Amber Garza’s 2020 psychological suspense novel WHEN I WAS YOU was an instant-hit for me last summer, so when I saw Garza was releasing another thriller this summer, I knew it belonged on my TBR—and I’m so glad I made time for it! Garza’s 2021 thriller WHERE I LEFT HER is a juicy, page-turning work of domestic suspense that takes readers into the heart of a mother’s worst nightmare. In WHERE I LEFT HER, a woman drops her daughter off at a friend’s house for a sleepover, and returns the next day to discover that her daughter has gone missing. With her knack for gripping pacing and dramatic interpersonal relationships, Garza spins an engaging “popcorn read” from this sinister premise. While the book’s finale does veer a bit into the realm of the unrealistic, WHERE I LEFT HER is nevertheless a highly entertaining suspense novel well-suited to readers hoping to sink their teeth into a “popcorn thriller” as the summer draws to a close.
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Book Review: 56 DAYS by Catherine Ryan Howard
Catherine Ryan Howard is one of my favorite “hidden gem” psychological thriller writers who really isn’t that “hidden” anymore—her work is finally getting the widespread acclaim it so richly deserves with the publication of her much-buzzed-about new thriller 56 DAYS, available today in the US. In 56 DAYS, Catherine Ryan Howard gives readers an utterly riveting thriller that weaves timely topics into its gripping and twisty central mystery. In this psychological thriller, a new couple decides to move in together when Covid-19 reaches Ireland’s shores and a strict lockdown is imposed. But before the lockdown period is up, one of them will be dead. Tense, claustrophobic, and wholly original, Catherine Ryan Howard’s 56 DAYS brilliantly uses the geographic restriction of Ireland’s stringent early-2020 lockdown rules to turn up the pressure on our story’s unwitting pair of lovebirds. In 56 DAYS, nothing is what it seems, and no one is to be trusted. 56 DAYS is easily one of my favorite crime books of 2021—pick this one up for a high-concept thriller that brilliantly captures the honeymoon phase of a new relationship and twists it into something dark and sinister as only Catherine Ryan Howard can.
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Book Review: VICTIM WITHOUT A FACE by Stefan Ahnhem
I know I can’t be the only reader out there who seems to have a few books that have just been lingering on their TBR list for way too long… right?! One of my personal 2021 reading goals is to finally make a dent in that list and carve out some time to read crime novels that I’ve had sitting on my to-read pile for what feels like ages now. The latest book I’ve tackled from that list is Stefan Ahnhem’s serial killer thriller VICTIM WITHOUT A FACE, first published in the US in 2016. Set in Sweden and following a troubled detective on the trail of a very darkly inventive murderer, VICTIM WITHOUT A FACE has all the ingredients I look for in a thriller—and the reading experience here delivers. Centering around a killer who appears to be targeting classmates from his youth, VICTIM WITHOUT A FACE exemplifies the intricate plotting, grim mood, and complex character development that keeps me coming back for more Scandinavian crime fiction, book after book and year after year. With appeal for fans of Lars Kepler, Jo Nesbø, and Søren Sveistrup, Stefan Ahnhem’s first Fabian Risk novel made me an instant-fan of this gritty and gripping crime fiction series. If you’re looking for a dark, complex Nordic crime story to dig into as the fall season approaches, consider this oldie-but-a-goodie for your reading list—it’s a worthy addition.
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Book Review: IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE by Ashley Winstead
Welcome to Duquette University, where a 10-year college reunion is about to take a dangerous turn in Ashley Winstead’s dark academia debut, IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE. Ten years ago, Jessica Miller and her friends—a clique known as the “East House Seven”—suffered a horrific tragedy when one of their own was brutally murdered in her dorm room, stabbed to death while she was sleeping. Now, Jessica is planning what is supposed to be her triumphant return to Duquette for her college reunion—an opportunity for her to prove to her college classmates once and for all that she has achieved the kind of success and status she always dreamed of. But an individual with close ties to the group has plans for Jess and her friends, and this college reunion is going to be about much more than reliving glory days gone by. Mystery and intrigue are on the weekend agenda, and Jess and her friends might just be walking unwittingly into a trap. Ashley Winstead’s immersive debut suspense novel IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE weaves an engrossing tale of murder, love, and obsession set against the backdrop of an elite southern university. Delve into the dark secrets and ever-shifting allegiances of the East House Seven in IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE, but watch your back—everyone in this friend group has something to hide, and some of their secrets are deadly. This page-turning debut suspense novel is perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and J.T. Ellison’s Good Girls Lie.
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Book Review: FOR YOUR OWN GOOD by Samantha Downing
Love a suspense novel set in the world of academia? Love books featuring villainous protagonists? Samantha Downing’s brand-new, wickedly fun suspense novel FOR YOUR OWN GOOD is the summer read for you. Enter the world of Belmont Academy: a prestigious prep school with a track record of excellence… and a pesky history of its community members dropping dead under suspicious circumstances. Could a killer be at work within the halls of Belmont Academy? Centering around a teacher who is willing to do anything – and I mean anything – to help his students and his school succeed, FOR YOUR OWN GOOD is a deliciously twisted, highly readable suspense novel that takes readers on a surprisingly playful journey into the mind of an antihero with psychopathic tendencies. Pick this book up for its academic setting, stay for its irresistible characters and wildly entertaining, dark-yet-fun reading experience. In FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, Samantha Downing has proven herself once again to be the queen of the thriller with plenty of darkness and an attitude that never takes itself too seriously—an irresistible combination that makes FOR YOUR OWN GOOD a summer 2021 must-read.
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