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 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. 

Falling by T.J. Newman

In T.J. Newman's Falling, veteran airline captain Bill Hoffman boards his flight as usual. Nothing seems out of place except that his wife was upset he had picked up the trip when he was supposed to be at his son's baseball game. When he gets a call from her in-flight, the face time image that comes through doesn't make any sense: she is strapped to a suicide vest and she and their children are gagged. A terrorist has taken his family hostage and presented Bill with a choice: his family or the plane full of passengers.

This book was a thriller true to its name. I could NOT put it down. I had so many things to do yesterday, but I was convinced that if I stopped reading the plane would fall right out of the air. Newman is a flight attendant and her experience shows through in the details of this breath-catching adventure. I don't usually love thrillers, but this one really had me. The characters were wonderfully written and impossible not to love. As a reader, I was genuinely concerned for their survival. The whole time I kept thinking if they don't turn this into a movie they are just throwing money away. I was happy to read that the film rights have been awarded to Universal Pictures. I will be anxiously waiting with money in my hand at the box office window.

Read this book, but be sure to fasten your seatbelt first!