Tag Archives: psychological thriller

The Swimmer by Loreth Anne White -a review

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The Swimmer by Loreth Anne White -a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 10, 2024

Socially awkward Chloe Cooper divides her time between dog walking, bartending, caring for her ailing mother, and at a safe distance, watching people and inventing the stories of their lives. Like Chloe’s new neighbors: glamorous influencer Jemma Spengler and Jemma’s husband, Adam, a renowned surgeon. They’re attractive, wealthy, and in a house of open windows, so exposed.

A move to the Pacific Northwest is supposed to be a fresh start for Jemma and Adam. It’s a renewed commitment to a marriage fractured by secrets. A chance to work through the tragic losses in their past. For Jemma, however, this new beginning also comes with an unnerving sensation that she’s being watched.

Then, on a fog-shrouded beach early in the morning, Chloe witnesses the murder of a swimmer. Her suspicions aroused, she suddenly sees her neighbors in a sinister new light. But as a detective and her partner close in, nothing is quite as it seems. Because the Spenglers are not the only ones with secrets. And Chloe isn’t the only one who’s been watching.

•••••

REVIEW:THE SWIMMER by Loreth Anne White is a contemporary, adult, psychological thriller focusing on forty year old bartender Chloe Cooper, Dr. Adam and Jemma Spengler, and Gloria Bergson.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives (Chloe, Adam,Jemma, Gloria) following two timelines (present day and 2019) THE SWIMMER focuses on the murder of a woman swimming in Jerrin Bay. Chloe Cooper is a bit of an oddball who has returned home to British Columbia, Canada to take care of her dying mother but with the arrival of their new neighbors, Chloe begins to spy and stalk Dr. Adam and Jemma Spengler . Every morning, Chloe would watch Jemma Spengler swim in the bay but one morning Chloe witnesses the gruesome murder of the woman in question, a woman she believes to be Jemma Spengler. As the truth begins to unravel, Chloe finds herself caught in the middle of a storm of betrayal and vengeance wherein she will become the prime suspect in another grizzly murder.

THE SWIMMER is a detailed, dramatic, gritty and raw look at madness and obsession, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, and dysfunctional family dynamics. With a surprise gesture to one of Canada’s most prolific serial killers, Loreth Anne White pulls the reader down the rabbit hole of murder, distrust, delusion and fascination.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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THE SECOND MRS. STROM by Kaira Rouda-review

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THE SECOND MRS. STROM by Kaira Rouda-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 16, 2024

I don’t want the perfect marriage. I want revenge…

If you had met me a year ago, you wouldn’t have noticed me. A beautiful woman, but a struggling nobody in a tiny apartment, invisible…

Meeting Paul changed that.

And now here I am in Paris, after a whirlwind courtship and a stunning beach proposal. I smile at my handsome husband, my eyes shining in the candlelight, my huge diamond ring sparkling on the starched white tablecloth. Other women look at me in envy. They see a couple completely in love.

They’re wrong.

Despite this incredible luxury vacation, my husband and I can’t escape our problems. I can’t get over what he did with that woman just after our wedding, and my bright smile can’t hide the hardness in my heart.

I wonder if Paul knows the truth. That our first meeting, when we fell in love, wasn’t the coincidence he thinks it was. That what I want from him has nothing to do with his money.

And now that he’s wronged me, I’ll stop at nothing to get it…

••••••

REVIEW: THE SECOND MRS. STROM by Kaira Rouda is a contemporary, adult, pyschological thriller focusing on husband and wife Paul and Cecilia Strom.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Paul and Cecilia) using journal entries, present day and memories from the past THE SECOND MRS. STROM follows a few days in the life of married couple Paul and Cecilia Strom. Fifty year old, wanna-be Hollywood producer Paul Strom has whisked his much younger, thirty-year old wife Cecilia on trip to Paris France to celebrate their one year anniversary but all is not as is appears to be. Approximately two years earlier, Paul met Cecilia at the funeral of an elderly friend, a friend who left her entire estate to our story line hero. Cecilia, a struggling artist, began an instant flirtation, a flirtation that would see Cecilia and Paul married within the year but from the start there were issues that threatened their faltering marriage, issues that would inevitably place one another on a path towards betrayal and vengeance.

The world building focuses on the past, the present and a possible future for two people whose lives could not have been more different yet similar none-the-less. The secrets and lies, once revealed, threaten any possibility of a happily ever after; betrayal and vengeance, greed and deception are at the heart of a deadly plan to destroy one another.

THE SECOND MRS. STROM is a dramatic, dark and thought provoking tale of manipulation and madness, power and control. A richly detailed and complex story of greed and determination, THE SECOND MRS. STROM is a tragic and haunting look at years of built up anger and hate.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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THE UNRAVELING by Vi Keeland -a review

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THE UNRAVELING by Vi Keeland-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 9, 2024

This isn’t a love story.

It’s a story about obsession.

After experiencing a terrible loss, New York City psychiatrist Meredith McCall feels painfully adrift. When she crosses paths with a man with whom she has a tragic connection, she follows him, sparking an unhealthy obsession with Gabriel Wright. How is he doing so well while her life is in shambles?

But when Gabriel walks into her office as a patient, seemingly unaware of who she is, she knows it crosses all ethical and moral bounds to treat him. Yet, Meredith can’t bring herself to turn him away and becomes further entangled. With her life and career continuing to unravel, it appears that things could not get any worse…until they do.

••••

REVIEW: THE UNRAVELING by Vi Keeland is a contemporary, adult, psychological thriller focusing on widowed psychiatrist Dr. Meredith McCall.

Told from first person perspective (Meredith) THE UNRAVELING follows Dr. Meredith McCall as she tries to navigate her life going forward. A tragic accident, loss of life, and two years of guilt find our heroine facing her past, a past that is now controlling her present. As Meredith begins to unravel, so too, do the ghosts that continue to haunt her, ghosts that refuse to let go, ghosts that are more real than she could have ever imagined.

The world building is fraught with twists and turns, betrayal and vengeance, power and madness, obsession and control.

We are introduced to widower Gabriel Wright, Meredith’s late husband Connor Fitzgerald, psychiatrist Dr. Alexander, receptionist and friend Sarah, and patient Rebecca Jordon, all who play a role in Meredith’s ongoing struggle.

THE UNRAVELING is a thought-provoking and unconventional story; a cautionary tale ; a raw, real and twisted look at despair, remorse and vengeance; of determination and dissolution. The premise is intriguing and powerful; the characters are desperate, tragic and questionable.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Storm Warning by David Bell – a Review

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Storm Warning by David Bell – a Review

 

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Description:
A man living on a Florida barrier island must protect his family from both an approaching hurricane and a relentless killer.

Jake Powell is racing to get off the island as a powerful hurricane approaches. When he finds his best friend Dallas, the building manager, dead from a blow to the skull, Jake realizes there’s more than the storm to fear. There’s a murderer on the island, maybe even still inside the nearly abandoned building.

Dallas had repeatedly run afoul of the wealthy owners of the building by complaining about code violations and the precarious state of the condos. But he’d also once told Jake that every resident had a secret they’d come to Florida to escape. Had one of them killed to conceal their sins? As a dozen people shelter together in hopes of surviving the deadly hurricane, a second murder makes it all too clear: one of them is a dangerous killer.

 

Review:

Storm Warning by David Bell is an exciting thriller, which kept my attention from start to finish.  Jake Powell, our hero, is living on an island in Florida, and with an approaching powerful hurricane, he makes plans to leave. The few residents in their decrepit building don’t want to leave, and the manager, Dallas watches over them.  When Jake hurries to leave, he finds Dallas dead from a blow to the head.  Jake is concerned, as he knows that there is a murderer within the building.  With the roads closed off, Jake decides he has to stay to protect those residents still there. 

Jake left his wife and daughter in Ohio, to escape temporarily in Florida, but to his surprise, his wife and daughter decided to visit Jake, just about getting into the building as the Category 3 hurricane begins to escalate on the small island. 

With the building slowly falling apart, Jake will convince other apartment dwellers to move into one of the bigger units, with them all staying close together; especially with a dangerous murderer still at large. When there is another murder, the residents are not sure who to trust, but Jake is determined to protect them all, as they are fighting for their lives. They are all completely cutoff from the mainland, while those in shelter together, keep their hopes in surviving the deadly hurricane, as well as a murderer. Some of the residents claim they saw a man inside the building, but is this their imagination, as they are on high alert.

Just when the eye of the hurricane gives the vibe of relative calm, Jake will let his wife, she is an expert on handling boats, and daughter take the boat to the mainland for help, praying they will survive.  During the time they were all together, we got to meet other residents, and their stories; even though there was some suspicion among them. I did like Jake, as the was a terrific leader, always trying to keep them all safe. 

Storm Warning was an exciting story that kept me glued to my kindle.  This was an interesting cast of characters, which were very good.  Storm Warning was very well written by David Bell.  I did think that the murderer was different than anyone would have guessed.   I enjoyed the book, and suggest if you like thrillers, you should read Storm Warning.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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The Daughter Between Them by Alretha Thomas – a Review

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The Daughter Between Them by Alretha Thomas – a Review

 

Amazon / Bookbub

 

Description:
Two mothers. One missing daughter. One life-changing secret.

In 2019, Leslie Graham is within arm’s reach of her goal to become the news editor at the Dancing Hills Times. At thirty-five, she has it all—a promising career and a close relationship with her two teenage girls, Rhonda and Jillian. But when an old enemy from her past resurfaces, threatening to reveal life-changing information about one of her daughters, Leslie does everything in her power to keep her world from crashing down.

A decade earlier, in 2009, Barbara Morris’s seven-year-old daughter, Nancy, goes missing in Queens, New York. Barbara and her husband frantically search for her. But all is not as it seems in the disappearance of Nancy Morris, and Barbara may not be the innocent victim she’s painted herself to be. After ten years of her life spiraling out of control and Nancy still missing, Barbara decides to head to Dancing Hills, believing she’ll find the answers she’s looking for. Barbara and Leslie’s worlds will collide there, and the secrets of the past will finally be revealed.

 

Review:

The Daughter Between Them begins in 2019 with Leslie Graham deep in thought while she is going through things in her office at the Dancing Hills Times. She is on the verge of becoming the first African American news editor at the paper, something which she has worked towards for quite a while. She then receives a phone call from the Dancing Hills police department concerning her two daughters, Jillian and Rhonda.

Once Leslie arrives at the police station, she finds out that her girls were involved in an accident and thankfully are okay. However, it was no accident. The girls say that the car came out of nowhere and plowed into their car then took off without stopping. Leslie cannot help but wonder as things continue to happen if her past may be catching up with her.

Barbara Morris has a daughter who goes missing in 2009. She and her husband try to present a united front when looking for their daughter, but things are not at all what they seem. Barbara’s past has caught up with her present and will have a profound affect on not only her future, but Leslie’s.

The Daughter Between Them is another wonderfully written book by Alretha Thomas. The characters are beautifully written and multidimensional, and the world building is second to none. The twists and turns keep you turning the pages because just when you think you know what has happened, or about to happen, you find out you are close………but no cigar. If you are a fan of suspense, you will not go wrong with this one. I have been lucky enough to have the privilege of reviewing Mrs. Thomas’s books for several years now and have never been disappointed once. I do believe, though, that this one may be my favorite. Well done, Alretha Thomas! Very, very well done!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy supplied for Review

 

 

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A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh – a Review

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A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh – a Review

 

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Description:
They say the camera never lies.
But on this show, you can’t trust anything you see.

Stranded in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have no idea what they’ve signed up for.

Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won’t just be eliminated – they’ll be exposed live on air. The stakes are higher than they’d ever imagined, and they’re trapped.

The disappearance of a contestant wasn’t supposed to be part of the drama. Detective Ffion Morgan has to put aside what she’s watched on screen, and find out who these people really are – knowing she can’t trust any of them.

And when a murderer strikes, Ffion knows every one of her suspects has an alibi . . . and a secret worth killing for.

 

 

Review:

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh is the 2nd book in her DC Morgan series.  The story revolves around a reality tv show, Exposure, with 7 contestants who have to spend two weeks in the Welsh mountains in Wales. The contestants each have a secret (A Game of Lies), that they hide, as they soon realize that they need to win, in order for their secrets not to be exposed; with possible danger of their futures.  The tv show has garnered a lot of attention, especially on social media.  The following morning, the police are notified that one of the contestants is missing.  This brings DC Ffion Morgan and DC Georgina(George) Kent to the set to investigate.

The contestants are each different, as we meet them. Ceri Jones, Pam Butler, Aliyah Brown, Jason Shenton, Henry Moore, Lucas Taylor, and Ryan Francis (now missing). Ffion and George interview the contestants, as well as the production staff, in trying to find the missing person. 

Ffion is stuck taking care of her rescue dog, Dave (just adopted him), who despite his weird behavior (needy, stays close to Ffion, farts), but he is dedicated to Ffion and always finds a way to find her; which will come in handy later in the book. George has just been transferred to the team, and she is somewhat introverted, as well as a work-acholic. She was very good, and impressive in helping to handle the case. I really liked her, and happy that she will team with Ffion.  Leo, who was in the first book, returns and joins the team as the lead investigator, which doesn’t really sit well with Ffion; the chemistry from the previous book is still apparent.

As Ffion, George and Leo are still trying to find Ryan, the missing contestant from the first night, things change drastically when someone is murdered.  The investigation now turns into a murder case, with the death of the producer.  Because Ffion keeps things to herself at times, without telling her cohorts, she finds herself taken off the case.  But Ffion remembers something about the murdered victim which will lead her to finding the real killer, and putting herself in danger.  Dave to the rescue. lol

A Game of Lies was a complex, entertaining and suspenseful story, that was a slow process early on, but as we get to the last half of the book, it does pick up. I really did not enjoy how the contestants were forced to sit in a small room, as secrets are revealed, such as creepy phobias, spiders, snakes, as well as bigamy, affairs, illegal activity.            

A Game of Lies was very well written by Clare Mackintosh. I have enjoyed her previous standalone thrillers, but this series was good, but not as good as the other thrillers. I do suggest you read this series, as I would like to see what Mackintosh has in store for DC Morgan.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jessie Q. Sutanto – a Review

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I’m Not Done With You Yet by Jessie Q. Sutanto – a Review

 

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Description:
Jane is unhappy.

A struggling midlist writer whose novels barely command four figures, she feels trapped in an underwhelming marriage, just scraping by to pay a crippling Bay Area mortgage for a house–a life–she’s never really wanted.

There’s only ever been one person she cared about, one person who truly understood her: Thalia. Jane’s best and only friend nearly a decade ago during their Creative Writing days at Oxford. It was the only good year of Jane’s life–cobblestones and books and damp English air, heady wine and sweet cider and Thalia, endless Thalia. But then one night ruined everything. The blood-soaked night that should have bound Thalia to Jane forever but instead made her lose her completely. Thalia disappeared without a trace, and Jane has been unable to find her since.

Until now.

Because there she is, her name at the top of the New York Times bestseller list: A Most Pleasant Death by Thalia Ashcroft. When she discovers a post from Thalia on her website about attending a book convention in New York City in a week–“Can’t wait to see you there!”–Jane can’t wait either.

She’ll go to New York City, too, credit card bill be damned. And this time, she will do things right. Jane won’t lose Thalia again.

 

 

Review:

I’m Not Done with You Yet by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a stand-alone suspense thriller.  I have read and enjoyed all of Jessie Q. Sutanto’s books. I did read this new book, with some mixed feelings, which I will detail later in this review. The story revolves around Jane Morgan, who has always considered herself as a sociopath, even in her early years as a child, with a mother who treated her badly.  The story switches back and forth in the current time, where she is a struggling novelist and married; and in the past (9 years earlier) when she attended Creative Writing classes at Oxford. 

It is at Oxford, where Jane meets Thalia, who in a very short time, finds herself totally obsessed with her. Thalia befriends the quiet dark Jane, as well as everyone at the school who adored Thalia. Thalia was everything Jane admired, beautiful, charismatic and self-confident; something Jane lacked, always always angry at others. We also meet Ani, who also becomes close friends with Thalia, most to Jane’s annoyance. Jane loved her time at Oxford, with Thalia; until one night when Jane helped Thalia out of a terrible incident, and she has never seen Thalia again until the present time, nine years later.

Jane’s marriage to her husband, Ted, she is not happy, as he is irritating, and she feels trapped;  as well as struggling. with the budget. Jane has written two novels, which were not very successful. She sees an advertisement of a New York convention, showcasing the author, Thalia Ashcroft, with a new bestseller.   Jane is determined to reconnect at convention in NYC, and will stop at nothing to attend, the SusPensCon event. When Jane was at the University at Oxford, she had the magic touch to write stories, and she wanted to get those vibes back when she met Thalia again.

When Jane manages to push her way into seeing Thalia again, everything changes; as Thalia welcomes her; including Thalia’s sister-in-law, Ani.  But things are not what it seems. I’m Not Done with You Yet turns into a twisty cat/mouse plot, with dark twists, shenanigans, that keep you guessing until the end. My mixed feelings revolve around the lead characters, especially Jane, who for most of the book, I frankly did not like; and I also felt the first half did drag a bit.

I’m Not Done with You Yet was an interesting story line, that picked up in the last third of the book, being fast paced and exciting, with some major twists. I am a fan of Jesse Q. Sutanto, but where her other books were fun & entertaining, this one was more of a thriller. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Try Not to Breathe by David Bell – a Review

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Try Not to Breathe by David Bell – a Review

 

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Description:
An ex-cop sets out to find her missing sister and discovers the horrifying truth about her family…

A traumatic experience in the line of duty forces thirty-year-old Avery Rogers to abandon both her relationship and her position as a Kentucky State Police officer. She retreats to a college town where she works an unfulfilling job as a security guard, breaking up fights between drunken frat boys.

But a frantic phone call turns Avery’s life upside down. Her father—a retired cop who never fails to convey his disappointment in Avery—says her half sister is missing and in danger. Avery is sure Anna’s just crashing with friends, but her father strong-arms her into searching for the sister she barely knows.

Anna Rogers is fed up with her family—a half sister who resents her existence and a domineering father who thinks it’s okay for cops to shoot unarmed civilians. She hits the road to attend a protest against police brutality, unaware of the danger that awaits her there.

Just after catching a glimpse of Avery at the protest, Anna receives a shocking text. Now she’s no longer road-tripping; she’s running, pursued by an older sister she doesn’t trust and a violent stranger who has been stalking her for weeks.

When Avery discovers Anna’s hiding place near a remote cave system, she risks everything to save her. Little do the sisters know that the past is catching up with them—including the explosive secret at the very heart of the Rogers family.

 

 

Review:

Try Not to Breathe by David Bell is a standalone exciting thriller.  Avery Rogers, our heroine, is a former cop, who came close to getting herself killed, and decides to walk away from her job. She gets a job to work at a college, as a security guard, which she felt was safer; her father, a former cop, constantly taunts her for leaving her job as a police officer.  Avery remains distant from her parents, as well as her two sisters.  She then gets a call from her father, that her sister, Anna, disappears from campus, and is missing.  

We meet Anna Rogers, who is also distant from her family, as she is fed up with her father, as well as her sister, Avery. Anna lives with a roommate at school, and she leaves school to attend a protest against police brutality, unaware that someone is following her.

Avery agrees to find Anna, especially now that her roommate was murdered, something Anna is not aware of. At the protest, Avery spots Anna, and tries to get her out of harm’s way; but with help from a former cop, everything falls apart, as the danger escalates, and people are injured.

Anna receives a message that changes everything, and she goes to meet someone to learn the truth about her life, with secrets and lies endangering both Anna and Avery.   Avery managed to find Anna, but when some secrets are exposed, can she save her, and will she survive?

What follows is a wild last half of the book, that will keep you unable to put the book down, with so much going on throughout. Desperately trying to convince Anna to leave with her, Avery puts her own life in danger. Avery manages to step up, using her strength to fight, and at the same time overcome her fears.  There are a lot of things going on in this story, such as family drama, parents, sisters, as well as family secrets that need to be revealed.

Try Not to Breath was very well written by David Bell, as it was intense and exciting. As we reach close to the end, the sisters will bond, and discover the explosive family secrets that are catching up with them. I suggest you read this book, as it will keep you engrossed throughout. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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