Review: Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron

Title: Careful What You Wish For

Author:  Hallie Ephron
Publisher: William Marrow
Publishing Date:  August 6th, 2019

Pages: 288
Genre: Mystery Thriller/ Suspense

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

Emily Harlow is a professional organizer who helps people declutter their lives; she’s married to man who can’t drive past a yard sale without stopping. He’s filled their basement, attic, and garage with his finds.

Like other professionals who make a living decluttering peoples’ lives, Emily has devised a set of ironclad rules. When working with couples, she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. That stipulation has kept Emily’s own marriage together these past few years. She’d love nothing better than to toss out all her husband’s crap. He says he’s a collector. Emily knows better—he’s a hoarder. The larger his “collection” becomes, the deeper the distance grows between Emily and the man she married.

Luckily, Emily’s got two new clients to distract herself: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didn’t know existed, and a young wife whose husband won’t allow her stuff into their house. Emily’s initial meeting with the young wife takes a detour when, after too much wine, the women end up fantasizing about how much more pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses.

But the next day Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. Careful what you wish for, the old adage says . . . now Emily might lose her freedom, her marriage . . . and possibly her life.

This is one of my Edelweiss books that I am a little late in reviewing. I find many mysteries and thrillers just kind of hanging out on this site and this was one of them. The synopsis sounded great and intriguing and the cover was pretty, so I grabbed it. I finally got to this book on audio and I liked it. It was very entertaining and I was very happy with the read when it was done. 


Emily and her best friend run a de-cluttering business. They go out to their client's house and they de-clutter anything that they need to have de-cluttered. This includes a storage unit of one of their newest clients. Everything goes haywire when a body turns up in this storage unit....also its the husband of one of Emily's other clients. Now Emily is the main suspect. She and her family and her best friend are on the hunt for the truth.... the truth may be Emily's worst nightmare. 

I really enjoyed this book. It started off quickly. This book didn't take long to get to the crazy.  It was a very fast read and I quite enjoyed it. In this book there is a couple different mysteries going on. One that is about art theft and the other is a murder. It seems that the main character finds herself in the middle of both. I didn't quite know what was going on in the beginning and the building up to who was involved was well done. There was a point that I started to have my suspicions but didn't know the why or the how.  

There were some very interesting characters in this book and some very interesting relationships. There was the main character and her mother, the main character and husband, and the main character and her best friend, and finally the main character and her clients. They all interweave at some point and through all these relationships I was able to get a good read going the main character. She is a very loyal person in all her relationships and I quite liked her. I feel at times she was a bit naive but it seems many mysteries and psychological reads go. 



This was a very fast read and quite the page turner. The book never slowed for me and I was never bored.I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Hallie Ephron (http://hallieephron.com) is a New York Times bestselling author of suspense novels. Her last five have all been Mary Higgins Clark Award finalists.

Her (August 2019) Careful What You Wish For tells the story of a professional organizer married to man who can't pass a yard sale without stopping. In this respect, Hallie is writing from personal experience. Early praise comes from Kirkus: "Ephron's tidy approach to stowing clues, arousing suspicions, keeping the chaos of the climax under control, then tying up loose ends makes her a professional organizer of this type of entertainment. In a word—neat."

Hallie's Never Tell a Lie was made into the Lifetime Movie Network film.

A book lover, she also wrote The Bibliophile's Devotional and 1001 Books for Every Mood. For twelve years she reviewed crime fiction for the Boston Globe. Her Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel (now in a revised/expanded edition) was an Edgar and Anthony award finalist. She teaches writing at writing conferences and workshops all around the world.

Hallie lives near Boston with her husband and has two fabulous daughters. She is the third of four writing Ephron sisters.

Review: Don' Tell Teacher by Suzy K Quinn

Title: Don't Tell Teacher

Author:  Suzy K Quinn
Publisher: HQ
Publishing Date:  March 21st, 2019

Pages: 384
Genre: Adult Psychological Thriller

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

School should have been the safest place…

For Lizzie Riley, switching her six-year-old son Tom to the local academy school marks a fresh start, post-divorce. With its excellent reputation, Lizzie knows it’ll be a safe space away from home.

But there's something strange happening at school. Parents are forbidden from entering the grounds, and there are bars across the classroom windows.

Why is Tom coming home exhausted, unable to remember his day? What are the strange marks on his arm? And why do the children seem afraid to talk?

Lizzie is descending into every parent’s worst nightmare: her little boy is in danger. But will she be able to protect him before it’s too late?

I love looking through books on Audible. This is where I find most of my thrillers, mysteries, and suspense novel. I just go to the coming soon and start finding them on Goodreads. This was a fabulous find. I never heard of this author or this book but when I saw it, it grabbed my attention and I knew  I wanted to read it. I loved this book. It was great, creepy, dark, and pretty intense. 

Lizzie Riley has left her old life and decided to start a new life with the help of social services. She pretty much left with nothing but her 6 year old son and now has to start with nothing but a home and a new school for her son, Tom. 

Tom starts a new school and this is when things start to get strange. Tom comes home with strange marks and a loss of the days memories. Lizzie is very concerned and tries to get to the bottom of it all. She is sure it's something going on in the school. She knows he is in danger but how can she prove it when noone wants to work with her... That is until the social worker on her case gets involved. This is when things start to get crazy. 

This was such a grand book. I loved the story. I loved the creepiness and the dark of the entire story. I was able to very much wrap myself within the pages and forget about everything else. I didn't want to put the book down. It was a very fast read that had my mind going in circles while my heart was pounding because I didn't know what to expect. 

I can't say much about the book or about the characters. There is so much in this book but any little detail could ruin it for those that would like to read it. Which if you like great suspense and psychological thrillers. Read this book. I don't think you will regret it. It was really good. Such a short review... but really I don't want to chance giving anything away.

In short, great characters, crazy story, creepy and heart racing, an unforgettable read. 

So AMAZING. A MUST READ FOR 2019! 

Suzy K Quinn is a British fiction author, and writes in three different genres: psychological thriller, comedy and romance.

She was first published by Hachette in 2010 with her debut novel Glass Geishas (now Night Girls), then self-published a romance series, the Ivy Lessons, which became an international bestseller and a #1 Kindle romance bestseller in the US and UK. website/Facebook/Twitter

t 

Review: Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward

Title: Beautiful BAd 

Author:  Annie Ward
Publisher: Park Row
Publishing Date:  March 5th, 2019

Pages: 400
Genre: Adult Psychological Thriller

Series:  Stand Alone
Source: Audio

 

Maddie and Ian's romance began with a chance encounter at a party overseas; he was serving in the British army and she was a travel writer visiting her best friend, Jo. Now almost two decades later, married with a beautiful son, Charlie, they are living the perfect suburban life in Middle America. But when a camping accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, she begins attending writing therapy, where she gradually reveals her fears about Ian's PTSD; her concerns for the safety of their young son, Charlie; and the couple's tangled and tumultuous past with Jo.

From the Balkans to England, Iraq to Manhattan, and finally to an ordinary family home in Kansas, sixteen years of love and fear, adventure and suspicion culminate in The Day of the Killing, when a frantic 911 call summons the police to the scene of a shocking crime.

I couldn't wait for the release of this book. I was so very excited. This book looked so good. Crazy and creepy and all the good stuff I love about psychological thrillers. I was not let down,t his book lived up to every expectation. The story was great, the creep factor was there, the mind screw was there. It was so amazing. 


Maddie has had an up and down relationship with Ian for a couple of decades. She met him overseas and their paths never really lined up. Something was always keeping them apart. At one time it was even Maddie's best friend, at another it was the military, oh and then there was the time Ian had a girlfriend. So things just didn't go smooth for them. Until one day it did. So they both thought. Unfortunately it was not smooth sailing, Ian had some major PTSD from being overseas in the military and this caused some stress on their marriage. It then went well for a while once they had a child. Now things seem to be going downhill again. Maddie is attempting to get help. But something goes bad real bad. 

This book was so good. I loved it all. The story is mainly told in alternate time lines from when Maddie and Ian first meet to the present day. There is the past where the story goes together. There is the past as in right before it all went wrong, and there is the present... which is the after. The story is told in pieces and in the process of getting the entire story, I was able to really get to know all the characters. The ones from way before and the ones from the current life that Maddie and Ian live. The story is told  from Maddie's perspective for most the book so it was easier to get to know her and her story... however there are a few chapters from Ian's point of view that I truly enjoyed. 

To say this story had some crazy moments, some shocking moments, some oh hell moments, that is an understatement. I was not at a lost for surprises and oh crap revelations in this book. Which I love. I love when I totally didn't see it coming. This book did it to me. It wasn't til the end when I was like oh snap that just happened. So it had me on my toes, in suspense. I love it when it's told in multiple time lines too... it gives my mind time to really think about what is going on and wonder where it is going. I wondered a lot in this read and I never saw it coming. 

The characters were well built. Like I mentioned before I didn't connect with Ian as much since I was really going off of Maddie's thoughts and feelings for most of the book. The thing about Maddie, I liked her even though she was broken and toxic for those around her... as well as letting those around her be toxic to her. She loved having those relationships that were just bad for her. Co-dependent but for different reasons for each person. She was pretty messed up but I still liked her. I rooted for her and wanted her to find her way. 

The read was paced really well, not rushed and never slacked. I was pretty content throughout the entire read. I didn't feel that I needed to know everything at once but I was still eager to find out what happened. I was happy with every little thing that was revealed. 

This story isn't a happy story, or a story that has rainbows and unicorns. It's dark and twisted and full of broken and crazy people. It was addicting. It had feeling. I loved every moment of it. I didn't need the sunshine. The dark was just fine with this book. 

The ending really blew me away. I think I saw a bit of it coming right before it all came together... but before that moment. but it was still mind blowing.

Loved it to peices. So grand so thrilling!

Annie’s sophomore novel and first psychological thriller BEAUTIFUL BAD will be published by Harper Collins/Park Row books in March, 2019.

Annie received a BA in English Lit with an emphasis in Creative Writing from UCLA and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute. While studying at AFI, she sold her first short screenplay to MTV/ BFCS Productions. Starring Adam Scott, STRANGE HABIT became a Grand Jury Award Winner at the Aspen Film Festival and a Sundance Festival Official Selection.

After film school, Annie moved to Eastern Europe to work for Fodor Travel Guides, covering regions of Spain and Bulgaria. She remained in Bulgaria for five years spanning a civilian uprising and government overthrow. The novel THE MAKING OF JUNE, which Annie wrote with the Bulgarian revolution and Balkan crisis as its backdrop was sold to Penguin Putnam and published to critical acclaim in 2002.

During Annie’s five years in the Balkans she received a Fulbright Scholarship, taught at the University of Sofia, and script doctored eight screenplays for Nu-Image, an Israeli/American film company that produced a number of projects in Bulgaria for the SyFy Channel. She was later the recipient of an Escape to Create artist residency.

She lives in Kansas City, Kansas with her family.

The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan

Title:  The Doll House 

Author:  Phoebe Morgan
Publisher: HQ Digital 
Publishing Date:  September 14th, 2017

Pages: 355
Genre: Adult Psychological Thriller

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

You never know who’s watching…

Corinne’s life might look perfect on the outside, but after three failed IVF attempts it’s her last chance to have a baby. And when she finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her flat, it feels as if it’s a sign.

But as more pieces begin to turn up, Corinne realizes that they are far too familiar. Someone knows about the miniature rocking horse and the little doll with its red velvet dress. Someone has been inside her house…

How does the stranger know so much about her life? How long have they been watching? And what are they waiting for…?

I don't remember how I discovered this book. Maybe off of audible in my many searches. But I thought it sounded creepy and good. So I grabbed it. It was creepy, it was good. I enjoyed the read. I had a bit of trouble with the pacing. Some parts were a little slow and it was a little more predictable than I like. I feel the who was revealed way too  early. But other than that it was a creepy good read. 


Dominic and Corinne have been trying to have a baby for while. They are in their last IVF treatment and are hoping for the best. Things are looking up, until strange things start happening. At first it seems like a sweet gift, a dollhouse piece, a good luck sign. But after received more and more she realizes that they are part of a dollhouse her father built for her when she was small. Her father is dead, her mother has packed away the dollhouse. Things are just getting creepy. Someone seems to be watching her, following her, or is she going crazy??

I liked this read. It is no secret that my favorite genre is psychological thrillers. I love the creepy, I live the hair raising moments, I love the mind trips. I love it when an ending is so surprising I am floored. This book had some great moments. The creep factor was there, the hair raising moments were there. The mind trips and surprising ending...not so much. It was a good read but not what I wanted it to be. 

The book started out really good. When the doll house pieces started to show up it was creepy. I also enjoyed the secrets that lie within the stories.  These were some of the really good parts. The actual story was good and very interesting. There were times that the book had some slow moments though where I noticed I wasn't as invested. There weren't to many but enough to notice. Most of the psychological thrillers I read, I can't put them down. This book was the page turner I wanted. 

The story was good, but it was a little predictable. About halfway through, most of the who and why were revealed... the only thing left was what the person was going to do to Dominic and Corrine. Which I can say was creepy enough.... just I wish the who would have waited to be revealed a bit longer. Although the who as in who was doing was revealed but we didn't know who that was in particular in the life of main characters. It was easy to guess towards the end. Which by the way the ending was a little intense. I will say that. 

I did like the characters. I was easily invested in their stories and their lives. There were very few that I found error in. They were very likable and even the bad guy was very interesting.  I also enjoyed the dual narration.  Not knowing who the other narrator was, it was creepy. I enjoyed being in the mind of the psychopath. I love it when a book allows me to see into the evil.  

Really it was a solid read. It wasn't a wow book but it was solid and I will read more from this author. I think the best things were the creep factor and the intensity of the ending. 

It had me creeped out for sure. 

Phoebe Morgan is an author and editor. She studied English at Leeds University after growing up in the Suffolk countryside. She has previously worked as a journalist and now edits crime and women’s fiction for a publishing house during the day, and writes her own books in the evenings. She lives in London and you can follow her on Twitter @Phoebe_A_Morgan. The Doll House is her debut novel. It became a bestseller, topping the iBooks charts at #1 and the Amazon charts at #35.

Review: A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay

Title:  A Noise Downstairs 

Author:  Linwood Barclay
Publisher: William Morrow
Publishing Date:  July 12th, 2018

Pages: 357
Genre: Adult Psychological Thriller

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

College professor Paul Davis is a normal guy with a normal life. Until, driving along a deserted road late one night, he surprises a murderer disposing of a couple of bodies. That’s when Paul’s "normal" existence is turned upside down. After nearly losing his own life in that encounter, he finds himself battling PTSD, depression, and severe problems at work. His wife, Charlotte, desperate to cheer him up, brings home a vintage typewriter—complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keys—to encourage him to get started on that novel he’s always intended to write.

However, the typewriter itself is a problem. Paul swears it’s possessed and types by itself at night. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn’t hear a thing. And she worries he’s going off the rails.

Paul believes the typewriter is somehow connected to the murderer he discovered nearly a year ago. The killer had made his victims type apologies to him before ending their lives. Has another sick twist of fate entwined his life with the killer—could this be the same machine? Increasingly tormented but determined to discover the truth and confront his nightmare, Paul begins investigating the deaths himself.

But that may not be the best thing to do. Maybe Paul should just take the typewriter back to where his wife found it. Maybe he should stop asking questions and simply walk away while he can. . . .

Psychological Thrillers are my favorite of all genres. A great one can really get into my head, make me question everything and leave me empty inside when its over. This one was a pretty good one. I can't say that it left me empty at the end but it did have me questioning everything. I was sure I was the one losing it. Very slow burn. Written well.  Pretty creepy. 


Paul has been through a lot in the past year. He happened upon a crime and was almost killed. He is now on leave from his job trying to get it together. He seems to be doing quite well until his wife buys him and old vintage typewriter. This typewriter has a mind of its own and is out get Paul, or maybe help him move on. Not really sure at first. But its enough to make Paul believe he is either going crazy or being haunted. 

I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book by this author I have read. I have seen his name around before but never picked up one of his books. I am sure I will be reading more from him in the future. There were a few things that kept this from being a 5 heart read for me but for the most part it was a well done book that I really enjoyed. 

So here is what I enjoyed.... The slow burn. There was so much build up and character development at the beginning. It didn't make the book feel slow either. It was well done. I love slow burn books. They just make it all worth it in the end. 

The creep factor. The creep factor was good. I was pretty freaked out for most of the read. There was a ton of suspense. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. 

The characters. I can't say I liked them all, but they were all well written and well developed. They had their flaws and they had their strengths. I feel they were written so well, I couldn't figure out it Paul truly was crazy or if there was a guilty party in his life.

The story was interesting and had me totally pulled in. It was well written, well paced, and well loved. I really was totally into it. There was plenty of suspense and mystery and intrigue. Everything I need in a psychological thriller. 

So all that worked very well together. 

What I didn't like.... There were a few things that were  just too unbelievable and I had to roll my eyes. This really isn't a big deal to me usually, but this one had a few too many. It didn't ruin the read or take away much from the read... but yes there was eye rolling going on. 

Also the ending was not as climatic as I would have hoped. It was a good ending, dont' get me wrong. It made sense and I was like OH yea didn't see that coming... just there wasn't a big bang of an ending that had me gasping. Still so worth the read but would have been a 5 heart read if there had been a gasp. 


I would recommend this for all readers who love a creeptastic psychological thriller! 

Linwood Barclay, a New York Times bestselling author and with nearly twenty novels to his credit, spent three decades in newspapers before turning full time to writing thrillers. His books have been translated into more than two dozen language, sold millions of copies, and he counts Stephen King among his fans. Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, a series has been made in France, and he wrote the screenplay for the film based on his novel Never Saw it Coming. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives near Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children.