Master Mind Games...

Fool Me Once…

I love to be lied to. My mind toyed with. Not surprising considering my reading is comprised of a substantial proportion of fiction and of those, scads of crime novels, mysteries, and thrillers.

In reading there is nothing like the shiver that skims across the back of your neck when you realize nothing is as it seemed, that what you believed was the truth was an illusion all along. When you recognize that you have immersed yourself in the lives of characters whose morality is ambiguous at best. That it’s not just the people on the page that have fallen victim to gaslighting, it’s you the reader too.

This heady brew of fictitious ingredients results in the finest these genres have to offer. Do we as readers not long for deliciously flawed protagonists, flagrant lies, and potently malevolent villains? Is this not what we deserve?

If you are prepared to be enthralled, confounded, and outsmarted, follow me…

Games People Play

…tangled tales where you can’t always tell whose the cat and whose the mouse

No One Will Miss Her – Kat Rosenfield

Lizzie is dead, but that isn’t stopping her from narrating this tale from the grave. And as she tells us her story, the one that comes before meeting her gory end, she is snarky, blunt and whip smart and I loved her! The author doesn’t waste time in exposing the killers to the reader. A rich woman and her Ponzi schemer of a husband are safely ensconced in their mansion when they awake from the horrors of the night before. And for a while they believe that they might actually get away with it. At least until the unraveling begins.

Woman In The Window – A.J. Finn

It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening . . . Anna Fox lives alone, a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her days drinking wine, watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russell’s move into the house across the street: a father, mother, their teenaged son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble, and its shocking secrets are laid bare. What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one, and nothing, is what it seems.

Death Warrant – Bryan Johnston

To save her brother from financial ruin, Frankie must cash in her chips. A has-been mentalist who never made it big, Frankie agrees to be assassinated on the most popular television show on the planet, Death Warrant. Once she signs her life away, her memory is wiped clean of the agreement. Leaving her with no idea she is about to be offed in a spectacular fashion for the purpose of entertainment. What’s not to love about this premise…

The Dinner – Herman Koch

It’s a summer’s evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened. Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act and as the conversation turns to the issue at hand, all rules of civility are about to crack right open.

Think Of A Number – John Verdon

Threatening letters arrive in the mail over the course of several weeks, ending with an eerie declaration; think of a number, picture it, now see how well I know your secrets. The police soon find themselves confronted with a baffling serial killer, one who takes pleasure in toying with his victims. One who turns out to be a complex puzzle to be solved. Absorbing and intelligent!

Things We Do In The Dark – Jennifer Hillier

When Paris is arrested in her own bathroom, covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her, she knows she'll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it's not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it's only a matter of time before someone from her long-hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she's worked so hard to build.

The Serialist – David Gordon

Harry is a struggling writer who pumps out pulpy serial novels, from vampire books to detective stories, under various pseudonyms. But his life begins to imitate his fiction when he agrees to ghostwrite the memoir of New York City’s infamous Photo Killer. Soon, three young women turn up dead, each one murdered in the Photo Killer’s gruesome signature style, and Harry must play detective in a real-life murder plot as he struggles to avoid becoming the killer’s next victim. Darkly comic and irreverent!

Before I Go To Sleep – S.J. Watson

Christine wakes up every morning next to an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar face. And every morning, the man she wakes up with must explain that he is Ben, her husband and that a terrible accident decades earlier obliterated her ability to form new memories. But then a phone call sends her to the hiding place of a journal she’s been keeping for weeks. And as those entries accumulate, inconsistencies in her husband’s story reveal themselves.

If I Can’t Have You – Charlotte Levin

Constance is attempting to put past tragedies behind her. When she embarks on a new relationship, she thinks she has found the one. The love of her life. Then he ends it. But if life has taught her anything it’s that if you truly, madly, deeply love someone you should never let them go. Never. Ever. Darkly comic and utterly terrifying!

Spellbound

…stay up past your bedtime getting your brain teased!

Blood Sugar – Sascha Rothchild

Admit it, we’ve all thought it…I could just kill you! Ruby however, has acted on it. Three times to be exact. Though she may be a murderer Ruby is not a sociopath. She’s a therapist with a thriving practice, has several long-lasting friendships and a husband who she adores. When her husband is killed the question will be, what role did she play in his demise? Very clever and utterly delicious!

Just Like Home – Sarah Gailey

When her mother called to say come home, Vera obeyed, despite their long estrangement, despite the memories. She’s returned to the home of a serial killer. Where it was discovered that the father she adored buried his victims beneath the structure that housed his family. But apparently there are secrets that are still buried, lying dormant and ready to be revealed. A genre bending masterpiece!

Acts Of Violet – Margarita Montimore

Nearly a decade ago, iconic magician Violet performed her greatest trick ever: vanishing mid act. Though she hasn’t been seen since, the public fascination hasn’t wavered. Today a podcast host becomes increasingly intrusive, seeking an exclusive interview with Violet’s sister in the hopes of revealing all the family secrets. Moral of this particular story…you never know what might be behind the curtain!

56 Days – Catherine Ryan Howard

How much time do you need to meet someone, fall in love, move in together, tell each other epic lies, break up and then potentially end up a decomposing corpse on your own bathroom floor? 56 days should do it apparently. What better place to hide deep dark secrets than under the cover of a global pandemic? The secrets and the lies keep piling up in this thriller. A new author for me and I see a backlist catchup in my future!

Bullet Train – Kotaro Isaka

Satoshi looks like an innocent schoolboy but in reality, is a stylish and devious assassin. The risk fuels him but so does a good philosophical debate, for instance asking himself if killing is really wrong. A parent seeking vengeance certainly thinks so and tracks Satoshi onto the bullet train to exact his revenge. Turns out there is a whole lot more than just that going on aboard this crazy train! A propulsive thriller full of double crosses that never goes off track. Get what I did there?

More Than You’ll Ever Know – Katie Gutierrez

A woman is caught leading a double life after one husband is arrested for the murder the other. While trawling the internet for some sensational clickbait, true crime writer Cassie stumbles into details on that tragedy. Soon she is obsessed with all that is not known about the case. Why would a woman risk everything for a secret double marriage? The truth does not always set you free…

The Shining Girls – Lauren Beukes

Kirby is the last shining girl, one of the bright young women, burning with potential, whose lives Harper is destined to snuff out after he stumbles on a House in Depression-era Chicago that opens on to other times. At the urging of the House, Harper inserts himself into the lives of these shining girls, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He's the ultimate hunter, vanishing without a trace into another time after each murder, until one of his victims survives. And the hunter becomes the hunted. Chilling!

The Girls – Emma Cline

Lonely teenager Evie sees a group of girls in the park and is mesmerized by their aura of abandon. Soon she is in thrall and drawn into the circle of a soon to be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader. Living in a compound hidden in the hills, Evie doesn’t realize she is coming close to unthinkable violence with every day that passes. A savage and seductive coming of age story.

Schrodinger Girl – Laurel Brett

Garrett, an uptight psychology professor in a slump, meets the mysterious Daphne one night in a bar. Just as he starts embracing a new side of himself, Daphne evolves into four separate versions of herself. Everything Garrett thought he knew is called into question as he devotes himself to solving this mind-bending puzzle.

Trust. No. One.

…you will ask yourself over and over, what is true and what is false

Greenwich Park – Katherine Faulkner

Helen’s life is idyllic, handsome husband, gorgeous house, cherished baby on the way. But everything changes when she meets Rachel at prenatal class. Rachel who is unpredictable and smokes and drinks and seems to not have a maternal bone in her body. And then Rachel’s behavior turns erratic and unsettling, and it seems she knows an awful lot about the secrets being kept buried in Helen’s family. Tension ratcheted up so tightly you know it’s about to snap!

The Kind Worth Killing – Peter Swanson

The tantalizing set-up of this stand out novel is reminiscent of Strangers On A Train. On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted meets the stunning and mysterious Lily. After sharing one too many martinis they reveal very intimate details about themselves. Secrets. Ones that should be kept private. Their game turns darker after Ted jokes that he could just kill his wife for what she’s done to him. Then Lily offers to help…

Out – Natsuo Kirino

This mesmerizing novel tells the story of a brutal murder in the staid Tokyo suburbs, as a young mother who works the night shift making boxed lunches strangles her abusive husband and then seeks the help of her coworkers to dispose of the body and cover up her crime. The coolly intelligent Masako emerges as the plot’s ringleader, but quickly discovers that this killing is merely the beginning, as it leads to a terrifying foray into the violent underbelly of Japanese society.

The Robber Bride – Margaret Atwood

An unsettling story of three women whose lives share common ground. Zenia, a woman they first met as university students in the sixties. Zenia is smart and beautiful, by turns manipulative, vulnerable, and irresistible. She has entered into their separate lives to ensnare their sympathy, betray their trust, and exploit their weaknesses. Now Zenia, thought dead, has suddenly reappeared. Practically seeps with malevolence!

Truth Be Told – Kathleen Barber

The only thing more dangerous than a lie is the truth. Josie has spent the last ten years trying to escape her family, and with good reason. After her fathers murder, her mother ran away to join a cult and her twin sister betrayed her in an unimaginable way. After escaping that life, an investigative reporter upends her carefully crafted new life while researching a podcast. Turns out truth means different things to different people.

Lie To Me – J.T. Ellison

Sutton and Ethan’s idyllic life is not as it appears to be. They seem made for each other but with the personal betrayals and finance woes, love is mixed with a hefty dose of hate. Then one of them disappears and all the lies begin to unravel. A chilling portrayal of the disintegration of a marriage. Prepare for a roller coaster ride reader!

Double Indemnity – James M. Cain

Walter was an insurance salesman with an unfailing instinct for clients who might be in trouble, and his instinct led him to Phyllis. Phyllis wanted to buy an accidental death policy on her husband. Then she wanted her husband to have an accident. Walter wanted Phyllis. To get her, he would arrange the perfect murder and betray everything he had ever believed in. A classic noir full of duplicity and obsession!

The Secretary – Renee Knight

From her first day as Personal Assistant to the celebrated Mina, Christine understands what’s expected of her. Absolute loyalty. Absolute discretion. And for twenty years she has been a silent witness to everything, day after day being invisible. Watching, listening, absorbing all the secrets, and keeping them safe. But most invisible people are underestimated, dangerously so.

We Were Liars – E. Lockhart

A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl and a passionate political boy. A group of four friends, the liars, whose friendship turns destructive. A secret, an accident. Lies upon lies. And finally, the truth. Maybe.