Caroline
When I started reading The Lighthouse Keeper, I was expecting to read a ghost story, given that it is based on the real life disappearance of three men from the Eilean Mòr Lighthouse in 1901. Thus, I was prepared to be scared.
Well, I wasn't totally disappointed.
The Lighthouse Keeper is not a ghost story per se; if I was to pick a genre I'd say sci-fi. It's very much an unsettling read, the kind that gives you chills.
The remoteness of the location, the strange happenings (past and present) and the sense of foreboding that prevails throughout all combine to make this the perfect Halloween read. ‘Tis the season for spooky reads after all.
It's been 30 years since I read The Black Mariah for the first time. I can remember how immersed I became in the story of Lucas Hyde and Sophie Cohen, and the lengths they were willing to go to outrun a curse.
Thirty years later and The Black Mariah is still as enjoyable as it was in 1994. Well, maybe not quite as enjoyable because, unlike the hardcover version of 1994, the kindle edition has quite a few typos.
Typos aside, The Black Mariah is a fun read with some very likeable characters (Angel was my favourite) and one particularly evil old lady. Well, nice little old ladies don't go around hexing people, do they?
If you're looking for a fun Halloween read, you could do worse than read The Black Mariah.
3.5 ⭐
According to the blurb The Nesting is a gothic thriller, and it certainly has all of the ingredients, but I just can't help feeling something is missing.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it for the most part, but the ending fell kind of flat. Also, with the exception of the children, none of the main characters were particularly likeable.
I did like the eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere of the Norwegian countryside where the bulk of the story is set. This, coupled with the Nordic folk tales, and the talk of suicide, makes for unsettling reading.
I must confess I have read very little by Agatha Christie. Yes, I know this is most unusual considering how much I love a good whodunnit or locked room mystery. I have no explanation for this; I just never got around to reading them.
Anyway, you can probably imagine my delight when I received this digital ARC of this special edition to read and review. Many thanks HarperCollins UK and Netgalley.
To say that I enjoyed this classic whodunnit would be an understatement. I was totally immersed in it, and with good reason. You see, the final chapter was missing. When I got to the end, I had to submit who I thought the killer was. Then, and only then, would I receive the final chapter. Brilliant, no?
I relished the idea of exercising my little grey cells. Alas, I am no Poirot, nor Miss Marple. I fear Inspector Clousseau would have made the correct deductions.
The fun was in the trying though, and if I had read this before, it wouldn't have been half as much fun.
I will definitely be adding more Agatha Christie titles to my reading list, but I'm not sure they will top this.
The special collector's edition will be available on 10/10/2024. Thanks again to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
Calling all thriller lovers! You might want to mark February 13th 2025 on your calendars. “Why?”, I hear you ask. Well, I'll tell you why. That's the day The Inheritance is published, and trust me folks, you don't want to miss this gem.
You'll be wanting me to tell you what it's all about, I expect. I'm not going to give you a plot synopsis, that would give too much away. What I will tell you is that the story's central characters are the Agarwal family, as dysfunctional a family as you will ever find. I give you Raj and Shalini Agarwal and their three children, Myra, Aseem, and Aisha, and Aseem's wife Zoe. All of them have secrets they'd prefer the rest of the family didn't find out. All of them are skilled liars. One of them is going to die.
The story is mostly told from the POV'S of Zoe and Myra, but sometimes we hear from Aisha.
The setting for the story is an isolated island off the coast of Scotland, which lends an eerie atmosphere to the book.
The Inheritance is a gripping, suspenseful, brutally shocking tale of secrets and lies, and murder. The revelations at the very end will leave you reeling.
What are you waiting for peeps. Preorder this today.
Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
Anyone who follows my reviews will know by now that I love James Oswald's Inspector Tony McLean series. Therefore it should come as no surprise that I decided to try the Constance Fairchild series for size. So, what did you think of the first book in the series, I hear you cry?! Well, gather ‘round good people, and I will tell you.
I loved, loved, loved it. Constance, or Con (but never Connie) Fairchild, is my new favourite heroine. She comes from a background of wealth and privilege; she's actually Lady Constance Fairchild. She's sassy, she has a smart mouth, she's tenacious, and she's exceptionally brave. She became a police officer to annoy her father, sticking two fingers up to her upper class roots.
No Time To Cry sees her become a scapegoat when an undercover operation she was working on goes very wrong. Suspended from her job, and treated like a pariah by her colleagues, Con soon finds herself looking into the disappearance of a young woman. This is when things take a sinister turn for the worst.
Like all of Oswald's books, the subject matter of No Time To Cry is dark and disturbing, but thankfully there's no graphic detail.
No Time To Cry was the perfect introduction to Con. I look forward to meeting her again, soon.
Lord of the Flies was on the list of “suggested reading” for Leaving Cert students in Ireland circa 1986. I didn't like the sound of it, and decided to read Animal Farm, and something by Evelyn Waugh instead. (There, you see, it's not all crime thrillers with me.)
I'm glad I decided to swerve this one back then, I think it might have traumatised me a little.
As an adult I found it quite a disturbing read. How quickly things changed on that island. How quickly the rule book was torn up, and children became savages.
Teenaged me would have felt a lot of empathy for Piggy. Adult me was shocked at the treatment of Piggy, though I'm not sure why. I'm not so naive I don't realise that children are perfectly capable of extreme acts of violence.
Adult me appreciated this book much more than teenaged me would've done. Adult me also thinks if they'd put Stephen King on the “suggested reading” list, I might have had a better result in Leaving Cert English.
The couple that kills together, stays together. Or do they? That's pretty much the premise of A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage. Meet Fox and Haze Cabot, a beautiful young couple living the suburban dream with their young daughter, Bibi. All is not as it seems however, as the couple have a secret; they are serial killers.
Once again Lucy Foley has delivered an exceedingly good thriller, with all the elements I have come to expect, namely secrets and lies, and a remote setting.
We are in Ireland for this one; a remote island off the west coast, to be precise. This is the location for a wedding, and also a murder.
The story is told from five POV'S, and flips between the day of the wedding, and the day preceding it.
We learn at the start of the book that something has happened on the island, but it is a slow build up to the murder itself.
This is quite a dark thriller; it has a slight Lord of the Flies vibe about it in places. It is, nonetheless, an engaging page turner.
Within the Circle is the explosive (pardon the pun) first book in the new Nova series by Swedish crime writer Arne Dahl.
Nova are a newly formed team within the National Operations Department (NOD.) Led by Chief Inspector Eva Nyman, the team are tasked with finding an alleged climate change activist who has been responsible for several bombs. Eva believes the bomber is her former disgraced boss, Lukas Frisell.
What follows is a a taut, tense thriller, where all is not as it seems. A slow burn to begin with, when the pace picks up, it hits the ground running.
Within the Circle was a gritty, thoroughly enjoyable read, and a great start to a new series.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
What lengths would you go to, to protect your aged parents? Some very extreme ones if you are Penny Whitlock, the protagonist of A Good Place to Hide a Body.
If you have read the synopsis, then you don't need me to outline it again. If you haven't, well, you'll just have to be satisfied with me telling you that this is an edge of your seat story. It's dark, it's disturbing at times, it's gripping and it's fun.
Yes, you read that last part correctly; it's fun. How can a book that is dark and disturbing be fun, I hear you exclaim! That, peeps, is down to the characters, most notably Sissy and Heath, Penny's parents. No Victor Meldrew curmudgeons are they. Lovable is the word I'm looking for, and in Sissy's case, hilarious. Sissy by name, sassy by nature.
If you like your dark and disturbing with a side order of humour, this is the book for you.
Books, particularly in the crime thriller genre, have brought me so much pleasure and enjoyment over the years. Every so often however, a book will come along and linger in my thoughts for a long time after I've closed its cover for the final time. There had been three such books to date (I'm not going to name them here, this is not their review, but if you ask in the comments, I will tell you.)
Now, there is a fourth.
Broken Ghosts is a hauntingly beautiful coming of age story. In it we follow 12 year old Phoebe who, following the death of her parents, finds herself moving to a remote area of Wales, to live with her uncle and aunt.
That's as much of the plot I'm willing to give away, except to say there is a dual timeline; 1985 and 2023. Both timelines are from Phoebe's POV.
There is an air of melancholy and poignancy throughout, but Phoebe's resilience in the aftermath of tragedy shines through.
All of the characters are likeable, some poignantly so.
I can't put into words how much I loved this book. Read it for yourself, and you'll understand what I mean.
As psychological thrillers go, Pretty Little Thing is quite a twisty, tense affair.
The story is set in 2023, with flashbacks to 1999/2000, and is told from two POV'S.
It's a little slow to begin with, but when things start to happen, there's a definite sense of unease.
The author's use of misdirection and plot twists serve to keep the reader intrigued and interested.
All in all, Pretty Little Thing is a thoroughly engaging read.
This title is part of Amazon's September's First Reads.
No one could ever accuse the Skelfs of being an ordinary, run-of-the-mill family or, for that matter, being boring. Far from it. They don't look for trouble, but trouble finds them. It's almost as if trouble deliberately seeks them out.
Following on from The Opposite of Lonely, Living is a Problem sees the Skelf women try to move on with their lives, and bring the undertaking side of their business kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
Events from the past aren't about to let them go, however. Drone attacks, stalking and a hit-and-run are just some of what follows.
Living is a Problem is a fast paced, action packed thriller that is sometimes funny, oft times poignant.
If you haven't read this series, do yourself a favour and start reading it right now. You really are missing out.
The Darkest Water is not the best of Mark Edwards books that I've read, but it still made for a quick, easy read.
There was so much going on with the multi-thread, complex plot, I thought my head would explode. It started with a murder, then a bit of stalking, followed by a kidnapping and another murder. There were also flashbacks to 1995, but these were necessary, as events from then led to the present day consequences.
There are a lot of characters in this story but, with the exception of Imogen Evans, I didn't warm to any of them.
Complex plot aside, the narrative moves along at a steady pace, and there's a nice little twist in the epilogue.
As soon as the robotic doll came pedalling along on its little bicycle, I knew this book was going to creep me out. I hate dolls, you see. The robot dog I could handle because I love dogs, but this chappie on the bicycle, no thanks. I half expected him to say “Let's play a game”.
So there we have it, I hadn't met William yet, and already I was creeped out. Things could only get better, right? Well, yes as it happens. The book may be a bit slow to get going, but it's worth sticking with. Some of the characters (the human ones, that is) are a tad annoying, but again, it's worth sticking with it, particularly for that twist at the end.
All in all, William makes for super creepy reading, perfect for Halloween.
Thanks to John Murray Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
Have I mentioned how much I love James Oswald and his Tony McLean series? I have. Oh well, forgive me but, I'm going to mention it again. I LOVE James Oswald and his Tony McLean series.
What Will Burn is the 11th book in the series. While not as gory as some of its predecessors, the supernatural element is a little more obvious. Witchcraft anyone?
Misogyny is the theme, thus we have some very unsavoury characters who get their just desserts in interesting ways.
As for Tony, well he's his usual maverick self, ruffling the features of Edinburgh's rich and influential members of society. And he has a new cat.
Hats off to Will Dean. He's only gone and done it again. He's taken the locked room mystery and turned it on its head. For locked room read hyperbaric chamber.
Picture, if you will, 6 people in a very small chamber, locked in and breathing a mixture of helium and oxygen. Then one by one, they begin to die. Sounds like “And Then There Were None” crossed with Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea.
This is no cosy mystery though. It's on-the-edge-of-your-seat, panic inducing, suspense. It is claustrophobia writ large. And oh boy, that ending. See, that's the thing I love about Will Dean. He never gives you a straightforward ending, but he does take you on quite the journey.
How much did I enjoy Death At The Sanatorium? Quite a lot, as it happens. Once again Ragnar Jonasson has written a compelling, complex thriller that gave me many head scratching moments.
There's a lot to take in. For one thing, the story is told across three timelines; 1950, when the sanatorium was treating patients with Tuberculosis, 1983, when a murder and a possible suicide occurred at the sanatorium, and 2012, when criminology student Helgi is writing his dissertation on the investigation into the deaths at the sanatorium.
The story is told from several POV'S, but it unfolds seamlessly. Short chapters keep the story skipping along at a fast pace. Although the plot is complex, the big reveal when it comes, somehow seems obvious.
All in all, an enjoyable piece of Icelandic noir.
The time travelling genre is not one I usually read or indeed, am particularly interested in, but a friend kept on telling me how much she loved this series and she was sure I would too. To satisfy my curiosity I decided to finally see what all the fuss is about.
One Damned Thing After Another is certainly a light, easy read with some humorous moments. St. Mary's appears to be an institution with calamitous, incompetent staff. It's a wonder they can find their way around the campus unscathed, never mind time travel.
This book doesn't take itself too seriously, and I feel the reader shouldn't either. Take it for what it is, an entertaining, quick read.
Sadly, it hasn't turned me onto the time travel genre.
Picture the scene; seven people wake up in a remote mansion, with no idea how they got there. A disembodied voice tells them they have been gathered there because of their connection to the murder of three people, four years previously. One or more of them is guilty, and the voice wants them to confess in order avoid consequences.
What follows is a fast paced, white knuckle ride of a thriller. The story unfolds along two timelines, now and four years previously.
None of the characters are particularly likeable, though some are more odious than others. Some of them have a secret from their past they would like to keep hidden, and each of them has a possible motive for the murders.
The story is crafted so well that when the final reveal came it stopped me in my tracks. I was so sure I had it right! Hats off to you Mr. Kernick, I didn't see that one coming.
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
I can't believe it's taken me over a decade to read Essie Fox's debut, The Somnambulist, but better late than never because what a debut it was.
As someone who reads more crime fiction than is probably good for them, this was a slight departure from the norm for me, but it was worth it.
The Somnambulist is a dark, twisty Victorian Gothic tale of secrets and lies, and the consequences that arise from them. Some of it makes for uncomfortable reading, but anyone familiar with my reviews will know I like my books dark. It appears I like Victorian Gothic too.
Once in a while a book comes along that affects you emotionally, and you need a little bit of time to think about what you just read, and how you are going to review it. In the Absence of Miracles is just such a book.
Michael J Malone has written a book that is equal parts dark, disturbing and heartbreaking. What started out as a simple tale of a missing brother, morphed into a story of abuse; the revelations of said abuse make for uncomfortable reading.
At the start of the book I didn't like the protagonist, John Docherty. As the story unfolded, I felt a deep sadness for him and the child he once was.
This is the second book this year, that has had me cry for the protagonist, and both books shared the same dark theme.
The fact that this book got under my skin is testament to Michael J Malone's skills as an emotive writer.