Breadcrumbs and Blindsides

Finn and Mia moved out of their respective suburban flats to pursue their dream of a place in the country.  Unfortunately, one sale after the other fell through and they ended up living Finn's mom and dad for almost a year.  When a property, which has been standing vacant for almost 30 years, comes on the market, they purchase the said money pit as a fixer upper.  While fixer upping, they discover seven suitcases with the remains of seven children in a hidden room.  Mia, having just given birth, becomes somewhat obsessed with the mystery and soon starts to ruffle feathers, including those of Finn's dad.  A very dark psychological thriller with some decent twists and turns and multiple mysteries.  Marrs really shines at getting us to glimpse into the world and mind of a very different serial killer.  The use of multiple narrators really worked well in bringing a pretty unique but small cast of characters to live in a psychologically unsettli...

Having recently survived a horror blind date, Sydney looks like she has finally found her perfect match when she by luck meets up with the man who saved her from said horror date, a few weeks earlier. Sydney's best friend is however murdered shortly prior to her meeting Prince Charming MD, and as the relationship progresses, Sydney begins to suspect him of being the murderer. As is often the case with a McFadden whodunnit, the story is told on different timelines. The second timeline is narrated by teenage Prince Charming , who becomes a prime suspect in the murder of his highschool girlfriend. This psychological whodunnit is clever, fast-paced and has some really decent red hearings. Most importantly it culminates in a bloody good blindside. A true old school page turner. 4/5

While seeking answers why her artist husband committed suicide, Anna moves into his studio, which turns out to be a room in a run down apartment complex.  Cass, the handy"mam" of the complex, recently lost everything when her dodgy hubby left her for a cocktail waitress and kicked her out of their mansion.  Rosa's husband is both extremely abusive and potentially high up in the Mexican cartels.  Things however go terribly wrong when a good deed is met with an unforeseen consequence.  As such the various individual stories play out against these "consequences" , whilst building up to a pretty nailbiting climax. Glass is known for creating interesting and well developed characters and then placing them in very interesting dilemmas, and again she does not disappoint. The various individual stories all fit perfectly into the main psychological thriller and the whodunnit has a decent twist or two.   4/5  

Billy Bob Holland, a former Texas Ranger turned prosecutor and eventually defence lawyer, finds himself defending his illegitimate son, who is accused of a brutal murder. As Billy Bob delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a web of corruption, deceit, and violence fueled by politicians and cartels that extends far beyond the initial crime. Burke is master of Southern noir and his richly descriptive and immaculately paced writing makes each of his novels very special. 

A standalone thriller about a respectable doctor named Marcus Valentine who becomes obsessed with a woman he sees jogging one morning; believing her to be the spitting image of a girl he was infatuated with as a teenager, Marcus's obsession quickly spirals out of control. His pursuit of her leads to a series of events that threaten to destroy his seemingly perfect life and that of those around him. The novel starts off a bit slow but moves into the most extreme singular literary example of a sociopath removing one obsticle after the other in his pursuit of his "true love". James expertly crafted Valentine's personality to match his sociopathic nature. A bit of a dark novel but such a page turner. 

The Harcourt family,  drawn by the allure of a country lifestyle,  moves into a secluded Georgian mansion and soon realize that their dream home, apart from being a money pit, harbours a dark secret. As strange occurrences and unsettling visions begin to plague them, the Harcourts must uncover the chilling truth behind Cold Hill's haunted past.  Unfortunately I read this first novel after the sequel and effectively rated the sequel higher than it actually deserved. The sequel is somewhat of a carbon copy of this novel but set in a slightly later time period featuring different families with different occupations, but the storyline remains exactly the same. The wiring style is however unique interesting and engaging. 

 The haunted mansion from "The House on Cold Hill" has been demolished, replaced by a modern housing development. However, the dark secrets of the past refuse to be buried. The Danes and the Penze-Weedells, move into their new homes in the development. As they settle in, they begin to experience strange and unsettling occurrences. The novel is well-written as it creates the impression that a very sinister and unemaginble plot might be lurking. The downer to this is however the fact that the story is what you see is what you get. 3/5

A dystopian murder mystery set on a secluded island which is home to a small community of survivors, protected from a deadly fog that has enveloped the rest of the world. The murder of one of the island's elders /scientists triggers a countdown: if the murderer is not identified within 92 hours, the island's protective barrier will fail, and the fog will engulf the community. As the fog closes in, the islanders must grapple with their own secrets, lies, and the possibility that one of their own is responsible for the murder. A very unique medium-paced whodunnit, which is impossible to put down. 5/5

A historical fiction murder mystery set in 19th-century Paris in the famous Salpêtrière asylum. The story centers around two women, Laure and Josephine. Laure is a former patient at the asylum and current ward attendant, who is desperate to leave and find her missing sister, Amélie. Josephine is a young woman with amnesia who arrives at the asylum covered in blood and suffering from trauma. As the novel progresses, Laure and Josephine form a bond while navigating the questionable treatments within the asylum and attempting to find ways out of their respective dilemmas.  Very well researched and more gripping than the title infers.  Fact and fiction intertwine very believably and seamlessly. 4/5

Set in Accra, Ghana, the story revolves around gumshoe Emma Djan, who is tasked with investigating the murder of a prominent LGBTQ+ activist. As Emma delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a web of corruption, homophobia, and secrets within the Ghanaian society. An eye-opening account of homophobia in Western-Africa coupled with a very decent whodunnit. Quartey always delivers with an intriguing gumshoe whodunnit. 4/5

The novel follows Mae Pruett, a crisis PR expert who specializes in cleaning up the messes of the rich and famous. When her boss is murdered, Mae finds herself drawn into a dangerous investigation that reveals a web of secrets, lies, and corruption. Mae teams up with her ex-boyfriend, Chris, a former police officer who now works for the same shadowy organization. Together, they navigate a world of blackmail, drug deals, and human trafficking. Harper's gritty neo noir gumshoe novel delves deep into the LA underbelly and reminds of LA Confidential. A modern masterpiece. 5/5

A short psychological thriller about a female con artist who poses as a psychic. She's hired by a wealthy woman, Susan, who believes her Victorian mansion is haunted and her troubled stepson, Miles, is possessed. As the psychic delves deeper into the mysterious household, she begins to question whether the supernatural occurrences are real or if there's a more sinister explanation. Very well-written but unfortunately way too short as Flynn's finetuned psychological writing is extremely engaging and justified this mystery novella to be a full novel. 4/5

Set in a snowbound English country house. Illusionist and private detective Joseph Spector is called upon to investigate a series of puzzling "locked room" deaths, including a body found in a frozen pond without any means of getting there and a rifle fired through a closed window, killing a man without breaking the glass. Despite being well-written in the classic 1920s style and being thoroughly engaging, the reveal is farfetched and devoid of breadcrumbs leading to it.  3/5

A psychological thriller that follows Faith Finley, a successful psychologist, author, and radio host. Her seemingly perfect life takes a dramatic turn when her husband mysteriously disappears during a car crash, and she's accused of the sexual abuse of one of her young patients. As she navigates the chaos and suspicion surrounding her, Faith must unravel the truth about her husband's disappearance and clear her own name. Smartly written and fast-paced with loads of twists and turns. 4/5

Investigative journalist, Ross Hunter, receives a mysterious call from Dr. Harry Cook, who claims to have absolute proof of God's existence. Dr. Cook leaves Ross with a series of cryptic clues that lead him on a dangerous international quest. As Ross delves deeper into the mystery, he finds himself hunted by opposing powerful forces with differing reasons for suppressing his discoveries. The novel is loosely based on a similar visit received by James in the late 1980s, but is essentially a work of historical fiction akin to "Foucault's Pendulum" and the many badly written Dan Brown novels.  James however creates a very believable yarn and keeps conspiracies out of the novel.  The result is an action-packed fast-paced mystery with a well-considered reveal. 5/5

"The Castle", follows a land surveyor named K.life in a small town as he attempts to gain access to a mysterious castle which ostensibly employed him. The castle, a symbol of bureaucracy and authority, seems to be inaccessible despite K.'s persistent efforts. The narrative is filled with Kafka's signature themes of alienation, bureaucracy, and the individual's struggle against an oppressive system. The novel, which Kafka never finished, is known for its open-ended nature, leaving many questions, like the exact nature of the castle, its inhabitants, and K.'s ultimate fate, unanswered. Kafka's ability to bizarre and distopian worlds is unmatched. So too the looming oppressive dred of authority which he interweaves as a constant underlying theme to his novels. 5/5

After having his driver's license suddenly and basically in the middle of the road suspended, private investigator Varg Veum witnesses a group of young people on a bus, one of whom later disappears. He finds himself drawn into the mysterious world of a small coastal village. As he investigates the disappearance, he uncovers a complex web of secrets, rivalries, and a possible connection to a previous death, all playing out against the backdrop of unethical large scale Salmon farming. Staalesen creates a detailed and visual experience of a small town where everyone has a secret. He places Veum's slowly coming to terms with his life and his age in a juxtaposition to his menial importance in a much larger criminal investigation. Very well written and pretty gripping. Unfortunately the reveal is impossible to predict as there are basically zero breadcrumbs. 4/5

The novel delves into a complex case that unfolds amidst the backdrop of the life partner of Rhebus' daughter being murdered. Rebus involves himself into the investigation involving a brutal attack on a close colleague, a mysterious hotel fire, and an unidentified body. As always Rankin retains the perfect balance between character development and plot development. The whodunnit is beautifully set up and the reveal highly unexpected. 4/5

Heidi Wood, encounters a young, seemingly homeless woman named Willow, with a small a baby. Moved to compassion, Heidi brings Willow and the infant into her home, despite objections from her family. As Heidi tries to help Willow get back on her feet, she and her husband (separately) start to uncover disturbing facts about the young woman's past; this while Heidi is also slowly losing touch with reality as she starts to confuse the baby for her own baby she lost some 12 years earlier. What starts as a simple act of kindness quickly turns into a dangerous situation filled with secrets and lies. The novel moves a tad too slowly and the overused theme of female mental issues provides the backdrop for most of the novel. A bit of an average read. 3/5

Ethan returns to his childhood home after decades. His peaceful return is disrupted when unsettling events begin to occur which events are linked to the disappearance of his best friend, Billy, which happened in the same house 30 years ago. As Ethan delves deeper into the past, he uncovers disturbing secrets about his neighborhood and the people in it, forcing him to confront the darkness that still lingers. Sager masterfully weaves an almost endless number of twists and turns into this fast paced whodunit, which culminates in an unfold, which has just the right amount of breadcrumbs in place to lead to the reveal. 4/5

Ruby’s mother, Deena disappeared when Ruby was only four years old and while Deena and Lucas were fighting an ugly custody battle. Now living with her controlling father, Lucas, and his enabling mother, Ruby remembers almost nothing about her mother and is not permitted to ask any questions about her. Nessa is however as from the outset convinced that Lucas was responsible for her sister's disappearance. The novel utilises the dual timelines (some 10 years removed) exceptionally and the first person accounts of Ruby and Nessa are richly written and seamlessly integrated. 5/5

Over the course of a week, the unnamed protagonist meticulously analyzes her fifteen-year marriage to someone whom she claims she loves as much as the first day she laid eyes on him. Through her extremely obsessive lens, she examines their relationship, questioning love, control, and the complexities of intimacy. As the narrative unfolds, readers are drawn into a world of doubt, paranoia, and the blurred lines between obsession and love. The novel delves into the depths of the protagonist's very unbalanced psyche as she grapples with her own perceptions of reality. Though only a novella, it could have been shorter and the reveal at the end is somewhat expected throughout the novel. That said, very well-written and very odd. 4/5

Hardy "Hardly" Reed, is a laid-back amusement park worker who loves his simple life. However, his mundane life takes a dramatic turn when he witnesses signs of abuse on two young children. Despite his initial reluctance, Hardy becomes determined to protect the children. As he delves deeper into the situation, he uncovers a dangerous world of crime and corruption, forcing him to confront his own capabilities and limitations. A medium-paced action thriller with an explosive final act. The novel could and probably should have been much grittier and contained the odd twist or turn, but it is pretty enjoyable. 3/5

Just prior to his release from prison, Nate McClusky gets on the wrong side of a white supremacist gang, and a contract is taken out on him, his ex-wife and daughter, Poppy. Though his wife is already murdered by the time he is released, he is just in time to prevent a first murder attempt on Polly. With Polly's life in imminent danger, they embark on a perilous journey, fighting for survival and against a relentless enemy, mostly by stealing from said enemy in a "Bonnie and Clyde"-like homage. A fast-paced and well-written novel with a strong focus on the process of rekindling a father/daughter relationship within an almost futile environment. 3/5

A deadly vehicle accident and the impact and consequences thereof provide the backdrop. As such a young American student and son of NY mobsters loses his life in the accident where all three other parties did something wrong. The focus is however on Carly Chase who finds her world turned upside down when the drivers of the other vehicles involved are brutally murdered. DS Roy Grace is called in to investigate the escalating violence. As the body count rises, it becomes clear that a deadly force is hunting down those connected to the accident. With Carly as the next potential target, Grace and his team race against time to prevent further deadly consequences. The focus in the novel shifts somewhat away from our main series-protaganists towards Carly and her thinking and actions. It works pretty well, but the absence of a whodunnit and unexpected twists and turns renders the novel slightly tedious. 3/5