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Midge (525 KP) rated The Buried Girl in Books

Mar 5, 2019  
The Buried Girl
The Buried Girl
Richard Montanari | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Chilling Psychological Thriller with Gothic Elements
This book caught my eye as I loved the synopsis and I read a lot of books from this genre, although I haven’t read any of the author, Richard Montanari’s books before. “The Buried Girl” is a chilling psychological thriller with some added Gothic elements.

When the wife of a New York psychologist, Will Hardy, is murdered he moves into Godwin Hall, a dusty, shut-up mansion in the small town of Abbeville, Ohio, with his teenage daughter, Bernadette.

At the same time, Abbeville Chief of Police Ivy Holgrave is investigating the death of a local girl. She is convinced this may only be the latest in a long line of murders dating back decades, including her own long-missing sister.

But what place does Will's new home have in the story of the missing girls and why does he have past memories of Godwin Hall? Is the diary of a young woman, written over a century earlier, linked to the killings?

Richard Montanari writes a wonderfully atmospheric and compelling novel. Tense and suspenseful, the many threads of the story slowly begin to link together, central to which is Godwin Hall. Both the characterisation and the plot are superb with the three main characters damaged, but starting the process of recovery. I am hoping that there will be a sequel to this novel as it was a fantastic read which I highly recommend to lovers of thrillers and crime fiction.

{Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins UK/Witness Impulse for the free copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
  
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Midge (525 KP) rated The First Cut in Books

Mar 11, 2019  
The First Cut
The First Cut
Ellery A. Kane | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
10
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Nail-biting & Dark
“The First Cut” is actually the third book in a series called the ‘Doctors of Darkness’, the first book being ‘Daddy Darkest’ and the second is ‘The Hanging Tree’. I don’t think this made much difference to my immense enjoyment of the book as plenty of back-story was provided.

‘Love Doctors’ Ian and Kate Culpepper are brutally murdered in their Carmel mansion on Valentine’s Day. To Ava, its fate because Ian left her for the perfect Kate four years ago. Then they made their home close to Ava, complete with their perfect house and their perfect daughter and their matching perfect smiles. It’s no wonder that Ava can’t stop watching or that she can’t let go…

However, Ian is far from perfect, and Ava owes a debt too, for when they were together, they did an unforgivable thing - a dark deed that severed their marriage in two. Ava’s name is found inked in blood at the crime scene and someone knows what she’s hiding…

Ellery Kane has a very unique writing style that is perfect for this psychological thriller. Many of the characters, especially Ava, were so complex that, at first, it wasn’t easy to work out exactly how they contributed to the story. Eventually, as different aspects of the story were revealed, it all started to come together. This, though, is the foundation for a fantastic psychological thriller.

Overall, “The First Cut” is a sensational and thrilling read with lots of nail-biting and alarming moments that culminate in a fulfilling conclusion.

[Thanks to Hidden Gems and the author Ellery Kane for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.]
  
One Hour Photo (2002)
One Hour Photo (2002)
2002 | Drama, Mystery
Robin Williams (0 more)
Psychological Photo's
One Hour Photo- is a underrated movie, that more people should watch, see and know about. It is twisted, psychological, thrilling, chilling, intense, creepy and dramatic. Robin Williams is excellent in this film. He freaks you out. He makes you scared. So lets talk about the film..

The Plot: Sy Parrish runs a one-hour photo developing lab in a small mall. He's a perfectionist about his work and generous to his regular customers, including a typical family headed by Will Yorkin. Over the years, he's seen their family grow through their photographs, but when he sees evidence of Yorkin being unfaithful, coupled with a threat to his position, his already precarious mental state tips over the edge.

In one of the voice-over pieces Sy can be heard to say "They actually believe that any idiot that attends a two-day seminar can master the art of making beautiful prints in less than an hour. But of course, like most things, there's far more to it than meets the eye." Robin Williams prepared for the role by training for two and-a-half days in a Southern California photo development lab.

In the DVD commentary, Romanek says that Jack Nicholson was first approached to play the lead character. Nicholson turned the role down reportedly because he thought the character was too similar to the role he played in The Shining.

Speaking of the Shining, Robin Williams was up for the part of Jack, but Jack Nicolson got the part. Intresting fact.

This film is a must see, a great psychological thriller.
  
Show all 6 comments.
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Hadley (567 KP) Nov 5, 2019

I haven't seen that one!

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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) Nov 5, 2019

Both One Hour Photo and Insomia came out the same year.

Stairs  (2019)
Stairs (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Thriller
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Toby Osmond (3 more)
Story
Tom Paton
Alana Wallace
Don't Go Down
This movie is everything you would hope for in a Tom Paton flick and a hell of a lot more. A high concept psychological horror/thriller like you wouldnt believe that plays in the sci-fi genre realm. So yeah its a mind melding genre bending smorgasboard.
With Samantha Schnitzler and Bently Kalu (Ben Garrett) doing arguably a fair chunk of the heavy lifting, I am always happy to see these guys share the screen. Bently just seems to have this protective nature when his characters interact with Sam's, Schnitzler is always on point as a total Bad Ass and this time gets to play with her more emotional side.
This movie is more than an actioner, its more than a thriller... Stairs lives in many genres while silently making its own. I have said it before and I will say it one more time, the team behind this movie just took one hell of a step in their already solid game to that next level. Lets just hope it doesnt send them back to the start (see what I did there).