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Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Rope (1948) in Movies
Mar 12, 2020
did i speak too soon?
Contains spoilers, click to show
If you've read my other reviews, you know that I'm currently in a Hitchcock film class. I've been dreading watching his films because of the ones I've seen, with the exception of Psycho, have been the same story told in different ways. I was equally as dreadful when it came to watching this film. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
In Psycho, while we saw a serial killer, it was almost as if Norman had no choice because he'd been overtaken, so to speak, by Norma Bates. Norman knew what had been done, what his mother had done, and he cleaned up after her, defended her, took care of her. In Shadow of a Doubt, while Uncle Charlie was also a killer, Hitchcock played with the likable villain scenario that we talked about last week. He was this dapper, well-liked, well-respected man that seemed like he could never be capable of the things he was accused. And even when he did die, only little Charly and the detective really knew the truth of who Uncle Charlie was. In Sabotage, we saw murder but it wasn't purposeful. The bomb that was meant to explode, wasn't meant to explode where it did - on a public bus, killing not only the nephew but several strangers and a puppy.
Rope is glaringly different in comparison. We see Brandon who is ecstatic, almost euphoric about what he and Phillip had done. He almost gets off on the idea that they just killed a man, a friend of theirs, and invited that man's family, friends, and fiance over for a party while that man's dead body lying there, unbeknownst to the guests. Brandon was excited by that. In contrast, Phillip is paranoid, drinking rapidly and in excess trying to calm himself down, but really only making himself more suspicious. The nuance and the contrast of Brandon and Phillip's characters are different than anything we've seen from Hitchcock thus far, but even further than that, we see Rupert come in and kind of save the day. He puts the pieces together, observant of both Brandon and Phillip's awkwardness and behavior throughout the party, then noticing the hat and the rope, he comes back and realizes what they have done. Instead of taking vengeance into his own hands, something that we saw in Sabotage, he fires 3 shots out of the window, causing passersby and neighbors to call the police. Rupert than sits next to the chest that holds David's body, almost protecting him, while he waits for the authorities to arrive for Brandon and Phillip.
This film, more than any other one besides Psycho, has been my favorite to watch and the one that kept me drawn in. This film does not fit the original narrative I've held. It's in a completely different game entirely.
In Psycho, while we saw a serial killer, it was almost as if Norman had no choice because he'd been overtaken, so to speak, by Norma Bates. Norman knew what had been done, what his mother had done, and he cleaned up after her, defended her, took care of her. In Shadow of a Doubt, while Uncle Charlie was also a killer, Hitchcock played with the likable villain scenario that we talked about last week. He was this dapper, well-liked, well-respected man that seemed like he could never be capable of the things he was accused. And even when he did die, only little Charly and the detective really knew the truth of who Uncle Charlie was. In Sabotage, we saw murder but it wasn't purposeful. The bomb that was meant to explode, wasn't meant to explode where it did - on a public bus, killing not only the nephew but several strangers and a puppy.
Rope is glaringly different in comparison. We see Brandon who is ecstatic, almost euphoric about what he and Phillip had done. He almost gets off on the idea that they just killed a man, a friend of theirs, and invited that man's family, friends, and fiance over for a party while that man's dead body lying there, unbeknownst to the guests. Brandon was excited by that. In contrast, Phillip is paranoid, drinking rapidly and in excess trying to calm himself down, but really only making himself more suspicious. The nuance and the contrast of Brandon and Phillip's characters are different than anything we've seen from Hitchcock thus far, but even further than that, we see Rupert come in and kind of save the day. He puts the pieces together, observant of both Brandon and Phillip's awkwardness and behavior throughout the party, then noticing the hat and the rope, he comes back and realizes what they have done. Instead of taking vengeance into his own hands, something that we saw in Sabotage, he fires 3 shots out of the window, causing passersby and neighbors to call the police. Rupert than sits next to the chest that holds David's body, almost protecting him, while he waits for the authorities to arrive for Brandon and Phillip.
This film, more than any other one besides Psycho, has been my favorite to watch and the one that kept me drawn in. This film does not fit the original narrative I've held. It's in a completely different game entirely.
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated The House That Jack Built (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Danish director Lars Von Trier is no stranger to controversy. He has certainly divided film fans with some praising his work and some condemning it. The House That Jack Built is his most recent creation, causing audience members at Cannes to either walk out in disgust or stand up and applaud. This seriously mixed reception caught my interest and I wanted to find out what he’d done to generate such a response.
I’ve only seen two of his previous films; Antichrist and Melancholia, the former being a film that disturbed me so much I haven’t been able to watch it a second time. Its visceral, raw and harrowing portrayal of sex, violence, and self-mutilation is something that is a thoroughly uncomfortable and unpleasant watch. Because of Antichrist, I felt nervous yet strangely excited to see what The House That Jack Built had in store for me. I was surprised, however, to discover that it is arguably his tamest film to date, with a lot of the more graphic content happening off-screen. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its disturbing moments, but it was a lot less visceral than I was expecting based on its recent backlash.
The film is split into five chapters labelled ‘The Incidents’ and an epilogue, detailing some of the murders that Jack carried out over a 12-year span. Two of these incidents include child abuse and female mutilation, but is presented in a much more psychologically disturbing way rather than uncomfortable close-ups and drawn out scenes that you watch from behind your hands. The House That Jack Built spends more time tapping into Jack’s own psyche than it does the atrocities he commits, with Matt Dillon really stealing the show as the titular character.
It’s also darkly funny in places, which I certainly wasn’t expecting. Dillon’s portrayal of a psychotic killer with OCD is both terrifying and amusing. He is simultaneously charming and unhinged, which is a difficult thing to pull off. He was by far my favourite thing about the film, reminiscent of so many iconic serial killers that have fascinated the general public. The film relied heavily on Jack’s character and inner thoughts so it was great to see Dillon pull it off so brilliantly.
Much like Von Trier’s previous work, The House That Jack Built features lots of symbolism throughout the narrative. In this case, it focuses heavily on religion, art and family, with Jack being challenged on all of these as he recounts the incidents. The voice challenging him is a mystery to us until the third act, where Bruno Ganz’s character is finally revealed to us. I found this reveal to be a little jarring and strange, but not unexpected from one of his films. For me, the third act is where it started to go downhill and I lost interest, which is a real shame after the strength of the first two. Despite seeing some really great analyses online, it wasn’t enough to change my own views on the way it ended. It just seemed a little too out of place for my liking.
The visual style is interesting and combines live action with animation and still images. This feels very random but in the context of this particular film, it actually works in its favour. Both Dillon and Ganz narrate over the animation and still images, giving us monologues that act as food for thought and raise questions about morality, life, death and so on. It’s an intense film in that regard and one that you have to really concentrate on in order to enjoy properly.
The House That Jack Built is a depressing, harrowing and strange film. Its blend of sadistic violence and humour makes it a truly unique horror film that seems to appeal to a very specific audience. It’s not for the faint of heart, and Jack’s misogynistic killing sprees teamed with his nihilistic outlook on life is bound to be uncomfortable for many to witness. As a case study on a serial killer it’s a fascinating watch, but out of the three films I’ve seen, this one is unfortunately the weakest in my eyes.
https://jumpcutonline.co.uk/review-the-house-that-jack-built-2018/
I’ve only seen two of his previous films; Antichrist and Melancholia, the former being a film that disturbed me so much I haven’t been able to watch it a second time. Its visceral, raw and harrowing portrayal of sex, violence, and self-mutilation is something that is a thoroughly uncomfortable and unpleasant watch. Because of Antichrist, I felt nervous yet strangely excited to see what The House That Jack Built had in store for me. I was surprised, however, to discover that it is arguably his tamest film to date, with a lot of the more graphic content happening off-screen. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its disturbing moments, but it was a lot less visceral than I was expecting based on its recent backlash.
The film is split into five chapters labelled ‘The Incidents’ and an epilogue, detailing some of the murders that Jack carried out over a 12-year span. Two of these incidents include child abuse and female mutilation, but is presented in a much more psychologically disturbing way rather than uncomfortable close-ups and drawn out scenes that you watch from behind your hands. The House That Jack Built spends more time tapping into Jack’s own psyche than it does the atrocities he commits, with Matt Dillon really stealing the show as the titular character.
It’s also darkly funny in places, which I certainly wasn’t expecting. Dillon’s portrayal of a psychotic killer with OCD is both terrifying and amusing. He is simultaneously charming and unhinged, which is a difficult thing to pull off. He was by far my favourite thing about the film, reminiscent of so many iconic serial killers that have fascinated the general public. The film relied heavily on Jack’s character and inner thoughts so it was great to see Dillon pull it off so brilliantly.
Much like Von Trier’s previous work, The House That Jack Built features lots of symbolism throughout the narrative. In this case, it focuses heavily on religion, art and family, with Jack being challenged on all of these as he recounts the incidents. The voice challenging him is a mystery to us until the third act, where Bruno Ganz’s character is finally revealed to us. I found this reveal to be a little jarring and strange, but not unexpected from one of his films. For me, the third act is where it started to go downhill and I lost interest, which is a real shame after the strength of the first two. Despite seeing some really great analyses online, it wasn’t enough to change my own views on the way it ended. It just seemed a little too out of place for my liking.
The visual style is interesting and combines live action with animation and still images. This feels very random but in the context of this particular film, it actually works in its favour. Both Dillon and Ganz narrate over the animation and still images, giving us monologues that act as food for thought and raise questions about morality, life, death and so on. It’s an intense film in that regard and one that you have to really concentrate on in order to enjoy properly.
The House That Jack Built is a depressing, harrowing and strange film. Its blend of sadistic violence and humour makes it a truly unique horror film that seems to appeal to a very specific audience. It’s not for the faint of heart, and Jack’s misogynistic killing sprees teamed with his nihilistic outlook on life is bound to be uncomfortable for many to witness. As a case study on a serial killer it’s a fascinating watch, but out of the three films I’ve seen, this one is unfortunately the weakest in my eyes.
https://jumpcutonline.co.uk/review-the-house-that-jack-built-2018/
JT (287 KP) rated Child's Play (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Re-imagining of classic horror films can go either way. They can stick close to the original while giving it a fresh injection of gore to satisfy the bloodthirsty millennials. Or deviate it from the storyline altogether to put its own spin on the narrative.
In the Child’s Play remake the original ‘Good Guy’ dolls have been replaced by 21st-century technology in the form of ‘Buddi’ dolls which, have been produced by Kaslan Industries. And instead of a psychotic serial killer transferring his soul to the body of a doll, Buddi has all of his safety features disabled by a disgruntled Kaslan employee. The change from possession to A.I. fits perfectly within the modern world where people rely heavily on their phones and various voice-activated gadgets.
The gore levels should more than satisfy horror fans with death scenes ranging from tillers, saws and self-driving cars
Best friends, Chucky and Andy (Gabriel Bateman) share a moment
Chucky, as he will inevitably call himself, makes his way to Chicago and into the home of the Barclay’s, where mum Karen (Aubrey Plaza) gets her hands on the defective doll as an early birthday present for son Andy (Gabriel Bateman). After a few small glitches (eyes turning red) Andy and Chucky start to form a close bond. But the bond takes a sinister turn when Chucky starts to act differently in his pursuit of the ultimate friendship.
One of the highlights of the film is the brilliant casting of Mark Hamill as the voice of the murderous doll. Hamill (outside of Star Wars) is well known as a talented voice actor, having provided the voice of the Joker in the animated series. Hamill uses his full range of softly spoken innocence and demented rage to portray a character who is influenced by everything around him (there are blatant references to E.T.) and then uses it to the best of his ability in killing off people in a range of horrific (and comical) ways.
The gore levels should more than satisfy horror fans with death scenes ranging from tillers, saws and self-driving cars. It’s not without its faults but this satirical take on the slasher genre is certainly B-movie levels at best.
In the Child’s Play remake the original ‘Good Guy’ dolls have been replaced by 21st-century technology in the form of ‘Buddi’ dolls which, have been produced by Kaslan Industries. And instead of a psychotic serial killer transferring his soul to the body of a doll, Buddi has all of his safety features disabled by a disgruntled Kaslan employee. The change from possession to A.I. fits perfectly within the modern world where people rely heavily on their phones and various voice-activated gadgets.
The gore levels should more than satisfy horror fans with death scenes ranging from tillers, saws and self-driving cars
Best friends, Chucky and Andy (Gabriel Bateman) share a moment
Chucky, as he will inevitably call himself, makes his way to Chicago and into the home of the Barclay’s, where mum Karen (Aubrey Plaza) gets her hands on the defective doll as an early birthday present for son Andy (Gabriel Bateman). After a few small glitches (eyes turning red) Andy and Chucky start to form a close bond. But the bond takes a sinister turn when Chucky starts to act differently in his pursuit of the ultimate friendship.
One of the highlights of the film is the brilliant casting of Mark Hamill as the voice of the murderous doll. Hamill (outside of Star Wars) is well known as a talented voice actor, having provided the voice of the Joker in the animated series. Hamill uses his full range of softly spoken innocence and demented rage to portray a character who is influenced by everything around him (there are blatant references to E.T.) and then uses it to the best of his ability in killing off people in a range of horrific (and comical) ways.
The gore levels should more than satisfy horror fans with death scenes ranging from tillers, saws and self-driving cars. It’s not without its faults but this satirical take on the slasher genre is certainly B-movie levels at best.
Sting in the Tail: Carnival of Mysteries
Book
The Carnival of Mysteries just arrived in Sutton County. They say if you cross the fortune...
MM Paranormal Romance Multi-Author Series
Jamie (131 KP) rated The Shining Girls in Books
Jun 4, 2017
Ambitious & unique story line (1 more)
Handles the web of time paradoxes well
Mash-up of genres is disjointing (2 more)
Romance is distracting at best
Repeated murder scenes gets wearisome
A cool time travel thriller
The Shining Girls follows Harper, a crude serial killer from the 1930’s that can hop through time; and Kirby, the spunky young woman that got away. This book was incredibly ambitious in its premise and I spent a great deal of my time reading the book wondering if it could deliver and I can happily say that I wasn’t disappointed.
The story is a heavily character driven dive through recent American history, from the Great Depression in the 1930’s all the way up to the early 1990’s. I was impressed by the amount of research that was put into this book, each decade having enough detail to get a good feel for the era. Many of the characters were pretty well fleshed out for such short chapters, and I found myself liking many of them.
My favorite part of the story, though, was the tragedy that was Harper because of how very flawed and human he is. He views himself as commanding, charming, persuasive, but to many of his victims he’s just downright creepy. He thinks himself calculating yet he makes mistakes left and right. He has a drive to rise up from the trenches of poverty and starvation from his own era, to be powerful. His choice of victims are all women in a great act of femicide, because he has this dire need to feel masculine. He chooses women that he views as invincible, that shine with ambition in order to assert his dominance by snuffing them out. He thinks he has this divine purpose, a destiny to fulfill because he wants it so desperately, even though the reality is that it’s simply senseless violence with no real meaning. He obsesses over the murders, returning to the scene of the crimes over and over to get off. Harper is pathetic. It was a refreshing change from the stereotypical smooth, genius archetype that glorifies killers. I didn’t know right away that this book was meant to be a feminist novel, but that’s what I took away from not only Harper’s struggle with masculinity, but with the strong and fiercely independent female characters all throughout the book.
There were a couple of problems with the book, however, that I feel need to be addressed. The mash up of genres is both a good and bad aspect of the story. The middle chapters where romance comes into play to me was really distracting and feels out of place. The tagline describing the novel also states that “the girl who wouldn’t die hunts the killer who shouldn’t exist” but honestly, it didn’t feel much like Kirby was really hunting the killer. Looking for connections with other murder cases and investigating some wild hunches, yes, but really she spends most of the book developing her bond with Dan. I would have really liked for this to be more of a cat and mouse type of hunt between Kirby and Harper.
The chapters with Harper were much more interesting, but even those became a little repetitive. We as the reader follow Harper as he stalks his victims in childhood, waiting for the right time to strike when they reach adulthood. While it was necessary for the plot to detail the characters to both connect them to the greater chain of paradoxes and to show Harper’s descent, the violence is excessive and extremely detailed, and after a while it started to feel more like torture porn. It just got tiring after a while.
Despite its flaws, I thought this book was good, and I mean really good. I loved the way that the time paradoxes were handled, time travel stories tend to be tricky and usually end up with a couple of glaring loop holes. The loops are handled in a way that I found satisfying and this book is easily my favorite time travel novel I’ve ever read. It is truly unique and a story I won’t soon forget.
The story is a heavily character driven dive through recent American history, from the Great Depression in the 1930’s all the way up to the early 1990’s. I was impressed by the amount of research that was put into this book, each decade having enough detail to get a good feel for the era. Many of the characters were pretty well fleshed out for such short chapters, and I found myself liking many of them.
My favorite part of the story, though, was the tragedy that was Harper because of how very flawed and human he is. He views himself as commanding, charming, persuasive, but to many of his victims he’s just downright creepy. He thinks himself calculating yet he makes mistakes left and right. He has a drive to rise up from the trenches of poverty and starvation from his own era, to be powerful. His choice of victims are all women in a great act of femicide, because he has this dire need to feel masculine. He chooses women that he views as invincible, that shine with ambition in order to assert his dominance by snuffing them out. He thinks he has this divine purpose, a destiny to fulfill because he wants it so desperately, even though the reality is that it’s simply senseless violence with no real meaning. He obsesses over the murders, returning to the scene of the crimes over and over to get off. Harper is pathetic. It was a refreshing change from the stereotypical smooth, genius archetype that glorifies killers. I didn’t know right away that this book was meant to be a feminist novel, but that’s what I took away from not only Harper’s struggle with masculinity, but with the strong and fiercely independent female characters all throughout the book.
There were a couple of problems with the book, however, that I feel need to be addressed. The mash up of genres is both a good and bad aspect of the story. The middle chapters where romance comes into play to me was really distracting and feels out of place. The tagline describing the novel also states that “the girl who wouldn’t die hunts the killer who shouldn’t exist” but honestly, it didn’t feel much like Kirby was really hunting the killer. Looking for connections with other murder cases and investigating some wild hunches, yes, but really she spends most of the book developing her bond with Dan. I would have really liked for this to be more of a cat and mouse type of hunt between Kirby and Harper.
The chapters with Harper were much more interesting, but even those became a little repetitive. We as the reader follow Harper as he stalks his victims in childhood, waiting for the right time to strike when they reach adulthood. While it was necessary for the plot to detail the characters to both connect them to the greater chain of paradoxes and to show Harper’s descent, the violence is excessive and extremely detailed, and after a while it started to feel more like torture porn. It just got tiring after a while.
Despite its flaws, I thought this book was good, and I mean really good. I loved the way that the time paradoxes were handled, time travel stories tend to be tricky and usually end up with a couple of glaring loop holes. The loops are handled in a way that I found satisfying and this book is easily my favorite time travel novel I’ve ever read. It is truly unique and a story I won’t soon forget.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Shatter the Night in Books
Mar 19, 2020
Cedar Valley Detective Gemma Monroe takes a break from trick-or-treating on Halloween night with her young daughter Grace and fiance Brody to visit a family friend, former Cedar Valley Judge Caleb Montgomery. Caleb tells Gemma that he's been receiving haunting anonymous threats on his life. As Gemma, Brody, and Grace return to the Halloween festivities, they hear a gigantic explosion. Gemma quickly learns it was Caleb's Mercedes. The well-respected judge is dead. This kicks off a twisted and grueling case for Gemma and her partner, Detective Finn Nowlin, leading them down the dark past of Cedar Valley. There are ties to former serial killer and the more Gemma and Finn dig, the more disturbing things they find. Even worse, it appears as if Caleb's killer might not be finished.
"We had summoned the evil to our town just as surely as if we'd mailed an invitation. We just didn't know it yet, and by the time we did know it, the damage would already be done. People would be killed. Lives would be changed."
This was such a good book, you guys. I've read the first three books in the Gemma Monroe series and really enjoyed them, and this was such an excellent addition to this series. To put it in perspective, I started reading this book about the same time as Michael Connelly's latest. I quickly realized that wouldn't work as they both involved plots with arson, and my small brain was getting addled. Well, I found this book so completely captivating that this was the one I kept with--and I mean, Connelly is my most favorite of authors. I have a cat named Harry Bosch. But there was just something about this one!
Gemma has become one of my favorite detectives. She's so easy to identify with. I love that she's a working mom, and that she can share her perspectives about working and motherhood with the reader. She even admits that she is probably a better mom because she works, but she still struggles being away from young Grace. She's human and fallible. We also see her make some strides in her personal growth in this book. She's awesome and tough, and I really like her.
"Since having my daughter, time seemed to speed up at incredible rates."
The plot in this one is wonderful. It's creepy and builds up suspense. I was completely captivated. I love a book that keeps me guessing, and Shatter The Night definitely did that. There are a lot of suspects, and it was really fun to try to figure out what was going on and who might be our bad "guy(s)." The book weaves in the town's legacy, intertwining the history and its elders, so to speak. So you have a past that features Caleb and his ancestors; the police and their history; even Gemma's family. I don't want to go deeper than that, but Littlejohn weaves it all together flawlessly.
Overall, this was a great read. Interesting story, wonderful characters (the recurring characters are the best--please live forever, Tilly Krinkle), and a strong female lead. What more can you ask for? Maybe it's time to name a cat Gemma Monroe. :) 4.5 stars.
"We had summoned the evil to our town just as surely as if we'd mailed an invitation. We just didn't know it yet, and by the time we did know it, the damage would already be done. People would be killed. Lives would be changed."
This was such a good book, you guys. I've read the first three books in the Gemma Monroe series and really enjoyed them, and this was such an excellent addition to this series. To put it in perspective, I started reading this book about the same time as Michael Connelly's latest. I quickly realized that wouldn't work as they both involved plots with arson, and my small brain was getting addled. Well, I found this book so completely captivating that this was the one I kept with--and I mean, Connelly is my most favorite of authors. I have a cat named Harry Bosch. But there was just something about this one!
Gemma has become one of my favorite detectives. She's so easy to identify with. I love that she's a working mom, and that she can share her perspectives about working and motherhood with the reader. She even admits that she is probably a better mom because she works, but she still struggles being away from young Grace. She's human and fallible. We also see her make some strides in her personal growth in this book. She's awesome and tough, and I really like her.
"Since having my daughter, time seemed to speed up at incredible rates."
The plot in this one is wonderful. It's creepy and builds up suspense. I was completely captivated. I love a book that keeps me guessing, and Shatter The Night definitely did that. There are a lot of suspects, and it was really fun to try to figure out what was going on and who might be our bad "guy(s)." The book weaves in the town's legacy, intertwining the history and its elders, so to speak. So you have a past that features Caleb and his ancestors; the police and their history; even Gemma's family. I don't want to go deeper than that, but Littlejohn weaves it all together flawlessly.
Overall, this was a great read. Interesting story, wonderful characters (the recurring characters are the best--please live forever, Tilly Krinkle), and a strong female lead. What more can you ask for? Maybe it's time to name a cat Gemma Monroe. :) 4.5 stars.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Wolfhunter River (Stillhouse Lake, #3) in Books
May 22, 2019
She cant ignore a cry for help. But in this remote hunting town, its open season.
Gwen Proctor escaped her serial-killer husband and saved her family. What she cant seem to outrun is his notoriety. Or the sick internet vigilantes still seeking to avenge his crimes. For Gwen, hiding isnt an option. Not when her only mission is to create a normal life for her kids.
But now, a threatened woman has reached out. Marlene Crockett, from the remote town of Wolfhunter, is panicked for herself and her daughter. When Gwen arrives in the small, isolated rural community, Marlene is already deadher own daughter blamed for the murder. Except thats not the person Marlene feared at all. And Gwen isnt leaving until she finds out who that was.
But it may already be too late. A trap has been set. And its poised to snap shut on everyone Gwen loves. Her stalkers are closing in. And in a town as dark as Wolfhunter, its so easy for them to hide
Wolfhunter River, the third book in Caine's Stillhouse Lake series .It is INTENSE and that's putting it mildly.
This is definitely bloody and action-packed with Gwen, Sam and the kids helping to save the day in Wolfhunter. The threat of Melvin is gone, but there is still evil out there. Now it seems that the series may continue with Gwen going in a new direction though it's probable that there will still be more of the fallout from her being the wife of a mass murderer and her still trying to escape her past.
This story was PACKED with twists and turns and shocking, jaw-dropping moments.
I definitely recommend not only this book, but the whole series. If you haven't read all the books yet, start with Stillhouse Lake. You will need to read the first two books to understand their lives; but not completely necessary to read this one.
I'm already looking forward to #4 it is called Bitter Falls (Stillhouse Lake Book 4) (21 Jan 2020) according to Amazon.
Highly Recommend reading!!!!!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer and Rachel Caine for the opportunity to experience this book in advance of its release.
Gwen Proctor escaped her serial-killer husband and saved her family. What she cant seem to outrun is his notoriety. Or the sick internet vigilantes still seeking to avenge his crimes. For Gwen, hiding isnt an option. Not when her only mission is to create a normal life for her kids.
But now, a threatened woman has reached out. Marlene Crockett, from the remote town of Wolfhunter, is panicked for herself and her daughter. When Gwen arrives in the small, isolated rural community, Marlene is already deadher own daughter blamed for the murder. Except thats not the person Marlene feared at all. And Gwen isnt leaving until she finds out who that was.
But it may already be too late. A trap has been set. And its poised to snap shut on everyone Gwen loves. Her stalkers are closing in. And in a town as dark as Wolfhunter, its so easy for them to hide
Wolfhunter River, the third book in Caine's Stillhouse Lake series .It is INTENSE and that's putting it mildly.
This is definitely bloody and action-packed with Gwen, Sam and the kids helping to save the day in Wolfhunter. The threat of Melvin is gone, but there is still evil out there. Now it seems that the series may continue with Gwen going in a new direction though it's probable that there will still be more of the fallout from her being the wife of a mass murderer and her still trying to escape her past.
This story was PACKED with twists and turns and shocking, jaw-dropping moments.
I definitely recommend not only this book, but the whole series. If you haven't read all the books yet, start with Stillhouse Lake. You will need to read the first two books to understand their lives; but not completely necessary to read this one.
I'm already looking forward to #4 it is called Bitter Falls (Stillhouse Lake Book 4) (21 Jan 2020) according to Amazon.
Highly Recommend reading!!!!!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer and Rachel Caine for the opportunity to experience this book in advance of its release.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Good Me, Bad Me in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Read my review here: http://bookbumzuky.wordpress.com/
AVAILABLE NOW!
<b><i>I promised to be the best I could. I promised to try… Forgive me.</b></i>
Wow. This book was far, far better than I was expecting it to be. I had left it in my library for so long that I had forgotten what it was even about when I picked it up to read. <i>Be warned,</i> there are <b>triggers</b> to note in this book (sexual, physical and emotional abuse of a child, self harm and child murder) but Land is decent enough not to delve too deeply into any of these topics.
The plot for this was new to me, I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel with a similar plot line, though I may be forgetting (I won’t be forgetting about this one)! Annie, whose name is changed to Milly for protection reasons, is the daughter of a serial killer. And while her mother's trial looms, Milly is trying to move on, forget her old life and fit in with her foster family but nightmarish nighttime visits and a constant inner voice from her mother don’t make any of this easy. Stuck in a battle of nature and nurture, Milly is terrified of what she might become. Fighting with herself daily to be the “good me” is tough, because afterall, she is her mother's daughter.
The writing style of this novel is incredible. It was snappy, fast paced yet added to the mystery of the plot. It kept me wanting to know more, which is exactly why I read the novel in under 24 hours. My only, <i>tiny</i>, gripe with the writing, was sometimes, <i>very occasionally</i>, sentences were structured in a way that made it sound like Milly was Yoda... but I only noticed it a couple of times throughout the entire thing.
<b>Twisted, shocking, unputdownable and unforgettable.</b> This is set to be one of the best debuts of 2017 and is by far one of the best debuts I’ve read this year (I finished this in late 2016, not early 2017!!). I’m excited to see what other books Land can produce.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
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<b><i>I promised to be the best I could. I promised to try… Forgive me.</b></i>
Wow. This book was far, far better than I was expecting it to be. I had left it in my library for so long that I had forgotten what it was even about when I picked it up to read. <i>Be warned,</i> there are <b>triggers</b> to note in this book (sexual, physical and emotional abuse of a child, self harm and child murder) but Land is decent enough not to delve too deeply into any of these topics.
The plot for this was new to me, I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel with a similar plot line, though I may be forgetting (I won’t be forgetting about this one)! Annie, whose name is changed to Milly for protection reasons, is the daughter of a serial killer. And while her mother's trial looms, Milly is trying to move on, forget her old life and fit in with her foster family but nightmarish nighttime visits and a constant inner voice from her mother don’t make any of this easy. Stuck in a battle of nature and nurture, Milly is terrified of what she might become. Fighting with herself daily to be the “good me” is tough, because afterall, she is her mother's daughter.
The writing style of this novel is incredible. It was snappy, fast paced yet added to the mystery of the plot. It kept me wanting to know more, which is exactly why I read the novel in under 24 hours. My only, <i>tiny</i>, gripe with the writing, was sometimes, <i>very occasionally</i>, sentences were structured in a way that made it sound like Milly was Yoda... but I only noticed it a couple of times throughout the entire thing.
<b>Twisted, shocking, unputdownable and unforgettable.</b> This is set to be one of the best debuts of 2017 and is by far one of the best debuts I’ve read this year (I finished this in late 2016, not early 2017!!). I’m excited to see what other books Land can produce.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pas in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Id been wanting to read this nonfiction for ages but never really felt in the mood for it. Just before Christmas I picked it up, and it did take me a couple of weeks to read, but it was worth it! An emotional and insightful look at the mysterious Dyatlov Pass Incident.
Ive always been interested in mysterious happenings, at the ripe old age of 10 I was receiving books about poltergeists, spontaneous combustion, missing people cases and so on, so when I first heard about the Dyatlov Pass Incident, of course my interest was piqued! Then, when I found out there was actually a novel solving the case, I was even more interested in it.
I havent read any other novels on the case, but I can imagine most of them get straight to the nitty-gritty of what they think happened to the unfortunate hikers, Eichar, however, builds his conclusions very slowly. At times, I felt a little bit annoyed about this I really would just love to know what the hell you think happened! but on the other hand I loved the way he made the hikers more than just an unfortunate accident. He breathes life back into them. Eichar takes diary entries, photographs, and interviews to build an intricate and honest look into each of the hikers days that lead up to their deaths.
As for Eichars theories on what really happened to the Dyatlov hikers, I dont want to give too much away, but its a sad story, rather than a spooky serial-killer-ghost one. While I love mysteries of the unknown, when it comes to something as tragic as this incident, its nice to have an answer to what happened? I think Eichars theories seem legitimate and well researched, so when the book claims to have the true story I can believe it.
I dont want to say too much about this novel because its the sort of book that needs to be read to be appreciated, hence my almost mini review, but I think this was a very good and well written nonfiction novel. At times I found some of the goings-on a little tedious, but overall it was an interesting read.
Ive always been interested in mysterious happenings, at the ripe old age of 10 I was receiving books about poltergeists, spontaneous combustion, missing people cases and so on, so when I first heard about the Dyatlov Pass Incident, of course my interest was piqued! Then, when I found out there was actually a novel solving the case, I was even more interested in it.
I havent read any other novels on the case, but I can imagine most of them get straight to the nitty-gritty of what they think happened to the unfortunate hikers, Eichar, however, builds his conclusions very slowly. At times, I felt a little bit annoyed about this I really would just love to know what the hell you think happened! but on the other hand I loved the way he made the hikers more than just an unfortunate accident. He breathes life back into them. Eichar takes diary entries, photographs, and interviews to build an intricate and honest look into each of the hikers days that lead up to their deaths.
As for Eichars theories on what really happened to the Dyatlov hikers, I dont want to give too much away, but its a sad story, rather than a spooky serial-killer-ghost one. While I love mysteries of the unknown, when it comes to something as tragic as this incident, its nice to have an answer to what happened? I think Eichars theories seem legitimate and well researched, so when the book claims to have the true story I can believe it.
I dont want to say too much about this novel because its the sort of book that needs to be read to be appreciated, hence my almost mini review, but I think this was a very good and well written nonfiction novel. At times I found some of the goings-on a little tedious, but overall it was an interesting read.
The Buried Girl
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'Glittering and sharp, an ice pick of a novel. An astounding talent' AJ Finn, author of The Woman...
Crime Thriller Mystery Suspense Psychological