Tag Archives: suspense

Feb4

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Jenkins Reid, Taylor. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Atria Books, 2017. 400pp. ISBN 9781501139239. $30.00

*****

You know how in Titanic there’s that scene in the contemporary part of the narrative where all the people on the boat are leaning forward staring at Rose while she tells her story? I felt like that at the end of every chapter of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: and emotional leaning in, with AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED???

A journalist gets the gig of a lifetime when she is handpicked to write an article at the end of a famous and now reclusive actress’s life; it turns out celebrity Evelyn wants only Monique to ghost-write her biography and reap all the rewards and benefits the publication will bring. But why? The mystery is unraveled through the telling of Evelyn’s tale, and through learning the details of Evelyn’s life and loves, Monique is able to process the end of her own marriage. Fantastic dramatic literary fiction.

I purchased and read my own copy.

May29

His Improper Lady by Candace Camp

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His Improper Lady by Candace Camp

Camp, Candace. His Improper Lady. (Mad Morelands) Harlequin, 2021. ISBN 9781335966520 $9.99

***

In this historical romantic suspense novel, detective Tom Quick, an orphan himself, joins forces with thief Desiree Malone after she breaks into his office to looking for clues that might help her locate the aristocratic father she’s never known. One of her finds might have a clue to Tom’s past…

The plotting is strong and the intriguing twists and turns will have the reader powering through. Because this was more mystery than romance, it did not hold as strong appeal for me, but the writing and details are good, the connections compelling, and the air of the supernatural appealing.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HisImproperLady from #NetGalley

Jan1

When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

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When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Phillips. Susan Elizabeth. When Stars Collide (Chicago Stars #9). William Morrow/Custom House, 2021. 384pp. ISBN 9780062973085

***

Opera superstar Olivia Shore and Heisman trophy winner Thad Owens are catapulted together on a marketing tour as brand ambassadors for luxury watch Marchand Timepieces: a month-long itinerary of radio interviews, dinners with account executives, photo shoots and press conferences culminating in a gala event. He perceives her as a stuck-up diva, which she thinks he’s an animalistic jock. Both are style icons and trendsetters, and have the skill to speak in sound bites and insert commercials for a product smoothly into any conversation about their respective careers. Olivia’s disdain and discomfort around Thad is based on a false accusation from early in his career. When she gets the story straight and tries to apologize, Thad is slow to accept and takes a little delight in dragging her out to a dive bar, when the paparazzi snaps a photo and starts a dating rumor. A grudging respect emerges, then friendship, with attraction simmering underneath all the while. There is more to Olivia than meets the eye; she has a stalker of some kind, and unraveling this mystery and keeping her safe becomes Thad’s welcome responsibility.

I didn’t find the characters highly relatable at first, but they became more and more complex and interesting as the story spun out. I’m not generally a fan of suspense, but the high drama worked with the personalities at play. I did enjoy the details of high society lifestyle; food, fashion, and travel; the sports allusions; the vocal instruction and opera details.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #WhenStarsCollide from #NetGalley.

Feb16

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

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Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

Lauren, Christina. Something Wilder. Simon & Schuster, 2022. 384 pp. ISBN 9781982173418 $22.99

****

This departure from Christina Lauren’s romantic comedy oeuvre is an unputdownable adrenaline-fueled rush. In typical fashion, a past flame reappears and the passion is reignited. Lily Wilder, daughter of a famous rancher, expedition leader and amateur treasure hunter, lacks the funds to buy back the old homestead. She was in love once, for five months, with a sweet city boy who returned home to care for his injured mother and never called, wrote, or returned. She fills her time with horses and hookups. Leo Grady, love of her life, shows up ten years later with three friends for a canyon trip she and her friend Nichole are leading, and both Lily and Leo are utterly shocked.

Lily puts on a good (staged) show, following in the footsteps of the infamous bank and train robber Butch Cassidy, with her clients solving puzzles and ciphers as part of the tour. Things go wrong when one of the party reveals he want to treasure hunt the missing fortune for real.

“I feel like we’re in The Goonies,” says one of the characters about halfway through. It’s an apt comparison: there is a property to be saved, a pivotal map, puzzles to be solved, a budding romance, two groups of loyal friends, Reddit-fueled incels instead of the Fratellis, a high speed chase, and a kidnapping and escape. The sparks between Leo and Lily are palpable, and the romantic bits will speed up your pulse as well. The canyons of Wyoming are rendered in wonderful sensory details and the ending is satisfying, if predictable.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #SomethingWilder from #NetGalley.

Dec4

The Local News by Miriam Gershow

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The Local News by Miriam Gershow

Gershow, Miriam. The Local News.  Spiegel & Grau, 2009. ISBN 978-0385527613 368 pp. 29.95

*****

Danny Pasternak epitomizes the phrase “dumb jock,” but he’s attractive and popular and when he disappears after a basketball practice one summer evening, the community is in an uproar. It takes months for the search parties to wane, the memorial on the high school’s wall to come down. Lydia, his smarter and less popular sister, whom Danny alternatively and indiscriminately bullied and extended small kindnesses towards, muddles through the aftermath as the family drifts apart without their lynchpin.

This is an extremely well executed book, with distinguished writing. The plot is perfectly woven, with the drama of what happened to Lydia’s missing brother (runaway? kidnapped? foul play?) pulling the reader through the story without being over the top sensational. The voice is pitch perfect as we see everything through the lens of Lydia, now ten years older. Her recollections of the high school social structure are crystal clear and wholly believable, and events have an in the moment feel, rather than a reminiscent feel. Allusions to 1995 are mostly political/history related, as opposed to pop culture; the universality of the themes made me feel this book could be set in any time period. Characterizations are deep. Action, dialogue and detail develop each individual, and all are fully realized on the page.

The age of the protagonist during the course of the book’s events and the coming of age rituals endured in the midst of this crisis (first kiss, first house party) are tangible make this a possible recommendation for mature teen readers. Plus, the hook is great: “My brother is missing, and by the way, I don’t like him all that much.”

Nov30

No Such Creature by Giles Blunt

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No Such Creature by Giles Blunt

Blunt, Giles. No Such Creature. Henry Holt, 2009. ISBN 978-0805080629 pp. $

***

Owen, orphaned at age 10 after his parents are killed in a car accident, was taken under the wing of his great uncle, who taught him everything he knows and introduced him to theatrical life of posing at the dinner parties of the elite to rob them of their cash and jewels. Now 18, Owen wants to quit their life of crime and pursuing acting at Juilliard, where he has been offered a partial scholarship, but he worries about leaving uncle Max alone, especially given his recent bouts of senility… and now, it turns out, the Subtractors (a band of thieves who steal from thieves by removing body parts until they get the information and goods they seek) may be after the gentleman thief duo.

The action is fast paced, the writing descriptive, and the premise, intriguing; Owen is a compelling character, in part due to Blunt’s skillful flashback. Point of view changes within each chapter, making the story occasionally difficult to follow. I had to put the book down at page 54 when a supporting villain had sex with a drug-addicted minor. A quick skim to the end revealed a plot point that I’d figured out on page 48.

This may be a fun and exciting read for James Bond or Ocean’s Eleven fans.

Oct25

Totally Killer by Greg Olear

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Totally Killer by Greg Olear

Olear, Greg. Totally Killer. William Morrow, 2009. ISBN 978-0061735295 pp. $

*****

This tale of a downtrodden Gen Xer on a fruitless job search during the 90’s recession who owes her headhunting service a whole new kind of favor is delightful, well-paced, snortingly funny, and wonderfully satiric, and firmly entrenched in the year 1991, sure to appeal to others of my generation.

Although the sexy protagonist is 23, the story is told by her former roommate, and in the present, and this lens gives a more reflective feel to the book.

One reviewer called it “American Psycho meets I Love the ’90s” and this is the more accurate description than anything I could write 🙂 Tons of allusions, definitely a fun read.

Jun14

The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano

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The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano

Cristofano, David. The Girl She Used to Be. Grand Central Publishing, 2002. ISBN 978-0446582223 256 pp. $13.99

*****

Six-year-old Melody’s simple request for eggs Romani brought her parents to an Italian American restaurant one Sunday morning, where they unfortunately saw a mobster murder someone. Melody’s scream alerted all to her family’s presence and they found asylum in the Federal Witness Protection Program, but at great personal costs–in spite of every effort to keep the family safe, Melody’s parents were found and killed when she was sixteen.

Now, at age 26, Melody longs for love, family, and an unchanging identity. Out of boredom one day, she cries wolf and tells her contact that she has been compromised and needs to move. In the midst of her relocation, the son of the mob boss who has been tracking her for years, breaks into her motel room and holds a knife to her neck. An unlikely friendship ensues.

This brief, fast-paced novel has an engaging and even voice, humor, a unique story, complex characters and an unexpected conclusion. The themes of identity, freedom and first love are universal.

May26

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

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Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

Picoult, Jodi. Handle with Care. Atria, 2009. ISBN ‎ 978-0743296410 496 pp. $27.95

****

Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe’s daughter Willow is born with Oesteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), a rare degenerative bone disease that makes her bones brittle. By age 6, Willow has suffered over 60 fractures. On a family vacation to Disney World, before they even get to the parks, Willow slips on a napkin and is rushed to a local ER, where the staff don’t believe she has IO. The parents are taken into police custody and Amelia, Charlotte’s teenage daughter from a previous relationship, is too flustered to properly explain how her younger sister fell.

The situation is quickly clearly up with a call from Willow’s doctor, but policeman Sean wants someone to pay. The lawyer the family visits says they don’t have case, but suggests a wrongful birth suit–implying that if Charlotte had known that her baby would not be healthy and would require daily care and financially exhaustive medical costs, she would have opted to abort the fetus. A twist: Piper, the midwife who missed the OI diagnose happens to be Charlotte’s best friend; Sean doesn’t agree they should litigate. Marin, the lawyer who takes the case, is adopted and seeking her birth mother, and brings another dimension to the “keep or give up your unwanted child” debate that is central to the novel.

Picoult is a masterful storyteller. The story is told from multiple viewpoints, represented by varying typefaces: Charlotte, Sean, Amelia, and Marin all get their say, speaking as if they are relaying the events of the suit to Willow. The narrative is interspersed with recipes; Charlotte’s former career (before becoming Willow’s full-time caretaker) was a pastry chef, and she explains a variety of baking terms (tempering, proofing, weeping) that are metaphors for the action taking place within the story. Her handle on courtroom procedures and deftness with medical explanations adds authenticity to the story. The issues are meaty, the pacing is perfect; the action is suspenseful.

This was a compelling, richly layered unputdownable read. The gift of the magi styled ending evoked a strong evisceral reaction, but that’s typical of me & Picoult: I get to the last 10 pages and want to hurl the book across the room, even as I admire the author for not ending her novels in a predictable, or even fair, way.

Jan16

Peter and Max by Bill Willingham

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Peter and Max by Bill Willingham

Willingham, Bill. Peter and Max. Vertigo, 2009. ISBN 978-1401215736 400 pp. $22.99

***

Ordinarily, I love fractured fairy tales, and this inventive retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamelin set in an established fairy tale world on the edge of our own is intriguing in concept but fell flat in execution for me. The tale provides the backstory of the Piper family, juxtaposed with a modern day sibling rivalry.

First, a disclaimer: I haven’t read Fables, so my first impression was, what a silly, obvious name. It didn’t feel terribly inventive (Cinderella owns a shoe shop? really?). I DID like the clever allusions to other folk tales. Chapter epithets like in which Peter puts his wife “in a pumpkin” tickled my fancy. The writing was nothing notable and I disliked the art work, although the cover was engaging. Why wasn’t this simply a graphic novel?