Still not back to my usual reading routines but a slight improvement on the last two months. My only read that wasn't a thriller was Found In A Bookshop by Stephanie Butland. Set during COVID this focused on the day to day life of a bookshop and it's efforts to make life better for it's customers by curating reading lists for issues they were having in their lives. Initially I wasn't grabbed by this book but I persevered and really wanted to know how those issues were resolved.
The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore featured a women gifted a retreat in a forest in Sweden. Thrown together with ten strangers paranoia begins to set in when strange noises and events begin to happen, things no-one else experiences. This was a slow burner, building the tension and neurosis of the main character. Unfortunately the reactions of the main character were questionable at times so I couldn't quite sympathise with her.
My three remaining thrillers were all five star reads. Back in late 2021 I discovered Helen Fields DI Callanach series when I reviewed One For Sorrow, little realising it was book seven in a series. I promised myself I would read the earlier books. January saw me finally making a start on the series with Perfect Remains. Newly relocated DI Luc Callanach is thrown into the deep end when he has to investigate the abduction and murder of a woman in Edinburgh. A seriously creepy protagonist, a race against time and an engaging crime solving duo made this a gripping read. I now just need to find the time to read the rest of the series.
Author T. M. Logan is a master of twisty psychological thrillers and The Mother is one of his best. Heather Vernon has been wrongly convicted of the murder of her husband. Newly released from prison she is determined to clear her name. The opening immediately grips you by its intriguing start. From that moment on it's a blistering pace full of action, conspiracy and suspense.
The Close from Jane Casey introduced me to the Maeve Kerrigan series and I'm questioning why I've never read any of these books before. Kerrigan and partner DI Josh Derwent go undercover in a small community to try and discover how vulnerable adults are going missing. The story was engrossing with many of the residents of the community hiding secrets. What really made the story was the chemistry between Kerrigan and Derwent.
Two audiobooks this month. Five Survive by Holly Jackson was a well thought out thriller aimed at young adults. The action takes place over a twenty-four hour period which keeps the tension going. I did feel the story lacked a little sophistication and had to keep reminding myself that this was aimed at teens rather than adults.
End Of Story by Louise Swanson is a dystopian story where fiction of any type is banned and writers are threatened and punished if they try to write. Through journal entries we learn of the rising fear Fern Dostoy faces as she joins an underground movement who read bed-time stories to children. This story really surprised me, even when I thought I'd figured out what was happening.
Publication dates to watch out for are:
The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore will be published in audio and ebook format on 22nd February 2023, the paperback will be available on 27th April 2023.
The Close by Jane Casey will be published in hardback and ebook format on 2nd March 2023.
The Mother by T. M. Logan will be published in hardback, audio and ebook format on 2nd March 2023.
End Of Story by Louise Swanson will be published in hardback, audio and ebook format on 23rd March 2023.
Found In A Bookshope by Stephanie Butland will be published in paperback, audio and ebook format on 27th April 2023.
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