Thriller

Review: The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

~ megs14malloy

The GhostwriterThe Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The Ghostwriter is such a beautifully-tragic Thriller. I loved the way Clark constructed this story. The way the truth was revealed, the stellar character work, and the emotions she was able to elicit in me upon completion; wow.

I quickly became invested in this one and loved how it kept me guessing the entire way through. Even when I thought I had the answer, I was never 100%, and I got so much wrong.

The Ghostwriter is told in two timelines. Presently, our MC, Olivia Dumont, is returning to her hometown to help her estranged father write his memoir.

Olivia makes her living as a ghostwriter, and it seems she is perfect for the project. Her father is an iconic Horror writer, infamous for the family tragedy that took the lives of his two siblings when he was just a teen.

Olivia has always hidden the fact that THE Vincent Taylor is her Dad. It’s complicated.

The past timeline is set in 1975, the year Vincent’s siblings, Poppy and Danny, were brutally murdered in their home. As the case went cold, many suspected that Vincent had something to do with the crime.

Decades later, Vincent has been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, a progressive brain disorder that disrupts his behavior and memories. It’s at this point, he decides he needs to tell his side of the story, before he no longer can.

We’re told this story through this beautiful blend of these different points in time; through Vincent telling his version of events, and Olivia putting her Journalism education to the test, digging into the events of the past via outside sources.

This book has a lot of my favorite things in it, so that was working in its favor right off the bat. I love characters returning to their hometown after a long period away, looking into some sort of mystery of their past. Additionally, I love journalism as an occupation for main characters.

They frequently make the most fun investigators to follow.

I was so invested in both timelines and loved trying to figure out the truth of what happened to the Taylor siblings. It was completely gripping and entertaining.

I would absolutely recommend this to any Thriller Reader, particularly if you enjoy those of the darker, or more violent variety. Also, check it out if you enjoy dark family secrets and past-present timelines.

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

This was my first time reading from Julie Clark, and I cannot wait for more!

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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: King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby

~ megs14malloy

King of Ashes: A NovelKing of Ashes: A Novel by S.A. Cosby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After Roman Carruthers receives word that his father has been in a terrible car accident, he returns home to be with his brother, Dante, and sister, Naveah, and closer to the hospital where his Dad is being kept.

The accident was serious, and the prognosis is grim. They aren’t sure if Dad will ever fully recover.

Roman has been away from his hometown, where his family owns and operates a crematorium, for many years. He’s built himself a highly-successful career in Atlanta, and seems to have left central Virginia in the past.

Now that he’s returned though, he must confront his younger brother, Dante’s, dangerous criminal enterprises, which have left him riddled in debt, as well as his sister, Neveah’s, burn out, as she struggles to hold everything together with regards to the family and the business.

Roman is a bit gobsmacked by the current state of his family. He didn’t know things had progressed this far, particularly in regards to Dante’s debt and substance use issues.

In doesn’t take Roman long to parse out that his father’s crash wasn’t an accident, and Dante’s recklessness has placed them all in very grave danger.

Vowing to get his brother out of trouble, and save his family, Roman offers his very applicable services to the criminal overlords hunting down his brother. Roman is an expert negotiator and he’s sure he can see this through, and free Dante from his debts.

Concurrently, his sister is working on her own mystery project. She’s trying to determine what exactly happened to their mother, who disappeared years before.

There’s so much going on in King of Ashes. The most impressive part is Cosby’s incredible skill at writing such a complex story, while keeping it flowing naturally, and never making the Reader feel overwhelmed.

I enjoyed how quickly it all kicks off as well, as far as getting Roman back to Jefferson Run and involved with the flourishing criminal underworld there.

Additionally, this is a Long Game story, IYKYK, which is one of my favorite tropes in this kind of novel. Roman, as an MC, is incredible. He was so easy to root for. I loved his courage and determination in spite of the danger, no matter what, he was gonna fight to reach his goals.

I also enjoyed him as a bit of a reverse prodigal son. In spite of his successful time away, he still did seek a bit of forgiveness in a way from the other members of his family.

All the other characters were really well done too. Dante, though frustrating as heck, the guy’s literally a walking liability, was still believable and sympathetic, and I loved Naveah as well.

The plot was fast-paced and kept me super invested. I had no moments where I wasn’t fully locked into the audiobook while listening to it. I adored it.

In short, S.A. Cosby’s gripping, gritty stories, paired with the impeccable narration of Adam Lazarre-White, is nothing short of perfection. A winning combination!

While I was completely invested in this story, and maybe because I was so invested in it, I’m NGL, it CRUSHED me. This one is going to stick in my brain for a long, long time.

This is a must for everyone’s Summer Reading List!!

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. S.A. Cosby is an auto-read author for me, and this firmly secures his place on that list!

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Review: Splinter Effect (Splinter Effect #1) by Andrew Ludington

~ megs14malloy

Splinter Effect: A NovelSplinter Effect: A Novel by Andrew Ludington
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Splinter Effect is a Time Travel Thriller that features heavy historical aspects. I found it to be a unique read, that definitely improved for me in the 2nd-half of the book.

While it started slowly and was a bit heavy-handed in the historical politics, there were definitely some fun twists towards the end that hooked me back in.

In this story, we follow Rabbit Ward, a Smithsonian Archaeologist tasked with traveling through time in order to rescue precious artifacts before they are lost to history.

Even though Rabbit is quite successful in his career, there was an epic screw-up decades ago that included the loss of his mentee, Aaron, and it has haunted him ever since. They were after a special menorah during that mission, and recently evidence has surfaced that the menorah has now been located in another time and place.

Rabbit sets out again to try to recover it, mistakenly thinking this time, it won’t be quite as difficult. However, from the moment he arrives in the past, things go wrong.

Apparently, there are others, contemporary competitors, of his searching for the same artifact. One in particular, Helen, becomes a real thorn in his side.

In addition to this though, the time and place they’re in, 6th-Century Constantinople, is on the brink of revolution. It’s a dangerous place for anyone to be, and Rabbit and Helen find themselves thrust right into the middle of it all.

I listened to the audiobook and am glad that I did. The narrator, Roger Wayne, had a film noir quality to his voice, which I feel worked very well for this story. I would recommend that format if you’re going to pick it up.

I think as a start to a series, this is strong. I have a feeling the longer the series goes on, the better it is going to get, as the Reader becomes more attached to the MC, and also gains a better understanding of the time travel system.

The concepts did take a minute to get used to, as it is sort of a fresh take on time travel, and one I did thoroughly enjoy.

For me though, it did lean a little too heavily into the politics and societal happenings of the time that Rabbit traveled back to. I felt that brought the pace of the story down, which detracted from the high-stakes mission Rabbit was on by sucking some intensity out of it.

As mentioned above, there were some great twists towards the end though that I definitely didn’t see coming. One in particular, helped to completely reinvest me into the story, which was starting to lose me.

I would be interested in continuing on with the series. I think my decision will most likely be made after I read the synopsis for the 2nd-book; if the mission sounds intriguing enough to me, I will continue.

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

I do enjoy checking out different styles of Time Travel stories, and this one was fascinating. Even though I had some few issues with it, I still think the author did a great job in developing the plot, settings and characters.

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Review: You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

~ megs14malloy

You Are Fatally InvitedYou Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**1.5-stars rounded up**

You Are Fatally Invited features a classic-Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None, set-up. Usually, an easy win for me.

Additionally, it’s set on a island off the coast of Maine. As an island resident myself, and having grown-up on the coast of Maine, both of these things should also have been wins.

What else? Oh, yes. The story also features a full cast of characters who are writers. Also a thing that I love, following author characters, getting insights on their processes.

However, even with all of these incredible items being ticked off my personal checklist, this didn’t work for me. It makes me sad, but I have to be honest about my experience.

From the very start, the writing style had me off-kilter. It just didn’t mesh with me. There was one character whose perspective was 2nd-person, and that’s not typically something I enjoy.

Every time I got to that character’s perspective it would jar me out of the story. Some people may assume that it’s the fact that this whole cast is unlikable, but I assure you, that’s not it. I love a cast of unlikable characters.

There were many times when I contemplated DNFing, but I felt like the least I could do was make it all the way through to the end. I owed it that, and it could have come around for me. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

It’s pretty rare for me to actively-dislike a book the whole way through. I can almost always find some aspects to point out that I can compliment.

Unfortunately, I actively-disliked this throughout. I switched to the audiobook at around 35% to see if that would help. For a minute, I thought it would. Sadly, that notion disappeared as quickly as a free pizza in a workplace lunchroom.

I had been so excited for it too, based upon the points listed above, but it just wasn’t the right story for me. We hated each other. I’m sure this book hated my eye-rolling, huffing-and-puffing ass very much by the end as well. I’m glad we can now go our separate ways.

To me, it felt like the author was more in love with their own words than the plot, or the characters, of this story. I’m not saying this is true, it’s just what reading this story made me feel. It’s the taste I walked away with.

With this being said, I want to be CLEAR, this is just my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with this book. If you look at the current reviews, I am in the minority opinion on this one.

I would urge absolutely every Reader who is captivated by the synopsis, to go ahead and give this book a shot. It’s certainly worth a read and you can come to your own conclusion on it.

Also, I have pointed out in many of my other reviews, I never write an author off after one try. Even though this exact story wasn’t quite to my liking, I would totally be down to picking up this author’s next work.

Thank you, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it very much and I know that this novel is going to find a wide audience who loves it!

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Review: Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass

~ megs14malloy

Nothing Ever Happens HereNothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There’s a reason why so many people enjoy living in small towns. They’re safe. They’re wholesome and it’s a great place to grow up, or raise your own children.

Shelby and Mack are best friends who still live in the small town they grew up in. Both are successful business women and have their own families. Life is steady and good.

That is until Shelby is viciously attacked, barely surviving the incident, and on that same night Mack’s husband, Leo, also goes missing.

This event shook the town. People were understandably shocked and disturbed. How could this happen here? Nothing ever happens here…

Honestly, this is all I want to say about this plot. I always look forward to new releases from Seraphina Nova Glass, because she always ends up surprising me. I’m never sure what I’m going to get.

I feel like for some Mystery-Thriller authors, they have a bit of a formula, and you know when you are reading their books that it’s one of theirs, because there is such a specific style. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

In fact, some of my favorite authors I would say this about. A great example, IMO, being the great Agatha Christie.

For SNG though, I don’t really feel that. This also isn’t a bad thing. Neither way is better than the other. I feel like her stories, the tone, the way they’re told, have really run the gamut for me.

I loved the unique perspectives in this one. We get Shelby and Mack, of course, but we also get the perspective of an elderly woman named, Florence, who lives at a care home that both Shelby and Mack are involved with.

I love getting older perspectives. I say older, but by that I just mean older than what we, on average, tend to get in fiction, and I completely loved Florence.

This book grabbed me from the start. By 10% in, I was hooked. I felt like the opening was so powerful and intriguing that it’s going to stick in my mind for a long time. I didn’t know what to think.

I did find Shelby and Mack a bit interchangeable at the start, NGL. I struggled at times to tell them apart, but that worked itself out the further along I got in the story.

The residents of the care home though, were all distinct and such a joy to read about. The time spent with them was honestly my favorite bits.

Another thing I loved about this was the setting and the climate. This story is set in Minnesota, entirely during the winter months. The snow and teeth-chattering cold play a huge role in the action.

It’s absolutely perfect for Winter reading. This entire story made me feel cold. I’m not joking. I could feel it. Make sure you have a nice warm blanket and hot drink at the ready when picking this one up!

Overall, I had a blast with Nothing Ever Happens Here. It’s such an intensely-OTT, wildly-wicked good time, and boy, oh boy, did it get my pulse racing towards the end.

Florence and Herb are absolute dolls. I love them both and their friendship so much. Goals.

Thank you to Graydon House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As mentioned, I love Seraphina Nova Glass and always look forward to her latest works.

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Review: Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

~ megs14malloy

Local Woman MissingLocal Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Local Woman Missing is a completely engrossing Thriller. I cannot believe I’ve let this one sit on my backlist for so long.

I actually hadn’t read the synopsis in years, so went into this audiobook completely blind. It wasn’t what I expected, for some reason I was thinking this was about hikers who all went missing from trails around the same small town.

Spoiler alert: that’s decidedly not what this book is about. I’m not sure where I came up with that alternative plot?

This book is about missing women though, hence the title. The first to go missing was Shelby. Then two weeks later, Meredith and her 6-year old daughter, Delilah, went missing too. Both women from the same community, but they were seemingly unconnected.

Desperate searches lead to nothing conclusive. The initial investigations creating more questions than answers. The cases eventually go cold.

11-years later, Delilah, now a teen, suddenly reappears, in terrible shape, both physically and mentally. She was apparently held captive this entire time, until the day she forged a miraculous escape. But what became of her mother, Meredith? And for that matter, Shelby?

Also, why would anyone hold this girl captive for so long? And under the terrible conditions that she claims? Again, more questions than answers…

This book was gripping from the start, as you follow Delilah making her re-entrance into the community. This story follows various perspectives, including Meredith and Shelby, over both past and present timelines.

The way it is all pieced together is quite masterful, as far as building suspense and keeping the Reader on their toes.

I was most surprised that we got Leo’s perspective. Leo is Delilah’s little brother, and he has had to live with the aftermath of the disappearance of his mother and his sister for all these years.

I thought that was so interesting to include, because Leo was too young to have anything to do with the disappearances, but he had a lot of complex feelings following the return of his sister, that’s for sure.

I felt like that was such a compelling aspect to examine, and I was pleased that Kubica chose to include that more personal side of these events, instead of focusing solely on the crimes.

Overall, this was such a wicked web. The deeper you get into the past perspectives, the more the lightbulbs start going off in your head. You begin to see connections.

Nevertheless, there were still things all the way at the end that were dropping my jaw to the ground. I just felt like this was so entertaining. Some aspects felt a little convenient, but overall, a wickedly-wild ride!!

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Review: A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

~ megs14malloy

A Killing ColdA Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Killing Cold is tense and fast-paced. It’s also the epitome of a Winter Thriller. I loved the setting and atmosphere most of all. It felt cold and claustrophobic the entire time.

Theo is trapped at her new fiance’s family retreat and it’s clear someone doesn’t want her there. When she discovers a clue to her past at the property, she’s flabbergasted.

How can this be? Has she been here before?

I liked following along with Theo as she was thrust into the lion’s den that is her fiance, Connor’s, family. They’ve had a whirlwind romance, so Theo hasn’t had much opportunity to meet them and she’s nervous as heck.

As she should be…

It’s clear from the start Theo isn’t being completely transparent with them about her past, and as the story progresses, you learn a lot more about that.

Regardless of where she came from though, her upbringing was very different from Theo’s and his siblings. Their family is extremely wealthy, and as with most wealthy families, they’re used to getting away with a certain amount of things.

While I was reading this, the dynamics amongst Connor and his brother and sister, kept reminding me of the sibling relationships in Succession. If you are a fan of that show, I definitely recommend you check this one out. I think you’ll understand pretty quickly what I mean.

I also loved and appreciated how much the weather and landscape was made a part of this story. It felt dark and very cold. Also, due to inclement weather, they do get literally trapped at the estate.

This gave it an air of desperation and suffocation it may not have had otherwise. Atmosphere is my number one want in any book, and it was definitely delivered here.

Marshall kept me on my toes with this one and successfully kept me guessing. While I thought the ending had some moments where it veered into convoluted territory, overall, I think it was a fun and intriguing story.

I would highly recommend the audiobook, as well, should you have that format available to you. It’s narrated by one of my all-time faves, Karissa Vacker, and I feel like she did a fantastic job bringing Theo’s perspective to life!

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to whatever KAM writes next!!

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Review: The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

~ megs14malloy

The Business TripThe Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Business Trip is a novel told in Parts. In Part I, we meet our two main women, Jasmine and Stephanie. It’s a tame start, considering the craziness that follows!

Jasmine and Stephanie are quite different and don’t know each other. That is until they end up in the same row on a flight. Stephanie is headed to a business conference and Jasmine is secretly-fleeing an abusive relationship.

After that fateful flight, their lives will be intricately entangled. Days later both women have vanished and both mentioned the same man, Trent, in text messages to friends and loved ones, shortly before they disappeared.

Who is Trent McCarthy, and how did he end up tied to both of these women?

I found this story to be intriguing from the very start. We’re introduced to a lot of characters, but I felt like the full-cast narration of the audio definitely helped to keep everyone straight. I highly recommend that format.

This is certainly a wild ride, and although I feel like this story sort of fell victim to the ‘one twist too many’ issue, I still feel like it was a really enjoyable experience overall.

It kept me guessing and took some turns that I was not in the least expecting. It’s full of unlikable characters, except for Stephanie and her neighbor/friend, Robert. I loved them.

The two men that are given the most time in this story, Glenn, Jasmine’s abusive partner, and the aforementioned, Trent, are both terrible, but in such a way that they almost feel like caricatures of what a bad guy is. That did irk me a little. It felt a touch lazy, TBH.

Even with that being said though, I still feel like the twists and turns were exciting enough to make this one worth rounding up my 3.5-star rating.

Garcia did a great job with the structure of this. I loved how all the Parts played off one another seamlessly to build out the full picture of what was actually going on here. That’s where I felt this story was the most successful.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audio production was fantastic and lends itself well to the format of this story.

This is the first time I’ve read from Jessie Garcia, but I would absolutely be interested in reading more. This was fun!

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Review: The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

~ megs14malloy

The Hitchcock HotelThe Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alfred Smettle is the proud founder, owner and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, an Alfred Hitchcock-themed hotel settled amongst the rugged landscape of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. It’s beautiful, yet secluded.

The Hotel has been a labor of love for Alfred, a life-long Hitchcock fan. With the 1-year anniversary of the hotel’s founding approaching, Alfred decides it would be a great time to invite his best friends from college for a reunion.

Of course, he hasn’t really spoken to any of them in 16-years, but that doesn’t stop him from reaching out and extending the invitations.

For their part, the five invitees, once all members of the Film Club at their college, are surprised to get the invitations. It just seems strange after all this time, but curiosity gets the best of them and they all accept.

Zoe, Samira, Grace, TJ and Julius arrive one-by-one at the hotel and the strange weekend begins. As the Reader you get to know each of these characters. The story jumps around between perspectives, as well as past-and-present timelines.

It is a fully unlikable cast with a ton of interpersonal drama and secrets among them. Personally, I enjoy that kind of set-up, but if you are someone who needs to like your characters, you may not. There’s not much to like here.

This is in part a murder mystery, although it does take some time to get there. You know pretty early on that not all is going to go right with this weekend.

Even though I knew someone was bound to die, I still didn’t see it coming. Not the person, not the circumstance. Every single one of the remaining people had a motive, which did successfully keep me guessing.

I’ll be honest though, after the first few chapters, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, but IMO, Wrobel pulled it off in the end. There were some fun twists and reveals.

It may have helped that I am a big Hitchcock fan, so have watched all the movies mentioned and understood the many references. I’m not sure I would have had quite the same experience with it if I didn’t have that background.

At the end of the day, I feel like this is a solid showing for Wrobel. I would recommend it to people who enjoy secluded locations with set cast of characters. I also, of course, would recommend it to any other Alfred Hitchcock fans.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m interested to see what Wrobel delivers us next. All her books have been quite distinct from one another, but I like her in this Murder Mystery space.

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