Tag: Thriller

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

I had this book sitting on my TBR shelf forever. While I was on vacation I knew I wanted to read a fast paced thriller/murder mystery but I didn’t really have any idea what I wanted to read or what might fit the bill. But this one kept coming up on my recommended lists in Goodreads and on Audible. Finally I gave in and picked it up on the plane ride down to Salt Lake City.

This book was an absolute perfect fit for me. It was fast paced with short chapters that advanced the plot nicely. I loved the characters and the mystery so overall it was a solid read and a good choice for a vacation read for those that prefer murder over beach reads while on vacation. Author Alex Finlay is a seasoned writer with quite a few well received thrillers under his belt and while this is my first book by him, it will NOT be my last!

I think the biggest thing that appealed to me about this book was the nostalgia factor (the original murders are set in 1999 in a video store) mixed with the now modern day copy cat murder. I knew this would be a book that I could get into quick but also set down if I needed to for something and come back to without feeling lost and that’s exactly what I got. A well written thriller that held my attention but that I could get through quickly.

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Special Feature: Midnight Dunes (The Texas Murder Files #3) by Laura Griffin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Midnight Dunes (The Texas Murder Files #3) by Laura Griffin

I always love a murder mystery with a side of romance! I haven’t read any of Laura Griffin’s books but I do know she has written murder and romance alike and I love that she is combining them in this new book! The Texas Murder Files is three books into the series and while I have not read the others, from what I have read it sounds like new readers can jump into this one with out an problems.

Early reviews for this new mystery have all been in the 4-5 star review range and I am so excited to check this one out a little later this summer. What mostly drew me to this one was the romantic suspense/mystery categorization. I just love murder and romance together so naturally I saw this one and my ears perked up and couldn’t wait to check it out!

By all accounts this book and overall series sound like they are all fast paced with a lot to love about the characters. Since Griffin is a seasoned writer in both genres that is hardly a surprise! I cannot wait to check out this sexy romantic mystery book and if you love murder with smart characters and vulnerable but honest main characters this is going to be a book for you this summer! Be watching for my review a little later on!

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Special Feature: Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

I am always a sucker for books about haunted houses. When I see things like ‘The Haunting of Hill House meets The Perfect Nanny’ then naturally you have my interest! When I read the email caption as this one came across my desk all I could think of in my mind was “ok I’m listening!” I was immediately interested in this book and was eager to read it. But my review calendar always fills up quick so I opted to do a feature instead but as I was working on the feature, it was clear this book was going to work it’s way up my TBR list.

The premise of this story really calls to me, not just as a mom but as a fan of classic horror. I hate slicer dicer horror but bring me all the haunted houses, ghost stories and classic horror! As a mom, I love that one of the main characters, Teddy, is a five year old boy (same age as my boy!). It makes the creep factor feel so so real for me and it gives me something to connect with. Basically what I am saying is this book is calling my name!

If you love classic horror stories you need to get this one on your radar. Judging from the summery it sounds like there might be a little bit of a romantic element to the story too which I personally enjoy in books regardless of genre so I am really excited to have this one on my TBR list for the fall. This is a mystery book with some clear supernatural vibes so if you love books like that then you won’t want to miss this one but even if horror or paranormal isn’t your think, it sounds like there is a mystery too so I wouldn’t write this one off if horror isn’t for you, it sounds like there is a lot more going on than meets the eye!

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Special Feature: Three Debts Paid (Daniel Pitt #5) by Anne Perry

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Historical mystery serial killer themed by Anne Perry? Need I say more?! Anne Perry is a rather prolific writer with a large fan following and multiple series under her belt. I have read some of her mysteries and found them smart, well written, and interesting. I wish I had found her books early on in my reading career since there are just so many great ones to choose from!

This latest book is from the Daniel Pitt series which isn’t too many books into the series (only five at this point!). I have skipped around with Perry’s books and series and I always feel like she does a good job catching readers up to speed with the main characters and their relationships as well as other larger plot points in the larger series not just for the immediate book. So I would feel comfortable saying new readers of Perry’s books could likely pick up any book in the series and feel fairly caught up and able to dive in to enjoy a great mystery.

The thing that appealed about this one to me was the serial killer plot. I think serial killer stories are always so fascinating and I am so excited to see how this one plays out in a historical mystery setting. It also sound like there is going to be an interesting character study and room for character growth in this one with the lead protagonist Daniel Pitt having to deal with a potential killer who is also a respected friend. I love when there are stories like this where the main character has to try and remain objective—it always makes for great character building in novels! This one is out now so if you love historical mysteries this might be the book you are looking for!

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: When Blood Lies (Sebastian St Cyr #17) by C. S. Harris

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: When Blood Lies (Sebastian St Cyr #17) by C. S. Harris

The Sebastian St Cyr mystery series has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. I started off reading the series randomly and our of order and then I went back and started from the beginning and read them all again in order. I absolutely love this series even if at times it feels a little scripted meaning it follows a formula. I still have loved the mysteries and characters so much and every time I see a new book is coming out I absolutely rearrange my calendar for it!

If you like smart historical mysteries with some grit that doesn’t transition over into ‘disturbing’ then this is a great series for you. As I said, I have read the books out of order and was ok, however I did feel like I connected with the characters and the larger narrative much better after reading the series beginning to end. If you haven’t read the series beginning to end but maybe most of the book then you should be ok with this one, however if you haven’t read the other books at all, I would say this probably isn’t the one you want to start with.

This book focuses on Sebastian’s own family history that has been teased through a number of other books in the series. It’s basically what I would call the ‘ultimate’ mystery for Sebastian and the larger narrative. So if you haven’t read all of the books you can probably get by with having only read a few but if you haven’t read any then I think new readers will be lost in this book or at the very least miss all the nuances and significances of the story.

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