Now this is a good, absorbing read. Two eighteen year old British girls go missing during their gap year in Thailand. Kate Waters, the journalist sent to cover the story, gets a nasty shock when her son, who’s also in Thailand, becomes a suspect in the girls’ disappearance. This clever novel taps into a parent’s worse […]
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The first seven-eights of this novel is packed solid with cliches worthy of multiple eye rollings, but then it takes an unexpected turn that almost makes it worth reading. First, the cliches: tortured and beautiful artist (tick), multiple men who seem to be dangerously attracted to her (tick) including a therapist who appears to be […]
The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth
Diana is not the kind of mother who wants her children to be happy. She would rather they faced real hardship and became wise and resilient. It’s an admirable philosophy, but maybe not so easy to admire if you happen to be one of her children, or their partners. Though financially well off, Diana refuses to […]
Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare
Call Me Evie is generating a lot of buzz; for me it was a disappointing read. Kate is held in a house in New Zealand by a man. It’s not clear what her relationship is to the man who controls her movements. She is occasionally allowed out in public with him and told to call herself […]
The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy by B.M. Caroll
The writing in this book reminds me a great deal of Liane Moriarty; no wonder Liane provides a recommendation on the cover. Though the end of Sophie McCarthy is gripping, it’s less of a thriller and more an exploration of one devastating accident and its consequences, from several perspectives. Sounds a little Truly Madly Guilty, doesn’t it? But […]
Half Moon Lake by Kirsten Alexander
Half Moon Lake is an elegantly written, deeply unsettling and riveting read about two missing boys and the corruption of wealth. The story is apparently inspired by that of Bobby Dunbar, who was the subject of a podcast by This American Life. Louisiana, 1913; Sonny, a four year old boy from a family of means, disappears while playing […]
Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent
Why would a man beat his wife into a coma after nearly thirty years of apparently happy marriage? When Oliver unravels, he does it in spectacularly brutal fashion. Told from several different perspectives, all of them fascinating, it turns out Oliver’s childhood was one of extreme emotional deprivation. Nevertheless, as an adult he managed to […]
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Did you know the president of the USA and his family aren’t ever allowed to open the windows in the White House residence to get a breath of fresh air, for security reasons? Michelle Obama’s autobiography is worth a read for so many reasons – that’s just one. Usually when I’m writing a review I […]