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The Stranger in Her House
Author: John Marrs
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Date Published: February 13, 2024When I first started reading this book, I was like, “ho hum, another book about a dementia patient being conned.” I thought I knew where this book was going. But I should have known. I was reading a John Marrs book and he was not going to let me down that easy!
At about halfway through the book the twists just started coming and they didn’t let up! Each one could have been a story on its own. I winced every time poor Connie encountered another obstacle and I was rooting for her. Was she a bad person? Oh yes! But was she less bad than some of the other characters? By a long shot! Marrs writes a character who is so damaged that even when she tries to reform, her circumstances prevent it. I could easily suspend disbelief knowing that some of these scenarios could happen in real life.
Even when you think it’s the end of the story, there’s another convoluted twist and I’m sure I have permanent jaw pain from gritting my teeth as I stayed up into the wee hours so I could finish this book. -
Village in the Dark
Author: Author: Iris Yamashita
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date Published: February 13, 2024Beyond the mystery that Yamashita writes about, this book was a great introduction and eye-opener to me of the vastness of the Alaskan wilderness. The author takes you from the miles-long tunnel under a mountain, to the snow machines (vernacular for snowmobiles), to the aerial view from the small planes that might be the only way to get in and out of a remote location. From the city of Anchorage, to “Point Mettier, Alaska (inspired but not wholly based on the real-life Whittier, Alaska), where all 205 residents live in the same high-rise building”.
I was also touched by the author’s knowledge of indigenous people and language, and the mythology that informed so much of the traditions in the small villages. It’s a place where the Aurora Borealis holds mystical power. And even though this book is fiction, it is appalling to know that so many people, especially women, choose to live off the grid because of a fear of their past.
And finally, this is a great thriller based on missing persons, a pharmaceutical company, some bad actors, and the people that will go to great lengths to stop them.
This book is part of a series, although I did see it listed as such. The first book was City Under One Roof. It’s not necessary to read the first book, though it would have helped me with some confusion I had at the beginning of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance reader’s copy and for allowing me to take part in the blog tour for Village in the Dark.
Background photo courtesy of Johny Goerend at Unsplash.
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About the author
Iris Yamashita is an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter for the movie Letters from Iwo Jima. She has been working in Hollywood for fifteen years developing material for both film and streaming, has taught screenwriting at UCLA, and is an advocate of women and diversity in the entertainment industry. She has also been a judge and mentor for various film and writing programs, and lives in California.
Visit her online at www.irisyamashita.com, Facebook.com/iris.yamashita, Twitter @IrisYamashita, and Instagram @irisyamashita
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Pretty Polly
Author: Abby Davies
Publisher: Apple Loft Press
Date Published: February 1, 2024I know I was holding my breath throughout most of this book, and didn’t release it until the end! Even though I know there’s no such thing as monsters, Abby Davies writes about real (human) and imagined monsters in a way that has your heart in your throat.
Jessie is a psychologist who thinks she has figured out teenager, Polly. She believes her acting out has been caused by the trauma she experienced in childhood. Polly’s mother knows otherwise, but she’s not telling, and hoping that Jessie can suss it out on her own.
In the meantime, Jessie is dealing with threats at her home. It’s so upsetting, she can’t even deal with Mark, a man she naively dated, but whose over-the-top behavior gives her the willies!
The narration is split between Jessie, Polly, excerpts from Polly’s mom’s diary and Ben, the twin Polly lost when she was 5. I stayed up way past my bedtime because I had to know what happened (and release that breath!).
Thanks to Book Sirens for an advance reader’s copy.Background image courtesy of _drz_ on Unsplash.
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Courier
Author: Zoe Rosi
Publisher: Lighthouse Books
Date Published: January 30, 2024This short novella took me completely by surprise. It definitely had “You” vibes but with a twist.
We sometimes see our delivery people, but what if they “see” us? They know our habits by the things we order, how many times we order them, and what we look like if we have to come to the door. And what if that delivery person developed an unhealthy obsession with us? This short read delivered all of that and more!
I also loved that the author introduced me to the acronym F.I.L.T.H. (Failed in London, Trying Hastings). Google it -it’s hilarious!
Also – ignore the cover – this book is so much better than that!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Lighthouse books for an advance reader’s copy introducing me to another new-to-me author! -
The Clinic
Author: Cate Quinn
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Landmark
Date Published: January 23, 2024Remote location ✔️
Mysterious death✔️
Eccentric doctor✔️
Undercover patient✔️These are all the makings of an original thriller by Cate Quinn, titled, The Clinic.
When Meg goes undercover in a rehab center to get to the bottom of her sister’s death, she didn’t expect to be faced with her own demons and her own diagnosis that sends her for a loop. We see the interplay of good and evil with a story told from two points of view – Meg and the rehab manager. There is a dichotomy of wellness vs. greed for money. And a twist you might not see coming.
Be sure to read the author’s note for a look inside the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for introducing me to this title from Cate Quinn.
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On a Quiet Street
Author: Carla Kovach
Publisher: Bookouture
Date Published: January 15, 2024You’ll read this book in one day! Well, one day if your day ends at 1:30 a.m. because you HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!
This was such a complex mystery, of identity, he said, she said, cheating husband, lying husbands, wives, and mothers! There was a stalker, threatening texts, and break-ins.
Kovach takes us on a whirlwind quest to find out who Charlotte is, if Leah is her mother, and if Leah did what her mother said she did. There was a little repetition in the retelling from different points of view, but that by no means took away from the horrible truths that are unveiled.
A solid 5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader’s copy!Photo background courtesy of Yoksel 🌿 Zok on @unsplash
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The Fury
Author: Alex Michaelides
Publisher: Celadon Books
Date Published: January 16, 2024The setting: the story takes place on a private island off the coast of Mykonos, with flashbacks to home in London. While the island is only a couple of acres wide, it has a full-time caretaker, a ruins, and big estate. The Fury (Menos in Greek) is the wind that sometimes swirls around the island.
The cast of characters: one professional actor, one up-and-coming actor, one wannabe actor, one aspiring actor, one philandering husband, a housekeeper, and the caretaker.
The pacing: so slooowww. Especially in the beginning, presumably a narrative ploy meant to keep the reader in suspense. Elliot is the first-person narrator who tells the story from his point of view, as he imagines it played out, in five acts. Remember – there are a lot of actors in this group!
The payoff: finding out who was murdered and why. The denouement is told in layer after layer after layer with an almost audible ta-da! There is showmanship, sleight of hand, unrequited love, and great emotional damage.
Thank you to Celadon Books for surprising me with an advance reader’s copy of this highly anticipated 2024 title! -
They Are the Hunters
Author: Faith Gardner
Publisher: Mirror House Press
Date Published: January 11, 2024I’ll just preface my review by saying I have loved everything that Faith Gardner has written, so when this one seemingly strayed into YA territory I said “uh oh!”. But no worries – of course she came through!
Almost everyone in this book is a psychopath or psychopath adjacent. But the characters are also so normal, they could be your neighbors. There’s a little bit of an origin story for the parents, Angela and Carson, and the secret that binds them. There’s nerdy Ezra, perfect daughter Eliza (okay, maybe not in her black hair/clothing phase), and new-in-town girl Olivia, who is just looking for a friend. And a collision course that brings them all together.
The writing is tight, with bits of humor that break up what would otherwise be a very macabre story of a hereditary inclination toward unaliving humans. But with the greatest of intentions.
Thanks to NetGalley, Mirror Press and BookSirens for an advance reader’s copy for review.
Background photo Alex Perez @unsplash
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The Heiress
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Date Published: January 9, 2024I am so glad I decided to pull this book next from my TBR pile! Wow! This might be my favorite Rachel Hawkins book to date!
I love how she has written Ruby, a strong woman determined to make sure that her legacy is left in the right hands. And so, enter Camden, her adopted son (describing a picture he was forced to pose for, “I looked like a f***ing ventriloquist’s dummy who’d come to life in an assisted living facility”). This is really the story of three people, Ruby, Camden, and his wife Jules.
“We’re so close now, and soon, everything I’ve done will be worth it. And I will tell him. All of it, the whole story, no lies between us, just like it’s always been.”
Jules is the catalyst for reuniting Camden with his estranged family. She believes that once he’s away from their tiny rented apartment in Colorado and back in the huge house on the estate he’s heir to in North Carolina, he’ll see how good life could be for them. Of course that’s not the case. His cousins Ben and Libby, and Nana Nelle, are firmly entrenched in the house, a condition of Ruby’s will. And they spare no love for Camden, although Ben is intrigued by Jules’ witty repartee.
And of course there are Ruby’s secrets. All those dead husbands. That time she disappeared in the mountains. And finally, the way she died. The perfect combination for a suspense-filled novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader’s copy.
Book Cravings 