Crime Thriller

Rating: 7.5/10

Two seemingly uninteresting men working at a photo mat in the subway tunnels face each other down the barrels of their guns. Hooked yet?

Psychological Horror

Rating: 8.5/10

This brilliant book straddles the fence between terrifying horror and family saga. Never have I seen it portrayed more acutely that family members often have different versions of the same truth. A scary thought all on its own.

Fiction

Rating: 7/10

Being the older, less pretty, sister of a woman who has developed a nasty habit of dispatching her boyfriends with aplomb can’t be easy.

Mystery

Rating: 6.5/10

Our cast of key characters includes a tireless cop, an intrepid reporter and a grieving mother. The unexpected connection between them is the most interesting part of this story. And it’s not that interesting, trust me.

Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

It’s rare that you are just humming along in your daily consumption of the written word and get gob smacked by something that just happened in the book you are holding in your unsuspecting hands.

Fiction

Rating: 6.5/10

“Who are we to say that we are not right now in the dream of a better world?” This quote embodies this vague and drifting story that never quite gets anywhere. Which, considering the title, may in fact have been the point.

Crib Notes - Snow Day Reads

Some quick reviews on books that you can curl up with and lose yourself in on a bitter cold snd snowy winters day.

Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

Just when you think you’ve scarfed down as many domestic thrillers as your appetite can handle without putting the logic center of your brain at risk, pure happenstance has you picking up one that is a cut above the rest.

Short Stories

Rating: 8/10

The stories that are gathered together in this collection are not, and I cannot stress this enough, for the faint of heart. These sly stories seep into the shadowy parts of the psyche and find a way to either take root or claw their way back out.

Drama/Romance

Rating: 8/10

A reader’s reaction to a book will always correlate to where they are in their life, my hope is you may find yourself as transported as I was by this read. At its core, its heart, this is a love story.  

Crib Notes - I’ll Have What She’s Having…

While my reading preferences rest squarely in fiction and its myriad of sub genres, I don’t often choose from the romance section. That’s not to say I have not done my share of dabbling; the lure of escape and the assurance of a happy ending have proven themselves to be too seductive to pass up on a few occasions.

Fiction

Rating: 7.5/10

Who says you can’t run away from your problems? Can’t think of any better reason to run than exactly that! Certainly not for fitness.

Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

Many reviewers might use the term “unputdownable” as a descriptor here. While unquestionably apt, that “word” and it’s rampant application vex me to no end. I will stick to page turner…

Fiction

Rating: 7.5/10

I knew I was going to like this book when I came across the expression “Chuck you Farley”. An oldie but a damn fine goodie that one! I pledge here and now to bring it back in 2019.

Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

This tautly woven thriller takes on one of the standard tropes and twists it every which way with the intent to keep the reader tantalized. And that you will be in this intricate, unique, and at its best moments, diabolical, novel.

Crib Notes - New Year, New You! (?)

Some quick reviews on books that might feed your need to resolve to explore something new this year, be warned you won’t necessarily find all of these in the health or betterment section of your bookstore!

Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 7/10

Story of a likely sociopathic mother who has a rather distasteful level of banality in regard to her role in the violent deaths that mark some pivotal moments in her life.

Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 9/10

Clever, witty, gripping and vulnerable to varying degrees, this is one of the best books I have read in the last year. Keep the title in mind, it’s not for naught.