Category: Suspense (Page 2 of 9)

RIGHTEOUS PREY by John Sandford

October 4, 2022 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

Beloved heroes Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are up against a powerful vigilante group with an eye on vengeance in a stunning new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford. “We’re going to murder people who need to be murdered.” So begins a press release from a mysterious group known only as “The Five,” shortly after a vicious predator is murdered in San Francisco. The Five is believed to be made up of vigilante killers who are very bored…and very rich. They target the worst of society—rapists, murderers, and thieves—and then use their unlimited resources to offset the damage done by those who they’ve killed, donating untraceable Bitcoin to charities and victims via the dark net. The Five soon become the most popular figures on social media, a modern-day Batman…though their motives may not be entirely pure.

After a woman is murdered in the Twin Cities, Virgil Flowers and Lucas Davenport are sent in to investigate. And they soon have their hands full–the killings are smart and carefully choreographed, and with no apparent direct connection to the victims, The Five are virtually untraceable. But if anyone can destroy this group, it will be the dynamic team of Davenport and Flowers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this review copy!

RIGHTEOUS PREY is the 32^nd Prey book by John Sandford, and this is one of the better ones. Both Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are in this, working together to solve a murder spree. A group calling themselves “The Five” are slaughtering people that they (and many others) consider detrimental to society. The victims are considered to be a**holes and consist of rapists, thugs, etc. This twist makes The Five sympathetic characters, despite their murderous impulses.

It seemed there was slightly more Virgil content than Lucas. The banter between the two is as good as it ever was, with lots of ribbing about Lucas’ clothes and Virgil’s burgeoning career as an author. The characters are aging, yes, but also growing, and adding layers to both of their career paths. I hope they continue in law enforcement, because I feel that a lot of their appeal would be lost if Virgil were a full-time author and Lucas decided to retire (the horror!).

There is a new character introduced in the novel; her name is Jasmine Green and she is a cop assigned to help the duo out once they reach a certain point in the investigation. She starts out as a character that I wasn’t sure I was going to like, but as the plot progressed, I was happy she was added to the novel. Sandford does tend to drop new characters in here and there, and I hope we see Green again in the future.

Sandford’s ability to create a gripping plot is legendary. He never runs out of new ideas, and he puts his own special twist out there so you never know how things are going to end. I read through this book quickly and slowly at the same time (is this even possible?) because I wanted to find out what was going to happen to The Five, yet I didn’t want the book to end. Sandford takes too much time between books, if you ask me. This sentiment among his immense following proves what a fantastic writer he is.

I felt that there were no slow portions of the book. As each member of The Five is introduced to the reader, they emerge as intelligent, sardonic, and Type-A people. We get a brief background on them and learn their motivation, which turns out to be a good reason for the murder spree. The reader is invited to think about whether this murky “reasoning” is a good or a bad thing. Not that murder should be condoned – but we have all pictured someone famous and thought Gee, the world would be much better off without him”. This unique spin is another detail that made RIGHTEOUS PREY a bonafide thriller.

Sandford fans should be raving about this book! Lucas and Virgil are beloved characters, and this latest installation is a sure winner. I cannot choose what I liked best about this book – the always funny conversation between the two, or the fast-paced plot that gripped my interest from the first page. Which did you like best?

Want your own copy? You can pick it up here.

THE SWELL by Allie Reynolds

July 19, 2022 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 1 Comment

Point Break meets And Then There Were None in a pulse-pounding beach read that explores the dangerous ties between a group of elite surfers who are determined to find the perfect waves at any cost…even murder.

The waves are to die for.
Three years ago, passionate surfer Kenna Ward lost her two great loves—after her boyfriend drowned, she hung up her surfboard and swore off the water for good. But she is drawn back to the beach when her best friend, Mikki, announces her sudden engagement to a man Kenna has never met—a member of a tight-knit group of surfers. Kenna travels to a remote Australian beach, entering a dangerous world far from civilization where the waves, weather, and tides are all that matter. Kenna is tempted back into the surf and drawn into the dazzling group and the beach they call their own.

But this coastal paradise has a dark side, and members of the group begin to go missing. Kenna realizes that in order to protect Mikki and learn more about the surfers, she must become one of them…without becoming one of their victims. What follows is an adrenaline-fueled thriller packed with twists and turns, exploring the dangerous edge between passion and obsession.

THE SWELL was a story that grabbed you right away and sucked you into all the characters’ drama. And there is A LOT of drama! The isolated beach setting was perfect, quite different from many of the thrillers I’ve read. One of the good parts about the setting is that it loomed large in the plot – the waves, the weather, and the confinement of it all just hovered above the characters and slowly began to smother them like a wet blanket.

Everyone seems to be an unreliable narrator and as I read, I didn’t know who to believe. This book is so filled with twists and suspense that I’m having a hard time writing this, since I don’t want to spoil the story for you.

Each chapter is written from the point of view of each character, some more than others. My first thought would be to have less of the POV of Kenna (the one that joins the surfers and is considered a newbie) and more of the others. I got frustrated more and more each time Kenna asked a question; maybe some of her queries could have been answered by having a chapter in the POV of the others. Belatedly I understood that my personal reaction to all those questions was to mirror how the others felt about her never ending stream of “Why is this…?” and “Who said that…?” among other, more pointed questions. Yes, the answers to all her questions furthered the plot along and doled out information slowly, to keep us guessing about what would happen next. As I continued reading, however, there were times that I wanted to shake Kenna and tell her to have a simple conversation without nosing into everyone’s business.

I really enjoyed all the surfing lingo and descriptions of the ocean waves, as well as the danger of it all. The setting is wild and unforgiving, with treachery everywhere. Kenna’s interactions with the others are treacherous as well, as she is unable to tell who is being truthful.

Each character’s backstory is explained along the way, and the tension builds and builds since the author gives the reader just enough information to make them rethink everything they’ve learned so far. Their personalities mesh, then break apart, just like an episode of “Survivor”.

This was a get-under-your-skin read, and I didn’t want to put it down! The author’s style is a good combination of dialogue and description, and the ending is something you will totally never see coming. I’m planning to read Reynold’s debut novel, SHIVER, and I hope it’s as good as this one.

Love twisty psychological stories? You can pick up your copy here.

THE DOCTOR OF THE GREAT NORTH WOODS by Sawyer Hall

July 12, 2022 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

As a newly minted family medicine doctor, Aubrey Lane can’t wait to leave the toughest days of her training behind her. She’s worked nights, weekends, and holidays, only to watch her twenties go by in a blur. She’s ready for a vacation.
But just as she’s about to walk out of the hospital for the last time, she receives some devastating news: her father is dead. The circumstances are mysterious, the cause unknown. Was it a heart attack? A strange illness? Her mother won’t give her any details, but her message is clear: You need to come home.
Something strange is happening in the Great North Woods of Maine. But even as Aubrey tries to cope with her own grief and confusion, she knows that her tiny village has just lost its only doctor. And she may be their only hope.

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for this review copy!

The Doctor of the Great North Woods by Sawyer Hall is a fast-paced medical thriller that takes place in the eerie, sparsely occupied town of Callihax, Maine. Dr. Aubrey Lane, who lives in California, has just finished her residency when she receives word that her father, who was the town’s only physician, has died. She flies back to her hometown and quickly discovers that her father’s death may have been the result of foul play. She is forced to confront her demons: the relationship between her and the town’s 431 tight-knit residents, as well as her relationship with her long-ago first love, Luke Ainsley. Aubrey is unsure who she can trust and she soon finds herself in mortal danger as she delves deeper into the circumstances of her father’s death.

I would consider this a medical thriller “light”, that is, very minimal gore and medical talk and heavy on the personal relationships between Aubrey and her mother, Luke, Sheriff Jim Ranson, replacement doctor Sheldon Kline, and other colorful town characters. There is also a curious relationship between Aubrey and the Great North Woods themselves, which adds another layer of suspense to the story. Here’s a paragraph describing Aubrey’s drive to Callihax:

An hour outside of Bangor, the signs of suburbia began to fade. ….Then came the perverse sense of abandonment: rusted signs and toppled garbage cans. Mailboxes with chipped paint, no numbers. Side roads that deteriorated into gravel, then dirt, then shadows. I passed campsites with weeded parking lots and hotels with punched-out windows. And woods. Millions upon millions of woods. There was something terrifyingly claustrophobic about all those woods.

Aubrey’s reluctance to trust others is a main plot point. She comes across as a sympathetic character, lacking in self-esteem, with no choice but to defer to the overbearing personality of the experienced Dr Kline. His character is arrogant, pompous, and thoroughly unlikeable. Every time he treated Aubrey like a lackey, I cringed and wished she had more of a backbone.

Aubrey is also reluctant to explore the emotions she feels whenever she is around ex-love Luke, not wanting to revisit the reasons behind their breakup 12 years ago. The tension between them is obvious from the start and the author develops this plot point well, not making it overly sexual or saccharine.

I vacillated between trusting/not trusting Luke, as I was not sure what his motives were. He seemed to be a one-dimensional character for part of the book, then as the story progressed he developed more into a multi-layered person.

The author’s writing style is easy to fall into, and the plot grabbed me right away and kept me interested all throughout. As Aubrey is learning more about her father’s medical practice, she discovers that last summer four boys died of a mysterious disease. Her father worked intently to save the boys and learn more about the disease but was constrained by the town’s remoteness and lack of emergency services. Aubrey’s amateur detective work puts her in the crosshairs of a mysterious person who is intent on stopping her before she finds out the truth.

Towards the end of the book, there are a few plot twists that I didn’t see coming. This ramped up my already piqued interest and kept me racing through the book, as I was quite eager to see how things would all turn out. The ending was easily believed and I felt there were no loose ends.

Aubrey is quite an interesting character, and I would love to see this turn into a series. I can picture her bonding with the town’s residents, trying to come to terms with the Great North Woods, and perhaps solving another mystery or two.

This story reminded me of the Timber Creek series written by Margaret Mizushima. Her stories take place in the Colorado high country, and the setting really adds to the plot. The author brings Timber Creek to the forefront of the stories using picturesque language and thorough descriptions of the rugged land. In each book, Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo are called upon to solve mysteries and keep the townsfolk safe. Mizushima works at her husband’s veterinary clinic when not writing, and she truly brings the K-9 Robo to life, describing each nose twitch and growl realistically. If you have not read any of her books, I highly recommend you check them out.

I give this book 4 stars, as I felt a real connection to the characters and was invested in how the author would bring this story to a close. I was left both satisfied with the ending yet wanting to read more, hence my thoughts about a series. Sawyer Hall has written other books, and I headed over to Amazon to grab a copy of Playing God. Hopefully it will be as good as this one!

You can pick up your copy here.

SAWBONES by Ed Kurtz

May 17, 2022 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

“I was to make myself a killer.” In 1865, a man calling himself Septimus Whitehall slashed, shot, and burned his way from New York to California in a frenzy of violence. This is his own story, told in his own words.
Seven names were on the doctor’s list. Seven men and women scattered all over the United States and its western territories. Seven souls judged guilty by a mysterious man with no past apart from the loss for which his enemies are blamed. The War Between the States is over, but Septimus Whitehall intends to wage a bloody war of his own and he is willing to cut down almost anyone who stands in his way. From New York City and Boston on the cusp of the Gilded Age to the war-ravaged ruins of Alabama and Arkansas, through the mythic American West and beyond, Whitehall will practice his violent vocation until everyone on that list meets the Sawbones.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crossroad Press for this review copy!

SAWBONES is quite the unusual read. The author creates a sympathetic character in Septimus Whitehall as he travels from New York City to the Dakota Territory, seeking to murder those who are on his “list” of victims. Whitehall is avenging the death of his only love by taking the lives of those who were involved in her death, either directly or indirectly. There is wonderful detail in the author’s descriptions of Five Points in the 1800’s, as well as the Civil War, and the unsettled West. As I read, I felt as if I were there, seeing, hearing and smelling the same things Septimus was.

Another curious and fascinating thing about SAWBONES is the author’s use of language. I consider myself to be quite familiar with the English language; yet there were many words that I needed to look up. As I read the definitions I felt as if I had struck gold. I became familiar with words such as effigial, pantophagy, and raillery. As I’ve said before, any book that makes me look up definitions is always a winner.

Septimus is at times a complete gentleman and then a murderer. He stalks his prey yet remains courteous to others. He is clearly an intelligent man with deep emotions but with a singular goal; eliminate those on his macabre list. During his journey he encounters many roadblocks, skirting his own death all the while. He is a solitary man with one purpose in life, and it is easy to cheer him on as he searches for his victims.

This is definitely a violent and gory read, but the balance of gore and period detail are perfectly blended. As I kept reading, I wondered when the book would draw to a close – it is actually quite long. However, the author kept me interested by throwing in some action just as the book bordered on dull/too much description. That being said, I totally loved SAWBONES. It’s a quirky, intelligent read that will stay with you long after you are done reading. I would love to see a sequel to see what Septimus is up to now.

You can get your copy here.

Masked Prey by John Sandford

May 26, 2020 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

Lucas Davenport investigates a vitriolic blog that seems to be targeting the children of U.S. politicians in the latest thriller by #1 New York Times-bestselling author John Sandford.

The daughter of a U.S. Senator is monitoring her social media presence when she finds a picture of herself on a strange blog. And there are other pictures . . . of the children of other influential Washington politicians, walking or standing outside their schools, each identified by name. Surrounding the photos are texts of vicious political rants from a motley variety of radical groups.

It’s obviously alarming–is there an unstable extremist tracking the loved ones of powerful politicians with deadly intent? But when the FBI is called in, there isn’t much the feds can do. The anonymous photographer can’t be pinned down to one location or IP address, and more importantly, at least to the paper-processing bureaucrats, no crime has actually been committed. With nowhere else to turn, influential Senators decide to call in someone who can operate outside the FBI’s constraints: Lucas Davenport.

Thanks to NetGalley for this review copy!

Lots of politicking and Nazi alt-right groups in this Davenport outing. Lucas is still smarting from the bullet he took a few months ago, so when he gets a call from Washington demanding his presence, he is not all that eager to go. What he finds when he gets there is a twisted plot that takes nearly the entire book to resolve.

In the meantime, we have favorite characters Bob and Rae, lots of dialogue which moves the book along, and more information about alt-right groups that you never wanted to know. The book shifts back and forth between multiple subplots, which makes the book a bit draggy in places. Towards the end the action ramps up so that the pages are turning a lot quicker.

Bob and Rae are solid as usual, cracking wise and kicking ass. The scenes in which they help Davenport are some of the most entertaining ones in the book. However, it seems that Lucas was affected by the shooting in which he was wounded, and it shows. He is more thoughtful and less raw. He’s not happy about dealing with the Washington crowd, but handles it with diplomatic aplomb. Is this the start of an older, wiser Lucas Davenport? According to Goodreads at the time of this writing, MASKED PREY was a solid 4 stars. I’m not sure why this book didn’t get that fifth star, unless it was the “new” Lucas.

I enjoyed the book well enough, but I’m going to give it four stars as well. There was a bit too much politics. 20% into the book, when Davenport meets alt-right expert Charles Lang and his assistant Stephen Gibson, Lang reminded me a tiny bit of Hannibal Lecter, but without the shock factor and the gore. Lang seemed to thrive on information, and he was hungry for some all throughout the book. I found those interactions a bit creepy. Now that I think about it, both Lang and Gibson did need to be in the book under the guise of plot thickening, but I still don’t like Lang.

Davenport fans should enjoy this albeit a bit mildly. Hardcore readers will gobble this up and look for more, while first time readers may find it a bit dry. I fall between those groups…that said there is nothing like a good Prey novel to while away the hours. MASKED PREY filled a few hours for me, and I enjoyed it more than mildly….yet not 5 stars worth.

You can pick up your copy here.

Killer Soul Mate by Anne Rothman-Hicks and Kenneth Hicks

April 14, 2020 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

Jane Larson is back, and trouble abounds on New York’s Upper East Side!

A new client, Jasmine, hires Jane to undo the terms of a matrimonial agreement with her ex-husband, the owner of a prosperous hedge fund who does not like to lose. At the same time, Jane’s landlord is working to evict her from the storefront law office where her mother had practiced for many years, and Jane is forced to fight to save her mother’s legacy. However, it seems there is no way she can win.

All too soon, the bodies begin to pile up and Jane has to figure out who is responsible before she becomes one of the victims. Meanwhile, a guy named Gary is trying to worm his way into her life, and, even though she thinks he is much too young for he, she starts to fall for him. The problem is that he has a habit of showing up where the murders occur. Can she trust him?

Thanks to the authors for this review copy!

Jane Larson is feeling tired and old. To make matters worse, she is served with papers declaring to evict her from her storefront law office. There is also a younger man named Gary flirting with her at the local Y; Jane keeps telling him to scram. And the current case she is working on is a matrimonial one with ironclad clauses, enough to keep her busy. Her client Jasmine is making sure Jane gets paid top dollar – something she is not used to with her regular clients. Suddenly Gary appears in her office bearing papers discussing legal action against him. Jane just doubled her client load, even if the second client is flirty Gary.

More cases come to Jane quickly, and soon she is super busy. Suddenly Jasmine’s ex-husband’s lawyer Kevin is found dead, and his daughter claims foul play. Jane is drawn into a murder investigation, and that is where things really take off. Flirty Gary seems to always be in the middle of things, whether it’s on the same subway train as Jane, or a bar when Jane and Jasmine are hanging out. What is his deal? And who killed Kevin?

This is Jane Larson’s fourth mystery; she was the main character in WEAVE A MURDEROUS WEB, among others, a few years ago. She is still the same feisty woman that we know and love, however, she is slightly softer and more emotional in this book. I liked how the authors gave her more dimensions here.

There are many characters in KILLER SOUL MATE but they are easy to keep track of, and the twisty plot will keep you turning the pages. Towards the end the action ramps up to tie the loose ends together; once the book ends you will wish it didn’t. I hope the 5^th installment of Jane’s adventures comes soon, as this one was fantastic reading.

I loved this book! The authors have a great style of writing that draws you into the story quickly, and they make you truly care about Jane and her clients. The dialogue is captivating, and the character development is thorough; I could picture each one in my head as I raced through the book. I was very invested in Jane and the other characters and was super curious to see how each subplot would be resolved. I especially enjoyed that the romance between Gary and Jane was kept light; there is nothing that bogs down a good murder mystery than a heavy romance. Kudos to the authors!

Want your own copy? You can pick it up here.

The Argument by Victoria Jenkins

April 7, 2020 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

It happens to every mother. One day, the daughter whose whole world you once were, becomes someone you barely know. And you don’t know the secrets she’s hiding…

One hot summer night, 15-year-old Olivia comes home late from a party she was strictly forbidden from going to, and she and her mother, Hannah, start arguing. Soon Olivia speaks the words that every parent has heard from their teenage child:

‘I hate you. You’ve ruined my life. And I’m never speaking to you again.’

Olivia has never been an easy child, a sharp contrast to her easy-going, happy-go-lucky little sister. But Hannah thinks Olivia’s outburst is the end of a normal family argument. In fact, it’s only the beginning of a nightmare…

After one day of silence, Hannah thinks Olivia is taking a teenage sulk too far. After two days, she starts to feel anxious that something more serious could be going on. After a week, when her daughter still hasn’t spoken, Hannah knows that Olivia is hiding a bigger darkness – something that could threaten to tear their precious family apart…

The Argument is an unputdownable psychological thriller that asks how far we can push our families before they finally break. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, The Woman in the Window, and The Silent Patient.

Thanks to NetGalley for this reviewer’s copy!

The premise of THE ARGUMENT is simple – teenage girl goes out to a party, parents disapprove, teenager tells parents she hates them and refuses to talk to them any more. If it only were that innocent!

Hannah is the stodgy, no-fun mother of Olivia and Rosie. Olivia is a normal 15-year-old testing the boundaries of parental control. Rosie is still young and is the favored child, much to Olivia’s chagrin. Everyone appears to be a reliable narrator so far, despite the titular argument. The book flows along with minimal ups and downs until about 60% gone – then the first twist is uncovered and Hannah becomes a sympathetic character while Olivia becomes a selfish, annoying little girl, still believing that if her parents didn’t treat her the way they did, she would not have had to sneak out to that party. Soon after that, the second twist happens – hold onto your book, because it’s a doozy! My sympathies changed ever so slightly towards Olivia at this point, despite the fact that she was still a selfish teenager. At this point, I was not putting the book down until it was finished; it was that good! Then the author drops another twist into the mix, making Hannah even more sympathetic.

Hold those emotions close, though, as from here on in they will be changing and spinning out of control. By the end of the book every character but one is deserving of pity, more or less. Each character (except Rosie, who is quite the innocent throughout) has their demons and their false beliefs. One is a narcissist, another is a control freak, and the other is selfish. Actually, they are all selfish and broken in their own way.

THE ARGUMENT is an unputdownable psychological thriller that starts slow, but ends with multiple jaw-dropping twists. The author is adept at creating simmering tension that boils over midway through the book – and the ending will have you shaking your head at Hannah’s final words. I look forward to reading more of the author’s work. You can pick up your copy here.

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

March 3, 2020 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

You probably know someone like Shay Miller.
She wants to find love, but it eludes her.
She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end.
She wants to belong, but her life is becoming increasingly isolated.

You probably don’t know anyone like the Moore sisters.
They have an unbreakable circle of friends.
They live a life of glamour and perfection.
They always get what they desire.

Shay thinks she wants their life.
But what they really want is hers.

Thanks to NetGalley for this review copy!

This is a difficult review to write. Overall the book was a pleasant read with areas of suspense, but for the most part the plot took a while to advance and there were a lot of characters to keep straight. It also seemed that Shay was prone to make bad decisions or choose no course of action at all. I found myself wishing that she would have more of a backbone. Towards the end she seemed more in touch with reality, once she figured everything out.

I felt a little uncomfortable with all the stalking Shay did; it advanced the plot, but I kept thinking that there was no way she would have been able to get away with it in real life. I also was anticipating the police (or the sisters) would eventually catch up to her at the worst possible moment.

Multiple characters mean multiple POV’s. This changed with each chapter and at times it was difficult keeping everyone’s story straight, especially some of the more minor characters.

What I did like: The suspense kept building up until the end – the last 25% of the book was the best part. I could not guess the ending until almost the last pages; once I did, I was very glad things turned out the way they did. I enjoyed hating Jody, Shay’s roommate’s girlfriend. She definitely was someone to keep your eyes on and her despicableness did not disappoint.

I enjoyed the authors’ other books and will look forward to reading the next one. They are masters of the psychological twist and you can be sure each book will leave you thinking about the characters for a few days after you are done.

Want your own copy? You can pick it up here.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

February 18, 2020 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

Imagine that your husband has two other wives.

You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself.
But one day, while you’re doing laundry, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket—an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives.
You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then, Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realize she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent, ever.
Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you go to find the truth? Would you risk your own life?

And who is his mysterious third wife?

Thanks to NetGalley for this review copy!

This is the story of Seth and his three wives. The story is told in the voice of (legally married) wife #2; sometimes amorous, sometimes regretful. Seth explains his polygamy with the explanation that he grew up in Utah and with the sentence I love you all differently but equally. One day wife #2 discovers a piece of paper in Seth’s coat and discovers information about wife #3, named Hannah. Wife #2 snoops some more and tracks her down, eventually, ironically, becoming friends with her. They share breakfasts and family stories without discovering they have a husband in common. However, Hannah starts showing up to their meetings with visible bruises, and wife #2 has questions. Lots of them. Seth has never been violent with her before, and she starts wondering more about the man she married. She also continues to snoop, finding wife #1 on Facebook and other social media sites. It’s like she’s addicted to hurting herself with this information.

The author paints a perfect picture of a woman with a polygamous man; insecure one moment and in love the next. Wife #2’s internal monologues are spot-on, just another woman wondering about what her husband is thinking and what he’s doing when he is away from her. The twist here is that none of the narrators are reliable, and you don’t know what is going to happen next. I thought I had the story straight, then suddenly there was a plot twist and it changed EVERYTHING. After that some things made more sense, while others didn’t make sense at all. I was torn between feeling sorry for wife #2 or thinking about her scornfully. Seth is no gem either, despite the fact that wife #2 keeps hanging on to him even though she is crazy jealous of his other two wives.

This book lived up to all the hype – there is drama and psychological suspense galore. Towards the end, all the characters start to decompensate, which provides for an amazing and shocking ending. I literally spent the entire day reading this book, which is something that I don’t normally do. I’m eagerly awaiting Ms. Fisher’s next work. You can pick up your copy of THE WIVES here.

The Only Child by Mi-ae Seo

February 11, 2020 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

An eerie and absorbing novel following a criminal psychologist who has discovered shocking and possibly dangerous connections between a serial killer and her stepdaughter.

Criminal psychologist Seonkyeong receives an unexpected call one day. Yi Byeongdo, a serial killer whose gruesome murders shook the world, wants to be interviewed. Yi Byeongdo, who has refused to speak to anyone until now, asks specifically for her. Seonkyeong agrees out of curiosity.

That same day Hayeong, her husband’s eleven-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, shows up at their door after her grandparents, with whom she lived after her mother passed away, die in a sudden fire. Seonkyeong wants her to feel at home, but is gradually unnerved as the young girl says very little and acts strangely.

At work and at home, Seonkyeong starts to unravel the pasts of the two new arrivals in her life and begins to see startling similarities. Hayeong looks at her the same way Yi Byeongdo does when he recounts the abuse he experienced as a child; Hayeong’s serene expression masks a temper that she can’t control. Plus, the story she tells about her grandparents’ death, and her mother’s before that, deeply troubles Seonkyeong. So much so that Yi Byeongdo picks up on it and starts giving her advice.

Written with exquisite precision and persistent creepiness, The Only Child is psychological suspense at its very best.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

THE ONLY CHILD is a very dark book that explores the mind of a fictional serial killer while contrasting his behavior with Hayeong, the main character’s stepdaughter. Seonkyeong is a criminal psychologist who is summoned to prison to interview the notorious killer Yi Byeongdo. As she delves deeper into his mind through his stories, she notices how his mannerisms mirror that of 11-year-old Hayeong, who has recently come to live with her and her husband after a fire destroys her house.

The story is told from multiple points of view, with a concerted effort to make Byeongdo appear somewhat sympathetic. Hayeong is a manipulative little girl and I disliked her immediately. Seonkyeong’s husband brings his daughter into the house and soon becomes an absentee father, only seeing the “good” side of the girl.

The plot could have used a bit of tightening up, as it takes a while to establish Hayeong’s dark side. There is a longish portion regarding the “punishment” of a cat which could have been shorter yet still convey the latent evil that was lurking that day. There is also a series of dithering by Seonkyeong in which she alternately fears the girl, then feels sorry for her due to the tragedies that have befallen her. She seems almost blind to the danger that Hayeong poses to her family.

Most of the action occurs around the last 15% of the book, as the serial killer escapes jail while the tension between the psychologist and the girl comes to a head. The ending itself is a shocker yet I felt it wasn’t a surprise.

None of these characters are truly given life; I am not sure if it is due to the original work being translated, or if it is the writer’s style. (Click here for information on more Korean mysteries being translated into English.) There is only the briefest of backstory and Seonkyeong is not portrayed as a strong female character. Certainly someone of her background would have better sense regarding Hayeong’s penchant for evil. Again, this could be due to the culture, as Asian women are not known for taking the lead and being dominant. In any case, I wish she had been given more of a backbone, especially as she began discovering Hayeong’s secrets.

I would like to see a sequel to this book to see what happens next with the characters. The ending does leave room for another story, and I can imagine different plot twists taking place. All in all, not a bad read. Want your own copy? You can pick it up here.