Nine Perfect Strangers / Liane Moriarty / 453 pages

  I tend to compare an author's current book with others they have written, and I have read.  The characters are well-developed. The story was about nine people attending an upscale health resort that promises a transformation for each person. Each person is there for a different reason. Masha, the resort owner is bizarre and treats each person like a rat in a lab experiment. Her ego is enormous.  There will be no deviation from her plan for each person.
     I did not find this story as engaging as The Husband's Secret or Big, Little Lies.  For that reason I gave it 3 stars. A book club would find lots to discuss since each person attending at the resort was going through so much in their life. I'm sure the amateur psychiatrist in all of us would have a great time analyzing these characters.

Sometimes I Lie/Alice Feeney/ 9 hrs., 26 min. (Unabridged)

Sometimes I Lie is an intriguing psychological suspense by a new author, Alice Feeney. This highly charged emotional story kept me up into the wee hours of the night.  Amber and Claire a set of twins (are they really twins) are caught up in a whirlwind drama.  The story is told by Amber is who is in a coma. Amber is retelling the story of what is happened  in her life before the coma and what is happening to her  during the coma.  This story has so many twists and turns but is being told by someone with O.C.D and other mental issues. Therefore you are not sure what is true and what is a lie. The Reader (Stephanie Racine) of this audio did an excellent job of sending chills up your spine with many tension filled scenes. If you liked The Woman in the Window or Gone Girl you should give this author a try!

Blood Sisters / Jane Corry / 340 pages

This is the story of three girls.  Alison is the older half sister to Kitty.  Vanessa is Kitty's best friend.  Alison and Kitty have a very strained relationship.  Alison would like to be a good sister to Kitty, but Kitty is spoiled and selfish and wants nothing to do with Alison.  One day the three girls are walking to school and there is a terrible accident.  Vanessa is killed and Kitty ends up in an institution unable to speak or walk.  The story is told in chapters from Alison's and Kitty's perspective in the present and the past.  Someone is watching Alison and Kitty and wants revenge for what happened on the day of the accident.  There are many suspenseful moments and unexpected twists as the story progresses.

The Wife's Secret/Kerry Wilkinson/317 pages (British Author)

Charley Willis was the daughter of two television celebrities, only 13 years old, when both of her parents were murdered and the killer was never found.  A few years later her sister Martha dies when their parent's home mysteriously burns to the ground. And thus, the "Willis Curse" is born.  Charley has moved on and now, 15 years later, its her wedding day.  The ceremony is barely over and Charley disappears.  More Willis Curse?  New husband Seth is put through the ringer but slowly, in a flashback style of writing, the whole story comes out its not what I expected.

Loved, loved, loved this book!  I understand the author has written another book about Charley and Martha and I MUST find and read it.  A great psychological thriller!                                                                

                                                                                                                                       



Behind Her Eyes/ Sarah Pinborough/ 306 pgs

Unfortunately, this book languished on my wish list for quite a while. It has the most masterful ending I've read in quite some time. David and Adele are a married couple who've recently moved to a different London neighborhood. David is a psychiatrist; Adele stays at home. It's apparent from the beginning that their marriage is far from the usual. Louise is a single mom who works as an administrative assistant at David's new office. Before she knows it, Louise is having an affair with David while striking up a friendship with Adele. Things are awkward, to say the least. The chapters rotate between Louise, Adele, and Adele's past. It's clear that something dark is going on but it certainly wasn't what this reader expected at all! While this is a psychological suspense, there is a supernatural element that enters the story and as I said, the ending definitely surprised me.

The Wife Between Us/Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen/343 pgs.

The reader is sucked in from the first page. There is the ex-wife who appears to be unable to come to terms with the fact that her ex-husband is replacing her with a younger woman. But is that really the case? There are so many plot twists in this book that it's not safe to assume anything. I enjoyed the book, but felt that the build up in the first half didn't carry through to the end. Still, I give it a high recommendation.

The Good Daughter/Karin Slaughter/515 pgs.

Charlotte (Charlie) and Samantha (Sam) are sisters, who 28 years ago, suffered an unspeakable crime against each of them. Both became lawyers: Charlie working with her father, Rusty,a defense attorney in their town of Pikeville, and Sam, a patent attorney in New York. Charlie and Sam are estranged, but are brought together when a school shooting occurs in Pikeville. In typical Karin Slaughter fashion, there are twists and turns--it's hard to put the book down. Highly recommended.

Dead Scared/ Sharon (SJ) Bolton / 378 pgs

This is the second book in Bolton's Lacey Flint series. Lacey is a British police officer with a very murky past and a sometimes reckless regard for the rules and her own safety. She's still getting over the trauma she suffered in the first book--I liked this realistic aspect--when she's asked by her one-time lover, a higher level officer named Mark, to go undercover at Cambridge University. Mark almost died in the last book and is still recovering physically. It's clear these two care about each other but there is a lot keeping them apart. i.e. the job, the past trauma, their fragile emotions.

Lacey is sent into Cambridge as a supposedly anxious, bordering on depressed, undergraduate because there has been a pattern of suspicious suicides at the university that has some people concerned. Honestly, Lacey didn't do a very good job of being a meek, high-strung student but she's only there for two weeks as things escalate quickly, so... This story is exceptionally creepy, dealing with people who purposefully bully and drive emotionally fragile young women into suicide just for kicks. It's definitely not for the faint of heart. I'm a big fan of Bolton's books and this is a solid entry in the Flint series.

The Girl Before/J.P. Delaney/336 pgs.

The house at One Folgate Street is a bit of an oddity. The architect, Edward, is a minimalist, and is very particular to whom he rents the house. This is the story of two renters: Emma and Jane. In alternating chapters, the story unfolds about these two tenants, always with an undertone of unease. I don't want to give anything away, but suffice it to say, there are secrets, suspense--and quite a few surprises. Highly recommended! Also, Ron Howard plans on making a movie from it. The book has been likened to Girl On a Train, and Gone Girl. In my opinion, The Girl Before outshines both of them.

A Head Full of Ghosts / Paul Tremblay / 286 pgs.

A creepy and engrossing novel about a preteen named Marjorie Barrett, who begins to show signs of schizophrenia.  As her outbursts become more bizarre and frequent, Marjorie's father turns to a Catholic priest who suggests performing an exorcism.  At the same time a reality television show gets wind of this story and approaches the family in order to document it all.

Is Marjorie really crazy? possessed? or just looking for attention?  It's hard to parse out what really happened with this girl and her family.

The Alienist / Caleb Carr / 496 pgs

A serial killer is on the loose in 1800s New York City. Dr. Laszlo Kreizler is hired by the NYPD to create a psychological profile of the killer in hopes to find the suspect.  Since it's the 1800s, detectives have little physical evidence to go on.  Which makes the psychological profile all the more intriguing, examining the minds of psychopaths and what would cause them to commit such heinous acts of crime.

The descriptions of the murders can be a bit on the brutal side as the bodies are mutilated and dismembered.  This book is good for fans of the Hannibal Lecter Series by Thomas Harris or the movie Seven (with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman).

I Let You Go/Clare Mackintosh/369 pgs.

5 year-old Jacob is killed by a hit-and-run driver on a dark, rainy afternoon. It is up to the Bristol police investigators to determine who the driver was who left the scene of the accident, and bring that person to justice. I don't want to give away much of the story, so I will say that I stayed up until 4:00 in the morning to see how all of the twists and turns played out. The book has been recommended for fans of "Gone Girl," but I found it a much more suspenseful, and better written, story. It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel--highly recommended!

This Is Where It Ends/ Marieke Nijkamp/ 292 pages

This Is Where It Ends is a Young Adult novel written by Marieke Nijkamp.  It was chosen as an Overdrive Big Read.  Set in Alabama, the reader meets various students attending Opportunity High School.  It's the first day of the Spring semester.  A student who has left school is returning.  While some great his return anxiously it is not until he sets foot in the auditorium that the real fear begins.  The book continues to examine the thoughts that cross the minds of key students as they react to brutal actions.  Bit by bit the reader is exposed to the back story that brought about the violent actions carried out by one student.  Written for a young adult audience the book is a light treatment of what makes a school shooter.

Pretty Baby/Mary Kubica/380 pgs.

It all begins when Heidi Wood sees a teenage girl, with a baby, standing on the platform of the "L" train in Chicago. Is the girl homeless? Does she need help? These questions plague Heidi until she makes contact with the girl, Willow, and baby Ruby. Heidi brings Willow and Ruby home to her condo where her husband, Chris, and young teen daughter, Zoe, are anything but thrilled. After all, what do they really know about this young girl, Willow? The book develops in chapters told from Heidi, Willow, and Chris's perspectives. It's an intriguing book--some parts are somewhat predictable, but on the whole, it's a hard book to put down. Highly recommended!

Black-Eyed Susans/Julia Heaberlin/354 pgs.

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Cartwright was barely alive when she was found in a Texas field, among some human bones. Terrell Goodwin was brought to trial for the crime, convicted, and placed on death row. It's now 17 years later, and advocates for Terrell's innocence are trying to get a stay of execution for him. In the years between his conviction and the present day, Tessa has had her doubts about Terrell's guilt; she just doesn't remember enough, she feels, to help him. This changes when a patch of black-eyed Susans appear in her yard--when they are out of season. The story is told mainly in Tessie/Tessa's voice, switching back and forth between the past and the present. There is suspense, red herrings, and an ending one doesn't see coming. Fans of Gillian Flynn would like this. Highly recommended!

Depraved Heart/ Patricia Cornwell/ 466 pages

Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell picks up where Flesh and Blood left off.  Kay Scarpetta has returned home just barely recovered from her leg injury and is working a case when she receives a video text that implicates Lucy in illegal activities.  Kay rushes to Lucy house were the FBI is busy executing a search warrant.  The remainder of the book takes place over the duration of one day and deals with trying to stay one step ahead of someone who is playing a game with Scarpetta and her loved ones. While not in the same style of the early Scarpetta  books, this installment is an easier read the than the most recent novels in this series.  This would not be a good book for a reader who is concerned with privacy.  For more information and read a likes see the SCCCLD website.

Pretty Girls/Karin Slaughter/396 pgs.

Julia disappeared twenty years ago, leaving her sisters, Lydia and Claire, plus her mom and dad, beyond devastated. Now another young girl has disappeared, bringing Julia's unsolved case to the forefront of Lydia and Claire's minds. Is there a connection? This is such a dark, twisted, novel, that saying too much would be a spoiler. Let me just say that Karin Slaughter has outdone herself with this stand alone novel--recommend it to Gillian Flynn fans!

The Murderer's Daughter/Jonathan Kellerman/364 pgs.

Dr. Grace Blades is a first rate psychologist, with a secret life.When Andrew Toner comes to her for therapy, both are surprised when they recognize each other from a different encounter. Andrew leaves his appointment early, with no indication of returning. Something happens to Andrew causing Grace to dig deeper into his background. What she finds leads to her past catching up with her present. This is a "stand alone" novel for Kellerman, but I hope he features her in other books. Highly recommended!

Pretty Is/Maggie Mitchell/306 pgs.

In this debut novel, two girls, Carly May and Lois, both 12 years-old and from different parts of the United States, are abducted by a man they come to know as "Zed." They are found six weeks later, apparently physically unharmed. Carly was the beauty pageant queen, and Lois was the spelling bee whiz. Fast forward to the present--Carly May, now known as Chloe, is semi successful as an actress in bit parts; Lois,is an English professor and author of Deep in the Woods (written under the pseudonym of Lucy Ledger), a fictionalized account of her and Carly's abduction. Deep in the Woods is optioned as a movie, and "Chloe" has been given the role of a detective. Chloe and Lois are now 29 years-old, and will have the opportunity to discuss those fateful six weeks of their lives. Told in alternating chapters, Lois and Carly shed light on how they were abducted, and its aftermath. It's a suspenseful read, but the ending, in my opinion, wasn't very satisfying.

Sweet Damage/Rebecca James/286 pgs.

The start of this book briefly reminded me of Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca, which I hated. A chapter into the book, I was hooked. Tim Ellison is lucky to find a cheap room to rent, in what turns out to be a mansion. The only "catch" is that the  twenty year-old owner, Anna London, suffers from agoraphobia. In addition to working at his family restaurant, Tim will be somewhat responsible for Anna. So, you have a creepy mansion, a mysterious owner, the owner's friends--a brother and sister duo who happen to be lawyers, but are also somewhat "strange," and Tim's ex-girlfriend, Lilla. It makes for a very good psychological suspense/mystery, with a satisfying conclusion!