The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware My rating: 5 of 5 stars How have I missed Ruth Ware for so long? The Turn of the Key is gothic, creepy, sinister, and absolutely unputdownable. Rowan Caine comes across an ad for a live-in nannying post, with a huge salary. It’s a dream come true.…
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Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling
Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling My rating: 5 of 5 stars A gritty, well-written police procedural that had me gripped from the very first page. Our protagonist is Ben Packard, acting sheriff, a relatable, intriguing man who must balance his public-facing job with his private life as a gay man. When someone is…
The Retreat by Sarah Pearse
The Retreat by Sarah Pearse The follow-up to The Sanatorium (which I highly recommend!), The Retreat is an Agatha-esque delight. While there is a slight element of the formulaic about it – a unique destination with a dark past – it’s cleverly done and quite entertaining. With plenty of murders, an island with a dark…
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
The Lost Man by Jane Harper My rating: 5 of 5 stars The more I read of Jane Harper, the more I love her writing. Set against the bleak and dangerous Australian outback, The Lost Man is a beautiful story of loneliness, grief and redemption. The scene opens on a gruesome death. Cam, the good…
It Takes Monsters by Mandy McHugh
It Takes Monsters by Mandy McHugh My rating: 5 of 5 stars A clever and pacey thriller, McHugh delivers a tantalizing story about a dysfunctional marriage, and what happens when one decides to take matters into their own hands. Claws out, no-holds barred, this one is urgent, sinister, and sharp as a knife. View all…
Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez
Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez My rating: 5 of 5 stars An electric, atmospheric ride with complex, intriguing female leads, Before She Finds Me is action-packed and intricately plotted. The plot is original and impossible to predict, about a husband/wife assassin team and a contract killing that goes wrong. A wild and sinister…
The Dry - Jane Harper
The Dry by Jane Harper My rating: 5 of 5 stars An atmospheric whodunit that is perfectly balanced between police procedural and murder mystery, the question of whether Luke murdered his family kept me glued to the pages, but the real strength of the story comes in the depth and beauty of each character. Aaron…
The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor
The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor My rating: 5 of 5 stars How am I so late to the party on this one? The Burning Girls is AMAZING! I absolutely loved both Jack and Flo. In fact, I loved Jack so much, I’d be interested in a sequel. She’s a flawed but strong protagonist, a…
What Remains by Wendy Walker
What Remains by Wendy Walker My rating: 5 of 5 stars What Remains is the story of Elise Sutton, a cop whose entire life is disrupted when she makes a decision to take a person’s life in order to save another’s. But she never imagined that saving one life could be the start of a…
The Retreat by Mark Edwards
The Retreat by Mark Edwards My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve been reading Mark Edwards’s backlist and enjoying every single one. The Retreat is atmospheric, creepy, and haunting, about a writer who goes to an idyllic retreat to finish writing his horror novel. Except this writing retreat is different than most. First of all,…