The Night She Went Missing - by Kristen Bird: Book Review

Title: The Night She Went Missing
Author: Kristen Bird
Pages: 352
Publisher: Mira Books
Publishing Date: February 8th 2022
Genre: Suspence
Themes: missing teenager, small town Texas
Format: Kindle
Rating: 3*

I chose to read this novel because I needed something dark-ish and a mystery. The build-up was at a steady pace, as one would expect from a mystery novel. Just when it seemed it'd start to drag, the story picked up and things intensified. The ending is not the shocking and jaw-dropping twist we're always promised with this kind of books. I don't think The Night She Went Missing is a memorable novel, one I'll never forget, but it is a good choice for when you want to break your usual choice of books, and enjoy a soft domestic drama novel.

The idea I can take away is that sometimes accidents happen, and one such accident can alter the course of a person's whole life. I liked the small town set-up on an island. The novel is told in third person, except for Emily's perspective, which she tells herself. Her disappearance ignites a series of events that lead to second-guessing and doubts among the residents of Galveston Island, Texas. Emily's character is not that well developed, despite she being the person who ignites the whole action of the novel. Better developed are the three adult women we get to know more about. Catherine, Morgan, Leslie are all part of the Galveston Islnd community and of the Preparatory school their children attend. They have secrets of their own they need to protect in order to keep the facade of a normal, successful life. I liked all three women, and their stories and their struggles didn't make them any less likable. However, the one person who made the whole novel seem like a weird TV series led by a matriarch with a patriarch's tendencies is Rosalyn, Catherine's mother-in-law.

There are a few elements which seem unbelievable throughout the novel, but not in a plausible, sure-this-could-happen way. The events of the second half are quite unlikely to happen, and it also picked up the pace, throwing a lot of details and revelations the reader's way; it felt a bit too much all of a sudden, and in a short time span. At the same time, they weren't shocking, just far-fetched. The ending offers closure, but I can see why some readers would be left unpleased with the author's choice. I personally don't like when a whole novel is based on a secondary character's mistake. 

 All in all, the build-up and the getting-to-know the characters was more enjoyable than the last quarter of the novel, which offered the resolution.

I received a free copy of the e-book of this novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

Only Ever Her - by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen: Book Review

Title: Only Ever Her
Author: Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
Pages:298
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Release Date: May 7th 2019
Genre: Mystery
Format: Kindle

A mystery novel where the missing person is not found and rescued in a happy ending. As macabre as that may sound, I was glad we weren't given a perfectly tied bow to wrap up the novel.

Annie, the small town's belle, is missing a few days before her wedding to a catch of a man. Many are suspect, including the man who was in prison on accusations of having killed her mother twenty years prior. I was sure we will never learn the exact circumstance of how Lydia, Annie's mother, died, and I did not see that coming! I loved that revealing part!

I read an advanced e-book copy, and maybe this had to do with it, but there wasn't a clear transition from one scene to another. At times I had to figure it out by reading between lines [see: Clary and Travis' history]. It doesn't mean you can't understand the story, but you have to pay closer attention to details thrown in.

I didn't like the mocking tone used towards the religious and Christian life. I felt like we were encouraged to root for Clary, Annie's cousin, and give Travis the side eye. I'm not claiming that his decisions and life are where they should be, but he moved on instead on wallowing in the past. 

Speaking of moving on, none of these characters (I'm referring to those from whose perspective the story was told) seem to have done that. They still linger on the past. It's typical of a novel set in a smalltown. Another thing that didn't convince me was how a whole case was based on the babbling of a three year old. No matter how precocious Annie was at that age, you investigate further, especially when there are other leads. It's unfortunate that there is another, albeit fictional, example of the incompetence of the justice system. And it throws a bad light on the police force, again. Not to mention, in a novel it just seemed the easy way to make the reader believe a three year old's word could be considered as the basis for a murder trial. 

As for the main character, I for one didn't like her, and I didn't care for her Southern sweetheart status. She was spoilt by the whole town and look what good did that do to her!

Despite all this, I enjoyed the novel a lot. I finished it in two days because I didn't want to do anything else but read more of it. It kept me interested and intrigued, wanting to read one more chapter. As far as mystery and suspense are concerned, it delivers. I sure do recommend it for fans of this genre.

4*

I received a free e-book copy from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

The Trust - by Ronald H. Balson: Book Review

Title: The Trust

Series: Liam and Catherine #4

Author: Ronald H. Balson

No. Pages:
Publishing Date:

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Kindle

I have read Ronald H. Balson's third book in the Liam and Catherine series, and I even wrote a review for it. I still haven't read the first two books in the series, but this fourth one made me very reluctant.

{this review contains some spoilers, but I couldn't say how much some characters annoyed me without mentioning some context}

Liam Taggart, a Chicago based PI, is summoned by his estranged Irish cousin, Janie, to come to their uncle Fergus' funeral. Upon arriving in Northern Ireland he learns that his uncle was killed. What (most) the family asks of him is to find the killer. The plot thickens when Liam is declared the trustee of his uncle's entire estate and goods, possessions which are to be revealed to the beneficiaries only after Fergus' killer is found. Not every member of his Irish family looks fondly upon his presence in Northern Ireland, all the more due to his past choices.

If you ask my opinion, this novel could easily have been at least one hundred pages shorter. Of all the characters trying to solve the mystery and catch the killer going on a killing spree, none have the ability to think rationally. Maybe Catherine could be a better PI than Liam who is lost and whiny for more than half the novel. The premise of the novel is great; too bad the characters ruined it. 

For starters, Liam, allegedly the great PI, has missed it grandly with his instincts. Although he hasn't seen his Irish family in 16 years, he's so sure that Aunt Deirdre, his cousin Janice and her boyfriend Charles are innocent, despite Inspector McLaughlin's suspicions about each family member, and of course he thinks the cousin with a bad temper must be the killer. For most of the novel Liam wastes time and makes excuses, rarely acting like a PI. And even when he goes into action mode he's reckless and acts like an amateur. His wife Catherine has a better grip on things than he does. However, what I have to say against her is that if there are to be future books in the series, she seriously needs to drop the heroic attitude: when someone prank calls your house, throws rocks through your window, your husband's tires are slashed, his hotel room is ransacked - lady, you need to leave your place and go somewhere safe. Despite all the threats, she claims she's fine and oh, so busy; too busy to think about your life and your kid's? Seriously.

The reader is offered different options for who the killer might be, but they obviously turn out to be the wrong ones. If proper investigation and background check would have been done earlier in the case instead of drinking all that tea and eating so much of Aunt Deirdre's (quote) "yummy food", maybe we wouldn't be so shocked that in the last 60 or so pages every character suddenly becomes good, and only the overlooked character turns out to be the killer. The great Liam looks only into the suspects he fancies, is not at all objective, and he is unprofessional.  Makes no sense to me, and I'm not a PI.

I think the novel would have been better written in third person. The main character's actions would gain less criticism, in my opinion. Can I mention that he refers to his Aunt Deirdre's house as Fortress Deirdre? The first time I understand - it's a joke, but the second and third time it's not. Also, I would like to focus on Annie, who thinks it's a good time to keep a promise she made Fergus. Sure, dear, never mind that there's a killer out there. Unsurprisingly, the big secret turned out to have no relevance to the case. Shocker.

I felt cheated by this novel. It took me more than two weeks to finish it. A mystery novel should make you hold your breath and make you want to read it faster and eagerly. It would have been more appealing if it had been shorter, with characters with a better ability to deal with everything going on.

However, read Karolina's twins. That story is well told and makes more sense.

I received a free e-book copy of the novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All these thoughts expressed here in such a gentle way are mine.

Characters List: {spoilers!}

Liam Taggart - PI, lives in Chicago with his wife Catherine

Catherine - lawyer, lives in Chicago with her husband

Ben - Liam and Catherine's baby boy

Aunt Deirdre - Liam's aunt, Fergus' life-partner

Taggart brothers' birth order: Eamon, Danny (Liam's father), Fergus, Aunt Nora, Robert

Uncle Fergus - Liam's uncle, Liam's father's brother

Uncle Eamon - Fergus' brother, Liam's uncle

Uncle Robert - Fergus' brother, Liam's uncle

Molly - Liam's sister, presumably dead

Janie - Liam's cousin, Robert's daughter

Conor - Fergus' oldest son

Riley - Fergus' youngest son

Annie - Liam's old love 

Mr. Malcolm O'Neill - Fergus' solicitor

Officer Megan Dooley - helps with the case

Inspector McLaughlin - in charge with the case

Seamus McManus - old enemy of the Taggarts and the Catholics

Shankill Butchers - enemies of the Catholics

Archie, Thomas, Edward, Geoffrey Walker - enemies of the Catholics

Charles Dalton - Janice's boyfriend

Impossible Views of the World - by Lucy Ives: Book Review

Title: Impossible Views of the World

Author: Lucy Ives

No. Pages: 304

Publisher: Penguin Press

Publishing Date: 1.08.2017

Format: Kindle

 

This novel sure is witty, but it didn't feel like a neurotic humor, nor did I find it dazzling, and I certainly did not find Paul's secret "unbearable".

I did like the lost-at-thirty-years-old thing Stella had going on there. Made her more humane, and that was necessary because all her pretentious words made her seem all put together and snob-ish in the beginning. She reveals more about her life and you get to know her better. I still have a curiosity and this thought popped into my head a few times while reading - what exactly was her job at the museum? And speaking of those bombastic words, there were a lot. Sure, I read to learn new words, but it's too much when on the same page there is at least one word that I have to look up. Maybe it's just because English is my second language, but this sure was an impediment. However, the witty part about this novel was this exact speech - she is funny, sometimes deep, you chuckle at some parts, and that works in her favor.

The plot, minimal as it was, is centered around a museum, and that immediately creates the perfect background for mystery and secrets. I had a hard time keeping up with all the bits of information she came upon. I think this is because the novel was in the first person narrative, and every time she figured something out she expected us to have an aa-haaa! moment as well. Well, explain it to us, mere mortals with no PhD in art history. I still have this feeling that I missed something and now it's (obviously) too late to understand it all. And as I mentioned, I didn't find any secret as unbearable and shocking. I've read worse. Or better, depending how you look at it.

I liked the way she over-analyzed everything, I had no problem having patience for that. However, I didn't have any patience for her love life drama, but it was good that she had two major things going on in her life during the week the novel takes place in. A mother with whom she has a not loved based relationship; an emotionally distant father, but still present and helpful; two men she loves or not; a man who's dead and into whose life she decides to look into and then take it upon herself to discover his hidden things and side job; and a fourth man who thank goodness doesn't become her lover in the course of that week - yeah, it was a packed-full week; only in novels.

Surely this novel would appeal more to art lovers, to those with a knack for modern mysteries, and novels set in museums. I wish I liked this novel more, but I knew it wasn't something I enjoyed reading when I chose to watch TV instead, and I hardly every do that.

I received a free e-book copy of the novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

List of Characters:

Stella Krakus

Paul Coral - museum curator, gone missing, dead

Mary Carol Lynch - Stella's mother

Fredrick Lu - museum curator, Stella's ex-lover, colleague

Bonnie Mangold - museum employee, Stella's boss

Marco - museum employee

Whitaker Ghiscolmb - Stella's ex-husband

Nicola di Carboncino - museum director

Lockdown - by Laurie R. King: Book Review

Title: Lockdown. A novel of suspense

Author: Laurie R. King

No. Pages: 336

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine

Release Date: 13.06.2017

Format: Kindle

The novel is told from the point of view of different characters. They all have something they'd rather not tell about, and it makes you wonder who will be the one whose past mistakes brings the doom over Guadalupe Middle School. The novel kept me interested until the very last page. I was surprised to see that the author chose a rather sensitive subject to tackle, but it was well approached.

The shifting perspective from one character to another added to the dramatic effect and it showed the gaps in understanding between people. Their background story was something that added an extra flavor to the novel. It was nice to have the bird's eye view and see how prompted each character's actions.

One shortcoming of this novel was the list of characters. At first it was difficult to keep track of all the characters, and I sometimes confused them, especially the boys. However, because their perspective was presented more often I got them all figured out and it was no longer a problem. Another thing worth mentioning is that although the book blurb describes it as a day of confrontation and shocking turn of events, this takes up a smaller part than I was expecting. Only towards the last 15% percent of the book does the event occur. Up to that point, it is a gradual increase in tension. Yes, it is done well, but just a heads up that this is not the thing that covers a large section of the novel.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the author had a grasp on teenagers' reactions. How they reacted and spoke read as something a teenager would. The connections between characters, and their maturity despite their age (the oldest was in 8th grade, the youngest in 6th grade) made it feel like the novel was about some high-schoolers.

All in all, though, this is probably one of the most original mystery and suspense novels I've read, mainly because of its topic. I enjoyed reading it very much.


I received a free e-book copy from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own. 

5*/5

No Turning Back - by Tracy Buchanan: Book Review

Title: No Turning Back

Author: Tracy Buchanan 

Pages: 321

Format: Kindle

Genre: Mystery Fiction

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publishing Date: 13.06.2017

It was a slow start, but after 10% it picked up. I am not convinced of the premise of the book - to kill a child to protect yours. Some parts of the story, when it is described what is happening (view spoiler), are not very clear and I had to re-read them. I was curious to see whodunit, although at some point I guessed who one of the murderers was, albeit later than I expected (and have liked!) to guess who the murderer was.

Some parts seem impossible, and forced. Those police officers, poor souls, were highly incompetent. That kid was very smart for an eight month old, the people were stiff in their dialogues for the most part, and even the romantic relationship is not plausible and doesn't make you cheer for the characters. The setting by the sea was lovely, though.

However, for a mystery story, it was nice, I enjoyed it.

I received an advance e-book copy from the publisher, Crooked Lane Books via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

3*/5

Burntown - by Jennifer McMahon: Book Review

Title: Burntown
Author: Jennifer McMahon
Nr. Pages: 304pages
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: 25.04.2017

It started sudden, and the events gut-punched you when you least expected. It was impossible to stop up to the 30% mark, and even then only because I had to wake up early the next morning. It was unputdownable. It's been a while since I've last read a mystery novel that drew me in so much.

It wasn't the fact that I didn't see the end coming; the actual "mystery", if you paid attention throughout the novel, was fairly easy to guess. But the first three quarters of the book were so written as to keep you guessing. Just when you think the events will calm for a bit and let you catch your breath after the last plot twist, a new change of situation arises and how can you stop reading just then? You can't. I cared so much about the characters and their fate that I kept reading till the very end, even to just read the confirmation of my suspicions.

I liked how the characters were created with one exception - the bad guy. After all he'd done I was expecting more cruelty on his part in the end, not the mopey, gushy, touchy-feely man. But I can overlook this because the rest of the book was a thrill to read!

This book made me miss mystery and crime novels.

I received an advanced free e-book copy of the book from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.