My Review for The Woman in the Cabin by Becca Day

“Have dinner ready… be happy to see your husband and greet him with a warm smile.”

The Woman in the Cabin was my April read for the @hook.me.a.book challenge – the #NeglectedFaithfulsReadingChallenge – and a book that’s been sitting on my shelf for way too long 📚✨ It was dark, full of all sorts of wrongness… and I loved it so much 😈 I had to keep reading. I needed to know if Mary was going to be okay 😰, whether the control-freak husband was going to hurt her 😡, and just what other madness he had up his sleeve 👀

I think this book will send readers one of two ways: you’ll either be completely intrigued (like I was) and desperate to keep turning the pages 📖🔥, or you’ll be hugely frustrated by our female main character — like, kill the b*****d already! 😤 And if you’re big on women’s rights, this might make you properly angry at how any man could treat a woman like this 💔

However you feel, if you enjoy a captive thriller, you’re going to love this one 🖤

If you’re thinking of picking it up, definitely check the trigger warnings first ⚠️ — there are quite a few. But if you’re good with those… dive in! 🏊‍♀️📚

This is my first Becca Day read, and it definitely won’t be my last 🙌

A (very belated) thank you to Bonnier Hive for the gifted copy of The Woman in the Cabin by Becca Day 💌📖

About the Book

Deep in the woods, you can hide more than secrets...

Every day, in a remote cabin hidden deep in the woods in the Scottish Highlands, Mary wakes up before dawn to make breakfast from scratch. She tends the garden and feeds the animals. Every night, Mary makes sure she has dinner on the table for when her husband Cal gets home from work.

She puts on his favorite lipstick and greets him with a smile. 'I've missed you.' It's not true and he knows it. But he likes to hear it all the same.

Mary is the perfect wife and like any good wife she knows her job is to keep her husband happy.

But lately as she notices her first wrinkles appear, she can sense Cal change. A scowl at dinner not being ready on time, a too tight grip as he leads her to the bedroom tells her he's noticed too. And old memories are coming back too, of her life before the cabin...

Then she finds a stack of letters hidden under the floorboards detailing a life eerily similar to her own. They're addressed to her: 'To the next woman.'

If she's not the first to play the role of Cal's perfect wife, what happened to the woman in the cabin before her? And how long does she have until she is next?

About Becca - by Becca

Hello friends! I’ve been a storyteller since I can remember. I even wrote a short story (which I distinctly remember being rather cringe-worthy) that ended up being ‘published’ in the school’s library. I was basically a celebrity! Growing up, I was a constant day-dreamer, and “get your head out of the clouds” was a common phrase I heard from my parents and teachers. But the truth is my mind just liked to wander (still does), and I spent my teenage years and early adulthood attempting (and failing) to get my wandering thoughts down onto paper.

I became a full-time writer working for a parenting website – as well as venturing into graphic and website design as another creative outlet – but my heart has always been drawn back to fiction. I wrote a few pieces of short fiction (one of which came runner up in a competition) and my first full length novel in 2019, which will sit in a drawer for the rest of eternity. I began querying my second novel in March 2021 and in May 2021 I signed with my wonderful agent Emily Glenister at DHH Literary Agency. I also helped to run Reading Parties with fellow author William Shaw – he’s far more successful and talented than me, but don’t tell him I said that! Reading Parties has given me the opportunity to work with some amazing writers such as Phoebe Morgan, Will Dean, C.L Taylor and TM Logan, as well as countless industry professionals.

Nowadays, when I’m not working on my novels, I’m Head of Membership & Marketing at leading literary consultancy Jericho Writers, which means I get to help others to write novels for a living! What a life! And, amidst writing and working, I’m looking after my two daughters and cocker spaniel in my little home in Surrey.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Becca on Facebook | Follow Becca on Instagram

Becca's Website

Read More

My Post for I Found You by Lisa Jewell, read by Helen Duff

“I’d been secretly fantasising about you waking up fully restored back to factory settings.”

I Found You is another one that I'm just catching up with my review for. I listened to this in the summer of 2024 and I remember so much about it, which is unusual - I usually forget about a story as soon as I finish it!

I definitely wouldn't have done what Alice did, and invited a stranger inside my house to stay with me and my kids! But her heart is in the right place and thankfully, she has the support of her friend to keep an eye on her!

The story is written from three points of view, two from the present day and one from 1993, from the point of view of two kids who holidayed in the same place where Alice now lives. 

I really enjoyed listening to this, I thought I'd worked out who the man on the beach was, and then there was another twist and I was back to the drawing board!

About the Book

In a windswept British seaside town, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on the 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, twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.

Twenty-three years earlier, Gray and Kirsty are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. Their annual trip to the quaint seaside town is passing by uneventfully, until an enigmatic young man starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortable—and it’s not just that he’s playing the role of protective older brother.

Two decades of secrets, a missing husband, and a man with no memory are at the heart of this brilliant new novel, filled with the “beautiful writing, believable characters, pacey narrative, and dark secrets” (London Daily Mail) that make Lisa Jewell so beloved by audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

About Lisa

Lisa Jewell is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels, including The Family Upstairs and Then She Was Gone, as well as Invisible Girl and Watching You. Her novels have sold over 10 million copies internationally, and her work has also been translated into twenty-nine languages. Connect with her on Twitter @LisaJewellUK, on Instagram @LisaJewellUK, and on Facebook @LisaJewellOfficial.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Lisa on Facebook | Follow Lisa on Instagram

Lisa's Website

Read More

My Review for She Started It by Sian Gilbert

'One thing’s for sure: not everyone is going to be leaving this island alive'

Firstly, my apologies to the publisher, who gifted me a copy of She Started It, back in the middle of 2024. I did read it in July 2024, but I have only just got around to writing my review - yes I know, I'm rubbish!

Five women, a beautiful Caribbean island, first-class treatment all the way, and three days of pure relaxation. How idyllic does this sound? Well it might sound blissful and to begin with it was, but this is a thriller and idyllic is far from how it ended!

Told from multiple points of view, from each of the women, it took me a short while to identify each one, but once I had, I found it to be uniquely and cleverly done. I didn't particularly like any of them, but of course this is how we were supposed to feel. They were spiteful, and Poppy in particular was incredibly vindictive. Would I have been like that, if I'd been bullied, and I had the opportunity for revenge? Yes, absolutely! (That's a story for another day). 🙈

This was a top read for me, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller, with sunshine, cocktails and sandy beaches. 

Thank you to Viking Books for the gifted copy of She Started It by Sian Gilbert.

About the Book

The party of a lifetime is nothing like what they expected...

Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe are best friends—or were, as children. Despite drifting apart in adulthood, shared secrets have kept them bonded for better or worse, even as their childhood dreams haven’t quite turned out as they’d hoped. Then one day they receive a wholly unexpected—but not entirely unwelcome—invitation from another old friend. Poppy Greer has invited them all to her extravagant bachelorette party: a first-class plane ticket to three days of white sand, cocktails, and relaxation on a luxe private island in the Bahamas.

None of them has spoken to Poppy in years. But Poppy’s Instagram pics shows that the girl they used to consider the weakest link in their group has definitely made good—and made money. Curiosity gets the better of them. Besides, who can turn down a posh all-expenses-paid vacation on a Caribbean island?

The first-class flight and the island’s accommodations are just as opulent as expected...even if the scenic island proves more remote than they’d anticipated. Quite remote, in fact, with no cell service, and no other guests. The women quickly discover they’ve underestimated Poppy, and each other. As their darkest secrets are revealed, the tropical adventure morphs into a terrifying nightmare.

Endlessly twisty, sharply observant, and deliciously catty, She Started It is sure to shock readers until the very end.

About Sian

Sian Gilbert is the author of She Started It. She was born in Bristol, UK, and studied history at the University of Warwick, before teaching at a comprehensive school in Birmingham for almost five years. She now lives in Cambridge with her partner.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Sian on Bluesky | Follow Sian on Facebook | Follow Sian on Instagram

Read More

My Review for Don't Believe Her by Nicola Sanders, read by Jodie Harris

'Oh my god. This woman is like a sorceress. She has enchanted them all'.

This one had my head spinning around and around from the very beginning to the very end. I think I honestly suspected every single character in the book of being the fruity-loop mad one who was lying - did I get it right - ever? No, not really, not until right at the very end when it was becoming apparent anyway. Kudos to Nicola for keeping me guessing. 

I can't say that I particularly liked any of the characters, there were devious sides to them all, lies that they all told, and judgments that were made with no thought for the people being judged. However, the unlikeable characters definitely brought that added extra to the story and were brilliantly thought out and written. 

Praise to Jodie Harris for her narration. Her investment in the characters, had me even more invested than I would have been if I'd simply read it. 

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review Don't Believe Her by Nicola Sanders.

About the Book

Everyone believes her. Except you.

My life has never been better. I have a beautiful little girl, and I am engaged to be married to the man I’ve had a crush on since I can remember.

So when Nick, my handsome fiancé, announces that his sister Carla is finally coming home, it’s truly the icing on the cake.

Carla was my best friend growing up until she ran away at sixteen. That was twelve years ago, and no one has seen her since.

Everyone is ecstatic about Carla’s return. But as I spend more time with her, I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. Her behaviour is a little off, her childhood memories don't align with mine, and she's oddly evasive about her lost years.

But no one will listen to my concerns — not Nick, not Carla’s mother, Marjorie, not even our old friends. They all say I’m imagining things.

But I can tell something is wrong. And before long, I know without a shadow of a doubt…

It’s not her.

About Nicola by Nicola

Hi there, thank you for visiting my brand new page! I write psychological thrillers, which should be obvious by now 🙂 I live in Australia with my family plus all the magpies and the crested pigeons who make themselves very much at home. My books are available as ebooks on Kindle Unlimited, but you can get them as paperbacks and audiobooks too.

Thank you for stopping by 🙂

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Nicola on Facebook

Nicola's Website

Read More

My Review for The Guilty One by Kiersten Modglin, read by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Chad Ackerman, Evan Sibley and Melissa Kay Benson

'Someone is lying. Someone is missing. Someone is guilty'.

The Guilty One was twisted with a capital T and so messed up that I spoke out loud to my audiobook more than once! 😂 I really enjoyed it, even if Tate was a total douchebag, and that's being kind. Urgh, many of us will know how it feels to be bullied and to be so scared of someone that you will do what they tell you to do, no questions asked and this is what Tate does to people and how he makes them feel. 

The story was told between two different timelines, then and now and there were so many twists and turns, I was exhausted - but in a good way! Everyone lies, everyone has something to hide and just when I thought I had worked out what was going on, Kiersten threw another spanner in there and contorted it that little bit more! 

The narrators each brought their own special touch to the book, and yep, the characters you're supposed to dislike, you definitely did! They all did a great job.

If you like twisted, domestic thrillers, that keep you guessing until the end, then I would really recommend this one, but check the triggers first!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review The Guilty One by Kiersten Modglin.

About the Book

Your husband was involved in a fatal accident.

One horrific sentence, delivered in an impersonal phone call, changes Celine Thompson’s life in a second. But when she’s asked to identify his body, what she discovers sends everything she thought she knew about her life crashing down.

This man is not my husband.

But who was the man who died driving Tate’s car? How did he have Tate’s possessions and, more importantly, why do they sport identical tattoos?

We’re going to find him.

When Tate doesn’t answer his phone or arrive home after the accident, Celine fears the worst. Still holding on to hope her husband may be alive, Celine is desperate to track Tate down and figure out what’s going on before it’s too late. The only problem? There are dark truths waiting to come out that are so atrocious she won’t ever be able to look away from them.

As she begins to put together the pieces of the mysterious day her husband went missing, it paints a picture of a man she never really knew. Is it possible Tate is still alive, or is she wasting her time searching for someone who will never be found? And if he is alive, how will they ever survive all that she’s unearthed?

With time running out, Celine must push the limits of the law and her safety to shed light on the secrets that have been hiding in the dark corners of their life together. In doing so, she may just uncover the final missing piece to the puzzle surrounding her husband’s fate.

Someone is lying.

Someone is missing.

Someone is guilty.

In this menacing, dark, and completely twisted domestic thriller, million-copy bestselling author Kiersten Modglin deep dives into a marriage riddled with lies, a couple with wicked secrets, and a woman who will stop at nothing to discover the truth about her husband’s disappearance. 

Forget everything you think you know…

About Kiersten

KIERSTEN MODGLIN is a #1 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over two million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix's Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine's Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten's readers across the world lovingly refer to her as "KMod." A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.​

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Kiersten on Bluesky | Follow Kiersten on Facebook | Follow Kiersten on Instagram

Kiersten's Website

Read More

My Review for The Crash by Freida McFadden, read by Leslie Howard

I was disappointed....

I’ve never read a Freida McFadden before, no particular reason, it just hasn’t really been on my radar, plus I have an ARC backlog of 9 million years, plus an endless and ever-growing TBR! But, #bookstabritsbookclub chose The Crash for their May read and so here we are. 

I listened to this one and it was enjoyable, if predictable. To be honest, Tegan, who was the female main character was a bit of a wet lettuce. At the beginning I thought she was going to have a lot more spunk than it turned out she had! Hank was two sandwiches short of a picnic and Polly was just devious, manipulative and as mad as a March hare! 

There were inconsistencies that annoyed me, and if this had been an ARC, I would have overlooked them - knowing (hoping) they’d be picked up in the final edit. However this wasn’t an ARC and so I couldn’t just ignore them. A couple of people I spoke to said they were part of the story/plot but actually, I don’t think it was. I was disappointed, there are so many people who rave about this author, but nope, I just didn't get it. 

Anyway, it wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, it passed a few hours whilst I was listening, but would I rush back to read another one - no, probably not. 

About the Book

Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn't realize she's heading straight into a blizzard.

She never arrives at her destination.

Stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and broken ankle, Tegan worries she's made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle occurs: she is rescued by a couple who offers her a room in their warm cabin until the snow clears.

But something isn't right. Tegan believed she was waiting out the storm, but as time ticks by, she comes to realize she is in grave danger. This safe haven isn't what she thought it was, and staying here may have been her most deadly mistake yet.

And now she must do whatever it takes to save herself—and her unborn child.

About Freida

#1 New York Times, Amazon Charts, USA Today, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author Freida McFadden is a physician who has penned multiple bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. Freida’s work has been selected as one of Amazon Editors’ best books of the year, she is the winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for best paperback, and she is a Goodreads Choice Award winner. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages.

Freida lives with her family and cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Freida on Facebook | Follow Freida on Instagram

Freida's Website

Read More

My Review for Break Every Rule by Brian Freeman read by Scott Brick

.... when the lives of the people you love are at stake, rules are made to be broken.

Have I really not read a Brian Freeman book before? 🙈 Of course I've seen the Jason Bourne movies, and perhaps I did read these before I got back into reading - I can't remember though. Anyway, I loved this, from beginning to end. It was fast-paced, exciting, and there were so many twists and turns, I met myself coming backwards, more than once! Honestly, I was exhausted by the time I took my AirPods out for the final time!

At the start I thought Tommy was a bad man, but he really isn't, he loves his wife and daughter more than anything in the world and if he has to kill to avenge their kidnapping, then that's exactly what he'll do. Along the way, he has unexpected assistance from professionals and amateurs alike, all of who are looking for the same outcome. 

Scott Brick did a sterling job as the narrator, throwing me into every single scene as though I really was there too, fighting off the bad guys and chilling in the bars. 

I would one hundred per cent recommend this book to anyone who loved a hectic thriller where you don't get a moment to stop and think!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review Break Every Rule by Brian Freeman.

About the Book

Tommy Miller is a man with deadly skills, hiding in Florida under a false identity. After being set up on an overseas mission, he’s on the run from terrorists—and from the government who betrayed him. So when his wife and daughter are violently abducted, it seems his ghosts are finally catching up with him.

But Tommy isn’t the only one with secrets. His wife, Teresa, has been concealing her own dangerous past, and as Tommy races to rescue his family, he must peel away the clues she’s left behind. With a hotshot police detective, Lindy Jax, close on his trail, Tommy follows a twisted path from Florida to the Bahamas, one that brings him face to face with ruthless enemies.

His search for answers soon puts him on the wrong side of the law—hunted by the police and pursued by men who want him dead. Worst of all, if he hopes to save Teresa and their daughter, Rosalita, he must become the man he once was—a killer operating from the deepest shadows.

But when the lives of the people you love are at stake, rules are made to be broken.

About Brian

Brian Freeman is the bestselling author of thirty novels that have been sold around the world and translated into 23 languages. His novel SPILLED BLOOD won the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the annual Thriller Awards, and his novel THE BURYING PLACE was a finalist for the same award. His novel THE DEEP, DEEP SNOW was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and his debut IMMORAL was an Edgar finalist for Best First Novel. In 2019, he was selected by Putnam and the Robert Ludlum estate as the official author to continue Ludlum’s famous Jason Bourne franchise.

“My goal is to write books with haunting characters and a lightning-fast pace,” Brian says. “My stories are about the hidden intimate motives that draw people across some dark lines. The twists and turns keep you turning the pages, and each piece in the puzzle gives you new insight into the heroes, victims, and villains.”

“I don’t like books where the characters are all good or all bad,” he adds. “I want them to live in the real world, where morality means tough choices and a lot of shades of gray. I hope that’s why readers relate so intensely to the people in my books.”

He is particularly known for the “you are there” sense of place in his novels, from dead-of-winter Minnesota to the tropical storms of Florida. He scouts real-life locales for all of his books and brings to life dramatic settings such as Duluth, San Francisco, Tampa, Las Vegas, and Door County, Wisconsin. “Nobody writes weather like Brian Freeman,” says one reviewer.

Brian lives in Florida with his wife, Marcia, who is his partner in life and in the book business. They both stay closely connected to Brian’s readers.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Brian on Facebook | Follow Brian on Instagram

Brian's Website

Read More

My Review for This Is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter, read by Kathleen Early

One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?

I may be a bit of a dunce, but I had no idea what a locked-room mystery was - but now I've worked it out! Duh - pretty self-explanatory, really! Anyway, this is one, and I loved it, it was such a great listen, and because we are kept in the dark about so many things, it was really difficult to try to work out who the killer was. Throughout, I was guessing, and with each chapter I was wrong and had to try to think again!

I enjoyed the constant back-and-forth from the present time, to specific times before the murder, it made it much more exciting and definitely helps clarify events, so the reader can decide who is and isn't in the frame!

Each and every one of the characters brought an element of 'screwed up' to the story and yep, many of them had a reason to be the killer! Kathleen Early as the narrator brought that element of mystery and suspense to the story, which always makes a book stand out for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review This Is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter.

About the Book

One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?

Welcome to the luxury McAlpine Lodge…

Nestled in the misty mountains, it’s the perfect getaway. Until a woman’s body is found.

Everyone is a suspect.

The cruel father.

The toxic mother.

The bitter family.

The silent staff.

The suspicious guests.

Each of them is guilty of something. But only one is a killer. You’ll never guess who…

About Karin

Karin Slaughter is one of the world's most popular and acclaimed storytellers.

She is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated Cop Town and standalone novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and Pieces of Her. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Her is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette, and WILL TRENT, based on her Will Trent series, is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally). False Witness and The Good Daughter are in development for television. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Karin on Bluesky | Follow Karin on Facebook | Follow Karin on Instagram

Karin's Website

Read More

My Review for The Little Girl I Always Wanted by Anya Mora, read by Abigail Reno, Tara Novie, Kacy Combest and Christopher Craven

Missing girls but no bodies....

This was an audiobook listen for me and made all the more enjoyable because of the four narrators, who really made the story their own. It became quite apparent from the beginning that the majority of this small community has had a strict religious upbringing and continues to follow their faith. The wife's role was to bring up the kids and look after the house, and absolutely everything has to be run past their husbands first. I appreciate that there are many, many communities in the US that put their faith above everything, but I don't think I've read a book that focuses highly on this, not one set in the 21st century anyway. 

I worked out pretty early on who the bad guy was going to be, but that didn't spoil the enjoyment at all. There were still plenty of moments when I nearly changed my mind, as every now and then the plot took a diversion! A great story with underlying themes of grief and the difficulties of motherhood. 

Thank you to Libro FM and Vibrance Press for the opportunity to listen to and review The Little Girl I Always Wanted by Anya Mora.

About the Book

It’s as if my heart is bursting out of my chest. Nine-year-old Jubilee, our new adopted daughter, is beaming. She’s the little girl I always wanted and we’re finally taking her home.

Three months later.

‘This can’t be happening,’ I say. ‘She can’t be gone. She’s just a little girl, our little girl. She was here in her bed last night. I remember. I . . .’

I feel the panic rising, my worst fear surfacing. What if I brought her home — only to be taken?

Jubilee is not the first girl to go missing in our town. They found a body out in the cornfield — bones broken, a beautiful young girl gone.

Our community has already lost so many daughters. Mine cannot be next.

About Anya

Anya Mora lives a ferry ride from Seattle. She's a wildly sentimental mother of five in a love affair with hot yoga, positive affirmations, and to-do lists. She unabashedly uses emojis and wears her heart on her sleeve. Her novels, while leaning toward the dark, ultimately reflect light, courage, and her innate belief that love rewards the brave.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Anya on Facebook

Anya's Website

Read More

My Review for The House on Cold Creek Lane by Liz Alterman, read by Emily Ellet and Gail Shalan

Well, that was a dark ending!

I'm flying through my audiobooks this year, and The House on Cold Creek Lane was another good one. I seem to be picking up the thriller audiobooks rather than the physical or digital copies, and I'm loving the immersiveness of them. A good narrator makes for an even better story, and Emily Ellet and Gail Shalan did a fantastic job of picking me up and depositing me into the lives of those who live or have lived on Cold Creek Lane. 

I didn't care for Laurel's husband, yep, he might have wanted what was best for her, but he didn't handle her very well. He came across as controlling and bossy, many a time I wanted to throw that influencing attitude right back at him. 

Told alternatively from Laurel and Corey's point of view, both characters were pretty screwed up in different ways. I worked out pretty early on who the bad guy was, but what I wasn't expecting was that ending! Wow, Liz, just wow! As an author I'm pretty sure you want your readers to remember the book, long after they've finished that last page, and that's certainly what happened to me!

Thank you to Libro FM and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to and review The House on Cold Creek Lane by Liz Alterman.

About the Book

Who was I? What had I become? Breathe, I commanded. You're doing this for your family.

When Laurel and Rob West move into their new home in New Jersey, it seems too good to be true. But Laurel can't shake off her old feelings of anxiety. The neighbour who pays far too much attention to the Wests' two young children . . . Rob watching her every miss step . . . and there's something people aren't telling her about this house . . . 

I promised myself I wouldn't go to that neighborhood again. Not that street. Not so soon. But I couldn't help it. They made it too easy.

Corey Sutton is trying to outrun her past. Recently divorced and reeling from a devastating loss, she moves into her widowed mother's retirement condo in Florida. Everyone says she just needs some time to recover and rebuild . . . but is Corey beyond saving? She wants answers. And there's very little she won't do to get them.

Though Laurel and Corey have never met, the women have something in common, and if they're not careful, it may just destroy them both . . .

About Liz

Liz Alterman's work can be found in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Parents, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and other publications. She is the author of a young adult novel, He'll Be Waiting, a memoir, Sad Sacked, and the domestic suspense novels The Perfect Neighborhood and The House on Cold Creek Lane. Liz lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons. When she isn't writing, Liz spends most days reading, microwaving the same cup of coffee, and looking up synonyms.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Liz on Bluesky | Follow Liz on Instagram

Liz's Website

Read More

My Review for I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay, read by George Newbern and Johnathan McClain

So many plot twists that I didn't see coming!

I'm pretty sure this was my first venture into Linwood Barclay's world, and I was hooked from the time I pressed play that first time, until I removed my AirPods after the final chapter and wondered to myself what I had just listened to!

Tense and frantic, I was pulled this way and that as chapter after chapter brought more surprises and WTF moments. I felt for Richard, our protagonist, as he has to spend the entirety of the book trying to prove his innocence, whilst investigating just what the hell is going on. This seems to be a theme right now for my books!

Fancy an adrenaline rush, where at the end of the book, you'll physically feel like you experienced absolutely everything, then grab yourself a copy of I Will Ruin You. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay.

About the Book

How would you react in a life-or-death situation?

It’s a question everyone asks themselves, but few have to face in real life. English teacher Richard Boyle certainly never thought he would find himself talking down a former student intent on harming others, but when Mark LeDrew shows up at Richard’s school with a bomb strapped to his chest, Richard immediately jumps into action. Thanks to some quick thinking, he averts a major tragedy and is hailed as a hero, but not all the attention focused on him is positive.

Richard’s brief moment in the spotlight puts him in the sights of a deranged blackmailer with a score to settle. The situation rapidly spirals out of control, drawing Richard into a fraught web of salacious accusations and deadly secrets. As he tries to uncover the truth he discovers that there’s something deeply wrong in the town—something that ties together Mark, the blackmailer, and a gang of ruthless drug dealers, and Richard has landed smack in the middle of it. He’s desperate to find a way out, but everyone in his life seems to be hiding something, and trusting the wrong person could cost him everything he loves.

What price will he pay for one good deed?

About Linwood

Linwood Barclay, a New York Times bestselling author with twenty novels to his credit, spent three decades in newspapers before turning full time to writing thrillers. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, sold millions of copies, and he counts Stephen King among his fans. Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, a series has been made in France, and he wrote the screenplay for the film based on his novel Never Saw it Coming. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives near Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Follow Linwood on BlueSky | Follow Linwood on Facebook | Follow Linwood on Instagram

Linwood's Website

Read More

My Review for The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, read by Bernadette Dunne

I think this will become a favourite...

The Haunting of Hill House was one I listened to last October for #classiclitbookclub. I don't usually read or listen to horror, but this sent me down a rabbit hole of defining horror. According to Wikipedia, 'Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience'. According to what I researched, Dracula, Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray can all be classified as horror. I've read all of these, and I wasn't disturbed, frightened or scared by any of them. I was entertained, immersed and enthralled by them all. The things that I class as horror are that vile doll Chucky (was that his name) and The Exorcist, so maybe I need to be a little less judgmental of the horror genre from now on, and perhaps it isn't reading horror that I don't like, it's watching it!

Anyway, back to the review...I liked it, I liked it a lot. The author didn't just create the atmosphere, she was the atmosphere. That makes more sense in my head than it does writing it down, but hopefully you know what I mean. She was the mysterious house, the quirky characters, the annoying Mrs Dudley, who sort of reminds me of Mrs Danvers. This book stayed with me, long after I finished listening to it. The house was a character in itself, sinister and dark and wanting to keep its inhabitants out, or at least scare them away. 

I am going to go back and read this later this year, rather than listen, and see if I can soak up some more of that atmosphere. 

About the Book

The classic supernatural thriller by an author who helped define the genre. First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting;' Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

About Shirley

Shirley Jackson was an influential American author. A popular writer in her time, her work has received increasing attention from literary critics in recent years. She has influenced such writers as Stephen King, Nigel Kneale, and Richard Matheson.

She is best known for her dystopian short story, "The Lottery" (1948), which suggests there is a deeply unsettling underside to bucolic, smalltown America. In her critical biography of Shirley Jackson, Lenemaja Friedman notes that when Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" was published in the June 28, 1948, issue of The New Yorker, it received a response that "no New Yorker story had ever received." Hundreds of letters poured in that were characterized by, as Jackson put it, "bewilderment, speculation and old-fashioned abuse."

Jackson's husband, the literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, wrote in his preface to a posthumous anthology of her work that "she consistently refused to be interviewed, to explain or promote her work in any fashion, or to take public stands and be the pundit of the Sunday supplements. She believed that her books would speak for her clearly enough over the years." Hyman insisted the darker aspects of Jackson's works were not, as some critics claimed, the product of "personal, even neurotic, fantasies", but that Jackson intended, as "a sensitive and faithful anatomy of our times, fitting symbols for our distressing world of the concentration camp and the Bomb", to mirror humanity's Cold War-era fears. Jackson may even have taken pleasure in the subversive impact of her work, as revealed by Hyman's statement that she "was always proud that the Union of South Africa banned The Lottery', and she felt that they at least understood the story".

In 1965, Jackson died of heart failure in her sleep, at her home in North Bennington Vermont, at the age of 48.

Buy on Amazon UK | Buy on Amazon US

Read More