thoughts on books

Category: Psychological thriller

  • good intentions by marisa walz

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    If you like a slightly manic, nervous wreck unreliable female main character, you’re going to love this book. Cady is dealing with grief of losing her twin sister, Dana, with whom she had a codependent relationship. In the emergency room, she sees and becomes obsessed with a woman named Morgan, who is frantic to hear about her son who has been taken in for injuries sustained by an accident. When she discovers that the woman’s son has died, she joins her grief group and becomes obsessed with her and begins following and stalking her.

    Audiobook review- what a performance. The tone becomes increasingly frantic as the book escalates, it is all first person narrative with plenty of anxious internal dialogue. The book is written as a “letter” to her sister Dana, so she speaks directly to Dana, calling her by name several times each chapter. I found it a bit distracting but I do think this helps the reader to remember the obsession that Cady had with Dana. Which is a big old advertisement for therapy.

    Recommend? Yes. It’s a debut and I sort of wonder if the author has ghost written for other thriller authors in the past. This book is perfect for fans of Shari LaPena, Lisa Jewell and Gillian Flynn.

    Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC. book to be published February 3, 2026.

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  • dark is when the devil comes

    A cautiously suspenseful novel about a woman coming back to her hometown, but who goes missing after wandering into the woods searching for mushrooms.

    Hazel is a bit broken, coming back to Idless after a divorce. She reconnects with her sister Cathy and friend Susie. The woods have supernatural elements, the horror is understated, very eerie and atmospheric. I found the pacing to be great that the beginning but it got slow (for me) near the end. I did enjoy the plot and felt satisfied at the conclusion.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for the ARC. Book to be published April 27, 2025.

  • when I kill you by ba paris

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    A suspense filled thriller that builds from the first page. I was thoroughly engaged in this story and the pacing. Nell is in a new relationship but she has a past. Once she was known as Elle and witnessed a crime outside her apartment. She became obsessed with the man that she saw and begins stalking him. The narrative jumps between Elle in the past being a stalker, and Nell in the current, realizing that she has a stalker herself.

    The audiobook was great, I enjoyed the performance and the British accent. I particularly liked how creepy she was in the interstitial chapters from the killers notebooks.

    I liked this but can’t say I loved it, I didn’t at all enjoy the ending. All of the scenarios that I had in my head were so much better, I feel like the reveal was a let down. But other than that, I truly liked the writing style. I would definitely read other titles by this author.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. book to be published February 16, 2026.

  • 59 minutes by holly seddon

    59 minutes is a suspenseful, short thriller with an ensemble cast. In the opening scene, London gets notice that a nuclear bomb will destroy their city in 59 minutes. Panic ensues. Over the rest of the narrative we follow several interconnected stories. For me, I was very hooked at the beginning. A frenetic pace and escalating tensions. It reminded me of a cross between Tilt by Emma Pattee and Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen. However, because of the extended cast and some of the twisty reveals, it fell a little short for me. I would say on this book- it is a like, not a love. I did very much enjoy the writing style, if not where the plot went, so I look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. Book to be published Nov 18, 2025

  • my husband’s wife by alice feeney

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    Classic Alice Feeney- twists and turns and exquisite pacing that draws you in and leads to an explosive conclusion. Eden Fox returns home from a run one day to find that her key doesn’t work. The door is answered by her husband Harrison’s wife, also introducing herself as Eden Fox. Eden doesn’t have her phone or any identification- she has to go on the run. The cops are after her. They are in a small beach town called Hope Glass and her home was sold 6 months earlier.

    The alternating chapter is Birdy, a woman diagnosed with terminal cancer who inherited the home, spyglass, from her family. There is a rich tradition and also deep secrets within.

    As the narrative unfolds, I was riveted by the characters and how they interact with each other. The first twist to show how the narratives connect was a shock to me. I was really engaged in this story to the very last page.

    Audiobook review/ good performance and accent by the narrator. I always appreciate the sound effects/ feet running on a beach, church bells, not so much as to be distracting but enough to make the listener feel engaged in the story.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC. book to be published Jan 19, 2026.

  • they want us dead by cj montblanc

    A Young Adult Locked Room Mystery with a touch of romance, They Want Us Dead.

    Sam is going to a retreat for content creators that are influencers in the area of true crime. Their online troll/enemy Dylan is also coming as a last-minute substitute. It doesn’t take long for them to be stranded with no wi fi or information, just as a dead body happens to fall into their laps (or down the steps).

    A lot to like here- a non-binary main character, enemies-to-lovers energy, a cast of characters with foibles and dialogue around their craft. At 320 pages, it is intensely readable. In particular the main character Sam is endearing, and while insecure, I thought their voice was a solid one throughout the novel. The Gen Z/Gen Alpha language was pure and very believable. For me, what didn’t work was the pacing and the legacy family storyline. But this book already has really strong reviews so I know others will enjoy it.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC. Book to be published April 28, 2026

  • her one regret by donna freitas

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    This is an ideal thriller book to read for a mystery book club. Rather than just a page turner, popcorn and twists story, this has some deeper themes that are worth exploring. The mystery itself lies in a woman, Lucy Mendoza, who goes missing from the grocery store parking lot, her phone left on the concrete, and her infant daughter sitting in the abandoned shopping cart. Multiple point of views are another mom that has a difficult post partum experience and does not feel supported by her husband. Another POV is from her best friend Michelle who knows some of Lucy’s deepest secret thoughts.

    The mystery itself takes a back seat to the thoughtful plotting and discourse around women and the choice or regret to become a mother. I have always wanted to be a mother and definitely had some stressful experiences while parenting, but this book helped me see the viewpoint of someone who regretted their choice to be a mother. Our culture definitely assumes that women want to be mothers and should be very nurturing. The truth is, not everyone should be a parent. Our culture very much assumes it is a gift and a duty of everyone, which causes people to make family planning choices they later come to regret. I think it is certainly a taboo to say you wish you hadn’t become a mom, even to say that you do not want to have kids.

    That discourse is really the star of this show, the mystery is secondary. It is easy to read and the characters are flawed but likable. The audio is easy to follow and well acted. For me, the Michelle voice was read in a more “insecure” way than I viewed the character. It was best to follow at a 1.7 speed.

    Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC. Book to be published 11/4/25

  • in her defense by philippa malicka

    WHOA. What a book. I just finished and I am totally shook. It is both suspenseful and terribly sad. Mood readers beware- it is hard to find a character to root for but it dives really deep into themes of identity and desire for acceptance. I was absolutely riveted and my mouth dropped open several times. Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Laura Dave.

    SYNOPSIS
    Gussie is lovesick over Mary, her former friend and sometimes hookup. She is the key witness in a trial. Mary’s mother, Anna, is a beloved TV actor and Mary her estranged only daughter. Anna is suing Mary’s therapist, Jean Guest. Jean says that Mary’s parents are toxic and supports Mary in cutting off all contact. Anna says that Mary has been manipulated for money and Jean has inserted false memories into Mary’s mind. Gus is the one that brings the two together- a former client of Jean, Mary has cut her off too. But Gus is the one that brought Jean and Mary together.

    THEMES- heavy!
    Very bad therapy
    therapist as cult leader
    Art school setting
    The roles we play to each other- how our friends see us
    Unrequited love
    Estrangement of family
    Sexual promiscuity as a search for acceptance
    We are all simultaneously the groomer and the groomed, the villain and the victim, the unreliable and fiercely loyal.

    I have read so many books where I came away saying, “Sheesh, these people all need therapy. This book is practically an advertisement for therapy.” WHOA. NOT SO FAST. Did you know that in the UK anyone can register as a therapist online, like registering as a “life coach” it appears that this doesn’t have the level of regulation that it does in the states. Or at least it doesn’t in this universe.

    the characters are so sad and over time they appear to see themselves in both ways. The characters, particularly Gus and Mary, grow over time and begin to have a maturity to understand their past insecurities. Jean gave them hope, then made them dependent on her for this hope, but at least she gave them hope.

    There is a reason why people join cults- there are wonderful things about it that make one feel finally understood, feel like there is a story to their pain. If it was all isolation and hopelessness then no one would join a cult. But there is a desperation for identity that becomes fulfilled and feels wonderfully validating.

    this book is so suspenseful it practically feels like horror. Unbelievable story.

    Thank you to Netgalley and scribner for the ARC. Book to be published 2/24/26

  • such a clever girl by darby kane

    Such a Clever Girl by Darby Kane has a really strong start- the introduction of several characters, former secrets, and the death of the head of a wealthy family. The reading of a will and questionable parentage and someone returning to town that was presumed to be dead.

    I loved several of Darby Kane’s last thrillers, but this one lacked something for me. There are a lot of character POV to keep straight. Hopefully the audiobook will have multiple narrators which will make it easier to keep straight. I found the twists and red herrings to be dizzying at times- and there wasn’t enough time spent in character building so that I liked any of the people.

    That said, some of the scenes were great and really creepy. I was definitely surprised at the ending.

    Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC. Book to be published January 19, 2026.

  • her last breath by taylor adams

    An absolutely CLAUSTROPHOBIC cave cat-and-mouse thriller.

    New fear unlocked! CAVES. Leave it to Taylor Adams for creating a new primal fear, a highly descriptive thriller that alternates between police interview- as homocide detective Washington talks to Tess, who has just escaped evil killer Jacob from NINE stories underground in the pitch black. Tess was “caving” and exploring the earth beneath with her best friend, influencer Allie. They ran into a stranger who claimed to be working with the park to do signage.

    Alternating timeline and viewpoint, we slowly learn more and more about Tess, Jacob, Allie, and Allie’s boyfriend Ethan. Although it may seem hard to determine motive and a deep storyline within a tight space cave, this book absolutely pulls it off. Taylor Adams is a master of creating suspense while revealing secrets and identity at exquisitely paste intervals.

    This was one of the best thrillers that I have read in a while, I found it to be quite the page turner. It is equal parts mystery and thriller. The suspense builds tremendously and the setting is second to none. I was so engaged, I felt like I was in that cave with Tess and Allie.

    Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC. Book to be published February 16, 2026.