The Therapist by SA Falk

Dr Fletcher works as a psychiatrist with some of the most serious criminal offenders who have been found criminally insane and thus evading the death penalty. Trent Davis, a musician who is suspected of killing six women, has landed under Dr Fletcher’s watch and she is hoping to find out what’s going on in his mind.

 

Through a number of sessions, Trent has the doctor spinning in circles as she learns about the abuse he suffered (or didn’t), about the demon coercing him (or isn’t), and the bodies he ate (or didn’t). Then packages start arriving for Trent and more bodies turn up – the work of a copycat? When one of the packages has the doctor’s home address as the return address, Dr Fletcher knows she is in danger. Is she too close to the case?

 

A psychiatrist working with the criminally insane – definitely the basis for a good story. Dr Fletcher’s interactions with Trent were very intense and the way he came across as completely sane in his thoughts but insane in his actions was macabre. His lyrics and convictions were disturbing and I was looking forward to finding out the whys and hows of his killing spree.

 

But then the concentration shifted. Suddenly it was all about the copycat and the answers about Trent never came. Dr Fletcher became more of an annoying character as time went by and her professionalism certainly fell by the wayside. The book moves from a heightened sense of emotions and a need to find out more, to a slower feeling of acceptance, and then moves into a possible life or death situation and suddenly (when your kindle says there is 9% left in the book), the story ends. And the ending feels like a copout.

 

The author has managed to convey Trent’s psychological state well, but the “unputdownable thriller with an incredible twist” did not come through.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Murder Club by Sam Baron

Susan Parker has been called to investigate the death of Derek Chen. But his mother, Margaret, is convinced it’s murder and that it’s linked to The Murder Club. Upon delving deeper, Susan finds out that there is a club of wealthy people who are currently stalking a murderer. Once who has videos of his killings and whose feed the club has hacked into.

 

Naved Seth, who is in local law enforcement, brings a young lady named Urduja to meet Susan. Susan knows her as the local pizza delivery person, but it turns out Urduja and friends have been gathering information on the murderer and have identified the type of victims and their connection. But is this enough to tie to the club murderer who has now taken another victim?

 

And then it becomes personal. With the murderer entering Susan’s home and intimating he can take her daughter or sislaw at any time, Susan needs to get her head in the game and stop him. Everyone has family somewhere, and rotten seeds make for rotten trees...

 

Having not read the book before this, it became a little confusing at times to figure out characters and where everyone slotted in. Yet even for someone starting the series with this book, it was annoying the number of times the murder case from the first book was mentioned. And about how great Susan is at her job and how amazing she was at solving the case. And the fact that she is a marginalised woman of colour. And her ire towards white males. I understand that these needed to be introduced to the story, but saying them over and over wanted to make me skip paragraphs.

 

A lot of themes from the first book are brought over like Susan’s husband’s death, her attitude towards her husband’s family, and other relationships, and most of these remain open. It leads me to wonder how many books will be written in this series where these questions are strung out while cases are solved within.

 

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and mainly read it for the story. This is odd, as in most books I can identify with a character’s feelings or actions. And I did not find this to be a gripping thriller. For that to happen, I need to feel I can’t put the book down without reading just one more chapter. It didn’t happen here. Susan and her team were obviously very close, but some procedures broken and collective decisions made were very iffy. There is loyalty and then there is the law. The twist, well... the clues are there from the chapter that makes it obvious.

 

The writing is easy to read with no major errors and even though this book ends off with questions and leads into the next, I would not buy the next one to find out the answers. It was just a “meh” for me.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Girls Next Door by Anita Waller

Four girls are born within six months of each other on the same street. Four girls destined to be friends for life. Four girls who share all their secrets – except maybe secrets are being kept about them...

 

Chantelle has twins and has just found out her husband, Andrew, is having an affair. When she prepares to deal with the situation, her husband is found dead. Jess wants a baby and possibly a job, but her husband, Mike, wants her at home as his career comes first. Mel is a paralegal but has fallen out of love with her job and is having an issue with a coworker. Erin loves her job working with books but feels something is missing in her life. And it’s not the guy who buys the first editions and constantly flirts with her.

 

Now having to deal with Andrew’s funeral, the four friends all have a turn in their lives where more deaths occur and life-changing decisions must be made.

 

This was a very quick read, but didn’t come across as a psychological thriller at all. In fact, the thriller part, or even the psychological reasons behind it, didn’t make much sense. When a confession is made, the reason behind the decision to make sure the girls are safe seems trite. And the twist? Well... it was accepted rather easily.

 

If it had been advertised as a friendship drama, it would have made more sense. In the prologue, you are told that a murder will be linked to one of the girls so the thriller part is not unexpected. The repetition of only “one glass of wine” or about tea/coffee became a bit tiresome. I did feel, however, that the emotions brought across by the characters in having to deal with grief and love or loss thereof, plus the friendship was done well. The editing was good and the story easy to read, but in one section Pam is Mel’s secretary and then for three lines after that Mel is referred to as Erin. A definite mistake in there.

 

Not a bad story but it didn’t engage me in the way I’d hoped. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Guest House by Bonnie Traymore

Allie Dawson has been offered an amazing opportunity by Laura Foster and is keen on bringing her entrepreneurial concept to life. Allie lost her hearing at a young age, and together with her brother and a partner, has created a screen that clips onto eyeglasses and captions speech in real-time.

 

But life in Silicon Valley is expensive and Allie is struggling to find a place to stay. When a gentleman named Mike, claiming to be in real estate, approaches her at Starbucks and offers her a rental in his guest house, she is initially sceptical. But beggars can’t be choosers so Allie takes a chance. Initially, Allie is happy, but when she sees him dragging something across the lawn in the middle of the night, she has questions.

 

And, adding to her questions is the mysterious Hungarian Barnat, who also has a place at the guest house. After meeting a potential investor, Allie is over the moon about the future. But things take an odd turn when she realises that some people will do anything to get their hands on the newest idea.

 

I read the previous book in the series, which helped to understand some of the characters’ choices in this one as it continues where the previous one ended. However, there were directions some plot lines went in that didn’t seem necessary. For example: why the secret/angry looks from Susan and Willa?

 

I loved Allie’s concept and her portrayal as D/deaf and to be let into how she experiences the world was very interesting. Lots of things hearing people take for granted are highlighted here.

 

Laura has grown in this one and I liked the fact that she decided to take care of herself. But did Peter’s story have to go in that direction in order to get the closure she needed on her decision?

 

Shep was my favourite in the last book and I’m glad his story took a good turn in this one.

 

I think there were too many leaps to just “accept” in this. For Mike to invite Allie to stay and make her pay for three months meant he knew of the viability of her concept, otherwise what he was up to versus the timeframe is a waste. Barnat’s end story almost felt like a plaster on a plot hole. I also found Lydia’s fantasy oddly disturbing and hinted at something more maybe?

 

Again, I wouldn’t call this a psychological thriller but more of a suspense. However, the editing was great and the story kept me going. It does end with questions and seems to have been left open somewhat again. Is there another planned in the series? It is an enjoyable read but leaves you with questions and a feeling like it wasn’t quite finished off. I don’t mean things tied up with a bow, I mean loose tangents.

 

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a chance to review the book.

The Stepfamily by Bonnie Traymore

It’s Laura Foster’s time. She raised her stepchildren, Lydia and Carson, after their mother died and helped her husband, Peter, with his work while putting her career on ice. Now she is back in the business world and doing well, the kids have grown up and left, and her training for the next Iron Man is spot on.

 

But strange accidents keep happening to Laura. The type of accidents that could get her killed. Is it a jealous coworker? Is it someone from Peter’s or even her own past? Or is it closer to home? As Laura starts investigating, she realises that Peter has not been as forthcoming as she thought about his past. A small lie told many years ago could be deadly...

 

It’s a quick read and while there were thriller elements involved, I’m not sure it was as much a psychological thriller. It goes into state of mind and the after-effects but I still didn’t feel it went that deeply.

 

The character I enjoyed the most was Shackler, the PI. Definitely not as slow as other characters made him out to be. But to be placed in the position he was at the end was not right at all.

Peter annoyed me with his lies and constant worrying. Considering Laura’s life was on the line, he really should have said something. His work, however, redeemed some of it!

I found Lydia’s attitude change toward Laura very quick and her character was not as genuine as I’d hoped.

 

The story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger that could continue or not. So it wasn’t that awful feeling when you get to the end and the book runs out. I thought the leap to “someone is trying to kill me” from brake fluid on the ground was a bit far. With the potholes around here, your whole tyre could have come off and no one would have batted an eyelash. The final confrontation was too quick. It all comes to a head and then it’s over. Just felt like the build-up was so long in the making and then the important part was rushed.

 

The editing was great with no glaring errors to interrupt the flow of reading. The writing that jumped between different narrators and first- and third-person POV made the action more present. While I enjoyed the book, I didn’t love it, but it is a good afternoon read.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Rule of Threes by Jeffrey Deaver

The family didn’t witness the murder, but it seems the killer wants them dead too...

Constant Marlowe is in the town of Clark Valley, having been brought in to catch a killer whose MO suggests another murder very soon. But Clark Valley is also experiencing a land issue with a treaty and there are those willing to kill to keep it.

The parallel stories intertwine and Constant is now tracking the killer, protecting the family, and solving a land mystery. But with so many clues being thrown at her, which are real and which could get her killed?

Slightly longer than a novella but still a relatively quick read, this story sucks you in from the beginning but is not quite as slick as Deaver’s usual style. And, as usual, things are not always what they seem. I liked the path the opening took you on... until it didn’t.

Marlowe’s character is full of grit and I liked her this-is-me attitude but the fact that she was willing to change when presented with new opportunities. However, just one mention that her name was Constant and not Constance was sufficient. No need to let the reader know over and over again.

I enjoyed Tremain’s character as he seemed to be the unsung hero (once you got past the gruffness) who showed that sometimes you just have to do things yourself.

Eventide’s story was a lovely addition and her passion both at work and in her own life worked well.

A lot of detail was kept to when it came to weapons and ammo but was it necessary?

I’m not always one for wrapping things up with a bow but I don’t like a cliffhanger so this ending was interesting. A kind of “read into it what you will.” However, to get there, some truly implausible scenarios had to occur. I’m all for twists and things you don’t see coming, but with Deaver’s other books, the unsub could do dodgy things and be believed, for things to occur in this book seemed like it could have a TV show of its own. Don’t mess with the believable line because once you’ve gone too far, you can’t come back into readers’ accepted territory.

I still enjoyed it though, and will always be a Deaver fan!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

Fatal Intrusion by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

Carmen Sanchez, a Homeland Security agent, is out for blood. She is usually by-the-book, but this time it’s personal. Her sister Selina was attacked, and it seems to be connected to another murder. The attacker was slick and her sister was lucky to fight him off. She did notice a tattoo of a spider, however.

 

As Carmen deviates from her usual procedural ways, she uncovers more about the attacker and his ties, but this now ventures into technical territory she has no clue about. Cue Jack Heron, a professor of intrusion and security expert who knows a little thing or two about finding people behind the layers of the web.

 

But layers are what they are going to find, as each clue uncovered unearths something even more sinister and the connection seems out of reach. Will procedure or by the cuff prove to be the right choice?

 

Since the story takes place over seventy-two hours, the action is full-on from the beginning. Some might even say it was a little too much and a tad unbelievable to have things figured out so easily and slotted into place so nicely. I just read it for the adventure it was meant to be and enjoyed it.

 

The relationship between Carmen and Selina was interesting as the strain between them as well as the strain between Jake and Carmen ran parallel and had to intersect at some point. I was somewhat hazy over some of Jake and Carmen’s backstory as things offered to the reader can be interpreted differently.

 

The parts about the dark sites were actually quite scary in that there are so many layers of things happening out there and no matter how much we think we keep things private, there are lots of people able to find them and have an influence over them based on their own beliefs.

 

The technical stuff got pretty intense and considering the internet (as we know it) is relatively new, technology has broadened in leaps and bounds. In some ways a good thing, in some ways not.

 

The one thing that made me raise my eyebrows was the error in the casino. Maybe it was a play on words and done deliberately, but the bet on a roulette table that covers three numbers and pays 11:1 is called a street and not a streak. If done deliberately, this will have a number of readers in the know shaking their heads.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the story for what it was, even though some things got figured out as easily as they did. When you need to read just one more chapter, you know it’s a good thing. I’ve been a Deaver fan for years and this didn’t disappoint. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.