Book Review: “Every Last Lie” by Mary Kubica

Title:  Every Last Lie

Author: Mary Kubica

Synopsis (from bn.com):  A widow’s pursuit of the truth leads her to the darkest corners of the psyche in this exhilarating thriller from New York Times bestselling author Mary Kubica

Clara Solberg’s world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out—and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara’s investigation and Nick’s last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date—one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.

My thoughts:   Lately, I’ve become obsessed with Mary Kubica’s books . . . I have 4 on my shelf, have finished 2, and yes I just ordered the other 2 I don’t have.   I just can’t put them down once I start . . .buckle up and enjoy the ride!!

This one unfortunately gets mixed reviews from me . . . only because of the absolutely horrible ending!   I thought the book itself once again in Kubica style, took the reader on a mind game of a journey . . . all sorts of possibilities as to what may have actually happened, just when you think you for sure have it figured out there is another twist and you are another great ride.

And then unfortunately . . . comes the ending . . . absolutely anticlimactic, ridiculous, horrible waste of time ending.   The last few pages of this book and the resolution of the story literally ruined the entire book for me . . . which I actually enjoyed!    Ugh, so frustrated with this one . . .

Anyway . . . reader beware, if you don’t want to be frustrated don’t read this one!!!!

 

And remember

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

Book Review: “The Breakdown” by B. A. Paris

Title:  The Breakdown

Author:  B. A. Paris

Synopsis (from bn.com):

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods. It was on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, and a woman was sitting inside—the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm, and she probably would have been hurt herself if she’d stopped. Not only that, her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing. Where she left the car; if she took her pills; even the alarm code.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

And the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

You won’t be able to put down B. A. Paris’s The Breakdown, the next chilling, propulsive novel from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors.

 

My thoughts:  The “Buy 2 Get One Free” Psychological Thriller Bay at my local Barnes & Noble is getting me into a lot of book buying trouble recently!  Phew.

I saw this title on in that bay, saw that it was by the same author as Behind Closed Door (Amazing read, get your hands on it now!) and knew I had to give it a try.  I was most definitely not disappointed.

I thought this was an amazing read!  Fast-paced, psychological thriller that I literally couldn’t put down, finished it in one day – no doubt!

B.A Paris is a master at seriously playing with the reader’s mind and own sanity while reading her books.   About a quarter of the way through the book it was messing with my mind, half way through I was pretty sure I was the one who was losing my mind, and by the end I was just plain . . . “no way, are you kidding me?, no way” talking to the book!

I must admit some of it I did have a bit figured out about half way through given it’s rather predictable, but the way it is written worked great for me!

I was in a bit of a reading slump and this most definitely pulled me out.

Great read, fast-paced thriller . . . you won’t be disappointed.

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

Book Review: “The Woman in the Window” by A. J. Finn

Title:  The Woman in theWindow

Author:  A. J. Finn

Synopsis:

For readers of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of the decade’s most anticipated debuts, to be published in thirty-six languages around the world and already in development as a major film from Fox: a twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house.

It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening . . .

Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.

My thoughts:  One word . . . WOW!  I thought this was an amazing read.  It has been a long time since I have read a book that I literally couldn’t put down . . . I kept trying to put it down to go do some housework and I kept picking it up.

Think Hitchcock meets Girl on the Train . . . although even better.

The psychological nature of this book was just spellbinding . . . creepy, mesmerizing.   The way the author crafted the writing, I could literally feel the main character spiraling out of control in her mental illness and drinking, getting more and more confused and isolated!  What a ride.

I will admit that I am not one who figures things out in books before they happen and I did figure out the interesting plot line about 2/3 through the book, was pretty much a no brainer.

People online were just raving about the ending of this book . . . I must admit it wasn’t my favorite, it was a bit anticlimactic to me.  The rest of the book made up for it in spades for me though.

Loved, loved, loved this book!

Do yourself a favor and jump on this one.

And remember,

Books Are Life

heather

Book Review: “16th Seduction” by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club #16)

Title:  16th Seduction

Author:  James Patterson

Series:  Women’s Murder Club #16

Synopsis (from bn.com): 

Detective Lindsay Boxer faces a heart-stopping threat in the newest Women’s Murder Club thriller.

Fifteen months ago, Detective Lindsay Boxer’s life was perfect—she had a beautiful child and a doting husband, Joe, who helped her catch a criminal who’d brazenly detonated a bomb in downtown San Francisco, killing twenty-five people. But Joe wasn’t everything that Lindsay thought he was, and she’s still reeling from his betrayal as a wave of mysterious, and possibly unnatural, heart attacks claims seemingly unrelated victims across San Francisco. As if that weren’t enough, the bomber she and Joe captured is about to go on trial, and his defense raises damning questions about Lindsay and Joe’s investigation. Not knowing whom to trust, and struggling to accept the truth about the man she thought she knew, Lindsay must connect the dots of a deadly conspiracy before a brilliant criminal puts her on trial.

My thoughts:

I don’t care how much others make fun of James Patterson and his writing, I just love a couple of his series including of course the Alex Cross series, NYPD Red, and this series . . . the Women’s Murder Club.

I find all of his writing extremely fast paced, interesting, with great characters and interesting story lines.

In this novel he again weaves together at least 2 storylines that while seemingly wonderful separate, don’t always seem to fit together nicely into one cohesive story.

I felt as if in this book Patterson was really keeping the focus on one of the Women’s Murder Club – Lindsay Boxer and her struggling relationship with her husband.  Therefore, although the other 3 women were woven into the story – I could have used a bit more of their camaraderie in this one!

Overall, a great offering in a wonderful series!  Give it a try if you haven’t.

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

 

Book Review: “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart

Title:  We Were Liars

Author:  E. Lockhart

Pages:  225

Synopsis (from bn.com): 

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

 

My thoughts:

What can I say about this book but . . . WOW!

I was enjoying the suspense, mystery, and thrill of the book . . . and then BAM I was hit with the ending.  It smacks you across the face and as the reader you mouth drops open and you find yourself saying “what did I just read?”  Loved it!

Before the ending – which of course I will not say one thing about – the book was solid in plot and characters.  I enjoyed the pace of the book and found the plot just the right amount of twisty, suspense, mystery, and drama.

This book really addresses the themes of lifelong friendships, change, family conflict, secrets, and ultimately the price of those conflicts and secrets.

I am not a huge fan of books to movie adaptations at all as of course usually as a reader the book is almost always much better – but in the right hands, this book could make a very, very interesting movie!

Overall a book I really, really enjoyed!  Fast read, solid plot, strong characters, and of course an ending that at least blew me away!  Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

Book Review: “Silent Creed” by Alex Kava (Ryder Creed

Title:  Silent Creed

Author:  Alex Kava

Series:  Ryder Creed series #2

Synopsis (from bn.com):  Ryder Creed and his K9 search-and-rescue dogs return in the second installment of an exciting new series, teaming up once more with FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell in their riskiest case yet.

When Ryder Creed responds to a devastating mudslide in North Carolina, he knows that the difference between finding survivors and the dead is time. He and his sturdiest search-and-rescue dog, Bolo, get to work immediately, but the scene is rife with danger: continued rainfall prevents the rescue teams from stabilizing the land; toxic household substances spread by the crushing slide fill the area with hazardous waste; and the detritus and debris are treacherous for both man and dog to navigate. But most perilous are the secrets hidden under the mud and sludge—secrets someone would kill to protect. For this is no ordinary rescue mission. Among the buildings consumed by the landslide was a top-secret government research facility, and Creed has been hired to find what’s left of it.

Then rescuers recover the body of a scientist from the facility who was obviously dead before the landslide—killed by a gunshot to the head. The FBI sends Agent Maggie O’Dell to investigate, and she and Creed are soon caught in a web of lies, secrets, and murder that may involve not only the government facility, but decades-old medical experiments that are the subject of current congressional hearings. As more bodies are found under even more unusual circumstances, they come ever closer to exposing the truth—but with unknown forces working against them, Maggie, Creed, and the dogs are running out of time.

 

My thoughts:  For a series that I was quite leery about given the overall dog trainer theme, I am loving this series.   This second book in the series allows the reader a deeper dive into the life of somewhat mysterious dog trainer, Ryder Creed, and his background.

I am also enjoying getting to know the characters a bit better and seeing the relationship between Ryder and my old favorite character from Alex Kava’s first series, Maggie O’Dell, continue to develop.

I liked the overall storyline and plot of this story, but I wish the author would have spent a bit more time discussing and delving into the story of the lab/the experiments and the secrets behind that.  It was a good part of the story and felt a bit rushed for me.  A better balance between the story of the actual dog searches and this would have added some intrigue and excitement to the read.

Overall, another great series from a favorite author.  I will no doubt be getting book #3 in this series as soon as I get my lazy butt to the library.

And remember,

Books are life

Heather

 

Book Review: “White Plague” by James Abel (Joe Rush #1)

Title:  White Plague

Author:  James Abel

Series:  Joe Rush #1

Synopsis (from bn.com):

In the remote waters of the Arctic Ocean, the technologically advanced submarine USS Montana is adrift and in flames. The mission that falls to Marine doctor and bioterror expert Joe Rush and his team: Rescue the crew of the Montana and keep the vessel out of enemy hands.

But the surviving crew are not alone on the submarine. A deadly plague from the past is trapped with them. And the crew of the Montana has unknowingly set it free.

 

My thoughts:  I enjoyed this novel but not as fully as I expected to (if that makes any sense)!  In general, it is a fast-paced, thriller set in the waters of the Antarctic.  Overall, the plot and the characters are strong, but there were some abrupt plot line changes and pauses that just didn’t make sense to me.

I must say that I enjoyed the parts of the book that portrayed the location of the Antarctic and the landscape, more than I ended up liking the plot!

I did like the main character, Joe Rush, enough to be excited to see that there is a second novel featuring him entitled “Protocol Zero”, also set in the Antarctic (yes I already have it  . . . ahhhhh I have no control, stay tuned for a review)!!!

Overall, if you are a lover of thrillers set in exotic locations – I think you should give this a go!

And remember,

Books are life,

Heather

 

Book Review: “The Memory Box” by Eva Lesko Natiello

Title:  The Memory Box

Author:  Eva Lesko Natiello

Synopsis (from bn.com):  What would you do if you searched your own past and uncovered something shocking?

In this gripping domestic thriller, a group of privileged suburban moms amuse themselves by Googling everyone in town, digging up dirt to fuel thorny gossip. Caroline Thompson, devoted mother of two, sticks to the moral high ground and attempts to avoid these women. She’s relieved to hear her name appears only three times, citing her philanthropy. Despite being grateful that she has nothing to hide, a delayed pang of insecurity prods Caroline to Google her maiden name-which none of the others know.

The hits cascade like a tsunami. Caroline’s terrified by what she reads. An obituary for her sister, JD? That’s absurd. With every click, the revelations grow more alarming. They can’t be right. She’d know. Caroline is hurled into a state of paranoia-upending her blissful family life-desperate to prove these allegations false before someone discovers they’re true.

The disturbing underpinnings of The Memory Box expose a story of deceit, misconceptions, and an obsession for control. With its twists, taut pacing, and psychological tenor, Natiello’s page-turning suspense cautions:

Be careful what you search for.

 

My thoughts:  In short . . . I absolutely LOVED this book!  I know out there in the reading world, I have heard either that people loved or hated this book.  I thought it was great.

Imagine a dark, psychological thriller that plays with your mind from the very first page to the last, to the point where you say to yourself “are you kidding me, did that just happen, wow, are you serious?”

Suburban housewife, Caroline, decides to simply Goggle her name to see what she finds . . . and the rest is a non-stop story of deceit, mind games, twists, turns,  secrets, . . .

You don’t want to miss this one . . . a fast, psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes.

 

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

Book Review: “Vile” by Debra Webb (Faces of Evil #8)

 

Title:  Vile

Author:  Debra Webb

Series:  Faces of Evil series #8

Synopsis (from Amazon.com):  Deputy Chief Jess Harris knows her time is running out. Somehow she must protect the people she loves and any more innocent victims from the serial killer obsessed with her.

Is sacrificing herself the only way to stop this evil?

Don’t miss the latest installment of this thrilling series!

 

My thoughts:  Anyone who has even glanced briefly at my blog recently knows that I am working my way through this great series . . . and am seriously hooked!

Again, book #8, Vile, picks up the storyline right where we left off.  Jess is back solving another case and continues to be stalked by The Player!

This series is a great psychological thriller with the serial killer aspect.  I like that as each book goes by we find out more and more . . . and more bits and pieces about other characters in the story, very interesting.

Now all that being said, as much as I love the series, I am getting to the point where I feel the underlying storyline of Jess being pursued by the serial killer is being played a little too long.  This series is really different than other serial books in that it is really one story carried out over the course of 10 books (or more?) rather than simply the same characters moving forward with other cases, etc.   I have to say it is time to move on from The Player story.  Jess, Dan, and the other characters in these novels are great . . . it is just time they get something else to be concerned about.

On to book #9 . . . come on, just because I feel it should move on, doesn’t mean I don’t want to see how it plays out 🙂

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

 

 

 

Book Review: “Vicious” by Debra Webb (Faces of Evil series #7)

Title:  Vicious

Author:  Debra Webb

Series:  Faces of Evil #7

Synopsis (from Amazon.com):  Serial killer Eric Spears is far from done. He has chosen his next victim and Deputy Chief Jess Harris knows it’s only a matter of time until he comes for her.

The murders are vicious, the killer relentless. Has Birmingham’s major crimes team run into its most baffling and deadly case yet?

Don’t miss the next thrilling installment of the Faces of Evil!

 

My thoughts:  Another great, fabulous, wonderful addition to the Faces of Evil series.  I don’t know, but I think this series just keeps getting better and better.  I am realizing at this point however that this is really more of one continuous story split up into 10 books that it is a series.  One book literally leads right into the next one . . . which of course make the plot twists and turns even better.

The author definitely has a feel for cliffhangers, suspense, and compelling characters.

I have embarked on book 8, Vile, and book 9 came in the mail last week.  I have my fingers crossed that one of the previous storylines surrounding Jess’s family gets addressed and doesn’t get dropped . . . noooooooooooo.

This series is definitely worth the read.  Fast-paced, exciting  . . . and what mystery lover doesn’t just love a serial killer plot!

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather