2024 releases

Review: The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi

~ megs14malloy

The Noh Mask MurderThe Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Noh Mask Murder is a classic Japanese Murder Mystery, originally published in 1950, that has recently been translated into English for the 1st-time. This seems to be a big trend in recent years and I’m loving it.

Akitmitsu Takagi is the pen name of Seiichi Takagi and this was his 2nd-novel. His 1st, The Tattoo Murder Case was published in 1948 and has also recently been translated to English. I’m looking forward to getting to that one as well.

This story is a solid Locked Room Murder Mystery, a la Agatha Christie. It’s told in a really fun way, where our narrator/protagonist, funnily enough, is named Akimitsu Takagi. He’s a mystery writer who is sent to investigate a mysterious intruder seen lurking in the Chizurui family mansion one night.

The narrative style felt very film noir to me; like the old detective stories, which obviously makes sense considering the time this was actually written. For me, what brought that vibe full-on was the narration of the audiobook. It’s perfect for this story. I felt like I was in an old detective film while reading it.

The set-up was really good as well, with Takagi arriving at the Chizurui family home and really immersing himself in their lives. We meet all the players, and as with any family, learn of the secrets and tensions running among them.

It’s a classic whodunit, with the Reader picking up the clues alongside Takagi. There’s detective work on page, with him logically trying to map out how the initial crime, the murder of the head of household in his locked study, could even have occurred. I really liked those bits.

It did take me a bit to get my bearings in this story though. Most likely due to my own cultural lens having difficulty deciphering between different character names initially.

This can sometimes happen in translated works, where either names, places or different cultural elements may not be 100% clear, or easily understandable, for someone outside the original culture, or language, so I’m not going to be too hard on myself for that.

I think the more I read of these stories, which I’m very excited to do, the more acclimated I will become to the pacing, names and rhythm of the stories overall.

I would absolutely recommend this one to Classic Mystery Readers, particularly if you enjoy Agatha Christie.

Although, I will throw a Caution Flag that this does spoil the whodunit of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, so if you haven’t read that yet and you’re planning to, you might want to read it prior to this one.

Thank you to the publisher, Pushkin Vertigo, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to read more of these classic Japanese Mysteries!

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Review: Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera

~ megs14malloy

Tiny Threads: A NovelTiny Threads: A Novel by Lilliam Rivera
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

Tiny Threads. I’m sad about this. I wanted to love it, as it explores the dark-side of the fashion industry and that’s something that truly interests me. While I can recognize there’s a good story in here somewhere, I just didn’t feel the execution pulled off what the author was hoping.

Sadly, it felt very mid to me, with no real memorable qualities. The overall story was quite bland, and I walked away wanting more. More of everything, more character development, intrigue, horror and plot.

Our main character is Samara, who leaves her home in New Jersey to pursue a job in Southern California with legendary fashion designer, Antonio Mota.

Samara is out of her element, and struggles to regain her bearings in her new home. Her coping mechanism is vodka, which I was told very, very, very, very frequently that she was drinking copious amounts of.

That was one of the first issues I had with this novel. How frequently I was told how much Samara was drinking. I would have preferred to have been shown her bad coping mechanisms and decisions in some other, more varied, ways.

I get it, she’s an unreliable narrator. I love an unreliable narrator, particularly those that drink too much, but I need a bit more depth to their character than what I feel I was delivered here.

I also liked getting the inside peek at this fashion house. I love stories that incorporate the business-side of things, and Rivera was doing that, I just wish she would have leaned even further into that exploration.

There were also some hints of some interesting horror elements, particularly those revolving around the nearby slaughterhouse, but again, I wanted her to explore that even further. To give me more; more history, more disturbing visuals, more substance.

I think Rivera has creative ideas. I liked how she brought the cultural identity of our MC into the story. That was the strongest aspect to me. I just wish, overall, it could have been a more well-rounded reading experience.

At the end of the day, I can see the good elements of this, there just weren’t enough to pull me through above a 3-star rating. I would be interested in picking up more from this author in the future. I know she’s a talented, this just didn’t work for my tastes.

I would still encourage anyone who thinks this sounds interesting, to pick it up and give it a go. Just because it didn’t work for me, doesn’t me it won’t work for you.

Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m happy I gave it a shot.

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Review: You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto

~ megs14malloy

You Will Never Be MeYou Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jesse Q. Sutanto is one of my go-to authors. I try to pick-up everything she writes either as soon as it releases, or even prior to its release, when I’m lucky.

For this one, even though I had an ARC in my hot little hands, and was anticipating it, I never ended up picking it up, and then it just got buried in my stacks and my mind.

Recently, while stalking Jesse’s author page to see if there was a new Vera Wong book listed, I noticed this one and snapped to attention. I needed to read it immediately.

I ended up getting the audiobook from my library and listened to it over the past couple of days. I loved the dual narration from Eunice Wong and Risa Mei, and am glad I ended up taking in the story via the audio format.

This story follows two up-and-coming social media influencers, so having the audio narration for them, it really added authenticity to those influencer personalities. I feel like both women channeled what I would anticipate these characters would have really sounded like.

In this story we follow Meredith and Aspen, best friends, who are both in the influencer space. Mer started out as a fashion and beauty influencer, and ended up teaching Aspen all she knew.

After Aspen got married and had kids, she turned more towards the parenting space and became a Momfluencer. It was at that point, with her handsome husband and adorable children, that her content really started taking off, leaving Mer’s numbers in the dust.

Their friendship was strained by this shifting dynamic and the two ended up having a falling out. By the time we meet them, they’re no longer speaking, but the story catches us up on all we need to know in regards to their messy friendship break-up.

I loved the back-and-forth between the two perspectives as all the details of their relationship were filled in. I also liked how we were shown the truth behind their lifestyles. Sure, online all was beauty, grace and stress-free days, but behind the scenes, it was anything but.

I like the exploration of that topic. Social media influencers have such sway over the way many of us see our own lives in comparison and I thought it was interesting to get a bit behind-the-scenes, even in a fictional capacity.

The 1st-half of the book is building up these characters and developing the drama between them. At the mid-point, it does take a turn though and suddenly we’re thrust into a dark world following Mer’s disappearance.

Things get really crazy from there. I haven’t read any reviews yet, but I was surprised after completing it to see that the overall rating is only at a 3.63 currently.

I think perhaps it may be due to the slower nature of the 1st-half, and the fact that neither MC is particularly likable. They’re more like characters you love to hate versus just love. You’re prob not rooting for either of them.

I tend to enjoy stories that follow influencers, or really any type of celebrity, so this worked for me in that regard. Additionally, I loved how messy and twisted the drama was. I always enjoy digging into a toxic friendship, and this definitely was that.

Overall, I feel like this is another really solid showing for Sutanto, who seems to have no issues jumping amongst various genres and age-ranges with her stories.

This is the 12th-novel that I’ve read from Sutanto and I’m always impressed with how easily I get drawn into her stories. I found this riveting. Her characters are well-developed and the drama is always delivered.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it. I had so much fun with it and definitely should have picked it up sooner!

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Review: Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews

~ megs14malloy

Don't Let the Forest InDon’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Andrew and his twin sister, Dove, return to the prestigious Wickwood Academy for another school year, it’s clear they’re hoping to leave some sort of tragic event in the past. It’s a new year, and a new chance for a fresh start.

As the days unfold, Dove begins being cold and stand-offish to Andrew. Because of this, Andrew comes to rely even more on his handsome and rakish best friend, Thomas.

Andrew and Thomas. Their relationship is deep, full of complicated emotion and captivated me from the start.

Thomas is like that mysterious, creative, rich bad-boy that most of us find intriguing AF, and Andrew def isn’t immune to those charms, even if it feels slightly dangerous.

This story follows that relationship as it develops, and also Andrew’s own mental health as it begins to spiral. We learn about their pasts at school, and more about both of their complicated family situations.

There’s a real blending of fact and fiction. It’s lyrical and dark and beautiful in a truly heartbreaking way. My favorite aspect was the Dark Fairytale style that Drews brought to it to examine some heavier topics.

I actually picked this up for a book club, and I started it the day before the discussion was scheduled. I got through it so quickly, as I couldn’t put it down once I started. There’s an underlying sense of dread that I felt so compelling. I needed to know the truth.

I really enjoyed the writing, and while I really, really liked it, I don’t think it was as impactful for me as it’s been for many other Readers.

It seems to be one of those books that if you pick it up at the right time for you, it could be everything. It reminded me so, so much of The Wicker King, and I’m wondering maybe if I hadn’t read that one first, if I would have enjoyed this more?

Either way, this is an excellent novel and I’m excited to read more from C.G. Drews!!

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Review: The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap

~ megs14malloy

The ResurrectionistThe Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Resurrectionist is set in Edinburgh in 1828.

We’re following James Willoughby, who left a somewhat posh lifestyle in Oxford behind in order to pursue the study of surgery in Edinburgh, a city known to be a trendsetter in medical advancements.

The regular University isn’t enough though. He wants to be able to work with human cadavers, for which he’ll need to enroll in a private surgeon’s school, the cost of which is sadly out of his price range.

Nevertheless, James is determined, and ready to strike any sort of a deal he can to become a student. Aneurin MacKinnon, a handsome young dissectionist, offers him the opportunity, but it comes at a cost, and James will have to work for it in ways he never could have imagined.

In short, this wasn’t at all what I expected, but I still ended up really enjoying it. I expected Horror, but got more of a straight-up historical fiction story, heavy with interpersonal drama. Nevertheless, I was sucked in.

Admittedly, Historical Fiction isn’t a genre I gravitate towards, but the rich gothic vibes of this definitely saved it for me. I was impressed.

James was a little naive, but that made him endearing. He was also determined and not afraid to put in the work. I was rooting for him to get everything he wanted, in spite of the world fighting against him in many different ways.

I also loved Aneurin, or Nye, who plays a big part in the story. He added a bit of dark intrigue. There were moments I couldn’t quite figure him out, but enjoyed trying.

Overall, this succeeded in grabbing my attention, and although it’s not something I would necessarily reach for if I had known more about it, I’m glad that I did pick it up.

Thank you to the publisher, Kensington Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to checking out more from this author!

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Review: Xmas Break by J.E. Rowney

~ megs14malloy

Xmas BreakXmas Break by J.E. Rowney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Xmas Break is a fast-paced Horror Thriller novella set on Christmas Eve. The first thing that attracted me to this was the cover. I couldn’t resist it and after reading the synopsis, I was even more stoked.

Who doesn’t love a little holiday-themed Horror/Thriller?

This story revolves around sisters, Isla and Clara, who have been estranged since their mother’s death and subsequent inheritance fallout.

It’s been years since the two have spoken, when Isla suddenly receives an invitation from Clara to join her and her partner, Greg, for the Christmas holiday at their luxury mountain retreat. After discussing it with her husband, James, Isla reluctantly accepts the invitation.

They travel to the house on a snowy winter night, and it is indeed just as luxurious as promised. Unbelievable really. And there’s her perfect sister, with her perfect husband and her perfect decorations…

But something seems off. Her sister is acting strangely, but Greg even more so. Isla and James are growing increasingly uncomfortable. They try to have a nice dinner, but things feel forced.

Nevertheless, Isla is giving it her best effort. She is, and temps do start to thaw, a little. At least on the inside. Outside the storm rages on, and wouldn’t you know it, the power goes out.

The stakes continue to escalate as the night goes on, and soon it becomes clear that these sisters are going to have to put the past behind them if they want to survive to see another Christmas Day.

While stylistically, Xmas Break may not be the strongest book ever written, it’s still wildly-entertaining. This puts the Popcorn Thriller seamlessly into the Christmas holiday, and I’m here for it. Also, I did end up appreciating the more thematic messaging towards the end.

I would say this is completely OTT, so if you aren’t down for that type of Thriller, I would steer clear of this one. For those looking for a fast, fun ride, with ridiculous action and mostly unlikable characters, it’s a must read for you next holiday-themed TBR.

Thank you to the publisher, BooksGoSocial, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I read this in a few hours, and had a lot of fun with it.

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Review: Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile #2) by Isabel Ibañez

~ megs14malloy

Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile, #2)Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Where the Library Hides is the 2nd-book in the Secrets of the Nile series by Isabel Ibañez. I really enjoyed the 1st-book, What the River Knows, when I read it a couple of years ago and had been looking forward to returning to these characters.

If you aren’t aware, these books follow Inez Olivera, who travels from her native-Argentina to Egypt, in the 1st-book, to try to decipher what happened to her parents, who had both disappeared while exploring there.

After all the events of the 1st-book, this sequel picks up with Inez trying to sort out her life, which has been turned upside-down by her Egyptian excursion.

This follows her relationship with her beau, as it grows, changes and goes through various iterations. Sadly, the drama and upheaval isn’t quite over for Inez yet.

This was an entertaining story. I’m glad I continued on with Inez’s story, even though I didn’t find this quite as captivating as I did What the River Knows. I feel like there was something a bit more magical and unknown about that 1st-story, that kept me slightly more engaged.

Additionally, I didn’t feel the Egyptian setting was as much a focus in this one, and I loved that aspect of the 1st-book, so missed that feel. This is full of action and drama though, so I was still pretty invested, it just felt different in tone.

Nevertheless, I’m glad I made time for it, and highly recommend the audiobook for the fabulous dual narration. It did succeed in bringing these characters to life.

Inez is a sympathetic character, and you can’t help but feel for her and all she goes through over the course of these 2-books. All she wants is a family to be a part of, and to be loved, and her bio-family, spoiler alert, is absolute trash.

I did enjoy going on this journey with her, and although this mentions this is the conclusion, I could totally see there being a 3rd-book. I still feel like we have more to mature through with Inez.

I would actually really love to see her story continue. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the 1st-book, I would just caution that it does feel a little different. Nevertheless, it’s still a fun adventure and absolutely worth picking up.

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Review: The Hollywood Assistant by May Cobb

~ megs14malloy

The Hollywood AssistantThe Hollywood Assistant by May Cobb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After a tough break-up, Cassidy Foster, ends up accepting a new job halfway across the country, via her well-connected best friend, Lexie.

Cassidy moves from her native-Texas to California to take a position as a personal assistant for a wannabe actress, Marisol, and her director husband, Nate Sterling. The glitzy couple welcomes Cassidy into their home with open arms, and she’s quickly taken up into their tumultuous lives.

It’s an amazing gig. Cassidy just needs to help them with various tasks a few hours a day and she’s going to be pulling in more money than at her last thankless job.

The more she gets to know the couple though, the more cracks she begins to see. Perhaps they aren’t so perfect after all, and even though it’s Marisol she’s really meant to be assisting, it’s Nate she’s finding herself most drawn to.

He begins asking her to read scripts for him, and seems quite pleased with her work. Then he starts asking for other things, and their relationship develops.

It’s clear to her now that they aren’t the perfect couple. When one of them ends up dead however, Cassidy becomes the authorities perfect suspect.

How is she going to convince them of her innocence when all signs are pointing to her? Granted, she hasn’t made the best choices in this whole thing, but she isn’t guilty, right?

Maybe Cassidy is not as a reliable of a narrator as you’ve been led to believe…

I’m a May Cobb stan, an enthusiast, if you will. I always look forward to her new books and offer forth no apologies for that. This was such a fun Summer Thriller, IMO. It gave me Summer vibes the whole way through, even though I have no clue in what time period it was actually set.

The L.A. setting, the glamorous food, drink and wardrobes, as well as the ritzy Hollywood couple with poolside hijinks, makes this absolutely scream Summer.

It’s full of obsession, deception, lies and OTT-drama, and I was here for every single freaking second of it. I will pick up anything Cobb writes, because we like what we like.

I love how risque this was. Cassidy’s position within this new job quickly becomes uncomfortable, but in such a fun way. Nate and Marisol were so hard to figure out. I wasn’t sure what was truth and what was lies.

I felt like she was being manipulated, but it was difficult to tell by who. That def kept me invested. Both Nate and Marisol seemed so sincere in their interactions with Cassidy. I thought all of that was very well composed by Cobb.

I know this type of twisted OTT-Domestic Drama isn’t for everyone, especially for Readers anticipating more thrills, but for me, Cobb’s stories always seem to hit.

I don’t watch any Reality TV, but I have a feeling that I’m getting the same dopamine rush that viewers who love those shows are getting when I read one of Cobb’s books. They’re just pure entertainment, and so far from my own life it’s not even funny, but it is.

As far as the ending, I saw what was happening way before our MC, but I felt like that made sense. Also, it added to the intensity. I was like yelling at my audiobook like you would during a great Slasher Movie, ‘look behind youuuu…’

Overall, I had a blast reading this. I was fully invested throughout and loved the various twists and scandalous drama along the way.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to WHATEVER high octane drama Cobb comes up with next!!

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Review: The Chamber by Will Dean

~ megs14malloy

The ChamberThe Chamber by Will Dean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Chamber follows six deep sea divers as they head out on a new assignment in the North Sea, where they’ll be working for the next month. The world of saturation diving is small, and unsurprisingly, the team has worked together before.

Thus, they’ve built up a certain level of trust and camaraderie amongst them. The dynamics feel like a family. We’re told the story via the perspective of Ellen, a rare woman worker in a mostly male industry.

Everything seems to be going as planned, until one of the team is found dead in his bunk. The remaining crew members are shook. How did he die? What are they supposed to do with his body?

With four days of decompression required before they can open the hatch back to the regular world, they need to watch each other’s back. What if he didn’t die of natural causes? What if one of them did it?

They could be trapped in the smallest, most panic-inducing living quarters, with an actual killer? This isn’t good.

A short-time later, when another diver is discovered unresponsive in much the same way, everyone puts their guard up. It’s becoming increasingly possible that these events aren’t a natural occurrence.

As suspicions run rampant, and tensions rise, everyone wonders, who is going to make it out of this dive alive?

While this sounds like an electrifying set-up, and it did keep me guessing, there was something about it that I didn’t quite vibe with. I’ve been thinking about it, and I think maybe it had to do with the delivery of Ellen’s perspective. I found it a bit choppy and hard to connect with.

I’ve had this book since it’s release, but finally decided to make time for it after recently watching the Netflix documentary, Titan: The OceanGate Disaster. I’ve always been interested in these types of deep sea diving careers, and this was definitely a fun read after watching that unsettling doc.

I feel like Dean captured the details of the saturation divers’ challenges and lifestyle, as well as the setting of the hyperbaric chamber, really well. In fact, those details on the profession itself, and the environment the divers were in, was my favorite aspects of this book.

It’s also a very quick read. I listened to the entire audiobook on a Saturday while doing my housework. I was entertained, but I didn’t find it truly gripping.

I wasn’t at the edge of my seat, but honestly, that’s okay. Not every book is going to blow your hair back. This is still a fun Locked Room Mystery, with a unique concept. I just wish I could have connected a little more with the writing style, and the way Ellen’s perspective was delivered.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend this if you enjoy Locked Room Mysteries, and very much so if you are interested in deep sea diving, and the aspects of a career in that field. I feel that was a success here.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I really enjoy Will Dean’s creativity and willingness to take some risks with his stories. I’m looking forward to more!

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Review: The Bitter End by Alexa Donne

~ megs14malloy

The Bitter EndThe Bitter End by Alexa Donne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoy the way Alexa Donne writes a YA Mystery-Thriller. Her novel, Pretty Dead Queens, is one of my favorites of all-time. It was like she wrote it for me.

When I was first learning about this release, everything about it was working in its favor; the cover, the title and this incredible synopsis opener:

When a winter storm traps eight teens in a remote ski cabin, they find themselves stranded with a killer…

Happy to report, this gave me exactly what I was looking for!

The Bitter End is such a fun Teen Scream Thriller. We follow a group of high school students, who go on a school trip, and end up stranded in a posh Colorado ski chalet.

As bodies start dropping one-by-one, and a blizzard has cut them off from outside contact, the remaining teens need to figure out who the killer is before it’s too late.

This is a classic set-up and I loved it developed in Donne’s capable hands. The characters are so messy and full of drama; it got intense. I was getting all the tea and drinking it up. These kids were bitter and a bit twisted.

Alexa Donne has really found her lane with this type of juicy, drama-filled Teen Thrill-Ride and I hope she keeps them coming. I will be first in line to get my hands on any future releases, that’s for sure.

I highly recommend this if you love YA Mystery-Thrillers, particularly if you enjoy inclement weather stories, or whodunits. The execution of this is great. It’s claustrophic and a bit frantic. I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to the publisher, Random House Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to see what Donne comes up with next!

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