More thrillers should be as fun to read as Alex Finlay’s THE NIGHT SHIFT. Available this week from Minotaur Books, Finlay’s newest thriller delivers a one-two punch of 90’s nostalgia and gripping, genuinely unputdownable plotting, and ties it all together with characters whose intertwining fates—and secrets—will keep you hooked from the book’s first page to its very last. It all begins on the eve of Y2K in New Jersey, when a group of teens are brutally murdered at a local Blockbuster. A suspect is named, but soon after skips bail and vanishes. The case is never solved. Fast forward fifteen years, and a similar tragedy takes place, this time at an ice cream shop. Could the original killer be back in town? THE NIGHT SHIFT unfurls at breakneck speed, practically daring readers to set it down. Readers who love fast-paced thrillers featuring FBI agents (think: books from authors like Lisa Gardner) will devour Finlay’s accessible and immediately-engaging writing; readers who loved Riley Sager’s recent ode to the 90’s in SURVIVE THE NIGHT will love being transported back to the end of the last century in Finlay’s immersive writing. THE NIGHT SHIFT is a full-throttle thriller that is, simply put, the most fun I’ve had reading in quite a while. Pick this one up, clear your calendar, and enjoy the ride.
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Book Review: THE PARIS APARTMENT by Lucy Foley
From the Scottish highlands to islands off the coast of Ireland, Lucy Foley has a knack for transporting her readers to highly memorable and wanderlust-worthy locations—and now, in her newest novel of suspense, she sets her sights on Paris. In THE PARIS APARTMENT, Lucy Foley invites readers to explore a darker side of the City of Light. Following a young woman escaping turmoil in her personal life for the refuge of her brother’s home in a posh Parisian apartment building, THE PARIS APARTMENT invites readers into a world of intrigue, where everyone’s a suspect, and nothing is quite as it seems. This Hitchockian story tells a tale of suspicion, secrets, and murder, all set against the enchanting backdrop of Paris. THE PARIS APARTMENT reads like a cross between Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Riley Sager’s novel Lock Every Door, and the game of Clue; this immersive mystery delights and thrills in equal measure, weaving an engrossing tale that will keep readers guessing whodunnit until the book’s final pages.
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Book Review: THIS MIGHT HURT by Stephanie Wrobel
In a matter of two books, Stephanie Wrobel has cemented herself as one of my must-read thriller writers. You know that magical feeling when you find an author whose work seems to somehow just click for you? That’s me with Stephanie Wrobel. Wrobel’s debut suspense novel Darling Rose Gold hooked me with its nod to true crime and its dark, intimate exploration of a treacherous mother-daughter relationship; now, in Wrobel’s sophomore thriller, she blends a ripped-from-the-headlines plot (think: a cult story perfect for those fascinated by disturbing real-world cases like that of NXIVM) with a propulsive story of the ties that bind family together. The result? A book that’s guaranteed to be on my list of best crime books of 2022. THIS MIGHT HURT is an outstanding psychological thriller on every level, from its immediately-intriguing cult thriller premise to the complex layers readers will discover within its pages. Is blood really, as the saying goes, thicker than water? Can we ever escape the lasting legacy of childhood trauma? In THIS MIGHT HURT, readers follow three women as they exorcise their demons, face their fears, and, if the folks at Wisewood have their way, reach their “maximized selves”—no matter the cost. Stephanie Wrobel has knocked it out of the park with her sophomore thriller; if you only read one book this month, make it this one.
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Book Review: UNHINGED by Thomas Enger & Jørn Lier Horst
Nordic Noir fans, listen up: if you’re not already reading the Blix and Ramm series, add it to your to-read pile immediately. Co-written by powerhouse Norwegian crime writers Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst, the Blix and Ramm series merges the best of its authors’ crime writing strengths to deliver a gripping blend of realistic procedural elements and character-driven, emotional suspense. Out last month in e-book and coming soon in paperback, the latest installment, UNHINGED, takes this already-excellent series to the next level. In UNHINGED, protagonists Alexander Blix and Emma Ramm face their most personal case yet when one of their colleagues is targeted in an execution-style killing. UNHINGED pushes this series’ endearing characters to their breaking points in a thrilling plot that is both gripping and deeply heartfelt. I do recommend reading at least this series’ first installment (Death Deserved) before diving into UNHINGED; while the case itself here is stand-alone, much of this story’s impact relies on our connection to its characters, and having a bit of background exposure to them will make readers all the more invested in their fates. Fans of Lars Kepler, Stefan Ahnhem, and Søren Sveistrup won’t want to miss this top-notch Nordic thriller series.
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Book Review: RECKLESS GIRLS by Rachel Hawkins
Anyone else feel like they could use an escape to their own personal, private island paradise? No? Just me? If you too are feeling the urge to armchair travel somewhere idyllic right about now, allow me to introduce you to the perfect bookish escape: RECKLESS GIRLS, a wickedly entertaining thriller that blends Gothic atmosphere with an escapist, binge-worthy plot. In this seafaring suspense tale, a young woman and her boyfriend think they’ve finally found their golden ticket to embark on the sailing trip of their dreams when they’re hired by two wealthy strangers to sail the women to Meroe Island, a remote, deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But this island is shrouded in dangerous mystery and lore… and the group is about to find out that these stories might not just be the stuff of legend. This juicy, addictive paradise-turned-deadly suspense novel blends the page-turning entertainment value of a “popcorn thriller” with a dash of romance and the thrill of an adventure tale where no one’s survival is guaranteed. RECKLESS GIRLS is compulsively readable, wickedly fun suspense perfect for a weekend binge-read. Pick this one up if you want a lighter thriller that packs a majorly entertaining punch.
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