Tag: Psychological Thriller

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.

The Slumber Party by Shannon Hollinger is the type of psych thriller that you expect to be one thing but instead goes in a totally unexpected direction.

I loved 95% of it! (I’ll get to that 5% in a bit).

I really liked how the author set everything up. We know that there are/were four close friends. And we also know that something happened during their senior year that split them apart.

We also know that the main character, Liz, has been expecting another shoe to drop for a long time – all going back to whatever happened during their senior year.

What follows from the setup is a twisty tale of love, friendship, teenage hormones and angst, and a look at how the evilest people can be the best at hiding it.

(For what it’s worth if you need a trigger warning, there are predatory and grooming themes in this story).

The writing is extremely atmospheric, as the author paints vivid pictures with detail of surroundings and interactions. By the way, mood plays a big part in the story.

This review is a little difficult to write because there are a LOT of twists, and it would be easy to accidentally let something slip if I talk too much about the plot. Suffice it to say that it is a page-turner that kept me intrigued.

I did guess at one big twist fairly early on, but there were still several that the author had hidden, which I appreciate. As I said, I really enjoyed most of it.

The 5% that I didn’t get – Francine. I understand part of her role in everything, but there are a few things that did not seem complete. Maybe it just went by me, but I definitely feel like I missed something.

No matter, though, because The Slumber Party is still an excellent psych thriller that I can highly recommend. And I will look forward to the next book from Shannon Hollinger.

I love a cinematic psych thriller – one that I can picture as a tv episode or movie – and The Surgeon by Leslie Wolfe fits the bill perfectly!

I was drawn in from the beginning and stayed up late (really late), turning pages to find out how everything in the intricate plot fit together.

And while I did guess a couple of connections early on, I didn’t catch a big one. Overall, it didn’t matter, though, because even though I was right, I still didn’t know how it all related.

Without giving anything away, motives play a big part in the plot. But if you think you know what a character’s motive is, you probably are wrong. The author does a great job of giving the reader enough to form opinions but withholds little bits that ultimately lead to the truth.

Did I mention I love that?

The setup, a heart surgeon with a secret and an ambitious ASA with an axe to grind, was also intriguing. I kept picturing an episode of “The Wire” or “Law & Order.”,

The main characters, Anne and Paula, were clear and fully realized. I got a feeling for both of them through their actions and words.

If I had to pick at anything, it would be Anne’s obsession over what happened during the operation. I can understand that a good surgeon would want to know exactly why something occurred, but it became a bit repetitive.

Also, I don’t think Derreck was as fleshed out as the women. We know about his ambition because we are told about it, but I didn’t see it from him. He seems to be more of a pawn in the story instead of an equal character. Maybe that is the point.

The Surgeon had everything I enjoy in a psych thriller: compelling main characters, hidden agendas, long-held secrets, and surprise twists. Leslie Wolfe has been added to my one-click author list.

I was absolutely blown away by The Housemaid. So, I was super excited to see The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden. A sequel to one of my favorite psych thriller novels of 2022?

YES PLEASE!

I am also extremely happy to say that it does not disappoint. It’s just as good as the first book featuring Millie as the housemaid.

The author brilliantly plots the story so that you don’t have to have read the first book to enjoy this one. But you will be missing out if you don’t grab it.

You’ll get more insight into Millie, which I think adds to the story. You’ll also be able to catch sly references to the original. One of them – regarding teeth – made me literally laugh out loud. IYKYK

As to The Housemaid’s Secret, Millie has left her past behind her, but has her past left her? Are some things just innate? It’s a thought-provoking question that the author explores with a deft touch.

I love how the author sets up her plots (at least in these two stories). Part I is from Millie’s perspective; Part II is from another character (no spoiler), giving more background. Part III brings the two together in what can only be described as a shocking and highly satisfying climax and resolution.

I don’t want to give anything away. As I often mention, some books should just be read without anybody else’s opinions coloring them.

Even if you pay careful attention to every detail (which you should because there are many hints), you’ll probably find yourself second-guessing what you think you know throughout the entire book.

For example, the prologue features an unknown person. I changed my mind at least four times about who the person was and who the person was afraid of. It was like a strange sort of mix and match in my mind.

That’s a complex way to say that the author’s writing is so good that you will keep guessing right to the very last page. The plot is extremely tight. It’s really everything you could want in a psych thriller.

If I keep going, I will give something away. Suffice it to say that The Housemaid’s Secret is already my favorite book of 2023. It’s going to be tough for any other one to beat it.

Unless it’s maybe another one from Freida McFadden!