What do you get when you cross a dual-timeline mystery with a tale of supernatural suspense? Enter Jennifer McMahon’s haunting, immersive new novel THE DROWNING KIND, available today, April 6. In this chilling supernatural mystery, it’s not any old house that’s haunted—it’s a body of water, specifically, a pool fed by a natural spring that is said to have special powers. Jax and her sister Lexie grew up swimming in this pool most summers, their grandmother owning the land upon which the pool is set. Fast forward a couple decades, and one day, Jax gets an unthinkable call: her sister Lexie has been found dead, drowned in the very same pool that she loved so much as a child. As Jax returns to her grandmother’s house, she is confronted by the pool’s dark history. Lexie wasn’t the pool’s first victim, and she might not be its last. THE DROWNING KIND weaves an atmospheric and sinister tale of supernatural suspense and heartbreaking family tragedy. This immersive and often quite poignant novel balance supernatural scares with authentic human drama and tragedy that keeps the story grounded in reality, even while exploring forces that are anything but. Expertly balanced dual timelines enhance the chill factor in this book, ratcheting up the tension bit by bit until the full horrors of the pool are revealed by the book’s conclusion. THE DROWNING KIND may be a slow-burning story, but it’s a slow-burn that will captivate fans of spine-tingling supernatural suspense. THE DROWNING KIND was the first book I’ve ever read by bestselling author Jennifer McMahon, and it certainly won’t be my last.
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Book Review: EVERY VOW YOU BREAK by Peter Swanson
Peter Swanson, author of acclaimed thrillers including The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders, returns this spring with his newest story of Hitchcockian suspense: EVERY VOW YOU BREAK. Following a bride whose honeymoon with her beloved new husband takes a dark and sinister turn, EVERY VOW YOU BREAK asks the age-old question that has fueled so many domestic and psychological thrillers: how well do we really know the people who we allow into our lives? In this book, it’s no spoiler to say that the answer to that question is not very well at all—and the things they are hiding just might be deadly. EVERY VOW YOU BREAK is dripping in sinister atmosphere and built to be devoured in one or two sittings. Unfortunately, the book’s finale leaves something to be desired, managing to be both fairly predictable and over-the-top all at once. If you are a newcomer to Peter Swanson’s work, you may be better served trying one of his previous releases: check out his books Eight Perfect Murders (perfect for fans of classic mysteries and crime fiction!) or Her Every Fear (perfect for readers looking for top-notch suspense with shades of Hitchcock).
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Book Review: THE LOST VILLAGE by Camilla Sten
Camilla Sten’s outstanding debut thriller THE LOST VILLAGE has all the ingredients of a CBTB favorite. This chilling, horror-tinged story takes place in Sweden, following a compelling female protagonist as she embarks on a (possibly misguided) mission that feels like perfect fodder for your next favorite horror movie. THE LOST VILLAGE has been compared to films including The Blair Witch Project and Midsommar—high praise, to be sure, and praise that I actually felt this book completely deserved. In THE LOST VILLAGE, a documentary filmmaker travels with her crew to an abandoned mining town to begin gathering information and footage for her newest project. But as the group settles in and begins exploring, a series of bizarre and increasingly sinister events call into question just how abandoned the town really is… and whether they are actually welcome there. Blending the subtle sensibility of Scandinavian crime fiction with a plot that blends psychological thrills and horror to pitch-perfect effect, THE LOST VILLAGE is a thoroughly engrossing, read-with-all-the-lights-on book. I was fortunate enough to read a review copy of this stellar suspense novel back in January, and it became my first 5/5 star review of the new year. For readers who love sinister suspense stories with cinematic settings, and thrillers that incorporate elements of horror, THE LOST VILLAGE is a book you won’t want to miss.
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CBTB's Frequently Recommended Supernatural-ish Mysteries & Chillers
If you had told me when I started this blog that I would someday be writing a blog post recommending a few of my personal favorite crime books with some supernatural elements to them, I would have never believed you. I used to be staunchly opposed to crime books with any supernatural touches, but as time has gone on, and thanks to the work of very talented authors including Yrsa Sigurdardottir, C.J. Tudor, and many more, I’ve not only become open to books in this category… I’ve actually begun actively seeking them out. While I think it will always be important to me as a reader that the crime novels I read, even the supernatural-ish ones, have an earthly, logical solution to the mysteries at their core, I’ve come to discover just how much fun a thriller with a dash of the supernatural can be. Today, I’m so excited to share a roundup of my frequently recommended supernatural-ish mysteries and thrillers! Some of these books have true supernatural elements to them, while in others, the supernatural is more of a suggestion or a question to be answered over the course of the story. No matter what, all of these books have an extra-creepy edge to them that will have you reading with all the lights on. To help you guide you through this list and narrow down which books might be of interest to you, I’ve divvied this list up into three categories: Ghosts & Haunted Houses, Folklore & The Occult, and Possessions & Inexplicable Events. The books in this list exemplify that delicious blend of earthly mystery and supernatural touches that I’ve come to love so much, and I’m so excited to share this rundown of books in this category that I recommend most frequently with you today! Grab your coziest blanket, turn on all the lights, and dive in to my frequently-recommended supernatural-ish mysteries & thrillers.
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Cover Reveal + Q&A: THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES by C.J. Cooke
Last year, I read and got totally hooked on author C.J. Cooke’s Gothic suspense novel The Nesting, a sinister story set in the wilds of Norway. This October, just in time for Halloween, C.J. Cooke is back—and this time, she is bringing readers along on a bookish journey to a remote Scottish island, where the secrets of Scotland’s history are reaching across the centuries. THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES will be published October 15, 2021, and in today’s blog post, I’m so thrilled to reveal its gorgeous and creepy cover, and to give CBTB readers a sneak peek into this chilling upcoming thriller. In THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES, two sisters have gone missing on a remote Scottish island. Twenty years later, one is found… but she’s still the same age as she was when she disappeared. To uncover the secrets of her sister’s fate, this book’s protagonist will have to travel back to the remote island from which her sister disappeared over two decades ago. THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES is a story of Gothic suspense that incorporates an exploration of witch trials in Scotland’s history, and looks absolutely perfect for anyone looking to add a sinister, extra-creepy suspense tale to their Fall 2021 wishlist. I cannot wait to dig into THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES as part of my Halloween reading this fall, and I’m absolutely thrilled to give readers a glimpse into C.J. Cooke’s newest release today. Read on to learn more about THE LIGHTHOUSE WITCHES, check out its gorgeous cover, and get the inside scoop on the book through a Q&A with C.J. Cooke!
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