Month: June 2021

Posted in Book Review

Review: Finlay Donovan is Killing It, by Elle Cosimano

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

A struggling mystery novelist is mistaken for a hit woman by a would-be client who wants her husband killed. Before she knows it, Finlay Donovan is in over her head, embroiled in a very non-fictional murder case.

My impressions:

Holy cats you guys… This might actually be the best book I’ve read all year. Not only did the suspense keep me on the edge of my seat, the humor had me periodically doubling over with giggle fits. The writing voice was incredibly fun, bringing Finlay to life on the page so much so that I already can’t wait to hear more from this character. If there’s no sequel, my heart might actually break.

Finlay is an endearing character, relatable if slightly unbelievably good at getting out of tight spots. From the first page, I wanted to see her succeed, and I found myself even more thoroughly on her side than I am with most protagonists. I would happily read an entire series revolving around Finlay and the cast of characters in her orbit.

If you’re looking for an engrossing read with characters you’ll find yourself immediately attached to, I highly recommend this book. Fans of Dial A for Aunties and Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts are bound to enjoy this compulsive read.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

A struggling dog walker named Jane is swept up into a whirlwind romance with the enigmatic and wealthy widower Eddie Rochester. Both of them have secrets, both of them have hidden agendas, but are either of them dangerous? You’ll have to read to find out.

My impressions:

I may be biased because I have a major sweet tooth for retellings of Jane Eyre, but oh my goodness, this book is going straight in my list of favorites. The characters were complex and interesting, shying away from straightforward likeability and falling solidly in the zone of characters you root for out of fascination. No one is completely morally upright, and that’s the book’s main strength: because no one is overly trustworthy or sympathetic, it’s easier to find yourself unsure what you hope happens next, much less predict how this thriller will end.

Whether you’ve read Jane Eyre or not, this book is worth the read. It will keep you on the edge of your seat even after you believe you’ve figured out the ending- and your first or even second guess may not be correct!

Before I say too much and accidentally spoil something, I’ll leave it at this: if you want a thoroughly fun read with plenty of suspense, I highly recommend this book.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: You Don’t Own Me (Under Suspicion #6)

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

A woman accused of killing her husband pleads with Laurie Moran to clear her name. Newly engaged true crime aficionado Laurie takes on the case, perhaps placing herself in danger as she tries to find the truth.

My impressions:

This was perhaps my favorite Under Suspicion novel. It had all the elements that I’d come to love about the series by this point: memorable suspects, compelling interpersonal drama, and a twisty mystery case full of bombshell revelations about the victim and suspects.

Without spoiling anything I can absolutely say that the resolution of this book kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down, and I mean that. I don’t think I got anything done all day the day I read this book. There are multiple threads of intrigue that come together in surprising and interesting ways, and the whole thing was executed with the crisp, tightly plotted accuracy I’ve come to expect from the co-authors Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke.

It’s hard to gush more without risking spoiling important plot points so I’ll just say this: whether or not you plan to read the whole Under Suspicion series, this book alone is a knockout. I highly recommend it as a beach read or just a little something to keep you from sleeping tonight.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: Every Breath You Take (Under Suspicion #5)

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

A murder at the Met Gala turns into a cold case. The glamorous suspects become the next subjects of Laurie Moran’s (fictional) true crime series Under Suspicion.

My impressions:

This was a really fun entry in the Under Suspicion series. It’s full of twists and revelations to keep readers on edge, and the crisp storytelling style flows with fantastic pacing. I was relieved to see that the characters were basically back to acting like themselves again, especially Laurie, who was back to her usual fiery self.

The interpersonal stakes felt more important than the mystery in this one, which makes sense, as (minor spoiler alert) Laurie and Alex are at a turning point in their relationship this time around. The characterization was a lot neater this time around, and I suspect that the messiness of the previous book may have been the result of trying to shoehorn in some conflict in the B-plot of the characters personal lives. Regardless, this time around we get a healthy dose of character drama paired with the glitzy glamour of the murder plot.

I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say I listened to the end of the audiobook with wide eyes, on the edge of my seat. I absolutely recommend this entry in the popular “Under Suspicion” series. Alafair Burke and Mary Higgins Clark make an excellent co-writing duo that is a can’t-miss.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: The Sleeping Beauty Killer (Under Suspicion #4)

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

A woman is convicted of killing her golden boy fiancée, though she claims to have slept through his murder. After serving her time, she contacts true crime aficionado Laurie Moran, requesting to be the next case on Laurie’s show “Under Suspicion.”

My impressions:

Ok so normally if I’m not a huge fan of something, I don’t write a review, because I prefer to spend my energy lifting up things I’ve genuinely loved. I’m making an exception here because I loved the rest of the book series, and I’m hoping if anyone started with this book and is unsure whether to read the series, perhaps they’ll come across this review to assure them, the rest of the series is so much better than this particular book.

So why didn’t I like this one? First off, it was unmemorable. It’s been a couple of weeks now since I binge read the whole series, and this book is the only one where I genuinely do not remember the ending. It bored me so profoundly I had to Google who the killer was to refresh my memory. On top of that, Laurie felt off kilter and out of character, and her father and Alex both felt dramatically less sympathetic than they had in other entries in the series. Had I not accidentally read later books out of order before this one, I would’ve been expecting Alex to turn out to be a killer or at least an abuser based on the weird characterization he gets in this book alone.

Fear not though! These strange character development issues clear up after this book, and the rest of the series is definitely worth a read. Honestly you can probably skip this one and read the rest of the series without missing much. Don’t let this one dud keep you from enjoying what is otherwise a thoroughly satisfying series that will scratch all your grown-up former Nancy Drew fan itches.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: All Dressed in White (Under Suspicion #3)

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

Laurie Moran, true crime aficionado, is given another cold case to solve for her show, Under Suspicion. This time around it’s the case of a vanished bride, initially assumed to have merely gotten cold feet, who was never found.

My impressions:

Don’t read this one before bed! In usual “Under Suspicion” fashion, there were lots of twists and a full cast of suspects. I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish this book, and it seeped into my dreams. It was an unsettling read, mainly because I really believed any one of the suspects could’ve killed someone. Everyone has secrets, and the authors explored all the suspects, peeling back their layers of artifice to reveal the ugly secrets everyone is hiding.

This was definitely one of the more intense “Under Suspicion” books, largely because of the fact that we don’t start off with a body, just a missing person who’s trail has long gone cold. I found myself desperately hoping they’d find the bride alive, and I won’t spoil anything about the ending, but I can definitely say that I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through.

I can definitely recommend this book, especially to fans of quick paced suspense novels with tight plotting and memorable characters.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: The Cinderella Murder (Under Suspicion Book #2)

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

A beautiful aspiring actress is found dead, missing one shoe. When the case seems cold, true crime aficionado Laurie Moran teams up once more with charismatic lawyer Alex Buckley to look into the case for her show, Under Suspicion.

My impressions:

While less gripping than “Piece of My Heart,” “The Cinderella Murder” still held my attention for one continuous sitting as I listened to the whole audiobook in one day. I could definitely see the early stages of Clark and Burke’s styles coming together. The plot felt a little less tight than I was expecting, but the fast pace made up for it, and there were plenty of twists along the way to keep me on the edge of my seat.

What I like most about this book is the way it really lets its protagonist shine as a character. Mystery novels are an inherently plot driven genre, focusing the reader’s attention on alluring premises and thrilling twists. With this book, and the Under Suspicion series as a whole, we get a recurring protagonist, Laurie, whom we get to know well as we tag along on her adventures. Her character development feels authentic, and her relationships with the other recurring characters are compelling and draw the reader further into Laurie’s world. I felt like those aspects of the book made me care more whenever Laurie was ever in any peril while solving the case, because as a reader, I was perhaps even more invested in Laurie as a character than I was in the case she was solving, twisty and compelling as it was.

I can definitely say that I would recommend this book and the full series. Laurie and the rest of the Under Suspicion team are not to be missed!

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: Piece of My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

A child goes missing at a beach just prior to a wedding, throwing the wedding party into chaos as they scramble to find the missing boy.

My impressions:

This was my first time reading either of the authors, and it was a heck of a first impression. I think I finished this book in one single sitting, headphones glued to my head as I listened to the audiobook on 1.5x speed, needing to know what would happen next.

I took an immediate liking to the crisp writing style, which gives enough detail to paint a mental picture, but not so much detail as to feel like overly purple prose. The suspense was driven by the almost matter-of-fact storytelling, and the pacing was so masterful I never even considered putting the book down for a break.

By the time I got to the heart-pounding ending of the book, I knew without question that I would be reading more books by both of the co-authors, who I later realized had co written an entire series, which this novel appears to be the conclusion of. Within a week of finishing “Piece of My Heart” I had also read the rest of the “Under Suspicion” series (with the exception of one book the library didn’t have) and had become an immediate fan of both Clark and Burke.

All in all I have to say that Piece of My Heart is one of my favorite books that I’ve read thus far this year, and I’ll be following up this post with reviews of the other “Under Suspicion” books, as well as some of the other Alafair Burke books I’ve read since.

Happy reading!

Posted in Uncategorized

Back Again!

Posted on by writingkat95

It’s been a while since I’ve written here. The pandemic has given me a lot of time to read, but it also brought with it a sort of paralysis whenever I’ve tried to write, even to type out a book review. However, as some of the stressors in life ease off, I’m determined to write reviews and blog posts here again!

What to expect:

I have a backlog of books I’ve read recently to review, with a good mix of older books (think 2010s) with newer releases thrown in as well. There will be a lot less YA than I used to review, largely because I’ve been widening my horizons to check out genres I’d never read much of before, like adult sci fi and fantasy, mystery and thriller novels, and romance.

I’m also toying with the idea of writing some spotlights on indie pc games that I enjoy, especially ones with strong narratives. I have a special fondness for indie games as a storytelling vehicle, and I think it could be fun to discuss them a bit here.

Lastly, I may post sporadic updates about my own writing process, though those will probably shy away from specific details and will likely be short blog posts.

Thanks for reading!