Author: Christina McDonald

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty What a tricky book to review! The premise is of course intriguing – 9 strangers arrive at health resort Tranquillium House, each for various reasons. The 9 characters all are incredibly well written. In fact, the characters are the reason I kept reading, because the plot just felt…lacking. Like,…

Her Perfect Twin by Sarah Bonner While this one is incredibly clever, I feel like I should start with some trigger warnings. Gaslighting, domestic abuse, violence, covid used for plot. You get a first person POV of a psychopath, and the things he says and does are menacing and pretty evil. The story is almost…

Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker My rating: 5 of 5 stars A beautiful blend of comedy and tragedy, this book is one of a kind. Written with incandescent prose, this haunting, mesmerising story will leave you reeling. Chris Whitaker has created an unforgettable story of love, loss and deception, with unexpected twists, an unpredictable ending…

Good as Dead by Susan Walter My rating: 3 of 5 stars A clever concept for my September First Read selection. We have a crime and we have a cover-up, but because we have a direct insight into who committed the crime (although there is a mini, sort of unsurprising twist here), some of the…

One Small Mistake by Dandy Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars Elodie wants to be perfect, just like her sister. But her desire to ‘be somebody’ leads her down a dangerous path when she becomes part of a plot to fake her own kidnapping in order to write a book about it. The is…

I Know You by Claire McGowan My rating: 5 of 5 stars Talk about bad luck! Most people don’t ever find a dead body, but Rachel does so twice. When she stumbles on the body in the woods while walking her dog, she knows exactly what she has to do: Run. Because 20 years before…

The Good Lie by A.R. Torre My rating: 5 of 5 stars Endlessly surprising and incredibly fun, I absolutely loved this one! Our main characters are Dr. Gwen Moore, a psychiatrist who treats those with violent tendencies, and Robert Kavin, an attorney who’s still grieving the loss of his son to the BH killer. Both…

Her Perfect Family by Teresa Driscoll My rating: 5 of 5 stars A fun, well-written whodunnit with rich characterization and an intriguing plot. We follow Rachel and Ed Hartley as they attend their daughter’s university graduation, only to watch in horror as she’s gunned down in front of them. A cryptic message makes the detectives…

The Summer We Buried by Jody Gehrman Full of dark secrets and surprising twists, The Summer We Buried is an intriguing thriller/drama about broken friendships and family love. The story starts as a slow burn, then slowly and intricately winds the suspense tighter through flashbacks to the past, with themes of mental and physical abusive…

The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser My rating: 5 of 5 stars A breathtaking, emotional and compelling novel with powerful themes of life and death, The Next Thing You Know is a poignant look at love and hope, and the importance of living every moment with no regrets. Unflinching and unforgettable, this one…

We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz My rating: 5 of 5 stars Atmospheric and adventurous, We Were Never Here takes toxic friendship to the next level. With a dark undercurrent and a slow-burn tension, Bartz’s evocative writing of far-flung destinations will pull you in so smoothly, so chillingly, you won’t know who to trust.…