Book Blitz: Now I Found You by Mila Oliver

Now I Found You by Mila Oliver
Published: July 20, 2021
Genres: Adult, Suspense, Thriller

Seven years ago, Kate Hartfield’s little sister disappeared.

An ordinary summer day of fun at the lake turned into a nightmare when young Emily Hartfield suddenly could not be found. When badly battered body parts were discovered three days later, the investigation concluded that they were Emily’s and the case was closed as an accidental drowning.

Now Kate has returned to her hometown in the Catskills for the first time since her sister’s death, for a work retreat. While at her boss’s lake house, she briefly spies a familiar face.

It’s Emily.

She’s all grown up, but Kate knows her sister’s face better than anyone. The sighting reignites the doubts Kate has always had, and forces her to revisit all the mysterious circumstances that surrounded that day. As she desperately tries to track down the girl she saw at the lake house, Kate discovers shocking secrets from the past, confronts her own guilt from that day, and becomes obsessed with uncovering the answer to one question.

What really happened to Emily?

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT

Back at her apartment, Kate peeled off her clothes and threw them in a corner before crawling into her twin sized bed. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes painting it with lush green trees and soft wood trails. It had been six years since she left, but she could still smell the clean mountain air. She could still feel the leaves slapping against her arms as she and her cross-country team ran through the woods. She could still hear the soft fireflies zipping through the quiet of the night, and taste the fresh raindrops that would fall softly onto her face. And she could still see her little sister, in her bright yellow swimsuit, smiling at her from the shallow end of the lake, her face partially blocked by the blinding glow of the setting sun.

Kate remembered the first time her memory of Emily had started to fade a little. It was a little over two years after Emily died. Up until then, every detail of Emily always lingered at the periphery of her brain. She didn’t even need to conjure it up, it was just always there. Every freckle on her face, the sparkle of her bright blue eyes, the softness of her lush blond hair. The smell of the vanilla sugar body splash she wore every day.

But then suddenly, on an otherwise ordinary day, Kate woke up and, for a few seconds, Emily’s face was fuzzy. Her memory did not have its usual depth and clarity. Kate had trouble feeling Emily’s silky hair through her fingers.

The memories returned in full force a few moments later, but the shock of it had engulfed her like a tidal wave, pulling her down into a deep depression. It was the first time Kate realized that her memories of Emily would not always be as strong and clear as they originally were. That overtime memories would take a new form. They would become more like looking back at old photographs or home movies, rather than the very real feeling of Emily standing right there in front of her.

Kate reached for the small container on her nightstand and shook out two pills. Every so often, she found that alcohol was not enough to blur her memories and lull her peacefully to sleep. The pills snagged against the back of her throat as she swallowed them dry and waited listlessly for darkness to fall.

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Excerpt: Kill All Your Darlings by David Bell

 

Now that it’s out, I feel agitated, restless. My thoughts are a jumble. “Do you want a drink or something?” I ask. “I think I need bourbon.”

“Sure,” she says. “I always drank when you paid.”

I go back out to the kitchen, Grendel at my heels. It’s cold out, and I’d turned the heat down when I left the house. But I feel flushed, sweaty. Almost like I have a fever. I open the corner cabinet and take down a bottle of Rowan’s Creek and two glasses. When Jake was born, twenty years ago, Emily’s brother gave me a bottle of Rowan’s Creek, so whenever I drink it, I think of my son. My hand shakes as I pour.

Grendel starts eating. I hear his chomping in the corner. 

“You were drinking a lot when I last saw you.”

I turn toward Madeline. She’s standing in the doorway from the living room, leaning against the jamb.

“I was,” I say. “I’ve cut back. A lot. I had to.” I hand her the glass, trying to control the trembling. “But I think I could use one or maybe two tonight.”

"I guess it isn’t every day that a ghost shows up in your house.”

I swallow and lean back against the counter. “They looked for you, Madeline. Searches all over campus and town. It was on the news. Some people thought you just up and ran off on a whim. Some students do that. Impulse trips.”

“Some kids can afford to do that.”

“Right. But they looked in your apartment. You left all your books and clothes behind. You were an excellent student, an honors student, a few months away from getting a degree. And you stopped coming to class. The police questioned everybody who’d had any contact with you, including me. Especially me because we were all at the bar that night.”

“And I left Dubliners right after you did.”

“Right. Some of this is fuzzy. How I got home . . . how I even man- aged to get my key in the lock and get inside . . . I kind of think you came with me . . . but I don’t know how far . . .”

“Out in the living room you were talking about the book,” she says, arms crossed, glass in front of her. “After you read it and wanted to talk to me and I was gone.”

I finish my first glass and pour another. This is it, I tell myself. Just two drinks.

“You know I have to publish to get tenure,” I say. “That’s the way to survive in academia.”

“I’ve heard about that.” “Publish or perish, they call it.” “It sounds awfully bleak.”

“It can be,” I say. “And I hadn’t published anything in the seven years I’d been here. That book of stories Autumn Sunset came out when I was still in graduate school, so it didn’t count. If you don’t get tenure, you get fired. And if I didn’t get tenure here, I probably wouldn’t get hired anywhere else. They’d see I failed to produce, and no one would touch me. Why would they want a middle-aged guy with a huge blank spot in his publication record?”

“You could tell them about your family,” Madeline says.

“Sure. And the university here gave me an extra year for bereavement. I still couldn’t produce a book or even a few stories.” Grendel appears to be finished eating. He slurps some water, shakes his head, and goes back out to his perch on the couch. “Dr. White, the department chair, is a pretty good friend. And he really looked out for me. But he could only do so much. And he was really on me, reminding me what was at stake. He kept telling me, ‘Just produce something, Connor.’”

“No pressure, right? Hurry up and write an entire book while you’re grieving.”

“Life goes on at some point.” I drink some more. “The world doesn’t stop forever. Six months had passed after you disappeared. Six months. No one really said it out loud, but everybody was thinking the same thing. After a few days—a week, really—people were thinking the worst had happened. That you weren’t coming back. That you were dead. Murdered. Even your mom said it in an interview she did with the local paper. Does she know you’re—”

“I’ll call her soon,” Madeline says, her voice sharp. “You just finish telling me about the book and how all of this happened.”

We’ve reversed roles. She’s asking the questions. She’s playing the part of authority figure. And I feel compelled to answer her and give a full accounting of myself.

“I had your book,” I say. “Almost all handwritten. And you were gone. And I had an agent interested in my writing from years ago, although I wasn’t even sure she still knew I existed. I took your handwrit- ten book and retyped it on my computer.”

“You gave me a hard time about turning in a handwritten draft. I told you my computer died.”

“It turned out to be to my advantage. I made some of the revisions as I went along. I kept telling myself I wasn’t going to send it anywhere, that I was just going to type the book out as an exercise, a way to get my own creative juices flowing again. But the deadline was coming up for my tenure review. And I really wasn’t sure how I would handle it if I lost this job. On top of everything else, to be unemployed with nowhere to go.”

Madeline shows concern as she listens. She’s nodding, encouraging me to keep talking. And it feels good, really good, to finally unburden myself of the secret I’ve been carrying around for the past eighteen months. Even if I am unburdening myself to the person most directly harmed by my actions.

“It’s so hard to get a book published,” I say. “What are the chances for anyone? It was a whim. A Hail Mary play. But my agent loved the story. And within a few weeks, an editor loved it. And bought it. I kept telling myself to speak up, to tell them it wasn’t mine. But the train just kept gathering momentum and . . . I have to be honest . . . after every- thing that had gone wrong for me, after all my struggles with writing, to hear people saying such nice things felt really, really good.”

I look at her, and she swallows some of her bourbon. The look on her face has shifted, from concern and understanding to something I can’t really read. Her eyes look flat and cold, pale marbles staring back at me.

“I’m sorry, Madeline,” I say. “I really am.”

She takes her time responding, and then says, “Don’t worry. I didn’t show up here without a plan for how you’ll make this all right.”

“Excerpted from KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS by David Bell, published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2021 by David Bell”

New Dark Cover, Same Dark Story: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK 

MY LOVELY WIFE (Berkley Trade Paperback Reprint; March 3, 2020), Samantha Downing’s smash debut about a husband and wife duo who kill together, will be available in paperback on March 3^rd. This delightfully twisted domestic-suspense thriller launched last year to the praise of readers across the country and established Downing as a writer to watch—and for very good reason.

After watching a documentary about a husband who forced his wife to help him kidnap a young woman and keep her captive for years, Downing had a terrifying but intriguing thought: Women never do this to other women… but what if they did?

Enter Millicent, a real estate agent living with her husband and two children in a gilded suburb of Central Florida. When Millicent and her husband commit their first murder, it’s accidental. But they are surprised to discover how the shared secret injects new life into their relationship. The second time a woman goes missing, it isn’t an accident. But even though they think they have this crime perfectly planned, it’s the deadly secrets they’re keeping from each other that may just be their undoing.

I'm honored to promote one of my favorite recent reads as it comes out in paperback. Here is my review of My Lovely WIfe if you haven't had the chance to read it please do! I know you will love it as much as I did.

Mini Review: Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

Published: March 6, 2018

Publisher: William Morrow

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

Growing up, Kate Priddy was always a bit neurotic, experiencing momentary bouts of anxiety that exploded into full-blown panic attacks after an ex-boyfriend kidnapped her and nearly ended her life. When Corbin Dell, a distant cousin in Boston, suggests the two temporarily swap apartments, Kate, an art student in London, agrees, hoping that time away in a new place will help her overcome the recent wreckage of her life.

Soon after her arrival at Corbin’s grand apartment on Beacon Hill, Kate makes a shocking discovery: his next-door neighbor, a young woman named Audrey Marshall, has been murdered. When the police question her about Corbin, a shaken Kate has few answers, and many questions of her own—curiosity that intensifies when she meets Alan Cherney, a handsome, quiet tenant who lives across the courtyard, in the apartment facing Audrey’s. Alan saw Corbin surreptitiously come and go from Audrey’s place, yet he’s denied knowing her. Then, Kate runs into a tearful man claiming to be the dead woman’s old boyfriend, who insists Corbin did the deed the night that he left for London.

When she reaches out to her cousin, he proclaims his innocence and calms her nerves--until she comes across disturbing objects hidden in the apartment and accidentally learns that Corbin is not where he says he is. Could Corbin be a killer? What about Alan? Kate finds herself drawn to this appealing man who seems so sincere, yet she isn’t sure. Jet-lagged and emotionally unstable, her imagination full of dark images caused by the terror of her past, Kate can barely trust herself, so how could she take the chance on a stranger she’s just met?

My Thoughts

I was really excited about this read seeing how Peter Swanson has become one of my favorite authors but sadly this one just fell a little flat for me. In Her Every Fear we have Kate who is recovering from something tragic from her past and her parents decide maybe she needs a break and maybe she should exchange places with her cousin in the States for a while. Corbin her cousin has his own demons from his past he is trying to escape but the timing of the swap isn’t the best for him and soon he finds himself having to prove his innocence.

While I found this novel interesting there were some things I just couldn’t believe in. I found myself getting confused at times with the characters and other times I just wanted to know what was going to happen. I liked Corbin as a character and found his storyline very interesting but Kate wasn’t my favorite. I found her just repeating her mistakes and just wanted her to find her way. This novel will definitely draw you in but at times I found it dragging. I’m still a huge fan of the author but this one was an okay read for me in the end.

Review: The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Whisper Man by Alex North 

Published: August 20, 2019

Publisher: Celadon Books

Format: audiobook

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window.

My Thoughts

In theory, The Whisper Man had everything I wanted in a book, it was a thriller with hints of real scariness that I was so ready to get into. It’s the story of Tom wants a new start with his young son after the loss of his wife, until his son encounters “The Whisper Man” and Tom doesn’t know what to think. The Whisper Man was a man who years ago came to the window of young children to kidnap them and do harm. However many think the man who was convicted had an accomplice and now the police are out to find out what is really going on.

This story is told through different timelines and POVs, so much so I found myself confused at times. While I was so looking forward to reading this it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I was imagining something more scary or haunting but it wasn’t so much that than a story of fathers and sons. and their relationships with one another. Don’t get me wrong there were some scary elements but nothing like I thought it would be. Although it wasn’t what I was expecting it was a good read, one with an interesting storyline and characters that will leave a lasting impression.

Review: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

Published: March 26, 2019

Publisher: Berkley Books

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4.5/5

Synopsis

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with. We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive. Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

My Thoughts

My Lovely Wife is the captivating tale of a couple who from the outside look to be living a normal life but behind closed doors, they have one odd and scary hobby...they like to kill. The story is told in the POV of the husband who we only know as “Tobias” and he tells the story of how he and his wife met and how she likes to kill people. According to him he doesn’t actually kill these women his job is to lure them in and his wife does the rest. He doesn’t know what she does or how she does it, he simply rather not know.

During the story we get to know “Tobias” and how he seems to want to stop doing these things for his wife, he knows its wrong and he starts to feel guilty for leading these women on and wants to stop but his wife convinces him to do this one more time. We soon start to see how crazy and sick his wife really is and how if she doesn’t get her way he will pay for it.

This story has so many twists and turns, just when you think you figured something out something else comes out of left field. To see the lengths one will do to get revenge is mind-blowing! Not to mention just when the story ends you think that’s it, then you are thrown another twist that left me with my jaw on the floor. This is one great thriller that just gets better as the story goes along, peeling back the layers until you are blown away at the end. This is one book that I highly recommend.

Review: A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

Published: June 25, 2019

Publisher: Celadon Books

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone kill him?

Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?

My Thoughts

In A Nearly Normal Family, Stella is accused of killing an older man. In alternating POVs and timelines, we see pieces of the puzzle and it keeps you thinking could Stella have killed this man, or was it someone else. The next question is if she did why did she? What could have happened to make her do this unspeakable crime? In the process, we met her father who is a pastor and her mother who is a lawyer. I like how we dive deeper into her family and we see how they all interact with one another. We start to see how these relationships play a part in things that have happened. They think they know their daughter but honestly how well do we really know each other? I liked the twist and turns of this book so much and the way things played out I never saw them coming. This is one book that is weird in a good way and with characters that are definitely interesting plus with a storyline that pays off in the very end.

Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Published: August 6, 2019

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unraveling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is. 

My Thoughts

I’ve always had an iffy relationship with Ruth Ware, I’m always excited by her new reads but sadly they don't live up to the hype. Now maybe it's just me who hypes them up so high but her books just never “get” there for me. Well, all that has changed with her newest book The Turn of the Key, this book is just...spectular!

The Turn of the Key is told through letters from the main character Rowen to a lawyer she hopes can help her. All we know is that she is accused of murder. We met Rowen who comes across an ad as a nanny so she goes for an interview to this massive home which is all decked out tech-wise. When she meets the kids things don't go well but somehow she gets the job and strange and scary things begin to happen.

She is soon left with the children while their parents go away and Rowen tries her best to get along with the kids but they are a handful and one of them continues to tell Rowen that she should leave or bad things will happen. The fact that Rowen begins to hear things and suspect somethings aren't right doesn’t help matters.

While Rowen does have reason to fear, she’s isn't so innocent we start to learn more and more about Rowen as the book goes on and soon her secrets are relieved and the real reason she came to this house. As things unravel Rowen’s real story doesn't help her case and she is left to defend herself. 

This book was just amazing to me, you get this story that straight up opens with a murder and a suspect already in jail. If that wasn't enough we get this huge mansion with a ghost or something and nannies that keep disappearing. Then we find out Rowen’s secrets which was a huge plot twist and lastly, we get a second plot twist at the end! Ruth Ware doesn't disappoint with this thriller it is one that pays off dividends! If you want a great page-turner of a book look no further than this one….it’s the ultimate read!

Review: Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Published: July 30, 2019

Publisher: William Morrow

Format: via Edelweiss

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Amy Whey is proud of her ordinary life and the simple pleasures that come with it--teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club. Her greatest joy is her family: her devoted professor husband, her spirited fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, her adorable infant son. And, of course, the steadfast and supportive Charlotte. But Amy's sweet, uncomplicated life begins to unravel when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives on her doorstep one book club night.

Sultry and magnetic, Roux beguiles the group with her feral charm. She keeps the wine flowing and lures them into a game of spilling secrets. Everyone thinks it's naughty, harmless fun. Only Amy knows better. Something wicked has come her way--a she-devil in a pricey red sports car who seems to know the terrible truth about who she is and what she once did.

When they're alone, Roux tells her that if she doesn't give her what she asks for, what she deserves, she's going to make Amy pay for her sins. One way or another.

To protect herself and her family and save the life she's built, Amy must beat the devil at her own clever game, matching wits with Roux in an escalating war of hidden pasts and unearthed secrets. Amy knows the consequences if she can't beat Roux. What terrifies her is everything she could lose if she wins.

My Thoughts

In Never Have I Ever we met Amy who lives a pretty ideal life, she married a man who loves her, stepmom to a teen and new mother of a baby boy. She has a good circle of friends and one night during book club the new neighbor makes her presence known. Roux is unlike any of the other moms on the block, but she came to play and Amy is her target. Unknown to anyone else Roux has a secret about Amy that could truly blow up Amy’s life but little does Roux know that Amy isn't one just to lay down and be exposed.

Amy has made a new life for herself after years of running from her past. She did something in her teens she isn't proud about and someone else took the blame for it and she hasn't gotten over it. She has made it her mission to help and protect the ones she hurt and although she wants to do right she doesn't want her past to claim her present.

Roux has come to town with the sole purpose to ruin Amy’s life. She has something that Amy has and she wants it now. However, Roux has no idea that Amy is doing a little background check of her own and soon she discovers who Roux really is and the devastating secret(s) Roux has. Roux is sick, twisted and a master manipulator but she has met her match with Amy who isn't backing down and wants Roux to pay for all her wrongdoings.

Never Have I Ever is pure genius, this book had me on my toes from the first page. I love the banter between Roux and Amy and how they always one-upped each other. Just when one thought they were winning the other comes back with something stronger. This is a game that at the end no one really wins, but the reveals are masterpieces. Joshilyn Jackson has outdone herself with this novel of twist and turns and with each revelation, you are bound to be amazed. If you want an honest to god amazing read look no further than this jaw-dropping story.

Review: Because You're Mine by Rea Frey

Because You’re Mine by Rea Frey

Published: August 6, 2019

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Single mother Lee has the daily routine down to a science: shower in six minutes. Cut food into perfect squares. Never leave her on-the-spectrum son Mason in someone else’s care. She’ll do anything—anything—to keep his carefully constructed world from falling apart. Do anything to keep him safe.

But when her best friend Grace convinces her she needs a small break from motherhood to recharge her batteries, Lee gives in to a weekend trip. Surely a long weekend away from home won’t hurt?

Noah, Mason’s handsome, bright, charismatic tutor—the first man in ages Lee’s even noticed—is more than happy to stay with him.

Forty-eight hours later, someone is dead.

But not all is as it seems. Noah may be more than who he claims to be. Grace has a secret—one that will destroy Lee. Lee has secrets of her own that she will do anything to keep hidden.

As the dominoes begin to fall and the past comes to light, perhaps it's no mystery someone is gone after all.

My Thoughts

Because You’re Mine is like no other psychological thriller I have ever read before. It all starts out simple: Lee who has a child, Mason, on the autistic spectrum has her life on a strict schedule because of him but she wouldn't have it any other way, he is her world. However, she misses having a relationship and soon finds herself with a crush on her son’s teacher, Noah and she can't help herself and she has to tell him. With her crazy routine her best friend, Grace, demands that Lee join her and their group of friends on a girls getaway and even though Lee doesn't want to let her son she knows she needs and deserves it.

Grace has been a savior when it comes to Lee and her son. She is the best friend anyone could ever ask for and she has a bond with Mason that can't be explained. She helps with Mason when she can and she even has become his legal guardian if anything happens to Lee. But Grace has a secret she has been hiding from Lee one that can break her heart and end their friendship. However Grace isn't all she's cracked up to be, she isn't so nice and innocent either and her secrets are ones that can destroy a friendship and other things beyond anyone’s imagination.

Noah seems like a nice and sweet guy who loves and cares for Mason. He is patient with him and teaches him that he can live without limitations. However Noah has some things in his past that he tries to forget but like all things his past is about to catch up to him and what he has done, and he is about to pay for.

This novel is told in past and present chapters and the characters are so rich with layers that continue to peel and give us a storyline I NEVER saw coming. We have all these characters and how the past relates to the present. And the ending? WOW!!! Is all I can say, that ending is what made me give it five stars. The last few chapters when everything wraps up and comes to a head is what made this book for me. I never saw that ending coming and it totally shocked me, which I loved! This novel took it to a place I could have never imagined! Simply put if you want fast-paced interesting read definitely check out this one, you will not regret it.

Review: A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

Published: July 23, 2019

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

Synopsis

There is a stranger outside Caroline's house.

Her spectacular new beach house, built for hosting expensive parties and vacationing with the family she thought she'd have. But her husband is lying to her and everything in her life is upside down, so when the stranger, Aiden, shows up as a bartender at the same party where Caroline and her husband have a very public fight, it doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary.

As her marriage collapses around her and the lavish lifestyle she's built for herself starts to crumble, Caroline turns to Aiden for comfort...and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aiden's obsession with Caroline, her family, and her house grows more and more disturbing. And when Caroline's husband goes missing, her life descends into a nightmare that leaves her accused of her own husband's murder.

My Thoughts

Caroline has the perfect life, husband, child or at least she thought she did. It was all perfect until her husband shows up to her party with other women. She thinks her marriage is over and one night she goes out and drinks too much and ends up sleeping with a stranger. However, when she thinks back she realizes she has seen this guy before, in fact, he is the guy who has been standing outside on the beach in front of her house for a couple of days.

Aiden has been working at the local bar and when he sees Caroline he is smitten, to say the least. They end up sleeping together one night and ever since he has become obsessed with her. He becomes controlling and will do anything to protect and have Caroline in the end. Caroline wants to try and save her marriage but when she tries to break things off with Aiden things don't go so smoothly. Aiden doesn't take no for an answer and begins to stalk her, her ex and even her daughter because he thinks something isn't right. But when his past comes to light things don't look good for Aiden and he starts to look like he is the one causing trouble.

Is Aiden the bad guy or is a victim in all this? Who’s the real mastermind behind all the crazy things going on? Does Caroline have a real reason to fear Aiden or is there something more? There are so many questions to ask and each one gives us clues to what is really going on.

This is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a long time. This story has mystery, some sexual tension and best of all you don't know where it’s going. In addition to the twist and turns, there is the game of who’s playing who. Just when you think you have things figured out you are thrown for a loop. This is one read that will have you by the seat of your pants until the last page is turned. A Stranger on the Beach is one read that is well worth the read.

Review: The Chain by Adrian McKinty

The Chain by Adrian McKinty

Expected Publication: July 9, 2019

Publisher: Mulholland Books

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

Synopsis

You just dropped off your child at the bus stop. A panicked stranger calls your phone. Your child has been kidnapped, and the stranger explains that their child has also been kidnapped, by a completely different stranger. The only way to get your child back is to kidnap another child within 24 hours. Your child will be released only when the next victim's parents kidnap yet another child, and most importantly, the stranger explains, if you don't kidnap a child, or if the next parents don't kidnap a child, your child will be murdered. You are now part of The Chain.

My Thoughts

The Chain starts off with the simple concept of a kidnapping at a bus stop but that is just the tip of the iceberg with this out of this world story by Adrian McKinty. It starts off like any other day, Rachel has just dropped off her daughter Kylie and is on her way to the doctor when she receives a call that will change her life forever. Someone claims to have kidnapped Kylie and she is to send ransom money and the biggest twist to this is that Rachel has to kidnap another child to take Kylie’s place. You see they claim that this is The Chain and it cant be broken or else people will die. They also tell her she can't go to the media or police or Kylie will die. Rachel, of course, thinks this is ridiculous but all she can think about is getting her daughter back so she decides to do the unthinkable and do as they say. She enlists the help of her ex-brother in law, who has tons of issues of his own, but he being ex-military is the only one who could possibly help her with this outrageous plan.

What is The Chain exactly? They claim it has been happening for decades but has it really? And who exactly is running this whole show? Is it mob-related or cartel? How have they managed to be doing this the whole time and not get caught? And what exactly is happening with all this money that is being collected? Towards the end we finally get some answers and when it revealed it isn't what I expected.

The Chain has its twists and turns and I find the whole idea of a chain interesting. You think why do these people continue to do what is being asked of them and not call the police, what it boils down to is simple...fear. Fear is the one thing that can make you do crazy things. While it comes to a loved one you will do anything for them, even the unthinkable. So these people play on that emotional and ride it for all its worth. And this is what makes this novel so good! Seeing these people wanting to save their loved ones at any cost is heart wretching but would you do anything differently? It's easy to say you would but when your loved one is in harm who knows how you would react. This is one novel that has you by the seat of your pants from the very start and doesn't let go until the last page is turned. The Chain is one novel that should be at the top of your list this Summer.