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Melanie Caldicott (6 KP) rated Sister in Books

Apr 29, 2021  
Sister
Sister
4
6.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Disappointing. For me this book lacked any real suspense and the plot was far too engineered.
The protagonist and also narrative voice, Bee was annoying at times with her opinionated piety and judgmental attitude which, even in the light of her grief made her seem bigoted rather than detached through her mourning.
Whilst I liked the device used to create the twist at the end I had guessed who the murderer was way before it was revealed because his relationship with Bee was so implausible.
I found the plot boring at times and felt the genetic research element of the plot sensationalist and naive.
The relationship portrayed between Bee and her murdered sister, Tess was the strongest part of the book. It was written quite movingly at times and was very vivid and heart-warming. However, this was very much marred by the poor thriller-style plot.
  
Cruel Acts (Maeve Kerrigan #8)
Cruel Acts (Maeve Kerrigan #8)
Jane Casey | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
9
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Once again, I find myself enthusing about one of Jane Casey's books starring the unparalleled partnership of Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent. This might be the 8th outing in this series, but it doesn't show and remains fresh and a riveting read from start to finish. I won't go into any of the plot as the blurb explains it well enough and to say more would give the game away but what I will advise is that you be prepared for twists and turns, tension and scenes of peril!

With fantastic characters, a gripping plot and enough back story so it can be read as a standalone, this is one not to be missed for all you fans of police-procedural/crime/suspense/thriller/etc/etc., lovers out there.

Thank you once again to the Publisher via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Bride in Books

Jul 2, 2023  
The Bride
The Bride
John Nicholl | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have enjoyed Mr Nicholl's books before and this was no exception.

Daisy is writing a letter to her unborn child whilst she sits in a jail cell awaiting her trial for murder. The book is written as a series of letters and provides Daisy's account of how she got to where she is but is she a reliable narrator?

I became very quickly engrossed in Daisy's story; it's full of tension and suspense with me desperately wanting to find out just what the heck happened. There are twists that had my mouth agape with the ending of the book causing me to gasp out loud. Written at a good pace, The Bride is a great psychological thriller that I would have no hesitation in recommending to readers of this genre.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Bride.
  
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Alan Wake in Video Games

Oct 31, 2019 (Updated Oct 31, 2019)  
Alan Wake
Alan Wake
Action/Adventure
Flash The Darkness Demons
Contains spoilers, click to show
Alan Wake- is one of those games that is highly underrated. It is a great game. It mixs horror with suspense with thrills with adventure and action.

The Plot: The story follows best-selling thriller novelist Alan Wake as he tries to uncover the mystery behind his wife's disappearance during a vacation in the small fictional town of Bright Falls, Washington, all while experiencing events from the plot in his latest novel, which he cannot remember writing, coming to life.

In its pacing and structure, Alan Wake is similar to a thriller television series, with episodes that contain plot twists and cliffhangers. The game itself consists of six episodes, and the storyline is continued by two special episodes, titled "The Signal" and "The Writer", that were made available as downloadable content (DLC) within the same year of the game's release. Together, they make the first season of a possibly longer story. Additionally, a six-episode live-action web series called Bright Falls acts as a prequel to the game, and a number of related books also expand upon the Alan Wake story.

Lets talk about the game: Alan Wake is described by Remedy as "the mind of a psychological thriller" and "the body of a cinematic action game" put together. In interviews, the game's creators hold that the game does not belong squarely in the survival horror video game genre.

The player controls the eponymous protagonist Alan Wake. In the game, a "darkness" is taking over humans, animals and objects. These enemies, dubbed the "Taken", are murderous shadows that attack Wake, wielding weapons of their own, ranging from.

The Taken are protected by a shield of darkness, initially rendering them impervious to attack; they can only be injured with a firearm after exposure to light, which burns the darkness away. This puts significant emphasis on flashlights in conjunction with conventional weapons, such as a revolver or shotgun. Flashlight beams act as a reticle.

The player is often encouraged to take advantage of environmental light sources and placing, and to use other light-based weapons and accessories, such as flare guns, hand-held flares and flashbangs.

So this game mixs survival with fantasy with reality with horror with suspense and so much more.

I would highly reecordmend playing this game.
  
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Ransom (1996) in Movies

Jul 14, 2020 (Updated Jul 14, 2020)  
Ransom (1996)
Ransom (1996)
1996 | Action, Drama, Mystery
This Is Your Ransom
Ransom- is a great thriller. Full of suspense, drama, action, crime and thrills.

The plot: Through a life of hard work, airline owner Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) has amassed a great deal of wealth. When a group of criminals want a piece of his cash, they kidnap his son (Brawley Nolte) for a $2 million ransom. Encouraged by his wife (Rene Russo) and an FBI agent (Delroy Lindo), Tom prepares to pay the money, but the ransom drop goes awry. Enraged, Tom decides to turn the tables on the kidnappers by making the ransom a bounty on their heads -- which he announces on national television.

The original story came from a 1954 episode of The United States Steel Hour titled "Fearful Decision". In 1956, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume into the feature film Ransom!, starring Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, and Leslie Nielsen. The film was also influenced by Ed McBain's police procedural novel King's Ransom.

Also it has a great surporting cast: Rene Russo, Gary Sinise, Brawley Nolte, Delroy Lindo, Liev Schreiber, Evan Handler, Donnie Wahlberg, and Lili Taylor. Gibson. Ron Howard does it again.

Its a great thriller and a must watch film, it will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very end of the film.
  
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Becs (244 KP) rated As Night Falls in Books

Oct 2, 2019  
As Night Falls
As Night Falls
Jenny Milchman | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Highlights: I love the cover, it gives off that thriller vibe. Great read, couldn’t put it down. Had me hanging onto every word from the beginning even though there were a few slower moments in the book.

Style: Medium read, not too heavy and also not too light of a read.

Point of View: Third-person

Difficulty Reading: As Night Falls was a pretty easy read for me, but I tend to find Thrillers a little easier to read. I wouldn’t say this was a light read but it’s also not a heavy read, lying somewhere in the middle. There were a few parts that had me taking a bit more time trying to read and understand what was going on but these moments were far and few in between all the good parts!

Promise: As Night Falls promises a psychological suspense thriller that will keep you on your toes while you gain a love for the characters, it delivers.

Quality: All-around great read. Defiantly recommend to everyone who likes Thriller reads, even if it’s just a little bit.

Insights: You will either love this book or you will hate it, there’s no in between. For me, this was a love relationship that deserves many other rereads.

Ah-Ha Moment: When Nick reveals that he is the brother of Sandy, I had to stop reading for a moment to ponder the thought and what all was revealed already throughout the book that gave it away.

Favorite quote: “These days, her daughter could make obedience sound like defiance.” – Pretty much sums up the way of children haha.

What will you gain: A love relationship for Sandy and her family, this includes Harlan (as he’s like Hodor from Game of Thrones – innocent and being controlled by Nick). And an ‘I want to kill you, you scum’ relationship with psycho Nick. Plus a great thriller read that deserves so much more love than what it currently is getting!

Aesthetics: Cover was what pulled me in at first. Then the switching from past and present was hard to get into the first couple of chapters, but I feel like it helped shape the book.

“Timing was going to be key.”
  
A Quiet Place (2018)
A Quiet Place (2018)
2018 | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Suspenseful (2 more)
Thrilling
Captivating
An Edge of Your Seat Thriller
Nothing creates more suspense than taking away all the sound on the room. You ever walk through the house completely silent in the dead of night clinging to a hairbrush after hearing a sound downstairs? That is how I felt sitting at the edge of my seat as I glued myself to the theater's screen. There most have been no more than five works spoken throughout this film and the effect was stunning. The silence pulled you into the story and kept you focused on the screen as you pieced everything together, the visual effects are carefully planned and there's such careful details placed into the overall world this movie has created that you can't help but be in awe by the end of the film. The ending fills you with hope and a sense of accomplishment that you can't help but share with the characters. It was truly complete ending to the film and an overall masterpiece.
  
Us (2019)
Us (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
Performances are on point. (1 more)
Engrossing plot is well-paced throughout.
Peele's message may be a little more muddled than previous filsm (0 more)
Enthralling thriller that promotes discussion.
Having only seen the trailer and done all I could to avoid spoilers. I wasn't sure what to expect with this film. The only thing I knew was that being a Peele film, I knew it would make me think and would be deeper than the average horror flick. The suspense and action are taut throughout and keeps you enwrapped. Little pieces of the plot are paced beautifully throughout and the performances are on point. You're left with questions well past the final reveal and the movie's message promotes inner thought. Any movie that can keep you enthralled from the opening scene to the final one and also promotes discussion is a win-win in my books. May have to rewatch this just to take in more of the messages throughout.
  
The Mean Season (1985)
The Mean Season (1985)
1985 | Drama, Mystery
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The Killer Calls
The Mean Season- is a great suspense thiller.

The plot: After reporting on the murder of a teenage girl, journalist Malcolm Anderson (Kurt Russell) is contacted by the killer (Richard Jordan) known as the "Numbers Murderer," who offers exclusive information about the deaths. With the cooperation of the police, who tape the killer's phone calls, Malcolm agrees and soon becomes famous. Jealous of the attention the journalist is receiving for his coverage, the Numbers Murderer kidnaps Malcolm's girlfriend, Christine (Mariel Hemingway).

The film was named after the term of the same name that refers to a pattern of weather that occurs in Florida during the late summer months. In order to achieve accuracy for the scenes that take place in the busy newsroom, the filmmakers used Miami Herald reporters as on-set consultants and extras and shot in the actual newsroom as opposed to recreating it on a soundstage.

Its a great crime thriller.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Don't Speak in Books

Nov 21, 2021  
Don't Speak
Don't Speak
A.J. Park | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well, I can safely say I enjoyed that!

This is a gripping read which has a great plot that had me guessing for the majority of the time, a fast pace and excellent characters which is what you want from a thriller. There is unpredictability and suspense with an ending that was very satisfying.

I admit, there were moments that pushed the boundaries of reality, Amelie 'disappearing' during an ongoing serial killer case for example, but I am able to push those to one side because, overall, the story had me engaged from the very beginning.

I am hoping there is more to come from DS Amelie Davis; she is an interestingly flawed character and there is definitely more mileage there for further stories especially if her colleagues are brought into it a little more than they were in this one.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.