The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell

The Caretakers

by Eliza Maxwell
Published: Lake Union Publishing, 2020
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

“Keep my secrets,” it whispers in her ear. “For my secrets are yours.”

About the book

Filmmaker Tessa Shepherd helped free a man she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he kills again, Tessa’s life is upended.

She’s reeling with guilt, her reputation destroyed. Worse, Tessa’s mother has unexpectedly passed away, and her sister, Margot, turns on her after tensions from their past escalate. Hounded by a bullying press, Tessa needs an escape. That’s when she learns of a strange inheritance bequeathed by her mother: a derelict and isolated estate known as Fallbrook. It seems like the perfect refuge.

A crumbling monument to a gruesome history, the mansion has been abandoned by all but two elderly sisters retained as caretakers. They are also guardians of all its mysteries. As the house starts revealing its dark secrets, Tessa must face her fears and right the wrongs of her past to save herself and her relationship with Margot. But nothing and no one at Fallbrook are what they seem.

Review

The Caretakers is a captivating mystery that illustrates the bond between sisters and the impact secrets can have.

Tessa, a filmmaker with a strained relationship with her sister Margot, attends the release of inmate Oliver Barlow who, after 14 years in prison, is free thanks to Tessa’s film which showed lack of circumstantial evidence in Oliver’s trial.

Several months later, Tessa receives the shock of her life when Oliver kidnaps Chief Winters’s daughter and proclaims to have killed her. The next day Tessa experiences a death in her family, leading her back home to her estranged sister and the revelation that their mother was adopted. Facing the blowout from Oliver’s actions, Tessa travels to a remote home in the Pennsylvania woods that is now hers. 

Kitty and Deirdre, sisters whose mother once worked for a wealthy family, live on the old estate as caretakers. Yet, they both old dark secrets about what really happened in the murder of their benefactors. 

The stories of Tessa and Margot and Kitty and Deirdre slowly come together in a surprising, yet satisfying, way.

The Caretakers has multiple storylines and, at times, it’s confusing why these plots would be included together but I promise it’ll come together in the end!

I found it very difficult to pull away from this novel; the dramatic suspense was timed skillfully and the writing very gripping. Along with the action, I also appreciated the complex family relationship with both set of sisters. Though there were a few scenes that I foresaw, the novel is filled with good ole twists and turns to keep the storyline interesting.

I’d recommend The Caretakers to any mystery/thriller fans. 

The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring

The Tenth Girl

by Sara Faring
Published: Imprint, 2019
Pages: 460
Genre: Thriller, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

“Isn’t it kind of beautiful to experience primal fear? To feel your pulse quicken because a pile of well-laid stones catch shadows and carry sound in unusual ways? How often are we so bored and anesthetized by our routines - in our safe surroundings - that we lose all sense of what’s magical about our existence.”

About the book

At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls.

Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored... and one of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence.

Review

The Tenth Girl is a haunting, psychological thriller that combines historical fiction, Patagonia mythology and the paranormal.

The plot is what drew me into the novel: a haunted boarding school in remote South America where, several years earlier, a mysterious illness killed off almost all of the staff and students.

In 1978, the Vaccaro School is reopened and is where Mavi takes a job as an English teacher for a fresh start. Once she arrives, she discovers a sinister building with odd rules; no one is allowed out of their bedrooms at night as it’s unsafe. Mavi attempts to take her job in stride but can’t ignore the change in the other teachers and students… they begin acting like they’re possessed. This, combined with stranger rumors of “The Others,” leads Mavi on a mission to save those she cares about, but the truth could change her very core.

The writing is very eerie and disturbing. The author does a stellar job of painting vivid, hair-rising depictions of this creepy boarding school that obviously holds very dark secrets. The unique setting, 1978 Argentina, and the touch of mythology really makes the book unique.

At its core, the story is about forgiving yourself in order to set yourself free from the guilt and shame that can trap us all and learning to live your life. This revelation is one example of how this book shocked me. I went into The Tenth Girl thinking it was a creepy ghost story but it completely turned me around, upside down and inside out. Along with the general weirdness of the storyline, the novel has substantial character development that requires readers to consider the inner wall he or she may be hiding behind as well.

The promised HUGE twist at the end is one that readers will not be able to guess. It definitely gives me vibes of this one popular horror movie but I don’t want to say the name of it because of potential spoilers. 

The Tenth Girl is crazily original, and I guarantee it’ll be something you’ve never read before. There are mixed reviews for this book; it seems like you’ll either love it or hate it. I really enjoyed it, though I must admit the pacing drags a bit in the middle but then picks back up towards the end. There's also some saying that the mythology incorporated into the novel isn't accurate which that, along with the slow pacing mentioned earlier, leads me to give this a slightly lower rating.

What It Seems by Emily Bleeker

What It Seems

by Emily Bleeker
Published: Lake Union Publishing, 2020
Genre: Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

“It’s about feeling worthy enough to have something better.”

About the book

Adopted by her controlling foster mother at the age of eight, twenty-year-old Tara has seen little of the outside world. Lonely, punished for the slightest offense, her only distraction comes from watching the Feely family’s online videos. They’re an affectionate vlogging quintet and an internet sensation. Most important, they are Tara’s mental refuge. Then the opportunity arises for them to be something more. When Tara accepts an internship with the close-knit clan, they’re her escape.

Daring to run away, and defying Mother’s rules, Tara is welcomed into the loving fold. But the more Tara gets to know them, the more she realizes that not everything is as it seems. As secrets slowly surface, the image of the perfect family begins to crack. For Tara, it’s another trap.

To claim a life of her own, she’ll need a new escape plan. Because as the show’s popularity explodes, reaching even more fascinated viewers, Tara can’t shake the feeling that Mother is among their ranks. She’s watching. She’s waiting. She’ll never let her go.

Review

What It Seems is a fantastic, character-driven novel about stepping out of your shell and finding yourself as a person.

The story centers around twenty-year-old Tara, whose controlling mother physical and emotionally abuses her and forces her to provide their income: stealing and selling the stolen items online. Forbidden from conversing with others and locked inside her bedroom nightly, Tara’s only escape from her life is YouTube channel featuring the Feelys, a popular, seemingly perfect family. The Feely family puts out an ad for an intern, and Tara applies in hopes of breaking free from her prison. In order to pursue her dream, Tara will have to learn to speak her truth and come to terms with her past.

There are two aspects that I love about this book: shattering the perfect image that is constantly portrayed on social media and overcoming adversity to be who you were meant to be. Tara learns that the Feely’s life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, and she discovers herself through the process. 

The only part of the story that annoyed me was how long Tara held on to her secret; yet, this also shows how guilt and shame can really erect a wall around us and keep us from connecting to others. When I was little, I was PAINFULLY shy. At times I would be asked a question and I’d say whatever to stop the conversation from continuing, even though what I’d say wouldn’t be true or make sense. Even though it would have made Tara’s situation much easier to be up front at the beginning, her trauma made her clam up and unable to share her truths with those around her. 

I really enjoyed this book. There’s not much action as it is more character-driven, but it’s definitely worth the read. 

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel

by Simone St. James
Published: Berkley, 2020
Pages: 336
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Amazon, Goodreads

“Some of us like the dark. It’s what we know.”

About the book

Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…

Review

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is a captivating paranormal thriller that you won’t want to put down.

Reeling from the death of her mother, true crime fan Carly leaves college to investigate the disappearance of her Aunt Viv from Fell, New York thirty-five years ago at the Sun Down Motel. Carly arrives to find to the motel unchanged, and Viv’s job as night clerk open; she takes the job in order to get closer to finding out what really happened the night her aunt went missing. Carly soon learns that there’s more than just dust and empty motel rooms at the Sun Down as doors start slamming open, lights flicker on and off and a mysterious smell of smoke appears… and it turns out there’s more to Viv’s disappearance. 

Alternating between the perspectives of Viv and Carly, the story is creepy and so so interesting. The plot is my favorite part of the book; a sinister, run down motel in a small town where a young woman disappeared over thirty years ago. St. James’s writing is engaging and addictive. I devoured half this book in one day. There are twists and turns that left me dazed! 

There’s another aspect I loved about the book: the thought that we can have a dark part of ourselves that’s attracted to the wicked, whether it be horror movies or ghastly true crime stories. I feel like I have this as well. I’ve always loved grotesque horror and the sinister unknown.

I’ve also read The Broken Girls by St. James, and I like the Sun Down Motel better because I enjoyed the storyline more. 

The Sun Down Motel is definitely worth the read if you’re in the mood for a good ghostly thriller!

RATING (out of five puppies)

One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus

One of Us is Next

by Karen M. McManus
Published: Delacorte Press, 2020
Pages: 384
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

Here's a little advice for the next time we play: Always pick Dare.

About the book

A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one's been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.

Until now.

This time it's not an app, though—it's a game.

Truth or Dare.

Phoebe's the first target. If you choose not to play, it's a truth. And hers is dark.

Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.

But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it's that they can't count on the police for help. Or protection.

Simon's gone, but someone's determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there's a whole new set of rules.

Review

One of Us is Next is a fast-paced, thrilling follow-up to the best seller One of Us is Lying.

Like the first book, One of Us is Next follows a group of students at Bayview High School must play what ends up as a deadly game of Truth or Dare. This is similar to the plot of the first novel in which Simon's blog exposes dark secrets, but in the sequel students must decide between the Unknown Person reveling a secret or completing a dare. 

Though containing some of the same characters as the first novel, new personalities are introduced to the storyline, such as feisty Phoebe and sweet Knox. The narrators are switched between Maeve (Bronwyn’s sister), Phoebe, Addy and Knox. I feel like this structure helps in keeping the story moving along quickly while keeping it interesting. The characters and their relationships amongst each other felt real; I especially enjoyed Knox and Maeve.

The plot, which is appealing, does kind of fall towards the end as the story takes on a hint of unbelievability towards the climax. This issue is the main reason why I rated it four stars instead of five. 

I really enjoyed One of Us is Next and recommend it to those who enjoyed the first book. 

RATING (out of five puppies)

Deadly Waters by Dot Hutchison

Deadly Waters 

by Dot Hutchison
Published: Thomas & Mercer, 2020
Pages: 302
Genre: Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

“It’s not about whether or not she did it; it’s that she could have. It makes us feel better about our snarling, seething cores of rage.”

About the book

Florida journalism undergrad Rebecca Sorley is like any other college student. She tries to keep up with her studies, her friends, and her hot-tempered roommate, Ellie, who regularly courts trouble with the law.

When a male student’s remains are found in alligator-infested waters, the university warns students to stay away from the reptiles. But then a second body shows up, and the link is undeniable. Both men belonged to the same fraternity and had a reputation for preying on and hurting women.

Ellie has previously threatened to kill men who don’t take no for an answer. Rebecca and her friends thought Ellie was kidding. But now a vigilante killer is roaming campus—someone who knows how to dispose of rapists. Someone determined to save female students from horrible crimes.

With each passing day, those who know Ellie become more convinced she’s responsible. But if she is, stopping her might not be in everyone’s best interest…

Review

Deadly Waters is just what its name suggests — a story spotlighting an important issue that also questions what constitutes appropriate punishment and how that line can quickly blur.

So what’s the book about?

Rebecca is a 20-year-old journalism student at the University of Florida who, along with her flatmates, is struggling following the after math of her friend’s brutal sexual assault.

Around her, men who have been accused of assault are finding themselves being murdered with the help of alligators. At first no one thinks anything of it… after all, college kids are known to do dumbass things. A pattern soon emerges, and Rebecca and her frustrated roommates find themselves in the middle of an investigation. The deaths also spark a movement, one that conveys the pain of sexual assault and communicates to men on campus that this behavior is NOT okay.

The topic is close to my heart and the story really spoke to me, especially because of an argument I recently had with a man who insisted that women not reporting assaults is “stupid” because if anyone ever laid a hand on him, he would have them charged to the full extent of the law. Naturally this pissed me off. I started explaining how sexual assaults leave women feeling shame and how having to explain their most shameful acts to police and in court is basically reliving the assault over and over again… but he just rolled his eyes. (Which doubly pissed me off). Deadly Waters shows how men often don’t understand sexual assault and how their behavior and thought patterns can contribute to the problem.

“We don’t report because the optimistic outcome is that we get ignored. Too often we’re punished for it, in ways they never are. Now we know someone’s listening. Someone cares. It’s so much easier to be brave when there’s the chance something good can come of it.”

However, the story also makes readers ask how perpetuators should be justly punished? Often those accused of sexual assault just get a slap on the wrist while the victims have to relive their pain everyday. Is the killer right in what she did? (It’s obvious from the beginning that the character is female). Or is it crossing that line?

What makes this story stand out is the structure of the duel points of view, the first being the first person perspective from the killer who is steadily and calmly executing young men proven to be assaulting innocent women. The other point of view is from an omnipresent narrator that follows Rebecca’s account throughout the novel. Though the author drops hints on the killer’s identity, readers are left guessing until the end.

A criticism I do have is that I guessed pretty easily at near the beginning who the killer was. Also, the constant use of pronouns left me confused quite a bit as almost every character in the story is female. Other than that, Deadly Waters is a book sure to leave readers thinking about it long after putting it down.

RATING (out of five puppies)

The Institute by Stephen King

The Institute

by Stephen King
Published: Scribner, 2019
Pages: 576
Genre: Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

“It came to him, with the force of a revelation, that you had to have been imprisoned to fully understand what freedom was.” 

About the book

In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”

In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.

Review

The Institute is another decent novels in the long line of Stephen King’s works. 

The story focuses on 12-year-old Luke, a genius with limited telekinesis powers who is kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken to a strange complex known only as The Institute. Horrifying experiments are conducted on the children in what is known as Front Half in preparation for an unspeakable purpose. 

The Institute’s storyline is at risk of being too similar to countless other works, namely YA, if not for the in-depth character development and unique personalities of the book’s characters. 

Luke being characterized as a brilliant, wise beyond his years child with quick wit is, in my opinion, the best part of the novel.

King’s writing in The Institute is similar but yet different from his early works. I haven’t read a newer novel of his in a while, so it was a bit strange for me to come across current cultural references. 

Though I did enjoy the novel, there were a few times I felt like the plot dragged on. Some scenes I felt could have been cut down to keep the pace up.

The Institute is a pretty standard Stephen King book that I’d recommend to those who enjoy his works.

RATING (out of five puppies)

Feed by Mira Grant

Feed

By Mira Grant
Published: Orbit, 2010
Pages: 608
Genre: Dystopian, Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

Darwin was right. Death doesn’t play fair.

About the book

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives — the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

Review

What better way to draw me into a book than zombies and journalists?

The plot of Feed is what really fascinates me. I’ve been a newspaper reporter for six years this post-apocalyptic story focused on a group of blogger journalists trailing a political campaign really sucked me in.

The most important aspect of this novel is that it’s not really a zombie book; it’s more of a thriller that just so happens to be set in the future where zombies run rampant.

The thing about the zombie franchise is that they never focus on a society whose government is actually functioning with clean water and internet access.

Author Mira Grant paints a thought-provoking setting: what would the world be like in today’s day and age but with the constant threat of zombies?

Personally, I did feel like the characters left something to be desired but this was a great read for those seeking a Dean Koontz/Michael Connelly type of book.

Filled with twists and turns and a shocking ending, I couldn’t put Feed down. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

RATING (out of five puppies)

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key

by Ruth Ware
Published: Scout Press, 2019
Pages: 352
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Amazon, Goodreads

After a while he just stopped sleeping. He just used to pace backwards and forwards all night long.Then he went mad. People do go mad, you know, if you stop them from sleeping for long enough…

About the book

When Rowan Caine stumbles across the ad, she's looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss -- a live-in nanny post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when she arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten -- by the luxurious "smart" home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn't know is that she's stepping into a nightmare -- one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unraveling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn't just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn't just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn't even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant. It was everything.

She knows she's made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn't always ideal. She's not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she's not guilty -- at least not of murder. Which means someone is.

Review

I devoured this bitch in one day. The Turn of the Key is chilling, spell-binding and crazy.

A British nanny travels to remote Scotland for an in residency job, only for things to go horribly astray in the worst way - the death of an innocent child. The novel’s strongest selling point is how it’s told in the form of a letter of the nanny, who’s facing charges of the child’s murder. Rowan tells her story in a desperate plea to convince a top-natch solicitor to defend her in court.

The story is given that much more mystery and intrigue by this story-telling technique; it makes the reader immediately drawn into the plot and questioning who killed a child and WTF is actually happening? Even once Rowan reveals her tale, the author keeps up the level of suspense and mystique. Rowan also proves herself to be a somewhat unreliable narrator - she’s prone to quick anger and readers can tell she’s hiding something, though it’s not clear what until the end of the novel. Seriously though, the twists and turns in this novel will leave you with whip lash!

It’s really interesting how The Turn of the Key is both modern yet Victorian, like an older Gothic mystery story. At times I kept forgetting that the novel is set in this century. To me, this juxtaposition shows how evil and horror can take place anywhere, even in modern times.

The Turn of the Key is a FANTASTIC read; I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a good, spooky read.

RATING (out of five puppies):

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies

by Liane Moriarty

Published: Berkley, 2014

Pages: 458

Genre: Contemporary, Thriller

Amazon, Goodreads

"They say it's good to let your grudges go, but I don't know, I'm quite fond of my grudge. I tend it like a little pet."

About the book

A murder ... A tragic accident .... Or just parents behaving badly? What's indisputable is that someone is dead.

Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She's funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare but she is paying a price for the illusion of perfection. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for a nanny. She comes with a mysterious past and a sadness beyond her years. These three women are at a crossroads, but they will all wind up in the same shocking place.

Review

Big Little Lies is a suspenseful, character-driven read that highlights domestic violence and the importance of being kind to others.

The story is centered around three moms: Madeline, an extroverted force of nature; Jane, a shy, timid young mother; and Celeste, a drop-dead gorgeous woman who has a beautiful family and all the money she could ever need. Jane is new to the area and quickly finds herself in hot water when her son is accused of chocking another child during Kindergarten orientation. School politics and drama quickly elevate when the other child's mother, Renata, finds out her daughter is the victim of bullying and wants Jane's son suspended. Madeline deals with family escapades while it's slowly revealed that Celeste's picture perfect life is hiding a dark secret; this all comes to play in a horrifying murder.

It's reveled at the beginning of the novel that a murder has taken place but no other details are given. The snippets of interviews from minor characters in the story provide an excellent layer of suspense; the reader can tell that the dramas of Madeline, Jane, and Celeste are going to rapidly intertwine and explode into violence, which makes the book impossible to put down.

Throughout this storyline, the author does a great job of flushing out the characters to create what feels like REAL people that I could to and touch. Big Little Lies does a great job of showing the true mindset of domestic violence victims. You may find out a woman is continuously being hit by her significant other and think, "What is she even doing? If a man ever treated me like that I'd leave that night." But it's so different when it's actually happening to you. Victims rationalize to themselves and make themselves believe it was that bad or it was their own fault. I love how the author was able to portray this misconception about domestic violence.

Big Little Lies is a great read, and from what I hear a great show (though I haven't watch it yet!). It's definitely one I'd recommend and that I regret not picking up earlier.

RATING (out of five puppies):