Tag: thriller

Two Guns (Run, Rabbit Run: Book 2) by Jette Harris

Two Guns: a serial killer thriller (Run Rabbit Run Book 2) by [Harris, Jette]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: November 20th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Run, Rabbit Run

Colossus – Book 1 (review here)

Two Guns – Book 2

Where you can find Two Guns: Amazon

Triggers: rape, assault, kidnapping, and stalking

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Days before their graduation, four students in a sleepy Atlanta suburb go missing, leaving behind nothing but two abandoned vehicles, an eerie 9-1-1 call, and an alarming amount of blood. Just like some disappearances from four years ago. And six years before that. And three years before that. 

Agent Richard Steyer of the FBI’s Violent Crimes division has retirement in his sights when he and his partner are called to Atlanta. His final case? Connect this recent mystery to the only case Steyer couldn’t solve: a serial killer known as the Phoenix. 

Meanwhile, Avery Rhodes—occasionally known as the Phoenix—is enjoying his visit to Atlanta…and his new playthings. When he hears his old adversaries are on the case, he decides to expand his sadistic playground to include them, the local law enforcement, and the victims’ families. 

As the Phoenix’s spree hurtles toward its deadly conclusion, it becomes a question of who will make it out of his game alive. 

A crime thriller as relentless as Karin Slaughter’s Triptych, featuring a show-stealing antagonist as memorable as Hannibal Lecter.

My review:

If you have followed my reviews or blog, then you know my feelings about 2nd books in a series. Especially when the first book blew me away. I tend to get disappointed and let down by book 2’s. Lately, though, I have read a lot of 2nd books that were as good or better than the first book. Two Guns is such a book. It was as good as the first book.

What I liked, and enjoyed, is that I got to see the police and FBI investigation of the kids’ disappearance. The author didn’t draw out the connection to Phoenix. Instead, she had the FBI agents make the connection pretty early. It was the investigation and the frantic search for kids’ that drew me in and kept my attention. The author did a great job of showing how the local police hated working with the FBI (or Feds as they are called). She showed how emotionally invested that the agents get into their cases. Mainly Steyer. Steyer had a history with Phoenix going back to the first killings in Detroit. Remington also did and his was more emotionally charged (if that makes sense).

What I also liked about the book was that Avery was so complicated. From Colossus, I knew he was depraved and sadistic. While he still was, there was a new depth to him. He loved, well-loved as much as a psychopath could. He also felt a sense of kinship with Agent Steyer and Agent Remington. What scared me was that he talked to Monica’s younger sister and brothers. That talk, along with the flashback to the Detroit killings, chilled me to the bone.

I was a little perturbed that no one seemed to know that Avery was masquerading as a cop until almost the end of the book. It made me scratch my head because they were on top of everything except that. I thought that Steyer and Remington would have been more aware of who was on the local force. Seeing that Phoenix has it out for Remington. Steyer is on his list too but he wants Remington in the worse way.

It took me a while to realize who Thatch was. A long while because I couldn’t imagine Thatch as that person. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

The end of Two Guns was fantastic. While some storylines were answered, others were not. I still have questions that I hope are answered in book 3.

What I liked about Two Guns:

A) Fast moving storyline

B) A realistic look at police/FBI investigations

C) Avery

What I disliked about Two Guns:

A) Thatch. Not that I disliked him. I pitied him more than anything

B) Avery masquerading as a cop and no one knows

C) Avery’s interactions with Monica’s brothers and sister

I would give Two Guns a rating of Adult. There is explicit violence. There is explicit sex. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are trigger warnings. They are rape, assault, kidnapping, and stalking. If you are triggered by any of these, I would suggest not read the book.

I would recommend Two Guns to family and friends. I would include a warning about the explicit sex and violence and the triggers. This is a book that I would reread.

I would like to thank Jette Harris for allowing me to read and review Two Guns.

All opinions stated in this review of Two Guns are mine.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Befriended by Ruth O’Neill

Befriended

4 Stars

Publisher: Lulu.com

Date of publication: February 5th, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Where you can find Befriended: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Some secrets never leave us alone. . . Gemma Peacock’s life was perfect – or at least, she thought it was. She had a home she loved, a job she enjoyed, and a husband she adored. The only cloud on the horizon was the continuing tension between Gemma and her mother-in-law, but that’s the same for everyone, right? After the death of her beloved husband, Ritchie, everything begins to fall apart. Indiana Manors’ life, on the other hand, is far from perfect – but she knows just what she has to do to fix it. Befriend Gemma Peacock – and destroy her.

My Review:

I wasn’t expecting to like Befriended as much as I did. When I read the blurb, I thought that it was going to be a chick lit novel. There were parts of the book that do have that vibe. But, this book was so much more. It was the so much more that surprised me. The more I read, the more I liked and the more I enjoyed the story.

I did feel bad for Gemma for about 90% of the book. Her husband’s death devastated her. But, it was the secrets that were revealed after his death that rocked her world. Which brought me to my first question. Why did she keep going back to Indiana? I know that Gemma wanted to help her but still. I agreed with Maria. Gemma should have told Indiana to leave her alone after what happened in Crete. I do think that Gemma needed to come to terms with what Ritchie did and Indiana was there to help.

There was a point in the book where I did think that Indiana and Gemma’s relationship was going to become a Single White Female type of relationship. I mean, Indiana was calling Gemma’s friends and driving them away. She even phoned Mick and told him that Gemma wanted nothing to do with him. Thankfully, Mick didn’t believe that BS.

My feelings for Indiana was all over the board in the book. I first felt disgust for her when she revealed why she became Gemma’s friend. That changed to feeling bad for her because of her mental illness. I will say this, she did try to get help. My feelings then morphed into pity when it was revealed why she had singled out Gemma and what was being kept from her. Then I actually started to like her at the end of the book. Like I said, they were all over the place.

I did not see the big twist that came towards the middlish (more towards the end) of the book. I also did not see who was behind everything. That came as a huge surprise. Put it this way, when it was revealed why and who set everything in motion, my mouth fell open and I whispered (I was in bed), “No freaking way“.

I did think that Mick’s romance with Gemma was cute. But it did seem to me that it was more of an afterthought. I didn’t see that Gemma had feelings for Mick until he came to London. I thought they were friends. Then, suddenly, she has feelings for him. It seemed like it came out of nowhere. Of course, I could have missed the cues to their romance with everything else that was going on in the book.

The end of the book was great. I loved that everything was ended the way it did. Each character got their version of a happy ending.

What I liked about Befriended:

A) Great storyline

B) Likable characters

C) Twist that I didn’t see coming

What I disliked about Befriended:

A) What Gemma was put through the first half of the book

B) Indiana’s antics in the first half of the book

C) Mick’s relationship with Gemma

I would give Befriended an Adult rating. While there is sex, it is not graphic. There is language. There is also mild violence. I suggest that no-one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are trigger warnings in Befriended. They are mental illness, the death of a spouse and kidnapping. If you are triggered by any of these, I would suggest not reading the book.

I would recommend Befriended to family and friends. I would let them know about the triggers. This is a book that I would reread.

I would like to thank Ruth O’Neill and Lulu.com for allowing me to read and review Befriended.

All opinions stated in this review of Befriended are mine.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Colossus (Run Rabbit Run: Book 1) by Jette Harris

COLOSSUS: a serial killer thriller (Run Rabbit Run Book 1) by [Harris, Jette]

4 Stars

Publisher: 

Date of publication: November 19th, 2015

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Horror

Series: Run Rabbit Run

Colossus – Book 1

Two Guns – Book 2

Where you can find Colossus: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Lured away from safety by their own goodwill, four high-school seniors from the affluent suburbs of Atlanta are kidnapped, tortured, and forced to entertain the malicious appetites of an unpredictable predator. He calls himself Rhodes. They call him COLOSSUS—looming, omnipresent, and threatening to collapse into insanity.

Heather Stokes, clever, resourceful, and no stranger to tragedy is willing to risk her life and sanity to protect her friends. They are focused on survival. But as the month hurtles the four toward their likely deaths, their worst nightmares become increasingly real—even for Rhodes: All of their efforts could be in vain, and it is likely none of them will survive.

COLOSSUS is an uncompromising, white-knuckled serial killer thriller, featuring unforgettable characters and an unsettling, nightmare-inducing antagonist. A must-read for fans of Karin Slaughter and Thomas Harris.

My Review:

I haven’t had a book that has affected me the way that Colossus affected me in a long while. I wanted to put the book down and stop reading it but at the same time, I had to finish reading the chapter. I needed to find out what happened to Heather and her friends. I wanted to know the mystery behind Rhodes. I do not like it when books end with no resolution to the storylines. But in this book, it fits. It also left the book wide open for book 2.

This book is brutal. Not going to lie and tell you all that this book has a couple of scenes that will make you wince. It doesn’t have a couple. The whole book from the time Heather is kidnapped to the end is scene after scene of brutality. I like to think that I have a pretty thick skin when it comes to books with graphic violence. But I reached my limit with Colossus. I praise the author for that. I was kept breathless from chapter to chapter. Rhodes was such a wild card that I couldn’t predict what he was going to do next.

What was interesting to me was how the author was able to make all 4 kids have different reactions to their situation. Witt thought that if he could get on Rhodes good side, and stay there than he wouldn’t be tortured. He was also very submissive. Monica, while submissive, became withdrawn and quiet. She would curl up into a ball to make herself smaller. Like she wanted to disappear. Z did try to fight Rhodes but he was always overpowered. He learned to do what Rhodes wanted without making a sound. Heather fought Rhodes tooth and nail. She got the worse of the beatings. But there was something about her that Rhodes liked and that was the only reason she was alive.

There were times in the book where I wanted to tell Heather to stop fighting Rhodes and do what he wanted. Especially when he told her that they all had a time limit hanging over their heads. If anything, that made her fight harder.

What also got under my skin was the rape scenes. They were pretty graphic. What affected me was that it wasn’t just the girls getting raped. The boys did too. Then Rhodes videod them raping each other. It did get pretty intense during that part of the book.

Rhodes was a complete mystery. There was more to him than being a psychopathic serial killer. There were hints about someone who he had in his life that wasn’t there. Hints about his childhood and the abuse he endured. Hints about Spain and a job that waited for him there. Just the barest of facts and I wanted more. So I was a little disappointed when the book ended and there was no mention of it. I am hoping that book 2 gets more into his background.

The end of Colossus was a not what I thought it was going to be. It played with my mind. I stayed up after I was done with the book and thought about the ending. It affected me that bad. Let’s say that what I thought was going to happen didn’t happen. There was a twist that made me go “W.T.H.“.

What I liked about Colossus:

A) Kept me on the edge of my seat

B) Fleshed out characters

C) Excellent storyline

What I disliked about Colossus:

A) The violence

B) The rape scenes

C) Rhodes is a complete mystery. Drove me nuts.

I would give Colossus an Adult rating. I would not let anyone under the age of 21 read this book. There is explicit violence. There are explicit rape scenes. There is explicit language.

This book definitely has trigger warnings. They would be rape, kidnapping, and assault. If you are triggered by any of these, I would suggest that you not read the book.

I would recommend this book to family and friends. But I would make sure that they knew how intense and graphic the book can get. I would also let them know about the triggers. This is a book that I could see myself rereading.

I would like to thank Jette Harris for allowing me to read and review Colossus.

All opinions stated in this review of Colossus are mine.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

A Guide for Murdered Children by Sarah Sparrow

A Guide for Murdered Children

Title: A Guide for Murdered Children

Author: Sarah Sparrow

Publisher: Penguin Group Blue Rider Press & Plume, Blue Rider Press

Date of publication: March 20th, 2018

Genre: General Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Number of pages: 400

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find A Guide for Murdered Children: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

We all say there is no justice in this world. But what if there really was? What if the souls of murdered children were able to return briefly to this world, inhabit adult bodies and wreak ultimate revenge on the monsters who had killed them, stolen their lives?

Such is the unfathomable mystery confronting ex-NYPD detective Willow Wylde, fresh out of rehab and finally able to find a job running a Cold Case squad in suburban Detroit. When the two rookie cops assigned to him take an obsessive interest in a decades-old disappearance of a brother and sister, Willow begins to suspect something out of the ordinary is afoot. And when he uncovers a series of church basement AA-type meetings made up of the slain innocents, a new way of looking at life, death, murder, and missed opportunities is revealed to him.

Mystical, harrowing and ultimately tremendously moving, A Guide for Murdered Children is a genre-busting, mind-bending twist on the fine line between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

Trigger Warning: Child murder, rape

Continue reading “A Guide for Murdered Children by Sarah Sparrow” →

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Sometimes I Lie

4 Stars

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Date of publication: March 13th, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find Sometimes I Lie: Amazon | Barnes, and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me: 
1. I’m in a coma. 
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore. 
3. Sometimes I lie. 

Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it’s the truth?

Trigger Warning: Sexual abuse of a coma patient

Continue reading “Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney” →

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian

The Flight Attendant

3 Stars 

Publisher: Doubleday Books, Doubleday

Date of publication: March 13th, 2018

Genre: General Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Number of pages: 368

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find The Flight Attendant: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest Room, a powerful story about the ways an entire life can change in one night: a flight attendant wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man—and no idea what happened.

Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She’s a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure; and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, already counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man with whom she spent the night. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And the blood, a slick, still, wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police—she’s a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home—Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first-class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it’s too late to come clean or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did? 

Set amid the captivating world of those whose lives unfold at forty thousand feet, those who spend their nights in far-flung cities, rolling suitcases trailing their every step, The Flight Attendant unveils a spellbinding story of memory, regret, and murder far from home.

Trigger Warning: Self-harming behavior, excessive drinking, talk of verbal abuse, talk of uncontested sex while drunk

Continue reading “The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian” →

The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth

The Family Next Door

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: March 13th, 2018

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Number of pages: 352

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find The Family Next Door: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A gripping domestic page-turner full of shocking reveals, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Amanda Prowse, and Kerry Fisher.

The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours, and children play in the street.

Isabelle Heatherington doesn’t fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon catches the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers.

But Ange, Fran, and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange’s compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won’t let her sweet, gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park – and returned home without her.

As their obsession with their new neighbour grows, the secrets of these three women begin to spread – and they’ll soon find out that when you look at something too closely, you see things you never wanted to see.

Trigger Warning: Post Partum Depression, Kidnapping

Continue reading “The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth” →

The One by John Marrs

The One

4 Stars

Publisher: Harlequin (U.S. & Canada), Hanover Square

Date of publication: February 20th, 2018

Genre: Adult Fiction, mystery, thriller

Where you can find The One: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

How far would you go to find The One?

A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner—the one you’re genetically made for.

That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance, and love.

Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others…

A word-of-mouth hit in the United Kingdom, The One is a fascinating novel that shows how even the simplest discoveries can have complicated consequences.

Trigger Warning: stalking 

Continue reading “The One by John Marrs” →

Watch Me by Jody Gehrman

Watch Me

2 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Date of publication: January 23rd, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find Watch Me: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

“Riveting, chilling, and page-turning. Be prepared to stay up all night.” — New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline

For fans of dark and twisty psychological thrillers, Watch Me is a riveting novel of suspense about how far obsession can go.

Kate Youngblood is disappearing. Muddling through her late 30s as a creative writing professor at Blackwood college, she’s dangerously close to never being noticed again. The follow-up novel to her successful debut tanked. Her husband left her for a woman ten years younger. She’s always been bright, beautiful, independent and a little wild, but now her glow is starting to vanish. She’s heading into an age where her eyes are less blue, her charm worn out, and soon no one will ever truly look at her, want to know her, again.

Except one.

Sam Grist is Kate’s most promising student. An unflinching writer with razor-sharp clarity who gravitates towards dark themes and twisted plots, his raw talent is something Kate wants to nurture into literary success. But he’s not there solely to be the best writer. He’s been watching her. Wanting her. Working his way to her for years.

As Sam slowly makes his way into Kate’s life, they enter a deadly web of dangerous lies and forbidden desire. But how far will his fixation go? And how far will she allow it?

A gripping novel exploring intense obsession and illicit attraction, Jody Gehrman introduces a world where what you desire most may be the most dangerous thing of all.

Trigger Warning: Stalking, School shooting

Continue reading “Watch Me by Jody Gehrman” →

The Night Child by Anna Quinn

The Night Child

Title: The Night Child

Author: Anna Quinn

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Date of publication: January 30th, 2018

Genre: Fiction, Women’s Fiction

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find The Night Child: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

All Nora Brown wants is to teach high school English and live a quiet life in Seattle with her husband and six-year-old daughter. But one November day, moments after dismissing her class, a girl’s face appears above the students’ desks—a wild numinous face with startling blue eyes, a face floating on top of shapeless drapes of purples and blues where arms and legs should have been. Terror rushes through Nora’s body—the kind of raw terror you feel when there’s no way out, when every cell in your body, your entire body, is on fire—when you think you might die.

Twenty-four hours later, while on Thanksgiving vacation, the face appears again. This time, it whispers, Remember the Valentine’s dress. Shaken once again, Nora meets with neurologists and eventually, a psychiatrist. As the story progresses, a terrible secret is discovered—a secret that pushes Nora toward an even deeper psychological breakdown.

The Night Child is a breathtaking debut novel about split consciousness, saving a broken child, and the split between past and present. It’s about the extraordinary capacity within each of us to save ourselves through visionary means.

Trigger Warning: Child abuse, Mental Illness

Continue reading “The Night Child by Anna Quinn” →