Last One to Lie

The twists and turns keep coming in this thriller. Fans of Gone Girl and The Woman in the Window will love this fast paced novel starring an unreliable female narrator that you just can't trust. When Kelsey goes to pick up her three year old from daycare and she's not there - shit hits the fan! Not only that but the daycare has no record of her ever being there and her husband has mysteriously disappeared. Did her abduct her? Why is no one taking her seriously? She starts to get close to Detective Paul Ryan - she'll use sex to get her way and she wants him extra motivated to help her find her daughter; her husband she could care less about. The detective soon realizes that things just aren't adding up. What is this gorgeous wife hiding and why does he keep going back for more? When readers finally get to the "aha moment" nothing is as it seems. Who will you believe when the web of lies is finally revealed? A shocking ending will leave all in awe.

I'll Never Tell

I  adored the layout of this book. Full of twists and turns, with measured and calculated flashbacks that slowly, painstakingly reconstruct that fateful night twenty years ago. What happened to Amanda?

After their parents sudden death the McAllister kids meet back at Camp Macaw to find out whats in the will. Between the five kids, they have no idea whats in store for them. They assume they will have to take a vote on what happens to the summer camp, a veritable gold mine of property, but none of them are prepared for what's really contained in their father's last will and testament. They have to find out what happened to Amanda, no more secrets, no more lies. They have to own up to what there were all up to that last fateful night. As the only brother, everyone always wondered if Ryan had something to do with it and most still wonder now. Over a period of two days, the secrets start to become unburied and they all realize that they had more to do with what happened to Amanda and its cover up then any of them could have ever imagined. Dark, twisted, and compelling, this page turner is a must for fans of dark thrillers!

The Silent Patient

This is really a 3.5 star book - I did not see the ending coming.. I would have rated it higher, but I really had a hard time empathizing or liking any of the characters. Other than that, this was a solid thriller that had a slow build up and a satisfying end. Alicia Berenson, a talented and beautiful young artist was found holding the gun that killed her husband. All signs pointed to her pulling the trigger but she never uttered a word in her defense or to implicate herself. In fact she never uttered another word again. She's been locked away in an asylum for years finally receding from the public eye. All that changes when a hot shot psychotherapist decides that he has what it takes to get Alicia to talk about the night of her husband's death. He is so enamored and intrigued by Alicia's story that he get's a job at her asylum just so he can be closer to her and get to work with her. Creepy and suspenseful; this thriller goes anywhere accept where you think it should go.

Lock Every Door

Right off the bat I knew this was going to be a trippy book; it was dedicated to Ira Levin (Rosemary's Baby) which is also set in an old Gothic apartment building in the city. Jules has just agreed to be an apartment sitter for one of the oldest and prestigious apartment buildings in the world. As a child she adored the building since it was the setting of her favorite book and she can't believe she was lucky enough to land such a cushiony job. She's going to get paid $12K for staying in the most luxurious apartment looking over central park. And it's only a 3 month commitment! What could wrong?! For starters there seem to be an awful lot of rules. She can't have guests over, she can't talk to or "bother" the residents (many of whom are mega rich celebrities), she can't stay the night anywhere else and she can't post any pictures of the place online. Jules soon discovers that there are three other apartment sitters in the building and just when they start to bond, one of them goes missing. Even though no one is convinced that anything is wrong, Jules feels in her gut that something happened. On top of that some very mysterious thing happening around the building starts to put her on edge. It's a slow build thriller that will keep you guessing and when you get to the end and are convinced you finally figured it out...  you'll realize just how wrong you were. Creepy and fun, definitely for fans of Rosemary's Baby. 

Blood Orange

So fast paced! I managed to read this in one day (while also working an 8 hour shift!) and I could not put it down. This managed to be just like all the other unreliable female thriller novels, while actually being it's own new thing. You have a female lead who, while reliable, is a major alcoholic. She's also a barrister in London bringing home the big bucks while her husband works part time as a sex psychiatrist and raises their six year old daughter. The wife starts an affair, drinks too much, and is an all around shit parent and spouse. She should care more about her home life but she's wrapped up in her new murder case and her affair with Patrick. Things slowly start to spiral out of control and before long the reader can barely keep up with the fast pace. It's tense, and although you don't really like any of the characters you want everything to be resolved and you want that happy ending. As the pace speeds up, so does the readers suspicions. It was great, and there was a twist at the end I should have seen coming.

Something in the Water

Very much in the style of Lisa Jewell and other contemporary female thriller authors, Something in the Water keeps you guessing at the outcome until the end. When Erin and her husband go on their honeymoon they make a shocking discovery while scuba diving. Do they pretend they saw nothing or do they take what they find?? One bad decision follows another as the two British newlyweds find themselves in heaps of trouble. They have to sleep with one eye open as the trouble begins to seep into every outlet of their lives. If only they had gone somewhere other than Bora Bora! Pretty fast paced all the way until the end (which I did not see coming).

The Last Time I Lied

Suspenseful with a twist I didn't see coming. Imagine a literary version of the cheesy cult classic, "Sleepaway Camp" and you get this thriller. While it starts slow and you really question the narrator's reliability, it quickly picks up steam when Emma returns to the camp that rocked her childhood and changed the course of her life forever. The camp was closed down the summer that Emma attended when the three other girls in her cabin disappeared without a trace. As an adult Emma has resorted to using art to treat her depression and doubt, and art is precisely the reason she's returned back to the camp. She's been offered a job as the art instructor for the camp and she's determined to uncover the truth of what happened that fateful summer. Where did her cabin mates go? Did she have a hand in their disappearances, however unintentionally? A great summer read!

Then She Was Gone

This reads like one of the more messed up Law and Order episodes. It's really dark, really messed up, and only gets weirder. It's a little unrealistic at times, but that certainly didn't stop me from listening. I had to know what happened and how the mess was going to unfold. Ten years ago Ellie Mac went to walk to the library and was never seen again. No trace of her was ever found. Her mother Laurel, never quite knew how to pick the pieces and it resulted in a divorce and strained relationship with her two remaining children. On the decade anniversary she starts to get some closure and she meets a man who seems to good to be true. Just when Laurel thinks the past is finally buried, she discovers some shocking secrets. Dark, twisted, and perfect for those who like messed up thrillers. The audiobook is a treat as it is narrated SUPERBLY by a native UK speaker who can bounce back and forth between a British and Irish accent.

Black-Eyed Susans

A thrilling suspense novel that keeps readers guessing as the story alternates between modern day and 1995 when a heinous crime occurs. Tessa was one of the lucky ones, the only black-eyed Susan who wasn't murdered. When she was in high school she was left for dead in a shallow grave with two other young dead women. She has no recall of what actually happened, it's as if her brain shut off. Her testimony helped put a man behind bars and now that his execution is coming up she has some doubts, as do many others. Is her really the one that tried to murder her? What if she's wrong? Also, who keeps planting black-eyed susans outside her window. Is the real killer still at large? I did not see the end coming, although I still have a few unanswered questions. An okay read.

The Outsider

I was hooked from the get go - this wasn't King's standard horror fare, it was more thriller/mystery with a touch of supernatural to it. I also LOVED that is tied in a little with the Bill Hodges trilogy! Holly, one of Hodges amateur detectives at Finders Keepers assists with this puzzling case. The Outsider opens with a beloved family man and little league coach getting arrested in front of his family and fans at a baseball game. He is charged with kidnapping, murdering, and raping a little boy. But he swears innocence. He swears he was hours away at the time of the murder; but if that was true he would have to be lying. But... maybe he's telling the truth and really was in two places at once. What if there is more than meets the eye? Filled with amazing characters (King is THE BEST at creating real, average, believable characters), a fast paced story line, and an interesting puzzle. Another great book from the master of horror!

Silence of the Lambs

One of my top five favorite books of all time. This is probably the fifth or sixth time I've read this book and the first time I've done so by listening to the audiobook and I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable that was. It was narrated by Kathy Bates who did a wonderful job! FBI student lucks out when she is asked by Special Agent Crawford to do a special assignment for him; he wants her to go visit the infamous serial killer Hannibal Lector and get him to take a psychological survey to add to the database of known serial killers. Crawford would go himself but he's got his hands tied with Buffalo Bill, a serial killer that's been skinning his female victims. When Clarice goes to the maximum holding center to interview Hannibal she gets an unexpected gift from the madman himself, a tip about the Buffalo Bill. Suddenly Clarice finds herself in the middle of a serious investigation aided by Hannibal Lector. It's dark, twisted, thrilling, and a non-stop action ride. I think the movie is a GREAT adaptation of the book. Read this already!

Two Girls Down

Pretty solid thriller, kept me guessing until the end. My only major beef with it, is that you have a hard time telling who is the narrator. It switches constantly; mainly between Vega and Cap (two private investigators), sometimes the mother, and sometimes it inexplicably switches to third person. It was a little odd to say the least. The two private investigators are trying to find two little girls who were abducted out of a parking lot. For Alice Vega, finding missing children is her specialty (although more often than not they're dead by the time she finds them); she flies out from California to help assist in the investigation. Cap on the other-hand, is a local. He used to work with the cops but after a scandal that resulted in a man overdosing and dying in his cell, he resigned and has been working as a private investigator; catching cheating husbands and skips. When Vega enlists him to help with the missing girls, he isn't thrilled, but quickly he gets back into his element and they start putting pieces together and start catching leads that the police aren't. Are the girls alive? Why would anyone abduct them? Are there more missing girls? Overall it was a fast paced read.

The Bone Garden

This book was honestly a 3.5 for me. It kept me riveted, but I wish it were a little more complex and I would have loved for more character development. That being said, I enjoy a good twist at the end (even if it is a little far fetched). There are two parallel story lines, that of a modern day new homeowner who finds a centuries old skeleton in her backyard while gardening and a nineteenth century tale of body snatchers, poverty, serial killers, and a dab of romance. Julia slowly pieces together the sordid life of the girl buried in her garden by going through dozens of old boxes of newspapers, letters, and mementos left behind by the former owner. What she discovers is a mystery spanning generations and a hidden secret that sill stun her. An enjoyably dark read, I wouldn't mind picking up more books by this author.

The Night Market

Interesting premise, but the plot lagged in places. Very dark, very noir; this darkly futuristic thriller is unique and inventive. When Inspector Carver went to work Thursday night, he had no idea what horror was about to unfold. The only problem is, when he wakes up days later he has no recollection of what happened. He has a niggling suspicion at the back of his mind that not everything adds up, so he, his partner (who also, has glaring gaps in his memory) work together to try and piece together what they must have uncovered. Somehow, Carver's reclusive neighbor comes into play, and they must journey to the seedy underground to unravel a conspiracy that threatens not just them or their city, but the entire nation. Wildly imaginative, and fun. I just wish the story kept moving at a breakneck pace, it was a little slow at moments.

Code of Honor

Totally unbelievable, but 100% enjoyable and fast paced. I can definitely see this book being popular with teens. Kamran has it all, he's a a football star, homecoming king, and has a smoking hot girlfriend. But that all comes crashing down when his older brother joins up with terrorists. He had been in the military but suddenly he's on the news making demands, condemning the US, and standing by while an innocent journalist is beheaded. Everyone writes him off, except for his brother. Kamran is convinced that his brother is giving him hints in the video and that he's being held hostage. Instead of being at high school, Kamran is now working with the US government and trying to get them believe that his brother is innocent. But will it be enough? Can they rescue him and stop the terrorists before they kill people? Short chapters, fast paced, and deals with hard themes like culture, religion, and judging others who are different from us. Surprisingly good!

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye

Written in the same style, voice, and intensity of the original trilogy, the fifth book in the Millennium series was still a little lackluster for me. I thought the dueling story-lines were a bit much and I didn't care for the characters as much as I had in the past. Also, I noticed that Lisbeth Salander is becoming less and less of a central roles in these books. That being said, I didn't hate it. I was intrigued enough to keep going and try to figure out how the story would conclude and to discover the hidden links that merged the two plots together. Of course we have Blomkvist, the ever persistent journalist digging deep and following the thread as well as a few new characters and villains. Not great, not bad - here's to hoping I like the sixth one better.

Mind Game

Mistake number one - reading the 22nd book in a series, when I have never read anything by this author, let alone anything in this series. Mistake number two - failing to realize how poor of a writer Iris Johansen is before I started reading this. Just because someone is a New York Times bestselling authors with millions of book sold does not guarantee they will know how to write. Mistake number three - reading and completing this book. It was utter tripe. I have such contempt for this book that I don't even want to bother with the summary. There was like twenty different things happening and none of them were very connected. Also, I had no idea that this was a supernatural series. The characters were flat, the writing was crap, and the plot was.... whack. Also according to Amazon the word "drily" was used 31 times. That is 30 times too many. Avoid this book.

Behind Her Eyes

There is a slow build up, a couple of unsurprising twists and then one hell of a gut punch at the end. It's no wonder people have been talking about this ending! It's slightly out of the realm of just straight thriller, there is a little tiny droplet of supernatural edge to it (nothing more extreme than lucid dreaming).  Per usual I buy everything hook, line, and sinker at the book which only sets me up for the fall. But honestly, I don't mind that, not all. Louise is a single mum working as a secretary in London and she has the worst possible luck. She finally meets a man at the bar and it turns out that it is her MARRIED new boss at work. Once they get past the initial weirdness they re-start their affair but things get weird when Louise makes a new friend. Her boss's wife, Adele. It happens completely by accident, but now she finds herself dependent on both of them. However, things are not what they seem with Adele. What is going on behind those eyes of hers? Pretty good thriller, kept me entertained and guessing!

Feel Me Fall

If Lord of the Flies and Hatchet had a literary love child, this would be their baby. Gripping from page one, this book is impossible to put down and I easily had it finished in two sittings. A plane full of students and teachers on their way to a field trip in South America goes down over the Amazon and there is only one survivor. Emily Duran is wrecked with guilt and haunted by what went on in the jungle. In between nightmares and exhaustion she slowly starts to recount her harrowing trek to recovery, how the group of six survivors slowly narrows down until she's all that's left. Teamwork didn't come naturally to the ragtag team of survivors, especially since they are all from different social high school "orders." There is the jock, the stoner, the mean fat girl, the two best friends (Emily and her best mate Viv), and the weirdo who just so happens to be a survivalist. Instead of working with each other to survive, they start to turn on each other with disastrous results. Not only are the animals, rivers, and food potentially deadly, but now they practically need to sleep with one eye open. A heart pounding thriller that doesn't ease up until the astonishing conclusion. A wonderful read with a great twist!

The Bourne Identity

I'm ashamed to admit that I have never seen any of the Bourne movies. Not  one. So I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. The Bourne Identity basically reads like Ian Fleming on steroids. Intricate plots, double crosses, misinformation, kick ass fighting moves, and espionage. It was pretty awesome, especially since it was written four decades ago! This story still holds up and doesn't seem all that dated. Granted they use telephone booths and don't have easy access to Google, but there was still a level of high class sleuthing and killing. I honestly can't wait to see the movie and I look forward to reading more in this series.