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The Wizard of Lies (2017)
The Wizard of Lies (2017)
2017 | Drama
Captivating...
Bernie Madoff. What can you say? His Ponzi scheme was so complex, far-reaching and of epic proportions, it ruined many people's lives. Tore their life savings from them based on the betrayal of trust.


"Rain Man' director, Barry Levinson, successfully captures the intrigue, suspense, and also the interesting family dynamics in this compelling true story.


If the family dynamics are to be believed as his wife and sons did not know about any of the lies and fraudulent trading, they were either incredibly naive, incredibly stupid or just living the good life..


De Niro gives one of his most memorable recent performances and almost makes you sympathize with him. The actual reporter who wrote the book plays herself well in the film also.


Was Madoff a sociopath?

  
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Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Burial Rites in Books

Mar 15, 2018  
Burial Rites
Burial Rites
Hannah Kent | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.9 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
An interesting book, but not as great as I had hoped. Following an convicted murderess and the family who is forced to watch over her as she awaits her execution in early 1800's Iceland, there is plenty of intrigue teased out over the course of the novel. Did she do it? If so why? If not, then who? And as she relays details of her life leading up to the crime a sense of suspense does gradually build. Aside from the main plot, it is interesting to learn about the lives of farmers in the country at that time, and all of the hardships such a life entailed. The ending felt somewhat flat however, and didn't really adequately wrap up quite everything that had been brought up throughout the book.
  
The Crêpes of Wrath (A Pancake House Mystery Book 1)
The Crêpes of Wrath (A Pancake House Mystery Book 1)
Sarah Fox | 2016 | Mystery
8
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
With this installment, the Pancake House Mystery series is off to a great start. I loved the characters, the sea-side setting, and the suspense. Throw in some delicious sounding recipes and a little romance, and this was an all-around wonderful cozy mystery. There were enough suspects to keep me guessing right up to the end, and I couldn’t put it down until I found out “who did it”. Cozy fans shouldn’t miss this one.

A word of warning about this book – if you are a fan of pancakes, waffles, and other such breakfasty goodies, then don’t read it on an empty stomach! :)

<i>NOTE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.</i>
  
The Book Thief
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.8 (129 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novel was recommended to me by an old high school friend. This is definitely not my typical book. I like the fast paced suspense/romance and I tend to stick with those novels. I'm glad that I picked up this novel.

This novel was very interesting. It's a collection of short stories narrated by death. It follow the life of a young German girl during the time of world war 2. It's told in a different way by having "Death" as the narrator.

This was a pretty quick read. It makes you think too. It's one of those novels that will make you think about the depravity of human beings and give you some hope along side of it.

All in all, it was a good novel that deals with World War II.
  
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Lesley (60 KP) rated A Double Life in Books

Aug 10, 2018  
A Double Life
A Double Life
Flynn Berry | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Writing, pace, suspense (0 more)
Beautiful, tense thriller!
I have never read a book by Flynn Berry before. I was absolutely blown away by this book, and so sad that it had to end.

A young woman is always on the lookout for her father, who murdered her nanny and attempted to murder her mother before fleeing the country. His tight-knit, powerful group of friends and classmates is her best bet for finding out what really happened, and where he went. She follows them, tries to infiltrate their lives anonymously, and get answers. The story is told in alternating timelines - then and now. The way it unfolded was fascinating, had a great pace, and ended up being surprisingly emotional in the end. I can't wait to read more of Berry's books!
  
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Sue (5 KP) rated Whisper to the River in Books

Aug 13, 2018  
WT
Whisper to the River
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Maggie Jackson is hiding out in Rosetown trying to lay low before having to testify in a trial against her ex-boyfriend. Jake Jones is the owner of a local river rafting company and is trying to get on with life after the mysterious disappearance of his wife, but the town is keeping him at the center of its gossip.

The two meet and at first miscommunication and past betrayals keep them apart, but they soon find themselves working together as danger lurks around them. Can they develop trust, overcome hurt and betrayal, and find romance while facing issues from their past?

The author weaves a tale of romance and suspense that has you hoping for a happy ending.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
  
I am a fan of cozy mysteries and when the opportunity to read this book fell into my lap I, of course, jumped at the chance.

The main character is Pippa and she runs Moorehaven, which is a quirky bed-and-breakfast that had been the home of a world-famous mystery writer. The B&B attracts writers who want to find their own fame of writing crime novels.

The book was filled with some mystery, a little suspense, a possibility of a love connection, funny situations, and of course a murder to solve. This was a fun new mystery and I feel other readers like myself will be jumping at the chance to read more in the series.

I volunteered to review an ARC of this book.
  
I Will Never Leave You
I Will Never Leave You
S. M. Thayer | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
3
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I selected this book as one of my Amazon Kindle First Reads selections. It seemed like it could be a great read, with so much potential for suspense, intrigue and excitement. Instead, there was unnecessary exposition, sub-plots which were of no consequence to the story and characters with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. In what appeared to be an attempt to bring the tale to a conclusion, the actions of the characters swiftly moved from those of people desperate to resolve their situations to just plain ridiculous.

This appears to be part of a planned two-part series, with a second novel 'Before I Forget You' planned for 2019. With the seemingly half-hearted ending to this novel, I certainly wont be rushing to read the follow up.
  
Nine Dead (2009)
Nine Dead (2009)
2009 | Horror, Thriller
5
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Saw wannabe
An average at best thriller, which is a mix of Cube, Saw films where a group of strangers wake up and wondered where they are and what their connection is. This time if they don't figure it out, one of them will be shot every 10 mins.
This films works on some levels but it's not that dramatic, the abductor isn't that menacing or scary and it fails to create the tension and suspense needed for a film like this to work. I have to add it's really low budget and the acting quite poor, Sabrina the teenage witch (Melissa Joan Hart) appears to have grown up quick, but no wonder I've not seen her in much since those days. To cap it all it has an odd ending which didn't fit.
  
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Leah Rothwell (170 KP) rated The Promised Neverland: Volume 1 in Books

Sep 17, 2018 (Updated Sep 17, 2018)  
The Promised Neverland: Volume 1
The Promised Neverland: Volume 1
Kaiu Shirai | 2016 | Comics & Graphic Novels
10
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Suspense, unique, brilliantly written (0 more)
Captivating, has me gripping the edge of my seat
The way this manga is written really captivated me in a way that I haven’t felt in years. It has so many twists and turns and this is just the first book. Be prepared for heartbreak, rage, humour and love all wrapped up in 192 pages.
Be warned though... it is so good you will not ever want to stop reading. You will crave more and you will never be able to guess what happen and next as it’s so unpredictable that it’s amazing to read. I love this series so much, I read so many books and this has made me crave the next volume so much that I keep refreshing the page hoping the release dates are sooner!