Tag: Mystery

Evelyns and sevens. Sevens and Evelyns. They really shouldn’t mix. They either get stuck in very bad marriages or end up dead. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton has been on my want-to-read list for years. And this month was the time to finally read it and to answer my question of which of the Evelyns I prefer: the Hugo or the Hardcastle. Title: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Author: Stuart Turton Publication year: 2018 Length: 16 hours 41 minutes Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Time-travel Pace: Slow Story focus: Plot & Characters Set in the run-down and isolated estate of Blackheath House, the Hardcastles are throwing a party. Distinguishable guests closer to the family are staying at the house, but today, some are not themselves. At night, when the party is in full swing, Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered, just as it happened the day before, and …

If you came here expecting a list of what it means that you like to read romance over mystery thrillers, I’m sorry to disappoint. This is not that kind of post. I don’t know you to make those assumptions. We can like the same things for very different reasons. Instead, with this post, I’m going to dive into some of my favourite books to see what they have in common, if anything. And I invite you to do the same with your books because this experiment was actually really fun to do, and I learned a lot about the type of reader that I am. I like proactive characters in their quest for justice The first book I fell in love with was Divergent by Veronica Roth. At the peak of the YA dystopian wave, this book presented me with a sub-genre I enjoy a lot. The world is a …

In 2025, I finished reading the last book in the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown. And to celebrate, a few weeks later, the author announced the next book in the series ( I should really finish A Song of Ice and Fire to see if George R. R. Martin does the same). I was very excited to have a new book to read. And then it was announced that a female character was returning. This is a first. Robert Langdon’s female sidekicks are always new characters. Basically, the whole cast is always new from book to book, making them perfect to start at any point. While this news was exciting, what I didn’t like was discovering the character in question was Katherine Solomon. Previous co-star in The Lost Symbol, AKA the book I disliked the most in the series. Title: The Secret of Secrets Author: Dan Brown Series: Robert …

The time has come. After countless years seeing The Secret History floating around lists and online book communities like a prized possession or a rite of passage to get into a club (ironically fitting for the story), I am finally part of the group. I’ve read The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It took me 4 months to finish, but we got there eventually. And, if by any chance, you are not yet part of the club and don’t know if you even want to be, I’ve got you. Because while I picked up this book to see what all the fuss was about, I knew next to nothing about it. And now, being on the other side, I can fully grasp what this story is, and if it deserves all the hype and higher praise it receives constantly. Title: The Secret History Author: Donna Tartt Publication year: 1992 Length: …

From time to time, there are some books that simply catch your eye. We know nothing about them other than the cover and the title. And apparently that is enough. Mister Magic by Kiersten White was one of those cases. Well, I knew a little bit more than just the title, but still not enough to really know what I was getting myself into. Title: Mister Magic Author: Kiersten White Publication year: 2023 Length: 10 hours 33 minutes Genre: Mystery, Horror Pace: Medium Story focus: Plot & Character Thirty years ago, there was a children’s program called Mister Magic. Five children would sit around in a circle and create worlds of fun and whimsy with the help of the mysterious host, Mister Magic. It had a huge popularity among children for being fun and at the same time educational, which parents loved. Now, there’s not a single recording of that …

I almost forgot, back in September, I read another book in the Joona Linna series by the couple duo, Lars Kepler. It has been a while since I read this series. While I enjoyed the previous one, The Nightmare, it was a bit tiring to go through. I remember the chapters to be a bit dense, and then the story took a political turn that lost me. It has been 7 years, and I don’t remember anything from the plot. Luckily, with this series, you don’t have to. So I continued on to The Fire Witness. Title: The Fire Witness Author: Lars Kepler Series: Joona Linna #3 Publication year: 2011 Length: 15 hours 52 minutes Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Nordic Noir Pace: Medium Story focus: Plot & Character A young girl is murdered in a youth home for wayward teenage girls. Her body is left as if she’s peacefully sleeping …

And so it has come to an end. After 3 years, I finished the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (AGGGTM) series by Holly Jackson. This has been a roller coaster to say the least. My adventure began with the first book, playing armchair detective and loving every bit of it. But then I was surprised by how different the second book was. The formula wasn’t the same, and the character started to change. It was a book that really caught me by surprise. And then it was time to conclude the story with As Good As Dead (AGAD). Title: As Good As Dead Author: Holly Jackson Series: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3 Publication year: 2021 Length: 14 hours 18 minutes Genre: Mystery, Thriller, YA Pace: Medium Story focus: Plot & Character It was a hard book to read. I’m not going to lie. I struggled a bit …

It has been a hot minute since Dan Brown released a book in the Robert Langdon series. The most famous symbologist had many adventures and probably will have many more. It has been 9 years since I started on this journey. And it took me until last year to finally sit here and say I’ve read every book in the Robert Langdon series. Update: The next book in the Robert Langdon series is coming out on September 9th. Named The Secret of Secrets and features the reappearance of Katherine Solomon from The Lost Symbol (of all the books and all the women… *sigh* WHY?) Therefore, I thought it was time to do a little overview. I didn’t write reviews for every book, but I still want to share my experience reading each one. Keep in mind, this is a look at my enjoyment of the series spanning almost a decade. …

I wanted to read Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco since I first discovered Booktube. The OG place where books got their hype before TikTok was a thing. Something about it always appealed to me, but the more time passed, the less likely I was to pick it up. I was scared the book would feel too young or just too cliche. Fiction changes a lot in a short time. A book published a decade ago is very different from one similar to the one published now. So, I thought my opportunity to enjoy this book was in the past. Thankfully, I was so incredibly wrong. Title: Stalking Jack the Ripper Author: Kerri Maniscalco Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper #1 Publication year: 2016 Length: 9 hours 26 minutes Genre: YA, Murder Mystery, Historical Fiction Pace: Medium Story focus: Character & Plot Audrey Wadsworth has a life of wealth and …

Mysteries are the cornerstone of autumn. The falling leaves, paired with falling dead bodies, fill the air with some creepy magic. To gruesome? I’m sorry. I’m still feeling the remnants of Halloween. The A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series isn’t weird or scary – at least from what I’ve seen so far. If you are new to this series, hi! Welcome! This is a review for the second book, so be careful since there will be spoilers below. And may I interest you in the review of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder? It’s a fun time, and you should read it. However, if you are here because you are unsure if you want to continue with Good Girl, Bad Blood or looking for reviews to make sense of what you just read, then join me. We are in the same boat. Title: Good Girl, Bad Blood Author: Holly …

The first time I ever saw the name Harlan Coben was on Netflix. Little did I know how chefs kiss his stories can be. The Stranger was the first and most certainly not the last I saw. It’s mysterious and thrilling, and with each episode, you just want to watch more and more. Since it’s a mini-series, there’s a lot of time to develop the story and make a faithful adaptation of the book. And as any “good” reader, I had to pick up the book. Title: The Stranger Author: Harlan Coben Publication year: 2015 Length: 9 hours 43 minutes Genre: Mystery, Thriller Pace: Medium Story focus: Plot Adam has the perfect life. A good job, a great house, a beautiful wife, and two wonderful sons. One day, he’s approached by a stranger who confesses Corinne faked her last pregnancy. The seed of mistrust threatens to destroy Adam’s idyllic home …