The Last House Guest

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
Simon & Schuster: 6/18/19
eBook review copy; 352 pages
ISBN-13: 9781501165375


The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda is a very highly recommended mystery set along the coast in Maine.

Littleport, Maine is a summer playground for the wealthy and a simple harbor community dependent on tourism for the year-round residents. One surname that stands above all the others is Loman. The Loman's not only own a remarkable mansion on the shore, they also own a large number of rental properties currently managed by Avery Greer. Avery is a local, but she is best friends with Sadie Loman for almost a decade and has been welcomed into the Loman fold. They have stepped in to help after her parents and grandmother died and Avery had no one.

At the end of the summer in 2017 the young twenty-something adults are throwing their traditional last party of the year. Avery is setting it up at one of the Loman rentals while Sadie plans to meet her there later. Avery texts Sadie, but never gets an answer. The party gets underway and while Avery is keeping an eye open for Sadie, she never shows. When the police come to talk to Sadie's older brother, Parker, Avery learns that Sadie was found dead. It was ruled a suicide but now, as the anniversary of her death approaches in 2018, Avery can't help but look into Sadie's death on her own - especially after her phone is found in a chest of blankets in the cottage where the party was.

The narrative alternates between events in 2017 and 2018. Avery is a wonderful character, well developed and complex. She has a past, but has overcome much to get where she is now. And she's smart. She knows there is something going on, that someone is lying because Sadie wouldn't kill herself, but there are several suspects and chief among them is Avery, so she has to covertly begin to investigate what happened and piece clues together on her own if she wants answers.

This is an excellent mystery - and the key to my enjoyment is viewing The Last House Guest as a mystery rather than a thriller. With the flood of thrillers on the market, it is refreshing to read a mystery. A murder has happened under suspicious circumstances and we have out intrepid heroine trying to piece together clues in order to figure out what really happened. Avery is clever and it was enjoyable to follow her investigation as well as get her insights into all the people involved. This is a wonderful choice for summer reading. The pacing is great as the narrative alternates between what happened in 2017 and Avery's clandestine investigation in 2018. I especially enjoyed the conclusion of the novel. It was a well-played climax and a fitting ending.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

The Cutting Room

The Cutting Room by Ashley Dyer
HarperCollins Publishers: 6/18/19
eBook review copy; 448 pages
ISBN-13: 9780062797704

The Cutting Room by Ashley Dyer is a very highly recommended police procedural/thriller with Detectives Lake and Carver on the search for a serial killer.

Detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver are searching for a serial killer in Liverpool, England, where men are disappearing. When they arrived at the first crime scene, they are shocked to see sections of human brains encased in plexiglass and set up as an art installation on display for everyone to see. The gruesome crime scene becomes even more surreal when a crowd of people show up at the scene, to see, photograph, and film the "art" and the investigators. The serial killer is dubbed the Ferryman and is gaining a wide following across social media. The brain sections belonged to three of the missing men. It becomes clear that the Ferryman is a narcissistic exhibitionist psychopath who craves an audience and accolades for his ghastly exhibitions. He alerts both the detectives and his groupies via social media whenever he sets up a new installation.

Both Ruth and Carver are still recovering from their last run-in with a killer, but focus on finding this latest fiend. Ruth never forgets a face and she closely examines photos of all the people who show up at the crime scenes. After his head injury, Carver sees auras and experiences synesthesia which allows him to read people's emotions. The two work to overcome or hide any personal issues while searching for the killer, and this looks like it might be too personal to Ruth.

Chapters follow the point-of-view of Ruth and Carver, with brief passages from the killer presented between. Both Ruth and Carver are interesting, complicated, intelligent, well-developed characters. Following their investigation and the actions of the killer is absorbing and engaging. The tension is palatable as the duo work together looking for the killer, while still keeping some personal information to themselves.

This is an excellent police procedural/ thriller that is completely engrossing. The quality of the writing is outstanding. Dyer (a pen name of former CWA chair Margaret Murphy and forensic expert Helen Pepper writing together) creates a complex plot, an intricate investigation, and well developed characters. There are twists and false leads. The forensics details are fascinating. The killer's focus on social media followers is a timely, subtle social commentary. This is the second book in the Carver and Lake series; the first is Splinter in the Blood.
 

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers.

The Starter Wife

The Starter Wife by Nina Laurin
Grand Central Publishing: 6/11/19
eBook review copy; 352 pages
ISBN-13: 9781538715710

The Starter Wife by Nina Laurin is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Claire is the younger second wife of Byron Westcott, a professor of literature at Ohio’s Mansfield College. They have been married for two years and Claire is happy, but it seems like Byron is becoming more distant. Byron's first wife, painter Colleen May, also a Mansfield professor, committed suicide five years before, but her body was never found. Now Claire is beginning to wonder what really happened to Colleen, especially when she receives a phone call from a woman she is sure is Colleen.

Claire is the narrator of this riveting, dark, tension-filled psychological thriller, but there is a second narrative voice that belongs to an unnamed woman who may be stalking Claire and out to destroy her. The unnamed stalker is obsessed with Byron and wants Claire out of the way. Could it be Colleen? Claire begins to investigate her death and Byron's past, while at the same time suffering from unexplained illnesses. Did Byron kill Colleen and is he now out to eliminate Claire?

While you won't necessarily like Claire, the suspense escalates with the second narrator who seems to be out to get Claire. Byron may also be a part of the scheme. It is a trend now to have unlikeable female narrators and, while this follows along that well-traveled path, the ending was a totally surprising twist. The Starter Wife is a novel that you have to wait until the final third of the book for some shocking and surprising incidents.

It is not until the end that I found myself admiring the skillful writing, the intricate plot, and the excellent character development. I thought I knew what was going on and where the story was headed, which is exactly the way I imagine Laurin planned out her novel. Well played Nina Laurin; I was totally surprised and caught unaware.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Grand Central Publishing.

Those People

Those People by Louise Candlish
Penguin Random House: 6/11/19
eBook review copy; 368 pages
ISBN-13: 9780451489142

Those People by Louise Candlish is a recommended domestic thriller.

In Lowland Way the houses are all perfectly maintained and the neighbors all get along - until Darren and Jodie move into the house he inherited. They arrive at the house on the corner lot and immediately begin an unsightly renovation project leaving piles of debris everywhere. Darren is undertaken all the work himself, in between working on the overabundance of vehicles he brought with him to start an illegal used car business from his home. If matters could be even worse, along with all the construction noise they blast heavy metal music late into the night. The stress becomes overwhelming to the couple with an infant who live next door to the noise, and to the older woman who begins to lose her excellent rating, customers, and her source of income at the bed and breakfast she runs out of her home. Adding to the fracas is the truculent, hostile attitude Darren seemingly exhibits to anyone who questions his choices.

The beginning of the story is told through flashbacks, and from different character's point-of view, beginning eight weeks previously and leading up to the day an unexpected death occurs. There are police interviews with various neighbors about the death which are included between chapters. This is a slow burner of a novel as the various characters are introduced and the conflict between the neighbors is developed slowly and hidden resentments come to light.  Since we know right from the start that an unexpected death has happened, the beginning of the novel consists of looking for clues as we meet all the neighbors and all of the neighbors are discussing various actions to get rid of Darren.

None of the characters are particularity likeable and not all of them are as well developed as others. As the story unfolds it becomes clear that many of the good neighbors aren't quite as perfect as they think and that there were underlying problems in many of the relationships before Darren moved in and stirred things up. Many readers who has experienced having challenging neighbors, will feel some sympathy for the neighbors who want to keep Lowland Way looking like an ideal neighborhood, have everyone voluntarily follow their rules, and keep their property values high.
 
The writing is good, although I found the plot a little too slow moving and certain plot elements required setting disbelief aside. The narrative does draw on a common theme that many people can relate to - the "bad" neighbors, "those people," who are disrupting the normal flow of life on the street. Alternating the points-of-view leading up to death worked well, but after the death some of the incentive to keep reading is lost. The final denouement was a surprise, but the lead up to it could have been tightened up a bit to keep the plot moving along at a little brisker pace. This is a solid summer read.
 
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Man of the Year

Man of the Year by Caroline Louise Walker
Gallery Books: 304 pages
eBook review copy; 304 pages
ISBN-13: 9781982100452 

Man of the Year by Caroline Louise Walker is a recommended character driven psychological thriller.

Dr. Robert Hart has just been named Man of the Year in Sag Harbor, but that award may have been premature. His beautiful second wife, Elizabeth, is there to witness his acceptance speech, along with his son, Jonah, and Jonah's friend, Nick. But when Robert notices that Nick may be paying a bit too much attention to Elizabeth, and that she is responding, he is not thrilled when Elizabeth invites Nick to stay in their guest house for the summer. Robert needs to take matters into his own hands and get Nick out. One lie seems to lead to another and before long Robert is trying to cover his tracks.

The first part of Man of the Year is told exclusively through Robert's voice, which makes it challenging because the man is not a likeable or compelling character. His paranoia can be over-the-top.  After a shocking event, the second part of the novel takes over. At this point other voices add to the narrative and make the totality a more fascinating and intricate web of details and lies. In the end, none of the characters are particularity likeable, but the complicated lies and subtle threats they all undertake certainly will hold your attention. I liked the different voices relating what happened and their own deceits through their point-of-view. This added a nice layer to the story that was desperately needed after so many chapters of Robert's narrative.
 
This would be a good choice for a summer vacation read or an airplane book. It will hold your attention, but you aren't going to cry if you should lose or misplace the book and never finish it. The writing is good enough to take note of Walker as an author to watch.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Gallery Books

Tiny

Tiny by Kim Hooper
Turner Publishing Company: 6/11/19
eBook review copy; 368 pages
ISBN-13: 9781684422425

Tiny by Kim Hooper is a highly recommended about three people grieving and dealing with a tragedy.
 
Nate and Annie Forester's three year old daughter, Penny, was hit by a truck in a tragic accident. Nate is in denial, trying to go on with life and hold it all in. He has returned to work, because someone has to bring in some money. Annie is inconsolable and unable to move beyond her overwhelming grief. Annie doesn't comprehend how Nate can go on as normal. The couple is becoming increasingly distant with each other as they grow apart.
 
Josh is a young man who was driving the truck that hit Penny. It was an accident. She ran out in front of his truck. He wasn't speeding, but couldn't stop in time. The accident has also changed his life. He wants to find a way to talk to Nate and Annie, to apologize. He begins watching their house, when he sees Annie leave, suitcase in hand, one morning and later sees Nate return home and subsequently distressed, holding a note, presumably from Annie. From watching the couple, Josh knows where Annie went - to a small community of people living in tiny houses. He wants to tell Nate what he knows, but doesn't understand how to approach him.
 
This is a heartbreaking novel as every person is grieving and unable to meaningfully communicate and share their feelings and inner thoughts with each other. The writing is very good. Hooper captures the overwhelming grief all the characters are going through and how they are acting after the tragedy. The death of a child is always difficult. When it is due to an accident, when there is no clear fault, the questions of what if can take over for everyone involved. Hooper handles this in a compassionate and understanding way while propelling her characters forward in her plot. The characters are all well developed and you will care about what happens to all three of them. The ending is a wonderful denouement and offers hope.
 
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Turner Publishing Company.

The Good Sister

The Good Sister by Gillian McAllister
Penguin Random House: 6/11/19
eBook review copy; 400 pages
ISBN-13: 9780525539391

The Good Sister by Gillian McAllister is a highly recommended novel detailing the relationship between two sisters and a riveting courtroom drama.
 
Martha and Becky are sisters who have always had a close relationship. The novel opens after with Becky is about to stand trial for suffocating Martha's 8-week-old baby, Layla who died under her aunt Becky's care. Martha refuses to believe that Becky is guilty, but all the evidence seems to point to her. Becky was acting as a nanny for Martha. Layla was a difficult baby, who cried incessantly from what may have been acid reflux, and was unconsolable. When Martha had to leave town for two days and her husband Scott is at a conference, Becky is left in charge of Layla and Layla is found dead under her care.
 
The novel alternates chapters between the point-of-view of the two sisters and also follows the trial as witnesses give testimony. The result is that the reader is privy to hidden feelings of resentment on Becky's part, and Martha's hidden quest to prove that Becky is innocent and someone else was there and guilty. The perspective of many of the witnesses is also presented before they take the stand, with their testimony following, which clearly shows how everything can be twisted to mean something else.
 
McAllister does a skillful job developing the characters into real individuals, and the close relationship between the sisters is believable. At the same time, she keeps the tension rising as new personal revelations between the sisters is revealed and as each new witness takes the stand. It begs the question: Can you really know another person, even someone you think you know?  And how will the extended family handle a situation that is almost guaranteed to tear any family apart?

The writing is excellent and the plot is well-presented and well-executed. Even the most seemingly innocent event can be twisted to mean something else.  The courtroom scenes are believable and heartbreaking. Even if you have an idea of what happened (and I did right from the start) it won't diminish your enjoyment of this novel. This is a wonderful courtroom drama and will hold your attention from beginning to end.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.