Tag Archive for: thriller thursday

Thriller Thursday Reviews: A Familiar Stranger & The Prisoner

December 1, 2022/16 Comments/by Sharon

Hey everyone! Welcome to Sharon’s Thriller Thursday. I hope everyone is doing well and having a good week with lots of great reading. I’m doing good and have been reading some great books. Today I am happy to share my thoughts on A Familiar Stranger by A.J. Torre and The Prisoner by B.A. Paris.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: A Familiar Stranger & The Prisoner

A Familiar Stranger Goodreads

Author: A.J. Torre

Publication Date: September 27, 2022

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

A.J. Torre’s A Familiar Stranger follows Lillian Smith, a wife and mother, who is an obituary writer for a local newspaper. Lillian leads a quiet and ordinary life. Then she meets David Laurent in a coffee shop, and feeling restless with her life, Lillian starts an affair with David. Lillian creates a new persona when she is with David, and as their affair intensifies, her lies start to catch up with her and Lillian’s two worlds spiral out of control. But Lillian is not the only one leading a double life and someone is going to die.

The first chapter of this book is titled “2 Months Before Death” and that just piqued my interest right away. As the story progresses it gets closer to “the death”. The whole time I was reading I was trying to figure out who had died and once we find out who was dead, I was trying to figure out who killed them. I loved how Torre presented the book this way because it just made my investigative brain flip into high gear.

The story is told mostly from Lillian’s POV. Lillian is a very complex character who has a very dark sense of humor. She has a Twitter account where she posts murder mysteries, based on past obituaries, to her followers. I also really liked her relationship with her best friend Sam. She could be herself with him. Sam knows all of Lillian’s secrets, and because of that, I was watching him with a very cautious eye.

Lillian’s husband Mike is also leading a double life. I did not like Mike at all. He was so controlling and condescending when it came to Lillian. He was also very arrogant. He thought he had everything in his life just as he thought it should be. So, it was nice when things started to crumble, and he realized he was not in as much control as he thought.

I wish there was more I could say about this book, but I don’t want to spoil anything. I will say, I thought going in that I was going to be reading a domestic thriller, with cheating spouses and lies upon lies, but this book was so much more than that. Yes we have the cheating spouses, but we also have the mystery of who is dead and then who killed said person.

A Familiar Stranger was full of twists and turns that made me stop a few times to get my head around what I had just read. When the person who died was revealed I was totally taken by surprise and the cat and mouse game that played out after had me on the edge of my seat. 4 stars

The Prisoner Goodreads

Author: B.A. Paris

Publication Date: November 1, 2022

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

B.A. Paris is an auto buy author for me. I fell in love with her books when I read her debut novel Behind Closed Doors a few years ago, so I was very excited when I saw she had a new book, The Prisoner, coming out. While this book was not up there with her other ones, I still enjoyed it and continue to look forward to her next book.

Amelie Lamont lost her mother when she was a small child, and she lost her father when she was seventeen. After the death of her dad, Amelie moved to London where she met her husband, billionaire Ned Hawthorne. Life was good at the beginning of their relationship, but then things take a turn for the worst. Ned is not who Amelie thought he was. Amelie is determined to stick it out though because it will be worth her while to do so. But then one night Amelie and Ned are kidnapped, and she wakes up alone in a pitch-black room. Who has taken them and why? And why does Amelie feel safer in that dark room than she did with her husband?

This story is told through an alternating dual timeline. It starts out the night Amelie and Ned were kidnapped, and then jumps back to when Amelie was seventeen. I loved Amelie. She was a very strong and determined protagonist, which comes across in both timelines. When she was being held in the dark room, she never stopped trying to find a way out and when she was suddenly on her own at seventeen, she took control and made a life for herself.

The chapters with Amelie trapped in the pitch-dark room really gave me the creeps. I could not even imagine what that must have been like. From the panic Amelie felt when she woke up in that room to the way she navigated around the room, I think Paris did a great job of bringing those scenes to life. I love how Amelie used her other senses in the room. She got the layout of the room by feel and counted steps to figure out where the bathroom door was, as well as where the door her captors would enter was. She also would be very quiet when they came into the room to bring her meals and listened to where they would come and stand and used that advantage for her escape attempts.

I really loved everything about this book up to the ending. I was not 100% sold on who kidnapped Amelie and Ned and why they did it. I had a couple of different scenarios that I thought would play out. But all in all, I thought The Prisoner was a solid read that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat for most of the book. 3 ½ stars

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Cabin in the Woods & The Hollows

November 10, 2022/18 Comments/by Sharon

It’s Thursday so that must mean another edition of Sharon’s Thriller Thursday. This week I am reviewing Sarah Alderson’s newest release, The Cabin in the Woods and Mark Edwards’ not so new release, The Hollows. Both of these books are set in the woods but that is where any similarities end. I loved how both settings were similar, yet the books were so different. They were both great reads.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Cabin in the Woods & The Hollows

The Cabin in the Woods Goodreads

Author: Sarah Alderson

Publication Date: October 18, 2022

Publisher: Avon

When I read the synopsis for Sarah Alderson’s The Cabin in the Woods, I thought it was going to be a super creepy read, but instead it was more of a domestic thriller. And I am okay with that because this book had me glued to the pages and rooting for the protagonist the whole time.

When we first meet the protagonist, Rose, she is hiding in an isolated rundown cabin in the woods. We do not know who or what she is running from, but from the very first moment I could tell she was a strong character with a lot of fight in her.

There is not a lot I can really say about who or what Rose is running from, because it is best to go into this book blind.

The story is told from Rose’s POV in alternating timelines. In the present timeline, Rose is working hard to stay hidden and alive. Thanks to her grandfather’s teaching Rose has the knowledge and skills to rough it in a cabin that has no electricity or heat. She also knows how to stay alert for any intruders. I really liked this timeline as we get to see right off the bat how strong Rose is. We also get little snippets on what is going on. I also liked the atmosphere it was set in. It is the winter and I could just feel how cold it was for Rose with only a fireplace to keep warm. Alderson does a great job of vividly creating the cabin and surrounding woods so that I could actually picture what I was reading.

The second timeline starts when Rose was a child and continues up until the present and we learn what happened to make Rose run and hide. I had so much sympathy for Rose as we learned of her backstory and what happened to make her hide in the woods. She had a hard life growing up. Rose’s mother died of an overdose and her father is also addicted to drugs, so it was Rose who took care of her younger sister, Daisy. My heart broke for Rose reading about all she went through. I shed a few tears along the way and I was rooting for her 100% to come out of this safe.

I was all over the place with ideas on what I thought was going on and most of them were wrong. I really liked how Alderson kept me guessing throughout this book. She also did a great job of increasing the tension as the book neared the end. I was on the edge of my seat hoping that Rose was going to be okay.

If you are looking for a domestic thriller with a strong protagonist that you will be cheering on, then I recommend The Cabin in the Woods. 4 stars

The Hollows Goodreads

Author: Mark Edwards

Publication Date: July 8, 2021

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Mark Edwards’ The Hollows was released in July 2021 and I have had it on my kindle forever. I have had hit and misses with Mark Edwards’ books so I kept putting off reading it, but finally decided to give it a go and I am so glad I did. This was one creepy book and would make an awesome horror movie.

Tom is a struggling journalist who is desperate to reconnect with his fourteen year old daughter, Frankie. Tom decides to take Frankie on a vacation to Hollow Falls, a cabin resort in the deep woods of Penance, Maine. With no internet or cell service, Tom figures this would be a great opportunity for him and Frankie to spend quality time together. Unbeknownst to Tom though, Hollow Falls has a dark history. Twenty years ago two people were murdered there and while the police know who the murderer was, he was never caught. The resort was closed down and now has just been reopened. I know recipe for disaster, right?

I liked all the characters in this book. Tom is trying to walk that fine line between father and friend with Frankie. And Frankie is your typical teenager, “No cell service or internet? How am I going to survive?” There is also David and Connie, true crime podcasters, who are at Hollow Falls (along with their followers) for the twentieth anniversary of the murders. They were a bit of a quirky couple and added to Tom’s unease as they fill him in on the resort’s history.

My favorite part of this book was the creepy atmosphere. The deep woods setting and the strange and weird people that lived in Penance gave this a Friday the 13^th vibe. Plus there are the sounds of wind chimes that can be heard but no one knows where they are coming from and strangers are lurking in the woods wearing goat, crow, and fox masks. Add all that together and I was getting goosebumps while I was reading.

As the book progresses, more and more strange things start to happen. A dead rabbit was found in front of David and Connie’s cabin, Frankie gets threatening messages on her phone, and her expensive water bottle goes missing, as does the blood pressure medication of another camper. Is the original killer back or is someone else trying to get the resort closed again? Tom and Frankie need to decide if they should leave or stay and try to solve the mystery of Hollow Falls. But staying could costs them their lives.

By the end of this book I was on the edge of my seat and yelling at Tom to get the hell out of there. LOL!

I loved everything about this book. From the creepy dark setting to all the characters, Edwards’ does a great job of creating a mystery that kept me turning the pages and wishing that The Hollows was made into a movie. 4 stars

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Woman on the Bridge & Unforgivable

October 27, 2022/10 Comments/by Sharon

Sharon here with another addition of Thriller Thursday. This week I am happy to share my thoughts on a couple of psychological thrillers. Holly Seddon’s The Woman on the Bridge and Natalie Barelli’s Unforgivable. While these books were not scary or edge of my seat tension, they both did keep my anxiety level up.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Woman on the Bridge & Unforgivable

The Woman on the Bridge Goodreads

Author: Holly Seddon

Publication Date: July 7, 2022

Publisher: Orion

“A stranger in need – would you invite them into your home?” Between that first line in the synopsis and the book cover, I knew I had to read Holly Seddon’s latest book, The Woman on the Bridge. And I am so glad I did. Not only did this book keep me turning the pages, but it also increased my blood pressure. LOL!

Charlotte Wilderwood is driving through the dark countryside trying to figure out what to do after a fight with her oldest friend, Annie, when she approaches a bridge and sees a young woman in a wedding dress standing on top of the handrail. After talking the woman, whose name is Maggie, down and learning that she is fleeing an abusive relationship, Charlotte invites her to come back to her house until Maggie can figure out what to do. The two seem to have an instant bond and will do anything to protect each other. But Maggie may not be the best friend that Charlotte so desperately needs, and her life is about to be turned upside down.

This book is told from the POVs of Charlotte and Maggie in alternating chapters. I really liked how Seddon created these two characters. They were both flawed, and I was constantly going back and forth on if I liked them or not. One chapter I would have sympathy for both of them, then Charlotte would get on my nerves for being so trusting and Maggie would do something that made me not like her. I also really liked learning about their back stories. I cannot really say anything about that, but I will say the more I learned, the more I feared for Charlotte.

Holly Seddon does a great job of moving the story along.

The Woman on the Bridge was a fast paced read, that kept my anxiety up the whole time I was reading. I did figure a couple of things out and that just helped build the tension for me as I was waiting for things to happen. At the beginning of the book, I got a Strangers on a Train vibe, but then came the twists and turns that took it in another direction.

I really cannot say much about this book because I think anything I say will be a spoiler, but if you are looking for a psychological thriller that will keep your anxiety levels up and have you on the edge of your seat with a shocking ending, then I recommend The Woman on the Bridge. 4 stars

Unforgivable Goodreads

Author: Natalie Barelli

Publication Date: July 21, 2022

Publisher: Bookouture

I have read all of Natalie Barelli’s books and have enjoyed them all, some more than others, so I was excited to read her newest psychological thriller, Unforgivable. And while this was not up there with some of her other books I have read, I still enjoyed it.

Laura and Bronwyn were friends as teenagers but had a falling out. Now years later, Laura is engaged to Bronwyn’s ex-husband, Jack. Sounds like the beginning of a soap opera right? In some ways it sort of is but with a psychological twist and two crazy and paranoid woman thrown in. Lol!

Bronwyn walked out on her husband Jack and their four-year-old daughter, Charlie, three years ago and never looked back. She is living a lavished life in Italy with a handsome and rich Italian. After Bronwyn left, Laura stepped in to help Jack out and babysit Charlie. Laura loves Charlie and being her stepmother is the best thing that ever happened. Laura also loves Jack and cannot wait for them to be married. But Laura’s happy life is about to change because Bronwyn has come back to town. Laura fears that Bronwyn wants her old life back and those fears look like they may be true. But when Laura tries to raise her concerns, no one will listen to her, and she is just coming off as Jealous. Why is Bronwyn really back?

I have to say I did not care much for either Laura or Bronwyn. They both came across as crazy and they both had dark secrets that also made them very unreliable characters. I did like the fact that I felt I could not trust either of them though, because to me that just added more mystery to the book. I kept going back and forth on who I trusted. Bronwyn was so put together, but she had this conniving undertone about her. At times I was like, okay she is not so bad. But then some of the things she would do had me going “Oooh, Laura watch out for her. I don’t know what her end game is, but I can feel that it is not good.”

Laura started out as sane, but as the book progresses she starts to unravel and just becomes a mess. Not only does Laura have to deal with Bronwyn, but she is also an art curator and the gallery she works at had a valuable piece of art stolen, so now she has that to worry about as well. Laura also makes some very stupid actions (yes stupid lol) that are coming back to bite her in the butt.

Natalie Barelli did a great job of creating a story that slowly ramped up the craziness. And even though I did not care much for the characters in Unforgivable, I was still glued to the pages and couldn’t wait to find out how things were going to play out. There were also some twists at the end that I did not see coming. 3 ½ stars

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Children on the Hill & My Perfect Daughter

October 6, 2022/10 Comments/by Sharon

Happy Thriller Thursday! It’s me Sharon, here to share a couple of great reads to usher in spooky season. This week I am happy to share my thoughts on The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon and My Perfect Daughter by Sarah A. Denzil. I have had both of these books on my shelf for months but kept putting them off. Why? I have no idea. LOL I am glad I finally decided to read them though because they were both awesome.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Children on the Hill & My Perfect Daughter

The Children on the Hill Goodreads

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Publication Date: April 26, 2022

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

I am kicking myself for leaving Jennifer McMahon’s newest book The Children on the Hill on my to read list for so long. This book was so good that I devoured it in a couple of days.

The story is told in alternating timelines. The first timeline is in 1978 and is told from the POV of thirteen-year-old Vi. Vi and her brother Eric live with their grandmother, a brilliant psychiatrist who works at the Hillside Inn, a private psychiatric hospital in a small town in Vermont. One day Gran brings home thirteen-year-old Iris to stay with them. Iris is skittish, doesn’t talk and is feral, and Gran has given Vi the job of taking care of Iris. Vi and Eric take an instant liking to Iris and with their help she is soon talking, and they let her into the Monster Club. Vi and Eric are monster hunters, because as Vi says “Monsters are everywhere.” They wrote a book that they call “The Book of Monsters” and list all the monsters they know and how to kill them. Vi has also made it her mission to find out where Iris came from, but she is not going to like the information she finds. Her whole world and the hospital are about to come crashing down.

The second timeline is in 2019 and this timeline is told from the POV of Lizzy Shelly. Lizzy is a monster hunter and has a podcast called Monsters Among Us. Lizzy travels all over the country investigating monster sightings. When she learns that a young girl has gone missing in a small town in Vermont after she came in contact with the town’s monster “Rattling Jane,” Lizzy heads to Vermont because she knows who this monster is and she is determined to stop her.

I enjoyed both timelines equally, which is a rarity for me since I normally have one that is my favorite. I loved getting to know Vi, Eric and Iris and just enjoyed watching them as they hunted monsters and also as they investigated who Iris was and where she came from. I also loved how the nostalgia from 1978 brought back memories of my childhood. I was also equally invested in Lizzy’s timeline and her determination to stop “Rattling Jane”. Lizzy had a bit of mystery about her as well, and I kept going back and forth on who I thought she was.

Aside from the two timelines, at the end of each chapter we also get excerpts from “The Book of Monsters” and “The Helping Hand of God: The True Story of the Hillside Inn” which is a book that was written in 1980 about all that happened at the Hillside Inn. Having the book unfold with the two timelines and the excerpts just added to the mystery and suspense.

I loved everything about this book. It was not super scary but had that creepy atmosphere that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. There were twists at the end of the book that literally had me saying “Holy Crap!” If you are looking for a good read for spooky season, I highly recommend The Children on the Hill. I don’t think you will be disappointed. 4 ½ stars

My Perfect Daughter Goodreads

Author: Sarah A. Denzil

Publication Date: January 14, 2022

Publisher: Sarah Dalton

I have read a few books by Sarah A. Denzil and while I liked them, they didn’t have that WOW! factor, so I kept putting off reading her new book My Perfect Daughter. Well, let me tell you, Sarah A. Denzil outdid herself on this book, and I am sorry that I did not read it sooner.

Zoe was out for a jog one day when she noticed five year-old Maddie alone on the side of a country road. Afraid for the child’s safety, Zoe brings Maddie back to her father unaware that she is about to step into her worst nightmare. Maddie was not on that road by chance, she was actually waiting for Zoe to come by so that she could lure her to her serial killer father. During her captivity Zoe bonded with Maddie and with Maddie’s help they were both able to escape. Zoe ended up adopting Maddie. Now eleven years later, Zoe is married and has another child. They are one big happy family. Or are they? Maddie still has issues from living with her serial killer father and seeing all he had done. She has been diagnosed with callous unemotional traits. Zoe has worked hard to ensure that Maddie knows she is loved and supported. Zoe has never really been afraid of Maddie, until a school bully dies and another girl is missing. Though she does not want to think Maddie could be responsible, a part of Zoe cannot help but wonder, is Maddie more like her father than she wants to admit?

This book is told in alternating timelines. The first timeline centers around when Zoe was being held captive and when she and Maddie escaped. This timeline does contain torture and abuse, though Denzil does not get very vivid in the details. When I was reading these parts, they felt like I was watching a horror movie or an episode of Criminal Minds. I loved Maddie in this timeline, she was this small child that even though she helped lure Zoe in, she wanted to help save her as well. They formed a special bond and I was so glad that Zoe didn’t just dump her once she was free.

The second timeline is present day, Maddie is now sixteen years old and I really felt for her in this timeline. She went through a lot when she was a child and it left emotional scars that will never go away. Due to these emotional scars she was a very unreliable character and I loved that. During this timeline we also have the mystery of what happened to the bully and the missing girl and who was responsible. Aside from Maddie being an unreliable character, there were also other characters in this timeline that were untrustworthy as well. I was all over the place on who I thought was telling the truth and who was lying.

My Perfect Daughter was a dark read, full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. Sarah A. Denzil does a great job of increasing the tension and suspense throughout the book. 4 stars

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Curfew & Watch Out for Her

September 15, 2022/14 Comments/by Sharon

Sharon here with another edition of Thriller Thursday. I hope everyone is having a great week. This week I am reviewing The Curfew by T.M. Logan and Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey. Both were very good reads.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Curfew & Watch Out for Her

The Curfew Goodreads

Author: T.M. Logan

Publication Date: March 17, 2022

Publisher: Zaffre

I have enjoyed every book I have read by T.M. Logan and The Curfew was no different. The story follows the Boyd family, Andy, Laura and their children, sixteen-year-old Connor and twelve-year-old Harriet and explores the lengths any parent would go to keep their children safe.

Andy and Laura’s son Connor is a good kid. He gets good grades, has never been in trouble and is always home by curfew, which is why when Connor texted them at midnight on a Saturday night in June that he was home, they didn’t think to check his room and make sure. But Connor was not home. He had gone to the woods to party with four friends. Five teenagers went into the woods, but only four came out. When the police questioned Connor the next day about the missing teen, Connor clammed up and his parents lied and told the police that he was home at midnight. And so sets off the mystery of what happened in the woods and where is the missing teenager.

I loved the mystery of this book. My sleuth brain went right to work trying to figure out what happened. As bits of information were revealed, my suspect pool increased. I did not trust any one and kept flip flopping on what I thought happened and who I thought did it. The book is told from the POV of Andy as he tries to piece together what happened and help his son Connor, who is at the top of the police suspect list. In addition to Andy’s POV, we also get chapters from each of the teenagers that were in the woods that night. I liked having those chapters thrown in, as they gave more information of what was going on and also added to the mystery of what happened.

I loved how realistic Logan wrote the teenagers in this book. They were not all goody two shoes; they each were dealing with things that teenagers do. At first, I was so frustrated with Connor because he would not tell the police or his parents anything and would just get closed off and grumpy and retreat to his bedroom when they tried to push him for answers. But then I thought, that is exactly how a teenager would act.

My favorite character in the book was Harriet. She is on the autism spectrum and even though her parents tried to not get her involved in what was going on, she made sure she was. She loves her brother and wants to do whatever she can to keep him out of trouble. She is an IT expert, and she uses that knowledge to gather information to help Connor. I loved her determination.

The Curfew kept me guessing throughout. T.M. Logan did a great job of slowly increasing the tension and suspense, to an ending that I did not see coming and had me on the edge of my seat. 4 Stars

Watch Out for Her Goodreads

Author: Samantha M. Bailey

Publication Date: April 26, 2022

Publisher: Simon Schuster

While Samantha M. Bailey’s latest novel, Watch Out for Her, is a great psychological thriller, it is also a story about trust and wanting to belong to a family.

The story follows Sarah Goldman and Holly Monroe. Sarah and her husband Daniel hire twenty two-year old Holly to watch their six-year-old son Jacob for the summer. Jacob adores Holly, so Sarah now has the free time to take up photography again, which she loves but had put on hold when Jacob was born. Holly lost her mother when she was a baby, and in Sarah she has found the mother figure she has always longed for. What starts out as a perfect arrangement soon turns into a nightmare that has Sarah, Daniel and Jacob leaving their home in Vancouver and moving to Toronto. Sarah just wants to put the summer behind her and start new. But as soon as they move into their new home, Sarah finds hidden cameras placed all over the house and then she starts getting threatening text messages from an unknown number. Sarah thinks she knows who is behind all this and she will do whatever she has to to keep her family safe.

This book is told in a dual timeline. We get Sarah’s POV in the present as she and her family are trying to settle into their new home in Toronto. Sarah has never been one to trust easily, and after the incident of the past summer, it is even harder for her to trust anyone. Given her trust issues, it also made me not trust anyone. I was suspicious of her overly friendly next-door neighbor and the creepy neighbor across the street. This timeline had me on the edge of my seat.

The second timeline is from the past summer and is told from Holly’s POV. To me this timeline was more laid back as we get the backstory on Holly and the events that lead up to what happened to force Sarah and her family to flee Vancouver. I really did like Holly and had great sympathy for her. Holly only ever wanted to feel like she belonged to a family. Her father and stepmother used her to get wealthy men to back her father’s pharmaceutical company. So when she bonded with Sarah, it felt like the mother she has always wanted and decided she would do anything to keep her found family together.

I liked having the different atmospheres in each timeline. When I was reading Sarah’s timeline I was on high alert and could feel the tension and suspense. And then when I was reading Holly’s timeline, I was able to relax a bit. Yes, there was still suspense but just not as intense.

As the book progressed the tension increased to an ending that had me on the edge of my seat. I did have one thing figured out, but there were a couple of twists that caught me off guard. 3 ½ stars

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Last to Vanish & The Patient’s Secret

September 1, 2022/19 Comments/by Sharon

It’s Thriller Thursday with Sharon. I cannot believe it is September already. And with September comes spooky season, well for me spooky season is year round. LOL! This week I am happy to share my thoughts on Megan Miranda’s new book, The Last to Vanish and Loreth Anne White’s new book The Patient’s Secret. I enjoyed both of these books very much.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Last to Vanish & The Patient’s Secret

The Last to Vanish Goodreads

Author: Megan Miranda

Publication Date: July 26, 2022

Publisher: Scribner / Marysue Rucci Books

I have loved all the books I have read by Megan Miranda and her latest book, The Last to Vanish is no exception. The book is set in a small North Carolina mountain town called Cutter’s Pass. Cutter’s Pass is known for its outdoor activities, especially hiking, with access to the Appalachian Trail. Cutter’s Pass is also known for the mysterious disappearance of seven people spread out over twenty-five years. In June 1997, a group of four men known as the Fraternity Four went missing while hiking in the mountains. Alice Kelly went missing in September 2012, last seen at a tavern in town. Farrah Jordan was last seen as she was entering the hiking trail in January 2019. And the last to vanish was Landon West, who was last seen at The Passage Inn in April 2022.

The book follows Abby Lovett, who moved to Cutter’s Pass ten years ago and is the manager of The Passage Inn. Though she sometimes feels like she is still an outsider, Abby loves Cutter’s Pass. This small town is a very close-knit community that looks out for each other. When Landon’s brother, Trey, comes into town looking for answers on what happened to his brother, he stirs up a hornet’s nest of secrets that the town has been keeping. Abby and Trey work together to try and find answers on what happened to Landon, but when they start uncovering evidence that leads them closer to the truth, Abby realizes that she does not really know her neighbors in town and all the secrets they are trying to keep hidden.

I really liked Abby. She came to town just after Alice Kelly went missing but was there when Farrah Jordan and Landon West disappeared. She took the investigation and outcome at face value. But when she started working with Trey and uncovered secrets, she kept pushing forward even if she didn’t like the direction it was taking. She wanted to be able to give answers to the families of the missing people. I really liked her determination.

I loved the setting of the book as well. Aside from people disappearing, Cutter’s Pass sounded like a great vacation spot. Megan Miranda did a great job of describing the town, that I could visualize the mountains and hiking trails. She made me want to jump in my car and go.

I also like how the book was rolled out. It is broken up into five parts, and with each part we get a look into when each of the people went missing, starting with Landon West, and working backwards. And then in the last part, we get a look into what brought Abby to Cutter’s Pass and her connection to the town.

The Last to Vanish is a great mystery with lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. 4 stars

The Patient's Secret Goodreads

Author: Loreth Anne White

Publication Date: March 8, 2022

Publisher: Montlake

Loreth Anne White’s newest thriller, The Patient’s Secret, is set in a close-knit community of Story Cove and follows the investigation into the death of a female jogger found at the bottom of a cliff. Was it an accident or murder? As the investigation evolves, it is clear that everyone in this community has secrets.

Lily Bradley and her husband, Tom, seem to have the perfect life. They have 2 children, twelve-year-old Phoebe, and eight-year-old Matthew. Lily is a psychotherapist and Tom is a professor at the local university. Lately though, Lily has been on edge. She cannot get over the feeling that she is being watched and she thinks that the terrible secret she has been keeping is about to be exposed and destroy her life as well as the lives of her children. Tom has also been keeping secrets from Lily and those secrets could very well land him in jail for the murder of the jogger.

Free-spirited Arwen Harper and her sixteen-year-old son Joe have recently moved into town. Arwen knows what Lily’s secret is and she is determined to expose it. Arwen does not care who gets hurt in the process. While I didn’t really like Arwen and her method to expose Lily, once I found out the secret I did sympathize with her a bit.

Detective Rue Duval is leading the investigation into the death of the jogger. But Rue is hiding secrets of her own, and these secrets could alter the outcome of the investigation. I felt Rue should have recused herself from the investigation since the secrets she was hiding were a conflict of interest. She set her sights on Tom instead of following all the evidence no matter where it led.

My favorite character was Lily and Tom’s son, Matthew. He was such a cutie. Matthew loves to take photographs. One day he wants to either be a crime photographer or photojournalist. His bedroom is in the attic, so he secretly photographs people as they go about their day. It is Matthew’s photos that actually help crack the case. I just loved watching him sneak around taking pictures of everyone and putting them into his “case” files.

This book is told from many POV’s as well as dual timelines, but White does a great job of keeping the flow of the book from getting confusing. We also get some chapters that are excerpts from a true crime story regarding the brutal murder of a family that took place in 1989. I will warn you though, these chapters are graphic and do involve the brutal murder of an eight-year-old boy.

There is not a lot I can say about what actually happens in this book because any thing I say would be a spoiler. But I will say that The Patient’s Secret was full of lots of twists and turns and shocking secret reveals that kept me turning the pages. 3 ½ stars

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Things We Do in the Dark & Blood Sugar

August 18, 2022/6 Comments/by Sharon

Hi Everyone! Sharon here with another addition of Thriller Thursday. I hope everyone is having a good week. Last week I was on vacation. I just stayed home, but got a lot of projects done around the house that I wanted to, so it was very productive. This week I am excited to share my thoughts on Jennifer Hillier’s, Things We Do in the Dark and Sascha Rothchild’s, Blood Sugar. I loved both of these books. I especially loved the female protagonists, who are both accused of killing their husbands. 🙂

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Things We Do in the Dark & Blood Sugar

Things We Do in the Dark Goodreads

Author: Jennifer Hillier

Publication Date: July 19, 2022

Publisher: Minotaur Books

My first book by Jennifer Hillier was Little Secrets and I loved it. So I was excited for her new book, Things We Do in the Dark, and I am happy to report this book did not disappoint. This book was just as good as the previous book I read.

Paris Peralta has been arrested for killing her husband. She was found in their bathroom, covered in blood holding a straight edge razor and her husband was dead in the bathtub behind her. Paris did not kill her husband, but it is not that she has been arrested that worries her, it is the fact that her husband was a famous comedian and his death, and her arrest is going to bring media attention to her, and Paris does not want anyone from her past to recognize her and destroy the new life she has worked hard to build for herself. Twenty-five years ago, Ruby Reyes was convicted of killing her married lover. Ruby knows who Paris is and after being released from prison early, she is threatening to expose Paris. Paris has no choice but to face her dark past.

This story is told in a dual timeline. The first timeline is in the present and follows Paris as she tries to clear her name in the death of her husband, as well as trying to keep her past from being exposed. I liked Paris and hoped that she would be able to figure out a way to prove her innocence. I figured out pretty early on what were some of the secrets from her past she was running from. In this timeline we also get the POV of Drew Malcom. Drew is a journalist, who currently has a podcast called “Things We Do in the Dark” and he is currently doing a segment on Ruby Reyes. It is during his research for the podcast that Drew unintentionally uncovers the secrets that Paris is trying to hide.

The second timeline was my favorite. This timeline is told from the POV of Ruby Reyes’ daughter Joey and takes place twenty-five years ago. In this timeline we follow Joey before and after her mother was convicted of murder. I loved Joey so much and had such sympathy for her. She had a very hard life. Her mother was abusive to her. She also suffered abuse from her mother’s many boyfriends, and once her mother was in prison and she went to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins, things did not get any better. I had tears in my eyes a few times while reading.

There is so much I want to say about this book but cannot without spoiling things. I loved everything about it. Even though I figured out the connection between Paris and Joey, there were still a few twists that caught me off guard. Hillier did an amazing job of bringing this story and the characters to life. I highly recommend Things We Do in the Dark. Be forewarned though, this book is pretty graphic in the blood department, and it does deal with child abuse. 4 ½ stars

Blood Sugar Goodreads

Author: Sascha Rothchild

Publication Date: April 19, 2022

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Blood Sugar is Sascha Rothchild’s debut thriller and what a debut it was. The story follows Ruby, a respected therapist living in Miami Beach, Florida, who has been accused of killing her husband, Jason. Ruby did not kill Jason, but that is not to say she is not a murderer. Ruby has killed three people before. She is not a sociopath or serial killer though. Each person she killed has wronged Ruby or someone she loved. She also has a ten-year span in between each murder. So see, it is not like she just goes off willy-nilly killing people. LOL!

When the story opens Ruby is in a police interrogation room being accused of killing Jason. The detective that is questioning her has four pictures face down on the table. Three are pictures of the ones Ruby did kill and the last picture is of Jason. As the detective flips each picture over Ruby remembers each of the killings and what lead up to them.

I loved Ruby! Yes she has killed people, but when I learned the reason for each killing, I really did not blame her. Okay maybe the first murder, but Ruby was only five-years old and the little boy she killed had been bullying her older sister. As Ruby is remembering each killing, we get a look into her life. I love how the story unfolded this way. Ruby was actually a good person. She was very smart and loved to have her life organized. The more I got on her backstory, the more I loved Ruby.

I also really liked Ruby’s friendship with her best friend Roman. They were best friends who even though they had a falling out in college, they were still there for each other. When Roman was almost kicked out of law school, Ruby was there to save his butt. And even though they had not spoken for a long time, when Ruby called Roman to help her when she was accused of killing Jason, Roman hopped on a plane to help her.

The more I got to know and love Ruby, I was hoping that she would not be convicted of killing Jason. I was also hoping that her past murders were not going to come back and bite her and she would not go to jail for them.

So, who did Ruby kill and why? And what really happened to Jason? To get to those answers Rothchild weaves a great story that alternates between the past and present. I was glued to the pages and didn’t want this book to end. But I will say that I was very happy with how everything played out.

If you are looking for a book with a murderess protagonist, that you cannot help but love and root for, then I highly recommend, Blood Sugar. 4 ½ stars

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The It Girl & The House Across the Lake

August 4, 2022/18 Comments/by Sharon

Happy Thriller Thursday with Sharon! I hope everyone is doing well and getting some relaxation time in. I am so happy that next week I am on vacation from work, well a staycation LOL! I plan on just sitting around and relaxing and reading of course 😀 Today I am reviewing two books that I have been very excited to read. Ruth Ware’s, The It Girl and Riley Sager’s, The House Across the Lake. I am happy to report that these books did not disappoint.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The It Girl & The House Across the Lake

The It Girl Goodreads

Author: Ruth Ware

Publication Date: July 12, 2022

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

I couldn’t wait to read Ruth Ware’s newest book The It Girl and I am happy to report it did not disappoint. This book was everything I was hoping it would be.

Hannah Jones was excited to start a new chapter of her life at Oxford. Hannah and her roommate April Clarke-Cliveden became fast friends, and rounding out their friend group was Will, Emily, Ryan, and Hugh. These six friends formed a close bond and were enjoying their time at the university. That is, until April was murdered at the end of the second term. The school porter, John Neville, is found guilty of April’s murder, mostly due to Hannah’s testimony. It is now ten years later and Hannah and Will are married and expecting their first child. Hannah has done all she can to try and put the past behind her and now that John Neville has died in prison, she can truly move on. But when a journalist contacts Hannah and presents evidence that John Neville may have been innocent, Hannah’s world and all she thought she knew is about to come crashing down.

I loved how Ware presented this book in a dual timeline. One timeline was during Hannah’s time at Oxford and we got to see the events that lead up to April’s murder unfold. This was my favorite timeline. I really liked getting to know Hannah, April, Will, Ryan, Emily and Hugh and watch their friendships form. I especially liked learning more about April and how she was not the nicest person all the time. That just made the suspect pool increase for me. The second timeline is in the present, and in this timeline, we follow Hannah as she tries to come to terms with the fact that she may have been wrong about John Neville. Hannah is determined to figure out what actually happened the night April was murdered. I really loved her determination on uncovering the truth; even when she did not like the direction it was taking, she still pushed forward. Hannah owes it to April and to John Neville to make sure the right person pays for the crime.

I was all over the place on who I thought murdered April with all the twists and turns this book had. The more information Hannah uncovered in her quest to find the truth, the more my suspicions of everyone grew, especially when we learned of some of the mean things April did. By the end of the book I was on the edge of my seat, especially when it was revealed who the killer was.

I really don’t want to say too much because I think you need to go into this book not knowing anything. But if you are a fan of Ruth Ware, then I think you will love The It Girl. 4 stars

The House Across the Lake Goodreads

Author: Riley Sager

Publication Date: June 21, 2022

Publisher: Dutton

Riley Sager is an auto buy author for me. I have loved every book he has written and while The House Across the Lake did not have the WOW! factor his other books had, I still loved it.

Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress, has escaped to her family’s lake house in Vermont. Casey’s husband drowned in the very lake she is now staying at. After her husband died, Casey started drowning her sorrows in alcohol and after being caught by the press in a few drunken states, she retreated to Vermont to hide. With lots of time and liquor on hand, Casey has started watching her new neighbors, Tom and Katherine Royce, across the lake. When Katherine vanishes, Casey becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her. In the process, Casey discovers that not only was the Royce’s marriage not perfect, but there is also something evil lurking in the lake.

When I first started reading I was a bit put off by the whole Rear Window vibe, but then Casey actually started mentioning how she was like Jimmy Stewart’s character and referring to the movie, that I got over the comparison quickly. And while that vibe was there, the book had many twists and turns that took it away from Rear Window.

There is not much I can say about this book without spoiling things. I loved the Vermont setting. I live in the New England area and have been to Vermont, so I could easily imagine the houses around the lake. It actually made me want to take a trip north and just sit out in the woods and relax with a book.

I thought Sager did a great job on creating all the characters, especially Casey. She was a very complex character, and with her drinking, at times she was also an unreliable character. I had a lot of sympathy for her, especially when she was remembering her husband. I also really liked how strong she was and determined to figure out what happened to Katherine. Casey became friends with Katherine when Casey saved her from drowning in the lake. Casey was sitting on her porch when she saw Katherine floating in the lake, and that brought back all kinds of memories from when her husband drowned.

The House Across the Lake was a slow burn read that sucked me in from the beginning. And then just as I was getting all settled in and trying to figure out what happened to Katherine, BAM! There was a plot twist that made me second guess myself and suspect someone new. LOL! The only issue I really had with this book was one of the plot twists came out of nowhere and was a bit farfetched, in my opinion. I was a bit disappointed with the direction it took, but once I finished reading and thought about the book and that one twist, I let myself suspend reality and my opinion on what I read changed and I decided “Okay, that was actually really good.” 4 stars

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Housemaid & An Honest Lie

July 21, 2022/10 Comments/by Sharon

Hi everyone. It’s Sharon back with another Thriller Thursday. This week I am reviewing Freida McFadden’s, The Housemaid and Tarryn Fisher’s, An Honest Lie. I really enjoyed both of these books and I am happy to share my thoughts on them.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Housemaid & An Honest Lie

The Housemaid Goodreads

Author: Freida McFadden

Publication Date: April 26, 2022

Publisher: Bookouture

I could not resist the eerie cover of an eye peeking out of a keyhole, for Freida McFadden’s new book The Housemaid. From that cover and the synopsis, I knew this would be one twisted read and I was right.

Millie has had a tough life. She went to prison for 10 years when she was seventeen-years-old. She has been out on parole for a year when she applies for a live-in housekeeper job she knows once they do a background check, she will not get it, but to Millie’s surprise she does get the job. Unfortunately for Millie the job isn’t what she expected. When she interviewed for the job, the house was pristine and Nina Winchester, the owner, was such a nice person. When Millie showed up for her first day, the house was a mess and Nina was no longer the nice, caring person she was at the interview. Nina is doing everything she can to make Millie’s life a living hell, but Millie needs this job and she will not quit. And then Millie finds herself growing attracted to Nina’s husband, Andrew, and she dreams of what it would be like to be living Nina’s life. Be careful what you wish for, Millie!

This book is told in three parts. Part one is told from Millie’s POV. I liked Millie and sympathized with her as I got more information on her background. Millie is a strong person. When push comes to shove, she does not back down; she pushes back and pushes hard. From Millie’s perspective, we get to see how crazy Nina is. Oh, the things Nina would do! She accuses Millie of stealing her notes for the parent/teacher night and then after destroying the kitchen looking for them, yells at Millie for the mess. Nina has Millie get tickets to a play for a specific night and then accuses Millie of getting the tickets for the wrong night. Nina gives Millie some old clothes and then accuses her of stealing them. Everyday Nina seemed to be spiraling out of control more and more.

The second part of the book is told from Nina’s POV, and it is in this part we find out what is really going on. I didn’t like Nina very much in the first part of the book, but when I found out what was going on, I cut her some slack. Though I liked the outcome she was hoping for, I wasn’t fully on board with how she made it happen. Yes, vague I know, but if I tell you then you wouldn’t be surprised. LOL!

The third part of the book alternates between Millie and Nina and in this part, we see the outcome and aftermath of everything that happened in the book. And what an outcome it was!

The Housemaid was a very twisted and engrossing read. And even though I have read books that are similar in plot and sort of guessed how things were going to go, I still really enjoyed this book. There were lots of twists and turns at the end that did surprise me. 3 ½ stars

An Honest Lie Goodreads

Author: Tarryn Fisher

Publication Date: April 26, 2022

Publisher: Graydon House

I have enjoyed the two other books I have read by Tarryn Fisher, but while they didn’t knock my socks off, I was still excited to read her new book, An Honest Lie. And I am happy to report that this book surpassed the other two books I read.

Rainey Ives is an artist who relocated from New York to Tiger Mountain in Washington a year ago to live with her boyfriend Grant. Rainey is a private person and has never been that good at making friends, but to make Grant happy, she joins the Tiger Mountain Group. This group of women are part of Grant’s friend group that he has known for over twenty years. Rainey does her best to fit in, but she cannot get over the fact that a couple of women in the group do not like her. When the women plan a weekend away in Vegas, Rainey reluctantly goes. Vegas holds bad memories for Rainey. When she was a child her mother and her were part of a cult there. Rainey escaped, but she knows the cult leader, Taured, will do anything to get her back. So, when one of the women, Braithe, goes missing after a night of partying and Rainey receives threatening text messages from her phone, Rainey knows who has taken Braithe and that it is really Rainey they want. To save Braithe, Rainey has to face the past she has been running away from.

This book is told from the POV of Rainey but in two timelines, 1) present day and 2) when Rainey was fifteen years old and in the cult with her mother. Of the two timelines, my favorite was the past one. I really loved getting the back story on Rainey and what life was like for her in the cult. I had so much sympathy for everything she went through. At first, she bought into the whole cult thing, but as time passed and the more things she witnessed and discovered, she knew she had to get out of there. I loved how strong willed and determined she was.

That strong will and determination followed Rainey into adulthood, and while I thought the present-day chapters were a bit slow, once Braithe goes missing and Rainey sets her plan into motion to save her and face her past, the pace and tension picked up. I loved watching her take charge and plan everything out. Though some of her planning did not go as I thought it was supposed to, she had back-up plans as well, which just made me love her determination all the more. I was on the edge of my seat at the end of the book wondering how it was all going to play out.

If you like books that give you a look into the world of cults and that feature a strong protagonist then I recommend Tarryn Fisher’s An Honest Lie. 3 ½ stars

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Never Coming Home & Take Your Breath Away

July 7, 2022/9 Comments/by Sharon

Welcome back to Sharon’s edition of Thriller Thursday! This week I am reviewing Hannah Mary McKinnon’s, Never Coming Home and Linwood Barclay’s, Take Your Breath Away. I really enjoyed both of these books and they both had similar themes; husbands that are at the center of their wives disappearance/murder. LOL!

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Never Coming Home & Take Your Breath Away

Never Coming Home Goodreads

Author: Hannah Mary McKinnon

Publication Date: May 24, 2022

Publisher: MIRA

I have enjoyed every book I have read by Hannah Mary McKinnon and Never Coming Home is no exception. Lucas Forester didn’t really hate his wife, Michelle. She was beautiful, sophisticated, and very rich. It is because she is rich that Lucas married her. He had originally planned on divorcing her after a couple of years to get his millions, but thanks to his father-in-law and an airtight pre-nup, Lucas had to adjust his plans to get his hands on her money. For years Lucas planned Michelle’s death. He hired a hit man to kidnap and kill Michelle, and he made sure he left no trace that would lead police to him. Lucas has been playing the grieving husband for a month and patiently waiting to be able to cash-in on Michelle’s fortune. But when shocking photos of Michelle start showing up, with notes stating, “I know what you did,” Lucas starts to unravel. How could anyone know what he did? Lucas is determined to find out who is behind the photos and notes and shut them up for good.

McKinnon did a great job of creating a villain that I hated, but also liked and had sympathy for at times. Lucas was a great character. Yes, I know he put a hit out on his wife, but he also had me chuckling a few times and he was very devoted to his mother in-law, who has terminal cancer and does not have long to live. He was always going over and sitting with her and you could tell his feelings for her were genuine. He also loved his father, and it is because of his father he is doing all this. His father had a stroke years ago, which Lucas blames himself for, and he needs the money to be able to keep his father in the best care facility. And he rescued and adopted a stray dog. See, he is a good guy, well except for the killing his wife part. LOL!

The book was told from Lucas’ POV, and I really loved getting inside his head and learning all about him and what made him do what he did. I especially loved watching him unravel as the photos and notes started arriving. He went from this cool, collected, and calculated guy, to a nervous, always looking over his shoulder guy, who was starting to make many mistakes. It was really fun to watch.

I did figure a few things out early on who was behind everything, but I still enjoyed the ride while Lucas was trying to piece it all together. The last chapter had me cringing, and I kind of felt bad for Lucas. If you are looking for a psychological thriller that features a somewhat likable villain, then check out Hannah Mary McKinnon’s Never Coming Home. 3 ½ stars

Take Your Breath Away Goodreads

Author: Linwood Barclay

Publication Date: May 17, 2022

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

Take Your Breath Away is my second read by Linwood Barclay and while it did not knock my socks off like Find You First, I did enjoy it very much.

Andrew Mason’s wife, Brie, went missing six years ago while he was away on a fishing trip. Most everyone assumed he got away with murder but try as they might, the police could not build a case solid enough to arrest him. Andrew eventually sold his house, moved a couple of towns over and changed his last name. He has finally gotten his life back together and lives with his new girlfriend, Jayne, and her teenage brother, Tyler. Now six years after Brie went missing, a woman who looks just like her shows up at their old house, which has been torn down and rebuilt, screaming “Where’s my house? What’s happened to my house?” As quickly as she appeared, she disappeared again. The appearance of this woman has a ripple effect that puts a lot of people’s lives in danger. Who is this woman? If she is Brie, where has she been for six years? And if not, why is someone pretending to be her? And what did happen to Brie?

I really liked Andrew. Andrew’s life spiraled out of control after Brie disappeared, and it didn’t help that his sister-in-law, Isabel, was doing everything she could to make his life miserable. She was sure he was responsible and made it her mission to get the police to take action. I can totally relate to her on that aspect. If that had been my sister and I thought my brother-in-law was to blame, I would stop at nothing to make him pay. Now with the “Brie” sighting, Andrew’s life could come crashing down again and he is determined to figure out what is going on.

Detective Melissa Hardy was the original investigator on the case and she too made Andrew’s life hell. She had such tunnel vision that he was responsible for whatever happened to Brie, that she would not let up. And then when the mysterious woman appeared, Detective Hardy was back on Andrew’s case. I have to say I did not like her much. I thought she was too aggressive in her approach to things. She didn’t follow the true facts; she followed what she wanted to be facts.

Most of the characters in this book had secrets to hide, though some secrets were worse than others. And that just added to the mystery of who this mysterious woman was and what happened to Brie.

There is so much I cannot say about this book because I don’t want to spoil anything. There are so many twists and turns and I had no idea what the outcome was going to be. I was very surprised when everything was revealed at the end. 3 1/2 stars