The Midnight Feast - Lucy Foley
My second book by this author. This story follows four different perspectives: Francesca, the founder, Owen, the husband, Bella the mystery guest, and Eddie the kitchen help. We join these characters on the first night of the grand opening weekend at The Manor, a luxury retreat that Francesca has created, along with the help of her husband, Owen, upon her familial coastal estate. Then an ominous tone sets in as there are some mysterious things happening and the property itself seems to be entangled in a darkness; its unsettling, wicked and wild. I loved the construction of the story. The chapters are short and you alternate between all of these perspectives. With each chapter you're learning more and more about what is actually going here, the history and connections. We also get some journal entries, which take us back to the property, I believe, 15-years prior, and the horrific events that happened there at that time. This will be made into a TV series. 4 stars
“There’s an old saying: The first lie wins. It’s not referring to the little white kind that tumble out with no thought; it refers to the big one. The one that changes the game. The one that is deliberate. The lie that sets the stage for everything that comes after it. And once the lie is told, it’s what most people believe to be true. The first lie has to be the strongest. The most important. The one that has to be told.”
“You can tell a lot about a person by the way they act when they are left waiting too long.”
She's Not Sorry - Mary Kubica
This is my 4th book by this author as she is skillful at storytelling. I binged this book in 24 hours because it was such a good thriller! An ICU nurse Meghan has a patient who jumps off a bridge. Was it suicide or homicide? Multiple twists in the book! The book weaves a tale of secrets, deception, and betrayal as Meghan finds herself embroiled in a web of lies that threatens to unravel her life. An entire cast of characters you cannot trust. A gripping and shocking book! I had so many questions swirling through my head while reading this book. Through a plot both well-written and skillfully laid out, the mildly slow burn first half quickly caught fire into an explosion of dread. Even the somewhat unresolved conclusion worked perfectly for me, as it left me utterly speechless as I gasped with the final well-timed reveal. 5 stars
This is my third book from this author. The book was a mix of historical fiction and mystery, never had this combo before. The Heiress is told in three narrators: 1. husband Camden, 2. wife Jules, 3. a collection of letters by Camden’s adopted mother, Ruby. Ruby writes letters prior to her death at an elderly age, and through these letters we see what transpired during her years growing up and her four marriages. Ruby is quite the intriguing character! That is a peek at her portrait on the gorgeous cover. She may have more skeletons in her closet than any other character I've read about.
When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over. Camden reluctantly returns to Ashby House, a moody, gothic backdrop of a fifteen-bedroom mansion, to tie up loose ends and then all the secrets unravel. What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? Ashby House created a creepy atmosphere that really set the mood. If those walls could speak, they would have a story to tell and in a way they do. There are also lots of secrets along with unlikable characters
Full of twists, turns, I read the book in 5 days as I love a book that can keep me turning the pages as the storyline was fast-paced, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! 5 stars
The Last One at the Wedding - Jason Rekulak
It's rare that I read a book with a male protagonist but maybe that's because I'm always reading female authors. The book was easy to read right from the start. In this story we follow Frank Szatowski, a Gulf War veteran and UPS driver for 26 years without an accident, from rural Pennsylvania. Frank is a widower who has sadly been estranged from his daughter Maggie for the past three years. Frank is shocked when he receives a call from Maggie out of the blue inviting him to her wedding. Determined to make things right with his only child, Frank readily agrees. He's excited to meet his future son-in-law, Aidan Gardner, and get to know his family. The weekend-long event is set to take place at a lakeside estate in New Hampshire.As it turns out, Aidan's father is a titan in the tech industry and the family is ridiculously wealthy. The property is a virtual fortress, complete with intimidating security personnel. Frank, a UPS driver feels completely out of his league. There is a ton of family drama on both sides, and Frank feels like something isn't right. He overhears mysterious conversations, and there's so many secrets, but the more he tries to find out about the family his daughter is marrying into, the more trouble he finds.
There are many unexpected twists and turns that had me glued to the page. Be prepared to now question everything you thought you knew. The book is told in five acts, but don’t worry as the chapters in between the acts are so short and fast paced. I was instantly interested from the beginning and invested in this daddy- daughter dynamic and trying to get to the bottom of the mystery behind Aidan’s high powered family. Overall, this is a fast-paced and gripping mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end, with shocking twists that catch you off guard. I highly recommend this book—it just might end up on my top ten thrillers list of 2024. 5 stars
The Night We Lost Him - Laura Dave
Is a mystery about two half-siblings investigating what happened to their father when he died unexpectedly. More poignant family drama with a mystery edge than a true thriller, it was both deeply thought-provoking with a side of super slow burn suspense. Much of this was down to the two deftly interwoven timelines that took me across fifty years and two touching love stories. This was a very popular book that a lot of people loved but I didn't. It was so slow and nothing exciting happened the entire story that made me want to keep reading as I found it painfully boring, I only forced myself to finish the book because I loved the author's other book The Last Thing He Told Me.
The Next Mrs. Parrish - Liv Constantine
I hated the first book. The storyline of this book was so farfetched but the chapters were short so it was an easy read. It's two women, ex and current wife of a man who got out of prison for tax-evasion. This book has everything in it: getting drugged, custody dispute, gaslighting, and domestic violence. The book has three narrators who play off each other to do their best to be horrible to each other. Some of the characters in this book were too awful for words. Very unrealistic story line, but pretty fast paced.
I did like hearing what perfume people wore - "Grand Soir for her MIL Birdie which surprised me, I wouldn't have seen this socialite wearing such a bold choice. But then Jackson wears just a generic "Creed" when the brand has 100 fragrances."
Kill for Me, Kill for You - Steve Cavanagh
Ok so this was a 2023 release. This book kept me on my toes, I didn't know who to trust. Wow what a fast-paced psychological thriller! This is not a mystery book where the crime happened in the past, in this book you are taken through the crime as it happens which is very gory. The book gets you engrossed from chapter 1, no slow start to this book! This was such a fascinating, twisty, crazy story based on the movie Strangers on a Train where two strangers agree to kill for the other. This book has so much suspense, jaw-dropping twists and I enjoyed every minute of it! Move this to the top of your to read list immediately! I can't recommend it enough! 5 stars
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The next three books were highly rated for this year, I borrowed them from the library and have at home and will finish reading before the end of the year.
The God of the Woods - Liz Moore
When I requested this book at the library I was number 247 on the wait list! Time ranked it as one of the 100 Must Read Books of 2024. Goodreads users voted it as the number one mystery book of the year. It's 500 pages so longer than my usual read. It has a lot of characters and jumps back and forth in timeline.
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family.
Society of Lies - Lauren Ling Brown
Maya and Naomi are half-Asian, half-Black, I mention this because the author is the same (and went to Princeton) and I like to make sure I get some diversity in the authors that I read. One review said this book will have powerful inclusions of racial discrimination, judgement and bystander effect. I did a summer program in high school at Princeton to learn Japanese so I will be able to picture the campus as I read. I think for an author to base a book at her alma matter, we will get both dark academia and how it is to be a person of color at an Ivy League College. This is the author's first book.
Home Is Where the Bodies Are - Jeneva Rose
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