My eyes light up at psychological thrillers, True Crime & great literary fiction
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 Sophie left behind a career in big-city Chicago to settle down with her husband and young son in small-town Texas. But soon she's feeling bored and restless, until she becomes obsessed with Margot, an alluring socialite who is part of an elite clique secretly known as the Hunting Wives.
Sophie slips farther away from the safety of her family and deeper into Margot’s nest of vipers until the body of a teenager is found, and she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. --- This one is all of the S’s: salacious, soapy and steamy. It’s perfect for fans of Desperate Housewives or Big Little Lies or those who love The Real Housewives of any city, but especially Dallas (since it’s set in TX). At times I saw these ladies as self-absorbed characters making poor life choices. At others, I saw them as females exploring the sides of themselves that, as women, they’re supposed to suppress. But no matter how I felt about their behavior in any given moment, I could NOT look away. The main character, after settling into small town life, is suddenly terrified by what’s expected of her as a wife and mother -- the sheer monotony of it, so she becomes obsessed with Margot. Through Margot, she can explore the less responsible, and darker, parts of herself. This includes the sexual desires most women are expected to deny or sublimate. This results in her making one life-destroying decision after another. I felt myself wanting to backhand her at the very same time I was rooting for her. In her defense, the seeds of her destruction were planted in her childhood, which wasn’t storybook. This is a slow burn until about the midpoint, and then the pace picks up. But at no point, from start to finish, did I ever feel bored. The cover of this book is perfect. It works so well with the story. This is coming out May 18! Thank you Berkley for the ARC!
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 About the book:
Jennifer Barnes never expected the shocking news she received at a routine doctor’s appointment: she has a terminal brain tumor—and only six weeks left to live. The forty-eight-year-old mother decides to spend what little time she has left with her family—her adult triplets and twin grandsons—close by her side. But when she realizes she was possibly poisoned a year earlier, she’s determined to discover who might have tried to get rid of her before she’s gone for good. - I’d say this reads, first and foremost, like a domestic drama, but it does have a smattering of solid psychological suspense elements. The opening premise is unique, and the beginning - in which the main character is given six weeks to live - actually hit me hard emotionally, which hooked me in right away. Given the title and premise, I expected a fast-moving, race-against-the-clock pace in which we are completely on the ride of Jennifer after her diagnosis. Instead, the first two-thirds of the book is more of a slow burn in which the truth about this family’s dysfunction is slowly revealed through multiple, shifting POVs, including not just Jennifer but each one of her three daughters. I found myself wanting the pace to pick up around the midpoint, but I think that partly had to do with my expectations going into it, along with my general lack of patience for anything these days. Still, I at NO point found myself bored in the least. On the contrary, those pages kept turning. This book definitely delivers VERY WELL on family dysfunction. There’s a LOT of it. In fact, I’d say family dysfunction is the main character -- and the fun -- of this story. There’s a ton of tension, secrets, sibling rivalries and simmering resentments. I’ll admit that I was able to guess the ending early on because I’ve read a ton of thrillers, but that didn’t make it any less chilling. And there was a solid twist I didn’t see coming, too! This comes out May 4! Thank you Atria Books for the ARC!  The lip gloss is optional, but if you’re reading this book, as a woman, you’ll probably want booze handy.
What’s your favorite historical fiction read? Or your favorite time period to read about? I’m fascinated by the era of the Salem witch trials, but also appalled. The religious hypocrisy. The stifling patriarchy. The shaming and brutality. My husband’s family is related to Mary Dyer, a woman who was hung for being “carried away by the deceit of the devil” in the same place and time period that this book is set. Dyer was a Quaker, and she gave birth to a stillborn child: in the minds of the colony's ministers, the “monstrous birth” was a result of her heretical religious opinions. I couldn’t help thinking about that poor woman while reading this… About the book: Mary Deerfield is a young woman married to an abusive husband in 17th century Boston. She’s determined to get a divorce when such things weren’t acceptable for a woman, so she finds herself facing the wrath of her community. - Bohjalian has done an enormous amount of research, but he’s an artful writer, so he doesn’t show his hand. The setting and culture feel lived in and just flow so that you feel fully immersed in 1660s Boston. And as a reader, you may find yourself - much like Mary Deerfield - clawing to get out. It’s shocking to experience the unfettered power the church had, in coordination with the legal system, to use shame and intimidation as a means of control. You experience the subjugation through all of the characters but none so much as Mary, who must grapple with her impulse to be an independent woman in a society that is terrified of such a thing. The court proceedings are fascinating: they shed light on the law and the legal processes of our country’s history while embodying all the intrigue of a Grisham-type legal thriller. This has similarities with The Handmaid’s Tale. And just like that novel, it’s a cautionary tale of what our society could slide back into if we aren’t vigilant in protecting and furthering our rights. This was actually the first book of Bohjalian’s that I've read, and I look forward to reading more! It comes out May 4! Thank you Doubleday for the ARC!  Jacob is a struggling author who hears a brilliant idea for a book from one of the students he teaches, and when he learns that the student has died without ever writing that story, he steals the idea and is catapulted into book stardom. When he starts receiving anonymous messages from someone threatening to out his theft, he is determined to figure out who else knows his shameful secret, which leads him closer to a dark and terrifying discovery.
- This story flips back and forth between the present day (as Jacob attempts to discover who is threatening to reveal his secret) and chronological chapters taken from the bestselling book that Jacob wrote. Each informs, and sheds light on, the other while revealing details about the past. I should mention that the start is slow, so hang in there. The pace will pick up. What I appreciate most about the book is the postmodern way in which it deals with stories: the juxtaposition of the fictional story Jacob wrote, the actual events of the past, Jacob’s past decisions and his present actions. The stories and events stack one on top of the other, revealing how bits of stories and life are continually reappropriated. Real life events become stories, and then stories change our perceptions of real life events. One informing yet changing the other, over and over again. Due to my knowledge of a certain relatively obscure novel, I picked up on something early in the book that led me to correctly guess how it was all going to end, so the big twist at the book’s close wasn’t there for me, but it’ll most likely be there for most readers. I can’t elaborate more on that without giving away spoilers, but I will say that -- even though I knew how it would wrap up -- the end was utterly chilling. This hits the shelves on May 11! Thank you Celadon for the ARC!  This photo was taken in Sedona, AZ, which is GORGEOUS and also where the 2009 sweat lodge disaster happened, the real-life wellness retreat tragedy which - I’m assuming - inspired this book.
If you’re like me and into cults and the dark side of the self-help industry, I thought I’d mention a true crime podcast about that disaster called Guru. It’s a six part series about the retreat led by James Arthur Ray in 2009 which led to 18 people being rushed to the hospital and three people dying. You can listen to it here: https://wondery.com/shows/guru/ About the book: Fran’s younger sister Jenna went missing after attending a wellness retreat run by self-help guru Tom Wade and his wife Kate. It was presumed that she committed suicide, but at that same retreat, some of the attendees died while participating in a sweat lodge. Tom served time but is now out of prison and running his first retreat since that tragic day, and Fran is determined to attend and get to the bottom of what happened to her sister three years ago. This book alternates between past (Jenna’s experience at the retreat) and present (from the point of view of Fran infiltrating the current retreat and Tom’s wife, Kate, trying to run it and rehabilitate their brand). The writing flows so well throughout, but it’s a slow burn until later in the story, when the pacing picks up and the layers of dysfunction and secrets are revealed. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have loved the read even more if the present time was limited to Fran’s POV. I say that because Fran was a wonderful character, and ultimately, it’s her ride we're on. What sounds awesome about this book is the idea of infiltrating a shady wellness retreat to get answers, am I right? That’s like, my dream job 🤣 Will someone hire me to do that? Anyway, this book reads easy and is full of fun twists - perfect for a day at the beach! Thank you Avon Books for the ARC!  Cat lives in Los Angeles, far away from the gothic house in which she and her estranged twin sister El grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland. But when El mysteriously disappears, Cat returns to the home - and a past - that is full of ghosts and secrets, including Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns.
- I didn’t know what to make of this when I first started reading. It was clear that the writing was very good, but I couldn’t figure out if it involved magical realism or a main character that was almost completely untethered from reality or something else that I wasn’t getting. I even got frustrated, to be honest, trying to figure out what was going on. Then it all came together. That veil lifted, and I was blown away. The center of this book -- the heart of it -- is pure genius. And I don’t say that lightly. What might seem blurry, at the start, will come into focus, and it is SO worth it once it does. This book had me feeling deeply for the main characters, and I found myself going back to reread portions once I’d finished and even studied the dang map of the house at the front of the book. This is a top read of the year for me. I’ll admit, there were some things I wish were a bit different with it. I would have preferred if the story ended earlier, about 85% of the way through, according to my Kindle. It would have been a bit more believable for me, and much darker, which is the way my taste tends to go. But one’s enjoyment of a novel is entirely subjective, and the twists and turns in the last part of the book will probably make many other thriller fans incredibly happy. But SO much was done beautifully here. The timing. The pacing. The reveals. The characters. The layers. The DEPTH. This is a stand out among psychological thrillers in terms of uniqueness and boldness and imaginativeness and creativity, and it will stick with me for a very long time to come. If you like mysteries and thrillers - and especially psychological thrillers, you MUST read this. This comes out April 20! Thank you Scribner for the ARC!  I listened to the audiobook of this one, and I have to say, from the very first word read aloud, I was riveted. I didn’t have to go back once to catch something I missed, which is a rarity. And this book is so bold and memorable that it will stay with me for a long time.
Ivy moves to the U.S. from China at the age of five, and she develops a middle-school crush on Gideon, a young member of the New England gentry who seems to be the very opposite of her own immigrant family. She also comes to know a boy named Roux, who lives next to her in their lower-class neighborhood. Some years later, when Ivy is a young adult, these two boys - now men - will represent a choice about what her future will be. As a character, Ivy is both infuriating and heartbreaking. I found myself wanting to simultaneously slap her upside the head and root for her. The book seems to be an allegory that explores the push and pull of the immigrant experience: the warring internal impulses to stay true to one’s own culture and ancestry versus the feeling that one must assimilate and disappear into the surrounding culture. But it also has strong similarities to “The Talented Mr. Ripley” in that Ivy is relentless in her need to social climb to the point of self-destruction. She is desperate to ‘rise above’ her Chinese family and worm her way into the New England blue bloods who, to her, signify success and higher breeding. This is primarily literary fiction with some elements of a slow-burning thriller. The main character is unreliable and terribly narcissistic, but she’s such an interesting vehicle for an exploration of issues around race and class.  Rose and Fern are twins in their twenties who have a close relationship despite having shared a traumatic childhood. Rose is the responsible one, Fern the quirky one. Fern accidentally did something terrible when they were twelve years old, and Rose helped her cover up the mistake and has kept a careful watch on her ever since. But when Fern decides to help her sister achieve her heart's desire of having a baby, Rose realizes that Fern might make choices that can only have a terrible outcome.
--- This story alternates between the POV of each of the twins. Through Rose’s journal entries, we experience some of the terrible past events the twins shared during their childhood, which included a mother who was narcissistic and mercurial. Fern’s POV allows us to follow her as she navigates her day-to-day existence working at a library and engaging with others while being on the autism spectrum and managing debilitating sensory-processing issues. And it is such a treat to follow Fern around! Her unique character - its specificity, the humor within it, the heart underneath it - makes this book for me! Fern is so lovable, despite her flaws, that I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt myself emotionally connecting this strongly with a character. And Fern’s internal thoughts and interactions with other characters had me giggling out loud. Yes, I fell in love with this character, but everything else about this story is on point! The plotting and pacing is solid, and there are some great twists I didn’t see coming! I can’t elaborate too much more, since I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that this is a rare suspense novel that made me giggle while, at moments, warming my heart. I also think that in comparison with Hepworth’s last few books, this one is much closer to a true thriller. I ABSOLUTELY loved this book and highly recommend it! This hits the shelves April 13! Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!  Bree seems to have a picture-perfect life with a loving husband, two teenage daughters, and a new baby boy. But she suddenly faces every mother’s nightmare when her newborn son is kidnapped by an older woman who makes a demand in exchange for her child’s life.
To get her baby back, Bree must complete one small—but critical—task. It seems harmless enough, but her action comes with a devastating price, making her complicit in a tangled web of tragedy and shocking secrets that could destroy everything she loves. -- Overall, this domestic thriller is heavier on the ‘domestic’ and lighter on the ‘thriller’ to me. Unlike Jackson’s last book, Never Have I Ever, which had me on the edge of my seat throughout, this one -- after a strong beginning -- had me sinking into the couch. The start of the story is gripping, with the suggestion that there is some type of witch haunting our main character (Bree), peering in through the windows of her home, but then the pacing slows. There’s a good deal of time spent in Bree’s head, delivering backstory, so the forward action you typically get in a good thriller becomes weighed down. At some point during all of this, as a reader, I lost my connection with her. And once the action begins moving forward again at a better pace, I wanted Bree to be more proactive. Given the genre and the circumstances, it seems like a couple of other characters step in and take action for her too often. I will say that the ending is VERY strong and fun. This story starts with a jolt and ends with a BANG!! Jackson seems to be a master at nailing the start and the close of a great thriller, and I give her mad props for successfully acting as the narrator of her own audiobooks, too!! This could be a good read for big domestic thriller fans who aren’t put off by a slower pace. This hits the shelves April 6! Thank you William Morrow for the ARC!  Alice decides to shoot a documentary film about a ghost town that was left abandoned years ago when everyone there mysteriously disappeared, including her own grandmother and family.
She arrives in the abandoned town with the small crew she’s assembled, including Emmy, her old roommate from college, but as soon as they arrive, mysterious things start happening. --- This story is told through alternate timelines, switching between the present (Now), in which Alice and her crew scout the deserted area, and the past (Then), in the months leading up to the abandonment of the town. Old letters, sent and received by Alice’s ancestors, also fill in parts of her family history. In the ‘Then’ timeline, a good deal of the events are foreshadowed early, but this is by design. It allows you, the reader, to figure out what is going to happen before it’s revealed, and it’s incredibly effective in creating a sense of impending doom. To counterbalance that, the ‘Now’ timeline is edge-of-your-seat shocking and unexpected and full of twists. It’s bold and dramatic and surprising and scary and also, unexpectedly, sad. Alice is a wonderfully flawed main character, and I really appreciate how well-developed the relationship is between her and Emmy. This story has similarities to the work of filmmaker Ari Aster (Midsommar, Hereditary), which I love!! It’s smart horror that doesn’t just entertain and scare, but provides interesting - and at times uncomfortable - social commentary. And just like Aster’s movies, this book is NOT for the faint of heart. I’d say this is perfect for fans of horror, first and foremost, but also those who enjoy psychological thrillers or mysteries. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! |
