Thriller Thursday Reviews: Look in the Mirror & Wrong Place Wrong Time

Happy spooky season!  Sharon here with another edition of Thriller Thursday.  This week I am reviewing Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman and Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister.  I have only read one other book of Steadman’s before and have never read anything by McAllister, but I am happy to say these two books were awesome. I love finding new to me authors and so glad I found Catherine Steadman and Gillian McAllister, I look forward to reading more from both of them.

Author: Catherine Steadman

Publication Date: July 30, 2024

Publisher: Ballantine Books

I first came across Catherine Steadman last year when I read The Family Game. I loved it so much that as soon as her newest book, Look in the Mirror, came out I bought a copy and I am happy to report that I loved this book as well.

The story is told mainly from the POV of Nina and Maria. There are a few other POV’s, but Nina and Maria are the two protagonists of the story, and I loved them both. They were both strong and determined women. I loved watching them fight back and not just give up and accept whatever horror awaited them.

Nina’s father recently passed away and she discovers that she has inherited a house he had in the British Virgin Islands. Nina had no idea her father had this house. The house is state of the art. How did her father have the money to build this house? And why did he keep it from her? Nina travels to the BVI and after she has been in the house for a couple of days, she realizes that she may not have known her father as well as she thought. Why would her father build a house like this and what is up with the room in the basement? Nina must use everything her father taught her to survive the terror that is awaiting her.

Maria is a medical student who has taken time off and is now a nanny for the superrich. All she needs is another year of nannying and she will have enough money saved to fund the rest of her medical school. But Maria’s latest job could be her last. When she arrives at the house on an secluded estate she is given a list of rules, among them; Do not under any circumstance go into the room in the basement. When her boss and his two children do not show up, Maria spends her days lounging by the pool and in the sauna. But then her curiosity gets the better of her and she enters the room in the basement. Maria is now in the fight for her life.

I don’t want to say too much and spoil things, especially on how these two women are connected. But I will say what a wild ride this book was. Look in the Mirror gave me so many horror movie vibes. There was so much suspense and tension throughout the whole book. I did figure a couple of small things out, but not the major reveal at the end. That just blew my mind and gave me major chills.

I definitely now need to check out some of Catherine Steadman’s older books, because she has me hooked.  If you are looking for a Catherine Steadman book to dip your feet into, then I highly suggest Look in the Mirror.  4 stars

Author: Gillian McAllister

Publication Date: August 2, 2022

Publisher: William Morrow

I have never read anything by Gillian McAllister before and don’t even remember how I came across Wrong Place Wrong Time. But it sounded so good, and the library had a copy available, so I borrowed it immediately and now that I have finished the book, I will be buying a copy for myself because I need this in my collection.

When the book opens it is midnight on October thirtieth and Jen is waiting up for her eighteen-year-old son Todd to come home. As she is watching through the window, she finally sees him, but then another man emerges from the dark and Jen witnesses Todd just walk over and stab and kill this man. Todd is arrested and Jen is determined to help her son. Why would he just stab someone and show no remorse? But when Jen wakes up the next morning it is actually the day before the stabbing and none of that has happened. What is going on? Each time Jen goes to sleep and wakes up it is further in the past. First it is just a few days and then weeks and then months and years. Jen realizes somewhere in the past something happens to make Todd kill this man and she needs to figure out what it is so she can fix it and stop her son from becoming a murderer.

OMG, I love time travel books and Wrong Place Wrong Time was no exception. I loved the concept of going back in time and trying to figure out what the jumps mean to Jen. I really cannot say anything that happens because anything would be a spoiler. I did figure a couple of things out as we were going back in time but figuring them out did not in any way take away from this story. Even though I did figure some things out, there were still a few twists that caught me off guard.

I loved all the characters in this story. Especially Jen as this is told from her POV. I loved her determination in trying to find a way to help Todd. Even when some things came to life that could alter her future life, she did not let that deter her. I was so invested in trying to figure out what was of importance with each jump back. I loved how even the events that seemed minimal at the time took on a bigger picture when Jen went back even further in time.

I am so glad I came across Wrong Place Wrong Time. And now want to check out more reads by Gillian McAllister. If you like books about time travel, then Wrong Place Wrong Time is the book for you.   4 ½ stars