Category: Book Reviews

The New Couple by Alison James is a psych thriller that benefits from the method in which the story unfolds.

The setup is simple enough. A young couple wins a lottery for a house in a nice part of town. However, when they do move in, not everything is as it seems.

It seems as if several people in the neighborhood are hiding a secret. But who has the darkest secret of all?

Jane is the person who first notices that something seems off with the new couple. The entire first half of the book is from her perspective. As I read her suspicions and followed her actions, I could see myself thinking in the same manner she did.

I actually liked how her concerns were dismissed by people for various reasons. That made her relatable in my eyes. But she knew what she saw and what didn’t look right, and she ended up being more accurate than she imagined.

I don’t want to go into too many details, because it would be easy to give some of the secrets away. Suffice to say that the author does a great job of keeping the reader guessing.

I mentioned how the first part of the story belongs to Jane. The action unfolds in three sections. The second two belong to characters…who have something to do with the lottery.

But honestly, I don’t want to say what or who because it will give away part of the story.

There are a few moments and characters that seem superfluous. They appear for a scene or two and have nothing else to do other than that one moment. But that’s okay. The overall plot remains engaging.

If you’re looking for a psych thriller with a few surprises, I would definitely recommend The New Couple by Alison James.

There are all kinds of crazy going on in My Husband’s Secret, a psych thriller from L.G. Davis that is one of the most gonzo stories I can remember reading in a long time.

You can get the plot from the blurb. Simply put, Avery receives a call that her husband has been in an accident. Before he slips into a coma, he whispers four words: I took a life.

This simple statement obviously causes much turmoil in Avery’s life. She has to worry about her husband being in a coma. But she also tries to reconcile his statement with the man she knows and loves.

As she determines to figure it all out, she uncovers long-held family secrets and – well – the aforementioned all kinds of crazy.

It would be easy to slip and give something away, so I don’t want to talk about those family secrets.

The beginning of the book was a little slow. I understand that the foundations need to be laid early on, but I wish that there had been a little bit more oomph to it. However, I suppose there was just enough to keep me reading.

The second half of the book really picked up speed and as the secrets come to light the reader is as breathless as Avery trying to figure everything out. The author definitely puts the psych in psych thriller here.

Avery actually is a problem for me. I get that she is under a lot of stress, but she makes some really bad decisions along the way that seem more common sense than anything else. For example, if you happen to be concerned about your daughter, you don’t keep leaving her with other people. Just sayin’.

At any rate, the last quarter of the book really kicks up the tension and the final twists will probably leave you surprised.

Although it is slightly uneven, I did enjoy My Husband’s Secret, and I will look for the next psych thriller from L.G. Davis..

We all have an event in our lives that we would rather not revisit. But what happens when you not only have to revisit it but do a podcast about it? That question (and more) is the center of The Beach Party, a new psych thriller from Amy Sheppard.

Katie grew up in a small town on the Cornwall coast. When she was 19, a fellow classmate, Lacey, was brutally murdered. Fast forward five years and Katie returns with her friend Sophie to do an episode of their podcast that explores murders in small towns.

Katie does not bargain for all of the secrets that are still hidden. The feelings that arise returning to “the scene of the crime.” The reminders of how tight-lipped the townspeople can be.

Unfortunately for her, the time at home exploring and investigating Lacey’s murder digs up a lot of skeletons that are definitely better off staying buried.

I thought the author did a great job of building the tension. My suspect list constantly changed as more revelations occurred. The great thing about the way the author approached this was that each of the suspects was plausible.

Sometimes, an author introduces suspects who have very little motive or questionable involvement Not so in this case. In fact, every single person at the beach party was a believable suspect at one point or another – as were several other townspeople.

However, it turns out Lacey wasn’t the beloved, popular girl that Katie thought she was. In fact, she really wasn’t very nice at all.

I like that. A lot. It makes the motive that much more complicated. It additionally gives the reader a taste of the psych in psych thriller

Katie is a complicated character. She has tried to distance herself from that period of her life for several reasons. But she is thrown back into it in the worst way. Her personal attachment to everything gives the story multiple levels which keep the interest high.

If I had to say anything bad, I’d say that the wrap-up after the climax seems very rushed. Once we know who the killer is, everything else just gets a perfunctory mention. But that is being nitpicky.

I really enjoyed The Beach Party. It’s a great debut novel from Amy Sheppard, and I look forward to reading her next psych thriller novel.

Author Bio:

Amy Sheppard is a busy mum of two boys, living in Cornwall. Her obsession with making budget-friendly family dinners led her to writing two cookbooks. Amy creates recipes for her followers and for brands @amysheppardfood

Sometimes you read a psych thriller where the crazy just pours off the page practically from the start. The Ex by S.E. Lynes is one of those.

The way the author tells the story, the reader gets that crazy from several different perspectives. First, there’s the “hero” – or is he a victim? Sam is…complicated. On the one hand, we know that he is good at his job as a chief landscaper.

On the other hand, his home life is sort of a mess. I guess that makes him relatable?

Then there’s Naomi, Sam’s ex. Is she as crazy as she seems? Or is she crazy like a fox? What are her motives for…everything? We have Joyce, Sam’s grandmother, who I actually liked. I think she is the most “normal” of all of them.

And then there is Miranda. She works with Sam and is supposed to be a sort of omnipotent narrator. And therein is part of the problem with the way the story is told.

I like that the author tried to do something unique. Having Miranda “introduce” everything at the beginning was neat, and it got me very hooked to see how the story developed. It had the potential for developing the psych thriller aspect. However, the method is not consistent throughout the story.

There are times when Miranda has good insight into the events. Then there are times where I found myself wondering “how could she possibly know that?” It might have worked better if the character “narrating” was not also involved as much in the plot itself. As is, it was confusing at times.

Equally confusing is that there is very little identification as to whose perspective we are reading from in each chapter, and even within chapters. I found myself re-reading passages because I thought someone else was talking.

Another thing that was odd, but not a deal breaker, was how obvious Naomi’s crazy was and how apparently clueless Sam was about it. I know that love can make a person blind, but he takes it to a totally different level.

It is worth mentioning that the author refers heavily to the pandemic. The original lockdown is partly the basis of the entire plot. I get it, it’s a pivotal time for all of us.

However, I read books to escape reality. This is a personal decision for my own brain health. So, I understand why the author uses it so heavily. But it was a reminder of “real life” that I did not particularly care for. Again, that is totally a personal preference. Other readers may have no trouble with it.

I still enjoyed The Ex by S. E. Lynes, but I have liked other books by her better. I’ll still look for her next one.

Author Bio:
A former BBC Producer, S.E. Lynes has lived in France, Spain, Scotland and Italy and is now settled in Greater London. After completing her MA, she taught creative writing at Richmond Adult Community College for ten years. She now combines writing, mentoring and lecturing in Richmond Borough.