Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

 

A decade ago two vans filled with high school seniors on a service trap crashed into a Tennessee ravine, which cost the lives of many classmates and teachers.  The nine students who walked away that night were never the same.  A year later one of the survivors committed suicide and the remaining survivors make a pact with each other to meet every year on the anniversary of the crash.  The group meets every year at a home in the Outer Banks.  One of the survivors, Cassidy Brent, has worked to distance herself from this tragedy, as well as the other survivors.  She has changed her cell phone number, and blocked the other survivors on email, but on the day of the reunion she receives a text message of the obituary - another survivor is gone!  Cassidy finds herself hurling back towards the group.  Something feels off and wrong this year to Cassidy.  She is the first to realize that Amaya has gone missing.  When a major storm takes over the Outer Banks, Cassidy and the rest of the pact find themselves dealing with closed roads and surging waters.  Each survivor pledged they will do whatever they can to help and support each other.  When push comes to shove, will they really have each other's backs?

I gave this book three stars.  It was a really good story, and had me guessing until the very end.  I did find, however that the story dragged in parts.  There were some parts that I found unnecessary to the plot, and did not really add to the story.  If you like mystery/suspense stories, you might enjoy this book, but honestly there are better books out there int his genre.


Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Zero Days by Ruth Wade

 

Jack (Jacythia) and her husband Gabe are both penetration officers.  This means they break into companies and test their security both virtually and physically.  One evening after, Jack and Gabe have finished a Pen (Penetration) test, she arrives home only to find that Gabe's throat has been slit and he is dead.  The police soon turn on Jack and believe that she has murdered her husband.  Jack must find out the truth, so she escapes and goes on the run.  Can Jack find her husband's real killer, before the police can catch up to her?

This book was a page turner from page one.  The story reminded me of The Fugitive with a 21st century edge.  I found my heart beating fast, as Jack ran from the police.  I gave this book 5 stars and highly recommend for anyone who loves adventure and true crime.

Thursday, April 11, 2024

What Lies In the Woods

 What Lies In the Woods

I just finished reading the psychological thriller What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall.  This was a Book of the Month book I received quite a while ago.  Book of the Month is a great subscription program and I have subscribed for a few years now.  Each book is less than $15 and as a subsciber you receive a hardback book each month.

What Lies in the Woods tells the story of Naomi Shaw and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia.  When the girls were young, they spent many hours in the woods playing the "Goddess Game". The game became a special time for the young girls and bonded them for life.  This all ended when Naomi was stabbed 17 times, and miraculously survived the stabbing. Naomi and her friends were able to identify the man (a serial killer) as the accused stabber and put him in jail for life.  As the story moves on, we learn that the girls lied about so much.  It is now 23 years later and Olivia wants to tell the truth, but she mysteriously disappears.  Naomi must dig for the truth, and confront her past demons.

I gave this book 4 stars.  It kept my interest to the very end, and I found it to be an excellent read.  I especially loved Naomi's character.  She was fearless and strong.  I felt like I truly knew her and was very heavily invested in her character.  The story had so much depth and was a strong clear plot that kept me going with many twists and turns.  I highly recommend this book and would love to read another book by this same author.

Thank you BOTM!

 

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