Psychological Thriller Archives

August 5, 2019August 5, 2019

Book Review: A Stranger on the Beach

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Through the first part of it, the author did an outstanding job of planting seeds that made me doubt who was telling the truth and who was lying. At any given moment, I could swing my “allegiance to the truth” between Aidan and Caroline. By Chapter 26, I was convinced that Aidan was a creepy stalker. By Chapter 42, my notes read, “Wth is going on?” and “What’s real and what isn’t?” And by 52, my notes were nothing but “Omg, no way!” (and variations thereof). I cannot stress what a fantastic book this was. It is an absolute page-turner and a perfect “end of summer” novel. I cannot recommend it enough. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC.

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August 5, 2019August 14, 2019

Book Review: A Stranger on the Beach

You need to go grab this book…NOW!

It started as a reasonably straightforward plot; a woman (Caroline) finds out her husband (Jason) is cheating and finds solace in another man’s (Aidan’s) arms, then deals with the aftermath of the “affair.”

Or is that the truth of the matter?

It isn’t long before events start happening that make both the reader and Caroline question everything. Or should the reader believe Aidan?

The author deftly manipulates the action to keep the characters off-balance, and in turn, that keeps the reader off-balance as well. And that is the beauty of the book. I kept going back to re-read passages to see if I could figure out what was happening. By the time I got to the end, I wanted to read the whole thing over again to find possible clues.

As I mention in my Goodreads review (below), the twists come periodically at first. But roughly halfway through, the tension and the action speed up, and the hits and twist come fast and hard.

Reading this book was the absolute equivalent to a roller coaster. There is a slow build, but then holy hell, hold on to your seats for the rest of the ride.

It’s an excellent page-turner and a great way to spend a few days – especially if you need an escape from the coming school year or pressures of work. Lose yourself in this twisty thriller. You won’t be disappointed.

July 27, 2019July 16, 2019

Book Tour and Review: Deserve to Die by Miranda Rijks

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for this amazing book. In short, you don’t want to miss this one, so go get it to read, NOW!

But if you need more convincing, read on.

The opening chapter of this book was a total shocker. I thought, “If it starts like this, it is going to be tough to keep the level going through the whole book.” It may have been tough for the author, but whatever work went into it was worth it because it definitely kept the level of intensity throughout.

The author used everything from characters lying to gaslighting to allusions to past events to propel the plot, but always with a very deft hand. I never felt manipulated or had that “Oh, come ON” feeling. You know, the one you get when the author throws something into the story that seems to come out of left field and is solely there to bridge from one event to another? Boy, do I hate those.

But not to fear, none of those here.

I also thought that the characters were complex and fleshed out completely, and the interactions were natural and true-to-real-life, especially Tamara. She had a creepy vibe from the beginning and it was just delicious to watch how her character developed – the glimpses of her reasoning along the way were believable and it was satisfying to see the entire arc.

I did think that Stacey was a somewhat weaker character – I did think that there could have been a little bit more addressed to make her character’s arc a little more believable, but that’s being nitpicky.

And let me just say that for once, the tag line of “…a heart-stopping ending” was entirely accurate. I found myself holding my breath through the last few pages. Do yourself a favor and go pick this one up today!

June 19, 2019June 19, 2019

Book Review: The Dream House

I love a good thriller that keeps a reader guessing without overt manipulation. You know the kinds of books that I mean. The books that throw a last minute character or event in to tie it all together? I find those to be dishonest.

The Dream House definitely kept me guessing, but only because the plot was masterfully crafted. I knew that everything was going to tie together somehow, but the writer did an excellent job of sneaking those ties in subtly. As I have mentioned, I leave notes on my Kindle as I read so when I write my reviews, I can remember what I was thinking/feeling at the time of reading.

In this book, I have six separate times where I left a “Wow!” or “No way…” (and even one “Holy Shit!!!!”) in my notes.

Now, y’all know that I read a lot. And I’m pretty good at guessing plot twists. I will admit that I guessed one, and half guessed another. But the others totally took me by surprise. And that’s just freaking awesome in my bookish world.

I also want to discuss the subject matter. I imagine that domestic violence is a difficult subject matter to write about. It’s a fine line between wanting to get the cruelty and depth of abuse across clearly while still treating it with respect to the victims – all while making sure it doesn’t become overly dramatic or cartoonish.

I think the author thoroughly succeeded in getting the points across succinctly and without it becoming overwrought. I especially liked how the various types of abuse were explored (again, subtly) so that characters in the present showed signs of committing the same abuses that they were against.

I know that sounds a little complicated, but psychological abuse, making excuses for the abuser, and abuse causing personality changes (among other things) are all woven into the plot, creating a tapestry of abuse-related actions that are inter-related.

This is not to say that’s all the book is. Far from it. It’s an excellent character study with a tight plot, deep characters, and twists galore – a psych thriller that truly earns the moniker “unputdownable.”

Oh, and one more thing: The title of the book switched from The Guest to The Dream House. The new title has a double meaning (which you will understand when you read the book) and I think it was a good choice to change it.

The Dream House by Jess Ryder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are psych thrillers that are “unputdownable,” and then there are ones that keep giving you one-two jabs of “holy heck what just happened?!?” The Dream House is the perfect combination of the two. I read it in two sittings (only due to a prior commitment) otherwise I would have read straight through. It is masterfully crafted with a plot that is both brutally realistic and hauntingly beautiful. It should probably be mentioned that the subject matter (domestic violence) might be triggering to some readers; descriptions can be rather frank. But the author deals with it in an honest and true-to-life way. Visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews for more thoughts on this excellent book. Thank you to Bookouture (via NetGalley) for a complimentary pre-release digital ARC of this book (formerly titled The Guest).

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May 15, 2019May 15, 2019

Book Review: The Night Before

I’m a fan of The Walking Dead. One of my favorite quotes of the entire series is Carol’s reaction when she first encounters the Kingdom.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on in the most wonderful way!”

That pretty much sums up how I felt reading the latest release from Wendy Walker.

First, there are so many meanings to this title that it’s difficult to cover them all.

It could mean a night that occurred a decade prior to the story, where the main characters lives (Laura’s in particular) were changed forever. Or, it could mean the night of Laura’s date, when her sister worries if she is ready to get back in the dating pool. Or a few other “nights before.”

The author also does a fantastic job of giving the reader just enough information to feel comfortable in the direction that the story is headed, only to change abruptly with a thoroughly probable event that sends it in a different direction.

Laura was one of the most complex characters I have read in a long time. There was so much to her, but she remained an enigma, even to her own sister. It isn’t until the end that there is a revelation which neatly explains nearly all of her behaviors, as well as reasons for being the way she is in general.

As always, no plot points here, but I will tell you that there are some “Holy crap, I had no idea” and “No WAY!” moments scattered throughout. It makes for one helluva story that you won’t be able to put down!

The Night Before by Wendy Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go. There were a lot of twists, a few red herrings, and a whole lot of guessing (and being wrong). The author did a phenomenal job of keeping the reader off-balance. Occurrences which sent the book in a different direction were plausible enough so that it didn’t feel forced. Everything felt like it could actually happen. I read this book in one day, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes. See my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews for a more in-depth review. Thank you to St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a pre-release digital ARC.

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