Tag Archives: Suspense

Little Secrets, by Jennifer Hillier

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Book summary below provided by the publisher:

I went into this knowing little about it, which I think is the best way to go into most thrillers. There are twists along the way, and many of the characters are unlikable. The beginning, when Marin’s son goes missing, was very climactic. But shortly after the abduction scene, the remainder of the story mostly focuses on love affairs rather than the kidnapping and it lost much of its suspense for me at that point.

All that to say, go into this knowing the foundation is laid for a child abduction mystery…but then quickly detours and centers around adult love affairs. Though it heavily focuses on Marin’s marriage, it is still a thriller because of the plot twists, tension between characters, and the anticipation that leads up to the ending.

It is definitely a quick and easy read. It didn’t take me long to finish, and I liked it. But it isn’t at the top of my list and is not one that I had to think hard about, nothing mind-blowing, or something I thought long about after. I can’t say that I was completely shocked by the big twist at the end of the story. It was a good book, but not the whole package. I found her other novels more enjoyable, but think readers will still find this one exciting.

Jennifer Hillier is a best selling author and is widely known for writing psychological thrillers. Visit her website.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review for Little Secrets.

Follow Jennifer Hillier on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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Lakewood, by Megan Giddings

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“You give yourself to make your country a better place. You give yourself to keep us safe.”

After her grandmother passes, Lena searches for financial comfort since her mother is medically unwell. She receives a letter offering more than enough to provide the comfort she needs if she moves to Lakewood and submits herself to the Lakewood Project. Accepting, Lena finds herself as part of a human experiment group.

“Why do you think they’re doing these experiments? What do you think they’re trying to learn?”

I enjoyed this debut young adult novel. It was a quick and easy read with a dark atmosphere. Lena’s race and socioeconomic status were rightfully featured as doormat for the government’s testing purposes. I kept wondering what was going to happen to Lena and the others that were part of the experiment group. There are a lot of unanswered questions for the greater half of the novel that build the readers suspense.

But at times it felt repetitive, and I just wanted the story to get on with it and progress. For example, the experiment group would do something they were told and the observers would watch what happened; this seemed to cycle around regularly for several chapters. The ending felt rushed for me. I didn’t feel complete closure for the full character of Lena. It skipped over a lot of the emotional and intellectual depth that was disclosed at the beginning.

Various though-provoking topics and questions surfaced throughout the story as a result of Lena’s background. What boundaries do humans have, and how do we set those boundaries? What are we willing to do to ensure the survival of our family and health insurance for ourselves and/or our loved ones? How do we justify the monetary value placed on someone else’s life?

Lakewood is Megan Giddings debut novel. Visit her website.

Read Boston Globe’s book review for Lakewood.

Read LA Times book review for Lakewood.

Follow Megan Giddings on Twitter.

Learn more about government experimentation by reading about the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, Operation Sea-Spray, Project Artichoke, or the San Quentin prison experiments.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

Darling Rose Gold, by Stephanie Wrobel

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“They don’t know the depths of this mother’s love.”

Does forgiveness come with limitations or should it be unconditional? Should mitigating factors be considered when speculating harmful behavior? The story starts out with Rose picking up her mom, Patty, from prison. Patty, imprisoned for aggravated child abuse of Rose, has caused a strain on their relationship and Rose’s future to be thwarted. But, is Patty the only one to blame? Where do they go from here now that she is out from prison? And, is Rose willing to look past the years of abuse her from mother…?

I really loved this one! I found both narrators so hard to trust, and as lies began to unfold the thrill of what was to come had me rapidly turning the pages. Nearly every chapter revealed a new lie or added a new element to one of the characters that seemed to put a twist on things.

The relationship between Rose and Patty is emotionally draining at times. Both characters are messy, and their story is not one that I would describe as a happy one. Rose’s life in particular unveils the superficial mask that society often has, and we see her frequently hurt by others around her. Patty’s background comes in bits and pieces, but also demonstrates a past reflecting a lifetime of pain.

I am not an expert on Munchausens syndrome, so I can’t attest to the validity of this illness as it is presented in one of the characters. If you work in the medical field, you might find fault within this presentation and might take this into consideration.

Darling Rose Gold is author Stephanie Wrobel’s debut novel. Visit Stephanie Wrobel’s website to learn more.

Publisher’s Weekly review of Darling Rose Gold calls Patty the “Mother From Hell”.

Go to this Popsugar page to read this first chapter of Darling Rose Gold for free!

Read BookTrib’s review of Darling Rose Gold.

Darling Rose Gold is also published under the title The Recovery of Rose Gold depending on your location.

Stephanie Wrobel, photo from Penguin Random House website.

Follow Stephanie Wrobel on Twitter.

Darling Rose Gold was selected as a March 2020 Library Reads book. To learn more, click here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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The Missing Sister, by Elle Marr

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Shayna goes to Paris after her sister is found dead. While visiting her sisters apartment to pack up her belongings, she reads a message in their secret twin language that she is really alive so she decides to retrace the steps of her sisters last days to try and find her. She trusts no one and tells no one that her sister is really alive. Why is her sister hiding? Who tried to kill her?

Overall, this story was hard for me to get through. It was underdeveloped and the mystery was short lived. The ending was predictable and it was slow to get there. There is little to no build up for the suspense; I was continuously bored and just wanted to just flip to the last few pages because everything in between was so pointless. The whole thing was just a poor quality mystery/suspense novel. Meanwhile, the entire prose was absolutely ridiculous.

The main character, Shayna, is a pre-med student who is described as very intelligent in the beginning. Her character doesn’t seem to maintain this intellectual trait throughout the mystery though.

I kept reading hoping there might be a major surprise and revelation towards or in the end but there wasn’t. It was under 300 pages though, so I suffered through.

The Missing Sister is Elle Marr’s debut novel. Visit her website here.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review for The Missing Sister.

Learn more about her debut novel.

The Missing Sister was selected as one of PopSugar’s 31 new thriller and mystery books to look out for in 2020.

Follow Elle Marr on Facebook or Twitter.

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Woman on the Edge, by Samantha Bailey

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In the first chapter, a scared woman that Morgan has never seen calls her by name and tells her to take care of her baby before jumping in front of a train. What was the woman running from and why did she entrust her baby to Morgan? How did she know her name?

Chapters alternate between Morgan, in the present, and the baby’s mother, Nicole, in the past.
Nicole’s situation as a new mother spotlights the reality of postpartum depression for women while Morgan’s circumstance demonstrates life as a widow whose spouse fell victim to suicide.

“Was this what motherhood felt like for everyone? A constant state of fear and panic?”

The overall situation and how things end up transpiring definitely seems implausible if you really think about it, but the suspense was so absorbing that I got caught up in all of it. Things were happening to Nicole that didn’t add up, and I wanted to know the truth.
The ending was a little over the top, but I was still turning those pages as fast as I could.

This was a short and fast-paced read that mystery and suspense readers will enjoy.

Woman on the Edge is Samantha Bailey’s debut novel. Visit her website.

Read Publisher Weekly’s Review for Woman on the Edge.

S. Bailey talks about her inspiration for writing Woman on the Edge.

Samantha Bailey

Follow Samantha Bailey on Facebook or Twitter.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance read copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon|Goodreads Review|

The Wife and the Widow, by Christian White

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“If they didn’t talk about the monsters in this world, then they wouldn’t be ready for them when they jumped out from under the bed.”

Chapters alternate between The Widow, Kate, and The Wife, Abby.
Within the few first chapters, Kate’s husband goes missing without a trace. She finds out he quit his job months earlier without telling her and lied about the trip he was supposed to be on. Where is he? Why did he lie? What is he hiding?“…are some monsters better left hidden.”
Abby’s chapters start off slower in the beginning. But then a something happens on the island she lives on and she notices that her husband has began to act different. Does he have something to do with Kate’s husband’s disappearance? What is he hiding?

As a reader, I kept trying to piece the connection together between the two of them (Kate and Abby). I had so many guesses. But when it hits you, it hits you HARD! O-m-g.

“What now? she thought. What the fuck now?”

The suspense was incredible and I could not put it down. This is not your average mystery/thriller; there is a powerful message buried in the end that surpasses just a thriller ….and I recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Visit Affirm Press to read more.

Read Christian White’s top tips for authors and screenwriters.

Christian White is the co-creator for the thriller series on Netflix, Clickbait.

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The Huntress, by Kate Quinn

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Is it ethical to kill a killer? Does survival trump morals? Is there a difference between justice and consequence?

My interest was compelled during the beginning. The first hundred pages or so are great. The mystery is built up colorfully, but then begins to drift about halfway in. The style became routine and tiresome. I did not find myself aching to finish this story since the plot had hit a stalemate. But, I did…after taking breaks. However, overall I was left disappointed in this read.

The chapters alternate between Nina, Jordan, and Ian. Nina’s chapters are lengthy and require a lot of patience. Jordan and Ian’s chapters are more enjoyable.

The story revolves around finding a Nazi murderess. Over 95% of this novel is about after the war. It does not focus on the events in German, it’s occupied regions, or the crimes that were committed against the Jews and other sub-populations during the war; rather, it centers around the crimes of one female Nazi and the relationships of those who are looking for her. Because of this, the story lost it’s spice and the ending becomes predictable early on.

Please be aware–There is a lot of of sex and adult language in this book.

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