A teen who has been poisoned and starved her whole life by her mother turns the tables and testifies against her in court, sending her mother to prison. It is a surprise then to learn that the same daughter turns up to pick her mother up from prison the day she is released. Rose has recovered from her rough childhood and agrees to let her mother stay with her and even help care for Rose's baby. No relationship is perfect and soon old memories along with the town's hatred of Patty make it difficult to imagine a happy ending. Old habits run deep and revenge may be what's for dinner so you, dear reader, must figure out the truth and if justice is to be served for dessert. Chapters flip between Rose and her mother keeping you on your toes. This debut deals with the very real issue of Munchausen Syndrome and works it into one heck of a twisted psychological thriller. This author will be on my radar.
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A manor house high on the rocky cliffs, a dashing captain haunted by the loss of his wife and the lonely governess who wants to save him and his two young children she is there to look after. This book has all the classic elements of a Gothic romance served with a slice of a malicious ghost. You wonder along with the rest of the small village if Winterbourne Hall is cursed or if the Captain is the evil force behind the violent deaths and madness. Fans of all Gothic romance, as well as those who love a good old fashioned haunted house (like Hill House), will eat this up.
A young couple are on a bike trip in Vietnam when the unthinkable happens - Austin, who is a proficient cyclist fails to return after a solo bike ride. His girlfriend Alexis gets whatever help in finding him from the police, consulate office, and fellow bikers until sadly a body is found. She returns to the states and her job as an ER doc with unanswered questions and thinking that she really didn't know her boyfriend. As she prods deeper we see that there is so much more going on than meets the eye. You think you are reading about a relationship based on secrets and then at the turn of a page, you are immersed in an international thriller about deadly pathogens. A must for fans of Michael Crichton and Robin Cook.
One of my benchmarks for a remarkable book is that I feel at least several emotions while reading it and think about the story well after I close the book. The key to reading this incredibly disturbing book is either read it in one sitting and go through a few minutes of screaming or take it in small doses to fully digest it with the same number of screaming sessions. The story is one of seduction and power between a young girl at a boarding school and her much older teacher. Vanessa is both the seduced and made to feel at times, the seducer. His power and subtle mind control mess with her head well after the physical relationship has cooled. It makes you want to punch him, shake her and hug her in equal measure. This powerful debut shines a light on the need to educate young women and men about manipulation, sexual predators and the power to say no. Disturbing and haunting, Vanessa's story is both as gentle as a first kiss and as devastating as mental and physical rape. Anyone with pre-teens should read this and have that talk.
Fearing the German's wrath upon London, a museum's scientific collections and animal specimens are moved to a manor house in the country. With them comes a young caretaker, Hetty, who seeks recognition and advancement by maintaining the collection in pristine order which she is obsessive about. The manor is spooky enough with talk of a ghost and then strange things begin to happen to the specimens under Hetty's care. Fighting with the tyrannical owner of the manor, an illicit love affair with his fragile daughter and trying to solve the mystery of what and who is destroying the specimens seem a much bigger threat than anything the Luftwaffe can send. Moody and haunting with a touch of madness, this story follows a classic gothic footprint while the addition of Lucy and Hetty's relationship and the role of women shakes things up a bit.
I rarely read memoirs but I am really glad I read this one. Glennon has experienced pain. Glennon has experienced addiction and infidelity and best of all, true love. After being married to the same man and raising three children she suddenly met the person she was meant to be with and it was a woman.
This is an honest look at all the obstacles that women and society put in front of them that prevent them from becoming who they were meant to be. It is a love story, a family story and one of hope. Glennon Doyle gives us an unabashed look at how she met these challenges head-on after years of denial and self-medicating and found her voice. Her words will resonate with women of all ages and backgrounds because she is a Love Warrior. You just feel better after reading her take on life. An all-encompassing story of the many faces of the woman known simply as Jackie. From her early days being courted by John F. Kennedy to after his assassination and her marriage to Aristotle Onassis, she was something of an enigma. Here we see the joys, the sorrows, and the constant struggle to live up to what the Kennedy clan and the American public expected of her. Stephanie Marie Thornton paints us a portrait of a life that wasn't always pretty, easy and anything but calm yet that was the way she presented herself. We can easily see why the world fell in love with the Kennedys and as our American version of royalty, they had secrets and deep sorrow that never made its way to public eyes. Ms. Thornton did an excellent job of highlighting Jackie's relationship with the elder Mr. Kennedy and her friendship and dependence on Bobby as well as her difficult relationship with her sister, Lee. A fascinating look at the woman behind the myth. Fans of well-told historical fiction especially those involving larger than life women will enjoy this.
Small town policeman checks on a sighting of a dead man in the woods. Although the signs point to a bear attack, Henry Farrell thinks that it might be murder instead due to the fact that the man's head has been cut off. Soon people begin to go missing and an old girlfriend is found dead. Henry goes from investigator to lead suspect and must find out who is really responsible. The small North Eastern town setting and the ways the characters keep their thoughts and secrets to themselves remind me of the type of character found in a C.J. Box or Craig Johnson novel. They don't just give you all the clues but make you work for them. This slim novel reads well as a standalone and will appeal to those who love a gritty outdoor detective story.
This story takes place in North Carolina but it could happen anywhere. It is centered around the relationship between a white girl and a black boy, a well-off family who have built a McMansion in an established older neighborhood that has their own way of doing things. The warning signs are clear from the beginning and most of the people involved are good people. They have been driven to take some extreme measures which is very much not their usual way. You will say while reading this that you would never make the same mistakes but people are people. The story will have you remembering a neighborhood you have lived in fondly and then it will turn and punch you in the gut.
Powerful and gut-wrenching, this story will get people talking and hopefully reacting differently and will be perfect for book clubs. Ted should be happy. His name has been cleared of a horrific crime, his flock of foster geese are doing ok and his 3-year old daughter is coming to stay with him for the first time but then his life goes topsy-turvy again with the case of a missing boy from a local hotel. Ted and his unorthodox partner, Amanda are not exactly best buds with the police but Ted has been hired by the boy's mother and they are really good at what they do. I really love this series with the unusual Australian detective team - the guy that just wants his life back and his crazy partner who just can't help herself from poking the police bear and getting into scrapes. A winning combination of great character development and good detective stories that will appeal to readers of gritty police thrillers featuring detectives with a heart of gold.
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