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The Wrong Family

Tarryn Fisher

6.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

The Wrong Family is your new obsession. It's full of twists you'll never see coming and you'll be...

Lying and Dying (Josef Slonsky Investigations #1)

Graham Brack

8.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

What do you do when the poison comes from within…? The body of a young woman is found...

Prague Police procedural Thriller

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Breakdown in Books

Jul 24, 2017

The Breakdown

B.A. Paris | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.0

(16 Ratings)

Book Rating

Stick with it, takes a while to like the protagonist

After reading the brilliant 'Behind Closed Doors', I was wondering how BA Paris would be able to excel expectations - and she has thankfully managed to avoid the usual psychological thriller pitfalls once again.

There was a massive red herring which provides a brilliant twist and opportunity for the ultimate revenge. Feeling claustrophobic throughout, due to the main character's apparent early onset dementia, it sets an unnerving tone from the outset. At this point I did worry it would end up with the same gaps in information such as in The Girl on the Train. However, Paris manages to steer clear of becoming another wannabe Gone Girl, and totally holds her own.

For about 75 per cent of the time, you will find the protagonist's almost neurotic personality quite annoying until the last quarter of the book where you will end up completely empathising with her. Another fantastic dark tale from BA Paris.

Kudos

ClareR (5854 KP) rated The Last Time I Lied in Books

Jul 18, 2018

Not a summer camp that I'd be frequenting...

Emma Davis an artist, returns to the summer camp (Camp Nightingale) that she went to as a girl. During her last (and only) stay, the three other girls in her cabin went missing with no trace, never to be found again. Emma's artwork reflects her inability to forget what happened.
When Camp Nightingale reopens after 15 years, the owner, Frances (Franny) Harris-White, invites her along to be an art instructor. Emma goes along to try and lay her ghosts to rest.
This had a real air of menace throughout. It felt like there was a possible abductor around every corner. A great thriller, and I very much enjoyed it. I have to admit to not liking any of the characters though. I didn't even feel sorry for Emma, and believe me, she has plenty for people to feel sorry for. This story is such dark and compulsive reading though. Great stuff!

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Good Liar (2019) in Movies

Nov 13, 2019

Roaringly bonkers British movie probably thinks that it's a dark and convoluted psychological thriller but is undone by a couple of overcooked lead performances and a frankly ludicrous script. Career con man Roy Courtnay (McKellen) sets his sights on rich widow Betty (Mirren). But as his activities draw near to their climax, could it be that the old rogue is suffering from pangs of conscience? Can he bring himself to go through with it?

Sounds fairly ordinary, but this does not take into account quite how nutty the various twists in the tale turn out to be, nor the sheer relish with which the stars attack their roles: to say that McKellen, in particular, carves himself off a thick slice of ham is probably to understate things considerably. Still, very easy to watch (though it has an unexpectedly hard and vicious edge to it in places), and a lot of fun, provided you don't take it too seriously.