Category: Book reviews

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell My rating: 5 of 5 stars Compulsively gripping and quietly chilling, Invisible Girl features a cast of deeply intriguing, flawed characters who felt so real that I found myself questioning who was good and who was bad. The story is character-driven but never loses its sense of danger, and there’s…

Last One Out by Jane Harper My rating: 5 of 5 stars Haunting, hypnotic and heartbreaking. I would give this book 10 stars if I could! Set in a dying, abandoned town, a mother searches for answers about what happened to her son when he went missing 5 years ago. A vivid and realistic setting…

The Family Friend by Claire Douglas My rating: 5 of 5 stars A brilliantly unsettling thriller with an original premise and an impossible to predict plot. Hypnotic and utterly absorbing, I couldn’t put it down until I saw which direction Claire was going. The characters were well-built, the writing evocative, the house our main character…

It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh My rating: 5 of 5 stars Holy wow! This thriller is brilliant, clever and completely addictive. It starts out with a bang when Nadeeka rushes home, thinking her partner is cheating on her, only to find him dead in her living room. But the real twist comes…

The Protectorate: A Phoenix Rises by Samantha Sonnett My rating: 5 of 5 stars Stylish, utterly absorbing, and intoxicatingly original, The Protectorate weaves a gripping serial killer investigation with literary clues and a fascinating secret society that will keep readers guessing until the final page. It elegantly delivers everything I love in a police procedural:…

Please Enjoy Your Stay by Tara Goedjen My rating: 5 of 5 stars Perfect for Halloween! I absolutely loved this creepy, compelling story about a true crime podcast that reopens a murder from a woman’s childhood. The murderer is now appealing his conviction, and to stop him getting out of prison, Mia must go back…

In the Woods by Tana French My rating: 5 of 5 stars An absolutely wonderfully written literary thriller, but man, was I let down by that ending! But still, I was blown away by everything else. The writing is exceptional, the character building truly a masterclass, the plot intriguing. I couldn’t put the book down.…

I Came Back for You by Kate White My rating: 4 of 5 stars Despite the dark subject matter (grief, trauma, justice), I Came Back For You was somehow light enough to be fairly bingeable. It’s dark, twisty and devastating, although not so much it will make you cry (if that’s what you like). It’s…

The Teacher by Freida McFadden My rating: 4 of 5 stars Light, quick and bingeable, this is an easy read, despite its dark themes. With crazy twists and unhinged characters, this one is a wild ride with a surprising ending View all my reviews

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark My rating: 5 of 5 stars Julie Clark is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller authors! I read The Ghostwriter and loved it so much I’m working my way through her backlist, and loving every single book. This one follows Meg a con artist and chameleon who…

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North My rating: 5 of 5 stars A haunting story of trauma, grief and ultimately redemption, The Man Made of Smoke is a serial killer story with a human twist. Danie Garvie has been haunted by the moment in a rest stop men’s toilet when he didn’t help…

Too Old for This by Samantha Downing My rating: 5 of 5 stars Told in Samantha Downing’s typical dry, sharp wit, this book is a clever, cheeky, dark game of Cat and Mouse that is absolutely unputdownable. A loveable serial killer sounds like an oxymoron, but Lottie is one of best protagonists I’ve read in…