My eyes light up at psychological thrillers, True Crime & great literary fiction
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 One-sentence summary: Even though they haven’t known each other long, Marisa and Jake have moved in together and are trying for a baby, but when they take in a roommate named Kate, who seems a little too ‘familiar’ with Jake, all three lives suddenly become upended. -- This book is 110% psychological thriller, which is sort of my favorite thing in the world, so I couldn’t stop turning the pages! I basically finished it in 24 hours. It’s told from the POVs of Marisa and Kate, and there’s a very fun twist about one-third of the way into the story that turns the entire scenario on its head. I also really enjoyed the family dysfunction of Jake – his mother, in particular, is a perfectly flawed character. While certain plot points do stretch the imagination a bit, it is written so well that it’s easily forgiven. One thing that helps to keep it grounded is that the exploration of the struggles of infertility in the book is thorough, well-researched and very much based in reality. In addition, Day does such an exceptional job of getting the reader into the heads of both Marisa and Kate. This is now out in hardcover! Thank you Simon & Schuster for the ARC!
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 Is there any better comfort food than grilled cheese and tomato soup? I think not.
Here's my lunch next to Elsewhere, the latest novel from Alexis Schaitkin and a darn good read. Q: What is an author or a book that makes you see things in a new or exciting way? For me Schaitkin has become one of those authors. I also love the insights of Ishiguro, and going back a bit, Dostoyevsky. I think there’s a particular mixture of psychology, philosophy and storytelling that makes my brain explode in a good way. I am a nerd. I am willing to admit it. About this book… 1 sentence summary: Vera grows up in an isolated town that faces a singular affliction: some mothers vanish, disappearing into the clouds. —-- This book is a stand-out among the recent contemporary literary fiction I’ve read. Just as I felt the author’s last book, SAINT X, explored deeper themes than most stories in the thriller genre. This story grapples subtly, in whispers, with mortality, nostalgia – the ache for a time that once was. A past that feels so familiar yet is long gone. The style in which the story is told reminds me of Kazuo Ishiguro’s storytelling, and this book specifically reminded me of NEVER LET ME GO. The writing itself reminds me a bit of the masterful Marilynne Robinson in its flow; its ability to study small moments yet connect them to the universal and eternal - to the big questions that haunt us, quietly, in the background. The first part is an exploration of the pain, doubts and joys that rise and fall within the experience of motherhood, then it expands out – as the book continues – to encompass the more universal trials of aging and living through change. How we become accustomed to what is even while longing - in quiet moments, when all is still or when something triggers a memory – for what once was. That intense sadness of knowing that we can never go back, or perhaps that even – if we could – it wouldn’t be the same because we are different. There is just something about Schaitkin’s style that I love. She goes deep, yet somehow her prose floats lightly, in a way that is beautiful yet subtly haunting. I will continue to read whatever Schaitkin writes! And I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys a bit of magical realism or a bit of mystery or stories about motherhood or simply exceptional writing. This comes out June 28th! Thank you Celadon for the ARC!  Happy Monday! There’s nothing to help you relax over the weekend like a stroll along the harbor and a book about serial killers, am I right?
Well, that was my weekend. Who else out there has a true crime fascination? SNL did a funny video called ‘Murder Shows’ that spoofs those of us who watch true crime docs to relax or while we’re doing things like folding laundry. If you haven’t seen it, give it a watch!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4RdcE6H4Gs Also, if you like true crime, the new Netflix doc Bad Vegan is FANTASTIC. There’s no gore - it’s really all about psychological manipulation, con games and just a touch of cult-like indoctrination. Q: What is your favorite recent true crime watch or read or listen? If you aren’t into true crime, what is your favorite (non-true crime) watch or read or listen? This comes out April 26! Book blurb: From the detective who found The Golden State Killer, a memoir of investigating America's toughest cold cases and the rewards—and toll—of a life solving crime. For a decade, The Golden State Killer stalked and murdered Californians in the dead of night, leaving entire communities afraid to turn out the lights. The sadistic predator disappeared in 1986, hiding in plain sight for the next thirty years in middle class suburbia. In 1994, when cold case investigator Paul Holes came across the old file, he swore he would unmask the Golden State Killer and finally give these families some closure. Twenty four years later, Holes fulfilled that promise, identifying a 73-year-old former cop named Joseph J. DeAngelo. Headlines blasted from the U.S. to Europe: one of America's most prolific serial killers was in custody. That case launched Holes's career into the stratosphere, turning him into an icon in the true crime world with television shows like The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes and America's Most Wanted, and with the podcast Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad. Everyone knows Paul Holes, the gifted crime solver with a big heart and charming smile who finally caught the Golden State Killer. But until now, no one has known the man behind it all, the person beneath the flashy cases and brilliant investigations. In this memoir, Holes takes us through his memories of a storied career and provides an insider account of some of the most notorious cases in contemporary American history, including the Zodiac Killer, Laci Peterson's murder and Jaycee Dugard's kidnapping. This is also a revelatory profile of a complex man and what makes him tick: the drive to find closure for victims and their loved ones, the inability to walk away from a challenge—even at the expense of his own happiness. Holes opens up the most intimate scenes of his life: his moments of self-doubt and the impact that detective work has had on his marriage. This is a story about the gritty truth of crime solving when there are no flashbulbs and "case closed" headlines. It is the story of a man and his commitment to cases and people who might have otherwise been forgotten.  Happy Pub Day and Happy International Women’s Day!
Here’s to the creative women who wrote this book, And the bold women who push against the limiting and made-up boundaries that have been set around our gender, In so many families and cities and countries, And the brave women and mothers in Ukraine who are fighting to save their country or escaping to save their children and last - but certainly not least – the smart and dynamic women I’ve met here. This is not in any way an exhaustive list, but it’ll have to do for now. Q: What woman – or women – are you thinking about today? Since we’re book lovers, a strong female character is also welcome as an answer! If you are a woman – or you support women’s causes – my hat is off to you. —- 1 - sentence summary: Avery is a marriage counselor who utilizes unorthodox and in some cases illegal methods of dealing with her clients, but when the seemingly ‘golden couple’ of Matthew and Marissa sign on to work with her, the three of them are set on a collision course. —-- Hendricks and Pekannen are able to weave together such fun mystery/thrillers, and I’d say this is probably my favorite yet from this duo! Their books, to me, are pure and unadulterated escapism, and I mean that in the best possible way. I might categorize this as more of a domestic mystery than a psychological thriller, but there was definitely a bit of unreliable narration going on. I thought the therapist gone rogue was a very fun idea! I enjoyed watching Avery spy on her clients and force them into certain situations in a way an actual therapist never would dare. The narration alternates between Avery’s first-person and Marissa’s third-person, so that the POV shifts between the therapist who uses underhanded means to try to bring couples back together and the wife who is trying to keep a very big secret hidden from everyone - including her own husband. The alternating POV keeps the reader off-balance, and the pacing is engaging and steady – not too fast, not too slow. Just the perfect, steady drip of red herrings and fun twists that will keep a reader turning pages until the surprising end. This hits the shelves today! Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!  Happy Pub Day to this one!
Q: Would you travel into the past or the future? And what time period would you choose? I’d only do the past. I am terrified of our future I usually summarize each book in one sentence, but I’m not going there with this one, as it might make my brain explode, especially after a relaxing 3-day weekend. So, I’m going right to… My thoughts: This book is mind-bending sci-fi meets a locked room mystery, and it seemed rather Blake Crouch-ish…that’s an adjective, right? Just as Crouch goes all out in exploring the many possibilities of travelling the multiverse in DARK MATTER, Hart goes all out in exploring the many permutations of time travel in this book. Also, both books are set in the not-too-distant future and explore the human condition deeper than most speculative fiction I’ve read. In this story, time travel takes an enormous toll on the body. I love Hart’s idea of somebody becoming ‘unstuck’ – meaning that they are untethered from the time they used to inhabit, so they have flashes of future situations. January, the narrator, is suffering from these very issues, forcing the reader to try to figure out – with her – what has actually happened and what has yet to happen…and why. I really enjoyed January and Ruby, the AI, and the relationship the two of them shared. There’s good banter between them, and good humor in the book overall, mainly because January doesn’t trade in niceties and doesn’t suffer fools, although she’s given a strong backstory to account for her quirks. As a side note, this story is LGBTQIA friendly, with a lesbian protagonist as well as another main character who is nonbinary. There are a lot of characters, and a couple of the less developed ones are key at a point late in the story, which was a bit confusing. And while I applaud the author for exploring so many potential facets of time travel, I did think that the plot felt a bit weighed down and perhaps overly complex. I think a little more simplicity may have served the story – and the main characters – better. Overall, I really enjoyed it! I’ve already got my hands on The Warehouse, Hart’s earlier book. It’s out today! Thank you Ballantine Books for the ARC!  YEEES! Thank you Celadon for the advanced copy of this upcoming book by the author of SAINT X, which I loved!
The book is being described as a mixture of Shirley Jackson and Margaret Atwood. Sign. Me. Up. Q: What’s a comparison author that gets you excited? Stephen King-ish? Kristin Hannah-ish? J.R.R. Tolkien-ish? A: Two of my tops would be Shirley Jackson and Gillian Flynn! I hope you’re all making it through the week…we’re about halfway there. Summary: Richly emotive and darkly captivating, with elements of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and the imaginative depth of Margaret Atwood, Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin conjures a community in which girls become wives, wives become mothers and some of them, quite simply, disappear. Vera grows up in a small town, removed and isolated, pressed up against the mountains, cloud-covered and damp year-round. This town, fiercely protective, brutal and unforgiving in its adherence to tradition, faces a singular affliction: some mothers vanish, disappearing into the clouds. It is the exquisite pain and intrinsic beauty of their lives; it sets them apart from people elsewhere and gives them meaning. Vera, a young girl when her own mother went, is on the cusp of adulthood herself. As her peers begin to marry and become mothers, they speculate about who might be the first to go, each wondering about her own fate. Reveling in their gossip, they witness each other in motherhood, waiting for signs: this one devotes herself to her child too much, this one not enough—that must surely draw the affliction’s gaze. When motherhood comes for Vera, she is faced with the question: will she be able to stay and mother her beloved child, or will she disappear? Provocative and hypnotic, Alexis Schaitkin’s Elsewhere is at once a spellbinding revelation and a rumination on the mysterious task of motherhood and all the ways in which a woman can lose herself to it; the self-monitoring and judgment, the doubts and unknowns, and the legacy she leaves behind. This comes out June 28! Thank you Celadon for the ARC!  One-sentence summary: A documentary producer hoping to finally make a hit show after a series of flops takes a small crew to the Siberian tundra, known as the coldest place on earth, to drive across a dangerous highway called the Road of Bones, but when they encounter other-worldly beasts, all he can hope for is to make it out alive. —-- This book is incredibly atmospheric, intense and - at times - very gory. It’s heavier on the supernatural and horror than I was expecting, so I wouldn’t say this is exactly in my typical wheelhouse. But due to strong writing and some solid characterizations, I found myself engrossed. The personalities of Teig (the producer) and Prentiss (his cameraman) were specific and believable, as was their relationship. The setting is stark, and the descriptions of the coldest place on earth are so well done that I could almost feel myself inside this desolate, snow-covered nightmare. The action was written very well, and the choices the author made were incredibly bold. Do not go into this expecting a slow burn. This is a book that is gutsy, filled with pulse-pounding action and shock and awe moments that only intensify as the story progresses. I did find myself wanting more of an explanation for all of the supernatural things that were happening, but that’s a common complaint I have with the horror genre – and often not too big of a concern of many horror and supernatural fans. Anyway, the big takeaway here is that this book is lighter on background and subtlety and heavier on shock, awe and action. If that’s your thing, you will LOVE this. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!  *REVIEW* Yikes, I’m kinda late with this one, which I actually read weeks ago.
Q: Would you rather have compelling characters or a compelling plot? Ideally I’d want both, but if I had to choose, I’d go with characters. Which leads me to this book… One-sentence summary: Luna and Owen have been platonic friends since college, but when she finds the body of Owen’s wife dead from a gunshot wound, suspicion turns to Owen, causing an unexplained death during their college years to come back to haunt them. -- This, which flips back and forth between the present and the college years of these two friends, held my attention to a certain extent. I found the characters of Luna and Owen - as well as their relationship to each other - to be pleasingly complex, especially for a book in the mystery & thriller genre. I also appreciated the fact that they both had some quirky, and at times unlikeable, qualities. What I struggled with was the fact that I felt emotionally removed from all of the characters and the story as a whole. This is the first time I’ve read anything by Lutz, and I’m not sure if that distance – what felt almost like a coldness – can be attributed to her writing style or a specific choice she made with this book. At times, I enjoyed the feeling of disconnect and was hoping there was a reason for it, but after reaching the end and reflecting on it, I think it was less a conscious choice and more this author’s writing style. Still, even though I didn’t feel connected to the characters, I found them fascinating. The plotting, I will say, seemed contrived to me. Yes, all fiction is made up, but sometimes too many things are held back from the reader at the wrong time that it just starts to feel like you’re being a bit manipulated and the believability wanes. I did really enjoy this read, although it won’t be as memorable as some of the other books I’ve loved in the genre. It was the complex characters that kept me reading, and I’d recommend it for that alone. Thank you Ballantine Books for the ARC!  *REVIEW* and Happy Pub Day to this amazing book!
Q: What is your favorite board game?* *I stole this question from the wonderful @suzysbookshelf. If you don’t follow her yet, you should! A: Mine is – and will always be – Clue. And the reason I LOVED this book so much is that I sort of felt like I was playing Clue while I was reading it. Also, I can’t believe this is a debut novel! One-sentence summary: Documents, emails and communications are compiled, shared and discussed amongst lawyers who are seeking to find the person or persons who murdered someone within the network of a community theater in a small town that was in the midst of an appeal to raise funds for a child with cancer. —- The thing that most stands out about this book is the unique format. From what I can see, some people love it and others are not fans. Personally, I thought it was such an enjoyable read. Now, did I find reading through one email after another in the first half of the book at times tedious and not exactly easy? Yes, yes I did. But I thought the pay-off in the second part of the book was SO, SO, SO worth it. The emails are engaging and humorous and interesting, but there are a lot of them. All in a row. So be prepared. Once I made it through those emails and got into the ‘crime-solving’ portion of the book, I was having a blast. This truly manages to do what just about no other book does: it actually makes you feel like you’re piecing together enough evidence to solve a murder. And at some point, having reached the end and knowing what I know now, I want to go back and reread it. The character of Isabel (Issy) is especially complex, creepy and genius. But the rest of the characters are very specific, relatable and interesting. And Hallett does a beautiful job of telling a compelling story in this format, which can NOT be easy. So, my hat is off to her – This is out today, and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves mysteries! Thank you Atria Books for the ARC!  I absolutely ADORE this book. It has cleverness, wit, heart and charm, plus a fun murder myster to boot! Also, I typically don’t get teary over books, but this one actually made me cry, I’m not gonna lie.
What was the last book, movie or show that made you teary? One-sentence summary: Molly is a delightfully neurodivergent twenty-five year old struggling to navigate the complexities of life and her job as a maid in a posh hotel, but when she discovers the body of a murdered hotel guest and becomes the prime suspect, she realizes that she’ll need to find the real killer before it’s too late. —- Molly will go down as one of my favorite characters in recent memory. She is lovable, unique and charmingly complex. This read brought to mind one of my favorite books from last year, The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth. I feel like I honestly can’t read enough of these types of books that are told from the POV of a neurodivergent person. It is such a fun way to recognize how odd we neurotypicals can be. It also allows for such fun and engaging humor, provided the author is up to the task, and Nita Prose most definitely is! I honestly thought everything was done so well here. The characters were specific and interesting; the dialogue was believable and witty; plotting and pacing was excellent. The only thing I might (gently) point out is that the book does take its time, in the beginning, introducing you to the various characters in the hotel. It starts out quite a bit slower than other reads in the Mysteries & Thrillers genre. For those of us with busy lives and limited attention spans, we may start feeling a bit restless with such a long intro, but do not give up! If you practice a little patience, you’ll most likely find yourself entirely absorbed. This is a stand-out in the genre! Or even a damn good read for those who don’t like mysteries. My advice: get it, read it, love it. (And maybe have tissues at the ready) It came out this month! Thank you Random House and Ballantine Books for the ARC! |