Tag: Thriller Reviews

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Fiction Thriller

A Death at the Party, Amy Stuart

Nadine Walsh is hosting a party for her mother’s 60th birthday. As she prepares to welcome her guests, she appears distracted. Her husband is of little help, her teenage children are going through their own problems, and she has secrets of her own which threaten to destroy her perfect party.

By the end of the night, Nadine will be standing over a dead body in the basement, but how did it come to this and how far will Nadine go to keep her secrets buried?

A Death at the Party is a slow burning domestic thriller. Forget ‘whodunnit’. This is a ‘whydunnit’ and ‘whoisdun’, as the mystery surrounds which of the party attendees has met their demise, and why.

Some novels lose readers because they get off to a slow start. This is the complete opposite; Amy Stuart was not messing here as she starts with the ending.  Just reading those first few introductory pages had me gripped as I needed to know how we got there.  

Despite some flashbacks to past events which help us to understand the history of some of the characters, much of the book purely spans over the timeframe of just one day. Split into three parts; morning, afternoon and evening, with an undeniable amount of tension building throughout. Having a book written over such a short time span, and still managing to build the level of suspense which A Death at the Party does is a testament to the author.

I enjoyed the characters, particularly the main protagonist Nadine. She wasn’t overly likeable, but she was very real.  She came across as a good wife, mother, and daughter and yet she also made mistakes. Her suspicious nature added to the mystery for me, and many of her actions were unsurprising given what she had gone through as a child. In addition to Nadine, all the other characters were well thought out, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and many of whom have their own secrets.

Themes in the book include loyalty, grief, and family secrets. There was also a clear gender divide in the book, there was a lot of focus on the complexities of the lives of women, with many of the males coming across as mistrustful and having inappropriate intentions, representing some of the inequalities we see in society.  Overall, the focus on family bonds was powerful, reminding us just how complex families can be and the lengths which people may go to protect their loved ones.

Overall a thoroughly engaging domestic thriller with compelling characters and a gripping plot.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Girl in the Dark, Deirdre Palmer

Ellen Randall, chilled by the January wind at a train station, spots a red scarf and is startled by the wearer’s identity. Three weeks later, a man explores an abandoned station, finding Ellen in distress. She confesses to having intentionally killed someone, surprising him with her confession.

The Girl in the Dark is a riveting psychological thriller with a brilliantly crafted plot that constantly challenges your assumptions. Just when you think you have it figured out, the story takes a thrilling twist.

Deirdre Palmer skillfully employs a multi-narrative approach, allowing readers to reach into the minds of various characters and experience the story from their unique experiences. The characters were well-rounded, some more flawed than others but the psychological exploration of their unique struggles added depth and intrigue to the story.

Profound themes are explored in this gripping tale. These include but are not limited to grief, the influence of memories on our thought process, the enduring impact of early life experience, while also shedding light on the poignant issues of suicide and loneliness.

The author’s post-epilogue reflection on the inspiration behind the story, especially the exploration of London’s secret underground locations, was a unique and intriguing addition to the book’s conclusion. It not only added a fresh perspective but also offered a fascinating glimpse into the history of London’s underground network. It’s clear that the author invested a substantial amount of research to craft this captivating tale.

Overall a gripping psychological thriller which I enjoyed from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. The Girl in the Dark is out now.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

Stay, Jane Bailey

Spending the summer travelling seemed like the perfect idea after flunking her exams, but when those closest to Caitlin betray her, she finds herself hitchhiking home alone, heartbroken and penniless.

A smiling family pull up on the roadside and offer her to stay with them for the night. One night soon turns into two and with the country being put into lockdown, it is impossible to turn down their offer to tutor their children, especially when they are so nice. It all seems perfect.

But then a member of the household warns Caitlin to leave, and then her phone suddenly goes missing, is this family perfect after all, but by the time she realises not all may be as it seems, it may be too difficult to leave.

Stay is a suspenseful psychological thriller which will have you turning the pages right until you reach the very end. The book is set around the Covid-19 lockdown which worked very well as it foreshadowed what it means to be trapped and added an extra layer of claustrophobia to the story.

The characters are depicted in believable way; Mimi and Marcus are manipulatively evil, Caitlin’s mother was motherly and warm and had put aside so much for her family and that is just touching the tip of the iceberg- Jane Bailey maintains this level of realistic characterisation through and through. Like many other readers was I screaming at Caitlin to not be so stupid? Absolutely yes! However, she was a naive nineteen year old in trouble so the storyline is absolutely plausible.

Overall a very startling read, I was totally engrossed.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Couple in the Photo, Helen Cooper

Lucy and Adam do everything with their closest family friends Cora and Scott. They’ve even bought a beach house together to enjoy summers with their kids.

One day a colleague passes around photographs of her honeymoon in the Maldives and Lucy is stunned to see Scott in one of them, his arm is around another woman.

If that isn’t bad enough, the news then breaks and the woman from the photograph has mysteriously vanished.

As Lucy looks for answers first her life begins to unravel around her, just how much can you trust your best friends?

The Couple in the Photo is a compelling thriller, which keeps you guessing all the way through.  Just when you thought you had guessed it another twist would happen and ultimately, I did not see the ending coming.

At the heart of the book are two families, what seems to be an idyllic friendship is actually a masterful construction of lies. The characterisation is mostly believable, and I really enjoyed the dynamics of friendship between the two couple as well as the dysfunction of it.

I enjoyed the fact that photographs were a continuous theme throughout the book – how one photo can unravel lies and/or how one photo can be edited to create a whole other narrative. I thought this focus was very thought-provoking.

Overall, 4 stars, a compelling thriller based on friendship and deceit and will keep you guessing until the very end.

The Couple in the Photo is out on the 22nd June.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

Little Ghosts, Gregg Dunnett

One moment Rachel’s daughter Layla was waiting in line at the beach for an ice cream, the next she was gone.

It’s two years on and still no one has been charged with Layla’s murder. The police have searched tirelessly but have found nothing.

Understandably Layla’s younger brother Gale is struggling. He’s secretive and keeps staring past his mother at something he can’t see. And then one day he tells Rachel, ‘I know who killed Layla’, ‘she told me.’

Will the family finally get justice?

Having never read anything by Gregg Dunnett before, I started reading this book with no expectations and was surprisingly very quickly gripped. This is not just your average psychological murder mystery; the supernatural element makes it refreshingly different from anything I have read before and yet is small enough to make the story authentic.

The twists in this book make it a thrilling read. Without giving away any spoilers- there is one particular twist in part 2 which I never saw coming in a million years and from here on I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens.

I thought the portrayal of grief and the aftermath of what had happened was well executed- the differing opinions between parents on where to go next, the pressure on different relationships and the mollycoddling of their only living child- really emphasised how trauma and grief causes a tidal wave through every aspect of a family and their life. The relationship between the two siblings was also beautifully depicted and added even more emotion to such a sad storyline.

Overall an emotional rollercoaster of a read; an exhilarating thriller with a supernatural twist. Five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Little Ghosts is published tomorrow!

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Bride To Be, Daniel Hurst

Kate is getting married and whilst it should be an exciting time she is having some serious doubts about her finance Mark and the way he  psychologically mistreats her.

Whilst shopping for her wedding dress, Kate spots a ridiculously happy couple- she wonders why her and Mark are not just like them and becomes infatuated by them.

However, as Kate’s obsession leads to her finding out more and more about this couple- are they really as perfect as they seem? Or will she uncover some deep dark secrets?

As a crime fiction thriller lover who is also a bride to be in less than 8 weeks there was no way I was passing up a chance to read The Bride To Be. I’ve not read a crime fiction thriller which surrounds a wedding before so I have to say  so it was great to read a book with this premise.

The  short chapters written by the author really gave the book a nice fast paced which meant I couldn’t stop turning the pages and got through it very quickly.

I wasn’t a lover of the characters- their actions weren’t always believable but then again neither was the storyline, despite this I enjoyed the overall plot of the story and the suspense maintained throughout the book. 

Overall, four stars! If you liked the ‘Girl on the Train’ then you are sure to enjoy this as I could definitely draw upon some similarities.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Bride To Be is out on the 7th May 2023.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Lies We Tell, Jane Corry

What would you do if your only son came home one night and told you he had killed someone? Would you hand him in? Or, would you go to great lengths to try and protect him?

That is the dilemma which Sarah and Tom are faced with, when 15-year-old Freddie comes home one evening and tells them exactly that.

The book rewinds back to the past and takes us on the journey of how Sarah and Tom met. Two, very different, people with very dissimilar traits and personalities, both of whom have experienced turbulent pasts and mistakes.

Overall, this book centres around the moral dilemma, of would you protect your child if they told you they murdered somebody, or not? Sarah takes a more nurturing approach, whereas Tom wishes to call the police. I think for some this may seem too far fetched- you may like to hope you would do the obvious right thing- but Jane Corry has a way with writing which really makes you feel Sarah’s pain. She wanted to be a mother to correct the wrongs of her own up-bringing, she suffered multiple miscarriages, therefore for Sarah the pain of giving up her son is unfathomable.

Jane Corry is one of those authors who I know will not let me down, and The Lies We Tell did not fail to impress. Her writing is spot on. The characters in the book, were well thought of, not just the main protagonists but also those supporting, such as Olivia and Gladys, and the pace was perfect. Whilst a huge timeframe was fitted in to one book, it did not drag and it kept my attention. The novel was full of twists and turns and every time you thought you knew you didn’t.

Overall a great book. A solid 4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin General UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Family Friend, C.C. McDonald

Erin is a mum, living by the sea with her fiancé Raf. when looking at Erin’s Instagram it would easily fool you into thinking she is living the perfect life. With thousands of followers, her posts suggest she is super mum, managing to have it all, whilst remaining upbeat and happy. However, in reality Erin is struggling with anxiety, finding connecting with her son challenging and is estranged from her family.

One day Erin gets home from a retreat to find Amanda, at their house. Raf explains Amanda is a family friend, from Australia. Having never heard of Amanda, Erin finds this strange at first. However, these suspicious thoughts quickly turn to gratitude when a famous agent offers to help Erin with her Instagram career and Amanda offers to move in and babysit.

However, the novelty of Erin’s new career soon wares off, when she begins to get trolled. Videos are posted which not only leads to a backlash from her followers, but her agent isn’t happy. To make matters worse these videos could have only been taken by someone close to Erin, leaving her second guessing all those closest to her.  

The Family Friend is a modern-day thriller, which could have done with a bit more thrill. From a thriller you expect twists and turns, but unfortunately the twists and turns failed to surprise and the plot was predictable.

Whilst the plot wasn’t amazing, I did still find this novel easy to read and enjoy the level of detail C.C. McDonald writes in. The immaculate detail really impacted the way I perceived the characters. For example, at first, I failed to connect with Erin, I wanted her to get off her phone (hypocritical really!), but the detail used to describe the trolling she experienced, as well as the details used to describe her anxiety, particularly around the other mum’s, really made me feel for her. I found myself feeling as though I was in her shoes and could really sense these worries and fears.

The themes which were discussed throughout The Family Friend are very relevant and relatable to today’s society. These themes included social media vs reality, trolling, anxiety, being a new parent and control in relationships. Pretty much all of us have a different persona online, and if you think you don’t then ask yourself how often you post about your worst days. Not to mention, those who feel parenting does not come naturally to them often feel too afraid and guilty to admit it, particularly when on social media it looks like all the other parents are doing everything swimmingly perfect. Therefore, I thought it was an important portrayal, which is not often seen, or if it is it is normally a bad character (think wicked non-maternal stepmothers in fairy tales). I would hope that Erin’s characterisation would make at least one new mum feel a little less alone.  

Overall, I would give The Family Friend 4/5 stars. It was an easy read, which was well written and discussed important issues, it would have just been nice to have a little less predictability.  

Thank you to Random House UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

Surrogate, Susan Spindler

Ruth Furnival has a highly successful career as a television executive, lives in a beautiful London home with Adam, her lawyer husband, and has two grown up daughters. Sounds perfect right? However, at 54 years old Ruth finds herself feeling dissatisfied.

Lauren, Ruth’s eldest daughter, has had multiple rounds of IVF, and after her latest miscarriage she is told that the only way she will ever have her own child is through surrogacy. However, surrogacy laws in the UK can be complicated, which leads to Lauren unsure about letting a stranger carrying her baby. When Ruth realises that it is possible that she can reverse the menopause and carry Lauren’s baby, Lauren and her husband, whilst reluctant at first, agree out of desperation.

However, not is all as simple as it seems.

Surrogate is an extremely powerful read. It touches upon such a delicate topic yet Susan Spindler portrays it perfectly; delicately but authentically, as she shows all the realities which need to be considered, and the emotional turmoil it can cause to all involved. Aside from surrogacy and infertility other themes in the novel include relationships, identity and self-purpose.

The characterisation in this book was spot on. Every character had something to bring to the novel and I found it interesting to understand the impact of the surrogacy on each of their personalities. Sometimes when reading you like and dislike certain characters- with this book I liked and disliked them all during different times- as the author managed to bring out the worst and best in all of them, which showed the rollercoaster of emotions and feelings each of them faced.

I really enjoyed the pace of this book. There were lots of twists and turns and things which you don’t expect to happen. It was a topic which a lot of people may shy away from and therefore very much if anything similar to this before and overall found it a very powerful and emotionally charged read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

Stay Home, Ava Pierce

Stay Home is a mystery thriller which evolves around London during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. It centres around two main characters; Caitlin a mother of two and wife, who has been having an affair with the victim Daniel, and Ali, a just-about-functioning, lonely alcoholic whose main hobby is neighbourhood watch.

When Caitlin discovers Daniel dead one morning when she is supposed to be on her ‘daily run’ she is reluctant to tell a soul. After all she is breaking the lockdown rules, not to even mention reporting the incident to the police will unlock the truth of her affair and therefore she risks losing her family as a result of her deceptive secret. However, little does Caitlin know she is being watched.

I was really excited to read this book as it was the first mystery I have read which centres around the pandemic we are living through. Although, I was nervous- was it a bit soon? I have to say the bravery of the author did pay off!

Admittedly, I did find the start slow. However, the pace of the storyline started to pick up and before I knew it I was racing through the book, finding it difficult to put down as twists and turns occurred. I have to say I particularly loved the character development of Ali, Ava Pierce led me to really emphasise with her pain, and I enjoyed the growth of Ali and Caitlin’s ‘chalk and cheese’ companionship throughout the novel and how ultimately they were not very different from each other at all.

Without giving any spoilers, I did find the ending a tad predictable. Perhaps I just read too many thrillers and my guessing game has got good? As a result of this, was Stay Home the best thriller I have read? Unfortunately, not. However, that does not undermine how much I enjoyed the journey of the novel and I would give it a solid 3 stars.

Overall, a very current read, relatable and full of twists and turns.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.