I wanted to review Deep Water in part because I wanted to warn readers about some of the content. This book contains references to human trafficking, a sexual assault on the page, and a dog in jeopardy. So I know based on Hollywood movies (The Island), other novels (like The Reckless Girls) and at least two Datelines that if you say goodbye to your 9-5 and find yourself sailing to a remote tropical paradise inhabited … Continue reading Deep Water by Emma Bamford →
I started reading Hither, Page, finished it too quickly, immediately hunted down the sequel, The Missing Page, and read that too quickly as well. One tagline I’ve seen reads, “cozy mystery like Agatha Christie but make it gay.” It’s not so cozy that the dead have about as much impact as a dissolving dead NPC in a video game; the cozy has sharp edges. For example, there’s the bucolic setting, but around the borders are … Continue reading Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian →
At the risk of sounding conceited, when you read as many thrillers as I do, at some point it becomes easy to predict the twist. It’s fairly uncommon for me to be completely surprised by the ending of a psychological thriller, but Lucy Foley does it every time. The Paris Apartment is no different. The Paris Apartment is told from multiple points of view, with the heroine being Jess, a barmaid from England. Jess is … Continue reading The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley →
TW: Gore, gaslighting, controlling relationships, codependency and depression, vomiting. Also SO MANY SPIDERS. Cackle is a feminist and creepy yet cosy read that asks us to explore the boundaries between an empowering friendship and a toxic one. Annie (our protagonist) finds some of both in her relationship with Sophie, a glamorous, elegant, mysterious woman, who lives in the small town of Rowan. This book is narrated by Annie. She has lived in New York City … Continue reading Cackle by Rachel Harrison →
I love the Kat Holloway series to the point that I’ve recommended and purchased copies for people all around me. I knew I’d like this one, and I did, indeed. The challenge here is that this is the fifth book in the series, so identifying the audience for a review is tricky and tends to slow down my ability to write said review. Meta aside, a brief summary: Kat Holloway is still balancing her life … Continue reading Death at the Crystal Palace by Jennifer Ashley →
I am writing this while sleep deprived, guzzling a cold brew, having stayed up all night reading. At some point I remember my husband telling me he was going to bed and me telling him I’d be right up. The next time I looked up I had finished The Last Thing He Told Me and, aside from my reading light, the house was pitch dark. The Last Thing He Told Me is an excellently plotted … Continue reading The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave →
Lila Macapagal has moved back to Shady Palms after a hella-bad breakup, and is trying to help her aunt with her restaurant, which is in financial trouble. When Lila’s ex-boyfriend drops dead during his meal with his stepfather, the restaurant’s landlord, Lila becomes the prime suspect. She decides to investigate the nefarious ex to find out who really killed him. Lila is…not great at detecting. Lila’s investigation mainly rests on her going to different restaurants, … Continue reading Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala →
I have barely ever mentioned the Murderbot series in the past year, so it may have escaped your notice. I definitely cannot adequately transcribe the noise I made when I received an ARC of Fugitive Telemetry, the newest in the Murderbot Diaries. I was in the midst of yet another re-read of the series, and having a brand-new Murderbot story was a delight. And now everyone gets brand new Murderbot to read! In October 2020, … Continue reading Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells →
An Unexpected Peril was, as expected, perfect vacation reading. Veronica and Stoker are assisting with the preparations for an exhibit at the Curiosity Club commemorating a mountain climber, Alice Baker-Greene. Greene died in a climbing accident in the country of Alpenwald, and the princess of Alpenwald has arrived in England for the opening of the exhibit, which is as much about the country as it is about Greene’s climbing achievements. Then, in short order, they … Continue reading An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn →
The Diabolical Bones is the second book in the Bronte Mystery series. I enjoyed the first book, The Vanished Bride, and the second book can be read as a sequel or a stand-alone. In The Diabolical Bones, the siblings (Branwell, Charlotte, Anne, and Emily) attempt to solve a mystery concerning a skeleton that is discovered walled up in a local mansion. To whom did the skeleton belong, who put it there, and why? The mystery … Continue reading The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis →
The Wife in the Attic is a retelling of Jane Eyre where a lonely governess falls for her employer’s mysterious wife, and contemplates whether murdering him is the easiest way out of their predicament. For many of you, that’s all you need to know to one-click. Go forth and enjoy this audiobook which is available on Audible now, and as an ebook in Fall 2021. This book is a gothic delight. It’s unsettling but not … Continue reading The Wife in the Attic by Rose Lerner →
