Thrillers

The Blind

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By A. F. Brady

This was a well-written book that mostly kept my interest throughout. I cared about and hoped that Sam the psychologist heroine would conquer her demons and find the courage to save her own life from the personal and professional disaster in which she was engulfed.

**Spoiler**

Well everything ended up hunky dory! She conquered her raging alcoholism by just deciding to quit drinking. Who knew it was so easy? She finally left her monster boyfriend by simply ignoring his text messages. Pretty great final farewell scene in her office though! I hope it was final. She escaped being exposed at work and kept her position and status despite severe ethical breaches and being partially responsible for the death of one patient and the almost death of two others. But hey, they weren’t that important in her life, after all. As we see in the last chapter, she even managed to keep the relationship of her good friend and potential love interest. All do to confessing her Borderline Personality Disorder to her “mystery” patient. Hopefully, she will be getting some professional help for that, but maybe, like her alcoholism and her toxic relationships, she just decided not to have it anymore. And what about the smoking? Did she quit that cold turkey as well? And by the way, why was Richard, who turns out to be perfectly sane, always carrying around those old newspapers that held the key to the mystery? **End Spoiler**


The relentless descent of her fortunes and health was pretty gripping, but unfortunately, it was not balanced by a gripping hard-fought recovery. Like many others, I thought the wrap up was too quick and left too many problems and questions just sitting there. I guess it was done for shock value if you are a reader to whom the big reveal was a shock.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

June 25, 2019

My Best Friend’s Exorcism

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By Grady Hendrix

“The devil is loud and brash and full of drama. God, he’s like a sparrow.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about the friendship and loyalty of Abby towards Gretchen. Of course Gretchen was Abby’s friend too, as we see especially in the concluding pages, but for almost half of the book, Gretchen wasn’t there. She’d been replaced.
I loved the humor in the face of the horrific. Not especially the gross details of some of the fates of the teens involved and of course the possession and exorcism, but really the uselessness and terrible behavior of the adults. That was the scariest evil in this book.

“Families like that don’t listen to other people,” Mrs. Rivers said. “You get in the middle of whatever this is and you’ll be giving them an excuse to blame you for everything.”

Mrs. Rivers, Abby’s mother, was not a good parent and was a bitter person although not without good reason. But she was right in all of her observations. Her portrayal was fascinating and unpredictable. One of many gripping characterizations in the book.

Of course, some of the events just could not have played out the way they did for real. When confronted by the sights and smells and devastation that Gretchen’s possession caused, including what happened to one friend in particular, surely at least one parent, teacher, doctor, law enforcement, or clergyperson, would have stepped in, Like in The Exorcist. Denial caused by cognitive dissonance can only continue to a certain point. But that would have defeated the purpose of the book, I guess.

Someone had to do something. Someone had to say something. Teachers weren’t doing it. Her mom wasn’t going to do it. The Langs wouldn’t do it. That left Abby.

This was a real page-turner and one which was emotionally satisfying as well.

P.S. As I always do, I went on Google Earth to find some of the stomping grounds of the characters. Amazingly, Gretchen’s street not only exists, but her exact house is right there too. As are all of the other locations as well. I loved that authenticity.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

May 20, 2020

The Silent Patient

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by Alex Michaelides

“I’m forty two years old. And I became a psychotherapist because I was fucked-up. That’s the truth – though it’s not what I said during the interview when the question was put to me.”

This is the kind of book that might be better read than listened to. The narrations were great, no complaints there, whatsoever, and I had no trouble following it or remembering all of the characters, but I wish I was able to page through from the beginning to relive all of the clues and get a better handle on it all.

**Spoiler**

Especially the dual timelines. That was surprising, and a bit of a cheat. Were there any clues in the text, that it wasn’t a chronological story? I think it was signaled right from the beginning that there is something wrong with Theo and he is not a good person. Also that Gabriel was not the paragon that Alicia thought he was. The difference between what Alicia says about him versus how he acts on the page stands out. Theo’s crude language and anger was a giveaway for me. I really thought Alicia was innocent though. It seems like the police would have seen the marks of the wires on her wrists and ankles and figured out that there was more to the story of Alicia tying him up and shooting him. 

**end spoilers**

There were a lot of red herrings that were very well done.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

May 22, 2019

The Twisted Ones

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By T. Kingfisher

You got hickory with you, you got a piece of the world that’s normal. It’s so normal it’ll cancel out some of the weirdness. You follow?” Clearly I was losing my mind, because that actually made a kind of sense. I went back to the house with a hickory rosary and a bag of dried roots draped around my neck.

I struggle between 3 and 4 stars for this one. I am going with 4 because of the entertaining humor and likability of our heroine, Mouse. Not to mention her cohort, Foxy. It also has one of the most adorable dogs I have ever read about, Bongo.

I have no idea what he’d actually do if he caught a possum—lick it to death, probably. Coonhounds usually get dumped when they turn out not to be very good hunters. Bongo is an excellent watchdog, by which I mean that he will watch very alertly as the serial killer breaks into the house and skins me.

Yep. 4 stars for this triumvirate. The story itself is not my cup of tea. I do love an occasional horror book and/or movie, but this folk-horror genre is not for me I guess. It was not scary, but bizarre and kind of nuts. I am glad I familiarized myself with The White People and Other Weird Stories by Arthur Machen of which this book is a kind of a sequel. What other reviewers found tedious in its exploration of Cotgrave’s journal, I found very interesting. 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

December 30, 2019

Behind Closed Doors

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By B. A. Paris

“I can’t help thinking it’s a shame he’s such a sadistic bastard, because he has wonderful manners.”

**This whole review is one giant spoiler***
I haven’t read very many psychological suspense thrillers, domestic or not, that are so popular right now, but I was more than entertained with this one. I couldn’t put it down and read it in one day. It’s not 5 stars because there were too many holes and weaknesses in the plot. There were two main ones. First, why did Jack risk pushing Millie down the stairs and possibly killing her, when the whole reason for his evil plan was to get his hands on her? Second, I loved the justice of his ultimate fate, but Grace took too many chances to accomplish it. Making sure he suffered in the basement jeopardized her successful escape, to begin with. It also practically ensured that an autopsy and investigation would be done. Once law enforcement got a hold of those bars on the windows, her cell, all of the fingerprints, the steel shutters, the forensic evidence in her cell, etc. Etc., the jig would be up. No jury would convict her, ultimately, but what about Millie? Too risky. It comes as a shock to her and (kinda) to the reader, that she is rescued from any suspicion and probable further investigation at the last minute. There are quite a few other quibbles I had with the plausibility of all the goings on, but I won’t pile on.

Other problems? The Molly episode was too disturbing. The ending was too abrupt for me, though I realize it is probably a great way to end it literarily. I wanted more background on Esther. Why was she the one who suspected it was all a charade? What gave her that special insight? She was a great character and I would have loved to see more of her. I would have loved to see the happenings from her point of view. Of course, the wonderful Milly, who was so underestimated.

Overall though it was a well-written page-turner. I loved the “happy” ending, and had no problems at all with Grace, as many of the critical reviewers had.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

May 28, 2019

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1)

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by Ilona Andrews

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Burn For Me was such a good book in so many ways. I loved Nevada, the heroine, and her snarky humor. I loved her family: They were all interesting and likable and they were all devoted to each other despite the normal family tensions. They also were funny, as was the book. And not that fake funny either. I was genuinely amused many many times. The action sequences were well done and exciting. The antagonists were hateable and scary. It was a page-turner that kept me very intrigued and involved throughout. I have never read an “urban fantasy” book before that I know of, so I found the world-building and premises creative and fascinating and entertaining. Mr./Ms. Andrews does what I need in a good writer: They establish an intimate easy rapport with the reader making you part of the story rather than an outsider looking in. Yes, Ilona Andrews is a good writer. I had a lot of fun. And that makes the two things I did not like overlook-able.
Number one is I hated the hero and love interest, Mad Rogan. I will just say that he was a horrible human being. He was not a good man and he was controlling and abusive to our heroine, who was a very very good person.

“You have no regard for human life,” I said. “You saved the city, but I don’t think you did it because you genuinely cared about all those people. I think you did it because Adam Pierce got under your skin. You hire desperate soldiers, but you don’t do it to save them either. You do it because they offer you unquestioning loyalty. You rescued your cousin, but you had been content to ignore the existence of that whole branch of your family. Had you stepped into Gavin’s life earlier, perhaps he would’ve never met Adam Pierce. …You don’t seem to feel bad about things, and you offer gratitude only when you need to overcome some hurdle. I think you might be a psychopath. “I can’t be with you, no matter how crazy you make me, because you have no empathy, Rogan. The gulf between us, both financially and socially, is too great. So no, I won’t go away with you. I want to be with someone who would if not love, then genuinely care, for me. You are not that man.”

She really nailed it there. Sadly, although she stands up to him in this book and pulls no punches with him throughout, I see the handwriting on the wall. I will probably keep reading at least one more in this series in hopes that she whips him into shape as far as being a decent citizen and person is concerned, or at least gives him justification and a path to redemption in future books. The only reason I could tolerate his nonsense was that Nevada does not cave in mentally or emotionally. I’m pretty sure true love will be his salvation, but he needs to be humbled with some serious groveling on the side.

The other bad mark against this book was the author’s constant and repetitive obsession with worshipping at the altar of Mad Rogan’s looks and power. She/he won’t shut up about his godlike awesomeness, and Nevada’s unwilling attraction and physical response to him. I mean we got it the first dozen times, Ilona. Good Job. Now move on! I guess some readers like this type of over the top horny/sexy writing, but it’s not for me. But like I said, the positives greatly outweigh these annoying negatives.

I’ve learned to be very suspicious about authors who seem to produce more than 1 or so books a year and write exclusively series. Well, Ilona Andrews really churns them out, for sure, but if her/his books are this good, I will have been proven wrong in my prejudice. If they all show the same talent this book does, the more the merrier. And I have a lot of catching up to do.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

April 5, 2020

Orphan X

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By Gregg Hurwitz

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There’s a Cherokee legend. An elder tells his grandson about the battle that rages inside every person.” “The two wolves.” “That’s right. One wolf is anger and fear and paranoia and cruelty. The other is kindness, humility, compassion, serenity. And the boy asks his grandfather, ‘Which wolf wins?’ You remember the answer?” “‘The one you feed.’” “That’s right. Our challenge?” Jack folds his cloth napkin, wipes a smudge of Alfredo from the edge of his plate. Then he looks directly into Evan’s eyes. “Feed both.”

Excellent thriller along the lines of the movies John Wick, The Equalizer, and the Bournes. It also reminded me of Trevanian’s great Shibumi. Lots of twists and turns, action, shocking developments, and a hero you like, admire, and root for. And not only for his physical survival but for his emotional development as well. It has lots of other things including humor (a bit). The ending promises a return of many characters both good and evil in subsequent books. I guarantee I will be reading on. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

March 7, 2020

Dr. Sleep

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by Stephen King

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“You want to hear a story? One I’ve never told anybody? I should warn you, it’s a weird one. If you think the shining begins and ends with paltry shit like telepathy, you’re way short.” He paused. “There are other worlds than these.”

Dan had no problem with the Higher Power thing, because he had a bit of inside information. God remained an unproven hypothesis, but he knew there really was another plane of existence. Like Abra, Dan had seen the ghostie people. So sure, God was possible. Given his glimpses of the world beyond the world, Dan thought it even likely . . . although what kind of God only sat by while shit like this played out? As if you’re the first one to ask that question, he thought.

If The Shining was Stephen King’s exploration of alcoholism, Doctor Sleep is his unblushing love-letter to Alcoholics Anonymous. For anyone with an interest in this organization, I would highly recommend this book, which provides the reader with the inside scoop on its culture. Although always appreciative and respectful, it is affectionately irreverent as well. And because of that, it is even more effective an endorsement of its methods and procedures.

In addition, it’s also a great yarn. To me though, it wasn’t really a thriller, because I never really feared for Abra, the young prey of the despicable “True Knot.”

**spoiler**

It becomes pretty obvious well before everything comes to a head that Abra, along with Dan, are just too powerful a force to be reckoned with. And the predators are in a much-weakened condition during the final confrontation. My main fear, that Abra’s friends and relatives might be collateral damage, was abated by the fact that they were far far away for most of the book. My enjoyment came not from white knuckle suspense, but reveling in the take-down of such evil. We hate them for a particularly heinous murder that is very hard to read about but comes back to take a very large bite out of them. And there are some interesting twists. I’ve read that the final pages of the story are too happy for some people, but after everything they went through, they couldn’t be happy enough for me. **end spoiler**

Another big source of fascination and enjoyment for me is King’s apparent belief in the afterlife and how this book addresses it. I fancy atheists or other cynics might be very turned off by this book.

“I’m not scared of hell. I lived a decent life, and I don’t think there is such a place, anyway. I’m scared there’s nothing.” He struggled for breath. … “There was nothing before, we all know that, so doesn’t it stand to reason that there’s nothing after?” “But there is.” Dan wiped Charlie’s face with the damp cloth. “We never really end, Charlie. I don’t know how that can be, or what it means, I only know that it is.”

Rating: 5 out of 5.

February 21, 2020

The Institute

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By Stephen King

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“We’ll tell you what we know, and what the orderlies and techs tell us, but I got an idea that most of it’s lies. George feels the same. Iris, now . . .” Kalisha laughed. “She’s like Agent Mulder on that X-Files show. She wants to believe.” “Believe what?” The look she gave him—both wise and sad—again made her look more like a grownup than a kid. “That this is just a little detour on the great highway of life, and everything’s going to come out all right in the end, like on Scooby-Doo.”

The Institute is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It was good to get a break from the “women’s fiction” that I have been favoring for years now. (Lately, with an occasional break with a domestic thriller!) I have read several Stephen King books, but definitely going to read more soon. Doctor Sleep is next up. This book is a typical example of what Stephen King is brilliant at: Kids in peril, tense action relieved by humor, baddies you love to hate, Stephen King’s own perspicacious insights on various and sundry interjected here and there.

As they went down the hall, Luke thought about his researches into Maureen’s problem. One horrifying statistic in particular stuck out: Americans owed over twelve trillion dollars. Money spent but not earned, just promised. A paradox only an accountant could love. While much of that debt had to do with mortgages on homes and businesses, an appreciable amount led back to those little plastic rectangles everyone kept in their purses and wallets: the oxycodone of American consumers.

And some wonderful secondary characters. In this one, Orphan Annie, Sheriff John, and to a certain extent, Deputy Wendy, stand front and center in a whole host of them. Not even including the kids.

Also, a lot of it was set in South Carolina, my home state. Although rife with southern stereotypes, it was a relief to have my state and it’s small-town residents portrayed in an overall positive light.

“Do it fast,” Annie said, “or you’re dead. This isn’t playin, boys. You’re in the south now.” They looked at each other, then put the autos carefully down on the pavement.

Yeah, I know, a bit cheesy. But I loved it.

In a nutshell, the plot is about a mysterious “Institute” where the powers in charge kidnap children who have shown some signs of Telekinesis and/or Telepathy in order to harness their powers for what they believe is a noble cause. It’s a classic case of the end justifying the means. Except the means are cruel and evil and the end is shown to be a load of bull in the end. Unfortunately for their cause, when they kidnapped Luke, our co-hero, they kidnapped the wrong boy. Because Luke is smart. Really smart.

What, exactly, was that understanding? Why, that aside from having a yard of guts, the kid also happened to be a genuine bottled-in-bond genius. These Institute thugs had taken him to obtain a talent that was (at least before its enhancement) little more than a parlor trick. They considered his brilliance a mere adjunct to what they were really after, making them like poachers willing to slaughter a twelve-thousand-pound elephant to get ninety pounds of ivory.

There are fears, cheers, and tears. Not everyone gets out unscathed or even gets out, but the ending was satisfactory. And I loved the promising ending of the first of our heroes to be introduced. 

Rating: 5 out of 5.

January 6, 2020

Never Have I Ever

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By Joshilyn Jackson

People say, I don’t know how she lives with herself, but every single one of them was living with their own worst thing, just fine. No one walks around holding their ugliest sin in the palm of their hand, staring at it. Our hurts are heavy, and we let them sink. Every day they drift lower, settling in murky places where the light can’t reach. All I had to do was wait. My bad would fall down into darkness again, because the bad things always do.

Excellent and suspenseful domestic thriller. I didn’t see the final twist in the end ahead of time, and the mid-book twist, I also didn’t see coming. A few twists I anticipated did not occur. 

**spoiler**

I thought Tig would somehow turn out to be a bad guy and maybe in cahoots with Roux from the beginning. Mainly though, I thought that it would turn out that Davis and/or Charlotte knew her deep dark secret all of the time. I had hoped her family and Charlotte, would have had a chance to step up and show their love and support for Amy even knowing the truth. I wanted them to have hidden depths and never had needed Amy’s “protection” after all. I would have loved to see Davis and/or Charlotte be more involved in this way. Or at least have Amy tell them the truth. Her story is very forgivable after all, given all of the circumstances. Especially how she overcame her childhood challenges and forged a good life. **End Spoiler**


Because of this main point, I felt a little dissatisfaction with how it all played out at the end. Just a bit, which kept it from 5 stars. I liked the way Amy really had to struggle with her moral and ethical choices and her food issues. I didn’t always like and approve of her. It made it a more complex book and threw some doubt into the outcome. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

December 19, 2019