If you pack one book in your beach bag this summer, make it Riley Sager’s razor-sharp take on gothic suspense: LOCK EVERY DOOR, available July 2nd. You know those authors who just seem to get better and better with each new book? Sager is one of them, and LOCK EVERY DOOR cements him as a staple of any psychological thriller reader’s library. Blending horror tropes with spine-tingling suspense and juicy, just-one-more-page intrigue, LOCK EVERY DOOR invites readers inside one of New York’s most exclusive addresses—a place that might never let its readers - or its residents - go. Enter the Bartholomew: a (fictional) high-end apartment building overlooking Central Park. When down-on-her-luck protagonist Jules secures a position as an apartment-sitter in the Bartholomew, she can hardly believe her luck. But as Jules settles in and befriends a fellow apartment-sitter, she begins to worry that this beautiful building hides within its walls secrets darker than she could have ever imagined. In LOCK EVERY DOOR, Sager crafts a page-turning story of gothic suspense worthy of a place alongside the horror classics that inspired it. Protagonist Jules is a relatable and compelling millennial: a young woman struggling against the odds to make a life for herself, who just so happens to accept a job that might be her last. In the Bartholomew, nothing is as it seems. Enter at your own risk.
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Book Review: THE FIRST MISTAKE by Sandie Jones
Sandie Jones made a splash last summer with her debut suspense novel THE OTHER WOMAN, a New York Times bestseller and a pick for Reese Witherspoon’s book club—and she’s back this summer, and better than ever, with THE FIRST MISTAKE. A juicy, page-turning story of marital secrets, THE FIRST MISTAKE takes a familiar plot - a wife who suspects her husband might be hiding something from her - and turns it on its head. Following Alice, her husband Nathan, and her best friend Beth, THE FIRST MISTAKE unravels a layered story of deceit and betrayal… and I’m betting even the most seasoned suspense reader will be genuinely shocked by the twists author Sandie Jones has in store. Sophomore novels have a reputation for being particularly tricky to get right, but Sandie Jones has executed hers effortlessly; I thoroughly enjoyed last year’s THE OTHER WOMAN, but I liked THE FIRST MISTAKE even more. This book is pure pleasure reading. For readers of fan-favorite domestic thrillers Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris and Lie To Me by J.T. Ellison, THE FIRST MISTAKE is the perfect beach read: a story of what happens when happily ever after goes wrong.
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Book Review: A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY by M.T. Edvardsson
There’s nothing I love more than a buzzy new Scandinavian crime novel—so suffice it to say, M.T. Edvardsson’s US debut A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY has been high on my “most anticipated” list this year. I devoured this thoughtful and thought-provoking story just about a month ago, and have been mulling it over ever since. There’s a lot about this book that’s hard to categorize (and if you’ve been around CBTB for a while, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of categorizing my reads!): is it a legal thriller? A domestic drama? A “whodunnit”? In the end, the answer may not really matter, because what A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY is is wholly original and compelling. This slow-burn of a story takes readers into the midst of a family at the exact moment that their blissfully ordinary life is shattered. With the news that their daughter has been arrested for murder, a mother and father must face the unthinkable. How far will they go to protect their child? And what if their child really is guilty? This isn’t a pulse-pounding thriller in the traditional sense - as in, you won’t find shootouts or fight scenes within this book’s pages - but author M.T. Edvardsson ratchets up the tension and emotional investment all the same. Told in a wildly engrossing three-part structure, this domestic suspense-meets-courtroom drama is sure to be one of summer’s buzziest releases.
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Book Review: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE by Alice Feeney
In the mood for a book that’s dark and binge-worthy? You’ve come to the right place. In her stellar sophomore suspense novel, queen of the plot twist Alice Feeney delivers a genuine nail-biter, and a book that’s a worthy follow-up to her knockout debut, SOMETIMES I LIE. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE is a psychological thriller that pushes boundaries and delivers a truly twisted reading experience; it’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re up for a suspense novel with an edge, it will be right up your alley. Following an actress who has spent her life adopting identities other than her own, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE takes readers inside a troubled marriage, and into the past our protagonist has worked so hard to keep hidden. When our protagonist’s husband goes missing, suspicion falls on her. Can she keep her past from catching up to her? Feeney made a splash with her debut thriller SOMETIMES I LIE, and in I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, she ups the ante. You might not guess it from this book’s relatively innocuous plot and seriously stylish cover, but I KNOW WHO YOU ARE is dark through and through. Alice Feeney has a dark imagination, and she pulls no punches in her sophomore thriller. What begins innocently enough twists and turns into something altogether shocking and utterly addictive. Clear your calendars: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE begs to be devoured whole.
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Book Review: THE ISLAND by Ragnar Jonasson
It’s getting hard to think of new ways to say how much I love Ragnar Jonasson’s crime novels, but allow me to try once more. Just when I think Jonasson has surely written what will be my forever favorite book of his, he goes and outdoes himself yet again—and that’s exactly what’s happened here. I absolutely loved Jonasson’s 2018 release THE DARKNESS, the launch of his new trilogy featuring Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdottir, and I can now decidedly say that I loved the second trilogy installment, THE ISLAND, even more. In THE ISLAND, Jonasson ratchets up the tension and bone-chilling atmosphere of this Icelandic mystery trilogy—and the result is a downright unputdownable crime novel that captivates as much with its spine-tingling suspense as it does with its clever plotting. Jonasson has a knack for writing crime fiction that blends the old with the new seamlessly, and his skill is on full display in THE ISLAND. Weaving together a years-old crime with a present-day “locked room mystery”, Jonasson masterfully crafts a complex story that is hugely readable and entertaining. And let’s not forget this trilogy’s fantastic protagonist, Hulda; any excuse to spend more time with this spirited and down-to-earth character is one I’ll jump at. It’s worth reading THE DARKNESS (Book 1 in the Hulda trilogy) before THE ISLAND, but don’t let that two-book commitment put you off: these books are well worth your time. Inventive and original, atmospheric and chilling, THE ISLAND is another stellar release from one of Iceland’s foremost crime writers.
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