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The Good People
8.0
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Shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize 2017 County Kerry, Ireland, 1825. NORA, bereft after the...
Hypnos
Book
Rene Char (1907 - 88) is considered the most important French poet of his generation. A member of...
We Shall Not All Sleep
6.0
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Seven Island has two houses. One for Hillsingers and one for Quicks. 1964. The Hillsingers and...
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Shadows in Books
Aug 24, 2020
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.
While I have "read" audiobooks for years now, this is the first one I was given to review. Let me catch my breath before starting. Wow! OK. Wow! That needed to be said.
Alex North's "debut" novel, The Whisper Man, was a 2019 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Mystery & Thriller. When I finished reading it, I immediately added his second book, The Shadows, to my must-read list.
The narrators of The Shadows are Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan. The combination of North's writing and Arterton and Heffernan's narration provides a story that feels as if the narrators are the characters themselves, sitting by a fire, retelling North's story, and not merely reading the story. It is their narration that helps North bring the listener down the rabbit hole and ending up questioning everything they thought was true. I needed to reread sections to see how I could have gotten everything so wrong.
North is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name. According to Goodreads, this is Arterton's first narration. While Heffernan has narrated a few novels, he writes mostly for film and TV but also wrote Driver For The Dead, his first comic book series.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/14/20 and updated on 8/24/20.
While I have "read" audiobooks for years now, this is the first one I was given to review. Let me catch my breath before starting. Wow! OK. Wow! That needed to be said.
Alex North's "debut" novel, The Whisper Man, was a 2019 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Mystery & Thriller. When I finished reading it, I immediately added his second book, The Shadows, to my must-read list.
The narrators of The Shadows are Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan. The combination of North's writing and Arterton and Heffernan's narration provides a story that feels as if the narrators are the characters themselves, sitting by a fire, retelling North's story, and not merely reading the story. It is their narration that helps North bring the listener down the rabbit hole and ending up questioning everything they thought was true. I needed to reread sections to see how I could have gotten everything so wrong.
North is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name. According to Goodreads, this is Arterton's first narration. While Heffernan has narrated a few novels, he writes mostly for film and TV but also wrote Driver For The Dead, his first comic book series.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/14/20 and updated on 8/24/20.
Cartier's Hope
6.0
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From M.J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author of Tiffany Blues, “a lush, romantic historical...
The Next to Die
8.5
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The New York Times bestselling author of The Monogram Murders and Woman with a Secret returns with a...
Fiction Mystery Thriller Psychological
Vow of Silence
10.0
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A killer is hiding in Plain sight… The hunt for a serial killer leads Homicide Detective Josiah...
Adult Romance Suspense
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated We Are Inevitable in Books
Sep 30, 2021
"Fact: Dinosaurs still exist. Here's what they look like. A father and son in a failing used bookstore, spending long, aimless days consuming words no one around here buys anymore."
Life has left Aaron behind. He still lives in his hometown, running his family's bookstore with his dad, Ira. Running is probably overly enthusiastic--the bookstore is failing. And family is a stretch, too--both his brother and his mom are no longer helping. He thinks maybe his luck has changed for the better, though, when he meets Hannah, a beautiful musician. Could she be what he needs to turn his life around?
This book was not what I expected at all, but it's an engaging story that I consumed in two sittings. It's an ode to bookstores and book lovers, sprinkled with a lot of book related references. It also incorporates music into the story. It's truly very sweet and captivating. The characters are well-written, though Aaron frustrated me to no end in the beginning, as life has given him the inability to trust and he was unwilling to accept help or friendship from anyone!
If you're not able to embrace quirky tales (or many references to dinosaurs), this book won't be for you. It's not really a romance, even though it's sort of pitched that way, but more a tale of family and how the bookstore can bring people together. It touches on serious topics, such as the power of addiction. Still, I enjoyed it overall and the characters are still with me several months after reading it. 3.5+ stars.
This book was not what I expected at all, but it's an engaging story that I consumed in two sittings. It's an ode to bookstores and book lovers, sprinkled with a lot of book related references. It also incorporates music into the story. It's truly very sweet and captivating. The characters are well-written, though Aaron frustrated me to no end in the beginning, as life has given him the inability to trust and he was unwilling to accept help or friendship from anyone!
If you're not able to embrace quirky tales (or many references to dinosaurs), this book won't be for you. It's not really a romance, even though it's sort of pitched that way, but more a tale of family and how the bookstore can bring people together. It touches on serious topics, such as the power of addiction. Still, I enjoyed it overall and the characters are still with me several months after reading it. 3.5+ stars.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Keep Her Safe in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Cara Burrows runs away from her family--who live in England no less--to an Arizona spa. She leaves her phone with the rental car company and, exhausted by her travels, checks into her room, only to find it occupied by a man and a teenage girl. It's obviously a mistake by the front desk, but after hearing another guest's ramblings, Cara starts to wonder if the girl she saw is murder victim Melody Chapa. Melody Chapa is incredibly famous in the U.S.--her trial garnered intense attention--and her parents are serving life sentences for her murder. Suddenly, Cara finds herself caught up in a whirlwind series of events, unsure of whom to trust. Did she really see Melody? And if so, what is going on at this spa?
The plot of this novel is pretty preposterous, so be prepared to suspend a bit of disbelief. Once you do that, <i>it's really quite enjoyable and a total whirlwind ride,</i> as you cling to Cara and try to figure things out with her. You first have to get past the fact that the woman has decided to come all the way to Arizona from the UK for her spa trip, spending, she claims, one third of her family's savings to do so. And, you'll learn, all over a insane misunderstanding/lack of communication with her family that will make you want to shake the entire clan. Good grief! However, I digress. Because, really, their lack of communication certainly works in our favor, because <i>this book may be crazy, but it's fun crazy and a wonderful sort of escape. </i>
<i>I found this to be a fascinating type of thriller.</i> I flew through the pages, constantly wondering how all the various pieces fit together. Hannah kept the entire thing going, unfurling great little twists and turns every so often to keep you hooked. It's intricately plotted and really quite well-done, even if it's all a little insane. I suspected a couple of portions, but was still really impressed at how everything went together. Cara is an interesting character--she's just bumbling and sympathetic enough that you can somehow believe that she'd stumble into a major murder mystery while on a spa holiday. Her supporting cast of characters is wide and varied: spa guests; various detectives and the FBI; those involved with Melody's case; and even a crime TV show host with a flair for the dramatic. Somehow Hannah weaves them all together successfully, for which you have to give her bonus points.
All in all, this was a slightly unbelievable novel, but compulsively readable with a thrilling mystery plot that completely hooks you. The characters all work together somehow and the novel is just a fun escape. Throw in a creepy ending that leaves you going "What?!" and this is definitely worth a read. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!) in return for unbiased review; it is available in the U.S. everywhere as of 09/19/2017.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/justacatandabook/">Instagram</a>; </center>
The plot of this novel is pretty preposterous, so be prepared to suspend a bit of disbelief. Once you do that, <i>it's really quite enjoyable and a total whirlwind ride,</i> as you cling to Cara and try to figure things out with her. You first have to get past the fact that the woman has decided to come all the way to Arizona from the UK for her spa trip, spending, she claims, one third of her family's savings to do so. And, you'll learn, all over a insane misunderstanding/lack of communication with her family that will make you want to shake the entire clan. Good grief! However, I digress. Because, really, their lack of communication certainly works in our favor, because <i>this book may be crazy, but it's fun crazy and a wonderful sort of escape. </i>
<i>I found this to be a fascinating type of thriller.</i> I flew through the pages, constantly wondering how all the various pieces fit together. Hannah kept the entire thing going, unfurling great little twists and turns every so often to keep you hooked. It's intricately plotted and really quite well-done, even if it's all a little insane. I suspected a couple of portions, but was still really impressed at how everything went together. Cara is an interesting character--she's just bumbling and sympathetic enough that you can somehow believe that she'd stumble into a major murder mystery while on a spa holiday. Her supporting cast of characters is wide and varied: spa guests; various detectives and the FBI; those involved with Melody's case; and even a crime TV show host with a flair for the dramatic. Somehow Hannah weaves them all together successfully, for which you have to give her bonus points.
All in all, this was a slightly unbelievable novel, but compulsively readable with a thrilling mystery plot that completely hooks you. The characters all work together somehow and the novel is just a fun escape. Throw in a creepy ending that leaves you going "What?!" and this is definitely worth a read. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you!) in return for unbiased review; it is available in the U.S. everywhere as of 09/19/2017.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/justacatandabook/">Instagram</a>; </center>
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated When She Woke in Books
May 10, 2018
Let the Color fit the Crime. Imagine a world where the people among you wear their crimes all over their bodies. People whose skin has been changed a different color to fit the crimes that they have committed.
Hannah Payne was one of those Chromes. Her whole body was now Red. Her crime? She had an abortion and had refused to name the father of her baby as well as the person responsible for its death. She has been shunned by her own mother and is a disgrace to her entire family. It's hard enough for Chromes to walk around everyday let alone get a job.
Hannah's father decides to help the best way that he can by putting her in a "christian" home so that she can repent her sins and begin on the path to righteousness. But this place is anything but that, there has to be a better way.
She finds a way to get out of the home, but the consequences of her actions, make it for a difficult road to get to a place of freedom.
Will she ever name the father of her baby, or the abortionist? Will there be a way for her to live as a chrome and have a slightly normal life? Will the people she meets along the way help her or hurt her?
When She Woke is an interesting novel that makes you think about what you would do if you new the person riding on the subway next to you was a murderer, or a theif, or a child molester. Just by the color of their skin.
Hannah Payne was one of those Chromes. Her whole body was now Red. Her crime? She had an abortion and had refused to name the father of her baby as well as the person responsible for its death. She has been shunned by her own mother and is a disgrace to her entire family. It's hard enough for Chromes to walk around everyday let alone get a job.
Hannah's father decides to help the best way that he can by putting her in a "christian" home so that she can repent her sins and begin on the path to righteousness. But this place is anything but that, there has to be a better way.
She finds a way to get out of the home, but the consequences of her actions, make it for a difficult road to get to a place of freedom.
Will she ever name the father of her baby, or the abortionist? Will there be a way for her to live as a chrome and have a slightly normal life? Will the people she meets along the way help her or hurt her?
When She Woke is an interesting novel that makes you think about what you would do if you new the person riding on the subway next to you was a murderer, or a theif, or a child molester. Just by the color of their skin.