Tag Archives: psychological thriller

Someone Is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong-a review

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Someone Is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong-a review

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 11, 2023

Blythe and her friends—Gabrielle, and brother and sister Tucker and Tanya—have always been a tight friend group, attending a local high school and falling in and out of love with each other. But an act of violence has caused a rift between Blythe and Tucker . . . and unexpected bursts of aggression and disturbing nightmares have started to become more frequent in their lives.

The strange happenings culminate in a shocking event at school: Gabrielle is found covered in blood in front of their deceased principal, with no memory of what happened.

Cracks in their friendship, as well as in their own memories, start appearing, threatening to expose long-forgotten secrets which could change the group’s lives forever. How can Blythe and her friends trust each other when they can’t even trust their own memories?

•••

REVIEW:SOMEONE IS ALWAYS WATCHING by Kelley Armstrong is a contemporary, young adult, psychological, suspense thriller focusing on the small town of Darlington Hills and a research facility owned by CMT.

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

Told from first person perspective (Blythe Warren) and several third person omniscient perspectives SOMEONE IS ALWAYS WATCHING follows in the aftermath of the so-called suicide of the local high school principal but from the outset everything is spiralling out of control, memories are erased, and the truth is definitely stranger than fiction.

Our heroine, sixteen year old Blythe Warren, is worried that something has happened to her best friend Gabrielle, who prior to the apparent suicide of the high school principal was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Blythe had followed Gabrielle to the principal’s office but her memory of what happened or why is non-existent except for small flash-backs that do not make sense. As Blythe’s memory begins to reveal something more sinister at work, her group of well-connected and close knit friends begins to unravel a secret closely connected to the CMT Research Facility, where all of their parents work.

Blythe, along with her sisters, and friends all attend a private and prestigious STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) school, sponsored by the local CMT Research Facility but all is not well within the student body when Blythe begins to receive messages from an unknown sender, and encoded emails reveal an long term experiment that went horribly wrong.

SOMEONE IS ALWAYS WATCHING is a story of power and control, secrets and lies, murder and mystery, memories and madness, twists and turns where nothing is as it seems, and people are not whom they claim to be. Kelley Armstrong invites the reader into a psychological thriller, an intense story of mystery and suspense wherein it takes a group of sixteen year old high school students to break through the veil of power and control. The thought-provoking premise is dark, gritty tragic and dramatic; the characters are flawed, broken and easily manipulated.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton-a review

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Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 7, 2023

Birnam Wood is on the move . . .

Five years ago, Mira Bunting founded a guerrilla gardening group: Birnam Wood. An undeclared, unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic gathering of friends, this activist collective plants crops wherever no one will notice: on the sides of roads, in forgotten parks, and neglected backyards. For years, the group has struggled to break even. Then Mira stumbles on an answer, a way to finally set the group up for the long term: a landslide has closed the Korowai Pass, cutting off the town of Thorndike. Natural disaster has created an opportunity, a sizable farm seemingly abandoned.

But Mira is not the only one interested in Thorndike. Robert Lemoine, the enigmatic American billionaire, has snatched it up to build his end-times bunker–or so he tells Mira when he catches her on the property. Intrigued by Mira, Birnam Wood, and their entrepreneurial spirit, he suggests they work this land. But can they trust him? And, as their ideals and ideologies are tested, can they trust each other?

•••••••

REVIEW:BIRNAM WOOD by Eleanor Catton is a contemporary, adult, stand alone psychological thriller focusing on a New Zealand collective calling themselves Birnam Wood, a co-op, a commune of hippie-style thirty-somethings who illegally plant sustainable, organic gardens in neglected spaces, and off-road areas for personal use and to share/sell to the otherwise unaware.

Told from third person perspective BIRNAM WOOD follows Mira Bunting, the so-called leader of the Birnam Wood gardening collective, and a woman who is struggling to keep the collective afloat. In the wake of a landslide that all but wiped out a major thoroughfare and pass, Mira goes in search of some property to confiscate for Birnam Wood, property owned by the recently knighted Sir Owen Darvish but has apparently been sold to American billionaire/ widower Robert Lemoine. All does not appear as it should be when one of their own, amateur journalist Tony Gallo, begins to question the who, how and why but Mira’s only concern is the ‘free land’, and the ability to equally grow crops. As Robert Lemoine’s intentions become clear to Tony, Mira and her friend Shelley are at an impasse, finding themselves in an impossible situation, a situation of which they no longer have any control. People will die, secrets revealed show collusions and conspiracies meant to deceive.

BIRNAM WOOD begins extremely slow and exceptionally dry as the author begins to build a foundation for her story line premise. The first twenty to twenty-five percent reads like a study in sociology; a social psychology experiment ; a cautionary tale of capitalism and consumerism, rich and poor, ecology and greed, murder, power and control. The character driven premise is dramatic, twisted, haunting and tragic; the characters are desperate, idealistic and challenging.

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Reviewed by Sandy

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The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes – a Review

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The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes – a Review

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Description:
A captivating psychological suspense debut about a young woman still haunted by her childhood best friend’s death who learns of an eerily similar incident and must find her way back to a cabin in the New England woods, armed with only hazy memories, to finally uncover the truth that has eluded her.

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been hanging around with all summer. Seven years later, Maya is just managing to move on; she lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret Klonopin habit that’s allowed her to cope with what happened all those years ago.

But her past comes to haunt her when she discovers a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged back into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her small Berkshires hometown to figure out the truth.

With guidance from a half-written book by the father in Guatemala she never knew, Maya’s quest for answers forces her to relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her, and the jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey—finally leading her to Frank’s cabin in the woods.

The House in the Pines is an utterly unique and surprising thriller about the subtlety of memory and manipulation, confronting the past and returning home, and the powerful and lasting bonds of family and friendship.

 

 

 

Review:

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes is a stand-alone psychological thriller.  Maya, the main character of this story, is haunted by the mysterious death of her high school best friend 7 years ago.  Her memories are very hazy, with her unable to remember the past, as well as trying to get herself off of her addiction to Klonopin. 

While in high school, Maya started dating Frank, who seemed a bit of a loner, and her best friend, Aubrey worried about Maya and her relationship with Frank.  Maya began to act strange, not able to remember some things, and when Aubrey mysteriously drops dead, while sitting across from Frank; Maya suspects that somehow Frank had something to do with her death.  Unable to prove anything, Maya leaves town to go to college.

7 years later Maya sees a You Tube video, showing a woman who suddenly keels over dead in a diner, with the man sitting across from her, being Frank.  Plunged into her nightmare, Maya decides to return to her hometown to find out the truth from all those years ago.   She is determined to find a way to get past her trauma, and learn how Frank is manipulating people.  Maya’s Guatemalan father wrote an unfinished book, that when she reads, she begins to suspect the unique connections to whatever Frank is able to do. As the story races to its climax, we do discover what is happening, but with that said, I do not want to give spoilers. You will need to read this book to find out.

Overall, I did have mixed feelings about this book.  It was a unique story, suspenseful and interesting.  I just thought there was too much going on between the past and present, leaving me a bit confused at times.   Early on, I did like Aubrey and Maya’s friendship, and Maya’s mom was very good.  Frank was a bad character, especially the more we learn.  

The House in the Pines was well written by Ana Reyes, as for the most part, it kept your attention throughout; with suspense, memories of the past, addiction, and confronting the truths.  If you like psychological thrillers, I suggest you read The House in the Pines.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

 

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The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager – a Review

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The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager – a Review

 

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Description:
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is rich; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.

One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey becomes consumed with finding out what happened to her. In the process, she uncovers eerie, darker truths that turn a tale of voyeurism and suspicion into a story of guilt, obsession and how looks can be very deceiving.

 

Review:

The House Across the Lake is another fantastic novel by Riley Sager. I have read a number of books by Sager, and in each book, he continues to surprise and shock us with many twists we never expect. 

Casey Fletcher, our heroine, is a well-known actress, who in the past year lost her husband to drowning.  She hides out from the press, at the family lake house in Vermont, spending her time constantly drinking a number of bottles of liquor a day; as she continues to grieve.  Casey uses her binoculars daily to look at other houses around Lake Green, and becomes obsessed with watching a famous couple, former model Katherine Royce and her husband, Tom, who have recently purchased the house across the lake. 

One day, Casey sees Katherine struggling in the lake, and she comes to her rescue; with both of them becoming fast friends.  Both Katherine and Tom visit Casey, to thank her for saving Katherine.  During the evenings, Casey continues to overdo her drinking and spy on the Royce’s, until she continues to notice that something is not right in their marriage. 

When Katherine suddenly disappears, Casey is obsessed with finding out what happened to her; as she suspects the husband.  Casey will confide in a friend living next door, who has a police detective friend; but there is no evidence of wrong doing; in her determination, she uncovers strange and darker truths.  Will the police investigate or ignore her claims due to her excessive drinking?

The House Across the Lake was an amazing exciting thriller, that had me on the edge of my seat throughout; with a journey that is filled with many shocking twists and turns.  To say anything more would be spoilers, and this is a story that needs to be read to the end.   Riley Sager once again gives us another wild, crazy and surprising, not to mention entertaining ending.  If you love intense and exciting thrillers, you can do no wrong reading Riley Sager.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

 

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Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton – a Review

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Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton – a Review

 

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Description:
Elise King is a successful and ambitious detective–or she was before a medical leave left her unsure if she’d ever return to work. She now spends most days watching the growing tensions in her small seaside town of Ebbing–the weekenders renovating old bungalows into luxury homes, and the locals resentful of the changes.

Elise can only guess what really happens behind closed doors. But Dee Eastwood, her house cleaner, often knows. She’s an invisible presence in many of the houses in town, but she sees and hears everything.

The conflicts boil over when a newcomer wants to put the town on the map with a giant music festival, and two teenagers overdose on drugs. When a man disappears the first night of the festival, Elise is drawn back into her detective work and starts digging for answers. Ebbing is a small town, but it’s full of secrets and hidden connections that run deeper and darker than Elise could have ever imagined.

 

 

Review:

Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton is another one of her standalone suspense novels.  I have read a few books by this author, which were very good.  I did like Local Gone Missing, but thought it was very slow in the beginning with the last third of the book exciting. 

Elise King, our heroine, is currently on medical leave from her job as a police detective (inspector) in Ebbing; planning on returning to work soon. Elise learns about the disappearance of a local man from the music festival, as well as two teenagers overdosing on drugs.  Elise, being bored, decides to investigate on her own, with her neighbor friend, Ronnie; she was a hoot (who loved being an amateur detective).  Elise will uncover many secrets revolving around the missing man, Charlie Perry, who had made a number of enemies in town, that not only goes back many years, but also in the present. Charlie’s body is found a few days later, and Elise will discover that a number of people were after him, as he owed a lot of money from his investment schemes. Halfway through the book, Elise is called back to work taking over the police investigation

There was so much going on, with a lot of suspects, that made more than half the book a bit slow and somewhat confusing, as well as being hard to keep track of everything; especially with all the subplots.  The time line did go back and forth from the past and the present. I really liked Elise, she was a great detective, as we got to see the inner workings of police procedurals (interviews & investigations).  The last third of the book was very exciting, with Elise in the forefront, with her staff and the many suspects.

Local Gone Missing was a cozy busy mystery that was interesting, and a very exciting at the end. Local Gone Missing may have started a slow, but was well written by Fiona Barton.   

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

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The Heights by Louise Candlish – a Review

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The Heights by Louise Candlish – a Review

 

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Description:
The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among warehouses in London. Its roof terrace is so discreet, you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren’t standing at the window of the flat directly opposite. But you are. And that’s when you see a man up there—a man you’d recognize anywhere. He may be older now, but it’s definitely him.

But that can’t be because he’s been dead for over two years. You know this for a fact.

Because you’re the one who killed him.

 

 

Review:

The Heights by Louise Candlish is a standalone thriller. Ellen Saint is the lead in this book, which starts out with a bang.  Ellen is attending a client meeting at their home, when she notices a man on the roof of the opposite building; she is shocked, as she recognizes the man. It seems the man, Kieran Watts, was killed 5 years ago, and Ellen had a hand in his presumed death.  The Heights is told in 4 parts; the events that led up to her wanting to kill Watts; POV of ex-husband, Vic; current day and the final exciting ending.

We meet Ellen, her teenage son, Lucas; daughter, Freya; her husband, Justin and ex Vic.  Everything at this point is normal, until Kieran, who is new, becomes friends with Lucas.  Kieran is destructive, malicious and a bad influence on Lucas, which Ellen desperately tries to reach out to her son, who becomes distant, to stop spending time with Kieran. Then a tragedy happens, which destroys the family, especially as Ellen’s hatred escalates.  She and Vic want revenge against Kieran, who they consider a sociopath, and together they plot to make Kieran pay.

Needless to say, Ellen is beside herself, and determine to find out how Kieran was still alive, and who betrayed her.  As she tries to reach out to Vic, who is married with a child on the way, he is no longer interested in helping her, as too much time has passed, and they need to move on.  Ellen is totally filled with hatred, rage, in her focus only on killing Kieran.  I have to say, I did not like Ellen at all, as she came across as a very unlikable person, especially with her being consumed with so much hatred, blinding her overall life; there was no chance to even sympathize with her grieving.  Vic played a big part in this story, and their revenge, and in his POV we begin to learn more of what happened years ago.

What follows is an exciting and intriguing psychological thriller, which had a number of surprising twists and turns that changed everything. The last ¼ of the book was mind boggling.  The Heights by Louise Candlish was very well written.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Hostage by Clare Mackintosh – a Review

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Hostage by Clare Mackintosh – a Review

 

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Description:
You can save hundreds of lives. Or the one that matters most.

A claustrophobic thriller set over twenty hours on one airplane flight, with the heart-stopping tension of The Last Flight and the wrenching emotional intensity of Room, Hostage takes us on board the inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney.

Mina is trying to focus on her job as a flight attendant, not the problems of her five-year-old daughter back home, or the fissures in her marriage. But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination. Someone who needs Mina’s assistance and who knows exactly how to make her comply.

It’s twenty hours to landing. A lot can happen in twenty hours.

 

 

Review:

Hostage by Clare Macintosh is another one of her fantastic psychological thrillers.  I loved Mackintosh’s previous books, and could not wait to see what she had for us next.   I am happy to say that Hostage is another fabulous intense story, that keeps us totally glued to our seat.  There are two main POV’s in this story (Mina & Adam), with a number of thoughts by various passengers.

Mina, our heroine, is a stewardess on an inaugural 20-hour flight from London to Sydney, Australia. Mina was not scheduled to take this flight, but her marriage is on the rocks, especially when she suspects her husband, Adam was having an affair, and she needed to get away; leaving Adam to take care of their 5-year-old adopted daughter, Sophia.

The plane takes off on schedule, with crew and passengers excited to be on this trip.  In a short time, one of the passengers is dead; was it a heart attack or was it murder?  Mina spots a picture of her daughter in the dead man’s pocket, and she becomes concerned when she also finds an epi pen (daughter uses this) nearby, which has her checking out people on the plane. Shortly, she receives an anonymous note that tells her to do as she is told, or her daughter will die; she must within the hour, open the cockpit to allow someone else to hijack the plane.  Mina must decide to save her daughter, or possibly kill everyone on the plane.  Mina is unable to do her flight duties, as she is in a horrible predicament. What will Mina do?

Adam is home taking care of Sophia, with a babysitter helping him. He is beside himself that Mina thinks he had an affair, when in reality he is being threatened to pay off his enormous gambling debt or get himself killed.   But when the radio starts talking about the flight Mina is on being hijacked, both him and Sophia are worried; until he realizes that he has now become hostage too; the babysitter gives them something to knock them out, and is locked in the basement, with handcuffs on him.

What follows is an exciting and intense edge of your seat thriller, that was totally addictive with constant twists, suspense and action.  The 350 passengers and crew are facing terrifying danger, with struggles, injuries and death.  The first part of the book gives us a chance to meet the crew, passengers, and some pov thoughts from various passengers, who we try to see if they are part of the takeover; the tense action escalates in the second part.  I thought the reason for the hijacking was a bit different; climate change that is needed to do something about the world on the brink of disaster.

Hostage was a dark chilling scary thriller, that was exciting, with lots of tension, and some twists. To say too much more would ruin the book for you; as you need to read this from to start to finish. I will add there was a twist at the very end, that had me not crazy about, though I suspected about the person.  If you love psychological thrillers, you can never go wrong reading Clare Mackintosh, who wrote another fantastic story.

Reviewed by Barb

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The Therapist by B.A. Paris – a Review

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The Therapist by B.A. Paris – a Review

 

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Description:
When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…

 

 

Review:

The Therapist by B.A. Paris is another one of her psychological thrillers.  We meet our heroine, Alice at the start, as she is planning to move with her boyfriend, Leo to an exclusive cul-de-sac neighborhood, The Circle.  Leo was thrilled to get the house at a great price, since it has been on the market for a year, which enabled him to buy it at a reduced cost.  After making renovations on the house, Leo and Alice move in, and are happy to be in a safe gated area.

Alice goes out of her way to meet her neighbors, but in a short period, she learns why Leo got the house so cheap.  The woman who lived in her house, was a therapist, who was murdered; to top it off, the woman’s name was Nina, which happens to be Alice’s deceased sisters name, who died years before. Alice is upset about not knowing about the murder, and that Leo kept it a secret, and she is very angry at him, causing him to not be home as much, at least until she gets over it; if she does.

Alice meets a private investigator, who gives her more information about the murder, and she becomes obsessed with finding out the truth.  Did Nina’s husband kill her, or was someone else the real killer. Alice spends her free time, asking questions of her neighbors to gather more information, and is convinced the husband did not kill his wife. With Leo mostly away, Alice becomes paranoid, as she suspects someone is coming into her house at night; leading her be suspicious of all of her neighbors.

Though Alice seemed like a nice person, she was way overboard, changing her mind constantly as to who she suspects.  Her behavior was off the wall, totally unreliable and frankly as time went on, I was not liking her at all. To paraphrase a friend’s slogan; I thought Alice put herself in danger so many times, that she most definitely was TSTL (too stupid to live).

Despite the heroine being a bit crazy obsessed, the story was a very good thriller mystery.  The last half of the book was a wild ride to the climax, that kept me on the edge of my seat.  Just when you thought you knew who the killer was, another surprise twist occurs.  I will say that from the start, I did suspect who it might be, and even though I was beginning to change my mind, I was right.  LOL.

The Therapist was very well written by B.A. Paris, though I would like a smarter, less stressful heroine. If you like a mystery thriller that has your attention from start to finish, I suggest you read The Therapist.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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