When we meet Evan he is about to face trial for sexual assault. He is a professional football player although he never wanted to be one. He wanted to be a painter but he lacked the talent. Instead, he had a talent for football and so finally he gave in and joint a club. But how did he end up in front of a court?
This is a sad and harrowing story about a young man finding his place in life. It is a short book but it is powerful and packed with difficult topics. This is the second book in Boyne’s elements series. Although “Earth” is not as impressive as “Water” it is still an engaging read. If you love Boyne’s books and especially “Water” you will enjoy this one as well. I am looking forward to “Fire”.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ten years ago, Dani was a student at St. Edmunds University in Dublin. There she met her first love, Theo. But Theo vanished one day without a trace. Dani new that his disappearance had something to do with the medical research program the University is part of. But nobody seems to care what happen to Theo. They just assume that he left her and went traveling. Dani, heartbroken, never finished her studies and left St. Edmont to care for her mother. But now, Dani is back as a history professor. But she is not just back to teach students. She wants to find out what is going on in St. Edmonds and maybe find out what happened to Theo
The story is told in two timelines, 2014 and 2024. The plot is multi layered and well developed. Unfortunately, I did not know that the story was about Alzheimer disease and medical research which are not my favourite topics. So I struggled a bit to maintain an interest. I think it is just me not liking this topic, so you better go and read some other reviews as well. I’ve read a few books by Jo Spain so far and I am sorry to say that for said reasons I did not enjoy this book as much as her other books. But beside that, if medical research is your thing, this is an engaging and solid thriller.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When I saw that C.J. Tudor has a new book I immediately knew that I want to read it. If I knew it was about Vampires, I would have thought twice. I am not a fan of vampires. But I did not know that, so I got the book and of course I read it. What I got is a decent thriller with, well, vampires in it.
Detective Barbara Atkins is a Forensic Vampyr Anthropologist. She is called to a small town in rural Alaska where a murder happened and a young boy is missing. The town is near a Colony of vampyrs and of course everybody in the town is sure the vampyrs are the culprits. They want Barbara to call a cull so they can take matters into their own hands like they used to do the last time someone got killed. For them vampyrs are like animals. You should hunt and kill them. And maybe hang up some trophies above your mantlepiece.
Imaging a story about racism but with vampyrs as the victims. The author kept the balance between showing that vampyrs are outcasts and suffered abuse but they can be also dangerous of course. The story is well crafted but unfortunately not all characters are equally well developed. Barbara, the main character, is refreshingly different to other female MC. She is over fifty, overweight and average looking. Not that kind of twentysomething beautiful heroine we meet most of the time. But she is smart and witty and a good character to connect with. Towards the end I got a bit confused with all the names and had a hard time remember who was who. But the book held my interest. After I got over the fact that I had to read about vampires I enjoyed the story and even was impressed by the idea.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Connie kümmert sich aufopferungsvoll um ihre an Demenz erkrankte Mutter Gwen. Sie hat ihren Job aufgegeben und lebt ganz für sie. Doch plötzlich ist da Paul. Gutaussehend und charmant werkelt er plötzlich in Gwens Garten herum. Er wurde von einer Hilfsorganisation geschickt, die ehrenamtlich Helfer an ältere Leute vermittelt, um bestimmte Arbeiten zu verrichten. Zuerst ist Connie verärgert, aber schon bald erliegt auch sie Pauls Charme. Gwen ist sowieso verzückt über die Aufmerksamkeit und verwechselt ihn auch schon mal mit ihrem verstorbenen Mann. Doch schnell wird klar, dass Paul sich zwischen Connie und Gwen drängen will. Und er ist mehr an Gwen interessiert als an Connie.
Ich bin ein großer Fan von John Marrs. Er schreibt sehr unterschiedliche Geschichten und irgendwie gefällt es mir immer. Egal in welchem Genre er gerade unterwegs ist. Hier sieht alles zunächst sehr übersichtlich aus, aber das ändert sich ab dem Zweiten Teil der Story. Gwen ist eine demente älter Dame, die aber ein wenig Geld hat und ein Haus. Und Paul ist offensichtlich dabei, sich in ihr Leben zu drängen und ihre Situation zu seinem Vorteil auszunutzen. Connie wird zusehens verzweifelter, denn sie trifft eine Reihe unkluger Entscheidungen, die sie in einem ungünstigen Licht erscheinen lassen und irgendwie scheint sie die Einzige zu sein, die durchschaut, was Paul vorhat. Doch auch langsam beschlichen mich Fragen zu Connie. Und bevor ich den Finger drauflegen konnte, was mich an ihr störte, kommt der Twist. Und dann wird die Story erst richtig interessant. Allerdings auch ziemlich düster.
This book captivated me from page one. While it is not written as a podcast it almost feels like one.
Cassidy is a documentary film maker and came into a bit of fame with her last film where they found the real culprit because of their research. Out of the blue she is approached by a man, Luke, who went lost together with his girlfriend twenty years ago while they were hiking in the jungle of Thailand. He was found weeks later claiming that a strange man took his girlfriend. But the police and the public always thought he may have killed her. He was never charged because Mari, his girlfriend, was never found. But his life was ruined. Now he finally wants to tell his side of the story and what really happens in the jungle. And he wants Cassidy to help him. Cassidy is thrilled by the opportunity to solve this case and she is soon charmed by handsome and vulnerable Luke. But he seems to be holding back and keeps delaying the big reveal. When they travel to Thailand to reconstruct their journey things get complicated. Cassidy is torn between her being professional and making this important film and her feelings for Luke. She is drawn to him but on the other side she does not trust him. Is Luke a master manipulator or a victim?
This is a gripping read with an unexpected twist at the end. I could see how Cassidy was conflicted about whether to believe Luke or not. The story about the lost girl is interesting and we get some insight of how such a documentary is filmed. I enjoyed this book very much.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“Daughter of Mine” is a slow burner but it sneaks up on you. With each page the feeling of unease grows.
Hazel returns to her small hometown at Mirrow Lake in North Carolina after the sudden dead of her father, Perry. To her surprise he left her the house despite she is not his biological daughter and there are two brothers who are his. Gage, the eldest, she felt close. But with Caden, who is her age, she never got along. He always let her feel that she was an intruder. Her mother left their father after emptying his bank account, but Perry always treated Hazel like his own. But she wonders why he left the house only to her. Her brothers are not amused about the situation. When two cars are found in the lake, abandoned there years ago, long held secrets begin to unfold.
This mystery/suspense thriller has a growing sense of unease that kept me on my toes. You can feel that there is something not right in this family and at some point you think everybody could be interested in harming Hazel. The characters are all very well written except for Hazel. This is something I came across a lot recently in the books I’ve read. Very often the main characters are so dull or stupid and they are only created somebody has to narrate the story. I can’t remember the last time I really liked the main character and felt for them. Is this a new trend? Nevertheless, I enjoyed the eerie atmosphere and the compelling story.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Five very different people who are tormented by a stalker meet through a support group online. When one of them gets killed by their stalker things suddenly get intense. They get a thread that one of them gets killed in ten days. They decide to fight back. But that is easier said than done.
The story unfolds from the remaining five characters POV’s. There is a kind of countdown until the day someone is supposed to die. The story is intense and you can feel the dread of the characters being stalked, to always live in fear of your stalker being there watching you, interfere with your life. What an awful feeling. There are some twists and some action and yes, not everything sounds believable and some things are a bit over the top but I was fortunately never stalked so what do I know. The author explains in her acknowledgement that she has been a victim of a stalker herself so she knows what she is talking about.
The book held my interest and I was very invested in the story. This was my fifth book from this author and I had very different opinions about them. But I liked this one and I will surely look out for her next book.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sixteen year old Annaliese went missing after a party almost fifty years ago to. When human bones are found buried in an old chapel the group of her old friends gets nervous. Could this be Annaliese? And if so, will all their lies be exposed and ruin the lives they have built? The same night a fellow student went also missing. Did he something to Annaliese? The group of friends seems to know more than they let on.
The story is told in multiple POV including homicide detective Jane Munro who has her own problems. Unfortunately this slows the story down. While it held my interest it is also sometimes very repetitive. The book is called “The Unquiet Bones” and the aspect and science of what the bones of a long gone person can still tell is given much room.
There are a lot of red herrings and at some point everybody is suspicious and could have done harm to Annaliese. But there is a final twist at the end and it is heartbreaking. It is a good and complex story but the pace is really slow. While the story about Annaliese is resolved this is not the case for Jane Munro and her problems. So I guess we will see her soon in another book from the author.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, this book was a disappointment. It is incredible slow and boring. It feels like a huge build-up for the last chapters were several twists are revealed. But the way towards the end is long.
Margot’s best friend died recently. So she has to go alone to university. At first she holes up in her room but then she gets fascinated by Lucy, a fellow student. She reminds her of Eliza, her dead childhood friend. Surprisingly, Lucy invites her one day to become her roommate together with two other girls in a house off-campus. Margot got entangled with the girls and soon she is partying with them in their strange house. But Margot gets also more and more obsessed with Lucy as she was before with Eliza.
Three quarters of the book nothing much is happening except drinking and playing the game of “truth or dare”. Margot observes Lucy, who is enigmatic and weird. I never understood why Margot was so obsessed with her. I think she just needs someone to be obsessed with. Then at about 80% there are some twists coming up. The first one you could see coming, it was not really a surprise. The next ones are very unrealistic. Suddenly everybody seems to be capable of murder without pangs of remorse.
I enjoyed the authors other books so I was very eager to read her new one. But it could not fulfill my expectations. Her books are all slow-burner but this one tops it. I would read her next book because I liked her first ones so much. But this one was not for me.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
18 year old Alice travels from the US to Scotland to become an Au Pair for a family who lives in an old Scottish mansion. She did not told her parents that she was leaving beforehand, she just left a note that she goes somewhere to the UK, took some money and disappeared. Alice is incredibly naïve and inexperienced. So she is very impressed when she arrives in Scotland and meets her family. The mansion is huge and she got the “princess room” in one of the towers overlooking the breathtaking landscape. She is charmed by the children, thinks the mother is glamorous and soon she swoons over Gray, the handsome brother-in-law.
In this book there are two Au Pairs. Alice, of course, and then there is Melanie aka Donna. Alice obviously went missing soon after her arrival and Melanie, who is not really an Au Pair, takes her place because she wants to find out what happened to Alice. She sees everything through different eyes. The mansion is run down and the family seems fishy. We will find out how she is connected to Alice later in the book.
The chapters of the girls alternate and soon you can sense there is something going on in this family. But the first chapters held a promise the rest of the book could not keep. The story quickly fell off. Something is always happening but the story is all over the place. While Alice and Melanie are well done characters, the family is a bit wishy-washy. Especially the mother acts inconsequent and erratic.
Nevertheless, the book held my interest and I kept reading. The story touches a lot of topics but it never gets deeper. It is an easy read with a dark touch that does not get to uncomfortable.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
lavender books 