Mystery

Review: No Rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams

~ megs14malloy

No Rest for the Wicked: A NovelNo Rest for the Wicked: A Novel by Rachel Louise Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Almost 20-years ago, Dolores Hawthorne fled her hometown of Little Horton, Wisconsin. She attended college, worked hard, and became a successful forensic pathologist.

She never planned to go back, until she gets a phone call from the FBI, telling her that her father, Little Horton’s former mayor turned US Senator, has gone missing under mysterious circumstances.

In spite of everything, Dolores cares for her father and returns to help in the investigation in any way she can.

Her reunion with her remaining family and the town is mixed, but before long, she’s coming to grips with her past and aiding the FBI with the search.

Other startling occurrences hit the town hard and it becomes clear, something sinister is haunting Little Horton this Halloween season.

Confession time. When I was offered an ARC of this book, I took one look at the cover, read the title, and thought, yes, absolutely, yes. It just looked like something I would enjoy, and luckily, that was true.

However, I had no clue what it was about, but made certain assumptions, and they were all wrong. I actually Buddy Read this with a friend and we both commented quickly that we both assumed it was YA, which it’s clearly not.

If you read the synopsis, unlike me, you’ll have no problem understanding that, but I just felt like the cover, though one of the most gorgeous covers that I’ve set my eyes on lately, really doesn’t portray the feel that I took from this Adult Mystery/Thriller novel.

With this out of the way, my head scratching at the cover art choice really has nothing to do with the book, or the story. I really enjoyed the twisted nature of this and all the dark small town drama. It was captivating and also contained one of my favorite tropes.

I absolutely adore when an MC returns to their hometown, after a number of years away, and ends up digging into some sort of mystery from their past. It’s even better when there are past and present mysteries intertwined, and that’s exactly what Adams delivered here.

It was interesting watching Dolores reintroduce herself to the home she left behind. The interactions among her family were interesting, and I liked how we learned about the past via various timeline/perspective shifts.

We also get a front row seat to the investigation into her father’s disappearance, as well as the other incidents happening around town.

Little Horton was a fun setting. It’s a self-proclaimed Halloween town, so they really lean into the holiday. It gave a lovely, moody backdrop to our overriding mysteries.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this. It was intriguing and fast-paced. I was surprised by it in many ways, and look forward to reading more from this author. I actually would love another book with Dolores as a main character. I grew very fond of her over the course of the story.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

Everything from the tone, setting and characters, to the mystery itself, was engaging for me. Rachel Louise Adams is definitely an author I’ll be reading more from the future!

View all my reviews

Review: A Killer Motive by Hannah Mary McKinnon

~ megs14malloy

A Killer Motive: A NovelA Killer Motive: A Novel by Hannah Mary McKinnon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

The night that Stella Dixon helped her teenage brother, Max, sneak out of their parent’s house to attend a beach party with her and her boyfriend, Jeff, she never could have imagined the night would end the way it did.

Max disappearing without a trace. The worst night of Stella’s life, and it forever changed their family. Even 6-years later, the repercussions of that choice feel to Stella like it happened just yesterday. Max is always on her mind.

The one thing that keeps Stella moving forward day-by-day is her true crime podcast, A Killer Motive, where she hopes to help other families find closure by investigating cold cases.

Building a successful podcast isn’t easy however, and in an effort to attract new sponsors, Stella goes on a local radio show to be interviewed about the podcast. The interview goes south though, when the host insists on talking about Max, a tender subject for Stella.

It’s after this show that Stella begins receiving cryptic messages enticing her to play a game, which if she wins, the anonymous individual claims they’ll give her information about what happened to Max all those years ago.

At first, Stella thinks it’s just a sick joke, until Max’s best friend Kenji ends up disappearing as well. The person claims they have Kenji and if she tells anyone, he dies.

Stella is forced to play along and try to figure out who could be behind the messages. She needs to do it alone and she can no longer trust anyone in her life.

As the games escalate and the clues become darker, Stella puts everything else on the line as she desperately scrambles for answers. She vows to get to the bottom of it all, even if it’s the last thing she does.

A Killer Motive pulled me in easily, and held on tight until the very end. I enjoyed so many things about this one. The plotting, the examination of criminality and the ideas behind what types of people commit what types of crimes, and of course, the podcast element.

Hannah Mary McKinnon is a go-to author for me, and this book is the perfect example of why. I find it easy to just lose myself in her stories. If you read for escapism, like me, and love a twisted psychological thriller, you should def check this one out.

I loved how intriguing this was from the start. When the evil messages start rolling in, I couldn’t help but read them to myself in the voice of Jigsaw from the Saw movies. They just had that tone to them. They felt dangerous and I couldn’t imagine being Stella and receiving those messages and not being able to tell anyone about them.

I suspected every person around Stella at one point or another. I feel like McKinnon did a great job of building the side characters so that it could have been anyone. My mind was going a mile a minute trying to figure it out.

I almost felt like I was rushing because the stakes felt so high and I just wanted Stella to be okay. She’s haunted by so much guilt and grief regarding Max, and then when Kenji was taken, to feel like she was the cause of that too. I just had so much empathy for her.

I also felt she was extremely brave and fearless. She felt like she had nothing to lose, so she was willing to risk it all. Unanswered questions had plagued her since the night of Max’s disappearance and the only way to get it to stop would be to figure it out.

She was a great character to follow. The pace is so fast towards the end. Oh my word. As McKinnon novels usually do, it gets wild and I was living for every minute of it.

This is the 6th-novel I have read from this author, and I hope it’s far from the last. I love her stories. They’re dramatic, OTT, fast-paced, intriguing and I look forward to every one.

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Hannah Mary McKinnon, I’m your fan for life!

View all my reviews

Rereading A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

~ megs14malloy

A Murder Is Announced (Miss Marple, #4)A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my 2nd-time reading A Murder Is Announced, arguably one of Christie’s most beloved mysteries. I actually picked it up for a book club solve-along this time around and had a fantastic time revisiting the mystery and discussing it with a fun group of friends.

I’ve decided to give it the same rating this time around; a 4.5-star rounded up. I love this one. The village vibes and quirky cast of characters are standouts for me.

I highly recommend it for Readers maybe wanting to try out Christie’s work for the 1st-time, but also, of course, to already established Christie stans as well.

See my full thoughts below!

Original:

**4.5-stars rounded up**

As some of you may know, one of my 2023-Reading Goals is to read all of the full-length novels in the Miss Marple series in order.

A Murder is Announced is the third novel in the series and generally considered one of the best. I had been greatly anticipating this one and had so much fun with it.

Christie’s stories are complete nostalgia for me. They’re comfort reads and this one, the classic set-up, it felt completely her.

This one is set in the village of Chipping Cleghorn and follows the events that occur after the local Gazette runs an advertisement stating, A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.

No one knows what it means, but the village is a titter about it. Many locals decide there is only one way to find out, thus arriving at the stated destination at the appointed time.

As they gather in the residence, without warning the lights are extinguished and a gun is fired. As the lights come back on, a gruesome scene awaits them.

Who is the victim? Who is the killer and why?

As with the previous novels, Miss Marple wasn’t in the house at the time of the crime, but gets consulted after due to her expertise in such affairs.

This had a big cast of quirky characters and it was fun trying to work out all the connections and varied relationships. There is also talk of an inheritance of sorts and I always love that trope.

I wasn’t necessarily trying to figure out the whodunit whilst reading this, but I will say, the reveal did surprise me. I feel like Christie succeeded in pulling the wool over my eyes; a misdirection, if you will.

Overall, I loved it. It was such a great mystery, with intriguing twists that did ultimately surprise me.

Also, I feel like we got more face time with Miss Marple in this one and she was in more danger than ever before. It was tense and intriguing. Well done!

View all my reviews

Review: The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey

~ megs14malloy

The Wolf TreeThe Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The Wolf Tree is an Adult Mystery novel set on a remote Scottish island. Late last year, I saw a few of my trusted book friends reviewing this one quite favorably.

As is my custom, I was immediately filled with uncontrollable FOMO, so I sought out a copy. Then as is also my custom, I let it sit on my unread shelf for months and months and months.

Recently, I finally decided to give it a go, wanting a strong Police Procedural Mystery full of atmosphere and intrigue. Oh baby, did I get what I wanted.

This story follows George Lennox, and her partner, Richie Stewart, who’re embarking on their first big detective assignment since George suffered a terrifying accident on the job that left her with a serious head injury.

The powers that be have finally decided that George is ready to get back out there, and she and Richie are sent to Eilean Eadar, a remote windswept rock, best known for the unsolved mystery of the lighthouse keepers who vanished from there back in 1919.

The small community who lives on the island, easily more sheep than people, are used to self-sufficiency. They live a remote and rugged life and are used to looking after one another, through good times and bad.

George and Richie are sent there to investigate after a young man, Alan, is found dead at the base of the lighthouse. The islanders, led by a ubiquitous priest, Father Ross, seem determined to thwart the DIs’ investigation. The local story is Alan took his own life, but is that really what happened?

Due to it’s remote location, the detectives are forced to stay on the island for the duration of their investigation. The more they interact with the locals and learn about their culture and history, the more George becomes convinced that something is seriously off here.

I had so much fun with this one. I became completely invested in the mystery and loved the partnership of George and Richie. They’re definitely a detective duo I want to read more of. I like how McCluskey gave them an interesting history in addition to the mystery they were solving.

McCluskey also nailed the island atmosphere and I found this to be spooky in addition to mysterious. I loved the feel of the locals. They were believable, yet also untrustworthy. It gave the whole thing an unsettling feeling from the start.

I did have moments where I felt challenged to keep up with a lot of the side characters, but for the most part, I think McCluskey did a great job creating a thick web of intrigue, while also keeping it accessible and understandable.

About halfway through, I was curious if this was going to become a series, and I’m so happy to report that there is a 2nd-book, The Cursed Road: A new gripping Scottish crime thriller from the bestselling author of THE WOLF TREE, set to release very early next year.

Y’all, I will be first in line for that. George and Richie are such a great match, their skill sets playing perfectly off one another. Richie, as a more aged, experienced detective, of course feels protective over George, and for her part, she’s just testing her limits.

I would recommend this for fans of Caz Frear’s Cat Kinsella series, the DC Morgan series by Clare Mackinstosh, or the DCI Jonah Sheens series by Gytha Lodge.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait for the next book to release!

View all my reviews

Review: She Didn’t Stand a Chance by Stacie Grey

~ megs14malloy

She Didn't Stand a ChanceShe Didn’t Stand a Chance by Stacie Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Gertie gets notification that she’s being summoned to her recently-deceased, estranged father’s luxurious desert property for the reading of his Will, she’s not exactly elated.

She hasn’t seen her four half-siblings since she was just a toddler, and has absolutely nothing in common with them. Nevertheless, she’s curious and decides to go, in spite of how awkward it’s bound to get.

Once at the property, her assumptions are confirmed. Her half-siblings treat her like gutter trash blown in off the streets. They stick her in the cluttered and neglected pool house, with no air con, or any other conveniences.

Gertie receives more warmth from the property’s staff than her own family, made worse when it’s revealed she’s set to inherit a large portion of the estate. A larger portion than anyone would have expected; especially Gertie.

Gertie has so many questions, including how did their father die? The more she asks about that, the clearer it becomes that he might not have died of natural causes.

When a member of the household staff is killed a few days later, Gertie’s confident that something nefarious is going on inside this house of glass. Will she be able to get to the bottom of it, or will she fall prey to the killer in their midst?

She Didn’t Stand a Chance pulled me in very quickly. I love an inheritance story, and this one gets to the nitty-gritty of the inheritance pretty early on.

I also really enjoyed Gertie as a main character. She’s plucky, resourceful and was very active in digging into the events surrounding her father’s death. It would have been very easy for her to just go there, sit quietly, take what was hers and move on, but she didn’t.

Though Gertie’s perspective is the only one we get in the present timeline, Grey did include some very fun mixed media aspects that helped to move the plot along. Additionally, we get little snippets of what was going on within the family just prior to their Dad’s death.

The siblings, Maryann, Brian, Liam and Jennifer, were all absolutely terrible. It was fun watching their ridiculously-petty antics. They were working hard to intimidate Gertie, but she’s made of stronger stuff than that.

There were some interesting side characters as well. My favorites being Mrs. Phan, the long-time property manager, and Eddie, the chef. The staff def had strong feelings about the family and I enjoyed getting their thoughts.

I did feel this dragged out a little towards the end, but overall, I found it to be an intriguing mystery. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out what had happened to the Dad and I definitely had moments where I was scared for our MC.

I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys a tense and dramatic inheritance story. The mystery was engaging and many of the characters were a lot of fun to hate.

I also truly enjoyed the desert setting, which added so much to the general feel of the story.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from Stacie Grey!

View all my reviews

Review: Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan

~ megs14malloy

Their Monstrous HeartsTheir Monstrous Hearts by Yiğit Turhan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Going into Their Monstrous Hearts, I knew nothing about it. I was sold by the cover and just had to have it, because against sound advice, I do judge books by their covers.

I was therefore delighted when I discovered that the basic set-up of this novel is an inheritance story, one of my favorite tropes.

We’re following Riccardo, a down on his luck author, who is estranged from his family and about a millimeter above rock bottom. Just as he ponders how he is going to get his life back on track, and deliver his agent the pages they’re demanding, a mysterious stranger arrives to inform him that his Grandmother, Perihan, has passed away.

Riccardo thinks, what’s that got to do with me? I haven’t spoken to the woman for years. The stranger, maybe a solicitor of some sort, insists that he’ll want to make his way to Milan to learn more about what he’s been bequeathed.

Finally deciding he could use a change of scenery, Riccardo takes them up on the plane ticket, and it’s off to Milan he goes. Once there, his Grandmother’s estate house isn’t quite as opulent as he remembered, but it’s still better than the street corner he was 5-seconds away from sleeping on.

It’s decrepit and definitely giving off an ominous vibe. Curious about the state of his house, his Grandmother’s friends and everything else about the current situation he finds himself in, Riccardo starts poking around; as you do.

He discovers a notebook of his Grandmother’s writing. As he dives into it, it gets strange. Is this fact, or fiction? A confessional, or a woman’s imagination gone wild?

This is a strange story, NGL. It’s not going to be for everyone, as evidenced by the current overall rating, but I found myself captivated by the audiobook. First, the wonderful dual narration helped me to envision these characters perfectly.

Mentioning the dual narration makes me think, I should also mention, that not only do we get Riccardo’s perspective in the present, we also get all of his Grandmother Perihan’s writings, that unfold a story of the past.

The way this rolled out, there was something so intriguing about it to me. Perihan’s story, I wasn’t sure what to think at times as far as was it true, or was it something she was creating. Either way, I needed to know the truth.

If you’re a Reader who can see the grotesque in things that are too beautiful, this book might be for you. And if you know what I mean by that, you are the Reader for this book.

I know the rating at this moment looks intimidating, but there’s no way I’m gonna be the only Reader who is darkly intrigued by this story.

It is weird. There are some things I’ll admit I’m not sure if I’m understanding the way the author intended, but I really enjoyed the mystery, atmosphere and the more monstrous aspects of this storyline. In my opinion, this deserves some more attention.

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA and Harlequin Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I would absolutely recommend the audio if you are going to check this one out. As mentioned above, I feel the dual narrators brought this story to life!

View all my reviews

Review: It Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson

~ megs14malloy

It Happened on the LakeIt Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Greetings again from Outlier Island!!

But this time I’m here, and I’m happy about it. I had so much fun with this, and I’m not getting that impression from many of my book friends who’ve read it.

This is a long one, I’ll admit. Coming in at well over 500-pages, that’s a bit unusual for a Thriller, or Domestic Suspense, but to me, it never felt too long.

I was so invested in all the juicy drama, trying to figure it out. My brain was spinning with all my theories…

I would definitely say it’s one of those books you just have to pick up at the right time, and luckily for me, I picked this one up at a time when it was exactly what I needed.

I don’t necessarily agree with the publisher comp to Rear Window, but in a way I can see what they were alluding to, as there is definitely a lot of ‘watching’ going on.

The drama of this story surrounds Lake Twilight, and the private island set in it, with its stately-Victorian home inherited by our MC, Harper Prescott. Even though Harper has an aversion to the property, she’s recently returned after some upheaval in her life, including a divorce.

When she was younger, Harper went through a lot of trauma on the property and the surrounding area, so it’s not surprising she hasn’t really wanted to spend much time there in her adult life.

While we don’t learn all that has gone on in Harper’s past right away, we are treated to past perspectives that help to fill in the blanks.

Harper’s present perspective is given as 1988, and the bulk of the action in the past occurs 20-years earlier in 1968. For me, I loved the back and forth, because it helped to slowly fill in the blanks and build out the story.

I say slowly, because it does take a long time to figure everything out, but not so much because the pace is slow, but more because there is soooo much to uncover.

Harper was considering fixing the property up in order to sell it, but being back stirs up so much unresolved issues and feelings, she’s not sure if she’ll actually be able to follow through with that plan. For now, she’s mostly focused on putting her past to rest.

Can Harper figure out the hazy puzzle that is her past before the island claims another victim, or will Harper finally be overcome by the things that have haunted her?

It Happened on the Lake features one of my favorite tropes and I think that’s part of the reason it was such a hit for me. I adore when a protagonist returns to their hometown, usually that they’ve fled years before, and ends up trying to solve some sort of mystery that’s been haunting them.

That’s exactly what this book is and I was in it with Harper. I also really enjoy Harper as a protagonist, because she was written in such a way that I wasn’t 100% sure how reliable her perspective actually was.

That sense of uncertainty had me questioning everything, and I think that upped the intrigue level for me. I wanted to trust her, but part of me wasn’t ready to let my guard down.

There were moments during the build that reminded me a lot of Riley Sager’s, The House Across the Lake. It has sort of similar vibes with regards to the lake, surrounding town, and the people watching people situations.

Obviously, the content of this is vastly different and it is more drawn out, but if you enjoyed that drama-filled lakeside setting, this could end up working for you too.

There’s a lot of moving pieces, particularly at the beginning, so it is the type of read where you have to be completely dialed in. If you miss anything, I can see it possibly getting confusing. Particularly due to the time jumps.

Regardless, I think if you’re in the right mood, and you have the patience for it, it’s a super fun and enticing read.

While it won’t be for everyone, I think for the people it hits with, like myself, it can be a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher, Kensington Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I was hesitant to pick it up initially, because of that intimidating page count, but I’m glad I ended up giving it a shot.

It exceeded my expectations!

View all my reviews

Review: Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell

~ megs14malloy

Dead of SummerDead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dead of Summer is a mysterious warm weather read told through three perspectives: Faith, Orla and Henry. Their perspectives collide over the course of one Summer on Hadley Island, off the rugged coast of New England.

Faith comes to Hadley with her new boyfriend, David, feeling like this could be a big step towards them taking their relationship to the next level.

Orla is a Hadley native, who spent many Summers palling around with David when the two were younger.

Henry is the perspective who seems the most disconnected from the circles the two women circulate in. How is he going to fit into it all? That was a big question for me.

The majority of the mystery involves a girl named Alice, who was Orla’s best friend. She disappeared one Summer night a decade ago, never to be seen again.

When Orla returns to the island, to prep her childhood home for sale, the location brings back a flood of memories. She can’t stop thinking about Alice and feels compelled to dig up the truth surrounding the night she disappeared.

As luck would have it, David is there for the Summer, along with his new girlfriend, Faith, and for good or bad, Orla and David end up reconnecting.

Meanwhile, Henry is sitting back, watching it all. He’s surprised to see these faces from the past reappearing. It floods him with memories too; unpleasant ones.

When another teenage girl disappears, Orla, David and Henry find themselves pulled into another mystery, so similar to the one that has haunted them all for years.

Dead of Summer is one of those stories where I was really dialed in initially. I loved meeting the various perspectives and getting established in our setting of Hadley Island.

I live on a small island off the coast of Massachusetts, that is a desirable Summer resort location, so I found Hadley Island, and the kind of families discussed, very relatable. I think Maxwell did a great job of developing that and creating interesting back stories for each of our main characters.

I also enjoyed the initial roll out of the mystery. Unfortunately, the further it went along, as more and more of the puzzles pieces started to fall into place, the less compelling I found it.

As the truth starts coming out, it felt like a let down. The climax wasn’t as exciting as the build, because for me, the truth wasn’t as high stakes as I was anticipating.

It’s really hard to explain what I mean by this without spoiling anything, I just feel like the build was so good and the end was just sort of middle of the road.

With this being said though, I can often be a nit-picky bitch and I can see that this is overall a good story. This would be a great book to take on holiday, or to the beach.

It’s a fairly quick read, and depending on your state of mind, this could be the perfect read for you. Jessa Maxwell has a ton of talent and I know I’ll be picking up more of her work, even if this one didn’t quite knock it out of the park for me.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it so much!

View all my reviews

Review: Head Cases (PAR Unit #1) by John McMahon

~ megs14malloy

Head Cases (PAR Unit, #1)Head Cases by John McMahon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Head Cases is a super-strong start to an all new Police Procedural Mystery series, following an elite, yet obscure, unit in the FBI called PAR (Patterns and Recognition).

I learned about this book through good ole’ fashioned word of mouth, and I could tell from what my friends were saying that this would align with my taste. Happily, it certainly did.

Our MC is FBI Agent Gardner Camden. He’s undoubtedly an analytical genius, but unfortunately, the people-side of his analysis tend to be lacking. He’s a puzzle genius, yet a mediocre people person.

Nevertheless, along with the rest of the team, each bringing their own special set of skills to the table, they’re a true force to be reckoned with.

The case in question involves a murder victim whose DNA links to a serial killer long-presumed dead. A 2nd-victim establishes a pattern, and the killer seems to be leaving behind clues and riddles especially created for Gardner.

The team flies into action and the rest of the story is a whirlwind of cat-and-mouse suspense as Gardner gets closer-and-closer to catching the killer.

I listened to the audiobook for this one and found it to be so gripping. I highly recommend that format should you have access to it. I felt the narrator became Agent Gardner for me. It was completely believable.

I loved the quirky team as well. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, working well together to get the outcome they all desired. I love when strong teams are shown on page, versus teams full of drama and strife.

I would HIGHLY recommend this to fans of Criminal Minds. I was totally picturing Matthew Grey Gubler and Shemar Moore the whole time, which obviously is not a bad thing…

I’m not sure what the long-term plan is for this series, but the possibilities are endless. I’d definitely be down for joining this team on a lot more cases.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait for more PAR Unit!!

View all my reviews

Review: The Holy Terrors (Holy Terror Mysteries #1) by Simon R. Green

~ megs14malloy

The Holy Terrors is a good book. Particularly, if you go into it expecting a Cozy Mystery with potential Paranormal aspects.

Unfortunately for me, I went into this expecting Religious Horror, which it absolutely is not. I think at the time I received this as an ARC, it was not designated as Book #1 of the Holy Terrors Mystery series.

If it had been, I think it would have tempered my expectations a bit. Nevertheless, I do highly recommend the audiobook if you are going to pick this one up, and now that I know what the series is about, I would be interested in picking up the 2nd-book, [book:Stone Certainty|217105077].

I love Cozy Mysteries and I think that the MC of this, Bishop Alistair Kincaid, could be a fun one to follow. I feel we have so much more to learn about his character and I’m down to explore that.

It also seems like he may be pairing up with another one of the characters from this book, Diana, an actress. They had some interesting chemistry, so that could be fun, watching them work together again.

This story also has a fun set-up. Alistair and Diana are involved with the filming of a television ghost-hunting show, where they, along with some other folks, get locked into a reportedly haunted hall overnight.

Unfortunately, while that set-up is great and should lead to a lot of creepy action, I feel like the narrative is much more focused on the interpersonal dynamics going on between all these trapped show people.

I feel like it was a bit of a missed opportunity to create a genuinely-creepy vibe. With this being said though, there’s nothing wrong with a more character-focused mystery, it just wasn’t what I was expecting, or in the mood for, when I picked this up.

Overall though, I think if you go into this with the right expectations, this could definitely be a quick, fun read. Again, check out the audio if you plan to pick it up. I flew through it.

Thank you to the publisher, Severn House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. It’s def more likely than not that I will be checking out the next book now that I know more what to expect