Category: thriller

mystery · suspense · thriller

*BLOG TOUR* The Weekend – L.H. Stacey ★★★★

bookclubbetweenthepagesLeave a comment

Blurb; That Lake. This house. His friends. They all know what happened to my boy. I know they do. And you… you have to help me find the truth…

A weekend to remember…

Ten years ago, deeply in love, I would have done anything for Thomas Kirkwood.

But on the night of our graduation, fuelled by drink and drugs, Thomas’s lifeless body was found floating in the Kirkwood family lake. That weekend changed everything, and I swore I would never return to Kirkwood manor.

A weekend to forget…

Now, ten years later, I have been invited back to the place that holds such terrible memories for me, to a memorial weekend for Thomas, organised by his still-grieving mother Ada.

But this is no ordinary weekend. This is a reunion to catch a killer…and I fear that I could be top of Ada’s list….

My Review; This was such a gripping read. It is a story about Thomas’s death in the past but also a reunion set in the present, where everyone comes back for a memorial but with a twist. It’s not a memorial I’d want to attend. Who killed Thomas? With tensions high and more deaths ahead, what is going on at this Manor? The story flicks from the past (ten years before) and the present, and it really is a who dunnit story until the final pages. The main character, Lizzie, was Thomas’s ex, and it seems not many people like her, but one person still does… Thomas’s brother William. With everyone under a spotlight, including the staff, will they find the killer? With family secrets uncovered along the way, this is a tense, fast-paced, and deadly read. It kept me guessing, and it wasn’t who I thought it was. Highly recommend. Enjoyed this one. A well-deserved four stars.

Amazon Link UK

Amazon Link US

mystery · suspense · thriller

*BLOG TOUR* The Perfect Girl – Kelly Golden ★★★★

bookclubbetweenthepages1 Comment

Blurb; He always said she was just a friend… What if she’d kill for more?

Sophie is perfect. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and when she smiles her wide, open, caring smile, her teeth sparkle. Everybody loves her. So would I, except she’s my husband Mike’s best friend, and sometimes they seem a little too close for comfort.

This summer, Sophie is renting the grand house next door, bringing over fancy wine, offering to babysit our beautiful three-year-old daughter. It’s nice, actually. She’s smart and funny. Maybe the way she is with Mike – squeezing his arm, tilting her head when she laughs at his jokes – is just how she is with everybody.

But then she says something that sends a shiver down my spine – does she know something about me she shouldn’t?

And when her new husband arrives, looking slightly too familiar, I realise my time is running out. My baby girl and I are in terrible danger.

Sophie really is perfect. She has me perfectly trapped. And as my world begins to crumble, I start to wonder: does Sophie just want to steal my husband, or has she planned the perfect murder?

My Review; This book messed with my head. It was a slow burn at first, getting familiar with the characters, the settings, relationships and backgrounds, etc. But boy, once this got going, it was so good. The author had me believing no one at one point. She has written such a clever, crafty, twisted, and messed up character in this story that she gets away with everything. I really hated her. Manipulative. The ending… WOW. How can you just end it like that? Come on. Seriously. I need answers. I need more. Please. I really enjoyed this read and fell in love with the little girl who I just wanted to take away from everything happening and run away with her. A well-deserved four stars. Highly recommend. Twisted. Gripping. Thrilling. Deadly.

Amazon Link UK

Amazon Link US

suspense · thriller

Girl A – Abigail Dean ★★★★

bookclubbetweenthepagesLeave a comment

Blurb; Lex Gracie doesn’t want to think about her family. She doesn’t want to think about growing up in her parents’ House of Horrors. And she doesn’t want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped, the eldest sister who freed her older brother and four younger siblings. It’s been easy enough to avoid her parents–her father never made it out of the House of Horrors he created, and her mother spent the rest of her life behind bars. But when her mother dies in prison and leaves Lex and her siblings the family home, she can’t run from her past any longer. Together with her sister, Evie, Lex intends to turn the House of Horrors into a force for good. But first she must come to terms with her siblings – and with the childhood they shared.

My Review; This has been on my tbr for ages, and I finally got around to it. It’s about a house of horrors in the UK. A large family, mum, dad, and seven siblings. It’s disturbing and descriptive in parts. Neglect. Power. Abuse. Religion has gone too far, some would say. What those poor children went through. It is fiction, but even as you read it, you know it is probably based on a true story and currently happening somewhere in the world right now. The chapters for my personal liking were a bit long. But we get an insight into each sibling and how they carried on with their life after their childhood/abuse and if they ever really got over how they were treated. This is a fantastic debut though. Gripping. I award four out of five stars.

Amazon Link UK

Amazon Link US