Tag: Thriller

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I am always happy when I see that Lucy Foley has published a new thriller, so when ‘The Midnight Feast’ started appearing all over the bookstagram community, I knew I needed to keep an eye out for it. So, it was a no-brainer when it appeared as a bit of a Kindle bargain, and it did not sit on my Kindle for long.

This was what I expected from the pen of Lucy Foley, a thrilling read with an added chill. This was another ideal summer thrilling read – set during the summer solstice, past and present. As readers, we are facing two mysteries, one from the past and one from the present. What happened in Tome in the past that has been haunting it ever since – and could now have an impact that nobody was expecting?

Francesca has turned her old family home into a exclusive new resort, to attract the creme de la creme of society, giving them the ideal place to relax and recharge. However, the rest of Tome are unhappy about this heiress and her development damaging the local economy and the local land. However, as we discover as we read the book, the conflict has existed for quite some time and has had a far-reaching impact on many in the community.

The local legend of ‘The Birds’ is also haunting the people of Tome – but will it stop Francesca and her business from being successful, or will revenge finally been achieved by those who have been wronged, in this life or another?

There is a chilling edge to this thriller when the superstitions are entwined with the the actions of those in Tome. (And it really makes you think about how you would pronounce the name of the village – it adds another edge to the tale.)

As a thriller, this is a well-constructed tale. Told from multiple points of view, and through the journal of ‘Bella’, we are well and truly drawn into this story – it is a real page-turner – especially as there are so many hidden secrets for so many of the characters. And Lucy Foley makes the landscape and the land a character in the story, too, which adds even more all-important atmosphere to the story.

This is a thriller that will be ideal in the summer months, but it will take you well into the spooky season too – and I will be recommending it to many of my thriller-reading friends.

The Summer Party by Kate Gray

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I was lucky enough to win a copy of ‘The Summer Party’ by Kate Gray from another wonderful book lover. I was so incredibly excited when I won this, as ‘The Honeymoon‘ was a fantastic thriller and has been passed round numerous friends who have also loved it (love being able to share books with friends), so I knew I was in for a treat with ‘The Summer Party’, and I was not wrong. And it was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, just in time for the summer break.

Kate Gray again takes us on quite the thrilling summer adventure. This book really reminded me of ‘And Then There Were None’ by Agatha Christie, it was a brilliant locked-room mystery and, to me, that is quite the compliment, as it shows that this is up there with one of our greatest mystery writers. When the Flavour’s Summer Party is at a new exclusive summer resort on the sourthern coast, the whole business is over the moon, and when some of the team are invited to spend the whole night on the resort, it seems like a dream. Of course, it is soon more like a nightmare, as they fight to find out exactly why the night is not going as they would hope – and does it have some connection to the death of a work colleague after the Christmas Party? (Parties are really not good news for this business).

There was a twist where I actually gasped out loud (good job I was reading at home) and there are so many red herrings and moments, where everything you think you know is turned completely on its head, that it is impossible to put this book down. In fact, I read it in two days, because I just had to know what was going to happen next.

The characters are an interesting bunch, especially when they are thrown together on the island overnight. It adds another dimension to the story when you are slowly figuring out why these ‘random’ colleagues have ended up in quite so sticky a situation.

This is an ideal summer read, especially if summertime is your time for a thriller. This is a claustrophobic, summer-heat, locked-room mystery – with more than one mystery amongst its pages. I will definitely be sharing this book with my friends and recommending it each time I am asked for a thriller. I hope that we have more thrillers from Kate Gray soon, as I will most definitely be reading them.

Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I discovered the books of Andrea Mara thanks to ‘The Book Taster Book Club’, and so when I spotted that there was a chance to read her new book, I knew I had to give it a go.

This, like ‘No One Saw a Thing‘, manages to create a thrilling read from something that is probably a fear that many of us have in the back of our mind. Those strange noises in a house, that can send our imagination wild and inventing all sorts scenarios that you know are probably not true but, in that moment, feel incredibly real. As the title suggests, the fear here is the idea that there is someone in your attic watching everything you do, especially when it is dark and you feel at your most vulnerable. And there is a strong theme of never be too trusting or believe everything someone says and does; it can be so easy to be manipulated into believing a situation when there is fear involved, or the desire to protect those that mean the most to you.

I will not write a review with spoilers, so as always it makes the thrillers harder to write about. However, Andrea Mara enjoys sending her characters (and her readers) off on some misdirection, which has you constantly doubting what you are reading. There was one moment where I thought I had solved some of the mystery and was not sure how Julia (our main character) had missed it – but then it turned out I had not been quite as clever as I thought. Although, I had an idea that did end up being correct, so it wasn’t all a complete detective disaster on my part – some of my suspicions were confirmed.

I did feel the chill often at the idea that there may have been someone in Julia’s house, watching her and her family. I am not sure I want to be in the house on my own at night for a while, especially not when the house may be making all its noises to let you know it is here.

So, if you like a page-turner of a read, then this is the book for you – especially if you are in your thriller era.

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I think one of my reading red flags is that I do not always read some long-standing series in the correct order, and it would appear that is the stance that I have taken with the Eddie Flynn novels by Steve Cavanagh. And it has not impacted by enjoyment of these books – so, I guess it is not the end of the world.

I decided to pick up ‘Thirteen’ as I was in quite a thriller mood after some very busy work weeks, and I was certain that this book would not disappoint. And I was correct – this book did not disappoint and it was a joy to be back in the company of Eddie Flynn.

I absolutely cannot give any of this tale away, so all I am going to say is that Joshua Kane is very keen to make it on to the jury for the trial of a Hollywood star. A hero of the silver screen is charged with murder and Kane is keen to ensure he is found guilty. But, as Eddie Flynn is the defence lawyer, it may not all go to plan for Kane – so, how far will he go to ensure that his plan is a success?

This is such a brilliantly constructed thriller. You are on the edge of your seat at moments throughout this book. The dual perspective of the story, the antics of Kane and the experiences of Flynn definitely combine to inspire you to be an armchair detective – but the twists and turns of the narrative won’t guarantee that you get it right. Especially as it is a twisty page-turner of a novel, and it has reminded me that I need to make sure that I read even more about Eddie Flynn’s adventures.

In fact, I have another on my shelf – so, maybe I will have to pick it up sooner rather than later, especially as there is a new Eddie Flynn story out very soon…

The Good Samaritan by John Marrs

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I have been told several times that I should try to read a John Marrs novel. So, when I spotted that ‘The Good Samaritan’ was a bargain on Kindle, I decided it was time to take the advice.

And, what I learned immediately is that John Marrs can clearly write a chilling novel. I found the start of this novel rather unsettling (in a good thriller way) and knew that I would be reading all of this book, because I just had to know more. We have a fantastic, unreliable narrator in our lead character, Laura, who works for the charity helpline ‘End of the Line’ – we seem to be presented with a ‘Good Samaritan’ but, as the story unfolds, we doubt so much of what we have learned.

The majority of this story is told from two key perspectives: that of Laura and Ryan. Ryan, particularly, experiences intense grief when his wife commits suicide, apparently with the help of someone else. We follow him as he seeks his revenge – after all, an ‘eye for an eye’ – but that just results in him destroying his life even further as he takes matters into his own hands.

It is actually quite hard to review this book, as there is no way I can reveal spoilers. But I can tell you that this book has all the ingredients of an intense thriller. You have, as previously mentioned, your unreliable narrator; you have your complex characters, you have your secrets, your lies, and your twists and turns. I am not sure at any point you are actually sure what is going to happen next – and, just as you think you are not going to be shocked, something else takes your breath away. It is a truly addictive read.

I am not sure what else I can say about this book without giving too much away, but I will suggest you read it if you are a thriller fan, although please be clear that there are some difficult topics amongst its pages, so you may want to check those out first.

And now I am off to seek out my next John Marrs novel, because one of the best treats about stumbling across a new author is that it means you have a whole back-list of books to catch up on, which is always a treat.

Doing the Double with Lisa Jewell

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

It is not often that I will read the first book in a duology, trilogy or series and then instantly pick up the next, but Lisa Jewell made me do exactly that. I bought ‘The Family Remains’ last summer but had not picked it up, as someone told me it was actually a sequel to ‘The Family Upstairs’, so I, of course, had to find a copy of that first. And, as usual, my favourite charity bookshop saved the day, not just having a copy of ‘The Family Upstairs’, but having a lovely hardback edition.

So, at the start of this month, I decided it was time to read ‘The Family Upstairs’, as I was pretty certain a thriller by Lisa Jewell was not going to disappoint and was going to be exactly what I needed, as my brain was in the thriller mood. My goodness, it did not take me long to get through this book, as I basically was reading at every opportunity, including staying in the car as Mr Bookwormandtheatremouse did the weekly shop, as I had to know what was going to happen next. This thriller had everything that I love about this genre. There was a dual timeline, as those in the present were trying to find out the mysteries of the past and the history of the house on the Thames and the mysterious family (and their ‘friends’) that had lived there. There is an unreliable narrator, in amongst all the other characters, who is so cleverly constructed that even when you know the truth, you are still not sure it really is the truth. And, of course, there are a number of mysteries and fascinating characters that just leave you wanting more all the time.

In fact, I think it is safe to say that this book is a masterclass in thriller writing. As all the readers want is more, this was certainly proved by the fact that for the first time I was willing to immediately pick up the next book – which, of course, I did.

‘The Family Remains’ mainly focuses on searching for one of the characters that we do not meet in the previous book, although we know that they are out there somewhere in the world. Phinn/Finn is missing but Birdie has been discovered (I cannot say more than that, as we know my feeling on spoilers appearing in blog posts). So, in this book, we find out more about the characters that we met in the first book and we are on a knife edge throughout, as we do not know if the darkest secrets of all will be revealed.

For the reader, this book holds more of a moral dilemma, as it does for some of the characters. Are the worst possible actions ever acceptable in the name of survival or protection? And, this follows you all through the book, and probably stays with you even after you have read the last line – and it is quite a last line! It would be interesting to see if a reader responds differently to ‘The Family Remains’ if they have not read ‘The Family Upstairs’. Would they have the same connections to the characters? Would they have the same responses to some of their actions? In fact, it would make such a brilliant book club discussion if both books were read – there is so much to unpick and work out.

If these books have been on your wishlist or your tbr pile a little too long, then I recommend that you pick them up as soon as you can, because they are a truly brilliant read, and so worth reading together.

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

When I spotted that ‘A Game of Lies’ was a bargain price on the Kindle, I knew that I had to read it. I discovered the books of Clare Mackintosh last year when I read ‘The Last Party‘ And as ‘A Game of Lies’ is the second book featuring Ffion Morgan, I thought it would be an excellent read to satisfy my thriller/crime fiction genre need.

‘A Game of Lies’ did not disappoint. I absolutley loved the concept of the Exposure reality TV show which eventually revealed the contestants’ deepest secrets and how horrendous this would be if it was a real show. But it fed beautifully into the backdrop of the murder mystery that was about to unfold on the pages. The contestants create quite a rogues’ gallery of potential perpetrators of the crime, and potential victims. But are they victims of a crime, or their own vanity and desire to have their fifteen minutes of fame?

I absolutely cannot reveal any spoilers as it is a thriler, but I can assure you that Ffion Morgan is still a fantastic lead female figure for this book. And her relationship with Leo is still something as a reader you are fully invested in until the very last page. This is as much part of the twists and turns as the mystery unfolding at the foot of the Welsh mountains.

This is a well-constructed, thrilling read; I did not solve it until Ffion Morgan and her team did, and I am okay with that, because I do not read these books to solve the crime – I read these books for the escapism from the real world. And if you want the chance to do the same, then pick this book up. I hope that we are going to meet her and Leo again, because they are a rather fantastic crime-fighting duo.

Conviction by Jack Jordan

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I have again had it proved to me that it is worth giving an author another go. ‘Conviction’ by Jack Jordan was a thrilling page-turner and I am so glad that I did not let it pass me by after ‘Do No Harm‘.

I have wondered why I found ‘Conviction’ a better read for me, and I think it is because I felt that we were thrown into a thrilling situation that could well be happening as we speak. Do not get me wrong, there is of course the extraordinary drama added to make the read as thrilling as possible, but there is a level of possibility throughout the pages that keeps you hooked.

The moral dilemma in this book is all around the justice system: can a lawyer misrepresent their client in order to keep their own dark secret? Moral dilemmas make for such a fantastic read, because, I like to think, we assume that everyone woud make the right choice – but do we really ever know if they will? This book hooked me in from the moment I started reading, and I really could not put it down. I found myself picking it up at every spare moment, because I had to see how the story was going to turn out.

And a book that makes you gasp at a couple of twists is a well-constructed thriller. The last sentence of the last page was not something that I was expecting, and I am still thinking about it now.

So, this again proves that you should not read an author once and form all your judgements, because sometimes they have another story to tell that might be the story that you need to read. Or sometimes, their story might be needed a different time. This is a lesson I have certainly learnt recently; I am going to make sure that I keep my mind open, especially when it is authors from my favourite genres. And this does mean I am definitely going to be keeping an eye out for Jack Jordan’s next book, which seems to be already making a splash on social media.

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This is a rollercoaster of a book – oh my word! This was recommended to me by a bookseller and, as I am apparently in my thriller era, this sounded like a great read (again, no blurb read, etc).

I am not sure how to put into words my thoughts about this book; I thought it was an outstanding thriller: so well written and so well constructed that you were swept away with the story from the moment you started reading. I really enjoyed the way the story was interspersed with moments from the true crime documentary that had been inspired by the story we were seeing unfold in this book.

Alix and Josie are birthday twins, Alix is a successful podcaster and thinks that ‘Birthday Twins’ could be an interesting new idea for the podcast. However, as Josie shares her story, it seems that maybe she has not been living her best life – but can Alix trust anything that Josie says?

This is a dark and moody thriller that has you second-guessing almost everything that you are reading. It really tackles the idea of trust – who and what can you really trust in the world? And what really makes people create a different narrative of their life? Does Josie really mean to create harm, or does she believe she is actually doing things for the right reasons?

I was absolutely sucked into this book and ended up reading way past my bedtime because I simply had to know what was going to happen next. Especially as Lisa Jewell manages to create a tale that you think you could really be seeing on a true crime documentary. I think this may have secured Lisa Jewell as an author that I would consider an automatic buy (or borrow from the local library). I have a couple of others sitting on the tbr pile, so I may reaching for them sooner rather than later.

So, the big question is – are you a Lisa Jewell fan?

One of Us is Back by Karen M McManus

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I feel like I have been waiting f-o-r e-v-e-r for this book. I could not give in to the hardback as it would have not matched with my other books, and as every dedicated bookworm knows, books need to match. (Although, I did give in to the black cover special edition, rather than the traditional white cover, but I just loved it).

So, ‘One of Us is Back’ did not disappoint (thank goodness, imagine if it had – haha). I absolutely loved being back with the Bayview gang as they faced yet another challenge as it appears that someone thinks it is ‘Time for a new game, Bayview’. I am not providing any spoilers other than that you are back with the gang as they tackle another deadly game. And they do not seem as free of Simon just yet, as much as they hope they are.

I just love these books (and pretty much anything I have read by this author); McManus writes brilliant YA thrillers which I wish had been available to me when I was the target audience. Although, as we all know, it does not matter who books are aimed at; as long as you enjoy reading them, you can read what you want.

I think one of the best things about the books of Karen M McManus is that she creates fantastic characters who are relatable; we meet so many brilliantly strong female lead characters who know their minds, and have no fear but love dearly. Which means they face so much head on, that maybe some of us would avoid. I think one of my favourite characters will always be Bronwyn, she is just simply a legend.

So, if you are fan of the Bayview books so far, I recommend this one because it does not disappoint at all – it is a fantastic thriller which is a real page-turner. The question is, do I now need to go back to the beginning of the trilogy to enjoy it all over again?