Tag: Thriller

The Christmas Magpie by Mark Edwards

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

As I have mentioned before, Mark Edwards was an author that I only discovered in April this year, but I have already read three books by him, and I will absolutely be reading more.

I love a Christmas book – but a Christmas crime book is even better. So, when I spotted that this was coming out, I knew I had to read it. Now, I do have to confess that I have not read the other ‘Magpie’ books, but they are definitely on the wishlist, and this did not stop me from enjoying this one.

But that age-old issue of not spoiling a thriller is with me again. I am not sure why I do this to myself; I should really have come up with a way round it by now.

A young couple move into a new house, in a rather-too-perfect housing estate. They get a rather warm welcome from the neighbours, however this welcome gradually takes a sinister turn. ‘Secret Santa’ is not the jolly old soul you would hope for…

There are just so many wonderful elements in this book that make it such a readable thriller. But something that Mark Edwards is brilliant at is creating his cast of characters. This neighbourhood was just full of characters that you can imagine finding in lots of suburban neighbourhoods.

If you want a dose of Christmas crime then this book is definitely worth picking up – just do not expect it to be cosy.

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Sometimes you read a thriller that really hits the spot, and this is one. ‘Nightwatching’ was recommended by Jennie Godfrey at this year’s The Book Taster Live Event, and I knew it was a book that I had to read.

We all know how hard it is to review a thriller, as there is absolutely no way that you can give spoilers, especially to one as good as this. But, I am going to do my best.

A family are isolated in their home in New England by bad weather, when they are convinced that there is someone in the house watching them. As our unnamed central character does everything she thinks she needs to do to protect her family, there seems to be very little support from those around her. Nobody seems to quite believe her as they should, and for me that was an interesting point along the way. But that is about all I can say as you really need to read this book to understand what a wonderful thriller it is.

It uses a lot of wonderful techniques to build the tension, such as using names very little, which supports in building tension. There are some paragraphs that flash back, but this is done to show how our central character is thinking as she tries to unravel what appears to be happening to her and family. And it really does lead the reader down one path, then another – and has you unsure who you can trust as a reader.

I would genuinely have so much more to say about this book – but I want people to read it, because it seems to have gone slightly under the radar and it deserves its time in the spotlight. It would be an incredible read for a book club as there is so much to unpick.

I am also pretty sure you will find it hard to believe that this is a debut novel – I can’t wait to see what else Tracy Sierra will write (I have done a little research and it looks like we will be lucky with another book in 2026).

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I have decided that before I read a book, try to avoid finding out who reads the audiobook. Just before I started ‘Beautiful Ugly’ by Alice Feeney, I discovered that it is narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton, which meant for the duration of reading the book Grady became Richard Armitage in my head – but I guess there are worse problems as a reader.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller, as it had one of my favourite elements to a thrilling read – an isolated island to create a locked-room thriller. As usual (do tell me if I am repetitive) this is difficult as I do not spoil thrillers. However, I will say that Grady’s wife Abby disappears and, as a way to deal with this, and hopefully inspire him to write another book, his agent Kitty sends him to an isolated Scottish island. And, surprisingly, it is not all it seems – and is even more isolated than Grady was expecting.

There is a wonderful twist in this book – which I had to pause and think about – as it was just a genius moment. It has certainly cemented Alice Feeney as an author that I will keep an eye out for (and, of course, go back and read previous titles) because the twist was a moment I admired greatly.

So, if you want a thriller that will keep you turning those pages, this is definitely one that is worth a go.

Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Which book got me to my reading goal for 2025?

‘Two Kinds of Stranger’ by Steve Cavanagh was the book that helped me hit 90 books in 2025. And what a book to hit the goal with. Steve Cavanagh is one of my go-to authors when I want a great read, especially in my crime-thriller era, and ‘Two Kinds of Stranger’ did not disappoint.

This is a book with our favourite lawyer, Eddie Flynn, the man who always fights for those who seem to be without hope – and who always seems to tackle the most villainous of criminals. And I think our villian in this novel is one of the best he has a created, a real psychopath. Someone who really gave me chills each time we read about his antics.

Elly appears to have it all, when we meet her at the start of the story, and she shares it all on social media, as an influencer who has found fame for her random acts of kindness. However, little does she know the thing that has made her ‘famous’ becomes the thing that makes her infamous. Her RAOK and desire to help others lands her at the centre of a murder enquiry, which means she has to turn to Eddie Flynn and his team for help.

As I say every time, I am sure you are getting bored by it, but there are no spoilers here. But I will say that I absolutely loved this book; I love how Eddie and his team work to fight for justice, even if sometimes it is not in the most conventional manner, you know it will always make for a good read.

And if you are sitting there thinking, I have never read an Eddie Flynn, do I need to start from the beginning, the answer is absolutely not. One of the beauties of these books is that they are part of a series, but you can read them as standalone stories as well – I have read them in whichever order I have managed to pick them up and it has worked out fine.

So, if you are looking for a great crime thriller or just fancy trying something new, then let me recommend the books of Steve Cavanagh – but especially ‘Two Kinds of Stranger’.

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This year, I discovered the books of Mark Edwards. After attending an event where he interviewed Jo Callaghan, I read ‘The Psychopath Next Door‘ and loved it, so I knew I had to give his new book ‘The Wasp Trap’ a go. I was inspired to pick it up this month because I had spotted a few others reading it and loving it, so I knew it was time.

Spoiler alert, I loved it. In fact, as I was reading it, I could see it as a TV drama. There was so much going on, and so many fascinating characters, I absolutely could not put it down. It is perfect reading for these darks months, as it is a real page-turner of a thriller – it is like Traitors, but far more sinister.

This book has some of the best ingredients of a thriller. A locked room (well a locked house), a set of characters who do not seem to make a whole lot of sense together, but have a shared and complex past and more than one mystery going on. I really enjoyed that we moved between the present and the past as the story unfolded and, of course, how nothing was quite how it seemed. There were twists and turns a plenty, and a good build-up of paranoia for some of our characters, which probably throws the reader off the scent of the real revelation.

I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this book, so to me that is always the best recommendation you can give about a book, as it means it is one that really grips you. I was desperate to know what the solution was going to be to the tale and it did not disappoint.

So, if you are looking for a gripping thriller, for yourself or as you are doing your Christmas shopping (because, let’s be honest, it is that time of year), then this is a book that you need to add to the list. Although there is also a Christmas book from Mark Edwards this year – ‘The Christmas Magpie’ – which I have to admit is on my reading list for the December months, because I just know it is going to a great read.

To Love A Liar by L.V. Matthews

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

As we have clearly spotted, I love a thriller or crime story. So, when ‘The Book Taster’ picked ‘To Love A Liar’ by L.V. Matthews, I knew I was likely to be thrown into a book I would love. And…I was.

This is a brilliant thriller which reveals surprise after surprise and, just as you think you have got to grips with the story, another curve-ball comes out of nowhere and smacks you in the face. To the point that I had to message a friend and ensure that I had correctly understood the series of events. This is not a criticism of the narrative but, in fact, praise of it, because it was just a rollercoaster of a read.

I am honestly stumped in how to review this book, as the joy for me was that I actually did not know anything about this novel, which meant that every single moment was a surprise – and I think that is how it should be read. In fact, I am hoping that my words will just make you pick it up without the blurb, so you can simply experience the joy of reading this book.

There was also the clever use of mixed media to tell the story. There was the use of social media posts to add to the story, and I think this was a very clever way to additionally engage readers with the narrative. But it also shows how the way that news and information is shared has changed so much – how quickly fake or false ideas can spread, and how much people are willing to have an opinion when they think they can hide behind a screen. I think this also causes the reader to reflect on the significance of this to the story, and how the narrative can be changed.

This is a book that I will be recommending to anyone who is listening – especially those readers I know who are fans of the thriller and crime novels – the twistier the better.

Such Charming Liars by Karen M McManus

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Although I am not the target audience for Karen M. McManus’ YA thriller fiction, I always find myself purchasing each one. They are also very satisfying on the shelf next to each other, and the latest, ‘Such Charming Liars’, is a rather wonderful shade of purple on the shelf.

In ‘Such Charming Liars’, we meet Kat and Liam, who are step-siblings who appear to be reunited by chance as Kat’s mum, Jamie, is sent to carry out a mission for her ’employer’, Gem. They find themselves on the rather impressive Sutherland estate. Neither of them is there for totally honest reasons; however, things take a turn that neither of them could have predicted.

As we all know, this site needs to be spoiler-free, which is never easy when I am trying to share thoughts about titles such as this one. However, what I can say is that returning to a Karen M. McManus novel in autumn is like returning to an old friend. They are quite a comfort read, despite being a YA thriller. They are always full of great characters, and strong female characters, which I think is something that is important for YA novels in the modern age. Alongside this, she is a pro at planting red herrings that can send you off on the wrong path, only for you to suddenly be thrown onto a different path altogether. Alongside this, the final quarter of this book comes at quite a pace, with a twist that I did not see coming as it hit. Which, surely, is always a sign of a good read?

So, if you are looking for a thriller that is great escapism for these autumn evenings, then Karen M. McManus is always a good idea. And if you have a YA reader in your life, maybe this is a set of books you can introduce them to.

Sixteen Horses by Greg Buchanan

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

No surprise, ‘Sixteen Horses’ has been sitting on the tbr pile for quite some time. I spotted it ages ago, and as we know I do not read blurbs, but the cover appeared to absolutely be something I would read and I had seen some great reviews of it too on Bookstagram. So, when I spotted a copy in my favourite second-hand bookshop, I picked it up – it just now happens to have been ages ago.

‘Sixteen Horses’ is a great thriller – the heads of sixteen horses are found buried on some farmland. There appears to be absolutely no reason for it, and what happened to the corpses. This gives Detective Alec Nichols, supported by Dr Copper Allen (forensic veterinarian), quite a case to investigate, and it will be no surprise that there is so much about this quiet seaside town that is quite as it seems. Of course, if you want to know what specifically, you are going to have to read the book, as this is a spoiler-free zone.

This story was absolutely gripping, I devoured the book in two days as I just had to know what was going to happen and why there were sixteen horses. The writing was brilliant, which created excellent storytelling, and the characters were complex. I really liked the character of Dr Cooper Allen; not only was she a strong female character, but a forensic veterenarian was a fascinating job role to be involved in an investigation. I have to be honest, that I absolutely would not have solved this mystery and that always makes it a great thriller/crime story in my opinion. I would be interested to know if anyone else had read it and had worked it out?

So, as usual, it has to be short and sweet because it is a thriller post, but it does mean that I am definitely going to be searching out ‘Consumed’ by Greg Buchanan, as I need to know what Dr Cooper Alled does next and how/if she has moved on from the events of ‘Sixteen Horses’.

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

‘Slow Horses’ was a top read of mine in January 2024 (as it turns out – I was sure it was so much more recent than that; where does all the time go?), so I knew that I would carry on with the series. So, as I completed a bank holiday readathon with the lovely bookish community, I thought it was about time that I picked this one up.

Spy fiction has never, traditionally, been a genre that I would turn to. However, Mick Herron’s Slough House books have started to change my opinion. And, let’s be honest, I am not sure there is a character quite like Jackson Lamb out there. You know you should be disgusted by some of his personality traits, but there is no denying that he is an intelligent man and loyal to those who show loyalty to him.

When Jackson Lamb hears of the death of a former colleague, which, to all intents and purposes, appears to be completely innocent, he decides that he is going to investigate. A hunch that others are not sure about, but it certainly leads to something – otherwise, well, we would not have a book.

And, of course, there is something very strange when the powers that be decide that they would like to use some of Jackson Lamb’s ‘slow horses’ to help out with the visit of some Russian visitors – giving us even more action.

I think what really works with Mick Herron’s writing and storytelling is that he creates characters that you can see really existing in that world, without it becoming too much. And the stories make sense in the world that we live in, and keep moving without any ridiculous or fantastical ideas – and with a little touch of humour as we go.

In good news, I have also found out that, as a family, we have all the books, so I can keep reading them and following Jackson Lamb and his team, maybe not waiting as long this time.

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Steve Cavanagh never disappoints, and I was recently lucky enough to hear him speak (again) about his latest book (on the tbr pile), which encouraged me to pick up another that I had on the pile first. I am not sure why, as I do not really read them in order.

‘Witness 8’ is a brilliant pacy thriller, with Eddie Flynn being his best self as always. Eddie Flynn is brought in to defend a man who appears to be being framed for the murder of a neighbour. Eddie is convinced of his innocence, so him and his team need to find out who really commited the murder and why this man is being framed. Alongside this, there is a bounty on Eddie Flynn’s head. So, as you can imagine, there are all sorts of thrills along the way as we hope our man Eddie manages to not only save his client but also himself.

Steve Cavanagh just creates the most brilliant characters, heroes and villains alike. They are all so fascinating – especially the villains. You know they are bad, bad people, but somehow Cavanagh’s writing and character creation has you feeling sympathy for some of them, what has really brought them to this point? And, although Mr Christmas may not be a character I had much sympathy for, I did find him very entertaining.

So, it is safe to say that Steve Cavanagh is still cemented in place as one of my favourite authors and, as we enter the ‘-ber’ months, it means it is surely time to spend more time with Eddie Flynn and his team.