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Christina McDonald
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Category: Book reviews

Book reviews

Welcome to my little book nook, where I keep my book reviews. I only review books that I rate 4* or 5*, because why would I waste time on books I don’t enjoy? Besides, my mama taught me, ‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all’.

Book reviews

The Retreat by Mark Edwards

by Christina McDonald June 27, 2023 0 comments

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,…

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Book reviews

The Maid's Diary by Loreth Anne White

by Christina McDonald June 12, 2023 0 comments

The Maid’s Diary by Loreth Anne White My rating: 5 of 5 stars A maid with a snooping problem. A couple with a lot to hide. Loreth Anne White is consistently one of my favorite authors, and The Maid’s Diary is another winner. Gorgeously atmospheric with complex, fully drawn characters and a multi-layered plot, the…

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Book reviews

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

by Christina McDonald June 11, 2023 0 comments

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon My rating: 5 of 5 stars Tense, terrifying with incandescent prose, The Quiet Tenant is a literary thriller about a woman who is the captive of a serial killer. When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his 13yo daughter are forced to move, and Rachel, his prisoner, manages to convince…

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Book reviews

Where They Lie by Joe Hart

by Christina McDonald June 11, 2023 0 comments

Where They Lie by Joe Hart My rating: 5 of 5 stars A powerful, captivating tale of a social worker with a tragic past who goes the extra mile for the children in her care. But when a plane crash kills a family she has placed a number of children with, and one of those…

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Book reviews

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

by Christina McDonald June 9, 2023 0 comments

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger My rating: 5 of 5 stars A locked-room mystery that still manages to be fresh and surprising. Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is Lisa Unger’s 20th novel, and she only gets better and better. This one centers around a luxury weekend away with family and close friends that quickly…

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Book reviews

What She Found by Robert Dugoni

by Christina McDonald June 8, 2023 0 comments

What She Found by Robert Dugoni My rating: 5 of 5 stars The 9th instalment of the Seattle-based Tracy Crosswhite series, Robert Dugoni only gets better and better. In What She Found, Tracy is now a cold case detective, which allows her more time to spend with her husband and small daughter. Tracy knows what…

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Book reviews

One Year Gone by Avery Bishop

by Christina McDonald June 6, 2023 0 comments

One Year Gone by Avery Bishop My rating: 5 of 5 stars An emotionally charged mystery that’s simultaneously heartbreaking and thrilling as a single mother risks everything to find her missing daughter. One Year Gone is deeply unsettling and gorgeously disturbing. Don’t miss this one! View all my reviews

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Book reviews

Strangers We Know by Elle Marr

by Christina McDonald June 6, 2023 0 comments

Strangers We Know by Elle Marr My rating: 5 of 5 stars A fun domestic suspense with some interesting themes to sink your teeth into. After her mystery illness prompts her to take a DNA test, Ivy Hon discovers she’s related to an infamous killer. Told in multiple POVs with excellent characterization and clear, sparse…

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Book reviews

A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing

by Christina McDonald May 28, 2023 0 comments

A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing My rating: 5 of 5 stars A toxic relationship on the brink of disaster, a delightfully devious cast of characters, and beguiling and sinister twists you won’t see coming. What’s not to love? Told with Downing’s typical tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, you’ll find out what ‘Love is a serious mental…

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Book reviews

Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie

by Christina McDonald May 22, 2023 0 comments

Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie My rating: 5 of 5 stars An action-packed, intoxicatingly original thriller! Every character is beautifully crafted, the mystery compelling and fresh. The story explores the themes of sisterhood, friendship, and the search for justice in a system that has historically ignored Indigenous women. An important and gorgeously written story. Our…

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Book reviews

The Drowned Girls by Loreth Anne White

by Christina McDonald May 9, 2023 0 comments

The Drowned Girls by Loreth Anne White My rating: 5 of 5 stars If you haven’t read a Loreth Anne White book, you are missing out! One of my favorite authors, every single book is expertly plotted and gorgeously written, and this one is no exception. Angie Pallorino is a detective in sex crimes, hoping…

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Book reviews

The Red House by Roz Watkins

by Christina McDonald May 1, 2023 0 comments

The Red House by Roz Watkins My rating: 5 of 5 stars Tense breathtaking, and unputdownable, The Red House is richly atmospheric with such an intoxicatingly original plot I couldn’t put it down. We follow Eve, the only child who lived after her older brother gunned down their parents and baby brother. The only thing…

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About Christina

christina mcdonald
Christina McDonald is the USA Today bestselling author of the Jess Lambert series, Do No Harm, Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell (Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books), which has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio.

Books

the stranger at black lake


what lies in darkness


these still black waters


do no harm


do no harm


do no harm

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Christina McDonald
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