Suspense – One Chapter

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough

4 stars Thriller

Emma has a lot going on these days. A phone call from her sister, Phoebe, got Emma excited as she finally thought she could relax and quit lying about her past but nope, her life just got more complicated. Emma has been carrying around a secret which has a timepiece attached to it. As the days go by, Emma’s anxiety and uncertainty skyrocket as her future is up in the air.

Emma does have a mother but to those who know her, Emma’s mother is dead. This was Emma’s choice as she informed everyone years ago that her mother was dead but now, Emma will have to do some explaining. Why was Emma just at the hospital? What’s her sister Phoebe here for? Why did she lie about her mother’s death?

There were multiple situations that ran through my head as I thought about why Emma lied. Her sister Phoebe has been visiting their mother lately, without telling Emma, so whatever happened in their family must have affected Emma more than Phoebe. Emma’s birthday is coming up and instead of being excited or perhaps just accepting it as “just another day,” Emma is dreading it. It’s like dooms day for Emma. As the book counts down the days till Emma’s birthday, we watch Emma fall apart.

When Emma’s mother turned forty, it was a traumatic experience. Emma remembers, clearly, the day that her mother turned forty. The curse that her mother placed on her that year has plagued her mind repeatedly throughout the years and now, Emma feels that curse will soon be playing out for all to see. It will be hers and that is all she can think about.

Boy, my anticipation was growing as I turned the pages on this one. I wanted to feel for Emma, I wanted to understand her anxiety and frustration, but I also wanted her to just enjoy life. Phoebe didn’t seem to understand everything that Emma was juggling, or I felt she just didn’t take to heart what Emma was feeling. Emma was the emotional one, Phoebe just went with it. Maybe Emma was too emotional? I didn’t know but something was seriously happening here as Emma was losing it. 4 stars

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

4.5 stars Thriller

Ahhhhh! What a story! Debbie, oh Debbie. I loved her progression in this story. She was magnificent. A wife, the mother of two teenage daughters, and an employee at a newspaper writing an advice column, she was doing it all. Debbie’s life started to unravel when the opportunity to get her backyard garden photographed for a magazine spread fell through. This news, set Debbie rolling. Debbie had worked hard to get her garden noticed. Riding high, Debbie’s garden was going to be featured in the magazine Home Gardening. Disappointing, this does not even come close to how Debbie felt when she learned that her neighbor’s roses were chosen over Debbie’s garden. I loved Debbie’s reaction. She didn’t take the news lightly and she confronted her neighbor immediately. This wasn’t a friendly, neighborly exchange between these two women, but I expected things to be heated as the circumstances leading up to this wasn’t good. As Debbie returns home, I could feel the fire burning within her, and I knew that this matter was not settled between them.

Debbie’s husband Cooper left for work this morning with the intention of asking his boss for a promotion. He was definitely worth more money, and today was the day that he was going to approach his boss about it. As Debbie continued going through her day, there were blinders everywhere! The different individuals that she meets up with are clueless with what is actually taking place in their lives Debbie’s life starts to spiral out of control with all these little fractions of deception.

As the rest of the city sleeps, Debbie “takes care” of her neighbor and as I read, that sinister laugh in me came out. The ramifications of Debbie’s actions will take care of the roses and Debbie could find herself inside the magazine after all. Holding back on informing his wife about his unemployment, Cooper just might have saved himself as Debbie’s actions as an advice columnist has now landed her job on the line. She doesn’t seem to be the person for this job anymore as her advice is getting pretty raw.

I’ d hate to be anyone getting on Debbie’s bad side right now as her revenge is getting extreme. She’s focused and she knows what she wants. The gloves are off and she’s not backing down. Everything and everyone are getting involved and Debbie’s past is brought into the mix. This was one crazy ride! There were moments when I was laughing and others where I was cringing, wondering what could happen next. I couldn’t put this book down, but I wanted to read it slowly to savor the experience and characters. Great characters and twists. 4.5 stars

She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena

4.5 stars Mystery

Lizzie – oh boy, she didn’t see how deep she was digging her own hole. She loved the attention she was getting online and then, when someone started to take control of the online situation, she started to lose control. She was acting erratically. She wasn’t going to let someone else take over the situation, this was hers! This girl, she was a hoot for me. She loved attention, she wanted to be in the limelight, but it had to be the attention that SHE wanted. She wanted to call the shots. If somehow, it got out of control, she lost control.

Bryden was missing. She failed to pick up her young daughter from daycare today, which was very odd and it was later discovered that her car and purse were still at home. She was working from home today and when her husband Sam left for work, she told him that she didn’t want to be disturbed. So where is she? Is she somewhere in their apartment complex? As the authorities search the complex, Sam tries to comfort their daughter Lizzie and contemplates where his wife might be.

It’s determined that Bryden was a responsible mother and that something unfortunate has happened to her. Hours pass and there are still no leads on her whereabouts. Bringing in some specialized units to help search the complex, they finally locate Bryden’s body in and now …..all the questions start rolling in.

Who would do such a thing? Why would they do that to Bryden? When did this happen? Oh, the questions started to fall and once the story started rolling, we had a good number of suspects to draw from. I liked how everyone’s story escalated and intensified as the investigation dragged on. I didn’t care for any of the characters, I thought they all were guilty of something and that they should go down (ha) for the activities they had or were committing.

This was a book that I listened to on audio, and I couldn’t wait to get back to it. I did feel sorry for Lizzie, the daughter, as she was the innocent one. I enjoyed this audio book. 4.5 stars.

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It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica

4.5 stars Thriller

It was supposed to be a getaway for these two families, but it ended up being a nightmare. This quiet vacation, located in a secluded cabin camp setting, includes two siblings and their families. Courtney was best friends with her brother’s wife, Emily and their families had been together before, so this vacation had the makings of a great time yet as the story begins there seems to be tension in the air. Flipping between the present and the past, I couldn’t put the book down as the story unfolded.

Courtney’s husband takes off early one morning for fishing, as her young son and niece are sleeping after having a sleepover the previous night. The quiet morning is interrupted by a scream that rips through the air. Courtney takes off and discovers the bodies of her brother and Emily, dead in their cabin. Her 14-year-old nephew had slept through the chaos in the house as he had been given medication the night before. Her 17-year-old niece is gone. There are no signs of her anywhere. What?!? Did whoever murder the parents take Reese? Did Reese kill her parents? What just happened?!?

Dang! Everyone is told to stay inside their cabin. Everyone is a suspect and is questioned. The police begin looking for Reese. Courtney feels the need to go look for Reese; she can’t just sit inside the cabin waiting. What about Courtney’s husband, Elliot, who was out fishing? Didn’t he hear the scream? Was he really fishing? Oh, my goodness.

As the chapters changed perspectives, we crossed over timelines, I just couldn’t figure out why. Why were the parents killed? Everything that I had read didn’t give me any strong motive(s) for the reason(s) behind their murders. What was I missing? Courtney was such a strong character, a character who was all in. If she was hiding something, she was doing a great job, as it felt as if her heart was into solving this case, even if she had to do it by herself. Her husband Elliott seemed to be a side character which sounded alarm inside my head. Fishing, bloody shoes, clueless, hum? As I tried to check the characters off on my list, the author was throwing twists around inside this story making my calculations pointless. I highly recommend this story as one you will not be able to put down. 4.5 stars

My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney

4.5 stars Thriller

What the ! I felt my head spinning while reading this book. Who was I to trust in this twisted mess? Who was I to like and cheer for? Who was worthy in all of this mess? No one! That’s who! Everyone in this book felt unworthy because of something that they said or didn’t say or it was based on their actions or lack of them. Alice had me guessing, I was rereading portions of this book as I knew that I had to have missed something, she is truly a great storyteller. By the end of the book, I was exhausted. What a great read.

The book begins with Eden leaving her house to go for a run. I found it odd that her husband still works at his previous job, in the town that they previously lived in. Odd? They still have their house in that town too, so he sometimes just stays there. Their daughter lives in a home because of an accident. This pretty much leaves Eden by herself at the new address. When Eden returns from her run, her house key doesn’t work in the door. When a strange woman answers the door, the fun begins. Harrison Wolf arrives home and he doesn’t know who Eden is, yet Eden claims she is his wife. Eden is baffled as this is her house and standing in front of her are two individuals who claim to be married to one another, Eden and Harrison Wolf which leaves Eden out of the equation.

Flashbacking in this book, we find another story taking shape. Hold onto your seat as you’re in for a wild ride. Olivia Bird has just returned from her doctor with devasting news. Her outlook on life is dark when someone arrives and informs her that she has just inherited her grandmother’s house, Spyglass. Confusion continues to mound as Bird doesn’t remember much about her grandmother. At least now, Bird has something else to focus on.

You’ll hear numerous points of view as you put this story together. Eden’s identity and the Bird’s new life at Spyglass will keep you turning the pages. 4.5 stars

When I Kill You by B.A. Paris

4.5 Stars Suspense

Someone is following Nell, she’s sure of it. She feels it yet she has no proof. She’s old enough to understand what’s going on, she’s 36 for heaven’s sake, she can’t be imagining these feelings. Alex, her older friend, can’t be the culprit, she’s pretty sure about that one.

Flashing back in the book, we find a younger Nell, a Nell who goes by the name Elle. Elle was looking out her window when she saw an interaction between a young woman and a gentleman taking place. It was one of those incidents that you watch unfold before your eyes. As it happens, you can’t believe that you are actually witnessing it, taking place. Elle tried to help the woman once she realized what was happening, she really did, but it was too late. Once the police were brought in, Elle did her best to help with the investigation but it’s not over. There’s more, will it ever be over?

The fragile flowers arrived for Nell, at work. Void of a card and with the flowers brightening up the room, Nell wondered who could have sent this huge bouquet for no reason. They discovered that the sender paid cash for the flowers. With Nell being sure that her boyfriend would never send her flowers at work, the identity of who purchased these flowers added another layer to her mystery.

Throughout the story, we do read excerpts from “Extract From Notebook #” which is the person who is actually following Nell. This person gets physically close to Nell and tells their point of view of the who, what and why. Why they chose Nell, what they’re doing, her reactions, and they always close their entry with the same sinister comment. I thought it got creepy sometimes reading Nell’s narrative and then, reading these “Extract From Notebook #” narratives as you read/see their different points of view. I can’t believe how close this individual got to Nell and she didn’t recognize their repeated appearance and figure out who this creepy individual was. Or was it someone that Nell knew who was following her, and giving her the creeps?

Such a suspenseful story that had me wondering who the menace was and why. There were a few individuals that I had suspected but narrowing them down was the tricky part. I’ve always enjoyed B.A. Paris’ books, and this one was no exception. I did wish there would have been story about the younger Nell. Elle’s innocence and drive created the perceptive and over-attentive Nell. 4.5 stars

A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this fantastic thriller in exchange for my honest review.

The Intruder by Freida McFadden

4 stars Thriller

Casey just wanted a place to relax. An isolated cabin in the woods was ideal, but Casey wasn’t able to relax much when a storm was headed her way. The cabin needed repairs to survive the storm which would be upon her soon, but her landlord wasn’t much help in getting them done for her. A nearby neighbor offers up some hospitality so she’ll survive the storm, but Casey hesitates when hearing his offer and believes that she can manage on her own. Lee seemed nice but she’s just not sure. As the storm starts to blow in, Casey notices a light in the shed outback. Yup, Casey has to investigate that light and it’s there that she discovers the emaciated girl.

As I read, I’m visually seeing Casey discovering this girl in her shed while the scenes outside her shed are deteriorating. The storm is building in strength as Casey takes in the girl before her, covered in blood. Some decisions must be made, and they must be made quickly!

We flip back in time and we meet Ella. Ella lives with her mom and Ella’s situation was heartbreaking when I was first introduced to her. Ella’s mom is a hoarder so it may seem like she has everything but in reality, she has nothing. Ella’s mom Desiree is so cruel to Ella. Desiree’s comments and treatment of Ella left me angry and frustrated, why does she need to be so hard? Ella is also the target for some school bullies, who take aim at her for everything. When Ella saves one of her school tormentors, a deep relationship builds between the two of them. Ella finally has some positiveness and a bright side in her day but unfortunately, it doesn’t last. As the bricks came crumbling down, I had to wonder what Ella would do next.

A slower than normal start for this McFadden book. It had the dark gloomy feeling about it but in those beginning chapters, there wasn’t the typical energy that I normally feel with her books. Keep up with the names in this story, as I felt it was challenging at times to keep everyone straight, as the names kept moving about or changing right before my eyes. I even brought out my paper/pen to keep everyone separate. I did enjoy the story but it wasn’t one of my favorites of hers. 4 stars

Petrifying Playtime: Scary Amusement Parks and Playgrounds by Joyce Markovics

5 stars

When a place of fun and entertainment turns into something sinister, what happens to it? From Hawaii to Nebraska, from Massachusetts to Louisiana, this nonfiction book covers the United States. Each 2-page spread features a destination. Where once this destination was a fun way to spend some time, it has now turned into something dark and dreary.

It’s not all about ghost hauntings. There are some places that have been abandoned, rediscovered, or for some, they just shut the doors and never opened them back up. Some of these stories were very interesting and I would like to follow-up on them later. This book gave me the basic facts on specific destinations. I liked how the book provided how each of the destination sites came to be, what happened to cause it to fall from its days of glory and what the condition of the site ended up being. There wasn’t a lot of detail but just enough to provide the information and intrigue the reader or to make the reader aware that such a place exists. The pictures provided were historical and most of them were real photographs. I think the author choice of words in the title is misleading for some as not all the stories as “scary” per say. Sinister, creepy or disturbing would be a more accurate description, I think.

Krug Park in Omaha, Nebraska, the Big Dipper roller coaster brought in the crowds in the 1930’s. For 17 years, this park thrived and was loved by all. Then, unfortunately, things tumbled. An accident occurred on the Big Dipper, which marked the beginning of the end of Krug Park. What’s left of this park? Check out the book.

I really liked this book. It’s a children’s nonfiction book covering about 18 different destinations but it’s a great one in my opinion. This is one book in the series, which I grabbed the rest of the series the library had while I was there. The Index in the back of the book was very good and there is also a list of 4 other Read More books at the back which the author listed. There is a Learn More Online site which includes a QR code which I scanned. This scan led me to more resources which listed more destinations which I could read about. There was a www. Site for those who can’t or don’t want to scan the code and/or you can even scan the cover of the book to see other websites. Check out this book!! 5 stars

Cold as Hell by Kelley Armstrong

4.5 stars Mystery

I jumped into this series which worked out for me. I’ve read some of Kelley Armstrong’s books before and when this popped up on NetGalley, I knew it would be good, but I was curious if jumping into a series was a wise choice. Kelley provided enough background information so I wasn’t lost but I think to understand the chemistry between the characters, it would be wise to start at the beginning of this series.

The bleakness of the weather situation drew me in. Located in the Yukon Wilderness in Canada, this area is rugged, a true frontier, where nature rules. As the locals gathered, it seemed like a typical night. She doesn’t remember how she ended up on the edge of town. Right now, she’s glad that she’s alive. She hadn’t had that much to drink, which was good otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to put up much of a fight. But what happened? Who was behind this? And why?

The sheriff and area detective are called in. Eric and Casey begin investigating the assault when the weather takes a turn for the worse. Temperatures plummet and a blizzard hits the area. Looking at the area where the assault occurred, the team discover a frozen female body. The body is disturbing in nature which alerts the women. Who would be out in these conditions? What are they dealing with?

This is a very small community which they felt was a close-knit group but now, they are second guessing this community they are living in. The residents start to feel unsure of their neighbors and start to question each other. If that wasn’t enough to fill your mind with, Casey is pregnant and very close to her due date. Casey wants to do her job, to continue to be a detective who is committed to justice but she’s also about to be a mother, can she do both successfully? With mysteries and interesting characters, I enjoyed this fast-paced book. It’s a small town where everyone has their own story, their own secrets and who can you trust. 4.5 stars

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

13 Months Haunted by Jimmy Juliano

4.5 stars Suspense

This one was creepy in a mysterious way. I don’t get creeped out too easily, but this one got a bit under my skin considering the way the entity(s) moved. Perhaps it’s because of the world that we now live in, the uncertainty of times that we now live in, and my own comprehension of the world of technology, but this was a great read for me.

Piper ends up becoming a library clerk, not the job that she wanted after college, but it pays the bills. She’s finally living out on her own, in the small town of Northwoods and like everyone says, small town living has its disadvantages. She is hosting a student Halloween writing contest at the library and the entries have started to trickle in. Receiving one from Avery, Piper is immediately drawn to it. Why? Could it be because Avery’s mother accompanies Avery to school each day and stays inside each of the classrooms with her throughout the day. Could it be that Avery is a new student and the only surviving members of her family include her mother and Avery, the rest of her family has died. Their death? That’s the gossip that is running throughout the community. Could it be that the title of Avery’s entry, The Thing in the Closet and after reading it, Piper isn’t sure if the story is nonfiction or fiction. I liked how Piper was intrigued with Avery’s writing and wanted to know more about her. Trying to decipher whether her story was reality or fantasy, Piper wants to see what all the gossip is about and who Avery is. That’s when the pieces of the puzzle start to come together.

Could this really be technology driven? Seriously? Avery claims she doesn’t remember but it was her. When Avery starts to “feel” something yet no one else “feels” anything, is she acting or is this real? No one can see anything including Avery so where is this coming from? Avery’s head? I had to think about the future, could this happen? I mean we never thought about Covid hitting and sweeping through the country. Could this really happen and if so, how can we gain control of the situation? The Who, what and where were flowing through my head as Piper tries to understand the situation and its connection to Avery. Was it deliberate? What’s the purpose and why Avery? The ending, I really enjoyed. 4.5 stars