Breadcrumbs and Blindsides

Tessa Becker's return to her hometown after a seven year absence to face her past, including the man who broke her heart, her mother's deteriorating health, and the unsolved murders that occurred there. A romance novel with a slight touch of a whodunnit. 3/5

A suspenseful novel that follows Frank Szatowski, a 26 year veteran UPS driver whose estranged daughter, Maggie, invites him to her wedding at a secluded, luxurious summer camp owned by Maggie's future husband's, Aiden's, family. Before the wedding Frank however learns that Aiden is suspected of the disappearance of a prior girlfriend.  Frank, being uncomfortable with this fact starts to investigate the disappearance and unwittingly stables into a hornet's nest of greed and power.  A well-developed whodunnit with some really unexpected twists and turns, which also explores the love of a father for his daughter. 4/5

Aimee Sinclair, an actress whose husband goes missing, becomes the prime suspect in his disappearance. Aimee however has to confront her childhood past, where she was stolen by a family whose daughter died. For a change , and despite her somewhat abused non-linear first person story format, the novel takes a fresh approach which leads to a very unexpected climax. Well-written, though the writing style is extremely flowery, which inevitably leads to a slower pace. 4/5

A spy thriller set during the 2011 Arab Spring in Bahrain. Shane Collins, a near- retirement CIA operative, is tasked with uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency, but like the Arabian folk tale to which the novel owes it's title Shane develops a loyalty to his asset and his cause, placing him in a position where his action could potentially impact on the outcome of the civil revolt. Berry (pen name), like a number of the more recent crop of authors in the genre, was an operative in the CIA and specifically in Bahrain during the early part of the Arab Spring. Her writing, despite being delightfully packed with day-to-day "spy" details, is particularly mature for a first novel, and her character development thoroughly engaging. A novel that explores both the complexities of the individual and the group. 5/5

Master Hugh is called upon to investigate the death of a man named Thomas atte Bridge. Initially believed to be a suicide, Hugh soon uncovers evidence suggesting foul play. As he delves deeper into the case, Hugh must also deal with unwelcome nocturnal visitors to his home and risk to himself and his wife.  As always a decent whodunnit, though character development has essentially come to a standstill.  3/5

In this fifth and final novella in the story of the romantic relationship between FBI profiler, Logan Bennet, and serial killer Lana Meyer, the focus remains on Lana's ultimate revenge but can she hide her actions from Logan and if not, will he accept or reject her. As the series winds down, the author does well to shift the focus back to elephant in the room, i.e., what will happen when Logan has to deal with Lana's actions.  There is a bit of clever writing to demonstrate Logan's choice.  All and all a satisfying little series. 4/5

In this fourth novella in the story of the romantic relationship between FBI profiler, Logan Bennet, and serial killer Lana Meyer, the focus moves to the town where Lana's need for revenge started. Here the fast-paced story becomes more action packed and full of interesting twists and turns. The writing style is also much better suited to this third act. 4/5

In this third novella in the story of the romantic relationship between FBI profiler, Logan Bennet, and serial killer Lana Meyer, the focus moves to the relationship between Hadley and Lana and the preparation for the final stages of Lana's revenge plan. A fast-paced novel focused more on further developing the principle cast.  Despite this, there is sufficient action and suspense.  As mentioned previously he characters however remain somewhat thin and the writing straightforward.  3/5

In this second novella in the story of the romantic relationship between FBI profiler, Logan Bennet, and serial killer Lana Meyer, the focus moves to another serial killer and his ever closer swoops to the women in Logan's life. Logan's colleague, Hadley, is also becoming more convinced that Lana is not who she appears to be. A fast-paced novel focused more on further developing the principle cast. Despite this, there is sufficient action and suspense. The characters however remain somewhat thin and the writing straightforward. 3/5

Part one of a five part novella series about a female revenge serial killer named Lana meets Logan, an FBI agent who is investigating her murders. They fall in love and the series explore their relationship and their respective "careers". A fun series and this first novel creates the basic lay of the land for further "episodes". The writing is very basic and the characters somewhat formalistically developed, but the fast-paced storyline is engaging enough. 3/5

Hugh de Singleton, is asked by his former lecturer, John Wyclif, to solve the theft of all the books in his Oxford dorm library. With the help of his squire, Arthur, investigates the crime, but soon falls falsely incarcerated for a crime and almost murdered. As always, a good yarn with a some decent twists and turns and a satisfactory unfold. 3/5

The novel revolves around the Gallagher family, who are struggling to cope with the recent death of their father,  and their divorced mother's secret relationship. One night, during a heated argument, the mother orders 12-year-old, Ellen, out of the car on a dark road , expecting said daughter to walk some miles home. This impulsive act leads to a traumatic event covered up by a secret between the daughters, which leads to potentially devastating consequences.  A beautifully written coming of age story, set in juxtaposition with the ever-present tension and dread of the aforementioned secret leading to a likely horrible outcome.  5/5

In this second murder mystery 1360s Hugh de Singleton-series, the beadle, Alan, is found brutally murdered near St. Andrew's Chapel. Hugh , is tasked with investigating the crime and as delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a web of secrets, lies, and hidden agendas among the villagers. The whodunnit follows the same formula of integrating the various murders in a single theme. The breadcrumbs are a little sprarce, but the reveals are nicely staggered throughout the novel. A basic but fun read. 3/5

A natted multi-timeline psychological thriller that follows Amber Reynolds, a radio presenter who wakes up in a coma after a car accident. Trapped in her own body, she can hear everything that is going on around her, including her husband and sister's suspicious behavior. As Amber pieces together the events leading up to the accident, she begins to question her own memory and the truth of her relationships. With this, the third book I've read by Feeney, Feeney's tools in creating her blindsides have lost their luster. Though still well-written, the cat is now out of the bag. Let's hope the next novel is not yet another multi-timeline, multi-narator attempt, where the one narrator clearly is not the narrator inferred. 3/5

Set in the Shire around 1362. Master Hugh De Singleton a newly qualified surgeon sets up his practice in Oxford, and soon after, Lord Gilbert of Bampton appoints him bailiff and tasks him with identifying a victim found in his castle' cesspool and her murderer. This whodunnit is very unique due to its setting and unique language of the day but is no less interesting or engaging than any modern murder mystery.  The breadcrumbs are well spread though the novel and the reveal somewhat in the classic tradition.  A compelling read.

A dual first-person narrative, rotating between Mary and Drew. A teenage girl who wakes up on the side of a deserted road with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She is soon reunited with her father, Wayne, but without any memory of him or her childhood life. Drew, a teenage boy whose girlfriend, Lola, vanished without a trace, is the prime suspect in the disappearance and presumed murder. As Drew becomes more obsessed with finding Lola, Mary becomes more convinced that there is something off with her father. The novel provides more than enough breadcrumbs but cleverly counterbalances the breadcrumbs with logical counter-arguments, which keeps the reader guessing till the third act, when a number of blindsides drives the story to a fast-paced climax. 4/5

Despite a lack of prosecutable evidence, the entire town of Plumpton, Texas, believes Lucy Chase murdered her best friend, Savvy Harper, five years earlier. When Ben Owens, a true crime podcaster, digs up the cold case for his podcast, Lucy, who suffers from a total loss of recollection regarding the death of Savvy, gets pulled into Ben's investigations. A decent psychological thriller which slowly burns into a pretty easy to predict whodunnit. 3/5

A psychological thriller that starts out with the murder of one woman in a quaint English village. The story alternates between the perspectives of three main characters: Anna Andrews, a newsreader who is reluctant to cover the case and who looks to be a potential next victim of the murderer, and D.I. Jack Harper, who is placed on the case but almost immediately becomes a suspect in the investigation. The third main character is the killer, who could be either Jack or Anna or neither. Feeney is rather good at blindsiding the reader whilst still leaving more than enough breadcrumbs throughout the story. It is not something most mystery writers excel at and this quality makes her novels (and especially this one) even more engaging. 4/5

A woman with a carefully created fake identity, that of "Southern girl next door", Evie Porter, has a mysterious job, where she is tasked by her mysterious powerful boss, solely known as Mr. Smith, to infiltrate the life of her mark, Ryan Sumner. It soon becomes apparent that someone is pulling at the frays of her carefully created identity and things escalate quickly, leaving Evie to find out what is going on and stay out of jail. A well-written medium-paced mystery focused on a secret crime organisation. Though the unfold is not a total surprise, the journey to get there makes the novel entertaining and engaing. 4/5

A dark academia novel that follows a group of ambitious theater students at a prestigious liberal arts college. They are obsessed with Shakespeare and lives his words into their lives. All changes with the death of a member of their group. The novel not only follows the formula abused in almost every Shakespeare tragedy, but also the manner of character development, the unrealistic understanding of life and human nature demonstrated by the characters and the type of tragedy. The integration of Shakespeare phrases is both brilliant and somewhat formula following. The whodunnit is obvious from very early on, which works well in the novel, as the focus of the novel is character introspection with the normal Shakespearean need for irony. As a homage to Shakespeare it is a masterpiece. As a creative work, sans the homage, it falls very flat. Not the easiest book to rate. I am rating it as a Shakespeare homage as I think the 3/5 rating it would receive from me as a creative...

Adam and Amelia Wright are a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. In a last ditch effort to save their relationship, they embark on a weekend getaway to a secluded Scottish chapel. However, the weekend which Amelia hoped would reignite the spark, soon takes a dark turn as secrets and resentments boils to the surface, and they find themselves trapped in a game of deception and danger. The first two acts links into a slow-burn non-linear juxtaposition between ten wedding anniversaries and strange events playing out in the chapel. The third act is a bit more of medium-paced mega reveal, which justifies the prolonged slow-burn. Definitely worth reading.

The novel follows the story of a family who gathers for a weekend at their secluded lakeside cabin, celebrating the release from prison of one of the sons Each member of the family harbours a dark secret measured by the murder of the father against the killing by the one son of his ostensible killer. As the weekend unfolds, tensions rise and secrets begin to unravel. The novel has the clear intention of conveying the classic elements of a locked room whodunnit coupled with a historic murder in a witty manner. For the most it succeeds, though the comedy element is a bit of an afterthought. The summoning is somewhat "Oceans 12", with the author providing insufficient breadcrumbs to enable the reader to guess the resultant dénouement. 4/5

A narrative story that unfolds across decades, beginning in the 1970s in the Missouri Ozarks, where 12 year old Patch intervenes to save a young woman from a violent act and ends up being held together with a young girl (Grace) in a secluded dark farm basement for almost a year by the said attacker. Eventually he is rescued by the heroic actions of his best friend, a girl named Saint. The majority of the novel plays out over the subsequent four decades where Patch obsessively searches for Grace. The consequences of this obsession mould not only Patch's life, but also the lives of those around him. A poignant, thought-provoking and reflective exploration of the bonds of human connection and the capacity for both good and evil to coexist within individuals and communities. Whitaker's writing is reminiscent of that of JD Salinger and Cormac McCarthy and his storytelling is on par with that of Hanya Yanagihara. Some of the best writing I've come across in recent y...

Three foster sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, are forced to confront their traumatic past when a body is discovered beneath their former foster home. As the investigation unfolds, they must confront the dark secrets that have haunted them for years. A slightly overdeveloped psychological drama, which confronts physical and emotional abuse and the varying long-term impacts thereof on different survivors. The murder mystery could have been a bit more engaging and less breadcrumbed , but the novel would likely have lost some of its gravitas, if the murder became the focus. 4/5