Tag Archives: fiction

FOUR THRILLERS: Worth Your Time? You Make the Call…

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I love a good psychological thriller and was in the mood for more, so I tried these new books, which ultimately left me a little disappointed, especially after reading two barnburners earlier this year (My Husband’s Wife and The One). My thoughts:

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston. I loved her earlier book, First Lie Wins, and was eagerly awaiting her next book. However, it fell flat and was at times tedious, mainly because the timelines jumped around and I got confused about who was who. I skimmed to the end and wasn’t impressed with the ending either. As usual, your mileage may vary; some have loved it, while others felt the way I did.

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins. I enjoyed her earlier book, The Villa, a suspense novel set during the summer Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, so I was looking forward to this one. It started out well, with an appealing setting (a small Alabama beach-town hotel) prone to hurricanes and likable characters. It flipped around on the timeline, but it wasn’t confusing, and the finale was fine, not mindbending but it made sense. This would be a good book to read with sand between your toes.

It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica. I read so many good reviews of this, and despite the unappealing characters (especially the two teens), I raced through this. Unfortunately, when it was revealed who caused the murders, my heart sank. I don’t want to say more, but I have a problem with the ones who were responsible and that ruined the ending. I also didn’t care for the final final revelation. But that’s just me… (If you want more of an explanation, send me a message.)

A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James. I started this in audio, which was very well done with three separate narrators, but had to finish in book form as my audio loan ended, and that was OK (an occurrence that often happens). I enjoyed her earlier book, The Sun Down Motel, and found the spooky vibes right up my alley (chilling but not gruesome). This is the author’s latest book, and it has a strong premise: three adult siblings return to their childhood home after being summoned by the ghost of Ben, their younger brother, who disappeared when he was six. This had ghosts galore (real ones), and it rolled along fairly well, but the ending was rushed, with no real details about what happened in their childhood. I gave it 3 stars.

HALF HIS AGE by Jeanette McCurdy

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Well, reading this was a wild ride, and this case, I don’t mean that in a good way. The topic (and cover, quite frankly) of Waldo, a high school senior, lusting after her 40-year-old schlubby creative writing teacher (and succeeding) may turn off readers, but those who have read McCurdy’s bestselling memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, may be thinking of giving this a try. But here’s the thing: this is one of the most uncomfortable books I have read in a long time. I am not one to shy away from a controversial books and have a strong stomach for crude content (after all I read a pure porn novel in the 8th grade given to me by a classmate), but this has such graphic and disturbing sex scenes that I felt like I had to close my eyes (I can’t imagine getting through them in audio!). For a coming-of-age novel, it’s quite good, and there is some hope Waldo will come to her senses fairly soon, but I felt the author could have dialed down some of the graphic content a few notches and still gotten her point across.

This book is similar to two other novels I read about teacher/student relationships. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is about a male teacher grooming and developing a long-term relationship with a high school student (loosely based on “Lolita”), and Nampa by Alissa Nutting is a novel about a female teacher who has a penchant for 14-year-old boys.

Would I recommend anyone read Half His Age? Well, for some weird reason, I like reading controversial books. Tell me something that should be censored or is creating a sensation, and I’m on it, immediately wanting to see what all the fuss is about. So if you are like me, by all means, read this, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

My Journey With the Seven Sisters (and Pa Salt) by Lucinda Riley

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Two years ago, after carrying the large paperback of the first book, The Seven Sisters, in my beach bag for six years, I finally set aside time to start the entire series, which consists of eight long books.

Well, I just finished the last book, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, and boy, what a journey that turned out to be!

Each book centers around one of the six sisters adopted by “Pa Salt,” a billionaire, with each one named after a star in the Seven Sisters constellation, also known as the Pleiades. Despite not being exceptionally well-written and sometimes needing a good editor, I enjoyed all the titles. They border on melodrama and were all a tad predictable, but I didn’t give a fig; they all hit the right note for warm summer days on the patio. These books with dual timelines are full of family dynamics, intrigue, and romance, and incorporate some historical figures and history in each exotic setting (Switzerland, Paris, England, Ireland, Australia, Africa, and Brazil), and one has to admire Riley’s research and imagination. If you decide to start on this series, be sure to have the next book readily available, as each ends with a cliffhanger.

My other minor gripe was that these sisters were all smart people, but throughout their upbringing, no one thought to ask their father, Pa Salt, his real name? (I know!)

If you’re a fan of epic novels by Diana Gabaldon, Sara Donati, Beatriz Williams, and Kate Morton, try these addictive books.