It's the near future, and a plane full of tech start-up employees has crashed on an abandoned island. Well, abandoned except for the huge tech-mansionIt's the near future, and a plane full of tech start-up employees has crashed on an abandoned island. Well, abandoned except for the huge tech-mansion whose door only opens when a man touches it.
Wait, back up. It's the nearer future, and Kristen works for a Canadian tech start-up which is trying to sell some impossible to make design that involves monetizing human emotion. Her boss is in love with her, her coworkers are suspicious of her, and she's hooking up with a spy who she occasionally meets in other countries. The planet is dying, and so are plenty of other people.
Wait, back up again. It's a very near future, and Kristen has survived the house fire that killed her parents. It was started when her father's bitcoin business hit big, overloading his basement set-up. Even in the hospital, Kristen is hounded by her family's fans and foes. Lots of people are influencers in this future, and Kristen has been one against her will all of her life. She has PTSD around surveillance and entrapment.
Pretty great concept for a thriller, which is absolutely what this is no matter what marketing you've seen. I only gave it four stars because I'm tired of people getting away with things that nobody should get away with. Then again, even though Kristen is not a great person and neither is anybody else in this book, I was rooting for her to win....more
Big Time starts out as a standard thriller: A. has been kidnapped, and her baby taken away. She manages to escape her captor, only to realize that herBig Time starts out as a standard thriller: A. has been kidnapped, and her baby taken away. She manages to escape her captor, only to realize that her memory is becoming fuzzier every minute. She's got to find out who she is in order to get herself to safety and get her baby back.
Then Grace comes in, and suddenly we're in a sci-fi future where time can be stolen from one person and given to another. Grace is a lawyer-turned-government employee, stuck in a job she hates but excels at, when she stumbles on the mystery of a kidnapped woman with a strange device implanted in her chest. She and her teenager turn into everyman detectives, using social media to figure out what happened to A. and how to rescue her.
The mix of genres is so fun and effective. It's quick as a thriller, but there's a big fat Message about what happens when we turn people into commodities, which is classic scifi. I can imagine this being made into a Netflix movie.
My only regret is that I really came to like a character that never existed. As a newish mom myself, I wanted her to find that baby. These characters are too damn relatable....more
A naive and sheltered young woman who thinks she's living out the plot of Twilight. Her father, a preacher who runs the town. An angry young man who kA naive and sheltered young woman who thinks she's living out the plot of Twilight. Her father, a preacher who runs the town. An angry young man who knows all of the town's secrets. A murder, then quite a few more. There's a lot of fun stuff here.
It did take me a while to get interested because Ruth has been so blindfolded her entire life that it's immediately obvious l she's wrong about everything. Then I got invested and suddenly read the blurb on the front cover, which gives away the (unhappy) ending. Look, I can do it too: this book was the southern Gothic version of The End of the Fucking World....more
It's Michigan in 1995, and Eddie and April are supposed to be on their honeymoon. Instead they're lost on a back road. They see a hitchhiker and pick It's Michigan in 1995, and Eddie and April are supposed to be on their honeymoon. Instead they're lost on a back road. They see a hitchhiker and pick her up, only to find out the girl is seriously injured. They rush her to the hospital, pursued by a scary truck. When they get there, it's assumed that Eddie and April attacked the hitchhiker. It doesn't help that they are both keeping secrets, even from each other.
Murder Road was enjoyable, and I couldn't stop reading. My only gripe is procedural: several times I was taken out of the action by thinking "that's not what a cop would do." Not that I would know....more
This was not what I expected, which is good because I don't read spy thriller bullshit and I would have missed out on a good read if I knew that's whaThis was not what I expected, which is good because I don't read spy thriller bullshit and I would have missed out on a good read if I knew that's what the fuck this was. It's like if the guy from 28 Days Later turned out to be Jason Bourne instead of some skinny scarecrow and instead of fighting zombies he's trying to nuke The Thing.
A man with no memory wakes up on a boat. There are five others on the boat, all amnesiacs. Unless you count the seventh guy, the one who killed himself before the others woke up. They all somehow manage to have personalities even without any backstories.
The boat is driving itself and cannot be stopped. It is heading toward London and the red fog and inhuman screams that surround the city. Robotic messages give the amnesiacs orders, including the directive to kill each other if anyone starts acting strangely. Their job is to survive and carry a weapon into London. Abandon All Hope All Ye Who Enter Here....more
In this thriller, the surviving third member of a trio of friends makes a podcast to try to discover what really happened to his friends. Twenty yearsIn this thriller, the surviving third member of a trio of friends makes a podcast to try to discover what really happened to his friends. Twenty years have passed and both the investigating detective and the mom of one of the murdered boys have an interest in believing that the man who was charged with the crimes was actually guilty.
This book started very nicely but the last half was just exhausting. Nobody is telling the truth, everyone is trying to manipulate public opinion, and there's really no stakes involved because both the accused killer and the actual killer are already dead. One unreliable narrator is interesting, but two or three are a headache. Still it was interesting how Macmillan used the podcast to blind the reader to the real events of the story. That could have been a great trick if she had given us one character to trust in the entire book....more
Ten years ago, 16 year old Sara Parcell disappeared. What we're reading is a retrospective on the crime, a compilation of interviews from the main chaTen years ago, 16 year old Sara Parcell disappeared. What we're reading is a retrospective on the crime, a compilation of interviews from the main characters. Of course, the whole thing is fiction.
I couldn't stop reading. I loved how the author slowly reveals the truth of the crime through characters who just assume we already know what happened. The interview format was intimidating at first, but in a fiction setting, it wasn't hard to follow because the characters seem to be aware of each other's statements. Not the most logical choice, but it made the book readable, so I appreciated it. Interesting bit of moralizing over true crime consumption throughout. Will recommend....more
Sager is back to form with this one (no spoilers or anything, but it's ix-nay on the host-gays). A gothic mansion that is barely clinging to the cliffSager is back to form with this one (no spoilers or anything, but it's ix-nay on the host-gays). A gothic mansion that is barely clinging to the cliff it was built on, ready to crumble at the barest hint of the book's climax. Confused identities, a dumbo main character who fancies herself a detective but is still about ten steps behind everyone else, the murderer being the actual last person you expect. Well worth the read....more
The Woman has lived in a serial killer's shed for five years. The killer, Aiden, keeps her like a pet until he can't anymore because his wife dies andThe Woman has lived in a serial killer's shed for five years. The killer, Aiden, keeps her like a pet until he can't anymore because his wife dies and he needs to move to a house with fewer unused sheds. Spotting an opportunity, and worried Aiden will just kill her if he can't find a use for her, The Woman offers to move with him. He sets her up in his spare room, somehow hiding from his twelve year old daughter that the tenant who eats dinner with them spends the rest of her time handcuffed to a radiator...or worse. A third woman, Emily, enters into what she thinks is a romance with Aiden. She's probably his next mark, but unluckily for Aiden she's got weird stalker vibes and messes up all of his plans.
PRO: the story is told in a unique way, from second person POV of the three women in Aiden's life. Attacks on The Woman are described as something like 'he did to me what he had decided he needed to do to somebody' give insight into the attacker without the reader being forced to witness any details. CON: this POV choice means that every bit of their thoughts and our thoughts revolve around Aiden, making him the star of a novel that is supposed to be about women surviving. There's something so yuck about the way everyone makes allowances for him, even The Woman. And Emily is absolutely insufferable. There are plenty of patrons who will be happy to read The Quiet Tenant and I will recommend it to them, but personally I just feel a bit dirty having read it....more
The Blackhouse is like a Tana French book only Scottish and maybe reincarnation is real. This is a placeholder review while I try to figure out what tThe Blackhouse is like a Tana French book only Scottish and maybe reincarnation is real. This is a placeholder review while I try to figure out what the HELL I just read at the end of this book....more
A thrilling story of black women abducted by a white supremacist cult and the communities that rescue them.
This was a solid five star read up until tA thrilling story of black women abducted by a white supremacist cult and the communities that rescue them.
This was a solid five star read up until the end. The last few chapters sort of unwound and lost focus. Maybe after I've had some time to think I'll change my mind and think it was brilliant, but right now I think it needed more....more
Disgraced Detective Wolf is on the case of a serial killer who seems to be fulfilling his wildest dreams: killing everyone involved with the case thatDisgraced Detective Wolf is on the case of a serial killer who seems to be fulfilling his wildest dreams: killing everyone involved with the case that destroyed his reputation and led to the death of a little girl. The trouble is, some of the people involved are innocent. The bigger trouble is that Wolf himself is the last one on the hit list. The Death Clock is literally counting down.
As a police procedural, Ragdoll is solid. There's not a single character I don't want to know more about, and I enjoyed the mystery. As a thriller, the book is maybe a little too wild. Wolf goes full Elliott Stabler, the murder methods are impossible, and the ending makes me wonder how the heck there can be two more books in the series when everyone should be dead or in jail. Which I guess means I have to read them. Well played, Daniel Cole....more
Picture it: a Ruth Ware novel, set in a cabin in the woods, but the ending makes sense.
Three couples are meant to be meeting up for a long weekend offPicture it: a Ruth Ware novel, set in a cabin in the woods, but the ending makes sense.
Three couples are meant to be meeting up for a long weekend off-the-grid, but only the wives show up. They discover a letter from their widowed friend which promises to kill one of their husbands. This leads to a good deal of panic and personal injury, but the real threat is even more sinister than what's in the letter.
Elsewhere, Imogen has just been picked up from music camp. Her driver is a killer. She doesn't know that, but she does begin to pick up on some seriously crazy vibes. Eventually, the fates of all of these characters dramatically and painfully intersect.
This book is twisty, but in that good way where you realize halfway through that you've been reading it wrong the whole time. Red herrings abound but are tolerable because they give insights into the characters and help build tension. There is so much tension from beginning to end. Then you get to the end and most of what happens is a believable and natural result of earlier events, rather than a too-neat happy ending.
Riley Sager's books to date have all been subversions on typical thriller and horror themes. This sixth book is a twist on Rear Window, with an alcohoRiley Sager's books to date have all been subversions on typical thriller and horror themes. This sixth book is a twist on Rear Window, with an alcoholic widow spying on her neighbors and suspecting pretty much everyone of murder.
I liked this book, then I hated it, then I loved it. It's twists all the way down, and each one made me rethink what I thought the book even was. Update: which I thought was a good thing at the time, but this book has been clunking around in my head for a year and asking to be adjusted to three stars. Let's hope the next book has Sager writing true to form and leaving real ghosts out of things....more
Eleanor has face blindness, which means that catching her grandmother's killer in the act is both traumatizing to her and useless to the police. Her gEleanor has face blindness, which means that catching her grandmother's killer in the act is both traumatizing to her and useless to the police. Her grandmother was mad rich though and wills her secret lake house to Eleanor and her aunt. The catch? They have to go spend a weekend taking inventory of the house together, and of course the murderer is coming too.
This was a good read. It's split up into two parts: the journal of a maid in the family's household in the 60's, and the present. This is one of those books where the "thriller" bits are in the present, but the past is much more interesting. Watching Eleanor's grandmother become the horrible but captivating person she was when she died is almost better than finding out why she was killed in the first place.
The translation is fantastic. If everyone didn't keep mentioning they were in Sweden, you wouldn't even know it....more
Vanessa, a police officer with a history of sleeping with criminals, moves her children to idyllic Seaside, Washington. Her first day on the job, she Vanessa, a police officer with a history of sleeping with criminals, moves her children to idyllic Seaside, Washington. Her first day on the job, she is handed a murder case. The suspects are Oz, Vanessa's last-night-stand; Bianca, the owner's niece, who has a history of sleeping with her barely legal employees, a creepy night guard, and a creepy janitor. The scene of the crime is Wonderland, an amusement park with a history of child abuse and a rumored dungeon under the Clown Museum. This book has all of the right components, but together they just don't work.
The problem with Wonderland is pacing. It's supposed to be a thriller, but it reads like a mystery with weird time overlaps between chapters. Normally I read a thriller in a day; this took me two weeks reading a few chapters at a time. It's not that I didn't enjoy the plot, or the characters, I just couldn't race through it. At no point was my heart pounding, at no point did I regret having to put the book down. If you like a deliberately paced mystery, this may be for you. The twists in the last 50 pages are just enough to make up for how slow the first 200 pages for. That said, I haven't seen anything in Hillier's books yet that makes me anxious to recommend them....more
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