Thriller

Rating: 7/10

“Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.” Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the owner of the Hitchcock Hotel, a rather creepy place dedicated to the Master of Suspense. Where every room has been transformed with memorabilia and guests are offered round the clock screenings of Hitchcock’s films. Hitchcock motifs are layered into this novel in brilliant ways…don’t miss my Top 20 films included in the review!

Historical Fiction

Rating: 8/10

Journalist Georgie isn’t prepared for what she finds when she returns to Germany once the war is over. The fighting might be over, but the ravages of it are plain to see. A crumbling city, hundreds of thousands of displaced souls as hungry for warmth as they are for food. With the help of a ragtag group, she might find a way to tell the story of the people and the war no one wanted. Beautifully written!

Hitting The Books-January 2025

This month’s read-a-likes are curated for the release of The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill. The story of a Magical Bookstore that allows the transgender Darby the opportunity to revisit the world of his sixteen-year-old self and maybe tweak things just a smidge. More Magical Bookstores and Libraries, here we come!

New Books On The Shelves-January 2025

I’m a planner in every way you could imagine, a particular quirk that benefits my reading life. And now you dear reader, will reap the rewards with my new monthly post that will feature three of the most interesting books coming out in the next month as well as a few extra just for fun. Happy Reading!

Fiction

Rating: 9.5/10

When Patch is abducted during a brave attempt to spare another, his best friend Saint will stop at nothing to find him. She will not sleep, or eat. She will chase the police for answers. She will never give up, never back down. When she does find him, neither will ever be the same. Following decades of friendship, this gifted author reminds us that although some things may be lost to us, more survive despite the harshest odds. Patch and Saint will take up residence in your heart, and you will be better for it. Not to be missed!

Thriller

Rating: 9/10

A rip-roaring, action packed crime novel starring three bandmates who moonlight as vigilantes. They find themselves caught in a trap when they follow a lead to a serial killer they have been hunting. Instead they find themselves pitted against each other in a fight to the death. They will need to find a way to flip the script; new game, new stakes, new players. I feel like if Tarantino wrote a book, it might read like this! Brilliant!

Speculative Fiction

Rating: 9/10

Marsh never imagined she would be chosen as the star of season three of All This & More. A reality show with a simple premise; each season the chosen one will have ten episodes to try and alter their life path. With quantum bubbling they can try multiple versions, moving back and forth until they land on the do over they are looking for. The possibilities seem endless to Marsh, but if life has taught us nothing else, be wary if something seems to good to be true. The reader can follow paths of their own choosing too! There are 27. I counted.

Sci-Fi/Mystery

Rating: 8.5/10

If Sherlock Holmes and M. Night Shyamalan had a book baby, this would be it! The island is idyllic: 122 villagers and three scientists living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to be of service in sustaining their way of life; doing what they are told. Until, to their horror, one the scientists is found brutally murdered and they discover that the security system keeping a deadly fog at bay has failed. And that’s before they find out about the AI that knows all their thoughts, and might be manipulating them.

Mystery

Rating: 9/10

I have never really understood the whole cruise thing. Voluntarily imprisoning oneself on a slow-moving island with endless activities tailored to be “fun”, but more like a form a shared torture from my perspective. No thanks. Well, if I was looking to have my mind changed, this book had no hope of that! As with this author’s first book, I loved the wry banter, the masterful grasp and dispensation of red herrings, the eccentric cast of characters.

Fiction/Thriller

Rating: 9/10

Clara can’t remember when she learned about the family curse. There was no pomp and circumstance, nobody came out and said, Clara everyone thinks your family is irrevocably doomed. She and her brother Teddy had to figure it out on their own, piecing together the truth from the whispers around them. And once they had the whole story…all hell broke loose. One of the best last minute twists I have read in a while!

Books Full Of Mystery, Thrills & Chills…

My Christmas wish for you is this, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. May they provide an escape, a door into a world of wonder, a glimpse at an everyday hero’s inspirational tale, a reminder that laughter is indeed the best medicine, and that words and stories are sustenance for the soul, and in our darkest moments, a soft place to land. Find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

Books For Those That Love The Art Of Storytelling…

My Christmas wish for you is this, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. May they provide an escape, a door into a world of wonder, a glimpse at an everyday hero’s inspirational tale, a reminder that laughter is indeed the best medicine, and that words and stories are sustenance for the soul, and in our darkest moments, a soft place to land. Find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

Books For A Glimpse Into Another Persons Story…

My Christmas wish for you is this, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. May they provide an escape, a door into a world of wonder, a glimpse at an everyday hero’s inspirational tale, a reminder that laughter is indeed the best medicine, and that words and stories are sustenance for the soul, and in our darkest moments, a soft place to land. Find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

Books Get The Holiday Treatment!

Sweet Holiday treats in the form of mystery novels! Gathered are bitesized seasonal instalments from beloved series that miss none of the byzantine plotting or quirky characters and new offerings that are full of witty banter and charm. Any (or all) of them a perfect escape from the hectic holiday preparations all of us undertake at this time of year. All the seasonal vibes with none of the work…what are you waiting for!!

Fiction

Rating: 8/10

Brink cannot resist the urge to solve a puzzle put in front of him, no level of difficultly is insurmountable. Nervous energy will overcome him until he can put right the disorder. His brain will latch itself on to patterns or sequences without his consent or, at times, his awareness. His unique skillset has now put him in harms way. Fun fact (or is it fiction?), ones and zeros will become replaced with qubits. Information will be able to exist here, and there. Be black and white at the same time. Makes my head hurt…

Horror

Rating: 7.5/10

Bodies drop like flies in this book. I won’t elaborate on the irony of that, but you know, the title. As the saying goes, there is no honor among thieves. Our tale of terror begins with Anne narrowly escaping a botched bank heist with a wounded team member and a cop she has recklessly taken hostage. And that’s only the beginning of her mistakes. From there the story takes a dark, otherworldly, and very yucky turn. The gore factor is worthy of a Tarantino film!

Creepy Reads To Curl Up With…Keep The Lights On!

A blood splattered dissection of the uber rich, where fury flows as freely as champagne. And on the menu? The family’s just desserts. A robot, William, has begun make decisions outside of its programming, forming appetites, gaslighting its creator. And now, he (it?) wants out. A sleep deprived women who can’t understand why she is so tired all the time, until she films herself. This trio of novellas clears the most difficult hurdle in horror fiction, ensuring the fear on the page is felt by the reader!

Romance/Horror

Rating: 9/10

I don’t often wander into the romance category, but sometimes a girl just needs to get her groove on. So to speak. This tantalizing tale of two vigilante serial killers endlessly trying to out kill each other certainly scratched that itch. Tons of teasing banter, romantic gestures and very spicy bedroom antics build with every page. You know what they say…there’s a lid for every pot!

Sci-Fi/Horror

Rating: 7.5/10

Dr. Ophelia Bray wakes from frozen sleep still locked into the coffin like tank. Every breath a searing iciness, every muscle stiff and cramped, every sense excruciatingly straining to haul her back to a conscious state. And that’s before she emerges. Before she finds the crew missing and the ship silent. A desolate planet, a derelict ship, a shadowy crew and nothing but endless night. What else do you need in a space horror book?

Mystery/Suspense

Rating: 9.5/10

Plot (noun): a sequence of events in a narrative, like a novel; an immoral or illegal plan; a designated section of land, as in a gravesite. Trust me on this, you will revisit more than one of these definitions in this brilliantly written novel. You will find yourself ensnared in a tangle of literary treachery and hubris populated by vivid and compelling characters. Should reading be this fun? Hell yeah!