Psychological Thriller Archives

August 28, 2020August 28, 2020

The Arrangement by Miranda Rijks – Blog Tour (Review)

As I started this book, I expected it to go in one direction, but it was actually a character study of a different kind. It was definitely a page-turner.

When Grace learns that her daughter, Abi, was killed in another country, her entire life spirals out of control. But as she pushes to find out what really happened to Abi, strange things start to happen. Is Grace self-destructing or is there something more sinister in play?

I liked how the initial crime was in a different country from the rest of the story. It added to the frustration that Grace felt that she couldn’t find answers. I don’t think the tension would have worked as well if it had been run of the mill “happened at home.” The lack of answers would have seemed like shoddy police work. But the lack of answers is vital to the rest of the plot.

I thought the author did a great job with Grace’s character. Severe trauma can trigger the worst parts of a person as old habits die hard. As Grace spirals, she becomes more unreliable – both as a person (errors on the job) and as a narrator. This was the strongest part of the book.

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As Grace asks more questions, she finds out that her daughter was hiding some pretty dark secrets. I thought that some of them were good plot twists, but others were a little bit too much “red herring.” It’s hard to describe – more like they were used as a mechanism to get to the next scene, but didn’t have any bearing on the rest of the story and were forgotten.

I also wish that the author had dropped some more hints leading to the finale. It sort of came out of nowhere, and there wasn’t a moment of “oh I should have seen that coming.” You know what I mean, right? Where you get to the “big reveal” and all of a sudden, certain events all of a sudden make much more sense? This one just didn’t have enough impact.

That being said, I didn’t figure it out until about three-quarters of the way through, so the author did do a good job of keeping me guessing. The gaslighting was effective.

If you’re looking for a good thriller that will keep you in the dark, pick this one up. It’s worth it for the portrait of Grace’s grief.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MirandaRijks
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About Miranda Rijks:

Miranda Rijks is a writer of psychological thrillers and suspense novels. She has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre. She’s been writing all of her life and has a Masters in writing. A couple of years ago she decided to ditch the business plans and press releases and now she’s living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. She lives in Sussex, England with her Dutch husband, musician daughter and black Labrador.

Miranda is the author of Roses Are Red and I Want You Gone. THE ARRANGEMENT will be her eighth novel published with Inkubator Books.

August 25, 2020August 23, 2020

The Wife’s House by Arianne Richmonde – Books On Tour (Review)

With everything going on in life these days, it is sometimes difficult to concentrate on a book. Not the case here. This one drew me in from the very beginning and had me turning pages through most of the book. I say “most” because, well….more on that later.

I thought that the author did a fantastic job of setting the scene. I am from the San Francisco Bay Area and spent many a weekend in the Monterey/Carmel area. It’s still one of my favorite places in the entire world (and I have traveled extensively). Big Sur, in particular, is scenic but remote, which makes the perfect place for this type of thriller.

As has been more common lately (or maybe it’s just the books that I have been reading), the house in question is as much a character as the people. It’s certainly the center and catalyst for everything that happens. Atmospheric is the word that comes to mind. Gothic also crossed my mind a few times, which is an interesting conundrum given the beauty of Big Sur.

I really don’t want to give anything away, so I’m going to be careful here. I loved the first three-quarters of this book. The pacing was good, the characters well-formed, and the plot was tight. I could tell that there was some serious gaslighting going on, but it was done in a subtle way at first, so that the tension built. The remoteness of the house contributed to that.

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The author also did a great job of dropping little hints here and there that weren’t exactly red herrings but gave just enough info to keep the reader guessing. What is the wife hiding? What is in the woods? Is there more to her than meets the eye? And what happened to her husband?

Everything unwinds naturally, for the most part. However, I have to say that the last quarter was a bit disappointing. As secrets were unraveled, things got a little bit out of control and the limits of plausibility were stretched. It almost felt as if it belonged to a different book. While there were threads to the rest of the book, the whole tone of the ending was different. It felt disjointed.

I also found it interesting that the “wife” is never named (unless I totally missed it somehow). Everything is named, even the house. But she goes nameless. I suppose maybe that was an effort to allow readers to put themselves in her place? It didn’t bother me and didn’t distract from the story, just an observation.

I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it for the descriptions of the California coast and the expert gaslighting of some of the characters.

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Author Bio:

Arianne Richmonde is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the psychological thriller, THE WIFE’S HOUSE (released by Bookouture Aug 24, 2020) and suspense and romance. Her Pearl series has sold more than half a million copies worldwide. Her stories are always character-driven and full of unexpected twists and turns.

When not writing about the passions and fragilities of human nature, she loves to spend time with her husband and their animals, including a femme fatale Husky with one blue eye and one golden eye. Arianne’s a chocaholic and sometimes sneaks off to sunny, exotic locations, all in the name of research.

August 6, 2020August 5, 2020

The New Girlfriend by Sheryl Browne – Books On Tour (Review)

Here’s another psychological thriller that I have mixed feelings about. The plot was one of the better ones I have come across. However, I had a difficult time getting behind a couple of the main characters.

You’ve seen the background elsewhere. As Cassie mourns the death of her son, Josh, a woman pops up claiming to be the mother of Josh’s child. In her grief, Cassie wants to believe her, but at the same time, feels like it is too convenient. Adam (Cassie’s husband) agrees. It doesn’t help that Cassie is harboring deep secrets of her own.

I think that is what made her unsympathetic to me. She made her own bed and had to lie in it. Maybe she saw a kindred spirit in Kim (the baby mama). Or maybe she was just a bad person. Regardless, it was difficult to feel sorry for her. Frankly, one of her actions really made me despise her.

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I kind of felt the same way about Kim, although she did have a terrible home life that she was trying to escape. I couldn’t blame her for that. But she was untrustworthy as well. I don’t think that a rotten homelife excuses the things she did.

The person I did feel sorry for was Adam. He seemed to be caught in the middle of all of the crazy women. I rooted for him to be able to escape it all safely. There were other characters who were mentioned in passing at the beginning, and then weren’t really brought up again until halfway through the book.

And that’s really when the story started taking its twists and turns. I’m not going to say anything else, but the second half of the book was definitely more interesting than the first half. So, give this one a try. I think if you come at it that the first half is the set up for the last part, it works as a whole.

Author Bio
Sheryl Browne writes psychological thriller and edgy contemporary fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and awarded a Red Ribbon by The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.

July 23, 2020July 30, 2020

The Child Across the Street by Kerry Wilkinson – Books On Tour (Review)

I thought this author’s last book, After the Accident, was one of the most unique books I have read. So, I was looking forward to seeing how he followed it up.

Abi returns home after several years away and is immediately witness to a hit and run. The victim turns out to be the son of one of her oldest friends, Jo. From there, things just sort of…happen.

Usually I mention atmosphere or setting later in a review, but I’m putting it near the top because in this case, the situation within Abi’s hometown plays a direct bearing on the characters. In some ways it as influential as any person is on others in the story.

One of the things that Abi and her friends consistently comment on is how much has changed, yet still stayed the same. Hendo’s shoe factory was the lifeblood of the town. Once that happened, it took a lot of the town spirit with it.

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I think this is vital, because that means the story can easily be translated to any small town where factories or industry have dried up. Once jobs are gone, people lose hope and behavior becomes well…sketchy.

That’s absolutely the case in point here. Abi herself is chased by demons and falls into the same patterns that took her father. Holly (another friend) seems to be involved in a desperate scheme for money – but she didn’t feel she had a lot of other choices.

And then there’s Jo and her family. Secrets and lies abound here. And really, nobody does or says exactly the truth. It’s up to Abi, in her defeated state of mind, to try to figure everything out.

I’m not saying anything else about the plot, because of those secrets. While not quite reaching the bar he set, this is still fine psychological suspense.

June 25, 2020June 25, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): I Know You Lied by Lesley Sanderson

I had really high hopes for this book and the author did a great job of keeping my focus for nearly the entire story. However, the end became a little shaky (not enough to ruin it thought. Read on).

I loved the set up for this book. From the beginning with the mysterious letters and Nell’s decision to investigate her family history, I was drawn in. I wanted to know more about her past, just as she did.

How much did her grandmother influence…well, everything. Does Adam, have an ulterior motive or is he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? And how much influence does Joyce really have?

The author had me guessing throughout nearly the entire book, and I especially liked the touches of gaslighting that occurred throughout the plot. Disrupted backpacks, unlocked and suddenly locked doors, and fences…who is responsible? Who is an ally and who has ulterior motive? There were a few characters I wasn’t sure about the entire time, and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is where the author really excelled.

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I also liked the flashback chapters that gave the reader the backstory on Sarah and her interactions with her husband’s family. These were poignant and informative and gave depth to both her story and (by relation) Nell’s story.

All of that being said, I loved the story right up until just over three-quarters of the way through. At that point, I felt like the author was trying to tie everything up and that there were some leaps of logic. I also felt that the ending was incomplete; sort of like there was a big build up and then the reveal did not live up to that.

I was left with a few questions, even after the book was finished. With that said, however, I still really enjoyed the story. I appreciated Nell’s journey to find her real family history. I would recommend it for that reason alone.

Author Bio:

Lesley attended the Curtis Brown Creative 6 month novel writing course in 2015/6, and in 2017 The Orchid Girls (then On The Edge) was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize.

Lesley is the author of psychological thrillers and spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and works as a librarian. She loves the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people in the area. Lesley discovered Patricia Highsmith as a teenager and has been hooked on psychological thrillers ever since.

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June 24, 2020June 18, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): What I Know By Miranda Smith

I liked this author’s Some Days Are Dark, so I was looking forward to this one. I was not disappointed. I love a good gaslighting, and I got plenty of that in this twisted thriller. It hooked me from the beginning and slowly continued to draw me in up to the explosive finale.

The author did a fantastic job setting the scene, giving the reader a peek via flashback to an event that shaped Della’s (the main character) life. I mean, wow…what an opening sentence. If that doesn’t pull you in, I don’t know what would.

The author then switches to the present when Della is an adult. Despite her family history (more on that in a second), she seems to have everything together and has made a good life for herself. I instantly related to her because she is an English teacher.

I was not surprised to see that author is a former teacher because she accurately nailed every aspect of teaching. The school scenes brought back many memories, from engaging students to dealing with ineffective administrators. The reality and accuracy of those parts made me “trust” the rest.

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I’m not sure if that makes sense. If I know someone is accurate about a topic that I am knowledgeable in, I am more likely to go along with other aspects of the story, even if they seem a little off the mark.

Not that I think Della’s past is far-fetched. On the contrary, we know that evil exists in the world and that evil people have families that must deal with them. I’m referring to some of Della’s actions later in the book that could be considered (shall we say) professionally questionable. She oversteps and pushes the boundaries of professionalism, but she has her reasons.

I liked how the author kept the action in the present, but occasionally would flashback to another event from Della’s childhood. That plotting allowed the present-day action to continue while building the foundation from the past that continued to influence Della’s perceptions. It was effective.

My only complaint, and it’s pretty minor, is that while I appreciate how Della’s past shaded her judgment and cast doubt on her suspicions, I also felt like Zoey was too much of an enigma. Her motivations could have been more evident.

I also think the author had a great build-up to the “past’s” climax, but then it was all wrapped up in a few brief paragraphs. I think a little more detail there would have helped cement both Della’s story and given a platform to Zoey’s. The whole ending also seemed a tad rushed, given how evenly plotted the rest of the book was.

Regardless, it was engaging, and it certainly kept me guessing. I highly recommend picking this one up for a thrilling summer read.

Author Bio
Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.

June 17, 2020June 17, 2020

Blog Tour (Review): Before I Die by Jackie Morrissey

As far as psych thrillers go, this one is definitely unique.

It’s difficult to go into too much detail, because the crux of the plot, the very thing that makes it psychological, is wound all through the story and to even mention it could spoil the surprises the author has cleverly added.

Having the elderly as the main characters was a smart choice because the thrust of the story would have been run of the mill. As it was, however, it added a sinister level to the psychological games the villain was playing. I did like Michael, as well the as unusual alliance he formed (not sayin’ with whom!)

I thought the author captured the worries of older adults in a way that made them sympathetic without making them caricatures of “poor old folks.” Concerns like adult children, finding footing in a changing world, and the ever-present health issues were all addressed adequately and with some feeling.

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Before-Die-psychological-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B089HRBGK9/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=before+i+die+jackie+morrissey&qid=1591712109&sr=8-1
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On the other hand, I did think that Dolores verged on being a stereotype at times. That may have been by design. But I found her to be uneven (again, possibly on purpose). For example, I did not notice her stilted speech at first, but at one point, it seemed like it became more pronounced…to the point where I had to go back and reread to see if I had missed it in her first few scenes (I had).

I think that as we age, we all have the same fears. Will people forget about me? Will they dismiss me as being old and senile? Who can I trust when the people I used to trust are no longer around? How do I stop someone from taking advantage of me…or worse?

And when you have a psycho killer after you, how much more important do those questions become?

AUTHOR BIO

Jackie Morrissey lives in County Dublin and worked for many years in adult education. Her job took her into colleges and prisons all around Ireland, and introduced her to a range of interesting people. She loved the buzz of teaching, but came to hate the tyranny of correcting assignments. She has written throughout her adult life and has had many short stories published, one of which won the Molly Keane Short Story award. She has also been a regular contributor of short pieces for the Irish radio program Sunday Miscellany. About four years ago, she took the decision to write full time. The psychological thriller Before I Die is her first published novel.

BEFORE I DIE is Jackie’s debut novel and her first published with Inkubator Books.

June 14, 2020June 12, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): The Accusation by Victoria Jenkins

I have to admit; I’m a little bit confused by this one. It started as one type of psychological thriller, then morphed into another about halfway through the book. Both halves were interesting in their own right.

Jenna is the perfect example of “no good deed goes unpunished.” She tries to help a woman in the park, but it backs up on her in a major way, throwing her life into absolute chaos. It doesn’t help that Jenna’s husband has been acting strangely, and her teenage daughter is rebelling against pretty much everything.

There are a few clues early on that there may be more in play than what meets the eye. And that’s where I got a little bit confused. It almost felt like the author tried to do too much to make it twisty. It could have been more straight forward, and it still would have been a great story.

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Once the revelations started popping up, they led to more questions for me. I think the biggest one is that it seemed as if Jenna should have recognized the danger. I don’t want to say more than that (no spoilers), but I mean it in the very simplest of terms.

There were also more than a few red herrings; some were good, and some didn’t go anywhere. There were a couple that almost seemed as if they got edited out because they had promise. Then they were never mentioned again. It just lacked focus, I guess, is the best way to put it.

Now, I realize that what I just wrote may make it seem like I didn’t like the book, but that’s not true. I actually enjoyed it very much and read it in essentially one sitting. It was engrossing, and the author did a good job of offering a lot of little threads to weave into the overall story.

I also liked Jenna as the main character. She was strong and pretty much stood up for herself. And the author made her untrustworthy by the way Jenna interacted with her husband after the initial accusation. (It didn’t help that her husband was pretty much being a jerk, but he sort of did have reasons for that). Jenna’s initial dishonesty cast doubt on her character that carried through the entire book, right up until we find out the truth about why everything was happening.

So, I would still recommend this as a good psych thriller. I just wish there had been a tad more consistency.

Author Bio

Victoria Jenkins lives with her husband and daughter in South Wales, where her series of crime novels featuring Detectives King and Lane is based. Her debut novel The Girls in the Water is an Amazon UK top 30 bestseller, and top 5 bestseller in the Amazon US chart.

Her first psychological thriller, The Divorce, was published in July 2019. The second, The Argument, was published December 10^th 2019 and The Accusation publishes June 9th 2020.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriajenkinswriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vicwritescrime

June 13, 2020June 11, 2020

Books On Tour (Review): I Know Your Secret by Ruth Heald

Twisted doesn’t even being to describe this book. It’s part cat and mouse, part psychological thriller, part domestic drama, and all fantastic. For once, the tag line absolutely, 100% fits!

The author does a great job of laying out the background to set everything up. The intent of the two main characters (Beth and Danielle) are made clear and the character lines are clearly drawn.

Or are they?

Told in alternating points of view between the two, the plot moves along crisply. Instead of going back over a singular event from each point of view, the author uses the two different perspectives to propel the story. It’s effective and made for more interesting reading.

It also allowed the author to drop a bombshell and then switch characters, often leaving me speechless and wanting to get back to that perspective. Fortunately, the chapters are quite short, which also swiftly moves the story.

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The constant and quick switches back and forth also kept me off balance. Every time I thought I had a handle on what was really going on, something else would happen that would make me question what I thought I knew. I enjoyed not being able to predict what would happen next (as sometimes happens).

I don’t do spoilers. I can’t stand them. With a plot this intricate, it would be difficult to say anything specific without potentially giving something away. Suffice to say that little things that are innocuous probably aren’t and what appears to be important may not be.

Nothing is as it seems.

The set up takes a while, but once you reach roughly halfway, the action and revelations pick up enormous speed and it’s a breathless race to the finish with all of the secrets being revealed in rapid-fire succession. If ever there was a book that was aptly described as a roller coaster ride this is the one.

Seriously, don’t miss it.

Author Bio:
Ruth Heald is a psychological thriller writer from a suburban Buckinghamshire town. She studied Economics at Oxford and then worked in an eclectic mix of sectors from nuclear decommissioning to management consulting.

Seeking a more creative environment, she found a role at the BBC and worked there for nine years before leaving to write full time. Ruth is fascinated by psychology and finding out what drives people to violence, destruction and revenge. She’s married with one daughter and her novels explore our greatest fears in otherwise ordinary, domestic lives.

Website: http://rjheald.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruth.heald
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RJ_Heald

May 31, 2020May 30, 2020

Blog Tour (Review): The Guest by Cathryn Grant.

Every so often, I come across a book that has a lot of promise that I am excited to read, especially if I enjoyed a previous book by the author. I liked The Good Mother, so I figured that The Guest would be of those books.

I liked how the author set the stage. A stranger with a tenuous friendship with a relative is invited to stay with the family. What could possibly go wrong?

**Purchase Links:** Amazon UK-https://tinyurl.com/TheGuest-AmazonUK Amazon US-https://tinyurl.com/TheGuest-AmazonUS

There are also character tensions galore: husband and wife, stepson and husband, stepson and schoolmates. Everybody seems to have an issue with at least one other character. Things take a turn early when the son is questioned about a missing classmate. And then things got weird.

The stranger insinuates himself seamlessly into the lives of the family. Tensions between husband and wife continue; wife gets suspicious of the stranger even as she fights her attraction to him. There’s also bad news about the classmate. When it comes to light that the husband has been lying about something, all bets are off.

I think that is a problem that I had with this book. There was just way too much going on, and it all lacked focus. There were also a lot of details in odd places. I thought the descriptions of food were strange but enjoyed the perspectives on art. I just kept hoping that the seemingly disparate storylines would converge, and all make sense together.

I can’t stress enough; I liked the premise, and the storylines could have been woven into an amazing psychological thriller. The pieces were there, and it could have been so good. But it ultimately needed editing to keep things tight and cohesive. As it was, by the time I got to the epilogue, I wasn’t that surprised by what should have been a shocking reveal.

I would still recommend it because there were some entertaining aspects. But in the end, it felt rushed; if a little more time had been taken, it could have been so much more.

About Cathryn Grant

Cathryn Grant writes psychological thrillers, psychological suspense, and ghost stories. She’s the author of twenty-three novels.

She’s loved crime fiction all her life and is endlessly fascinated by the twists and turns, and the dark corners of the human mind.

When she’s not writing, Cathryn reads fiction, eavesdrops, and tries to play golf without hitting her ball into the sand or the water. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and two cats.

Cathryn is the author of The Good Neighbor and many other crime thrillers. THE GUEST will be her third novel published with Inkubator Books.