suspense

Review: A Flaw in the Design by Nathan Oates

~ megs14malloy

A Flaw in the DesignA Flaw in the Design by Nathan Oates
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

A Flaw in the Design follows Gil, a creative writing professor at a small, liberal arts college in Vermont. Gil lives with his wife, Molly, and their two daughters, Ingrid and Chloe.

They have a rather peaceful life; typical family stuff. That is until Gil’s sister and her husband are killed in a car accident, leaving their teenage son, Matthew, an orphan. Since Gil is the boy’s Godfather, and closest living relative, they agree to take him in and Matthew joins their family in Vermont.

At this point, you may be thinking things like, oh nooooo, what a tragedy, poor Matthew. You also may be thinking that Gil would welcome his nephew with open arms; like, of course he would lovingly take him in. He’s family.

But, no, you would be wrong on all accounts. Not poor Matthew, not loving Uncle Gil, zero open arms, forget everything your instincts tell you to think.

The truth is, Gil can’t stand his nephew. He thinks Matthew is a spoiled brat. Actually, it’s worse than that, he thinks Matthew is evil. They have a history, going back for as long as Gil can remember he has seen a wickedness in Matthew.

After an incident at Matthew’s parents Montauk estate, Gil had essentially written him off. Not just Matthew, but his sister and her husband as well. Gill called out Matthew on some unsettling behaviors and his sister refused to believe him. They didn’t see much of each other after that.

Regardless, Matthew’s legal team is fairly insistent, the boy needs to go live with them in Vermont. The buck stops with Gil. Speaking of bucks, now may be a good time to mention that Matthew’s parents were exceedingly wealthy. We’re talking tens-of-millions of dollars wealthy.

It’s all Matthew’s now. Through a series of Trusts, Matthew will live comfortably for the rest of his life and some of that may just trickle down to Gil and his family. A small detail the professor can’t ignore.

After Matthew moves in, Gil is extremely uncomfortable. He’s not being fooled by Matthew’s charming ways. He knows what the boy is capable of and he’s not letting down his guard for a moment.

As Matthew begins to win over his wife and his daughters, Gil becomes even more desperate for people to see what he sees. It becomes a bit of an obsession.

Matthew can tell his Uncle is on the brink. He likes to push. He’s happy to play with the exceedingly unnerved professor, but is it all just a game, or is Gil actually right?

This was a lot of fun to read. The tension is real. It’s a true Psychological Thriller. I was impressed with the character work and the depths to which Gil’s musings, suspicions and subsequent obsessions were explored.

Matthew was such an interesting character as well. Your quintessential rich bad boy, playing fast and loose with everyone around him. I loved the back-and-forth. It has a real cat-and-mouse vibe, but in an interesting way.

The further I progressed in the story, the more I started to second guess what was happening. Who really is the cat, who really is the mouse, or do we have a cat-cat situation happening? What’s up, what’s down?!

I made certain assumptions. I believed what the characters were telling me, but was I wrong? Was this an unreliable narrator situation? Side note, I still love an unreliable narrator. It never gets old for me.

You could cut the tension with a knife throughout this story and I loved the ending. I know the ending won’t be for everyone, but for me, it left a wicked little grin on my face and nothing makes me happier than that.

My only slight critique was that I felt like there were certain sections that dragged a little for me. Anything that didn’t involve Matthew directly, I was sort of rushing through to get back to the present action.

With this being said, overall, I really enjoyed this. It was so well plotted and the intensity was super fun and engaging.

I am definitely looking forward to picking up more from this author in the future. I walk away impressed.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Random House, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

This had me at the edge of my seat. I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a smart, edgy, head-spinning Psychological Thriller.

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Review: The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

~ megs14malloy

The Writing RetreatThe Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Picture it: you’re an aspiring writer, you’re maybe down on your luck, you’re stuck in a dead end job and then you get offered the opportunity of a lifetime.

Your favorite author, we’re talking a person whose words you have read since childhood, who has had a lasting impact on your life…

…oh, sorry. I got too much into my own head there for a moment. Anyway, this author, a ground-breaking author of feminist horror, is hosting a writing retreat for five up-and-coming female authors.

Thousands have applied. Few are chosen. You are chosen. Sure, it’s due to a technicality, but you’ll take it!

This is amazing. You get to travel to her mansion in a remote location and do nothing but write for an entire month. It’s the chance to finish a novel and be published.

Rein in your expectations though, this is a competition and every other writer there wants it as much as you do. It’s going to be a cut-throat endeavor.

Do you have what it takes to survive The Writing Retreat?

Y’all, The Writing Retreat was a journey for me and not necessarily a great one. Starting out I was intrigued by the set-up. I liked how quickly Bartz got us to the retreat, which is the focus of the story after all.

I liked meeting all of the women involved, including the infamous author, Roza Vallo. The setting is lovely. I definitely could picture it and felt the isolation and claustrophobic, creepy feel in my gut.

It’s fairly clear from the start that not all is going to go as expected for these women. This isn’t a casual, write when we feel like it, sort of place. Roza is intense as heck and has certain expectations of the women she has extended this opportunity to.

I liked how the author built the tension. I was suspicious of everyone. There were so many different occurrences that quite literally got under my skin, however, over time I began to fall out of love with all that was happening here.

I expected the interpersonal drama, which will always happen with a group of unrelated women living together under one roof, and frankly, I was living for that. The topics explored definitely went in directions I wasn’t expecting. This got darker than I anticipated, but I do love dark fiction.

I guess where I started to disconnect from the novel was jarring plot twist after plot twist after plot twist. Each one crazier and more OTT than the last. Unfortunately, each consecutive twist brought it farther and farther away from the realm of likability for me.

Let it be known, and if you’ve followed my reviews for any amount of time you know, I am generally a fan of OTT. This toed the line of, dare I say, ridiculous though for me.

I applaud the author for taking risks, that takes a lot of daring. I enjoyed the writing style very much, as well as the initial set-up, atmosphere and character work, but the plot just wasn’t for me

With this being said, my personal opinion should not keep you from picking this up. There are a ton of rave reviews and you could be one of them. If the synopsis sounds intriguing to you, absolutely give it a go.

Further, I really did enjoy the writing style and construction of this story. I will definitely be picking up Bartz’s next novel. I am sure it will be equally as surprising and creative.

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

I definitely recommend this one to fans of claustrophobic feeling, OTT-Thrillers!

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Review: Bright and Deadly Things by Lexie Elliott

~ megs14malloy

Bright and Deadly ThingsBright and Deadly Things by Lexie Elliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bright and Deadly Things is the latest release from Lexie Elliott, one of my go-to authors. I was so excited for this release and it did not disappoint.

This story follows Emily, an Oxford fellow, who recently lost her husband and is battling overwhelming grief. As she is getting her life back on track, she gets an offer to attend a retreat at the Chalet des Anglais in the French Alps.

This is a bit of a tradition for Oxford fellows and scholars. It’s looked on as a ‘reading week’, where they can go and engage in any academic pursuit they so choose. They live in the Chalet together, drink, dine and engage in what are hoped to be enlightening discussions.

Of course, when you get a bunch of adults living together under one roof, you’re also sure to get a lot of drama.

Also attending are Emily’s BFF, Jana, as well as other friends and coworkers of her and her late-husband’s. There are also a few students, who although Emily doesn’t know them personally, all seem interesting enough.

Most interesting is a girl named Sofi. The kind of girl who all eyes go to when she enters a room. She seems to be the black sheep of the bunch, but is sure to add some entertainment value and a bit of uncomfortablity as well.

Just prior to the trip, Emily walked in on an intruder who had broken into her house. Even though nothing was taken, she’s left rattled by the encounter. Later she hears her office building was broken into as well.

As her time in the French Alps begins, she cannot shake the feeling that someone is after her, or spying on her, or worse. Is it just nerves, brought on by grief and the break-ins, or is it something more?

Bright and Deadly Things had a great set-up. I really enjoyed meeting Emily and going on this journey with her. The rest of the cast were very intriguing as well.

When it starts to feel like someone is after her, messing with her really, I suspected everyone of having it in for Emily.

I really couldn’t suss out who could be behind the mysterious occurrences. I also considered a Murder on the Orient Express scenario; that’s how well Elliott disguised the truth behind what was happening.

You might be wondering, what is the actual mystery here, is there a murder, etc. I don’t want to go into any of that specifically, as I feel it’s best to go into this one knowing as little as possible.

I will say that it is a whole host of things that contribute to a general overriding feeling of dread and anxiety. Here they are at this very remote location, cut off from the world with no phones, wifi, or even electricity. Tensions run high in a competitive academic environment and feelings, amongst other things, are bound to get hurt.

I was really feeling for Emily. A lot of the things happening to her are quite scary. I don’t know what I would have done in her shoes; probably would have just kicked some butt and asked questions later.

One of my favorite things about Elliott’s writing is her deep sense of place. You always know where her stories are set, the environment, local area, vibe, etc. All these aspects are an important part of her storytelling and I love that.

Honestly, I always want that. I want to be able to feel like I am there too, right along with the characters, no matter what they are going through.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable reading experience for me. I always enjoy Lexie Elliott’s writing style. Her sense of place, character work and slow-burn suspense is very well suited to my tastes.

I was pulled into this one from the beginning. I was invested all the way. Elliott kept me in the dark enough to keep me engaged and guessing throughout. I also liked the light ‘is it supernatural, is it not supernatural’ vibes.

The setting and academic atmosphere were great as well. This takes dark academia on a bit of a field trip. We live.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to see where Lexie Elliott takes us next!

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Review: Such Pretty Flowers by K.L. Cerra

~ megs14malloy

Such Pretty FlowersSuch Pretty Flowers by K.L. Cerra
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

‘Get it out of me.’

That was the last text Holly ever received from her brother, Dane. She was out with friends, dancing, drinking, living it up. Her brother was ending his life.

Holly is overwhelmed with grief and guilt in the days following the discovery of Dane’s mutilated body. She knew he was struggling with his mental health. She feels guilty for not being more available to him.

Running through events in her mind, Dane’s tumultuous last months, Holly begins to suspect that his suicide isn’t as straight-forward as everyone believes. Seeing her brother’s mysterious and beautiful girlfriend, Maura, at his funeral does nothing to quell those fears either.

In fact, it only makes her suspicions grow.

Determined to figure out the truth behind Dane’s tragic death, Holly sets out to learn more about Maura and her relationship with Dane.

Holly befriends the younger woman and before long, circumstances allow them to spend a lot more time together. That’s when things begin to get weird; really weird.

Maura is a very successful florist in the Savannah area. She owns a gorgeous home, she’s so put together, but she’s also creepy as heck.

At first, Holly is drawn to her, attracted to her, but she’s also scared of her and she can’t quite pinpoint why. As their relationship grows, Holly begins to fear that she could turn out just like Dane if she’s not careful.

Compelling, addicting, eerie and creepy are just a few of the adjectives I would use to describe Such Pretty Flowers.

Anddddd while it wasn’t perfect, it definitely got my anxiety up and kept me glued to the pages!

I went into this under the mistaken idea that this was a YA-story, but it’s definitely not. It’s got more of a New Adult vibe. It gets pretty dark and graphic, even including some body horror, which I always enjoy. I was here for it.

It was also super suspenseful. You can tell that there is something going on with Maura. It was so interesting trying to figure out what. It also gets pretty stressful and intense, like in a Single White Female kind of way.

It’s like one of those intense feelings where you just want to shake the protagonist. Like, why are you making these crazy decisions, just get out of there!!

Holly was determined though. She tried so hard not to let silly fears overwhelm her, even when they didn’t seem quite so silly. Maura was just a girl, younger than her even, she had no reason to be intimidated by her…right?

Overall, I found this to be a clever and compelling work of Dark Fiction. There were a few areas that could have been explored a bit more, in my opinion, but I feel like this is still a solid, engaging story.

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a lot of fun with it and look forward to reading more from this author.

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Review: The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

~ megs14malloy

The House in the PinesThe House in the Pines by Ana Reyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

A fun debut novel! I liked this one a lot. The House in the Pines contains solid storytelling and an intriguing premise.

This story follows Maya. When Maya was a Senior in high school, her best friend Aubrey, died suddenly, mysteriously and with no identifiable cause, directly in front of Maya’s eyes. The only other person around, a young man named Frank, fled the scene.

Seven years later, Maya lives with a loving boyfriend, has a job she enjoys, although isn’t challenged by and is working through kicking a prescription drug habit.

Maya has struggled with the circumstances of Aubrey’s death ever since. Due to this, she has understandably had trouble with sleeping and the pills sort of took the edge off, helped her to suppress the overwhelming anxiety.

At this point, the prescriptions have run out. She needs to stop. It’s going about as well as would be expected, which is to say, not well at all. Then Maya makes a disturbing discovery.

Maya comes across a YouTube video showing a young woman, sitting in a diner booth, suddenly keel over and die. Sitting directly across from this woman is none other than Frank, the same man who happened to be sitting right next to Aubrey at the time of her death.

Maya is rattled. It seems like proof to her. She always knew Frank did something to Aubrey and now this other girl, this sort of proves it, doesn’t it?

After a disastrous dinner at her boyfriend’s parent’s house, Maya knows she can’t live with not knowing the truth any longer. She packs her bags and jumps a bus for her hometown of Pittsfield.

Her Mom still lives there in the house that Maya grew up in and welcomes her home with open arms. It’s hard for Maya to be back there after everything that happened, but she knows she needs this resolution in order to move forward.

Additionally, her mother, who has years of experience as an EMT, may be just the person to help Maya through the painful withdrawal process.

Maya finally feels able to face her past. She throws herself into an investigation, not only of what happened to her and Aubrey all those years ago, but also to the young woman at the diner.

I was really intrigued by this story. It pulled me in from the start. I enjoyed how Reyes structured the telling of the story. There are both past-and-present timelines, as you slowly piece together what happened between Maya, Frank and Aubrey that summer and how that has impacted Maya’s life ever since.

When she meets Frank at the local library, inexperienced Maya is taken in by the older boy right away. It’s not necessarily his looks, but more a certain magnetism he has that is hard to resist.

Frank knows just what to say and it seems they have similar interests. Before too long though, Maya begins to notice certain things about their time together that make her greatly uncomfortable. In fact, she becomes so ill at ease around him, she actually begins to fear him.

Additionally, Frank’s presence is putting a strain on her other relationships. Always thick as thieves, Maya and Aubrey are spending less time together than ever.

Once Maya finally admits to Aubrey the truth behind her relationship with Frank, Aubrey surprises her. She’s afraid of him too. Just as the two girls begin to make connections, on that very day, Aubrey ends up dead.

I could really sympathize with Maya. The events of that summer were truly traumatic and it definitely had lasting repercussions on her life. Finding and watching that video brought it all back for her.

It’s like she was forced to relive it. I appreciated that her character was willing to return home and face all her fears and it did get creepy.

I really enjoyed the pace of this as well. I couldn’t put it down once I started. While I found some reveals fairly predictable, if you’ve recently read (view spoiler), you may see it too, I still enjoyed the story a lot.

Overall, I am so glad that I picked this one up. It was quick and fun, yet thoughtful and slightly spooky. I am really impressed with this as a debut.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to pick up more from Ana Reyes in the future!

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Review: What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

~ megs14malloy

What Lies in the WoodsWhat Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When they were 11-years old, best friends, Naomi, Olivia and Cassidy, spent an entire summer playing a game of their own invention, dubbed The Goddess Game, in the woods of their town. It was secret and magical, the rules made up as they went, appeasing a goddess known only to them.

They loved it and truly got immersed in their play. Sadly, their summer came to a shocking close when Naomi was viciously attacked in their playground, the woods.

Somehow, the little girl is able to survive her 17-stab wounds. Naomi is left with many scars though, both on her physical body, as well as in her heart and mind.

Olivia and Cassidy saw the man who did it, identified as Allan Michael Stahl, a suspected serial killer. The testimony of the three girls helped to put him behind bars.

He had killed six women, but it was his attack on Naomi that ultimately lead to his incarceration. The girls are lauded as heroes for their courageous testimony.

22-years later, Naomi receives a phone call that brings that horrible summer back to the forefront of her mind. Stahl has died in prison.

One might think this would provide Naomi with a bit of relief. The man who brutally attacked her, tried to take her life, has come to the end of his. He can never hurt another person. But Naomi feels more guilt and doubt than relief.

It’s clear from her reaction that there’s much more to the story. The girls may not have been 100% truthful about what was going on in the woods that day.

Naomi travels back to her hometown. She needs to see Liv and Cass. Maybe they can work through this together. The reunion brings up a lot of feelings, including tension. Liv wants to reveal the truth, but Naomi’s not even sure she knows the truth.

Naomi’s determined to figure it out. She knows the story they gave the authorities wasn’t the whole story, but what is? Naomi starts digging in and before long it’s clear, someone doesn’t want the truth coming out. Are they willing to kill to keep the secret?

I have really enjoyed some of Kate Alice Marshall’s YA-books, so when I heard that she was coming out with a debut Adult novel, I was super stoked. She has a darker writing style and I was very interested to see what she could do with that in the Adult space.

I was not disappointed! What Lies in the Woods was super intriguing to me from the very start. I loved how the reveals were arranged and the pace was perfection for me.

I had a lot of theories, some turned out to be true, but there were also some fun surprises along the way.

The tone of this story, and even some of the themes, reminded me a lot of two YA-Thrillers that I have really enjoyed, Little Monsters and Broken Things. So, yes, while this is Adult, there is a past perspective that takes place when the girls are younger.

I liked this. I always enjoy an alternating timeline, especially when it helps to piece a story together like this one did. Additionally, I think that makes this one a great transitional book for Readers who may be moving from YA-stories in the Adult-space. This could be a great place to start.

While this wasn’t perfect for me, I did lose track of some of the side characters every now and again, it is still such a strong debut for Marshall in this new space. I hope she continues to write more Adult Mystery/Thriller stories.

She definitely has a knack for the darker side of humanity and that’s what I like to see in this genre. Her main characters are always super compelling as well and I definitely felt that way about Naomi.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I had so much fun with this.

I will pick up anything Kate Alice Marshall writes, no matter the age range. Middle Grade to Adult, I’m here for it!!

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Review: A Mother Would Know by Amber Garza

~ megs14malloy

A Mother Would KnowA Mother Would Know by Amber Garza
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Valerie, a mother of two adult children, widow and former lead vocalist in a band, lives alone in her large Victorian home with her chocolate lab, Bowie. Valerie has led a busy life and is finally settling into a more quiet lifestyle.

Unfortunately, she’s also noticed some disturbing changes recently with her memory. Having lost her own mother to the horrible disease of Alzheimer’s, Valerie is very aware of the signs and symptoms. She is fearful she may be experiencing an early-onset of the disease.

Her daughter, Kendra, expresses concerns as well when Valerie seems to be forgetting plans they had made, like babysitting her grandson. Kendra attempts to help her mom with vitamins and diet suggestions.

She’s still concerned about Valerie living on her own though, with the way things seem to be progressing. Luckily, Valerie’s son, Hudson, a bit down on his luck after a recent break-up, is able to come and stay with her.

Hudson has grown distant since a traumatizing incident in high school, but Valerie loves her son very much and is anxious for a chance to reconnect with him. He’s a grown man now, surely they can finally put the past behind them.

Kendra and Hudson definitely still have a contentious relationship though, so when the entire family is together things can get tense. After a time though, they all start to settle into a bit of a routine. It’s nice.

That is until a young woman up the street is murdered in her home. For some reason, Valerie has images in her mind of Hudson being out on the night of the murder, seeing him come in late. Is she imagining this, or are these memories?

She starts to think Hudson is acting suspiciously. Could he have had something to do with this young woman’s death? How well does she even know her son?

I found A Mother Would Know highly-entertaining and addicting, much like Garza’s earlier works. I was actually late to work on the day I finished this because I needed to know the truth. I could not put it down.

Garza’s writing style is very fluid and easy to get into. I found this story to be so compelling and I had a million different theories along the way. It was so much fun trying to figure it out.

The narrative is a nice blend of Valerie’s present-perspective mixed with her remembrances of the past. A lot of the events in her current life make her reminisce on the past, both bad and good.

I think this made a lot of sense considering Valerie’s fears regarding her memory. A lot of the time, I felt like being in her head thinking about the past was kind of like an exercise for her, trying to figure out how much she still recalled and whether or not it was true.

We also get an additional, more mysterious, perspective that helps to build the tension of the story, as well as contributing to the final reveal.

I really enjoyed Valerie as a character. I know that she may not be for everyone, but I found her to be realistic and relatable. I genuinely liked her.

Valerie was in a band, a fairly successful one, and when her kids were young, she spent a lot of her time out of the home, particularly at night performing. Therefore, her husband, was the primary caregiver for the kids.

There’s a lot of unresolved issues within their family because of that and I liked learning about those things and watching them all try to navigate those sensitive waters as adults.

Additionally, I enjoyed the drama of their neighborhood. They live in a fairly high-income neighborhood, where everyone knows everyone’s business and there’s frequently someone watching and talking about what they see.

I am always down for neighborhood drama, so I felt like this was a fun backdrop from the story. Valerie and her family have a lot of history in this neighborhood too and definitely some enemies.

The mystery was compelling and I loved being along for the ride with Valerie. She was willing to do anything to figure out whether her son was innocent or not. The tension got pretty high, with a startling conclusion.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this one and will absolutely pick up anything else Garza writes.

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I have enjoyed all of Garza’s books so far and am super excited to see what she comes up with next!

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Review: All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

~ megs14malloy

All the Dangerous ThingsAll the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Isabelle Drake has barely slept in a year. Not since the night her toddler, Mason, disappeared from their home. Her and her husband were asleep in the next room, but they heard nothing, saw nothing.

The only sign of an intruder was an open window in Mason’s room. With zero other leads, or evidence though, the police had nothing to go on. The case goes cold.

Since that time, Isabelle and her husband, Ben, have split. Isabelle knows the stats, it’s not unusual for people who have lost a child to split up.

For her though, she just couldn’t understand how Ben seemed to move on after Mason. He gave up on him. Isabelle can’t do that. She’s not going to chalk it up as a loss and move on. Her son could still be out there. She refuses to see him as gone forever.

Isabelle talks about the case, literally gives talks about the case any time she can. She figures talking about it, keeps the case alive. It keeps Mason’s missing status in the forefront of people’s minds.

It’s after speaking at an event dedicated to True crime that she meets True Crime Podcaster, Waylon Spencer. Waylon takes an interest in Mason’s case and proposes to Isabelle that they work together. If he can interview her for his series, it will bring even more exposure to her case.

After some thought, Isabelle agrees and Waylon comes to stay in Savannah, to be near her and make the interview process easier on them both. Thus, it begins.

In addition to Isabelle’s present perspective, we also get her past perspective. In her childhood she lived with her Mom, Dad and little sister, Margaret.

After tragedy struck the family, Isabelle was haunted by the event. She’s never truly recovered from the trauma and a lot of recollections are more her trying to parse out the truth of what happened as opposed to a strict retelling of the event.

I really enjoyed the inclusion of this past perspective. I felt it gave a lot of insight into who Isabelle was as a character and helped to give substance to her motivations in her present.

I found this entire story so compelling. From the first moments I met Isabelle, I was sucked into her story. I wanted to know everything there was to know about her life, both past and present.

It was interesting to be inside her head as she grappled with the loss of Mason and tried to make sense of it. The lack of sleep has had an effect on her, so it’s unclear whether or not she’s entirely reliable.

I am a sucker for an unreliable narrator. I know some Readers are over it, but I’m so not one of those Readers.

I wouldn’t describe this as being fast-paced, it was more of a steady pace with great tension throughout. Each chapter fills in more and more of the puzzle and it was really hard to put it down.

There were some super fun twists and reveals. I just had an absolute blast with this one. I really enjoyed Willingham’s earlier release, A Flicker in the Dark, and personally, I think this one is even better. Highly recommend the audio format as the narration is fantastic!

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

After loving her first two novels, it’s safe to say that I will continue to pick up anything else Stacy Willingham writes. Looking forward to more!!

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Review: The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

~ megs14malloy

The Family GameThe Family Game by Catherine Steadman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

The publisher claims the rules are as follows:

1. Listen carefully
2. Do your research
3. Trust no one
4. Run for your life

With the The Family Game, Steadman has created her most intriguing plot yet. I was truly captivated!!

We follow UK-born novelist, Harry, who currently lives in NYC with her beau, Edward. Things are going so well for Harry. Her first novel was well-received and she is currently writing her second. And there’s Edward. She can hardly believe their relationship. It’s almost too good to be true.

He’s as handsome as a movie star and as wealthy as an Astor; old money, family money. He’s also kind, supportive and seems so into her it hurts.

The thing is, their relationship is progressing rapidly and Harry has yet to be introduced to his family. Edward has warned her they can be a bit much.

Now that they are engaged, the Holbeck family suddenly emerges as a huge force in their lives. Edward was right, they are a bit overwhelming. That American old-money vibe is just poring from every orifice.

Harry grins and tries her best to take it in stride, but her future-father-in-law, Robert Holbeck really gets under her skin. She’s drawn to him in a way that frankly makes her uncomfortable. Then, of course, there is the Dictaphone cassette he slips her upon their initial meeting.

Harry is confused. What is this? Some sort of test?

Firstly, she will need to find a device to play the ancient form of technology, but once she does, it takes even longer for her to actually listen to it. Frankly, I would have had that baby listened to in full by the end of brunch the next day, but that’s just me.

Harry is shocked by the contents of the tape. It seems to be a confession of a very dark family secret. Something that, if true, could be the downfall of them all. Is it real? Why would Robert have given it to her?

With this potentially shocking information in mind, Harry must endure more family events, each one more dangerous than the last. It’s the holiday season, after all.

In between festive activities, Harry puts her natural research skills to the test as she tries to figure out whether or not Robert’s tape is based in fact or fiction. She’s not sure who she can trust, but the wrong decision could cost her everything.

The Family Game is fun, crazy, dangerous and dramatic, just how I like ’em. The twist was a bit obvious in my opinion, but the writing made it wildly-entertaining anyway.

Harry was in a tough spot. Having no family of her own, I could see why she would be attracted to the Holbecks.

Even though they were a bit scary in their forwardness, there was also something attractive about their closeness and traditions. I can certainly see why she would get caught up a bit in their opulent lifestyle.

I really enjoyed Harry’s investigations into the tape. Because of her work as an author, she was used to researching things and brought all of her experience to the table when looking into Robert’s confession.

I also loved the use of the contents of the tape as a narrative device for learning more about the Holbeck family and Edward’s backstory. We don’t get Edward’s perspective at all, so I found that useful for actually getting a read on him and his life.

I had a lot of fun reading this. It was paced so well and I loved the different family events that Harry got to attend with the Holbecks, each one more startling than the last.

By the end, this was well and truly wild, as over-the-top as they come, but still super fun with a satisfying conclusion. It’s the sort of story where you’ll need to suspend belief for a bit, but for me, that didn’t impact my enjoyment level at all.

Thank you to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Steadman!

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Review: Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon

~ megs14malloy

Never Coming HomeNever Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The number one thing on Lucas Forester’s checklist for a future mate was that she have money, and we’re talking serious money. The kind of money most people can only dream of; top 1%-levels.

When he meets Michelle while she’s vacationing in London, he sees those big, beautiful dollar signs all over her. She’s perfectly wealthy.

He can hardly believe his luck. His long-time plans of acquiring wealth through a loveless marriage are about to come to fruition. Thus, he puts his well-thought out plan into motion.

The culmination of this plan requires he take a hit out on Michelle and he does, without hesitancy or complication. Now he must play his most important role yet, that of the grieving widower.

Everything is falling into place. He’s feeling good. He’s going to get away with this and then the photos and cryptic messages begin popping up.

Someone knows what he did…

Lucas is scrambling. He needs to figure out who is doing this and put an end to it before they’re able to expose him, but no matter what he does, they seem to remain a step ahead.

Lucas has a lot to hide and this mystery individual is a risk to everything he has built for himself. He’ll stop at nothing to take out this threat.

I really enjoyed Hannah Mary McKinnon’s last two novels, so was very excited to get to this one. Never Coming Home brought her signature wild drama, all while providing a unique perspective.

Getting the story from Lucas’s POV was different and admittedly, very fun. He’s a conniving-dirtbag, there’s no doubt about that, but I found myself quietly rooting for him. It felt a little strange initially, but I got swept up fairly quickly and then was all in.

The final twist was exciting and sort of a fist pump, jaw drop moment, but my main critique actually involves it. The big twist comes very close to the end and I actually could have done with a bit more after the big reveal.

I wanted more of that goodness and I felt it wrapped up a little too quickly for my tastes. Although, with this being said, the final few lines were super-satisfying.

Thank you so much to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. It took me a long time to get around to it, but I’m so glad I have finally read this one.

I am absolutely looking forward to more from McKinnon!

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