If You Tell by Gregg Olsen
Thomas & Mercer: 12/1/19
eBook review copy; 428 pages
ISBN-13:
9781542005234
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by
Gregg Olsen is a very highly recommended true crime story of an
abusive, murderous dysfunctional family. This is a difficult novel to
read as it depicts a tyrannical woman and the horrible control, abuse, and torture she inflicted on others.
In Raymond,
Washington, Shelly Knotek ruled and controlled
her third husband, Dave, and her three daughters through her words and abuse. Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek experienced, witnessed, and, ultimately, survived their mother's horrific control, degradation, torture, and physical and mental abuse of her whole family and two other adults. They endured belittling, verbal abuse, numerous beatings, control of bathroom usage, forced naked time, being hosed off outside, and bleach baths, to just name some of the torture. "Shelly was Cujo. Freddy Krueger. The freaky clown, Pennywise, from It."
In telling of their horrific abuse, Olsen talked to the three sisters, Dave Knotek, and their grandmother, Lara.
The experiences of the girls are told in short chapters, covering
Shelly's problems and indications of her mental illness from a child to
adulthood. This is not an examination of Shelly's mental illness. It is a
compelling account of the survivors. This is the story of the girls,
what they endured, observed, and how they finally managed the fortitude
to go to the authorities and tell them the horrors of their life with
their mother.
Once I started reading this account, even though I knew the girls
survived, I had to finish it. I had to see how the girls escaped. It is
much to my chagrin that no one from the public schools noticed a problem
until much later and then let it go when they talked to one of the
girls and she denied it. What would they expect from an abused child?
And when Nikki and Lara actually told the police, the first time, the
investigation was not pursued. It wasn't until the older sisters
discovered Tori was being abused that they tried to get the authorities involved again, with the backing
of their grandmother, Lara.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer.
Shatter the Night by Emily Littlejohn
Macmillian: 12/10/19
eBook review copy; 320 pages
ISBN-13:
9781250178329
Detective Gemma Monroe Series #4
Shatter the Night by Emily Littlejohn is a highly recommended mystery/police procedural and the fourth book in the series featuring Gemma Monroe.
On Halloween night in Cedar Valley, CO, Detective Gemma Monroe,
fiancé, Brody Sutherland, and their daughter, Grace, stop by the law
office of an old family friend, retired Judge Caleb
Montgomery. After admiring costumes, Caleb talks to Gemma privately and
gives her a stack of threatening letters he's been receiving. Shortly
after Gemma and her family leave, the judge's car explodes - with him
inside. Gemma and her team immediately begin investigating suspects and
motives, including the judge's past rulings from when he was on the
bench. As the investigation continues, another man is murdered and the
case becomes more complicated with perhaps decades old roots.
The plot flows smoothly as you follow the various threads of the
investigation and the inquiries made as the team strives to find the
killer in this adeptly written mystery. Part of the pleasure is in
following working mom Gemma juggle the complex investigation and the
needs of her family. All the characters, including the minor ones, are
developed and come across as real people. Every little tidbit of
information uncovered could be an important lead or a false trail as the
tension slowly built through the novel. The culmination of the
investigation was satisfying after plenty of suspects were considered
and rejected.
Shatter the Night can certainly be read as a stand-alone
novel. This is my first Gemma Monroe novel and I could very easily
follow the plot and the backstory. I also liked the character of Gemma
quite-a-bit and look forward to entering her world again someday.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Macmillian.
The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters
Crooked Lane Books: 12/10/19
eBook review copy; 280 pages
ISBN-13:
9781643851631
The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters is a so-so debut psychological thriller about secrets from the past.
In 1991 twelve-year-old Heather Cole and her best friend Becca Thomas
formed a Dead Girls Club with two other girls. In the club Becca told
the other's stories about serial killers and ghosts, but she especially
focused on telling an elaborate ongoing ghost story about the Red Lady.
Becca began to believe the Red Lady was real. The club ended when Becca
died - by Heather's hands. A body was never found, but Becca's drunk, abusive mother went to prison for the murder.
Heather is now a child psychologist and has kept her secret for
years, so she is shocked when someone sends her Becca's half of their
"best friends" necklaces. No one knows what happened back in 1991, but
now it seems that someone knows something, and they know Heather killed
Becca. The anonymous "I know what you did" threats continue, and Heather
panics and becomes obsessed with identifying who is trying to frighten
her.
The narrative follows two different time lines: Heather's torment in
the present day and the girls and ghost story in 1991. The 1991
flashbacks and the Red Lady story drags on and on far too long. We get
it. We understand kids with secrets. I ended up skimming through much of
the Red Lady stories because - whatever. The present day chapters,
although more interesting to follow, basically just serve to highlight
Heather's instability and obsession. While it is understandable for her
to be shocked over receiving the necklace, that in and of itself proves
nothing. Her immediate jump to assuming someone knows something rather
than just throwing it away or, when another event occurs, contacting the
police, makes absolutely no sense. Document and report the torment.
Those friendship necklaces are nothing unique.
The character development is lacking. Heather's whole terror-filled
inner torment over the fact that someone might know something almost
thirty years later feels fabricated and falls short. We get no sense of
her as an adult before we are subjected to her manic falling apart and
making poor choices. I'm afraid I didn't feel any tension or terror
building, rather I kept mumbling "call the police" while watching her
mental breakdown. The ending... well, that clinched it for me and took
the rating down. There are numerous better stories out there of
childhood secrets coming out years after the fact.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Crooked Lane Books.
Lost Tomorrows by Matt Coyle
Oceanview Publishing: 12/3/19
eBook review copy; 368 pages
ISBN-13: 9781608093632
Rick Cahill #6
Lost Tomorrows by Matt Coyle is a highly recommended noir whodunit featuring a troubled private investigator and the sixth book in the series.
San Diego P. I. Rick Cahill receives a phone call learning that his
former partner on the Santa Barbara Police Department, Krista
Landingham, is dead. When Rick goes to the funeral, his past is ever
present and thrust into his face by the officers attending the funeral.
His wife, Colleen, was murdered in the city and Rick was considered
guilty by the police, but certain key people, like his former partner,
knew he could not have been the guilty party. Now Leah, Krista's sister,
wants Rick to assist another P.I. and look into her sister's death. She
thinks Krista's death was murder, not an accident. Rick soon begins to
wonder if Krista's death is somehow linked to Colleen's death because she had just reopened and started investigating the cold case.
This is my first Rick Cahill mystery and I could easily follow the
backstory of the first person narrative without reading the other books
in the series. What happened in his past is either explained if it is
important to the plot and/or hinted at if it involves his character and
background. The premise is set up immediately and the action escalates.
The case is carefully presented and you can follow the twists and leads
clearly as the investigation unfolds. The chapters are short and
concise, helping move the plot along quickly.
Rick is a well-developed character and Coyle presents all his
strengths and flaws. He is likely clinically depressed, but he is also
an intelligent, attentive investigator who will follow any leads. Rick
shows vulnerability and a hesitation to open himself up to any
relationship as he doesn't think he deserves any happiness. This book
could easily entice readers to read the previous books in the series to
try an unlock more of what caused Rick's damaged psyche.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Oceanview Publishing.
Anyone by Charles Soule
HarperCollins: 12/3/19
eBook review copy; 432 pages
ISBN-13: 9780062890634
Anyone by Charles Soule is a highly recommended, fast-paced, technological/speculative fiction thriller.
In Michigan research scientist Gabrielle (Gabby) White inadvertently
discovers a way for people to transfer their consciousness into another
person's body. She wants to control how the technology is used, but
that very likely will be taken out of her control. Twenty-five-years
into the future this technology called "flash" has transformed society.
The company advertises the flash as a way to "Be Anyone with Anyone" in
the ultimate out-of-body
experience. However, there is also an underground black market to
the technology called "darkshare," where people rent out their bodies
for paying customers to use for a
variety of deviant purposes. In the future, Annami is renting out
her body through a darkshare establishment in order to save enough money
for a plan of her own.
Chapters in the action-packed, fast-paced plot alternate between
Gabby's discovery and Annami's driven quest to earn money for her own
purpose. Both story lines are compelling and both of the characters are well developed. You know something is going to go terribly wrong for Gabby, and Annami is keeping her ultimate scheme to herself.
Naturally, you have to set disbelief aside as far as transferring one
person's consciousness into another person's body, but once you do that
both time periods keep ratcheting up the tension. Ultimately both
narratives will connect in an unexpected but satisfying conclusion.
Soule does an excellent job presenting this frightening and
fascinating cautionary vision of the future. It could be his work in
comic books has translated well into keeping the action of the dual
narratives intense and quickly moving, while wrapping both narratives in
an irresistible plot. Ultimately, he takes the idea of new technology
and forces us to look at the unintended consequences: the abuse of that
technology, the morality of using it, and the question of identity and
culpability when another body is used.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
How The Dead Speak by Val McDermid
Grove/Atlantic: 12/3/19
eBook review copy; 416 pages
ISBN-13:
9780802147615
Tony Hill and Carol Jordan #11
How The Dead Speak by Val McDermid is a highly recommended eleventh procedural thriller featuring psychological profiler Tony Hill and ex-DCI Carol Jordan. This follows events from Insidious Intent (2017).
Now that
Tony is behind bars for manslaughter and Carol's
no longer with the Bradfield Metropolitan Police, the regional major
incident team is under the leadership of Detective Chief Inspector
Rutherford, who is hostile to members who worked under Carol. Rutherford
sends team members out to investigate when construction crews uncover children’s skeletons on the former grounds of the Order of the
Blessed Pearl convent. For DI Paula McIntyre the question of what
happened becomes even more tangled when the bodies of young men are
found buried in a different area of the convent grounds. At the same
time, Tony is working on his book and trying to find a way to use his
talents to help the prison population. Carol is finally dealing with her
PTSD, when she is pulled into two different investigations.
The various plots and sub-plots are told through the points-of-view
of several different characters and presented in short chapters.
Basically, there are four different major plot-strands, with several
sub-plot-threads in them. It is a complicated novel, but the sub-plots
do begin to merge and coalesce into a conclusion. In spite of the twists
and complexity of the story lines, the investigations are as compelling
as the characters and will hold your attention. A nice touch is the headings on the chapters which feature a quote from the book Tony is currently writing in prison.
Once you reach the eleventh book in a series, the characters are
developed and well-known to fans. The question is more how new comers to
the series will relate to a novel so deep into character development
over many years. There are moments where, if this was your first novel
in the series, you will be confused and a bit lost among the characters,
their abilities and flaws. Carefully reading will likely help you get
the jest of it all, but not as if you were there from the beginning. I
jumped into the series with just the previous book, Insidious Intent, so I had a few moments.
McDermid is an excellent writer and does write an adroitly plotted
novel that will hold your attention throughout as each chapter switches
to a new sub-plot and is told through a different point-of-view.
It is a well-paced novel. There are enough twists and surprising
revelations to keep you glued to the pages and the various lines of
inquiry of each investigation. While everything isn't neatly wrapped up
in the end, I felt that it concluded on a satisfactory note and left
room for the next book in the series.
Disclosure:
My review copy was courtesy of Grove/Atlantic.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Penguin Random House: 9/10/19
hardcover; 432 pages
ISBN-13: 9780385543781
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood is very highly recommended story of intrigue and suspense.
Over fifteen years have passed since the events of The Handmaid's
Tale occurred. The misogynistic theocratic regime of the
Republic of Gilead still reigns, but the end may be in sight. This novel
is presented as the alternating testimonies of three women: Aunt Lydia
and Agnes Jemima in Gilead and Daisy/Nicole in Toronto. Aunt Lydia
knows that knowledge is power and she has been secretly collecting and
documenting Gilead's secrets and the crimes by the leadership. While
acting as head Aunt of Ardua Hall and an ally of Commander Judd, she has
simultaneously been planning the downfall of Gilead for years. Lydia's
plan of revenge involves two teenage girls, Agnes Jemima and Daisy,
known as "Witness
Testimony 369A" and "Witness Testimony 369B" in the narrative. Agnes is
a thirteen-year-old who is being raised in Gilead to be a commander's
wife. Daisy is a sixteen-year-old being raised in Toronto, when her
parents die and she learns some of her real background.
Confession time. While I would very highly recommend The Handmaid's Tale
it is not among my favorite novels written by Atwood and not my
favorite dystopian tale. I have never seen the Hulu series and don't
plan to do so. The Testaments is described as the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale,
but I found it best to approach the narrative as more historical
documents and testimony pertaining to the Republic of Gilead and this
approach served me well in my regard of the narrative. I could
appreciate the cunning plan to take down Gilead - the long-con that Aunt
Lydia shrewdly played out. It is an exemplification that women can
certainly strategize, analyze, reason, and execute a plan as well as any
man.
Atwood had to know that any novel portrayed as a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale would
suffer in comparison. Unlike the MaddAddam series where the three
novels followed one another quickly, the gap between these novels
combined with a popular TV series would make any continuation of the
original story or a revisit to the envisioned theocratic country of
Gilead suffer in comparison. But, bear in mind that ultimately women are
taking the power back here.
Upon reflection, Atwood might represent the older generation (Aunt
Lydia) and is hopeful that the younger generation can continue to speak
up for themselves and take back any ceded power. Or a case could also be
made that this is a reminder that those who choose to forget history
are doomed to repeat it. Or it could just be a well-written novel that
visits the end of the regime of the original story after a clamor from
fans to do so.
