Book Review: I Am Watching You (Teresa Driscoll) @TeresaDriscoll

I first stumbled across I Am Watching You, the newest release by Teresa Driscoll, in a co-worker’s Goodreads newsletter.   After reading the synopsis, I was captivated by the idea of this story and I knew I would have to add this one to my TBR pile. After binge reading it for a couple of hours, I am pleased to say that I Am Watching You is absolutely worth your time, folks!

The novel opens with Ella, a woman riding the train, overhearing two young men flirting with a couple of teenage girls on the train. Listening in to their conversation, her maternal instinct is put on high alert after one of the men reveals they are fresh out of prison. However, she decides, against her better judgment, not to say anything. After all, it is none of her business.   The next day, she is horrified to find out that one of the girls, Anna, has disappeared. A year later, Ella is still wracked with guilt over what she should have done and, as the anniversary of Anna’s disappearance approaches, Ella begins to receive threatening letters. Someone is coming after her.

Book Review: Little Secrets (Anna Snoekstra)

Last year, I read Only Daughter, the debut by Anna Snoekstra, and I absolutely loved it. I loved the narrative style, the dark tone and the creepy ending. It was a book that I continuously recommended. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to read Snoekstra’s follow up with her sophomore novel, Little Secrets.

This novel was completely different from Snoekstra’s previous novel and, to be completely honest, it was not what I was expecting at all.

The novel opens in the wake of a tragedy. An arsonist had burnt down the town’s courthouse, killing a young boy who was trapped inside. Living in the same town is Rose, an aspiring journalist who longs for a big break, and her sisters. When porcelain dolls begin showing up on the doorstep of town members, mirroring looks of the young girls, the town beings to buzz with paranoid and Rose seems to have found her big break. As she begins to write her story, paranoia builds and, soon, her articles have a life of their own. How are all of these scenarios related? Can a small town survive when neighbour is turning against neighbour?

Book Review: The Blackbird Season (Kate Moretti) @KateMoretti1 @AtriaMysteryBus

Last year, I read (and loved!) The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti, so I was thrilled to find out that #cjsreads had obtained copies of her sophomore novel, The Blackbird Season as one of our September picks!    I had absolutely no expectations going into this book; truthfully, I loved The Vanishing Year so much that I didn’t even read the synopsis of this book.  I figured that if Moretti wrote it, I would be interested.  I was right!  Moretti was able to weave a pretty stellar, mysterious novel within these pages.  One that left me binge reading late into the night.

This story surrounds high school teacher, Nate Winters as he is accused of having an affair with a female student, Lucia Hamm.  As Nate’s life spirals and Lucia goes missing, Nate is the only suspect.  As his wife, Alecia begins to question his situation, his only ally comes in the form of co-worker and creative writing teacher, Bridget, who realizes the only way to save Nate’s reputation could be using Lucia’s journals.

Though marketed as a psychological thriller, I didn’t find that this one fit that bill in the traditional sense.  When I think of psychological thriller, I think of a fast-paced, on the edge of your seat, mind-bending plot filled with unreliable narration and lots of “WHOA” moments.  In this case, I felt Moretti created more of a slow-burning mystery.  What happened to Lucia?  Who is telling the truth?  What is the deal with all these birds?  For me, this absolutely worked.

Generally speaking, choppy and disjointed narration usually gets on my nerves, but, somehow, Moretti manages to make this style of narration easy to follow and completely addictive throughout the plot of this tale.  I was on the edge of my seat as I devoured each chapter (both and back and forth in time) and tried to figure out what the true happenings were and what motives the characters were acting with.   Each character gets a distinct POV and I loved hearing the story from each of their perspectives.  I found this to be incredibly interesting.

One of my largest gripes to this story was the situation with the birds.  At the beginning of the story, we are told that thousands (hundreds?  millions?  Who knows) of blackbirds have fallen out of the sky and into the town.  People are horrified by this phenomenon and experts are called into the test the town’s water and air, looking for reasons and possible side effects of this occurrence.   I waited for the entirety of the book for this to be made clear.  And, alas, there was never really an explanation. The birds were more of a metaphor or a representation and I just wasn’t about that.  Personally, I felt like I needed an explanation.

Overall, if you enjoy a tightly woven plot with multiple characters and a compelling mystery, I think you will enjoy this book.  It really reminded me of Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia.  They both had that small town mystery vibe.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of The Blackbird Season; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

Want to see what Jessica and Chandra thought of this one?  Keep reading to find out!

Book Review: I Know A Secret (Tess Gerritsen) @tessgerritsen @randomhouse #rizzoliandisles

When #cjsreads is choosing titles for our upcoming months, we usually decide together on titles. It is easier that way.   The only general rule we try to stick by is to avoid any novels that are deep into a series; it makes sense for our sanity. However, when I discovered that I Know A Secret, the twelfth novel in the Rizzoli and Isles series by Tess Gerritsen, was coming out this summer, I begged and forcefully pushed my friends to read this book asked kindly and, since they are nice, Chandra and Jessica obliged. Am I glad they did!

I’ve mentioned about a bajillion times on my blog how much of a Gerritsen fan I am, especially in regards to her Rizzoli and Isles series. I picked up the fifth book in the series randomly last summer, binge read it and ended up going back and devouring the first nine in the series before deciding to pace myself.   Kick ass female leads are pretty much my favourite and Gerritsen has created two brilliant characters in these novels; downright addicting, they are!!

The newest installment is no exception. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed. Gerritsen is a master storyteller and this is consistently made clear in her novels. From the rich character backgrounds to the fast-paced, dark, suspenseful plots, she leaves no stone unturned and weaves the story brilliantly. In fact, I find the series gets better with age! This novel is a highlight in the series!!

If you are a crime lover that has yet to dive into this series, you are seriously missing out! I urge you to go and check out The Surgeon (the first in the series), I promise, it does not disappoint!!!  You can absolutely read this as a standalone, but trust me, you will want to go back and read the rest of the series anyways!!

5/5 stars.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for a copy of this novel; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

Keep reading to see what Chandra and Jessica thought of this one…or if they regretted listening to my intense book recommendation.  Yikes.

Book Review: From the Shadows (Neil White) @neilwhite1965 @BonnierZaffre

From the Shadows, by Neil White, is the first novel in a new series that follows defense attorney Dan Grant and his investigator/will they or won’t they love interest Jayne Brett.   Part crime thriller and courtroom drama, White weaves a seriously addicting and dynamic plot with stellar characters.

When Dan and Jayne inherit a case defending a man accused of murdering a 24-year-old school teacher weeks before trial, everyone around them expects them to ride the case to an obvious guilty verdict. However, Dan is not that type of lawyer.   Going back to the evidence and re-interviewing the witnesses, Dan and Jayne find themselves following a path that becomes dangerous.

I really liked the original perspective of this one; it sort of reminded me a little bit of the television show Suits; smart dialogue, sassy characters, and intense plot lines. I loved the variation away from the typical police procedural and the fact that we were able to see an inside look into how an attorney prepares for trial. White, when he isn’t writing books, is a prosecutor and this very obviously shows throughout his narrative. Everything feels so realistic.

Overall, I feel like this was a brilliant start to a new series and will anxiously be awaiting the next novel. 4/5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a digital copy of this book; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

Book Review: In A Dark Dark Wood (Ruth Ware)

In A Dark Dark Wood, the debut novel by Ruth Ware, seemed to be a book that I had seen popping up everywhere over the last couple of years; I had purchased this book wayyyyyyy back when it had first released and it had sat on my shelf.

Poor thing.

After reading Ruth Ware’s newest release, The Lying Game and enjoying it (you can check out my review for that one HERE), I dusted off my copy and dove in!

Blog Tour: The Eyes of the Accused (Mark Tilbury) @MTilburyAuthor @Bloodhoundbook

So pleased to have you stop by for my post on the Eyes of the Accused blog tour!

The Eyes of the Accused is the second novel in the Ben Whittle Investigation series by Mark Tilbury. If you have not read the first in the series, The Revelation Room (my review for that one can be found HERE), have no fear. This novel can be easily read as a standalone.

This novel opens a few weeks after The Revelation Room left off. Ben Whittle, now a full-time member of his father’s investigative team, has recruited his friend (turned love interest) Maddie to join the business. Ben’s father, Geoff, recovering from his near death experience, is hesitant but decides to give her a chance. When they are contacted about a missing, pregnant woman and all signs point to Frank Crowley, Maddie goes undercover and comes face to face with an evil she has never experienced and more danger than she has ever known.

Blog Tour: The Revelation Room (Mark Tilbury) @MTilburyAuthor @Bloodhoundbook ‏

Welcome to my stop on The Revelation Room, by Mark Tilbury, blog tour!

I had read a Mark Tilbury novel before (I LOVED The Abattoir of Dreams, you can check out my review for that one here) so I knew that this author was capable of writing a novel that would be fantastically written and chilling to the bone, a novel that would sit with you long after you have turned the final page.  I am pleased to say, The Revelation Room did just that!

The first novel in a new series of psychological mystery thrillers! Part thriller and part twist on the police procedural novel, The Revelation Room provided a dark, fast paced, tension filled plot fueled with the inner-workings of a cult, completely messed up characters (like, seriously messed up) and dynamic prose to create one stellar, unputdownable read. I devoured this in a sitting.

Book Review: Burntown (Jennifer McMahon) @RandomHouseCA

I was not quite sure what to expect when I started Burntown by Jennifer McMahon; I had heard notable praise for McMahon’s work but had never read any of her novels before. After reading, I have come to realize that if her other work holds any resemblance to Burntown, then I have been making a serious mistake! This book was captivating, original and had me gripped.

I am not entirely sure how to proceed with my review as this novel blended and bent any resemblance of genre. It had elements of the paranormal and a classic thriller; it also had coming of age elements and reminded me a little bit of post-apocalyptic dystopian novels.   Fantasy mixed with a feel of science fiction; truly, this novel ended up with a little bit for every reader.