Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

 Thriller Genre, 384 pages, published in 2024; themes: haunted house, lies, memories.

Rating - 5/5; Enjoyment - 5/5; Writing - 5/5; Characters - 5/5; Plot - 5/5; Readability - 5/5; and Setting - 5/5.

What did you think of the book?  What will you take away from it?

The book was well written.  I liked how the two-story lines went together.  I really thought the house was haunted.

What was the aim of the book, and how well did the author fulfill it?

Probably to provide entertainment via a realistic fiction.  You are left to wonder whether the house truly is haunted until the very end.

Would you recommend this book to others?  Who is the target audience?

Yes, thrill seekers and ghost hunters which is currently relevant to me.

One-sentence book review

What haunts you may not be dead.

Thoughts and Notes

***Spoiler Alert***

Maggie grew up - not really - in a giant mansion known to be haunted but that's only because her father wrote a book saying it was.  Maggie doesn't believe it because she was 5 and doesn't remember any of it.

Her dad dies and she inherited this house - yes, the haunted house - she didn't even know her dad still owned it.  Well, she wants to flip it because that's what she does.  Since she knows it's not haunted then there's no issue. 

Well, she gets there, and strange stuff keeps happening.  She's losing her mind.  Until we find out the house does have secrets - secret passageways!

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall

 Thriller genre published in 2024, about 325 pages.  Themes:  Betrayal, murder, etc.

Ratings - 5 out of 5 overall

Enjoyment - 4/5

Writing - 4/5

Characters - 5/5

Plot - 3/5

Readability 5/5

Setting - 5/5

What did you think of the book?  What will you take away from it?

Well planned and developed.  Take away - things are never what they seem.  Your story may not be the most accurate.

What was the aim of the book, and how well did the author fulfill it?

Provide various angels to the same story.  Isn't that how life works?  Elements of suspense, questions, doubts, etc.  Well done.

Would you recommend this book to others?  Who is the target audience?

Absolutely, thriller lovers with find it a good read.

One sentence book review

You will never know the whole truth unless you talk about it.

Thoughts and Notes

***SPOILER ALERT***

Emma doesn't talk about her past, but her husband forces the issue when he loses his job, and they need a place to live.

They move into her childhood home - where her parents were murdered - in order to survive.  Then the past comes back full swing.

All 3 sisters (yeah, did I mention Emma has 2 sisters?) were somehow involved in their parent's murder but they swore not to tell anyone anything they knew.

A guy named Gabe was Emma's friend - much older - no funny business apparently - and they though he did it too.

The parents were abusive, so all the girls seemed to want them dead but did one of them actually do it.

Well, the story kind of leads us to believe that the youngest sister did it - well 1/2 did it.

But who killed Emma's husband?

Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon

 Published in 2008.  

Themes:  kidnapping, family problems, incest, sexual abuse

My Ratings - 5 ⭐

Enjoyment - 5/5

Writing - 5/5

Characters - 3/5

Plot - 2/5

Readability - 5/5

Setting - 5/5

What did you think of the book?  What will you take away from it?

It was easy to follow and an interesting premise.  I'm not sure I would have chosen the strange white rabbit theme though - I wonder what the symbolism is here.

What was the aim of the book, and how well did the author fulfill it?

Fantasy mixing with reality.  It was definitely well relayed, in my opinion, with certain aspects.  For example, how the young girl was "method acting" by embodying a dirty pirate because she was trying to become her character in the play, Captain Hook.  When in reality she was trying to stay dirty so her father wouldn't be interested in her (gross on several levels).

Would you recommend this book to others?  Who is the target audience?

Yes.  It's a good thriller and could appeal to many true/kinda true crime fanatics.  However, I hated the rape idea of it.  

One-sentence Book Review

The white rabbit was always meant to be seen but never followed.

Thoughts, Notes, Summary

**Spoiler Alert**

Rhonda watches a little girl get kidnapped by a white rabbit in broad daylight.

History of Rhonda:

• In love with Peter
• Peter is married to Tock
• Peter's sister and father are missing
• Peter's sister, Lizzy, was Rhonda's best friend
• Peter's mother was married to Rhonda's father before her parents 
• Peter is not Rhonda's father's son

So what happened?

• Peter's dad was raping Lizzy
• Lizzy killed her dad
• Peter and Tock hid the body in the stage
• Peter made Rhonda and the others destroy the stage
• Lizzy ran away
• No one looked for the Dad in the stage
• The girl who was kidnapped in the beginning was kidnapped by a store owner's nephew in a white rabbit suit
• Store owner's nephew has an accident - little girl is killed - he hides the body
• Store owner befriended the girl and staged the kidnapping because she lost her sister

Rhonda knew nothing but was always there

Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier

 What did you think of the book?  What will you take from it?

Too gory and a whole lot of nonsense.  There were many elements that were added that had nothing to do with the plot.  I didn't think the ending was believable at all.  I did not like any of the characters.

What was the aim of the book, and how well did the author fulfill it?

My guess is shock and awe, but I think she was aiming for a nurture v. nature and parental choices argument.  The main character places her child up for adoption because she is young and doesn't want to raise a rapist's baby.  However, she did not want to abort it either.  Eventually the child becomes a serial killer, much like his father but the mother is far from innocent.

Would you recommend the book to others?  Who is the target audience?

I wouldn't recommend it but there may be others interested.

One sentence book review

Sometimes being a terrible person can be inherited.

Thoughts and notes

Geo helps hide the body of her friend Angela who was murdered by Geo's boyfriend after he raper her in front of Geo.  They were all drunk, but he's just no good.  The boyfriend then becomes a serial killer.  He rapes Geo and she gets pregnant.  The son is adopted but later also becomes a serial killer targeting mothers who gave their children up for adoption and their children!!! Adopted son tracks Geo down and tripe to rape and kill her (gross!).  In the meantime, she has sex with the cop who arrested her and was her childhood friend.  We find out Geo was the one who cup up Angela because Clay couldn't do it.  Geo is now pregnant with the cop's baby.  What a recipe for disaster!

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

 What would you do if your father married someone younger than you?  What about if he was planning to marry this younger woman while your mother was still alive AND they were still married?  

I mean just that is enough to shock, but Hepworth doesn't stop here.  She adds in many different psychological dynamics, including kleptomania, stress eating, and let's not forget the many facets of abusive husbandry!

There are three main characters - the 3 thirty-year-old females, 2 sisters and the wife to be.  Each of them comes with their own sets of problems.

• Tully - kleptomaniac with various doses of anxiety.  One of her children seems to suffer from a case of it, too.  But no one is talking about her husband, who happens to make such a bad investment that the family loses millions.  I mean, what about this discretion, why is the stealing the big deal?
• Rachel - she was raped, and no one knows.  She hides her feelings and eats them away.  This comes in handy, as it is disguised in her baking business.  But everything is fixed when she meets the perfect mate, Darcy.  Right?
• Heather - What does she see in the older man?  He's double her age with children her age!  Could it be money?  I think it's more the daddy issues.  I mean her father was the classic abuser, could her husband be too?

That's the real question.  Was Stephen, the father and husband, the abuser?  There were many clues, but ultimately, I am not fully convinced.  However, someone was, right?  Given the outcome.

The Hellsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak

 I despise spy novels.  Ok, maybe that was too strong.  I definitely didn't like this one.  There was no meat to chew on for me.  I met with one other member of the Thriller Book Club who had similar thoughts and I figure others didn't join in because they didn't like it (or couldn't get through it) either. 

I couldn't attach myself to any of the characters either; none of them had an appealing backstory.  Maybe Maurice, but his part was minor. 

If that is the spy life - I'm glad I'm not part of it.

I also couldn't capture any "psychological elements" that were super apparent.  Maybe the idea of multiple personalities, but these spies entered these double lives willingly, so it's not really a psychosis.  There were elements of dual relationships (i.e., daughter investigating father), but also not salacious enough.  

So, this is the shortest blog, but I'm willing to discuss if you have any further input ...

When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrisey

 Black Harbour is definitely an interesting place to live and work.  I get the impression that it is so small town you know what everyone had for breakfast.  However small it is, bodies are dropping everywhere.  So, people just live in this purgatory where you are bound to die a murderous death?  How can you possibly want to live amongst a murderer?  Unless you are one of course.

Well, that is just one aspect of the book that did not make sense to me but added to the quality of the writing in When I'm Dead.  A medical examiner and police officer find themselves in the thick of the action when their daughter goes missing amidst a murder investigation of one of her classmates.  One body quickly turns in to two and then their daughter is shifted from being a victim to possible murder suspect.  What a whirlwind of emotions for the parents and the rest of the town.

When I'm Dead offers many red herrings by way of miscellaneous characters (i.e., the pumpkin lady and taxidermy teacher).  Definitely says something about the town that there is a taxidermy class available as an elective, which is also well attended!  You get a sense that maybe the town isn't that small if these characters exist.  I'll let you comment/be the judge.

Psychological Elements

One of the characters that was brought up was Rowan.  Many thought she was a bit narcissistic.  She managed to make everything about her.  Her daughter went missing because it was "Kharma" that she may have been involved in the death of another daughter in the distant past.  The pumpkin lady lost her child tragically, so all of a sudden Rowan gets that she has been an absent parent.  Libby is a possible suspect; oh no her mother is no longer going to want to be my friend.  I mean come on!

Other elements are the killer's delusions.  He talked to his dead sister and mother.  He believed Chloe was his sister and dressed her to play the part.  He essentially was living in a fantasy world of his own creation.  

Chloe in her own right developed a dissociative way to cope with the trauma.  Her "method acting" can be seen as a coping mechanism as well.  She embodies the character enough that she believes she is the character.  In this way, she can safely disassociate from the pain and suffering by convincing herself that it is happening to the character, not to her.  Bravo!

Tell me what you think!