS

Author:  Ashley Elston

Read: March 2024

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

 

Book Description:

 

Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

My musings:

 

What a fun read this book turned out to be! Twisty, original and well plotted, it really stood out from other thrillers I have read this year. 

Evie Porter (not her real name) is a con artist (or perhaps a spy or secret assassin, we don’t really know at this point), employed by her mysterious boss, Mr Smith, who she has never laid eyes on. He only communicates with her through middle-men, endowing her with a new identity, location and job description. Evie has just been assigned a new mark: Ryan Summers, head of a large trucking company. But this job feels different in many ways. Not only because Evie actually LIKES Ryan and doesn’t want to screw him over, but she also has suspicions about the motives of her boss. Is this a genuine job or a test? Is she in danger? This is as much as I am going to say, because it’s best to go into this story blind to get the most out of its insane twists and turns and appreciate just how cleverly it has been plotted from the start.

 

I loved Evie as a protagonist. She is clever, resilient and plucky, which makes for an exciting, fast-paced read as she pitches her own mind against that of her mysterious and very dangerous boss. 

 

If I had thought at the beginning of the book that this story might follow a well-trodden path, then I was soon very pleasantly surprised that there was absolutely nothing predictable about Evie and the decisions she made. In a time when thrillers are flooding the market, it’s very hard to find a true original gem, but FIRST LIE WINS definitely fits into that category. I got so invested in the story that I was sad when it ended, even though the finale was most satisfying.

 

If you are tired of predictable thrillers, then this one is definitely for you!

Book Review: TAKE ME APART by Sara Sligar

 

Title: TAKE ME APART

Author:  Sara Sligar

Read:  November 2023

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

A young archivist's obsession with her subject's mysterious death threatens to destroy her fragile grasp on sanity, in a riveting debut novel of psychological suspense.

My musings:

 

I love it when I come across a new author whose book totally blew me away and TAKE ME APART fell into that category. Both an intriguing and captivating as well as a contemplative and somewhat sad mystery, once I started, I couldn’t tear myself away!

 

Why is it that mysteries revolving around family secrets are so irresistible? I guess almost everyone has found an intriguing nameless photo in an old family album at some stage and wondered about the story behind it. Mirand Brand doesn’t only feature in photographs, she is also the artist behind them, with herself as the subject delivering her subtle messages through her art. Like many artists, Miranda is as brilliant as she is troubled, suffering a tragic untimely death when her only son Theo is only eleven years old. A grown man now, Theo has inherited the family home with all its clutter and its secrets. He hires Kate, a former journalist and now archivist to sort through the vast collection of papers and photos and separate the wheat from the chaff. Due to Miranda’s fame, even some of her old photos and notes could bring in a small fortune if sold to collectors. As Kate makes her way through mountains of paperwork, she becomes intrigued – and then obsessed – with Miranda’s tragic life and vows to find out when really led to her death ….

 

Sligar uses a variety of styles to unravel her mystery. Whilst the main perspective is Kate’s voice, we also get to read snippets out of Miranda’s diary, old correspondences, newspaper articles, receipts and other pieces of her life left behind. It was this aspect of the story I found most fascinating, and as I tried to piece together the details of Miranda’s life I myself became a little bit obsessed with learning more about her. Because Theo is less than forthcoming, the mystery took on a sense of urgency and ominous foreboding that would otherwise have been absent, a very clever way to keep the reader engaged.

 

There are many tragic themes that urge reflection, from domestic violence to mental health, the hidden scars we hide from the world, the driving forces behind art and the fine line between brilliance and madness. Miranda was such a fascinating, complex character! I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Miranda’s art, which isn’t easy to convey with words but which the author pulled off beautifully here. Kate also made a perfect protagonist with just enough secrets of her own to make her story compelling and her character well rounded and enigmatic.

 

I think that labelling TAKE ME APART a thriller may be doing it a bit of a disservice because the story was more slow burning intrigue than action, character rather than plot driven. Yes, there are the questions surrounding Miranda’s death, but it is by far not the driving force here. Rather, we want to get to know Miranda Brand, the real person behind her public profile, which is slowly revealed through debris left from her everyday life. I could have spent many more chapters reading excerpts from her diary or getting glimpses of her art. Readers who are looking for a twisty thriller with murder and mayhem may find themselves disappointed, but anyone who enjoys a beautifully written character study of a troubled mind should grab this book ASAP. I picked it up without any expectations and without even reading the blurb, and was blown away by the story. It’s definitely going on my favourites list this year and I hope we will see a lot more stories from Sara Sligar in future.

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.