Tag Archives: Thriller

Little Secrets, by Jennifer Hillier

Posted on by

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.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |

Follow Me, by Kathleen Barber

Posted on by

Audrey posts her move from New York to DC on her social media account for her millions of followers to view, like, and comment on. After her move, she notices someone is commenting very specific things on her posts that only someone following her would know. She starts hearing things outside her apartment. Things escalate. Who is following her?
Wait, doesn’t she want followers…?

Chapters alternate between Audrey, Cat, and Him. Audrey has the most chapters in the novel, and was certainly a naive and self-centered main character. Her best friend, Cat, is an attorney in DC and is socially opposite of Audrey. “Him” is the stalker.

Suspense throughout the story involves “Him”. Trying to unearth the identity of the stalker “Him” is the guiding light behind the tension of the novel.

There is a good twist in the end, but the questions and purpose buried beneath the conclusion spotlighted the main objective. It’s in the conclusion that the true essence of the novel is encapsulated, which made me really like it. Measuring accountability regarding social media is a subject of speculation that drives the novel home.

Visit author Kathleen Barber’s website.

Read Publisher’s Weekly review for Follow Me.

Kathleen Barber’s novel, Truth Be Told (formerly titled Are You Sleeping), is an Apple TV crime drama starring starring Octavia Spencer, Lizzy Caplan and Aaron Paul.

Follow Kathleen Barber on Twitter.

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

|Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review|

The Other People, by C.J. Tudor

Posted on by

“Other people, she thought. They were everywhere. And you never knew which ones where dangerous.” -C.J. Tudor, The Other People

In 2016, Gabe is driving home when he sees the face of his daughter from the back window of an unknown car in front of him. Thinking he must be mistaken, he pulls over to phone home. Answering his phone call though is not his wife nor his daughter, but the police who tell him it’s about his wife and daughter who are missing. After this first introduction chapter, the novel then fast forwards to 2019 where Gabe is still searching for his daughter who he believes to still be alive, though the police have dismissed his statement of seeing his daughter in the car in front of him. Gabe relentlessly pursues and uncovers piecing to his daughters mystery that were left untold. But, it seems even those closest with him have not been honest. Who can Gabe trust? And, what is Gabe hiding about his own past?

The chapters are short and writing style is absorbing. It’s a quick and easy read (under 300 pages). The chapters alternate between 3 characters, and are woven together towards the end as the mystery unravels.

I found myself suspending belief shortly into the story. But towards the middle and afterwards, I found so much unrealistic. I don’t mind suspending belief to help carry a story here or there, but the main story itself seemed too over the top. The reality was not there.
There is a small paranormal aspect that did not fit in well with the rest, and I did not understand what it had to do with the movement of the story or the finality of the plot.

Overall thoughts: I liked it okay. It was a good-ish read. It’s nothing that had me thinking long about it after I was done, no big jaw-dropping moments, and probably nothing I will recommend as an omg you will not believe this thriller. It was fast paced, but not thrilling for me. It’s a good read for vacation or by the pool.

Thank you to Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Read Bustle’s article about The Other People.

C.J. Tudor is the author of The Chalk Man which won the International Thrillers Award for Best Debut Novel.

Follow C.J. Tudor on Twitter.

|Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review|

When I Was You, by Minka Kent

Posted on by

Synopsis provided by the publisher:

This is a light thriller divided into 3 parts. The first part, which is Part 1 for Brienne, moved slower than the rest of the novel. This first part last from 1%-41% (on a Kindle) and caused the beginning to drag. It’s her repeating constantly how she is scared and how she wants to confront the person who took her identity but never really acts upon it…..other than that she only talks about how she thinks her roommate is cute. So, that made it repetitive and uneventful. Also, there were several obvious clues dropped during that time that gave away the twist.

I liked the story okay, but I really had to suspend belief for the majority of it. There was quite a lot that was hard to believe. It is an easy read and okay if you are looking for something lighter and don’t mind suspending belief.

There is no sex, but there is some cursing. 

Minka Kent is a best selling author for psychological thrillers. Visit author Minka Kent’s website to learn more about her books.

Her book, The Thinnest Air, made the best thriller book list for the year 2018. Read more here.

Follow Minka Kent on Facebook.

|Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review|