Month: April 2023

Every so often I come across a sleeper of a psych thriller – one that feels like it will be run-of-the-mill…before it absolutely punches me in the face with twists and unexpected turns. The Woman at Number 6 by Matthew Farrell fits this description perfectly.

I will admit, it took me a bit to get into the swing of this one. It was difficult for me to grasp who I could trust and what was really going on. However, that changed with one event.

Then it was off to the races!

Honestly, the plot of this book is an absolute roller coaster. There is the slow climb where the groundwork is laid for what is to come. It makes the reader even a little impatient because you just hope that the rest is exciting.

Once you reach the tip-top – right before swooping into the heart of the story – there’s anticipation. Because there is a moment where the reader truly does not know which way the author is going to go.

And then…..

It is all dips and twists and turns as events fall into place creating an amazing page-turner of a psych thriller, right up until the climax.

But even then, there are still a few tricks up the author’s sleeve – and I mean to the very last words.

Tracy was a mysterious character. We learn that she has a haunted past. That comes out in short snippets. I liked this approach because it wasn’t the usual “Then and Now” that is common in psych thrillers.

Not that there’s anything wrong with them. But these were treated more like her memories, which made it feel more organic.

I also liked how I really had no idea who to trust throughout the entire plot. Is Missy in cahoots with Tracy, or does she have an ulterior motive? Is Malcolm as bad as we think? What is the connection to Dr. Davi? And where does Kat really figure into all of it?

I’m. Not. Telling.

But hang onto your seats, because the author answers all of these questions in a truly spectacular fashion.

Can you tell that I loved this book? Well, I did. The Woman at Number 6 is absolutely everything a reader could ask for in a psych thriller – and then some. I can’t wait to see what Matthew Farrell comes up with next!

The Birthday Reunion by Claire Seeber is a psych thriller that is mostly good but ends up collapsing under So. Much. Going. On.

The premise is great – three long-time friends receive invitations for what they think is a birthday reunion of the fourth friend. Mysteries abound. Nothing is as it seems.

Are the people really who they say they are? Who is hiding what? How many secrets can the author cram into a short getaway?

The author attempts to answer all of these questions, sometimes successfully – but sometimes creating more questions in the process.

Overall, I felt a lack of focus in the book. It started straightforward enough, and there was plenty of material that could have gone along with a simple getaway turned…odd.

But the author veers into past traumas, old relationships, convoluted connections, and other gimmicks meant to cause mystery and fear (among the characters). It really just created confusion for the reader.

For example, when the three friends first arrive for the “reunion,” there is a delay in getting to their destination. The groundwork that goes into creating their initial overnight stay is essentially a waste. It could have been built out much more satisfactorily.

The same could be said for the actual “reunion.” Instead of focusing on the friends, the author throws a bunch more characters in. Again, I suppose it is to create mystery and distrust, but it muddies the waters. And there were more than a few consistencies.

By the time the event from the prologue actually occurs, it is almost an afterthought. Frankly, so is the resolution. I felt like it was “blink and you’ll miss it. In fact, I had to read the last few chapters twice to figure out who actually was responsible for all of it.

In spite of all of this, I still liked The Birthday Reunion. It certainly kept me guessing. I’ll look for the next psych thriller from Claire Seeber.

I mostly enjoyed The School Trip, a new psych thriller by Miranda Smith. The plot is strong and has just enough to keep the “mystery” going through the entire story.

It’s interesting, however, that the title is more referring to the catalyst for the story rather than the action throughout. That’s not a complaint, just an observation.

The title event is the perfect foil for all kinds of things to go wrong. Anyone who has ever been on a school trip as a parent or chaperone knows the chaos that occurs. As a former elementary school teacher, I can confirm that the other fears teachers have are accurate in this book.

Emma is an interesting character. I get why she is written the way she is, and how that affects her perspective when her world goes sideways. But sometimes it didn’t exactly jibe with her attitude toward teaching.

It felt like that got preachy a few times. I mean, yes, teachers care about their kids and live in fear that something will happen to a student while under their watch. But there were times in the book when Emma got more preachy about how wonderful teachers are while seemingly ignoring her own situation.

Maybe it was her way of trying to cope? Not sure about that.

I suppose it was consistent with her “going it alone” after her husband’s death.

However, it feels like that twist came almost too late in the book. I was taken down another path. Then the revelations start to occur. This took me in a completely different direction. I guess that is where the psych in psych thriller comes from?

And once that revelation happens, everything seems to come together very quickly. Emma is on the case and figures everything out. Which leads me to why I said I “mostly enjoyed” the book.

I felt like the author had a low opinion of the police. They were portrayed as inept and unwilling to listen to an emotional mother. But instead of elaborating on why the police couldn’t, the author made Emma the super-detective, putting all the pieces together and going rogue.

Kind of unfair to blame the police for not putting things together when they didn’t have the same information that Emma did. Maybe that’s being personally nitpicky.

At any rate, The School Trip did have me turning pages to see how everything worked out. And I will certainly look for the next psych thriller from Miranda Smith.