Mystery Suspense Archives

July 22, 2021July 18, 2021

The Woman in the Water (Heard)-BoT-Mystery Suspense-Available Now

This is the second book I have read in as many days that has a character “returning home” in search of the truth about what happened to her sister. Interesting how reading sometimes goes in genres and themes like that.

Anyway, this book is a mystery thriller that verges on the spooky at times. It is atmospheric, the writing is evocative and very descriptive, and there are multi-layered incidents and relationships that are unraveled.

Due to a tragedy, Felicity has to return to the home that she left as a teenager. Her reasons for leaving are slowly revealed throughout the story via flashbacks. The chapters were clearly labeled, and I was never confused as to whether the action was occurring in the past or the present.

I thought she was a complex character. She obviously has a chip (or several of them) on her shoulder due to past events. She felt that her family betrayed her just as her friends did, so she has chosen to forge through life pretty much on her own.

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But how much of that is reality and how much of that is her perception – or her self-fulfilling prophecy – is what really makes this story so interesting. There were times that it was difficult to feel sorry for her because she was sometimes her own worst enemy when it came to doing the right thing.

Admittedly, she doesn’t have the easiest time of it. She feels guilty for not being able to talk to her sister more (due to past events) and when she arrives home, it soon becomes apparent that somebody (or more than one person) doesn’t want her there.

Is it because of the current events, or does it have something to do with the past that she ran away from several years prior?

Yeah….no. Not going to tell you.

But her realization about the people who have remained in or returned to town is believable and natural. The author does a fantastic job of dropping hints here and there keeping both Felicity and the reader guessing – and very off balance.

I thought the imagery of water and what a big part it plays in the plot was particularly effective. Whether it is murky and used to hide secrets or a violent but cleansing storm, a placid lake, or a swamp, it is used to great effect throughout the story.

I highly recommend this taut, atmospheric mystery thriller.

Twitter: @kheardbooks
Facebook: kellyheardbooks

Author Bio: Kelly Heard is a novelist from Afton, Virginia. She published poetry in literary magazines before signing her debut novel, Before You Go, with Bookouture.

Kelly prefers writing to most other pastimes, but you’ll occasionally find her in the garden, hiking, or exploring antique shops.

April 13, 2021June 7, 2021

The Silent Girl-Books On Tour (Review)-Mystery Thriller-Available Now

I thought the description of this book was intriguing and it has one of the best catch lines of any I’ve read recently.

It also ended up being totally unlike any book I have read in recent memory.

Part mystery, part mysticism, part crime equals totally enthralling.

Right from the beginning, the author puts the reader into the frame of mind of the heroine, Sophie. She has no memory of her past, and the reader discovers it with her as things slowly start to come back to her.

I thought this was extremely effective. If there had been hints that the reader knew but Sophie didn’t, I don’t think that it would have been nearly as interesting. It put Sophie and the reader on equal footing and made her more relatable.

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I liked the mysticism that went along with the “haunted house.” It contributed to Sophie’s spotty memory: were there visions of the former owner or real people who showed up? Was Sophie being guided or was it simpler than that?

I also liked how she and Nathaniel related to each other. And the whole dynamic with the people involved with both of them was real and made sense.

There is a lot of imagery (some mystical) in this book at well, which I really enjoyed. The author certainly did the necessary homework to make it believable and not “out there.”

About two-thirds through, things started to crystallize and what had happened to Sophie became clear. I thought this was also well-done. I don’t want to give anything away, because (as I mentioned at the outset) the reader really does get to take the journey along with her.

To say anymore will probably reveal spoilers. Suffice to say that this is a good mystery with current topics and a compelling narrative that had me reading late into the night to reach the resolution.

Thoroughly satisfying and highly recommended.

Author Bio:

Kelly Heard is a novelist from Afton, Virginia. She published poetry in literary magazines before signing her debut novel, Before You Go, with Bookouture.

Kelly prefers writing to most other pastimes, but you’ll occasionally find her in the garden, hiking, or exploring antique shops.

February 21, 2021February 21, 2021

The Blame-Books On Tour (Review)-Mystery Thriller-Available Now)

I’m a fan of this author and have read several of his books. One of my all-time favorites is still After the Accident. I always look forward to his new releases, because it seems as if he likes to challenge himself to approach stories in different ways.

This time out, we get the perspective of Harry Curtis. Originally from England, now living in Canada, he is phoned by an old school friend when Harry’s former best friend (Richard) is arrested for murder. Harry returns to the village he grew up in to help figure out what really happened.

Or does he have other reasons for returning, namely the friend who called him, Paige? Is there something more to that friendship?

The author does a fine job of keeping the lines between Harry and Paige murky. I was never quite sure if what they were saying, or if what Harry was thinking, was accurate or if they were just fooling themselves.

Or worse, lying to themselves and everyone else around them.

Essentially, Paige and Harry (believing their friend to be innocent) set out to find the real killer. Oh, and this murder brings up another one that occurred when the three were still in school.

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I thought the author captured the potential bleakness of small-town life. Whether it was through Paige’s actions or the attitudes of the townspeople, there was a despair that illustrated the lack of hope that can set in.

The author also touched on a number of “current” issues including different types of addiction, organized crime and family dynamics.

It’s this last one that makes up a good part of the plot. The relationships between Harry and his sister Evie and between Paige, her mom, and her estranged husband, were especially interesting and well described.

Overall, though, I think the theme of “What does ‘friends forever’ really mean” was strong and thoroughly explored.

I did think that the plot meandered a bit. I know that it was to build tension and to keep the reader off balance like Harry seemed to be. Probably to build more background for the characters as well.

But there were times that I wished the action moved a little bit faster and was more concise. And I have mixed feelings about the final revelation.

On the one hand, it would have been nice to have a few more hints or obvious signs regarding the situation so that events or memories earlier in the book all of a sudden made more sense. On the other hand, sometimes realization of the truth just smacks a person in the face.

I suppose in that regard, the latter was a good choice for this book, as Harry seemed to be at loose ends about pretty much everything throughout the story.

Anyway, I still enjoyed the story and will continue to look forward to what the author comes up with next.

**Facebook:** KerryWilkinsonBooks
**Twitter:** @kerrywk

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.