Breadcrumbs and Blindsides

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

At a summer camp in 1975, a young girl, Barbara Van Laar, vanishes from her bunk at a secluded Adirondack summer camp. This follows the disappearances her older brother, Bear, some fourteen years earlier. As the community and police search for Barbara, the novel delves into the secrets of the Van Laar family. A well-developed non-linear mystery, which will keep the reader in suspense. 4/5

Midnight Jones, an analyst trained to understand the human mind. She profiles a man who shows no empathy and is deemed capable of horrific violence or a Profile "K". Midnight believes Profile K is a danger to society, but her employer buries the profile and warns her of the risk of taking matters further. When a series of brutal murders occur, Midnight realizes that Profile K is the killer and that she might his next target. She must find him before he finds her. An extremely engaging psychological thriller with a number of twists, which makes the novel impossible to put down. 4/5

Julia Miller's teenage (and previously kidnapped) daughter, Anna, vanishes after getting off a plane to visit her father and stepmother. When Anna's half-brother disappears almost simultaneously, the family realises that the children are most likely the victims of a kidnapping and the past comes calling in the most unlikely manner. A fast-paced thriller, with a somewhat obvious twist, but enough momentum to remain entertaining and engaging. 3/5

Melanie Hale has the perfect life, but her boredom leads to an affair with Luke, a prominent writer. When Melanie discovers Luke's dead body, she realises that she might become the prime suspect. Melanie will however do anything to ensure that her marriage is not destroyed. A dark psychological thriller with a number of somewhat obvious twists and turns. The final act is however so visceral, disturbing, and unexpected, that it elevates the novel to a "must read". 4/5

Six year-old Anna vanishes after a play date at a new friend's house. It turns out that the friend's house was actually an Air BnB and the "friend" was never officially enrolled in Anna's school. Initially it is believed that Anna was grabbed by an Eastern European child smuggling ring, but things become more complex and bizarre, and the likelihood of Anna being found quickly decreases.  A fast-paced, dark psychological thriller, with well concealed and -developed twists and turns.  Alex Lake at his best.  4/5

When a 10- Year-old girl and her mother move in next door to professional killer Daniel, the hitman begins to have tormenting memories of his stolen childhood. When Daniel's faceless employers order yet another murder, he is faced with a choice for the first time - whether to carry out the assignment or face his painful past. The novel presupposes the existence of one or more extremely large and well-managed criminal organisations. These organisations from a very young age take control of the children of those they already control. This cradle to the grave "Handmaid's Tale" type of living, becomes more sustainable to self- and inter se analysis due to the happenstance of the mentioned living arrangement. A bleak but intriguing novel, which does not pull punches in conveying its message around the futility of resistance by the few. 4/5

A blind teenager, Joshua, receives a corneal donation from his detective father who was recently killed in the line of duty. This gives Joshua the gift of sight, but also the burden of seeing his father's final moments and the dark secrets he was investigating. Joshua soon realises that one of the donar eyes is that of his father and the other eye, the eye of his father's killer. Cleave's comedic faux pas of swapped eyes, builds brilliantly into a psychological thriller where donees start to demonstrate latent characteristics of the serial killer donar. Cleave develops this theme in such detail and integrates it so well into the whodunnit, that one could be forgiven for believing the "science". 5/5

"Murder Your Employer" is a fictional guidebook to committing the perfect murder where murder is "absolutely necessary". The book follows the education of three students at the McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, an institution dedicated to the art of murder. The book is told through the perspective of the dean of McMasters, as well as a diary kept by one of the students. Holmes creates an intriguing and tangible student world, which to an extent reminds of the Harry Potter series. However, Holmes goes further and pens three extremely detailed and left-field murders, each with its own twists and turns. A delightful cozy crime novel, which will no doubt lead to further installments. 4/5

Newly reinstated, detective Theodore Tate and his ex- and now early retired partner, Carl Schroder, are barely recovering from a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer when a new string of murders emerges. Convicted rapists are being found dead,. Tate finds himself drawn into a moral dilemma when he concludes that Schroder is most likely the vigilante. A poignantly pessimistic novel, which delves into the psychological toll which law enforcement has to (almost constantly) deal with when violent crime goes unpunished. That said, the novel remains pure Cleave, with a few nice twists and turns and the odd whodunit, whilst retaining his uniquely ascorbic dark humour. 4/5

A crime thriller that explores the aftermath of two unsolved crimes that occurred in Oklahoma City in 1986, i.e. a movie theater robbery that left six employees dead and the disappearance of a teenage girl from the State Fair. Twenty-five years later, the two survivors of these tragedies find their lives intertwined as they seek answers to the lingering questions from their respective childhoods. Berney pulls two highly unlikely mysteries together, while developing complex characters who has to deal with the very real likelihood that the events which shaped there lives could potentially go unanswered forever and we're very possibly just random acts. 4/5

When Theodore Tate, a former police officer turned private investigator attends a random exhumation, he falls into mystery filled with bodies buried without coffins in the cemetery where his daughter is buried. With his interest peeked, Tate soon discovers links between the bodies, which links leads to Tate having to confront his past and the likelihood of a killer lurking there. Cleaver's visceral crime writing as always finds a juxtaposition though his very unique gallows humour. A dark and emotional rollercoaster ride, with a number of unexpected twists and turns. 5/5

Osman introduces us to a new pair of unlikely detectives: Steve, a retired DS, and his sharp-witted daughter-in-law, Amy, a personal protection expert. When a murder occurs pointing towards Amy as the likely suspect. Rosie, the extremely rich Something author whom Amy is currently protecting, helps Amy escape from an assassination attempt and appoints herself as part of the "team". A witty, clever and fast-paced cozy mystery, which will make a lazy Sunday afternoon fly by. 4/5

Catherine's life is shattered when her husband, Simon, vanishes without a trace, leaving her to raise their three surviving children on her own. Years later, Simon suddenly reappears, bringing with him a web of lies and ever increasingly shocking revelations that challenge everything Catherine thought she knew about her past. A disjointed retelling of an utterly unbelievable life; mostly lacking casual nexus between life events. Despite these bizarre staccato highlights, the novel moves extremely slowly and for the most merely depicts how two people moved on with their separate and utterly complex lives. Not Marrs' best work, but the brutality of the finale, somewhat makes up for the long road to get there. 3/5

Former New Orleans mob wheelman for the Albanian mob, Shake Bouchon, is enjoying a quiet life in Indiana with his wife, Gina. But his past catches up with him when a large muscle guy from his past, Dikran Ghazarian, needs Shake's help finding his Pakha (Armenian Mob Boss), Lexy Ilandryan, who has gone missing in Cambodia. Once in Cambodia, they discover that Lexy has been kidnapped by a pair of criminals-for-hire who have no idea who she is. The novel is at times somewhat of a slapstick rollercoaster ride, which oddly enough worked pretty well. As always Berney's writing perfectly balances the murderous transactional nature of the underworld with the human internal conflict and emotion which resides in these (often) evil men. 4/5

DCS Kat Frank, a recently widowed single mother of a final year scholar, is tasked with leading a pilot program pairing human detectives with an Artificial Intelligence Detective Entity (AIDE) named Lock. As they delve into two cold MISPER  cases, Kat's instincts clash with Lock's logical approach. As the cold cases suddenly become active, Kat finds herself relying on both her intuition and Lock's analytical abilities to unravel a dangerous mystery that soon hits close to home.  The concept of the novel as well as the underlying causa for the disappearances, both provide fertile ground for an engaging gumshoe novel.   Though Callaghan explodes these themes, it is done somewhat "tropey",ie two detectives with clashing personalities eventually becoming buddies, who solves the crime whilst essentially being suspended.  Yes, there is definitely more to the novel and it is well-written, with good character development, but the story could have done with a...

James Taylor attends a funeral and spots a familiar face in the church - his old schoolfriend Rufus Rorke. However, this is impossible because Taylor provided the eulogy at Rorke's funeral 18 months earlier. Meanwhile, DS Roy Grace is investigating a series of suspicious accidental deaths. Grace soon discovers that the deaths are connected to Rorke, and that he may not be as dead as everyone thinks. A fast-paced gumshoe thriller with a number of decent plot twists and an explosive final act. 4/5

John Rebus finds himself incarcerated for the murder of Cafferty. While awaiting his appeal, he learns of a murder in his cell block, a sort off locked-room mystery that ignites his detective instincts. Rebus must navigate the treacherous world of prison life, where alliances are fragile and danger lurks around every corner. As always Rankin provides a multilayered whodunnit with a good number of breadcrumbs. 4/5