I was never planning on writing this review. I wasn’t even planning on watching the TV adaptation. Yet out of boredom, I clicked on the first episode. And then I watched one more. And another. And another. I already read and reviewed One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus, and while it’s a book that failed my expectation, I liked it. I was looking for a YA murder mystery, instead, I got a YA drama. Which was still fun. Luckily, the TV series was equal parts drama and mystery. The adaptation started faithful to the book. The characters are easy to like, and you want everything to work out in the end. Being familiar with the story made it easy to keep going. Although not much encouragement was needed because of how each episode is structured. Each one is a step closed to the truth, so I wanted to …
I adore the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown. Ever since I read The Da Vinci Code, I’ve been making my way through the series. Although, I’ve been reading it in the most out-of-order you could ever imagine. And that’s the beauty of this series. It doesn’t matter where you begin. With the last, Origin, in the middle, The Lost Symbol, or with the very first, Angels and Demons. Title: Angels and Demons Author: Dan Brown Series: Robert Langdon #1 Publication year: 2000 Length: 18 hours 28 minutes Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspence Pace: Fast Story focus: Plot Robert Langdon, a world-renowned symbology professor, is called to travel to Switzerland to help with the murder of a physicist. A strange symbol had been burned into the skin of the victim. A symbol Robert identifies as being part of a secret organisation: the Illuminati. The discovery takes Robert to Rome and the …
The first time I read The Final Six by Alexandra Monir was back in 2020. I listened to the audiobook while working on a puzzle and really enjoyed it. Right after that, I listened to the sequel The Life Below, but I’m not going over it in this post. I enjoyed listening to this story so much that I had to buy a copy to have on my shelf. Last month, on a whim, I decided to go on a little space adventure and reread it. And now, I have the story fresh in my memory and ready to be reviewed. Title: The Final Six Author: Alexandra Monir Series: The Final Six #1 Publication year: 2018 Length: 7 hours 40 minutes Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery, Post-Apocalyptic, YA Pace: Fast Story focus: Character & Plot Earth is dying. Natural disasters are increasingly more frequent, taking lives wherever they hit. But there’s hope …
Last year, an 88-year-old book took Tiktok by storm. Its newfound fame brought a lot of readers to its web with the promise of the hardest mystery to solve. I was one of them, and I have to say this book is not for readers. Cain’s Jawbone by Torquedama, originally published in 1934 as part of a collection of crossword and other word puzzles, came back to life to ruin brains all over the world. If for some reason you haven’t heard about Cain’s Jawbone, the book tells a murder mystery in 100 pages, but unfortunately, the pages are out of order. The text is printed only on one side of the paper, and the objective is to find the correct order of the pages while discovering the six victims and their respective murderers. Sounds easy enough, right? Except this is no ordinary text. You can read all 100 pages …
In January, I mentioned Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes in my Favourites Books of 2022 and even compared it to The Book of You by Claire Kendal. Both books have some similarities, although they are still different. In approach and theme. So take this as a quick recommendation to read The Book of You if you’ve read and enjoyed Into the Darkest Corner or vice versa. And now, on with the review. Title: Into the Darkest Corner Author: Elizabeth Haynes Publication year: 2007 Length: 13 hours 58 minutes Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Crime Pace: Medium Story focus: Character The main protagonist Cathy lives a life of obsessive-compulsive behaviours. She can’t leave the house without checking every lock multiple times and leaving everything in its precise place. She doesn’t trust anyone. Not since her last relationship, which ended 4 years ago. Until a friendly and handsome new neighbour moves …
I can’t remember how long I wanted to read a CJ Tudor. Since the author blew up with her debut novel, The Chalk Man, I was intrigued. Mystery, thriller, maybe with a little sprinkle of horror, it’s always a good combination for me. And the more gruesome, the better! The book might not have been exactly what I was expecting, but CJ Tudor’s writing is one I want to read again. Title: The Chalk Man Author: CJ Tudor Publication year: 2018 Length: 9 hours 50 minutes Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror Pace: Medium Story focus: Character & Plot It was the summer of 1986 when everything changed. One accident on a fair ride begins a succession of events that will change Ed and the whole town. Meanwhile, Ed and his friends start to communicate using chalk stick figures, and what starts as a child’s play quickly takes a turn for the …
Last week, I reviewed a book I picked up on a whim without knowing much about it. One of those books that grab your attention without many reasons. And today, I bring to you another one of those books. Although the experience was different this time. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson was the best surprise of this year and the series I’m most excited to read. Author: Holly Jackson Pages: 433 Genre: Murder Mystery, Cosy Mistery, YA Publication: 2019 Synopsis: The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets …
You know those books you want to read, you buy them, but in the process, you never get to learn what the story is about? Do you know the ones? Well, One of Us is Lying by Karen M McManus is one of those books for me. I don’t even remember the first time I saw this book. It was years ago! I knew it was a YA murder mystery, and that was enough to put it on my wishlist. It took me a while to finally read it (as usual), but now that I did, the story was… unexpected. Author: Karen M McManus Pages: 360 Genre: Mystery, Drama Publication: 2017 Synopsis: On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.Cooper, the athlete, is …
The best time of the year has come once again. The air is getting colder, and the days are shorter. The prime cosy time is upon us, and nothing like a chilling and dark mystery to rock you back to sleep. There is something delicious about reading murder mysteries and creepy stories in autumn. Maybe it’s the change to darker days or the association with Halloween. Either way, reading is always better when it’s colder outside and nothing like picking up a Ruth Ware to make the most out of it. Author: Ruth Ware Pages: 338 Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Drama, Horror First Publication: July 2015 Synopsis Nora hasn’t seen Clare for ten years. Not since the day Nora walked out of her old life and never looked back. Until, out of the blue, an invitation to Clare’s hen party arrives. A weekend in a remote cottage – the perfect opportunity …
And Then There Were None is not the first Agatha Christie book I read. Although it is the first one I completely fell in love with. It can be tricky to read her books. They were written a very long time ago, and she often uses references to the 30s lifestyle that is foreign to me. While reading it in a different century, some details can go over my head and doom the book as boring. At least, this has been my experience when reading Agatha Christie. But then, I picked up And Then There Were None. One of her standalone mystery novels. A story with multiple adaptations from movies, to mini-series, to a two-part episode of Family Guy. And I know I’ve seen a few more with different characters while maintaining the same plot, although, for the life of me, I can’t remember where. This is one of her …
The start of a new year means new books. Although I can’t begin reviewing the books I already read in 2022 without closing the chapter of the ones I read last year. And Capsule by Mel Torrefranca is one of the reasons for that. It came out last summer, and I was fortunate to read an eARC of it. So prepare yourself for a deadly phone game! Author: Mel Torrefranca Pages: 255 Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Mystery Publication: July 2021 Synopsis: Two students from Brookwood High School mysteriously go missing on the same night. The first is Peter Moon, a heartless pescatarian who bashes students from Brookwood on his blog, turning everyone against him. The second is the adored Kat Pike, an audacious girl desperate to boost her adrenaline. Three days pass. No leads. Indifferent to the disappearances, sixteen-year-old Jackie Mendoza remains immersed in her virtual world of video games and …
