thriller

…like I woke up from a nightmare when I finished this book… | What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

February 28, 2023February 28, 2023 BinaLeave a comment

They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies. – Goodreads

TL;DR: The most depressing and disturbing thriller I’ve ever read. The one thing I’ve learned from What Lies Between Us is that mothers will literally do anything for their children, for better or for worse. Don’t be fooled by the 5 topazes because, honestly, I don’t even know whether this book deserves them because while so many things happen and for that, this thriller is unforgettable, the things that happen are all so awful that I kind of wish I never read it.

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Psychology is cool and all, but it can be scary as hell. | The Good Lie by A.R. Torre

February 23, 2023February 24, 2023 BinaLeave a comment

Amazon

Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore is an expert on killers. She’s spent a decade treating California’s most depraved predators and unlocking their motives—predators much like the notorious Bloody Heart serial killer, whose latest teenage victim escaped and then identified local high school teacher Randall Thompson as his captor. The case against Thompson as the Bloody Heart Killer is damning—and closed, as far as Gwen and the media are concerned. If not for one new development…

Defense attorney Robert Kavin is a still-traumatized father whose own son fell prey to the BH Killer. Convinced of Thompson’s innocence, he steps in to represent him. Now Robert wants Gwen to interview the accused, create a psych profile of the killer and his victims, and help clear his client’s name.

As Gwen and Robert grow closer and she dives deeper into the investigation, grave questions arise. So does Gwen’s suspicion that Robert is hiding something—and that he might not be the only one with a secret. – Goodreads

TL;DR: The Good Lie features a complex web of relationships that force you to think about who – or what – people truly are and whether you’ll ever really know them.

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The Perfect Marriage is…yawn…what was I saying? | The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

February 21, 2023February 23, 2023 BinaLeave a comment

Amazon

Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. At 33 years old, she is a named partner at her firm and life is going exactly how she planned.

The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career. He begins to tire of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.

Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.

Then, one morning everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s second home.

Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress. – Goodreads

TL;DR: The synopsis is the most interesting part about this book. Le sigh.

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An entire village vanishing without a trace? Say no more. | The Lost Village by Camilla Sten, translated by Alexandra Fleming

September 4, 2022September 4, 2022 BinaLeave a comment

Eek, please excuse the stock photo. I’m in the process of moving and haven’t had time to take one myself.

Amazon

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

But there will be no turning back.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:

They are not alone.

They’re looking for the truth…
But what if it finds them first? – Goodreads

TL;DR: While the concept and the setting (creepy village in middle-of-nowhere Sweden? Yes, please) are more than promising, the execution of The Lost Village, unfortunately, falls flat – so much so that I wish it were longer! However, the discussions on mental health are necessary and appreciated.

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This book had me wanting to be a dog-walker so I could have a meet-cute with a hot widower until (thank god), it didn’t | The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

August 27, 2022August 27, 2022 BinaLeave a comment

Amazon

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates—a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie—not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past—or his—catches up to her? – Goodreads

TL;DR: I should have known that The Wife Upstairs was a retelling of Jane Eyre as soon as I read the names “Jane” and “Eddie.” But, in my defense, it has been literally a decade since I’ve read Jane Eyre, and, I was totally expecting a twisty psychological thriller. Which this book isn’t. At all.

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WWW Wednesday | August 24, 2022

August 24, 2022 Bina3 Comments

My first WWW Wednesday on this blog! This tag is hosted by Sam @ Taking on A World of Worlds. The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

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Don’t make me go skiing in the Alps no matter how beautiful they are | One By One by Ruth Ware

August 22, 2022August 23, 2022 BinaLeave a comment

Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them?

When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be? – Goodreads

TL;DR: My first Ruth Ware, and I got to say: I was quite disappointed. But, if she convinced me of one thing, it’s this: I don’t care how amazing the skiing is or how beautiful the views are, but I will never, ever stay at an isolated chalet in the French Alps to ski.

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I Found You by Lisa Jewell

January 10, 2021August 20, 2022 BinaLeave a comment

Title: I Found You
Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: thriller
Release: 2017
Content warnings: sexual assault, attempted rape, violence, harassment
Blurb (Goodreads): In the windswept British seaside town of Ridinghouse Bay, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on a beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, and no idea how he got there. Against her better judgment, she invites him inside.

Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, newlywed Lily Monrose grows anxious when her husband fails to return home from work one night. Soon, she receives even worse news: according to the police, the man she married never even existed.

Twenty-three years earlier, Gray and Kirsty Ross are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. The annual trip to Ridinghouse Bay is uneventful, until an enigmatic young man starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortable—and it’s not just because he’s a protective older brother.

Who is the man on the beach? Where is Lily’s missing husband? And what ever happened to the man who made such a lasting and disturbing impression on Gray?

4 out of 5 topazes

I’ll be honest: I don’t really care about the amnesia trope. I neither hate it nor love it; it’s just there, and if the author does it well, then I’m set. Thankfully, Jewell does it well in that it makes sense. The fugue state happens when the afflicted undergoes unspeakable trauma, and Gray undergoes such trauma.

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