A debut novel with a gothic twist, The Cloisters by Katy Hays scratched my itch for a plot-driven story that would offer up some escapism for the snowy March we’ve been experiencing here in Calgary. Taking place in present-day New York City over one hot and sweaty summer, this is a dark look at obsession…
I enjoy a good Linwood Barclay book – this Canadian journalist turned novelist writes suspense incredibly well and he’s got a biting sense of humour that sparingly shines through the darkest of plots. His latest book Take Your Breath Away was just released a few months ago, and I brought it up to my cottage,…
I had been reading a string of heavy books lately, and felt as though I deserved a little indulgent reading, which for me can be a cozy mystery, or a domestic thriller. I leaned into the thriller/suspense category and picked up Would I Lie To You? by Aliya Ali-Afzal, which lands squarely into the domestic…
This book was sent to me months ago, and I’ll admit I didn’t have immediate plans to read it simply because I had so many other thrillers ready to go on my shelf. But then, Lucky by Marissa Stapley was chosen by Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club, and I usually enjoy her book club picks when…
I know I’ve said this before on the blog, but I really think books need trigger warnings, and selfishly, I’m thinking of a trigger warning that’s a little out of the norm. I usually avoid this as much as possible, but I need to include a *spoiler alert* in this review, because I can’t help…
Well this is the perfect book to read on vacation, especially a summertime vacation! It takes place on a remote estate on the wild coast of California, complete with crashing waves, beautiful ocean scenery and a wild landscape easy to get lost in. I flew through this book and brought it everywhere with me while…
Last year I read Daniel Kalla’s book The Last High for my (now dormant) online book club, and although medical thrillers aren’t usually a strong interest of mine, I found I really enjoyed its story about the opioid crisis. Kalla is back with another timely novel: Lost Immunity. Set in post-covid Seattle and all about…
The publishers that I typically review books from know that I lean towards particular genres; thrillers, mysteries, some literary fiction. I read pretty widely in general, but when it comes to books I consider ‘fun’ to read, I’ll go darker. It should come as no surprise then, that I just finished reading The Girls Are…
At the risk of sounding cliché, Bath Haus by P.J. Vernon is a sizzling sexy read. It captures a snippet of time in the life of two men in a long-term relationship together as their various secrets are coming back to haunt them. I’m just terrible at withholding information from people, (especially my husband) so…
Beartown by Fredrik Backman is another book I picked up at my local library (curbside that is, apparently Calgary has the highest COVID numbers in the North America at the moment so libraries aren’t open right now). I’ve wanted to read it for awhile since I discovered how much I enjoyed Backman’s writing when I…
Whenever I come across a successful author trying their hand at a brand new genre, I’m a bit skeptical. Why bother trying something completely new when you’ve figured out the successful formula to your writing; just give us what we want! But of course I’m no artist, and we should always encourage others to try…
In case you’re wondering why I’ve been reading so many thrillers about the perils of parenting lately, my latest segment for radio is all about this topic, so don’t worry, I’m not experiencing any mid-life parenting crises! Nothing more than usual anyway. It does beg the question though, why are there so many books that…
