Goodreads

Release date: October 3, 2023

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

For fans of Verity and A Flicker in the Dark, this is a twisted tale of murder, obsessive love, and the beastly urges that lie dormant within us all…even the God-fearing folk of Bottom Springs, Louisiana. In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. 

Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners’ bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into uproar—and Ruth realizes only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the town’s secret underbelly in search of true evil.

A dark and powerful novel like fans have come to expect from Ashley Winstead, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is an examination of the ways we’ve come to expect love, religion, and stories to save us, the lengths we have to go to in order to take back power, and the monstrous work of being a girl in this world.

Review:

I have to start by saying that I think that having the right expectations are super important before you read this book. Yes, it’s a thriller but it’s also part dark love story at its core and the mystery itself is somewhat quieter with a sinister edge than a true fast paced and exciting thriller. I also think this will be a polarizing read for most, you’ll either really like the unique way the story unfolds or you’re hate it and I fell on the side of really liking it. There are quite a few triggers but there are content warnings at the beginning of the book and if you like The Last Housewife this one wasn’t quite as dark. It explores religion, small town small mindedness, child abuse and sexual abuse alongside this dark and unsettling mystery that is very haunting. I don’t want to really dive into the plot but if you like really different thrillers with a strong atmosphere and a truly WTF ending this was great.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: October 3, 2023

Publisher: St. Martins

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

A young Harvard law student falls under the spell of a charismatic judge in this timely and thrilling novel about class, ambition, family and murder.

Madison Rivera lands the internship of a lifetime working for Judge Kathryn Conroy. But Madison has a secret that could destroy her career. Her troubled younger brother Danny has been arrested, and Conroy is the judge on his case. 

When Danny goes missing after accusing the judge of corruption, Madison’s quest for answers brings her deep into the judge’s glamorous world. Is Kathryn Conroy a mentor, a victim, or a criminal? Is she trying to help Madison or use her as a pawn? And why is somebody trying to kill her? 

As the two women circle each other in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, will they save each other, or will betrayal leave one of them dead?

Review:

This one started a little bit slow for me but once it picked up I was all in. You get two viewpoints, Madison and Kathryn and i enjoyed both characters. There are quiet a few side characters as well and it was complex but once I figured out who was who and what their purpose in the story was I understood the need for so many different threads and angles. Some aspects of the fairly complicated plot seemed obvious but I didn’t have everything totally figured out. The suspense factor was high throughout the story and the tension only ramped up in the end, exactly what I like in a thriller. Overall a fun cat and mouse type of thriller that kept me engaged.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: October 31, 2023

Publisher: Wednesday

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, YA

Synopsis:

Ten teen influencers come to a remote island to star in a reality show, but when one of them winds up dead, they realize that this time, the price of being “cancelled” could be their lives.

A reality show on a remote Caribbean island. Ten teen influencers. One dead body.

Welcome to “In Real Life,” the hot new reality show that forces social media’s reigning kings and queens to unplug for three weeks and “go live” without any filters. IRL is supposed to be the opportunity of a lifetime, watched closely by legions of loyal followers. But for these rising stars–including Elody, an Instagram model with an impulsive streak; Kira, a child star turned fitness influencer; Logan, a disgraced TikTok celeb with a secret; and Max, a YouTuber famous for exposés on his fellow creators—it’s about to turn into a nightmare.

When the production crew fails to show up and one of their own meets a violent end, these nine little influencers find themselves stranded with a dead body and no way to reach the outside world. When they start receiving messages from a mysterious Sponsor threatening to expose their darkest secrets, they realize that they’ve been lured into a deadly game…and one of them might be pulling the strings.

With the body count rising and cameras tracking their every move, the creators must figure out who is trying to get them canceled—like, literally—before their #1 follower strikes again.

Review:

This is the kind of book I would’ve been totally obsessed with when I was in high school. It’s juicy, scandalous and full of catty behavior and plenty of lies. I really liked the locked room style setting but make it a private island with a mansion and no way off the island. So the vibes were great as far as setting goes but it lost me a bit with trying to keep everybody straight when a few characters were very similar. There are four points of view but ten total characters and most of them were awful, think super privileged TikTok influencers with a slew of first world problems. Parts of it bordered on silly but I grabbed this when I wanted a popcorn thriller so I wasn’t mad at some of the ridiculousness but the overall mystery was wasn’t anything amazing. It was decent though, I just wish there was more suspense instead of them deciding to play spin the bottle while people are getting killed.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: September 26, 2023

Publisher: Bantam

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

A social media influencer with a secret past buys a murder house to renovate, but finds more than she bargained for behind the peeling wallpaper in this gothic psychological debut. 

Sarah Slade is starting over. As the new owner of the infamous Black Wood House—the scene of a grisly murder-suicide—she’s determined that the fixer-upper will help reach a new audience on her successful lifestyle blog, and distract her from her failing marriage.

But as Sarah paints over the house’s horrifying past, she knows better than anyone that a new façade can’t conceal every secret. Then the builders start acting erratically and experiencing bizarre accidents—and Sarah knows there’s only so long she can continue to sleep in the bedroom with the bloodstained floor and suffer the mysterious footsteps she hears from the attic.

When menacing notes start appearing everywhere, Sarah becomes convinced that someone or something is out to kill her—her husband, her neighbors, maybe even the house itself. The more she remodels Black Wood House, the angrier it seems to become.

With every passing moment, Sarah’s life spirals further out of control—and with it, her sense of reality. Though she desperately clings to the lies she’s crafted to conceal her own secrets, Sarah Slade must wonder . . . was it all worth it? Or will this house be her final unraveling?

Review:

There was a lot here that I enjoyed but there was also a lot that was iffy for me so I’m somewhere in the middle of the road for this one. I know it doesn’t matter but the cover is gorgeous and that’s initially what caught my eye and then the creepy house renovation sealed the deal. It was also fast paced and twisty even if many of the twists were pretty obvious for me but the combination kept me reading. Where things fell flat for me were in the characters, Sarah was just awful and hard to listen to at times and I usually do ok with unlikable characters but this was a little too much for me. It got a little repetitive too and maybe that’s because I feel like the tropes have been done before in a very similar way in other books. Overall just ok for me, but if you don’t read many thrillers it may work better for you.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.