Let’s talk about some thrillers I’ve recently read.

“Kate sees the familiar nameplate on Dr. Williams’ office door and feels a knot in her stomach. She doesn’t know why, after all this time, it still affects her like this – she should be used to it by now. But every time she walks through his door she’s filled with hope, and every time she walks back out, she feels utter despair and sadness, unable to believe that fate could be so cruel.”

The Half Sister
By Sandie Jones
Source: Advance review copy
Published: June 2020
Rating: ★★★

After the death of her father, Lauren decides to add her information to a genealogy website hoping that finding other relatives will bring her and her mother and sister closer and help them assimilate their grief. What she didn’t expect was that one day after sharing a family dinner a knock at the door brings Jess to their life. Jess claims she’s their half sister.

Although the sisters are shocked Lauren seems more accepting of Jess but Kate believes there must be an error because her distinguished father who was a lawyer would never have had an extramarital affair and fathered a child. The girls’ mother thinks this is ludicrous as well. However both Kate and Lauren each have a lot going on in their lives, for example Kate is trying to get pregnant, and instead of finding comfort in each other they are being separated by their feelings towards Jess.

Jess for her part just wants to be recognized as a half-sister but is that really her only motive for coming into their lives? The set up for the story is fascinating because genealogy services seem to be getting more popular and I do wonder how many people are surprised by some of the findings. Some of my issues with the story are mainly issues I have with a lot of thrillers and that’s lack of communication being the reason why misunderstandings lead to more complications but overall I thought this was a fast-paced read and I am sure I’ll read more by this author.

“Brooklyn history became a refuge for me. It blotted out thoughts of my failed marriage and the persistent sense memory of restraints chafing my wrists. It was something to focus on besides my mother’s illness and the way everything was changing.”

When No One is Watching
By Alyssa Cole
Source: Audiobook
Published: September 2020
Rating: ★★★1/2

Sydney is dealing with so much in her life. Her mother’s illness, a failed marriage, bills keep piling up and her beloved Brooklyn neighborhood seems to be changing all the time. Neighbors she once thought would be there for generations are all of a sudden gone.

She decides to focus on tracking the history and finds an ally in Theo, the neighbor from across the street. Theo for his part is in a relationship that is really going nowhere. His girlfriend is a snob and he starts defending Sydney and their community to his girlfriend. However the more Sydney and Theo work on their history project, the more things start to look sinister. Why are so many residents leaving and why so abruptly?

The story starts off as a slow burn but there are some very effective scenes that make you think that indeed something sinister is happening. In addition, this book posed the negative impacts of gentrification and I found that made me think about my own city and how gentrification is changing neighborhoods and the feel of the city. I felt a lot of sympathy for Sydney and although she has a tough persona, it’s understandable how she’s at a breaking point. I was all into this story and thought this would be a favorite read but the last part just seemed bonkers to me and unfortunately lost me at the end. However I’ll be very curious to see what this author comes up with next.

Hello September and it’s time to welcome back a wonderful reading event, Readers Imbibing Peril! @perilreaders on Instagram is once again encouraging us to be brave and turn to some spooky reads!

There are several perils you can participate in such as Peril of the Short Story, Peril of the Listen, Peril of the Screen, etc. I’m not sure yet how many of the extra perils I’ll try to do, although I typically do watch a scary movie around Halloween. My focus will be on Peril of the Fiction Read.

The past couple of years I have discovered two authors who have become my go to when I’m looking for some creepy, atmospheric reads and they are Jennifer McMahon and Simone St. James. I still have a book or two waiting for me by each one. Have you read these authors? I high recommend them.

The pile of possibilities include the following:

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. A supernatural thriller about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets.

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell. Elsie is newly widowed is alone. Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure—a silent companion—that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself.

The Only Child by Andrew Pyper. This is the story of a man who may be the world’s one real-life monster, and the only woman who has a chance of finding him.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones. Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies.

My only rule is that any book I choose has to come from my stacks or already on my Kindle. Now, I have to fess up… this Labor Day weekend was a bit of a bookish weekend and we went to three different bookstores and I got some books. I bought Mexican Gothic by Silvia Garcia Moreno and Vampires of el Norte by Isabel Cañas. I’m so ready for some spooky reads although I do have a spooky read I started last week but I’ll tell you more about that one in another blog post.

Let me know if you are going to be reading any spooky reads this season or doing some of the Perils.