Tanya

This was a fun little cozy mystery, with interesting characters, tons of tongue-in-cheek humor, and a dash of 80s nostalgia. The plot was just convoluted enough that I didn't guess the outcome but not so complicated that it was hard to follow. I appreciate that Sykes didn't pull out any last minute cheats to fool the reader. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

A young man takes a job as a nanny to two young children at their family home on a remove island. He senses that something is not quite right with the house, or with the children. He begins to see shadows and figures on the grounds and in the house, but he is unsure if they're real or if they're all a part of an elaborate plot to drive him insane.

This book reminds me of the Turn of the Screw in terms of plot, but little else. I know it's a YA book, but the writing was really bad. It's written in epistolary form, as the main character, Jack, writes letters to his girlfriend back home and, occasionally, his father. It failed, however, to match the dread and fear of the original. The characters fell flat and were simply one-dimensional copies of the original. This was, perhaps, due to the jocular tone of the letters. Jack's tone was one of dismissive nonchalance, half-joking and book-ending the incidents he experienced with unimportant details of his day, and questions about life back home. Perhaps this was Prose's attempt to imitate the voice of a teen boy, but it succeeded, at least for me, in removing the sense of terror and rapidly diminishing sanity that made the original so powerful

It's hard to rate this book, because it really does read like a Y.A. book, and not a particularly well-written one at that. And the ending...gah...the ending.

My advice: if you like The Turning of the Screw, do NOT read this book.

This is the haunted house story you've always wanted. Four writers enter a house at the request of an online horror website creator, to participate in an interview sure to reinvigorate their waning careers. While there they have some strange experiences but nothing too worrisome. It's what happens after they leave that starts the story spiraling out of control.

Once I picked up this book I did not want to put it down. It took two days to read ONLY because I started it too late to make it all the way through and couldn't stay up all night to finish it. The characters came to life on the page (I cast the movie in my head as I read) and their interactions felt seamless. I could easily follow which character was which and, while they were definitely cast as different “types” of writers (you had your Stephen King, your Frank Peretti/R.L. Stein, etc.) the characters never felt cliche. The pacing was brilliant - once the scares started, the calm between the scares lasted just long enough to let you catch your breath but not enough to fully relax. No spoilers of course but...the ending...I honestly gasped out loud in the middle of a crowded Starbucks. Chills, you guys. Amazingly, this is Thomas' first novel. It is not an exaggeration to say that I am very eagerly anticipating his next book.

* Trigger warning for domestic violence.*

If you like a good haunted house story, pick up this book!

Andy Cohen, a Bravo tv show host, producer, and author, was reading The Andy Warhol Diaries when he was inspired to keep his own diary for a year. Even though it was “just” a day to day peek into the life of a 40-something single, successful, gay, Jewish man living in NYC, it was a tremendous amount of fun to read.

It was an interesting look at what the life of a relatively down to earth celebrity is like behind the scenes: navigating the NYC dating scene as a 40-something gay Jewish man using Tinder, finding just the right pet to adopt in order to have “something other than himself to worry about,” forgetting some celebrities names and getting on the bad side of others...the list goes on. Because I watch his show, I heard the entire book in his voice, which made it even better. His family is wonderful - his mom made me laugh uproariously - as do his friends.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves celebrity gossip. :)

“The best security is invisible security. The best safety is safety that one's object of protection doesn't know about.”

Security is really best described as a slasher film in book form and it hits all the right notes in that regard. It follows Tessa, the hotel manager at Manderly Resort, the newest, flashiest, high-profile resort hotel on the Santa Barbara coast. As she oversees the staff in their preparations for Manderly's grand opening the next day a killer is stalking the halls, murdering everyone that crosses his path. All of this is narrated by a mysterious stranger who is watching the bloodbath over the hotel's closed-circuit security system.

Told in a third-person omniscient voice, Security has a different feel that other novels. Because the narrator is telling the reader what happens as they view it on the hotel's incredibly comprehensive security cameras, we not only get a play-by-play of the horror as it happens but also this unknown viewers opinions which are often laced with a bit of dark humor. For example, we get this scene in the kitchen.

“Brian attacked the grease on his hands with a kitchen towel. The towel has red stains on it, most likely cherry coulis. One could not rule out the possibility that it was not cherry coulis.”

One of the things that makes this book unique is how the author chooses to show simultaneous action. The pages are split in half, thirds, or quarters with each “scene” playing out in those sections, giving the impression that they're being viewed on side-by-side television screens as they are being relayed to the reader by our mysterious narrator. In any other book this might feel gimmicky but here it's used perfectly (and sparingly) to remind you how the narrator is privy to the events as they unfold. I also have to add that when you slowly start to realize who the narrator is your jaw will drop. It was a stroke of genius I never saw coming.

The characters were both stereotypical in their make-up - the tightly wound girl-boss, the faithful maid, the temperamental French chef, etc. - but incredibly well developed at the same time. The book follows traditional slasher-film rules so much that each death is predictable in a way that doesn't decrease enjoyment of the book. (I actually had fun guessing who would die next!) Despite all of the blood and gore there's a certain playfulness in it's tone that makes it a fun read. It doesn't take itself too seriously and, because of the format, as a reader you're able to join in on that fun. You'll find yourself thinking “NO! Don't open that door!” as you read, just like you would watching it on a screen. It was a total success in that regard.

With nods to Stephen King, Alfred Hitchcock, and of course Daphne du Maurier, this debut - DEBUT! - novel is a gift to horror fans. Security is funny, clever, bloody and tremendously incentive. It certainly isn't going to be for everyone, but if you like slasher films and don't mind a little gore in your life, give this a try.

(Thanks to Alegonquin and LibraryThing for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

Horrorstor was an unexpectedly traditional horror story wrapped in a fun, quirky exterior. Amy, the protagonist, works at a new branch of Orsk, a giant, trendy furniture store that is a spot-on parody of Ikea. Despite the upbeat culture and the vibrant interior, this branch is riddled with problems. Vandalism is occurring during non-store hours, employees are receiving disturbing but untraceable text messages, and corporate is starting to become concerned. Amy's store manager assembles a small team of staff, Amy included, to stay after closing and help investigate. Much hilarity - and terror - ensues.

The book itself is fun, dressed to look like a store catalog. Each chapter heading includes a product description and image of the item. The parody of Ikea is spot on, from the jokes about missing parts and flat packs, to the “bright and shining” path running through the store for customers to follow. The fun, parodic exterior, however, should not lead a reader to believe that the horror is also fun. The story quickly takes a turn with a seance that doesn't go quite as planned, and the team of employees find themselves in a battle for survival as they try to escape.

This is the first in the Miss Marple series and what a departure from Poirot!

The story was solidly constructed, the mystery was cleverly executed, and the writing was what I expect from Christie, but after reading the Poirot series I was a bit taken aback and how little Miss Marple actually figures into the story. I came to like her more and more as I progressed through the book and would have liked her to play a more prominent role in the story. Maybe I just need an adjustment period after Poirot's more forceful character. On to the next!

At first it starts with a simple tapping in the apartment, explained away as a drippy pipe, or perhaps a mouse. An urge to start smoking again and more frequent bickering with her husband. Amanda, a successful young architect, feels a vague sense of unease at the changes in her life. As time passes, Amanda refuses to accept the improbable cause for these changes, with horrifying results.

At 169 pages, it's a short book, and Gran's writing is so clean and succinct that it feels even faster. The sparse writing creates a break-neck pace that causes a sense of panic for the reader, who cannot stop racing toward the same terrifying end as the protagonist. The ambiguity in the story is one of the novel's best qualities and is what draws the reader in. Is the overshadowing of Amanda's will and her seduction the result of demon possession or of insanity - and does it matter?

This is a truly horrifying story that is not about cheap scares and gory scenes, but rather the slow loss of control to which any of us could be susceptible.

I struggle with short story collections and this one was no different. There were a few stories that resonated with me, including The Husband Stitch, Eight Bites, and Difficult at Parties. However, most of the stories left me feeling confused and convinced that I missed something important, particularly the story Especially Heinous - a 50-page long short story that is a series of Law and Order: SVU episode synopses. I think this book is probably really good but just not for me.

This book was an epic disappointment. Plot holes abound, the characters were forgettable and interchangeable, and there are some pretty questionable (read racist and misogynistic) comments made by characters that border on feeling like author commentary. I'm willing to suspend disbelief to a certain extent but expecting anyone to believe that young adults will turn to murder and chaos because their phones don't work.

What was intended to be a simple Sweet Sixteen celebration for her daughter, Hannah, turns into a nightmare for Kim when she is awakened in the middle of the night by Hannah covered in blood. Soon Kim's carefully constructed life with her husband Jeff begins to crumble.

While this book was marketed as a suspense novel, it's really more of a fast-paced family drama in the vein of Herman Koch's The Dinner , full of unlikable characters and melodramatic in the style of a Lifetime movie. On the surface this book delivers on the promise of a tragedy involving self-absorbed teens and their parents, the type that are obsessed with organic homemade energy bars for soccer practices and Instagramable homes. It's not as suspenseful as I expected, however, as the details of the story are laid out plainly for the reader and the book focuses mostly on the aftermath of this party. That would still make for a great story if the book started out with strong interpersonal relationships and a close-knit community, which it did not. I wanted a lot more from this book and it unfortunately did not deliver. Good premise, poor execution, earning it more of a 2.5 from me.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Are You Sleeping? is based on an interesting premise - does our society's obsession with true crime help keep our justice system accountable or unnecessarily upset and intrude upon a family's private grief? Unfortunately the inclusion of a true crime podcast and social media responses (via tweets, Reddit feeds, and transcripts of the podcast itself) were the most interesting part of this novel for me. The characters, while not entirely unbelievable, fell flat for me. I was massively annoyed with the one-sided relationship the protagonist, Josie, had with her significant other, Caleb. It quickly became tiresome listening to her complain that “he's too good” and “she never understood what he saw in her.” It all got a bit schmaltzy for me and after a while I started to hope they'd split up just so I wouldn't have to listen to her talk about how little she deserved him. This book wasn't particularly dark and was more mystery than suspense with no graphic violence. Overall it's a decent debut with an interesting story line that had some unique aspects.

(Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.)

This is a book with a compelling premise that just failed to do much for me. Described as “neo-gothic horror” and “perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and Shirley Jackson,” it missed all of the creeping dread, the brilliant writing, and the clever plot twists that are the hallmarks of those talented authors. The writing was unremarkable other than to note that it was a bit scattered, jumping around in time and from topic to topic, serving only to confuse an already muddled story. The plot played out like a dark reverse Narnia, with mysterious children arriving in the real world, but even as a fairy tale it falls flat, leaving us no lesson or moral imperative to look to. In the end, the book took a dark turn toward a dystopian view of the world and then abandoned the reader in a confused conclusion.

On the bright side, this book is closer to a novella than a novel, coming in at 210 pages. The problem this causes is there's just not enough room to explore the characters all that much. Morgan, the protagonist, is the only character the reader walks away feeling as though they really know, and it's only because, as the narrator, Morgan tells you everything that runs through his head, coherent or not. The rest of the characters are one-dimensional. They're creepy, certainly, but none are very compelling.

This book was a good idea with poor execution.

Nan Lewis is driving home from a faculty holiday party at the university in upstate New York where she works after learning she has been denied tenure. Upset and tired, she's startled when she hits a deer, but even more startled when, after exiting the car, she can't locate the animal. Nan eventually gives up, instead heading home, eager to avoid the ensuing snowstorm. The next morning she is woken with the news that one of her students was hit by a car and killed – in the same location as her accident with the deer. Nan, as a result of the damage to her car, is a suspect. Shunned by the school community and haunted by memories of her daughter's accident at the same spot six years earlier, Nan must investigate to clear her name. ********I really enjoyed Goodman's [b:The Lake of Dead Languages 120274 The Lake of Dead Languages Carol Goodman https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320554718s/120274.jpg 3159707] so I was eager to dive into this one. It's a face-paced read, with twists and turns coming fast and hard almost from the start. The writing was atmospheric and moody, though the constant descriptions of trudging through snow got repetitive after a while. My biggest struggle with this novel was entirely wrapped up in the plot. There are enough characters with secrets to entertain the idea the idea that any one of them could have been the murderer, but I figured out the “whodunit” fairly early on. Even worse, the murderer gave quite the melodramatic monologue explaining their dastardly plot. There was a touch of a romantic story line that, surprisingly, didn't feel forced. Unfortunately, I didn't like Nan, as she was a bit of a snob, looking down on her fellow coworkers and being surprised that the police officer investigating her student's death was a reader. Ultimately this book was an okay read but wasn't my favorite by Goodman.

“...the bullshit thing is, if someone saw the three of us, well, most people would think I'm the weird one just because I followed you here. And that's the problem with this world...”

Holy crap. This was a twisted novel about stalking, obsession, and psychopathy. It touched on the use of social media in interesting ways - whether we overshare, how safe it is, whether we're fully experiencing life if we're so concerned with constantly sharing updates. The second-person narration was a unique and especially effective method of showing the world from Joe's perspective. It upped the creepiness factor substantially, giving the reader the impression that Joe was speaking right to you...as Beck. This point of view also allowed for an interesting examination of the games people play when in relationships, even when they're not crazy stalkers trying to manipulate their prey...I mean, significant others. Along those same lines, Beck's online presence highlighted how easy stalking is in the current digital age, where a quick Google search can bring up any number of personal social media accounts, addresses, telephone numbers, education and employment history, all from the comfort of your own home.

For a completely nut job, Joe, our narrator, is surprisingly charming and witty. His observations on daily life sometimes had me nodding along, which led to uncomfortable discussions with myself about how I could possibly be agreeing with someone so unstable. I'd go chapters before I'd be jarred back to the reality of what a creepy psycho he was...usually around the time he was stealing Beck's cell phone or panties or something.

This book works great as a stand-alone novel, but I'm glad it's the first in a trilogy because I look forward to seeing what Joe's future holds. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's creepy and likely illegal.

Compared to Gregory's other writing this was merely mediocre. Her version of both Henry VIII as a murderous rapist, Katherine as a weak, naive woman, and Thomas Seymour as a dashing romantic hero are confusing, given the actual historical record. The descriptions of life in the Tudor court were, as usual, spot on, making her misses on the characterizations of these individuals even odder.

The book was okay but a bit of a disappointment from one of my favorite authors. Hopefully her new book will be an improvement.

Hundreds of unemployed citizens line up for a job fair in the early morning hours of a Midwest city. A stolen Mercedes plows through the unsuspecting crowd, driven by a lone driver in a clown mask. When the chaos is over, eight innocent people are dead and more than a dozen more are injured.

Retired police detective Bill Hodges spends his days watching talk shows, haunted by the unsolved cases he left behind. When a letter arrives claiming to be from the Mercedes Killer, he decides to investigate on his own instead of going to the police. In doing so, he must match wits with a crazed psychopath, for whom one murderous rampage was not enough.


“I'm going to kill you. You won't see me coming.”

Mr. Mercedes succeeds in hitting several of my favorite reading elements: a page-turning suspense thriller, well-developed, sympathetic characters, and a seriously creepy bad guy who got under my skin.

The telling of this story in the present tense, a departure from King's regular writing style, has the benefit of moving the narrative along at a rapid pace, which in turn heightened the race-against-the-clock feel for both Brady (the murderer) and Hodges and his crew.

At times the plot feels contrived, particularly the constant rationalization of why Hodges refuses to turn to the police for help even after it becomes clear that Brady is becoming unraveled. This, however, does nothing to diminish the suspense of the novel, as Hodges runs into roadblocks in his investigation and Brady grows more desperate and disorganized.

As usual, King's character development is unparalleled, with a connection being forged between the reader and characters that are only alive for ten pages. While on the surface some of the characters appear to be formulaic (the suicidal, retired detective, the brilliant tech-savvy young kid, the psychopathic maniac with mommy issues, etc.), King's development of these characters is still successful. They are sympathetic and accessible, with even Brady having his moment of sympathy (albeit a very, very brief one).

This book is classic King, probing the conflict between good and evil both within his characters and between them, though this time played out with purely human elements. Despite not being as strong a showing as his last few novels, this was a solid start to what will hopefully be an enjoyable trilogy.

This novel is an exploration of how a single violent act can have repercussions far past it's initial horror. It starts with the murder of a young girl while she and her friends are enjoying time together on a day off of school. The girls' mother, unable to accept that her daughter was the target of random violence, curses the other girls for not being able to stop it or identify the killer. The girls go on with school and scatter around the world but are still haunted by that single defining moment of their childhoods. This is a dark, character driven mystery and one I enjoyed more than Minato's other book, Confession.

“If you refuse to believe me, I will no longer consider you my son.”

The Farm is a quick, engrossing read, the kind of book you'll want to finish in one sitting. Short chapters end in cliffhangers, resulting in a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Descriptions of the stark Swedish countryside, of hunting mushrooms in the forest, and of creeping around the house of a neighbor come to life through Smith's expert voice. As well as bringing individual scenes to life, Smith also successfully conveys the suffocating isolation the residents of Chris & Tilde's new home feel, as though the location was a character itself.

The real-life events that inspired the events in this novel - the mental breakdown of Smith's mother - creates the ring of truth that makes this story so compelling. Tilde appears sane and reliable even as her story becomes less believable, moving farther into her suspicion and mythology. The reader experiences the same confusion and skepticism that Daniel does. The tension he feels in being asked to choose between his mother and his father is palpable to the reader, especially as he begins to realize that he does not know his parents as well as he had previously believed.

The Farm is a true psychological thriller. There are no car chases, shootouts, or dramatic last-minute rescues. At it's heart, it is about trust - how much do we really know about the people we love and who would we believe? This fast-paced novel is sure to please Smith's existing fans and gain him several new.

(I received a copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing for an honest review.)

“You can never see anything clearly when you're running.”

Holy smokes - this book is a page-turner! It was such a fun read, twisty and turny, with surprises along the way that didn't feel contrived or forced. I loved the balance between the action-packed suspense of her present with teases to a backstory through email (though the identity of the senders of these emails remains a mystery until the end). The book is broken up into sections based on the alias in use at that time, which I very much enjoyed. It helped frame Tanya's journey and experiences in a way that she herself must have felt a she shed identity after identity. I loved her voice, too. It was unique and raw and felt really honest, even as she lied through her teeth to everyone else.

Once we finally got some answers, though, the plot started to fall apart. It's hard to go into too much detail without spoiling the story, but there were times when the reason behind the actions of the characters either don't make sense or they're just not enough to justify their behavior. Also disappointing was the fact that, by the end of the book, I never felt as though I knew Tanya or understood her choices. Whether this is a result of her constantly changing identity or poor character development, I don't know, but I would have liked to have gotten a better idea of who she was as a character. A weird, romantic story-line was kind of tucked in here and there along the way that was completely unbelievable and nonsensical. As I was reading I found myself wondering what was wrong with this guy. I can't say more but, if you read it, you'll know what I mean. Thankfully, this was a small part of the overall story.

This book was a lot of fun with great pacing and a unique voice. I'd definitely give Lutz another chance. This was her first foray into suspense and I think it was an overall success.

This book was hilarious! It isn't a memoir in a traditional sense, both because it's in graphic novel form and because it contains short stories of the author's life, ranging from childhood into her adult life and marriage. It contains laugh-out-loud stories about her dogs (Simple Dog and Helper Dog), getting lost in the wilderness as a child, and a wild animal attack.

Brosh also shares deep feelings about her battle with depression and her self-doubt. Several stories almost brought me to tears because they were so raw and honest. I saw a bit of myself in her and have gained a deeper respect for her ability to be so honest about what she sees as her flaws.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone!

Growing up, I read R.L. Stine's Fear Street series, and Stine's writing made me into the horror junkie I am today. That being said, his foray into adult horror was, in my opinion, less than successful.

The story (without giving too much away) revolves around an adventure-travel blogger, Lea, who travels to an island off the cost of South Carolina, which is almost immediately hit by a hurricane. In the storm's aftermath, she comes across 12-year-old twins, Samuel and David and decides to adopt them (read: kidnap?) and return home to her writer husband, Mark, and two children. Horror ensues (kind of).

My biggest issue with this book was the AMOUNT of disbelief I had to suspend. The story never really felt believable, even in the everyday moments, and the character's voices never felt authentic. Another problem was the lack-luster writing - the scary parts didn't feel particularly scary, the emotional parts never felt particularly gut-wrenching, and the dialogue felt redundant. The mood of the story, something I've always enjoyed about Stine's writing, just wasn't there. Too much of the action took place in the bright of day, and it failed to elicit the skin-crawling fear I expect from adult-oriented horror.

That being said, the book wasn't so bad that I failed to finish it, even after I decided that no one had bothered to do a continuity check before it went to print (who knows if Lea was gone for a day or a week - the characters certainly didn't), but it did contain enough twists that I honestly didn't see the end coming. Though when it did, my reaction was more “huh?” than “wow.” I'd give Stine's next novel (if there is one) a read, but this book earned three stars from me based more on nostalgia than quality.

Scott Murdoch is a member of a secret government agency, so secret that only a few in the country are aware of it's existence. After years of living in the shadows, Murdoch decides on retirement and writes a book on forensics as an act of closure. Instead of a quiet life off the grid in Paris, he finds himself drawn into a murder investigation at a seedy New York City hotel. The killer appears to have committed the perfect crime and then disappeared without a trace - all while using Murdoch's book as a how-to manual.

Soon he is pressed into service by high-ranking government officials, traveling to the Middle East in search of a lone wolf Saudi terrorist, with the fate of Western civilization hanging in the balance.

“The world doesn't change in front of your eyes; it changes behind your back.”

At 600+ pages and cover art that some might call dull, I Am Pilgrim did not immediately strike me as a “summer read,” the kind of page-turner I like to take on day trips to the lake. However, it didn't take more than the opening lines before I was hooked. Hayes has the somewhat dubious distinction of writing the first crime scene that I've excitedly read aloud to my husband over a glass of wine at night.

This book is a rare treat - a literary spy thriller that defies stereotype. Our hero is a young, but extremely accomplished, member of a secret government intelligence agency. The bad guy is a young, radical, Muslim terrorist, hellbent on the destruction of Western civilization. The novel is full of exciting chases, thrilling shootouts, and exotic locations. It does not, however, feel tired or overdone at any point. The book is a fresh take on the traditional spy novel. It's filled with enough twists and surprises to keep you on your toes. Hayes uses exciting side plots and character back stories to allow for some breathing room between tense scenes but these scenes are far from dull. On the contrary, they serve to flesh out his characters and bring them to life in a way that many suspense novels fail to do.

Though this is a debut for Hayes, his experience as a screenwriter results in an absorbing, action packed, heart-in-your-throat read. The pacing is perfect, building suspense in just the right spots and then unleashing the action in explosive bursts. Expertly delivered foreshadowing leaves you breathlessly awaiting the next surprise, the next twist. It's not difficult to imagine the blockbuster film this book will become.

In the end, this book is certainly a contender for best-of-the-year lists. It starts as a murder mystery, becomes a spy thriller, and ends up as one of the best books you'll read this year.

(I received a copy of this book from Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.)