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Release date: January 2, 2018

Publisher: William Morrow

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb:

What did she see?

It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.

Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.

But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

Review:

When a book is optioned to be a movie before it’s release you just know it’s going to be good and I’m so pleased to say that this is worth all of the hype and I can absolutely understand why I’ve been seeing it everywhere. There is something very cinematic about the way this is written, it really is begging to be a movie and I’ll be anxiously awaiting it’s eventual release.

The best psychological thrillers keep you guessing and there is much back and forth here. Anna is a woman on the brink, she’s unraveling at the seams but she isn’t your standard, is she reliable or isn’t she narrator. I was fascinated by the insight into Anna’s mind and loved not knowing exactly what she would do next, that sense of unease is a must for me in a psychological thriller. Not only is she incredibly well drawn the entire book is multifaceted and well accomplished, you can tell that Finn knows exactly what he’s doing and every element of the plot has a purpose, a reasoning behind it and I was blown away several times while reading this.

This starts off slower but the pacing gradually increases throughout the book all the way up until a breathless, tense ending. There was something menacing about the style of this book, an unnerving feeling that made me anxious but also totally engaged. It’s on the longer side, especially in my experience of a thriller, but at no point did it feel drawn out or just too much. You know how sometimes it seems like authors are trying to hard, whether it’s with crazy, unbelievable plot twists or overdone writing that drags on? There was not a hint of that here and the fact that this is a debut is all the more impressive, I’ll be following Finn’s career closely.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

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Release date: January 9, 2018

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life: he’s the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three year old twins on whom they dote, and he’s recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria. Yes, there are rumors that she’s having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad. Bay’s sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips?

Review:

The cover for The English Wife is absolutely stunning, I just had to get that out of the way because I’ve looked at it a gazillion times! This was the perfect book to be my first review of the new year as I’m hoping to add more historical fiction to my TBR and I had heard wonderful things about Willig’s books so this was an easy pick for me. This was a beautifully rendered tale of love, betrayal and sacrifice all shrouded in a dark gothic mystery that swept me away to the gilded age.

This is told via dual timelines, but there isn’t a huge gap between them, one is in 1899 and the other begins just a few years before and details the events that lead to the murder of Bayard. Janie is his sister and she narrates the parts after his death and I really connected to her. She was an outsider in her own family, always just on the fringes of society despite being part of a prominent family and her insecurities made her easy to relate to.

This was so well written, Willig is a gifted writer who uses rich details to conjure up images that really came to life. There was drama and scandal aplenty, especially for the era, there were some taboo topics and surprising turns that I didn’t predict. I do want to add that it moved at a slow pace at times but I believe your patience will be rewarded if you keep reading, part of the charm is the attention to detail but it can be slightly verbose.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and the Great Thoughts Ninja review team for my copy.

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Release date: January 7, 2018

Publisher: Shelter Harbor Press

Genre: Fiction

Blurb:

“The Slave is a compact self-help book with exceptional accessibility and a profundity that encourages repeat reads.” – Foreword Reviews

A profound and paradigm-challenging book that guides readers through a transformative journey to personal freedom.

Trapped in a vegetative state, following a terrible accident that has paralyzed his whole body, the narrator is unable to communicate with those around him. Cut off from family and friends so begins an inner conversation with his spiritual guide, a conversation which takes him on a journey of self-realization, bringing him eventually to a new state of consciousness, and an understanding of his deepest self.

Written with an engaging simplicity, this is a truly profound book which can change your life. In fact to use the authors own words, it is designed to shake, shudder and wake us up. It is a book that has nothing to do with success, social recognition, with the accumulation of goods; but everything to do with joy, love and peace.

Review:

This book is way out of my comfort zone and not at all like anything I would normally read, but when I was approached about receiving a copy I was intrigued. It’s s short read, but it packs an almighty punch and definitely forces you to think on a deep level.

The concept is fairly simple as is the writing style, where this shines is in it’s message. An unnamed man, The Slave, is in a coma where he can’t move but he can hear, see and knows exactly what is going on around him. This could be considered a self help type of read but I think it’s much more than that. The Slave meets his spirit guide during his coma and much of it follows the guide helping him realize what is actually important in life, what truly matters. The overall message is uplifting and powerful, I can definitely see how it would speak to many people and could even encourage them to change the way they view the world. I agreed with most of the ideas and found this to be a very insightful read.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to Larissa at Clair McKinney PR for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: January 4, 2018

Publisher: Point Blank Books

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

An isolated Swedish town. A deaf reporter terrified of nature. A dense spruce forest overdue for harvest. A pair of eyeless hunters found murdered in the woods.

It’s week one of the Swedish elk hunt and the sound of gunfire is everywhere. When Tuva Moodyson investigates the story that could make her career she stumbles on a web of secrets that knit Gavrik town together. Are the latest murders connected to the Medusa killings twenty years ago? Is someone following her? Why take the eyes? Tuva must face her demons and venture deep into the woods to stop the killer and write the story. And then get the hell out of Gavrik.

Review:

Do you need a new book to add to your TBR, one that has not only a chilly atmosphere but also a chilling plot? I’m assuming you’re nodding your head thinking, yes that’s exactly what I’m looking for, because that’s why you’re here, right?! There is nothing better than a reading a book that matches the current season, a beach read in the summer, a horror novel in the fall or a book like Dark Pines in the winter. It had a fantastic combination of a strong and interesting lead character, a creepy setting in the dense forests of Sweden and an strange murder case that left me puzzled.

Tuva is a journalist which is always a nice change of pace in a crime novel, I like the uniqueness of having someone other than a police officer investigating a case. She was really intriguing, she’s deaf and not your typical lead, she’s not overly brave or tough, in fact she’s actually terrified of the woods and the combination of her fear and not being able to hear made for some great, eerie situations. She’s an outsider in her small town having only been living there for two years and the oddball group of locals don’t know what to make of her. These characters were really great, they were all SO weird and had so many off the wall quirks, you never knew quite what would happen with them next and it made it all the more difficult to figure out whodunnit.

This read like a classic murder mystery, a nod to old school style books and I thought the pacing was spot on. The chapters would often end kind of abruptly but oddly enough it worked really well for me. I was totally caught up in this one, it had a quiet ferocity that reminded me of Ragnar Jonasson and fans of his work should definitely give this a try!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.