Heartwood is a creatively plotted novel that follows the search for a missing Appalachian Trail hiker. Told from the perspectives of the hiker, the woman in charge of the search, and an unlikely, elderly armchair detective, the story serves up a lot of depth that seems to be absent from so many other current mystery/suspense novels. Continue reading
Category Archives: suspense
Audio Book Review: Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica, Narrated by Brittany Pressly
Local Woman Missing is a highly engrossing suspense novel that explores the disappearance of two seemingly unrelated people and the toll it takes on family and neighbors over a decade later. A cleverly engineered plot that provides several surprising twists makes this story a winner for me. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: The Broken Girls by Simone St. James, Narrated by Rebecca Lowman
In The Broken Girls, freelance journalist Fiona Sheridan takes on a story about the renovation of a long-shuttered girls boarding school and suddenly finds herself investigating a 64-year-old murder, as well. An original plot plus an eerie paranormal element make The Broken Girls an engaging murder mystery. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave, Narrated by Julia Whelan
The Night We Lost Him is a suspense novel highly focused on the complexities of family and romantic relationships. When Nora Noone’s father falls off a cliff at his seaside home, her half-brother Sam calls foul play despite the police determining the death was an accident. Nora and Sam, who barely know each other, team up to do their own investigation. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham, Narrated by Karissa Vacker
A Flicker in the Dark is an entertaining suspense novel that explores what it’s like to be a family member of a serial killer. Just when psychologist Chloe Davis thinks her father’s reign of terror is in the distant past, girls begin disappearing again. Are these the acts of a copycat killer, or is something else going on? Continue reading
Audio Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney, Narrated by Richard Armitage, et al
In Rock Paper Scissors, a married couple travels to Scotland to attempt to salvage their relationship. Instead of being the free, cozy vacation they were hoping for, they find themselves stranded by a snowstorm in a creepy old church. Can their marriage survive? Can THEY survive? Continue reading
Audio Book Review: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith, Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris
In Stalin’s Russia, thoroughly investigating a murder could be considered its own subversive crime, especially if the outcome tarnishes the State’s narrative of being a communist Utopia where citizens are so content that they never turn to crime. Against this backdrop, Leo Demidov, a member of the much-feared State Security Force (MGB), risks everything to track down a serial killer who is viciously preying on children. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: Love, Mom by Iliana Xander, Narrated by Kira Fixx, et al
Love, Mom is an engaging novel of suspense about a daughter trying to unravel the truth about her dead mother, a successful author who died under mysterious circumstances. Plot twists and a quick pace make Love, Mom an enjoyable read/listen. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley, Narrated by Joe Eyre, et al
The Midnight Feast is another suspenseful winner from author Lucy Foley. The novel tells the story of a newly renovated posh hotel on the English coast that is plagued by locals and mysterious birds during their opening, with both disastrous and amusing results. Continue reading
Audio Book Review: All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham, Narrated by Karissa Vacker
In All the Dangerous Things, the mother of a missing child relentlessly searches for answers while secretly fearing that she’s the one who hurt her own baby. Unexpected twists, a well-developed protagonist, and a suspenseful atmosphere make All the Dangerous Things a wholly satisfying novel. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 