July 2022

July 21, 2022July 21, 2022

Truly, Madly, Amy-Wilkinson-Fiction-Available Now

I’m a huge Kerry Wilkinson fan. A one-click psych thriller author for me. Therefore, I was equally excited and intrigued to see Truly, Madly, Amy listed as a general fiction/romance novel.

First, I have to commend the author for taking a step outside of the psych thriller genre. I imagine that it might get boring to write the same thing all the time. Or it might be challenging to come up with delicious plot twists that keep the reader guessing.

At any rate, Truly, Madly, Amy is a definite departure. And while I like the premise as a whole, I didn’t think it was entirely successful.

Now, let me preface the rest of this by saying simply because of the era in which the book is set, I had a hard time relating to the characters.

The action, aside from the last chapter or two, takes place in 1999. And while I thoroughly enjoyed the Prince song of the same title, by the time the actual year rolled around, I was approaching 30 years old. I was teaching high school, engaged for the first time, and going through many personal life changes.

Actually, now that I think about it, that’s probably one of the things that saved the book for me. My students at the time would have been the same age as Joe and Amy. I didn’t think about it during reading.

But it is probable that I understood them in a detached way – in relation to my students but not me. Anyway, that made it difficult for me to understand the characters’ points of view on things.

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The story is not heavy with 1999 references either. There was no atmospheric nostalgia of pop culture that could have re-created that era. Good fiction set in the past usually has that aspect.

What the book does have, however, is an exquisite look at how much one person can impact your life. One person who is there at a pivotal moment, who understands enough to know exactly what needs to be done.

That’s what Amy does for Joe. It isn’t a big, sweeping gesture, it is more just a good person being in the right place at the right time.

I am still not sure how I feel about the ending. It reads as if the author is trying to work out the past few years via the characters in the story. I get it, I think. But it seemed almost too reflective and cynical for the rest of the story.

If you go into Truly, Madly, Amy with the understanding that it is more character-driven, you will certainly enjoy it. The author successfully captures the feeling of a summer of endless possibilities. I’ll be interested if the author jumps into plain fiction again.

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Author Bio:

Kerry Wilkinson is from the English county of Somerset but has spent far too long living in the north. It’s there that he’s picked up possibly made-up regional words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’. He pretends to know what they mean.

He’s also been busy since turning thirty: his Jessica Daniel crime series has sold more than a million copies in the UK; he has written a fantasy-adventure trilogy for young adults; a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter and the standalone thriller, Down Among The Dead Men.

July 20, 2022July 20, 2022

The Lost Boy-Renshaw-Psych Thriller-Available Now

The Lost Boy by Jane Renshaw is a solid psych thriller that is a mostly good read with some really good twists.

It is obvious right from the start that something is not right with Anna. Sure, she says it flat out at the end of the very first chapter.

But even in the introduction of her character, it was apparent that there is an oddness about her. That is good foreshadowing by the author because it is solid groundwork for the revelations that come later in the book.

I thought that Penny and Rod were a little more difficult to understand. Sometimes I got their dynamic, and then something would occur that made me question myself.

They also seemed very mismatched. Penny’s description brings to mind a high-maintenance socialite while Rod likes hiking and birding. Not to say that opposites can’t attract, but it was jarring to me at times.

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The author excels in two places throughout the story: the description of obnoxious children and location/scenery.

Honestly, the two boys are so well written that one has to think that the author knows an annoying kid or two. And, knowing that these are fictional characters, I found myself rooting more for Anna than I probably should have.

As to scenery, it creates a brooding atmosphere that adds to the danger lurking on the island.

And about that island? I get why the author made it so remote, but it took a little bit of suspension of disbelief that Rod and Penny would accept a trip based on an invitation from a virtual stranger.

That being said, the book does pick up in the second half as the truth about Anna’s background and motivations come to light. And there are still a few twists at the end.

The Lost Boy is a different kind of island adventure. Jane Renshaw has created a moody psych thriller that will keep you turning pages.

Author Bio

As a child, Jane spent a lot of time in elaborate Lego worlds populated by tiny plastic animals
and people. Crime levels were high, especially after the Dragon brothers set themselves up as
vets and started murdering the animals in their ‘care’. (They got away with it by propping the
victims up with Plasticine and pretending they were still alive…). As an adult, she is still playing in imaginary worlds and putting her characters through hell – but now she can call it ‘writing’ and convince herself that she is doing something sensible. In real life, she has a PhD in genetics and copy-edits scientific and medical journals.

July 19, 2022July 19, 2022

Do I Really Know You?-Browne-Psych Thriller-Available Now

Do I Really Know You? by Sheryl Browne is a psych thriller that keeps the suspense building. The reader has to guess who is telling the truth, who is lying, and who can be trusted.

Turns out that none of the characters are really easy to know. That goes for the characters knowing each other as well as the reader figuring everything out.

As is usual with a psych thriller, the story starts with a prologue that features an event. But it is impossible to tell who the victim is and who is the perpetrator.

That continues into the present-day action. But first, there is a brief flashback to fifteen years prior that provides backstory to the relationships between the four main characters: Kiara, Dave, Maddie, and Nathan.

We then enter present time. It quickly becomes apparent that none of them really know each other at all. And that goes for the married couples as well as the long-time friendships.

Maddie begins to question everything when a tragic “accident” involving Kiara throws the remaining three friends into turmoil, especially as their disbelief of each other is strengthened during the police investigation.

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Who is lying? Why are people hiding secrets? Who is the victim in all of this? Are additional people pulling the strings, or is it a coincidence?

The author wisely keeps the answers to these questions mostly hidden until the end, which leaves the reader guessing right along with Maddie. As a result, she’s the one who becomes pivotal in the whole scheme of things.

I did guess one of the twists from the beginning, but as I have mentioned before, it’s more because I like to try to outguess the author. However, other readers will find the reveal of the culprit to be a surprise.

There are other twists and surprises that I did not guess. I liked the balance of obvious (to me) and not knowing something until the author revealed it.

I’m a big fan of Sheryl Browne (see also The Invite), and Do I Really Know You? is another solid psych thriller from her.

Website: www.sherylbrowne.com
Twitter: sherylbrowne
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Author Bio:

Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has also obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath. Sheryl’s latest psychological thriller DO I REALLY KNOW YOU? comes to you from BOOKOUTURE. Her previous works include the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series, along with contemporary fiction novels, The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love.

July 18, 2022July 19, 2022

The Last Restaurant in Paris-Graham-Historical Fiction-Available Now

The Last Restaurant in Paris is a new historical fiction novel by Lily Graham. While it doesn’t exactly break any new ground, it is a solid story with a unique plot.

If you’ve read any WWII historical fiction, or even have a passing knowledge of history, you know that Nazi-occupied France is still one of the biggest moments in the war. The untold stories are endless.

For the French citizens who were sympathizers to those who fought the occupation – and everywhere in between – the spirit of the French people is impossible to ignore.

In the plot of The Last Restaurant in Paris, the reader gets a little bit of all of these attitudes. They are all present in an enigma of a character in Marianne.

Yes, the plot is a typical dual storyline/present-past weaving of history; that’s common. The beginning does drag a bit. But the groundwork needs to be solid for Marianne’s story to be fully understood.

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Once the author gets to that point, it is a completely different novel. The careful reader immerses themselves in Marianne’s Paris. The author excels at these types of character builds.

Through her eyes, it is easier to see why she did what she did (you can get the plot point from the blurb and other reviews). Marianne understood the importance of fighting back but also understood that sometimes hard sacrifices need to be made.

That doesn’t make the choice any easier.

What I also found interesting was how easy it seemed for the people of the neighborhood to believe the worst…and to essentially rewrite history.

It seems apparent that some people would rather believe an easy lie than a harder truth.

I did like how Sabine and Gilbert discovered the history together from completely different backgrounds/points of view. It gave a holistic feel to Marianne’s story.

And I dare you not to tear up when the truth of Marianne’s story reveals itself. The independent spirit – and sacrifice necessary to maintain it – is not to be forgotten.

The Last Restaurant in Paris is another great historical fiction novel by Lily Graham (see also: The German Girl. I continue to look forward to more!

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Author Bio

Lily Graham is the author of the bestselling, The Child of Auschwitz, The Paris Secret and The Island Villa, among others. Her books have been translated into numerous languages, including French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Turkish.

She grew up in South Africa, and was a journalist for a decade before giving it up to write fiction full time. Her first three novels were lighter, women’s fiction, but when she wrote The Island Villa, a story about a secret Jewish community living on the tiny island of Formentera during the Spanish Inquisition, she switched to historical fiction and hasn’t quite looked back since.

She lives now in the Suffolk coast with her husband and English bulldog, Fudge. Her latest book, The Flight of Swallows, set in Denmark and Sweden, will be out in January 2021.

July 14, 2022July 14, 2022

The Love of My Other Life-Connolly-Rom Com-Available Now

I absolutely loved The Love of My Other Life by CJ Connolly. It’s a romantic comedy with a unique twist, and it should be at the top of your TBR list.

Are we as happy as we can be in our present lives? Is there a possibility that there is more than one type of happiness out there for us? Are some things inevitable, they just may occur under different circumstances in our lives?

The author addresses all of these questions and more through Josie. After a bike accident, she wakes up in a different life from the one she was in before the accident.

It’s still her life – she’s still Josie – but she is not the same Josie.

The author wisely breaks the plot up into sections between Josie and…well, Josie. And then goes back to…Josie before switching to Josie.

That may sound a bit confusing. It all makes sense in the context of the book as you read it. The sections have clear headings so it is easy to know whose timeline you’re in.

I also like how the first part of the book lays all of the groundwork before the author switches to the alternate timeline. It allows the reader to see things that Josie misses and sheds light on Josie’s choices.

The other characters in the book are interesting and contribute appropriately It is not too much. I especially like Rob. He is a stalwart and steady presence. But his revelations toward the end as everything comes to a head are eye-opening.

They put all of Josie’s choices under new scrutiny, which brings the story to a whole new depth of feeling.

Honestly, what I liked best about the book (aside from it being thoroughly engaging) were the questions that it asked and the points that it made about one’s life.

Are you happy because you tell yourself you are? Do you make your own happiness? What is contentment and how do you find it? Is it a “path not taken?” Or is it a “path not taken until it is time to take it?”

We all have those moments that we can look back on and see as turning points in our lives. But what is inevitable, and how do we know that everything that happens isn’t supposed to happen anyway – just on a different time schedule?

I know this review asks a lot of questions, but I loved how The Love of My Other Life was just THAT thought-provoking while still being an entertaining rom-com.

If you are looking for a solid book to round out your beach reads for the summer, look no further than this latest from CJ Connolly.

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Author Bio

CJ Connolly is a writer based in Vancouver, Canada, but hailing originally from the UK. By day, CJ has a career in communications and journalism, with two decades of editing, writing, and marketing experience in the Vancouver and London media and tech industries.

She has also been the host of a real estate-focused talk radio show and has been seen many times reporting on TV and speaking on conference panels.

In her free time – in addition to writing contemporary romance novels – CJ is passionate about singing and is a member of a vocal group in Vancouver. Although she is happily child-free, the great loves of CJ’s life are her young nephews Oscar and Felix, who live much too far away in Munich, Germany.

July 12, 2022July 13, 2022

The Accident-Hurst-Psych Thriller-Available Now

The Accident by Daniel Hurst is a psych thriller that is more thriller than psych. It has a great premise but doesn’t entirely deliver. However, if you go in knowing what you’re getting, you’ll enjoy the book.

The best part of the plot is in the first 80 pages. The author does a fantastic job of building the tension to the accident that guides the rest of the story. It was palpable from each of the character’s points of view.

In this opening part, I think we are meant to feel sorry for Carl, as he has gotten himself into a mess – but it is nothing compared to what is about to happen to him later. The same goes for Jo.

The author has a nice “wait, what” moment when the story transitions to after the accident. Maybe I wasn’t reading close enough, but I thought one thing was happening, when it was actually something else.

That makes sense in the context of the plot.

However, the issue I have is that the reader knows within those first 80 pages what actually happened. So, the rest of the story is more of a “who will find out the truth and when” which is why I said it is more thriller than psych thriller.

There is no surprise in terms of the original accident, so a lot of the middle of the book is the guilty party worrying about when the other character will realize what is actually happening. It does get a bit tedious.

The author saves a few twists for the end which suddenly make one of the characters unreliable. I didn’t get the feeling of this through the rest of the book, and I wish more had been done to create this doubt around the character.

The biggest twist at the end is also a head-scratcher because the person responsible seems to forget exactly how they discovered info about the initial accident and gets caught up the exact same way.

Now, that end event itself is a bit of a shocker. But the character responsible tosses it off like it really wasn’t a big deal and just had to happen. I didn’t get that feel for the character throughout either.

As I said at the beginning of this review, if you go into it knowing that you will be reading more of a thriller, when will the other shoe drop type of story, you will definitely enjoy it. Just don’t keep waiting for a typical psych thriller twist. It doesn’t happen.

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Author Bio

Daniel Hurst writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

July 11, 2022July 13, 2022

A Perfect Stranger-Boland-Psych Thriller-Available Now

Shalini Boland continues to grow as a psych thriller author. A Perfect Stranger is a combination of taut scenes, complex characters, and “omg, what did I just read” moments.

Even as the reader has to suspend disbelief just a bit, it is not hard to do so because the entertainment level is so high.

In other words, you’re not going to get a lot of depth, but you’re going to get a page-turning and engaging psych thriller if you just roll with it.

Like many psych thrillers, the story starts with an event before going back in time to the months leading up to that event. Sometimes it is easy to see how the event plays into current events.

In this case, however, it is not so apparent. I spent a good part of the first half of the book wondering how the prologue fits into the narrative. I like that it kept me guessing.

Even as Emily and Aidan circle around the issues they are facing it is easy to see that there is a lot more going on underneath the surface. Some of that doesn’t appear until way late in the book.

Again, it is an effective way to keep the reader hooked.

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The story unfolds in alternating chapters, going back and forth between Emily and Dani’s points of view. As with other aspects, it takes a while to figure out how they are connected.

And oh boy, are they.

The way those are revealed is part of the suspension of disbelief that I mentioned earlier. But by the time you actually get to the point where you need to do that, you are all in.

The author wisely drops some red herrings along with some legit clues as to what is causing all of the trouble for both Emily and Dani.

Even after you get to the event of the prologue, there is still more to come. The author saves one big twist for the very end.

And that twist illustrates just how everyone in this book is pretty much a perfect stranger to everyone else.

Shalini Boland has done it again. If you liked her other books, such as The Family Holiday, you’ll like A Perfect Stranger.

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Author Bio:

Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and Jess their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

July 10, 2022July 13, 2022

Out of Her Depth-Barber-Thriller-Available Now

Out of Her Depth by Lizzy Barber is a thriller that slow-burns its way through the plot. It recounts past events at a pace that builds dread to the point where I almost wanted to cover my eyes and read through my fingers because I couldn’t bear to see what was going to happen next.

Yes, it really was that good.

The reader knows from the start that there was a tragic accident that set Rachel’s life on a course of self-destruction. Rachel herself tells us that in the beginning. But the author wisely builds the backstory before getting to the actual event.

I don’t think I’ve ever waited so long for the payoff. I mean, once a certain character was introduced, I had a feeling I knew what the event was. But I still had to wait until almost the very end for confirmation.

THAT is the way to keep a reader hooked.

The chapters are set up in a fairly uniform manner, alternating consistently between then (the buildup to the event) and now (how Rachel is dealing with everything in the present).

No spoiler alert: Rachel is not dealing well at all.

One of the things that I liked most about this book is that it was difficult to tell if Rachel was reliable or not. She was certainly in awe of the situation that she found herself in. But was she to blame for the events, or was she used?

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That question comes up more often than you think, especially as Diana’s true attitudes come to light.

It really is a case study of how manipulation can occur on many different levels.

However, it also made it difficult to see who the true villain was in the story. Diana because of her machinations? Rachel for allowing herself to repeatedly fall into traps? Sebastian because of his general cluelessness and willingness to be a pawn?

They all have equal parts – although given the way the story ends (and no, you will NOT see it coming) I would say that Diana knew what she was doing even way back in the past. She just didn’t care.

Rachel truly was out of her depth all along; she just didn’t know how much until it was too late.

As I mentioned at the outset, this is a slow burn, so there are times when it might feel like it is dragging but trust me – those parts are important. Reading between the lines should be your mantra for this thriller.

Author Bio: Lizzy Barber studied English at Cambridge University. Her first novel, A Girl Named Anna, won the Daily Mail and Random House First Novel Prize. She lives in London with her family.

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July 9, 2022July 14, 2022

The Betrayal-Baxter-Psych Thriller-Available Now

How can I describe The Betrayal, the new “psych thriller” from Cole Baxter?

Sometimes you go into a book expecting one thing and it is actually different. So, you might be disappointed in what you didn’t get. But if you see it as something else, it is pretty good.

That probably doesn’t clear things up too much.

I put psych thriller in quotes above because that is how the publisher describes it. However, I did not get much “psych” from it. I did get lots of slow-burn thriller.

Erin is on the run. We find out why fairly early on, but it really isn’t a surprise – the hints are there. She establishes a new life in a new place, thinking that she has done everything she can to protect herself.

But has she?

There is a bit of psych here and there in the book, especially as events start to happen on the island and she decides to solve the “mystery” herself.

However, there are long descriptions of her life as a pet groomer, which verge on tedious at times. Although, I suppose if you are interested in becoming a groomer, there are some good tips here.

I had a little bit of a problem with Erin’s reactions and that could have been character-driven or just in the writing. For example, her ex-husband who is out of prison (not a spoiler, it’s in the blurb) starts to re-enter her life.

She is meant to be terrified of that. It’s partly why she ran. But she goes on tv (not exactly “hiding”) and makes other questionable moves that seem to indicate a lack of sense, putting herself out in the public eye.

For one example, she receives a package from her ex, and she rolls her eyes at the card like it’s no big deal, even though it is clearly controlling. Not a page later, however, she is cowering in terror. And then she is smiling at the card again.

It is just uneven and that’s where the “psych” part falls short.

But the thriller part is strong, as it winds through the rest of the plot. You probably won’t guess the big twist and reveal. They’re unique and took me by surprise mainly because a lot of authors would not “go there.” But Cole Baxter did.

So, to return to my first paragraph, The Betrayal is not exactly a psych thriller in the classic sense, but if you approach the book from a domestic thriller point of view, you will find a decent plot with some good twists.

Also from Cole Baxter: The Perfect Suitor

AUTHOR BIO

Cole Baxter loves writing psychological suspense thrillers. It’s all about that last reveal that he loves shocking readers with.

He grew up in New York, where there, crime was all around. He decided to turn that into something positive with his fiction.

His stories will have you reading through the night—they are very addictive!

July 8, 2022July 14, 2022

Her Perfect Life-Shiner-Psych Thriller-Available Now

As I read Her Perfect Life, the new psych thriller from Emily Shiner, two sayings kept going through my head.

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” and “Be careful what you wish for.”

Millie finds out the truth of both of these old adages, and she is the worse off for it.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The book starts with a great psych thriller premise (and there’s really no spoiler, because it’s all in the blurb). Identical twins have a shared secret; one wants revenge, one has a seemingly perfect life in comparison.

What could go wrong?

Turns out, everything.

Again, the blurb gives a lot of the plot away, which I kind of take issue with. I would have preferred to know less about Eve’s life going into the book. It would have been nice to have the same perception as Millie. I think it would have made Millie more sympathetic.

As it is, even before the prologue, the reader knows that Eve’s life isn’t as wonderful as Millie thinks.

About that prologue – it felt like it almost gave too much away. By blowing the entire surprise of Millie’s revenge, a potential twist was missed.

The author has several twists still in store, but in all honesty, for me, the plot was already revealed and therefore not as engaging as it could have been.

I also thought that Mya and Garth were pretty inept at their chosen profession (no spoiler). It is actually surprising that they were as “successful” as they were.

In truth, none of the characters were very likable, which made it hard to care about any of them as the plot progressed. However, the plot itself was still good.

That makes the plot the true star of the Her Perfect Life. Even though I didn’t like the characters, I wanted to see where the author was going to go next.

I would recommend this book based on that alone.

Author Bio

Emily Shiner always dreamed of becoming an author but first served her time as a banker and a teacher. After a lifetime of devouring stacks of thrillers, she decided to try her hand at writing them herself. Now she gets to live out her dream of writing novels and sharing her stories with people around the world. She lives in the Appalachian Mountains and loves hiking with her husband, daughter, and their two dogs.