The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Publisher: Doudbleday Canada
Publish Date: January 13, 2015
Format: Kobo
Pages: -
ISBN: 978 0385682329

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning.  Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck.  She’s even started to feel like she knows them.  “jess and Jason.” She calls them.  Their life – as she sees it – is perfect.  Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking.  It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough.  Now everything’s changed.  Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved.  Has she done more harm than good?

My Thoughts

This novel was a pleasant surprise and you need to read it right now!  Don't read any reviews, just read it.  Told in the voice of 3 female narrators - none are to be trusted.  How easy it is to get caught up in the lives of people you only see as you sit on a passing train, that is exactly what happened to Rachel and it got her into some hot water and making her very unreliable.  A story filled with secrets and full of grittiness.  Amazing character development and very well written, it wasn't hard to figure lout who the culprit was early on, but that didn't deter me from wanting to know what happened along the way while still holding my interest the entire time.

I devoured this novel - and that doesn't happen very often.  I loved the thrill, I loved the mystery.  Would I compare it to Gone Girl?  I don't think you really can.  There is no book that stands up against Gone Girl.  I LOVED Gone Girl and I really really liked The Girl on the Train.  Paula Hawkins has instantly become an author I will be keeping my eye on.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Unwanted (Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht #1) by Kristina Ohlsson

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Publish Date: February 28, 2012

Format: MP3 CD

Discs: 2

ISBN: 978 1624065590

In the middle of a rainy Swedish summer, a little girl is abducted from a crowded train.  Despite hundreds of potential witnesses, no one noticed when the girl was taken.  Her distraught mother was left behind at the previous station in what seemed to be a coincidence.  The train crew was alerted and kept a watchful eye on the sleeping child.  But when the train pulled into Stockholm Central Station, the little girl had vanished.  Inspector Alex Recht and his special team of federal investigators, assisted by the investigative analyst Fredrika Bergman, are assisting to what at first appears to be a classic custody fight.  But when the child is found dead in the far north of Sweden with the word “unwanted” scribbled on her forehead, the case soon turns into the investigation team’s worst nightmare – the pursuit of a brilliant and ruthless killer.

My Thoughts

I've never really been a big fan of Scandinavian literature.  I have no desire to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series - although I'm sure I eventually will as they are sitting on my shelf.  I don't know exactly what it is that I don't like about them, but it's possible the dark and twistedness of the stories.  I defiantly did not enjoy this book.  It's possible the reason is because I absolutely hated the narrator for the audio book.  Maybe had a physically read the book I may have enjoyed it more, but listening to it made my ears bleed.

The premises for this story is just wrong.  I found it so disturbing that it didn't even want to finish.  A little girl is abducted  and later found dead with her head shaved.  During the whole novel the author does not portray any heartbreak from the family of the murdered little girl.  The father not only never makes an appearance during the entire story, he becomes a suspect...which I found extremely disturbing.  And I didn't feel any closure of his part of the story.  I hated the background story for Fredrika and Alex, it was unnecessary and had no added value to the story.  There was nothing gripping about this story that left me wanting more.  I simply finished it to move on to something else.

I just found the whole story unrealistic and unbelievable and the ending rushed.  The overall plot of the book was just weak and disturbing.  Overall I did not enjoy this and will most likely not read the rest in the series.

My Rating: ««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon

Publisher: Doubleday

Publish Date: January 14, 2014

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 304

ISBN: 978 0385537629

A tantalizing reimagining of a scandalous mystery that rocked the nation in 1930-Justice Joseph Crater’s infamous disappearance-as seen through the eyes of the three women who knew him best.

They say behind every great man, there’s a woman.  In this case, there are three.  Stella Crater, the judge’s wife, is the picture of propriety draped in long pearls and the latest Chanel.  Ritzi, a leggy showgirl with Broadway aspirations, thinks moonlighting in the judge’s bed is the quickest way off the chorus line.  Maria Simon, the dutiful maid, has the judge to thank for her husband’s recent promotion to detective in the NYPD.  Meanwhile, Crater is equally indebted to Tammany Hall leaders and the city’s most notorious gangster, Owney “The Killer” Madden.

On a sultry summer night, as rumours circulate about the judge’s involvement in wide-scale political corruption, the Honourable Joseph Crater steps into a cab and disappears without a trace.  Or does he?

After 39 years of necessary duplicity, Stella Crater is finally ready to reveal what she knows.  Sliding into a plush leather banquette at Club Abbey, the site of many absinthe-soaked affairs and the judge’s favourite watering hole back in the day, Stella orders two whiskeys on the rocks-one for her and one in honour of her missing husband.  Stirring the ice cubes in the lowball glass, Stella begins to tell a tale-of greed, lust, and deceit.  As the novel unfolds and the women slyly break out of their prescribed roles, it becomes clear that each know more than she has initially let on.

My Thoughts

A fictional story based of the actual life of Joseph Crater and his disappearance back when corruption was the only way to the top.  I had never heard of this mysterious tale prior to reading this novel and found myself becoming so interested in the true story itself.  Many times I would stop reading and start googling Joseph Crater to get the real story.  Although no one knows what actually happened to him, it is one still one of the greatest disappearance mysteries in American history.

I loved the way Lawhon wove together fact and fiction and what she thought MIGHT have happened to Crater, as it is still unknown to this day.  My opinion - after doing much research - Owney Madden offed him and buried him beneath the pier of Cony Island.  But that's just my opinion.  He could have remained in hiding for the rest of his life.  Who knows.

I was quickly hooked to this compelling tale and couldn't put it down.  It started slow and quickly gained momentum and didn't slow down.  I really enjoyed the multiple point of views the story was told by, this is always one of my favourite writing styles  as you get everyone's perspective.  I also like the back and forth to past and present, which sometimes can be confusing but in this case worked very well for the execution of this story.  I thought this was such an excellent novel that was well written and highly entertaining.  I love a good gangster mystery set in the 30's - one of the greatest eras for scandal, corruption and love.

I always like when historical fiction novels include an author's note at the end to explain why they chose the writing direction they did and to explain any characters that might be fictional and which are actual people that shaped the history of the story.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publish Date: January 31, 2012

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 432

ISBN: 978 0385344227

Andy Barber has been assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years.  He is respected in is community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob.  But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy.  Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him.  Andy must.  He’s his father.  But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own – between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to burry and a future he cannot conceive.

My Thoughts

This is another one of those books that I wanted to love (cause everyone else has) but it was just ok.  I found parts of it rather slow and boring and wondering when it was going to pick up.  One aspect I really enjoyed was the transcript conversations with Andy Barber and Neal Loguidice, totally led me down a different path than what I was expecting.  There was not one character I enjoyed or was attached to, Laurie just drove me up the wall.

The redeeming quality was the end.  Oh the end.  Mind hole blown.  Was not expecting that what so ever.  The end is want bumped this novel up from a 2 to 3 star.  This was my first book by William Landay and would be willing to give one of his others a read, I never judge an author having only read one of their books.

My Rating: «««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch

Publisher: Atria Books
Publish Date: December 29, 2009
Format: Audio
Discs: 10
A mesmerizing thriller – told in reverse The 13^th Hour is the story of a man given the chance to go back in time in one-hour increments to prevent a vicious crime from destroying his life.  Nick Quinn is being held in jail, accused of the murder of his beloved wife, Julia.  He knows she’s dead; he saw her bloody corpse, shot in the head at point-blank range.  The police tell him they found the murder weapon with his fingerprints on it in the trunk of his car.  Nick is confused, grief-stricken – “and completely innocent.”

At 9 p.m. on July 28, a gray-haired gentleman visits Nick in the police interrogation room and asks him a simple question” “If you could get out of here, if you could save her, would you?”  He hands Nick a golden talisman that allows Nick to go back in time, one hour at a time, for a total of twelve hours.  With each hour that Nick travels back, he finds more clues to the identity of Julia’s real killer, but he also discovers that his actions in the past may have unexpected repercussions in the future.

In his race against time to save the woman he loves most in the world, Nick will find that friends become enemies, old loyalties are tested and Julia’s murder is part of a larger scheme that has its roots in greed and vengeance.  Nick has the ability to Save Julia, the chance to put his own world in balance, but he is venturing down a precarious route.  If he doesn’t set things right by the thirteenth hour, his desperate attempts to save Julia’s life may lead to a far greater catastrophe than he could have ever imagined.

My Thoughts

Well-written with a great concept.  The story is told in reverse, which  thought was great, although 13 hours was a bit too much - it got a little repetitive towards the end.  I loved the characters - especially Nick and Julia, very likable.

As the novel progressed I found that it got frustrating.  Frustrating in a sense that every hour Nick went back he would muck something up, but in the end everything had a way of working itself out.  What I love about suspense - thriller novels is the ending is never predictable!  Great read and highly recommend.  I listened to this on Audio and absolutely loved the narration. 

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Publisher: Crown Publishing
Publish Date: May 5, 2009
Format: download library
Pages: -
ISBN: -

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.”  As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their farmhouse into the freezing January snow.  She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived – and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother Ben, was the killer.  Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives of the dregs of a trust fund created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.

The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes.  When they locate Libby and pump her for details – proof they hope may free Ben – Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history.  For a fee, she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.

As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985.  The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members – including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town.  Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started – on the run from a killer.

My Thoughts

Oi! Where to even begin...my head is still spinning.  Dark places is set between present day and 1985 when it (no spoilers) all went down and is told from three main points of view; Libby Day, Ben Day and Patty Day, which a I always enjoy - lets you get inside everyone's head.

When I first started reading I wasn't sure I was going to like it.  I was such a fan of Gone Girl and had set Gillian Flynn on a pedestal for mystery writing I just wasn't sure it was going to live up to my expectations.  Once I started really getting into the story and trying to figure out the "who done it" is when I really started to enjoy the novel.  It is very dark, twisted and horrifying, one of those novel you want to hate for it's content but you just can't help but love it.  This book is disturbingly awesome and clever, pure magic.

I would have given it a 5 star rating had I not been able to piece together the ending before the end.  But overall a great read! 

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Dinner by Herman Koch

Publisher: Hogarth
Publish Date: February 12, 2013
Format: download library
Pages: - 
ISBN: - 

A summer's evening in Amsterdam and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse - the banality of work, the triviality of holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened. Each couple has a fifteen year old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children, and as civility and friendship disintegrates, each couple show just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.

My Thoughts

Dubbed "European Gone Girl" - huh!?! Have the critics read Gone Girl? They are nothing alike, not even close and as far as I'm concerned this is such a pointless story.  I finished thinking, that's it?  What was the point?

A positive aspect I will give the writer is that the first bit really held my attention.  The way he would reveal just a hint of what you wanted to know but never gave you the whole story.  The mystery was really there for me as to what the "Situation" was, and then just as quickly as it captured me, my interest was lost and the story became pointless. 

My Rating: ««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Son of Rosemary by Ira Levin

Publisher: Dutton Books
Publish Date: September 1, 1997
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0525943747

Son of Rosemary opens at the dawn of the new millennium – a time when human hope is shadowed by growing fear and uncertainty, and the world is in greatest need of a saviour.  It is here – against a glittering backdrop of New York City in 1999 – that Rosemary is reunited with her son.  It is also here that the battle between good and evil will play out on a global scale – a struggle that will have frightening, far-reaching consequences, not only for Rosemary and her son but for all humanity. 

My Thoughts

Well this book wasn't near what Rosemary's Baby was, so much that I didn't finish it.  I tried, I really really did!  I struggled for weeks and only got 80 pages read before I finally gave up and returned it to the library.  After, I read some reviews about it because I was still interested in the outcome.  Goodreads reviewer didn't have anything good to say about it and a number of people seemed angry about the ending of this sequel because it ruined the first book.  Now I wish I had read the last 5 pages (as suggested by numerous reviewer) before I had returned it, as that seems to be where it all unraveled.  Since I didn't finish this book I can not give it an honest review.

My Rating: 0 Stars (Did Not Finish)

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

Publish Date: June 2012

Pages: - 

Format: Kobo

ISBN: 978-0307588388

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary.  Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River.  Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favours with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge.  Under mounting pressure from the police and the media – as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents – the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behaviour.  Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter – but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love.  With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence.  Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is the beautiful wife?  And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back bedroom closet?

My Thoughts

What can I say other than wow!! I don't think I've ever encountered a novel with such brilliantly written characters that you love to hate and hate that you love them.  I'm pretty sure throughout the entire book I changed my theory of the outcome 10 times...it was literally one of those novels that "kept you guessing until the very last page."  Gillian Flynn dished out just enough info to keep you strung alone and then you have the outcome figured out and the BAM! It really is a gripping story that I couldn't put down (many hours of sleep were sacrificed) I just loved the twistedness of the whole thing.    

The only downfall, I want more!  I haven't fell in love with a character (Amy) like this is such a long time and I just want their story to continue.  This truly is a novel that will be stuck in my head for a long time.  Rumor has it that it's becoming a movie, I hope it does the book justice!

My Rating: «««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison

Publisher: Penguin Books
Publish Date: June 25, 2013
Pages: 336
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-0143133231

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage.  Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event.  He is a committed cheater.  She lives and breathes denial.  He exists in dual worlds.  She likes to settle scores.  He decides to play for keeps.  She has nothing left to loose.  Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and a promise that won’t be kept.

My Thoughts
The description of the novel “A chilling psychological thriller” is a bit of an overstatement.  Had a very difficult time getting into this book, the story was a little all over the place.  One sentence is in the present then it carries on for paragraphs at a time in the past and what seemed to me to be irrelevant.  As a whole the entire book had very little dialogue.  The characters were hard to get into and were very much unlikeable; there is not one character you feel sympathetic for.

I found that the synopsis was misleading and found the actual story frustrating but yet fascinating at the same time.  I couldn’t put it down for the sole reason I was waiting for the “main event” to take shape, which doesn’t happen until three quarters of the way through the book and then the ending just drops off.

All in all, it’s an interesting concept but I just found the delivery of the story rather boring.

My Rating: «« (only because I finished it) 

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.