Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Imagine your best friend has been brutally murdered and you are discovered covered in blood, hers and your own. And what if you can't remember anything about what happened? Do you believe your friends and family and a whole small town that say you must have done it or do you not?

This is what Lucy is facing. It has been five years since Savannah's tragic death and a popular true crime podcast has decided her unsolved case is the perfect content for their new season. And the podcast's host, Ben, is known for solving mysteries that the police have abandoned. Does Lucy hope he uncovers the truth, or should she be afraid it will condemn her once and for all?

This book was such a quick read and so much fun! The flashbacks to Savannah made me wish she was my best friend. And her grandmother, Beverly, is a national treasure! At eighty years old, she officially has no more fu cares to give and is living her life to the fullest. She is absolutely hilarious, and her granddaughter clearly inherited her stand-out humor and sarcasm.

The mystery at the heart of this story kept me guessing, and the flip flops and twisty turns had me holding on with all I had. And yet, it wasn't dark like so many of these thrillers are. I prefer humor and this book delivered that, lightening the mood just when it was needed. I really liked this book and I think you will, too, SmartGirl!

 

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

"Here we give young women accused of terrible deeds the benefit of the doubt."

We are back with another TikTok recommendation. This one is The Only One Left by Riley Sager. In 1929, within the walls of a mansion on a cliff in Maine, all but one member of the very wealthy Hope family is brutally murdered. Who could it have been except the one remaining family member, a seventeen-year-old girl. Fifty-four years later, when the details of the tragedy have been reduced to a school-yard rhyme, Kit, a caregiver in her late twenties who grew up with those words ringing in her ears, has been called to care for that now seventy-one-year-old survivor. Having been accused of something terrible herself, Kit is determined to find out what really happened to the Hope family.

Oh, boy! This gothic mystery didn't seem quite right for this sizzling time of year, but I pressed on and I'm so happy I did. It took me a couple of chapters to settle into the mood of the book, and it was a little difficult for me to remember at first that the current day was in the early 80s, but once I did, I was invested. There were a couple of twists that I guessed ahead of time, but others that took me completely by surprise. There were details that I clocked as significant, that still didn't add up until Sager was ready for me to know what it all meant. As the pages turned, the story folded in and over on itself in such a satisfying way. I can't remember which creator recommended this book, but I really enjoyed it!

 

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

 

Someone I follow on TikTok loved and was frequently recommending Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney. I like to try new things so I thought, why not?

It begins with these three things you should know about the narrator:

1. I'm in a coma

2. My husband doesn't love me anymore.

3. Sometimes I lie.

So, we know going into it that we have an unreliable narrator. Some people love an unreliable narrator, but I'm not usually one of those. I feel like I spend so much time trying to figure out where the lies and secrets are that I miss out on the story. Of course, unraveling the mystery before getting to the end of the book is some people's favorite part of reading, so clearly, it is just personal preference.

In this book, we meet Amber Reynolds who is, as she said, in a coma. The interesting bit is that she can actually hear everything going on around her: the nurses, her husband, her sister. She also has plenty of time to tell the reader about how she got herself into this situation, even if she doesn't exactly remember the most important part of it. The story is told in two timelines, her current coma state, and the before, the few days leading up to the coma. We also read diary entries from 1992.

This book certainly kept my attention, but I wouldn't say it was all good attention. There were some very disturbing scenes, and it is impossible to know whom to trust. However, it did a good job of ending each scene in such a way that it felt nearly impossible to not keep reading. For me, it was okay. I liked that it was a speedy read, but mysteries/psychological thrillers aren't my favorite genre. If you like a twisty, turny tale of family drama and vendettas, you might like this one more than I did. 

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

 

The first book club book of 2024 is The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and it is a great start!

It's always a daunting task to choose the book of the month. There is so much pressure to choose one everyone will like and that will also have enough meat for a good discussion. It was my turn to pick, and I was thrilled to find that I had chosen well.

Millie is a recently released convicted felon in desperate need of a job and a place to live. When she sees the ad for a live-in housekeeper, it seems like the perfect arrangement. She will be well paid and also have a secure, if tiny, small attic bedroom and bathroom all to herself. She will need to cook and clean and babysit a little girl, but she's looking forward to working hard and seeing the results of her efforts.

Nina is the woman who hires Millie. She has been happily married for a decade to a very handsome, very wealthy man who adores her. And yet, something just isn't right. Millie can't put her finger on what seems off, but she needs the job enough to not look too closely. Until she has no other choice...

This book was a quick, enjoyable read. I flipped the pages more quickly than I have in a while. One night it was so compelling that I had to make myself close the book. I like to read in bed before falling asleep, but on this particular night, this book was having the opposite of the desired effect. I could feel my adrenaline rising with each twist and turn and my choices were to put it away or stay up the rest of the night to finish it. I had work in the morning, so it had to wait. 

I'd love to discuss character development and story arc, but I would be a terrible book friend if I gave away any of the secrets. And I would never do that to you, Smart Girls! I'll tell you it was exciting enough that I had to give my husband a play-by-play each day as I read it. There was just too much excitement to keep it to myself! No spoilers, but I'll leave you with this one quote:

I'd say there's at least a twenty-five percent chance she's going to murder me in my sleep if I get this job. But I still want it. 

What I've Heard- Conviction

I really enjoyed reading Conviction by Denise Mina and honestly, the audio version was even better! This book is all about a woman who loves listening to true crime podcasts and then gets pulled into her own crime mystery. Listening to the characters makes it seem like listening to that podcast. This was a good one.

 

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

When I was in high school, one of the few classics I enjoyed reading was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins is a Jane Eyre retelling featuring Jane, a dog walker in an affluent neighborhood in Alabama who is trying to escape an ugly past, and Eddie, a wealthy presumed widower whom she meets while working. Eddie's wife has been missing for months after a boating accident and he takes quite an interest in young Jane. He could be her ticket to a better life, one she's always wanted, but they both have a lot of secrets to overcome.

I really liked this as a classic reimagined. While I knew the plot of the original, I never knew if Hawkins would stay true to it or if she would decide that 175 years of perspective might have changed how we see some of the characters. Social climbing may not have been the original Jane's goal, but this Jane wants to improve her station in life. The mystery of who Eddie's wife was and what happened to her kept me turning the pages late into the night. This was a fun thriller. Add it to your winter reading list!

 

A Beginner's Guide to Murder by Rosalind Stopps

As we were approaching Spooky Season, I thought A Beginner's Guide to Murder by Rosalind Stopps could be a fun way to get into the spirit. Three elderly women are having coffee in a shop when a teenage girl comes running in and begging for help. In that moment they are transformed from lonely old ladies to heroines in the making. Set in southeast London, Meg, Daphne, and Grace must find a way to save Nina from a terrible fate and stop a very bad man.

Told from each of their four perspectives, we get to know these women and the tragedies that have affected their lives. I liked the main characters, but some of the secondary characters were frustrating. It is assumed that old ladies won't know anything about murder, but the bumbling about seemed excessive. Stopps did a good job keeping the tension ramping up, but then the resolution was too quick and without much of a satisfying ending, almost as if she had run out of pages. A good ending could have made all the difference with this book, but as it stands I have to say it was only okay.

 

The Maid by Nita Prose

In The Maid by Nita Prose, we meet Molly- sweet, innocent, unusual Molly. A young maid at the fancy Regency Grand Hotel, Molly doesn't understand a lot about the world. She frequently misses social cues the rest of us take for granted and she is obsessive about rules, etiquette, and cleanliness. She enjoys her job and works hard to return every space to "a state of perfection." When she discovers a guest dead in his bed, she faints right where she stands. She faints again when she is charged with the guest's murder. What follows is a quirky who-done-it that is absolutely adorable.

Molly is different, but that doesn't stop the reader from connecting with her. Each of the other characters in the book are wonderfully drawn as well. Molly's recently deceased Gran is exactly the grandmother we'd all love to have; Molly's work nemesis is fun to hate; and the hotel doorman and dishwasher are both so sweet. This was a very quick read and a fun mystery with no gore or anything else that I sometimes find difficult to read. Add this little gem to your list.

 

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

In Sarah Gailey's The Echo Wife, Evelyn is an extremely successful and lauded geneticist whose marriage has just fallen apart. She tries not to care- she has so many more important things to do- but the woman for whom her husband has left her is... her. Well, not her but a clone of her. He stole her research and her supplies and built his own custom-made wife. If he'd left Evelyn for anyone else, it wouldn't matter, but this is her research, and she is responsible for anything that happens with it. And something so big has happened. When he turns up dead, Evelyn and the new wife have to work together to keep all the secrets from getting out.

This book was fun! There are social dynamics and conversations on the value of women. What does it mean for the woman to be the more successful partner in a marriage and how will that affect the relationship? Is motherhood the occupation that should take precedence once it is on the table and what if that is never the goal? Also, how many bodies can one backyard hold?

I really enjoyed the tension and resolution of this book. Add it to your list and keep your eyes on the science news- this could be real someday!

 

The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

Catherine Steadman's The Disappearing Act features Mia, a British actress on the verge of her big break who has traveled to Los Angeles to find the role of a lifetime. While waiting for an audition, she meets a woman named Emily who asks a small favor of her. When Emily doesn't show up for their agreed meeting time, Mia starts to worry something bad may have happened to her. Mia should be focused on making her career dreams come true, but she can't get Emily out of her head.

Steadman is also the author of Something in the Water, which I thought was a fantastic thriller. This newest book of Steadman's didn't quite meet it, but it was very close. There were times I felt like the writing took a little too long to get where we were going, as if she was trying a little too hard to build tension, but I really enjoyed reading it. The ending was especially satisfying. When I started this book, I was in dire need of a distraction from real life and a missing person mystery set in LA was perfect. This would make a fun addition to your summer reading list.

 

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell is a mystery told from three persepectives: Saffyre, a teenage girl trying to heal from a childhood trauma; Cate, the wife of Saffyre's therapist; and Owen, the very strange, anti-social single man who lives across the street with his aunt. When Saffyre goes missing, there is a lot of speculation of who could be responsible. There have been street attacks on young women in the neighborhood and Cate's daughter is quick to cast suspicion on Owen. He certainly does look guilty, but only time will tell.

I enjoy books written from multiple perspectives, especially with such different characters, because it gives the reader the opportunity to view the contrasting sides of the story. It goes back to the idea that no one is a 'bad guy' in their own mind. The individual motivations make all the difference. Jewell handles this well with distinctive voice and well-fleshed characters.

I liked this book, but not a lot. The characters weren't particularly likable and it felt slow to me. I wasn't overly motivated to pick it up. I had high hopes for it at the beginning, but somehow it fell flat. Other members of the book club enjoyed it more than I did, so maybe I just wasn't in the right headspace for this one.

 

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole was a fantastic book club selection for this month! Sydney grew up in a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone, but now her mother is in very ill health and Sydney is worried that the neighborhood is changing in a suspicious way. Neighbors who have lived in their homes for decades are suddenly disappearing; the new pharmaceuticals research lab will be opening soon; and the real estate agents hoping to get owners to sell are getting more and more aggressive.

While this is a thriller, I learned a lot about gentrification and the terrible way that real estate and home ownership has been set up for some people. I did feel like the "thriller" aspect of the story took a little too long to get into motion, but otherwise I couldn't stop reading. There were twists I saw coming from a long way away and others I never would have guessed.

This book led to some interesting conversation and I would recommend it for book club.

Add it to the ever growing list!

 

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

Oh, the things we don't know about our marriage partner until it is too late. In Samantha Downing's My Lovely Wife, a happily married couple have a highly unusual (one hopes) past time- murder. Told from the perspective of the husband, we watch as they plan and execute (pun intended) the kidnapping and murders of two women. Because they get off on it! These are not good people.

And yet, from the outside they seem perfectly lovely. The wife is a successful real estate agent and the husband teaches tennis to wealthy clients at the local country club. They have two teenage children who seem relatively well-adjusted. This is a normal family, but maybe that's what makes it all the more frightening.

This book was... okay. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I don't usually love dark thrillers where everyone is just varying degrees of flawed. I don't need perfect characters, but in this there weren't any likable ones either. It was a little like Gone Girl in that way. Because I needed to finish this quickly for book club, I pushed on much more than I probably would have otherwise. I never felt like I couldn't wait to get back to it, but that isn't what I've heard from my friends. They stayed up late reading, unable to stop until they got to the end. Maybe I'm right. Maybe they are. Who knows, but I'd love to hear what you think!

 

 

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

"Protect her."

That is Hannah's husband's final message to her in The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. He means his daughter, but from what could she possibly need protection? Where has he gone? These questions have no answers unless Hannah is brave enough to go out and find them herself. Guided only by the fuzzy childhood memories of a sullen teenager, Hannah and Bailey begin their search. What they find will require the greatest of sacrifices.

Despite cheesy chapter titles and the voice of a teenager that doesn't really sound like a teenager, this book was good. The action and the questions were interesting enough that I kept turning pages. Hannah is a likable character, but perhaps not well-developed enough. I couldn't even remember her name until I looked it up to do this review. There were also loose ends at the close of the story that I felt could have been more neatly tied up. Otherwise, this was a quick read that didn't require too much, making it a great vacation read.

 

In Her Eyes by Sarah Alderson

A home invasion is a terrifying prospect. When Ava's opulent home is the target and her daughter is gravely injured, she doesn't know what to do. Why would someone want to hurt her family? And why is her husband sitting in a jail cell? Those are the questions to ask in Sarah Alderson's In Her Eyes.

Ava's life is good, but she tries to be humble about it. Her husband is hugely successful in his career, she has a brand new car and a fancy house, she takes her daughters on pricey shopping trips, but she doesn't rub anyone's nose in it. Life isn't perfect- her step-son is a mess, and her marriage... well, it could be a lot better. Then, suddenly, everything is lost- her home, her husband, and possibly even her daughter. And the threat isn't over yet. Someone is still searching for something and they'll do anything to get it.

This book was... okay. It kept me turning the pages, but I didn't love it and I wasn't thoroughly satisfied with the ending. The characters were interesting, but not very likable. The plot is full of twists and turns, but the solutions to them aren't all that believable.  

 

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

In The Dilemma by B.A. Paris, Livia is keeping a terrible secret from her husband Adam about their nineteen-year-old daughter Marnie. She wants to tell him, but the timing has never seemed right. Now it is the day of Livia's extravagant fortieth birthday party that has been in the works for the past two decades. Once it is over, then she really will tell him. Unfortunately, Adam has a secret of his own and keeping it to himself to prevent ruining Livia's big day just may kill him.

This book had plenty of suspense and it kept me turning the pages, but at some point near the end, it became too much for me. The author may have wanted to keep the reader hooked a little longer, but it nearly made me stop reading. Spit it out already! Once she did, it was emotional, but I've never liked the trope in which someone needs to tell someone else something important, but doesn't, causing all kinds of conflict and confusion. It annoys me. 

If you are better at sitting on the edge of your seat than I am, you'll probably really like this book. Families are messy and when children become adults, parents have to accept that their children may make decisions they wish they didn't. Those make for very interesting themes and for that I enjoyed reading this book.

 

What I've Heard- The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

I just finished listening to the audio version of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. I read the book about a year ago and it was very confusing for the first few chapters. Then I was able to catch on to the concept and go with it. While I listened to the audio version, I was glad I knew a little of what was happening. It had also been long enough that I had forgotten much of the plot which kept me guessing what would happen next. This, but the way, is my preferred way to listen to audio books, when I have forgotten enough of the story that it is almost, but not quite, like new.

The Narrator is James Cameron Stewart who has a very lovely British accent, but the pace was very deliberate, bordering on slow. I would not recommend this for a long car ride or another activity where you need to remain alert. I listened while riding my bike and that was just fine. The mystery is engaging, but the narration was a bit draggy. It would be a great distraction during housework or other chores that keep you moving anyway. I really do recommend this book, but hold on and be patient with the initial confusion. It is well worth it.

The Rumor by Lesley Kara

Rumor has it there is a child killer in the neighborhood.

In The Rumor by Lesley Kara, Joanna has moved back to her hometown with her young son and is having a difficult time connecting with the other mothers at the school. When she hears a juicy piece of gossip, she passes it along, hoping it will somehow grant her access to the inner circle. Much to her eventual regret, it does and Joanna begins to feel responsible for all the speculation surrounding who the possible killer could be.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. At times, the "mystery" felt forced and any twists presented weren't quite believable. The author made an effort to include a large number of people who could have been the killer, but it fell flat because none were developed enough to be interesting. 

There were a couple of times that I was downright annoyed with the main character. At one point she describes meeting the father of her son: it was in college and she was very drunk and "he didn't even try anything". For goodness sakes, give the man a medal for not trying anything with an intoxicated young woman! Cue the eye rolls. Then there were a few times when Joanna describes herself as being completely inept when it comes to regular household or motherly chores: I can't even sew on a button properly. It was irritating. I don't mind a character that can't do everything and I assume the author was attempting to show that her character was flawed, and that's all well and good, but she shouldn't have so many flaws as to be unlikable.

I didn't care for this book, but it did lead to some interesting book club conversation, so I will give it that. 

 

Conviction by Denise Mina

 

Conviction by Denise Mina, features Anna, an obsessive true crime podcast fan. Early one morning she is thrilled to begin her newest podcast, but as she listens to the early details she is shocked to learn that she knows one of the victims. Still reeling from her discovery, a knock on the front door leads to the destruction of most of the rest of her life as well. On the run, in a manner of speaking, with a family friend whose own life has just been pulled out from under him, Anna is determined to find out the truth of her friend's death. The two of them will travel near and far, chased by some not very nice people, and sometimes escape by only the skin of their teeth.

I could not stop reading this book! It was fast paced and exciting and such a page turner. From the very first page I was captivated. I highly recommend this excellent distraction from the real world. The only reason I am giving four rather than five stars is that it ends too quickly without enough story resolution. An epilogue would have been very welcome. 

One favorite line was about a woman involved in radical protests in Berlin:

The eternal companions of all clever women are mistrust and scorn.

The next paragraph then mentions that you might see someone in a t-shirt with Mistrust & Scorn on it and I just have to have one of those shirts!

Do yourself a favor and add this one to the top of your TBR list.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

 

In Janelle Brown's Pretty Things, Nina never meant to become a con artist, it was definitely not in her life plan, but somehow she fell into it anyway. She and her partner (in crime and occasionally in bed) Lachlan search for the extraordinarily rich that can't stop themselves from posting all their glory on social media. Then they take what will never be missed- never getting greedy. When things go south, the two make a run for Tahoe where they can hide out for a bit and maybe pull one last con. The mark: a young heiress, Vanessa, that Nina knew from a one-time meeting in high school. There is a little greed involved, but a lot more revenge.

Told in alternating chapters from Nina's and Vanessa's points of view, we get to see the sometimes crazy motivations for each of their actions and then watch as it all goes spectacularly wrong. The big lure for the reader, though, is that we know from the very beginning that a body will be sent to the bottom of Lake Tahoe and we will just have to wait to find out whose it will be.

The suspense of this story is gripping and so fun. This was a book I didn't want to put down. As clear as it is at different times who the "bad guy" is in the book, it was easy to feel sympathy and compassion for at least most of the characters. You will finish this book angry with at least one player. I'd love to say more, but I don't want to ruin the suspense for you. Pick it up and read it for yourself. You won't be sorry.