Cynth's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 15 May 2025 06:15:15 -0700 60 Cynth's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Every Last Secret 52347808 Welcome to the neighborhood. Watch your husband, watch your friends, and watch your back.

Cat Winthorpe has worked hard to get what she has: a gorgeous home; social standing; and William, her successful, handsome husband. Then a friendly new couple moves into the estate next door. While cautious, a good neighbor like Cat greets them with open arms and warm hospitality.

Neena Ryder isn’t a fellow lady of leisure. A life coach with off-the-rack dresses, personal issues, and a husband who hasn’t delivered, she’s anxious to move up in the world. This beautiful new town is a step in the right direction. It’s also making Neena aware of what she doesn’t have. Namely, William. When Neena’s infatuation escalates into obsession, it’s just a matter of eliminating a few obstacles to get the life she wants. The life next door.

As Neena’s secret fixation grows, so does her friendship with Cat. But beneath their cordial interactions is a wealth of temptations, secrets, and toxic jealousy. For both women, the desire for a perfect life can turn perfectly dangerous.]]> 291 A.R. Torre 1542020182 Cynth 0 currently-reading 3.95 2020 Every Last Secret
author: A.R. Torre
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/15
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake, #1)]]> 33128934 An Amazon Charts and USA Today bestseller.

Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.

With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.

But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed—or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop.

]]> 301 Rachel Caine 1477821554 Cynth 5 4.12 2017 Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake, #1)
author: Rachel Caine
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/14
date added: 2025/05/14
shelves:
review:
´Ƿ� why have I waited so long to read this book? Absolutely incredible. So gripping and fast paced! This one will have you on the edge of your seat. Even the long chapters didn’t bother me because I couldn’t put it down. A MUST read for any thriller fans!
]]> Just the Nicest Couple 60666845 Two couples, two close friends, one missing husband�

Jake Hayes is missing. This much is certain. At first, his wife, Nina, thinks he is blowing off steam at a friend’s house after their heated fight the night before. But then a day goes by. Two days. Five. And Jake is still nowhere to be found.

Lily Scott, Nina’s friend and coworker, thinks she may have been the last to see Jake before he went missing. After Lily confesses everything to her husband, Christian, the two decide that nobody can find out what happened leading up to Jake’s disappearance, especially not Nina. But Nina is out there looking for her husband, and she won’t stop until the truth is discovered.]]> 320 Mary Kubica 0778333116 Cynth 0 currently-reading 3.51 2023 Just the Nicest Couple
author: Mary Kubica
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/14
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Cross My Heart 214152422 She has his dead wife’s heart; the one she wants is his. The author of The Family Plot brings her signature prose to a twisty novel about a heart transplant patient who becomes romantically obsessed with her donor’s husband.

Rosie Lachlan wants nothing more than to find The One.

A year after she was dumped in her wedding dress, she’s working at her parents� bridal salon, anxious for a happy ending that can’t come soon enough. After receiving a life-saving heart transplant, Rosie knows her health is precious and precarious. She suspects her heart donor is Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, who she begins messaging via an anonymous service called DonorConnect, ostensibly to learn more about Daphne. But Rosie has a secret: She’s convinced that now that she has his wife’s heart, she and Morgan are meant to be together.

As she and Morgan correspond, the pretense of avoiding personal details soon disappears, even if Rosie’s keeping some cards close to her chest. But as she digs deeper into Morgan’s previous marriage, she discovers disturbing rumors about the man she’s falling for. Could Morgan have had something to do with his late wife’s death? And can Rosie’s heart sustain another break—or is she next?]]> 309 Megan Collins 1668048078 Cynth 4
A very solid thriller that felt different from other thrillers. I loved all the Taylor Swift references!

It’s such an interesting read and it hooked me from the beginning. I struggled with how long the chapters were though and it did make me lose interest at times but that’s the only negative thing I found about this book.

I was surprised by the twist in part 2 and loved the turn the story took. I would absolutely recommend especially if you’re new to thrillers or simply looking for a thriller that feels unique and different. ]]> 3.60 2025 Cross My Heart
author: Megan Collins
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/14
date added: 2025/05/14
shelves:
review:
Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

A very solid thriller that felt different from other thrillers. I loved all the Taylor Swift references!

It’s such an interesting read and it hooked me from the beginning. I struggled with how long the chapters were though and it did make me lose interest at times but that’s the only negative thing I found about this book.

I was surprised by the twist in part 2 and loved the turn the story took. I would absolutely recommend especially if you’re new to thrillers or simply looking for a thriller that feels unique and different.
]]> It Should Have Been You 215998781 Prepare to be hooked - pre-order the unputdownable new thriller from No.1 Sunday Times bestseller Andrea Mara.

Look what you started.
You press send. Your message is full of secrets about your neighbours. It’s meant for your sister, but it doesn’t reach her � it goes to the entire local community WhatsApp group instead.

Now everyone knows what you did.
As rumour spreads like wildfire through the picture-perfect neighbourhood, you convince yourself that people will move on, that this will quickly be forgotten. But then you receive the first death threat.

And someone wants you dead.
The next day, a woman has been murdered. And what’s even more chilling is that she had the same address as you � 26 Oakpark � but in a different part of town. Did the killer get the wrong house? It won’t be long before you find out…]]> 385 Andrea Mara 1529927803 Cynth 5 I loved it, the way it all unfolded so brilliantly while giving me so much anxiety was amazing!

This is the perfect example of how one tiny (seemingly) innocent decision can take a turn for the worst and makes you think how important it is to think about what you say and do before doing it. ]]> 4.17 2026 It Should Have Been You
author: Andrea Mara
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2026
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/13
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves:
review:
This has to be Andrea Mara’s twistiest book I’ve read yet!
I loved it, the way it all unfolded so brilliantly while giving me so much anxiety was amazing!

This is the perfect example of how one tiny (seemingly) innocent decision can take a turn for the worst and makes you think how important it is to think about what you say and do before doing it.
]]> The Perfect Family 55711715
Until one morning, when they wake up to find their porch has been pelted with eggs. It’s a prank, Thomas insists; the work of a few out-of-control kids. But when a smoke bomb is tossed on their front lawn, and their car’s tires are punctured, the family begins to worry. Surveillance cameras show nothing but grainy images of shadowy figures in hoodies. And the police dismiss the attacks, insisting they’re just the work of bored teenagers. Unable to identify the perpetrators, the Adlers are helpless as the assaults escalate into violence, and worse. And each new violation brings with it a growing fear. Because everyone in the Adler family is keeping a secret—not just from the outside world, but from each other. And secrets can be very dangerous�.

This twisty, addictively page-turning suspense novel about a perfect family’s perfect façade will keep you turning pages until its explosive ending.]]> 352 Robyn Harding 1982169397 Cynth 4
This was an entertaining read with twisted characters. A very imperfect family who get harassed in their own home. I love Robyn Harding’s writing so this was a quick read for me but I would recommend The Drowning Woman or The Haters over this one. I struggled to care for the characters because they were all very unlikeable (I’m pretty sure it’s on purpose) and the ending wasn’t mind blowing. A good enough read and would recommend for anyone looking for a quick read about a messed up family but not my favourite by Robyn. ]]> 3.49 2021 The Perfect Family
author: Robyn Harding
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️

This was an entertaining read with twisted characters. A very imperfect family who get harassed in their own home. I love Robyn Harding’s writing so this was a quick read for me but I would recommend The Drowning Woman or The Haters over this one. I struggled to care for the characters because they were all very unlikeable (I’m pretty sure it’s on purpose) and the ending wasn’t mind blowing. A good enough read and would recommend for anyone looking for a quick read about a messed up family but not my favourite by Robyn.
]]> Retreat 215217614 A beautiful con artist insinuates herself into a wealthy socialite’s life . . . with deadly consequences, in this serpentine thriller about identity and obsession, from actress, director and bestselling author Krysten Ritter.

Liz Dawson weaves through a crowd with the ease of a tropical breeze, moving seamlessly through elite circles, sparking instant connections and making every new acquaintance feel like an intimate friend. She’s clever, smooth, and confident—qualities that make her a brilliant serial con artist.

Isabelle Beresford is strikingly beautiful, obscenely wealthy, and the new owner of Casa Esmerelda, a fabulous villa on the Mexican coast—attributes that make her the perfect mark. When she offers Liz a job handling the installation of a piece of art in her otherwise vacant home, Liz can’t resist the allure of a beach retreat. She longs for a reset, a chance to finally shed the grip of her addiction to the conning game.

But when Liz, with her lush dark hair and intense green eyes, is mistaken for Isabelle herself, Liz can’t help effortlessly slipping into the socialite’s identity. The transition is so easeful, it almost feels like fate. But just who is Isabelle Beresford really, and why does she seem to have abandoned this stunning life of hers?

As Liz insinuates herself deeper into the dazzling—and deceptive—world of the Punta Mita resort community, she draws closer to the dangers surrounding the real Isabelle. Dangers that may have already ensnared Liz, too. This might not be the con of her life—but the con that ends it.]]> 272 Krysten Ritter 0063334607 Cynth 4
This was going to be 3 stars until part 3! It was an entertaining mystery, I guessed the main twist quite early on so I think it took away from the suspense of the book for me but I really like part 3 and wish that part was longer. I would recommend the audiobook because it is read by Krysten Ritter herself and that was very entertaining.]]> 3.72 2025 Retreat
author: Krysten Ritter
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves:
review:
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️

This was going to be 3 stars until part 3! It was an entertaining mystery, I guessed the main twist quite early on so I think it took away from the suspense of the book for me but I really like part 3 and wish that part was longer. I would recommend the audiobook because it is read by Krysten Ritter herself and that was very entertaining.
]]> The Tenant 221733722 There’s no place like home�

Blake Porter is riding high, until he's not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancee, he's desperate to make ends meet.

Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She's exactly what Blake's looking for. Or is she?

Because something isn't quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets...

Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realizes it, it'll be far too late. The trap is already set.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden knocks at your door with a gripping story of revenge, privilege, and secrets turned sour�]]> 368 Freida McFadden 1464227314 Cynth 4 I would recommend, I think it’s a great one to read if you’re new to thrillers. ]]> 3.87 2025 The Tenant
author: Freida McFadden
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/09
date added: 2025/05/09
shelves:
review:
I found the start of the book slow and I wasn’t completely hooked, it was going to be a 3 stars until the last 30% of the book which in my opinion saved the book. The ending was satisfying!
I would recommend, I think it’s a great one to read if you’re new to thrillers.
]]> The Breakdown 31450633
But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…]]> 328 B.A. Paris 1250122465 Cynth 4
I really enjoyed this fast paced domestic thriller. It was a very entertaining read that keeps you guessing. I saw some of the twists coming but it didn’t take away from the great way it unfolded. I would recommend!]]> 3.87 2017 The Breakdown
author: B.A. Paris
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/08
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves:
review:
Rating: 4.5

I really enjoyed this fast paced domestic thriller. It was a very entertaining read that keeps you guessing. I saw some of the twists coming but it didn’t take away from the great way it unfolded. I would recommend!
]]> This Book Will Bury Me 213570821 From the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

It's the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...


]]> 480 Ashley Winstead 1728270006 Cynth 3 3.67 2025 This Book Will Bury Me
author: Ashley Winstead
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/07
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves:
review:
I expected to like this one a lot more than I did, the premise sounds so interesting but it didn’t grab me. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t for me. Also please check TW before reading this as this describe grief and loss very graphically.
]]> A Fatal Affair 62818633 Stars. Lovers. Liars. Killers. This is Hollywood, and everyone has a part to play in a shocking novel of suspense by New York Times bestselling author A. R. Torre.

Actress Nora Kemp loves two men. One is Hugh Iverson, a philanthropic movie star who gives Nora security and respectability. The other is Hugh’s twin brother, Trent, a Hollywood bad boy who brings out Nora’s wild side. When Trent and an unidentified woman are found dead on the Iversons� Beverly Hills property, more than Nora’s and Hugh’s reputations are at stake.

An investigation suggests murder-suicide. But there’s more to the crime than first meets the eye: suspicions of a serial killer with a bizarre motive, Hugh’s unnerved and cautious staff, and a missing mother and son. As two LA detectives sift through the deceptions of the innocent and the guilty—some living and some dead—solving the case becomes a cunning cat-and-mouse game.

Because in a city of illusions, the truth—no matter how dangerous—is so easy to hide.]]> 313 A.R. Torre 1542039916 Cynth 4 I really enjoy a book with multiple POV and small chapters, A Fatal Affair fits that perfectly.

I would highly recommend!]]> 3.90 2023 A Fatal Affair
author: A.R. Torre
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/06
date added: 2025/05/06
shelves:
review:
This is my third book by A R Torre and I absolutely love her writing, her books are so gripping and twisty. This one was brilliant, set in the world of celebrities in Hollywood it has everything a dark thriller needs.
I really enjoy a book with multiple POV and small chapters, A Fatal Affair fits that perfectly.

I would highly recommend!
]]> Such Quiet Girls 222668031 Ten children, abducted in broad daylight—and buried alive.

Sage and her sister won’t make it home from school today. Neither will the other children on Bus 315. But that’s only the beginning of the nightmare.

New bus driver Jessa blames herself for what happened. She couldn’t protect the kids she was supposed to deliver to daycare, just like she couldn’t protect her own daughter three years ago. But this time, everything will be different. It has to be.

Trapped in a shipping container buried twenty feet underground, Jessa and the children do their best to stay calm. The kidnappers insist that if everyone behaves, they’ll be freed when the ransom is paid. But Sage isn’t sure they’ll last that long. Neither is Jessa. It’s dark and cramped, and with every passing minute it’s getting harder to breathe.

With time—and air—running thin, Jessa and the children must find a way to outsmart their captors, or face an unthinkable fate.

Such Quiet Girls was inspired by actual events.


]]> 354 Noelle W. Ihli Cynth 5
I loved the premise of the book and the multiple POVs, I felt on edge throughout the whole book and couldn’t wait to get to the end to know how it unfolds.

Noelle is such a brilliant author and I would highly recommend you read this and her other books!]]> 4.15 2025 Such Quiet Girls
author: Noelle W. Ihli
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves:
review:
This was an easy five star. Absolutely gripping, clever and twisty!

I loved the premise of the book and the multiple POVs, I felt on edge throughout the whole book and couldn’t wait to get to the end to know how it unfolds.

Noelle is such a brilliant author and I would highly recommend you read this and her other books!
]]> Death Row (Alibis collection) 230824619
Talia Kemper is on death row for murdering her husband. She had an alibi and no known motive, yet Talia’s unwavering protestations of innocence have always been ignored. Then one day in the visiting area, she sees a recognizable stranger she’s certain is her husband. It turns out the man she’s been convicted of killing may not be dead after all. But as the days tick away toward Talia’s execution, what will it take for her to be believed?

Freida McFadden’s Death Row is part of Alibis, a collection of stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.]]> 74 Freida McFadden 1662532261 Cynth 4
Rating is based of the fact that it was a short story.

I would recommend for a short entertaining read. ]]> 3.78 2025 Death Row (Alibis collection)
author: Freida McFadden
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/02
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves:
review:
I am honestly not 100% sure how I felt about this one, I enjoyed it a lot in parts and some parts were just like “what?!� - it kept me hooked and I read it in 30mins so it must have been entertaining and doing its jobs as a thriller. I was definitely surprised by the twists.

Rating is based of the fact that it was a short story.

I would recommend for a short entertaining read.
]]> Hide and Seek 223277647 An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.

A missing child. A house full of secrets. A mystery waiting to be solved.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a twisty psychological thriller that you won’t be able to put down.

Close your eyes.
The game of hide and seek is over, but little Lily Murphy hasn't been found. Her parents try to stay positive, but they know this peaceful Dublin suburb will never be the same again.

Count to ten.
Years later, Joanna moves into a new house. It seems perfect in every way, until she learns that Lily Murphy used to live here.

And when you open them, your child is gone.
Because Joanna thinks she knows what really happened to Lily � and if the truth gets out, it might be her undoing...]]> 343 Andrea Mara 1473589460 Cynth 5
I absolutely recommend this book even if thriller isn’t usually your go-to genre. You will love it!]]> 4.03 2022 Hide and Seek
author: Andrea Mara
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/30
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves:
review:
This is probably one of my favourite thrillers ever now. It was so well written, the characters so interesting, it was beautifully plotted with two timelines and everything unfolded perfectly. The twists had my jaw on the floor and the ending was perfect.

I absolutely recommend this book even if thriller isn’t usually your go-to genre. You will love it!
]]> Wrong Place Wrong Time 61209646 New York Times bestselling author Gillian McAllister has created a thriller unlike any other in this endlessly clever, twisty story of a mother who must move backward through time to prevent tragedy from striking at the heart of her family.

Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?

It is midnight on the morning of Halloween, and Jen anxiously waits up for her 18-year-old son, Todd, to return home. But worries about his broken curfew transform into something much more dangerous when Todd finally emerges from the darkness. As Jen watches through the window, she sees her funny, seemingly happy teenage son stab a total stranger.

She doesn’t know who the victim is, or why Todd has committed such a devastating act of violence. All she knows is that her life, and Todd’s, have been shattered.

After her son is taken into custody, Jen falls asleep in despair. But when she wakes up…it is yesterday. The murder has not happened yet—and there may be a chance to stop it. Each morning, when Jen wakes, she is further back in the past, first weeks, then years, before the murder. And Jen realizes that somewhere in the past lies the trigger for Todd’s terrible crime…and it is her mission to find it, and prevent it from taking place.

Both the story of a mother’s love and the sacrifices she will make for her child, and a thriller with a brilliant twist, Wrong Place Wrong Time is a one-of-a-kind novel that begs to be read in one sitting.]]> 370 Gillian McAllister 1405949848 Cynth 5
100% would recommend this! ]]> 4.03 2022 Wrong Place Wrong Time
author: Gillian McAllister
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves:
review:
Incredible, probably one of the cleverest books I’ve ever read! Brilliantly plotted with shocking twists that I didn’t see coming, I can’t believe I waited this long to read this book.

100% would recommend this!
]]> Unmissing 57360704
Merritt Coletto and her husband, Luca, have the life they dreamed of: a coastal home, a promising future, and a growing family. That dream ends with a late-night knock on the door.

Weak, broken, and emaciated, it’s Luca’s first wife, Lydia. Missing for ten years, presumed dead, and very much alive, she has quite a story. Her kidnapping. A torturous confinement that should’ve ended with her dead. And finally, escape. Racked with guilt over the beautiful life they’ve built, Merritt and Luca agree to help get Lydia back on her feet—it’s the least they can do.

But the more enmeshed Lydia becomes in Merritt’s family, the more questions Merritt has. What is it about Lydia that’s especially unnerving? Why hasn’t she gone to the police with her harrowing tale? What does she really want of them? The answers, when they come, are terrifying.

Because Lydia isn’t the only one with secrets.]]> 252 Minka Kent Cynth 4
I would absolutely recommend this if you’re looking for a thriller that will have you hooked and questioning everything, this is the one for you!]]> 3.99 2022 Unmissing
author: Minka Kent
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves:
review:
This was a super quick, gripping thriller! Some of the twists were unexpected and took me by surprise!

I would absolutely recommend this if you’re looking for a thriller that will have you hooked and questioning everything, this is the one for you!
]]> Message Deleted 222278593 The message has vanished. So has your best friend. An irresistible high-concept psychological suspense novel from one of the UK's most-loved thriller writers

Saffy is waiting to go into an important meeting when she receives a text message from her best friend, Leona: Can’t speak� don’t text or call� pls just come
Of course, she races to her friend’s house. But when she arrives, she notices something strange.
This message was deleted.
Leona answers the door, and insists everything's fine. She doesn't know anything about the message.
Six hours later, Saffy gets a knock on the door. It's the police. Leona is missing, with her young child. There's blood everywhere. And Saffy was the last one to see them alive...]]> 432 K.L. Slater 1405962496 Cynth 4 3.66 Message Deleted
author: K.L. Slater
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.66
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves:
review:

]]> The Good Lie 56238004 Six teens murdered. A suspect behind bars. A desperate father. In a case this shadowy, the truth is easy to hide.

Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore is an expert on killers. She’s spent a decade treating California’s most depraved predators and unlocking their motives—predators much like the notorious Bloody Heart serial killer, whose latest teenage victim escaped and then identified local high school teacher Randall Thompson as his captor. The case against Thompson as the Bloody Heart Killer is damning—and closed, as far as Gwen and the media are concerned. If not for one new development�

Defense attorney Robert Kavin is a still-traumatized father whose own son fell prey to the BH Killer. Convinced of Thompson’s innocence, he steps in to represent him. Now Robert wants Gwen to interview the accused, create a psych profile of the killer and his victims, and help clear his client’s name.

As Gwen and Robert grow closer and she dives deeper into the investigation, grave questions arise. So does Gwen’s suspicion that Robert is hiding something—and that he might not be the only one with a secret.

Six teenagers dead. Finally, the killer behind bars. But are the games just beginning?]]> 257 A.R. Torre 1542020174 Cynth 5
This was a super quick read, gripping with a clever plot and good twists.

I would highly recommend!]]> 4.12 2021 The Good Lie
author: A.R. Torre
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/25
date added: 2025/04/25
shelves:
review:
I devoured this one, another great thriller by A R Torre!

This was a super quick read, gripping with a clever plot and good twists.

I would highly recommend!
]]> Count My Lies 214151565 A read-in-one-night suspense thriller narrated by a compulsive liar whose little white lies allow her to enter into the life and comfort of a wealthy married couple who are harboring much darker secrets themselves. For the millions of us still chasing those gone girls, this is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley, and Laura Dave.

Sloane Caraway is a liar.

Harmless lies, mostly, to make her self-proclaimed sad, little life a bit more interesting.

So when Sloane sees a young girl in tears at a park one afternoon, she can't help herself—she tells the girl's (very attractive) dad she's a nurse and helps him pull a bee stinger from the girl's foot.

With this lie, and chance encounter, Sloane becomes the nanny for the wealthy, and privileged Jay and Violet Lockhart. The perfect New York couple, with a brownstone, a daughter in private school, and summers on Block Island.

But maybe Sloane isn't the only one lying, and all that's picture-perfect harbors a much more dangerous truth. To say anything more is to spoil the most exciting, twisty, and bitingly smart suspense novel to come out in years.

The thing about lies is that they add up, form their own truth and a twisted prison of a world. And in Count My Lies, Sophie Stava spins a breakneck, unputdownable thriller about the secrets we keep, and the terrifying dangers that lurk just under the images we spend so much time trying to maintain.

Careful what you lie for.]]> 336 Sophie Stava 1668079348 Cynth 4
The female characters were well written and I enjoyed the twists!

It was a quick read and I would definitely recommend it! It was a well rounded domestic thriller. ]]> 3.72 2025 Count My Lies
author: Sophie Stava
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/24
date added: 2025/04/24
shelves:
review:
I’ve seen so many mixed reviews on this one but I honestly really enjoyed it.

The female characters were well written and I enjoyed the twists!

It was a quick read and I would definitely recommend it! It was a well rounded domestic thriller.
]]> Little Secrets 49380483 From the author of Jar of Hearts, a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son learns her husband is having an affair with the woman who might have kidnapped him.

Four hundred and eighty seconds. That’s how long it took for someone to steal Marin Machado's four-year-old son.

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman.

Kenzie Li is an artist and grad student—Instagram famous—and up to her eyeballs in debt. She knows Derek is married. She also knows he's rich, and dating him comes with perks: help with bills, trips away, expensive gifts. He isn't her first rich boyfriend, but she finds herself hoping he'll be the last. She's falling for him—and that was never part of the plan.

Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek's lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek.]]> 320 Jennifer Hillier 178649518X Cynth 5
It was gripping and I felt so angry for the main character.

The characters were very interesting and I would highly highly recommend!]]> 4.21 2020 Little Secrets
author: Jennifer Hillier
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves:
review:
Absolutely brilliant, easy 5 ⭐️.

It was gripping and I felt so angry for the main character.

The characters were very interesting and I would highly highly recommend!
]]> What Happened to Nina? 218210896
Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and in love. Until they leave for a weekend in a cabin in the woods, and only Simon comes home.

A girl who vanishes into thin air�

Simon’s version of events doesn’t add up. And soon, Nina and Simon’s families are locked in a battle of accusations and lies.

A fight to discover the truth�

As Simon’s parents hire expensive lawyers to protect their son, all Nina’s parents want is to find their daughter. And maybe if playing by the rules doesn’t work, it’s time to break them…]]> 336 Dervla McTiernan 0008408041 Cynth 4
Definitely an underrated book that I would recommend! ]]> 3.93 2024 What Happened to Nina?
author: Dervla McTiernan
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/18
shelves:
review:
I loved the writing in this one, it was beautifully written. I felt all the emotions the characters were going through and wanted to keep reading.

Definitely an underrated book that I would recommend!
]]> Middle of the Night 199026522 In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend—and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines of his picture-perfect neighborhood.

The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul de sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.

Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul de sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?

The mysterious occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a quest that reunites him with former friends and neighbors and leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. Woods where Billy claimed monsters roamed and where a mysterious institute does clandestine research on a crumbling estate.

The closer Ethan gets to the truth, the more he realizes that no place—be it quiet forest or suburban street—is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present.]]> 367 Riley Sager 0593472373 Cynth 5
It was the right level of creepy and while I did guess some twists, I was shocked by some others.

It was really well written like all the Riley Sager books and it didn’t disappoint.

I would definitely recommend! ]]> 3.65 2024 Middle of the Night
author: Riley Sager
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves:
review:
I went into this one not really expecting much because I’ve heard mixed reviews but I honestly really enjoyed it!

It was the right level of creepy and while I did guess some twists, I was shocked by some others.

It was really well written like all the Riley Sager books and it didn’t disappoint.

I would definitely recommend!
]]> The One 40670312 How far would you go to find The One?

A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner the one you are genetically made for.

That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.

Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.� They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after� isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others�

A word-of-mouth hit in the United Kingdom, The One is a fascinating novel that shows how even the simplest discoveries can have complicated consequences.]]> 418 John Marrs Cynth 5
It was beautifully written and had me hooked, I love John Marrs� writing and this was my first of his speculative thrillers!

I would highly recommend! ]]> 4.09 2016 The One
author: John Marrs
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves:
review:
So clever, the twists, the plot, characters, I loved everything!

It was beautifully written and had me hooked, I love John Marrs� writing and this was my first of his speculative thrillers!

I would highly recommend!
]]> No Place Left to Hide 209823376 Some secrets just won't stay hidden in this twisty new thriller from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Megan Lally!

To Brooke, image is everything. She works hard to maintain perfect grades, perfect looks, a perfect life—especially after "the incident" that threatened it all. Getting into her dream university puts her that much closer to a fresh start. How can she say no to celebrating with all her classmates?

Hanging out with her crush by the bonfire is the perfect end to the night. Except it isn't the end. An old truck starts aggressively tailing Brooke and her best friend on the isolated road toward home. Someone thinks they know the truth about "the incident," and they won't stop until it's all out in the open. This terrifying drive is about to bring out Brooke's worst fears…if she survives it.]]> 259 Megan Lally 1728270146 Cynth 3
I did love That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally which is why my hopes were high for this one.

It was a quick good enough read ]]> 3.55 2025 No Place Left to Hide
author: Megan Lally
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves:
review:
This was okay, I found it very predictable but it wasn’t the worst book. It’s a YA so I’m sure someone in that age group would enjoy it more than I did.

I did love That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally which is why my hopes were high for this one.

It was a quick good enough read
]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 Cynth 5
Haymitch’s story will make you so emotional, it’s beautifully written and helps understand who Haymitch is.

Can’t recommend this enough� ]]> 4.59 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves:
review:
Absolutely beautiful, no words. This took me back to reading the first books as a teenager.

Haymitch’s story will make you so emotional, it’s beautifully written and helps understand who Haymitch is.

Can’t recommend this enough�
]]> Tell Me What You Did 209823382
Poe Webb, host of a popular true crime podcast, invites people to anonymously confess crimes they've committed to her audience. She can't guarantee the police won't come after her "guests," but her show grants simultaneous anonymity and instant fame—a potent combination that's proven difficult to resist. After an episode recording, Poe usually erases both criminal and crime from her mind.

But when a strange and oddly familiar man appears on her show, Poe is forced to take a second look. Not only because he claims to be her mother's murderer from years ago, but because Poe knows something no one else does. Her mother's murderer is dead.

Poe killed him.

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Dead Girl in 2A and The New Neighbor comes a chilling new thriller that forces the question: are murderers always the bad guys?]]> 420 Carter Wilson 1464226229 Cynth 5
I really enjoyed this one, I love the podcast style in a thriller and it was done so well in this one!

It had short chapters and was fast paced. I love a dual timeline that eventually meets up in the end!

I would absolutely recommend!]]> 3.75 2025 Tell Me What You Did
author: Carter Wilson
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/12
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves:
review:
Rating : 4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this one, I love the podcast style in a thriller and it was done so well in this one!

It had short chapters and was fast paced. I love a dual timeline that eventually meets up in the end!

I would absolutely recommend!
]]> The Couple Next Door 29970013 You never know what's happening on the other side of the wall.

Your neighbour told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn't stand her crying.

Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You'll have the baby monitor and you'll take it in turns to go back every half hour.

Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realized. She's gone.

You've never had to call the police before. But now they're in your home, and who knows what they'll find there.

What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit?]]> 344 Shari Lapena 0552173142 Cynth 4 3.73 2016 The Couple Next Door
author: Shari Lapena
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this one, it was an easy quick read. I think this would be perfect for anyone looking to get into thriller books.
]]> Lock Every Door 42448028 They’ve offered you a luxury apartment, rent free. THE CATCH: you may not live long enough to enjoy it�

No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents.
These are the only rules for Jules Larson's new job as apartment sitter for an elusive resident of the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile private buildings and home to the rich and famous.

Recently heartbroken and practically homeless, Jules readily accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.

Out of place among the extremely wealthy, Jules finds herself pulled toward other apartment sitter Ingrid. But Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her. Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story - but the next day, her new friend has vanished.
And then Jules discovers that Ingrid is not the first temporary resident to go missing�

Welcome to the Bartholomew…You may never leave.

From the New York Times bestselling author of FINAL GIRLS and LAST TIME I LIED: 'the author delivers the kind of unpredictable conclusion that all thriller readers crave - utterly shocking yet craftily foreshadowed...' New York Times Book Review]]> 370 Riley Sager 1529104416 Cynth 3
I absolutely love Riley Sager and his writing is always amazing, however this book didn’t hit the mark for me� felt a bit slow and dragging at parts. I would still recommend it if you’re getting into thrillers. ]]> 3.79 2019 Lock Every Door
author: Riley Sager
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:
3.5 ⭐️

I absolutely love Riley Sager and his writing is always amazing, however this book didn’t hit the mark for me� felt a bit slow and dragging at parts. I would still recommend it if you’re getting into thrillers.
]]> First Lie Wins 221996372 There's an old saying: The first lie wins. Not the little white kind that tumble out with no thought; it refers to the big ones. The ones that change the game. The lie that sets the stage for everything that comes after...

At a party with her fiancé Ryan, Evie Porter is not looking for trouble. But trouble has found her.. A woman approaches. She's using Evie's name. And Evie knows it's a warning...

Because Evie Porter is not her real name. It's her job. Ryan Sumner is not her future husband. He's her target. And this woman showing up now can only mean one thing. Her employer is watching. One mistake and she's dead. To save herself, and escape her employer for good, Evie must set the last perfect trap. Which means using herself as bait...]]> 400 Ashley Elston 147229534X Cynth 4
It did drag a little bit in the middle but I really enjoyed the book overall and would highly recommend it!

I also felt like I’d guessed the plot twist but I absolutely didn’t! So bonus for that! ]]> 3.89 2024 First Lie Wins
author: Ashley Elston
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this one, I liked the FMC and I felt like the plot came together really cleverly.

It did drag a little bit in the middle but I really enjoyed the book overall and would highly recommend it!

I also felt like I’d guessed the plot twist but I absolutely didn’t! So bonus for that!
]]> <![CDATA[Part of Your World (Part of Your World, #1)]]> 58684524
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere� ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

The New York Times bestselling author of Life's Too Short delivers a refreshingly modern fairy tale perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Emily Henry.]]> 389 Abby Jimenez 1538704374 Cynth 5
I don’t normally read this genre, I’m an absolute thriller girly but this book was everything, it felt like watching a rom-com, the characters were beautifully written, it had me laughing, tearing up and smiling!

I would absolutely recommend even if like me this isn’t your usual genre, Abby Jimenez brings this world so perfectly to life with her fantastic writing! ]]> 4.26 2022 Part of Your World (Part of Your World, #1)
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:
This was a very easy 5 ⭐️

I don’t normally read this genre, I’m an absolute thriller girly but this book was everything, it felt like watching a rom-com, the characters were beautifully written, it had me laughing, tearing up and smiling!

I would absolutely recommend even if like me this isn’t your usual genre, Abby Jimenez brings this world so perfectly to life with her fantastic writing!
]]> The Haters 215749347 The bestselling author ofThe PartyԻ The Drowning Woman returns with a twisted tale of fame, obsession, and the dark recesses of social media.

Camryn Lane is living her dream. After years of struggle and rejection, her first novel has finally been published. Her editor is happy; her teenage daughter is proud; and her boyfriend and friends are all excited for her. She’s on top of the world—until she receives a disturbing message from an unknown sender.

Rattled by the accusations she finds there, Camryn swallows the sick feeling in her stomach and resolves to put the missive out of her mind. But when she checks her ratings on a popular book site, she finds a scathing one-star review. The reviewer is so articulate and convincing that soon, Camryn’s book is flooded with bad reviews. Could the reviewer be the same person who sent the ugly email? And why do they want to ruin her?

As the online harassment creeps into Camryn’s personal life, she vows to find out who’s behind it. Is it really a disgruntled reader? Or could it be someone she knows? The troll’s actions are escalating, and when the abuse turns deadly, it will take everything Camryn has to unmask the enemy so intent on destroying her—and finally learn why she's being targeted.]]> 352 Robyn Harding 1538766116 Cynth 5
I absolutely love Robyn Harding’s writing. This book did not disappoint me, I really enjoyed it and was gripped!

Robyn Harding’s writing is so compelling, I could feel the main character’s emotions as she’s going through the dark and twisted plot.

It has short chapters, good twists and it felt like a thriller that was different and I really enjoyed that. It also dives into the scary place the internet can be.

I would absolutely recommend!]]> 3.54 2024 The Haters
author: Robyn Harding
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves:
review:
4.5 ⭐️

I absolutely love Robyn Harding’s writing. This book did not disappoint me, I really enjoyed it and was gripped!

Robyn Harding’s writing is so compelling, I could feel the main character’s emotions as she’s going through the dark and twisted plot.

It has short chapters, good twists and it felt like a thriller that was different and I really enjoyed that. It also dives into the scary place the internet can be.

I would absolutely recommend!
]]> Home Is Where the Bodies Are 194020321
While going through their parents' belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.

Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.]]> 256 Jeneva Rose Cynth 5
It was my first Jeneva Rose book but it won’t be my last, I loved her writing and how easily everything flowed.

Can’t recommend this book enough! ]]> 3.77 2024 Home Is Where the Bodies Are
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves:
review:
This is probably one of the easiest 5 stars I’ve given. This thriller had everything I love, Multiple POV, complicated family dynamic, dual timeline, short chapter, gripping and fast paced storyline, twists that kept you turning the pages and well developed characters.

It was my first Jeneva Rose book but it won’t be my last, I loved her writing and how easily everything flowed.

Can’t recommend this book enough!
]]> When I Was Ten 60285482 400 Fiona Cummins 1509876987 Cynth 3
I really loved the storyline but I struggled with this one, it was really slow to start and I didn’t think the MPs story was necessary. It feels like it took me ages to read because I couldn’t get into it completely.

Fiona Cummins� writing is fabulous and I’ll definitely pick more books by her but for me When I Was Ten did not wow me. ]]> 3.93 2020 When I Was Ten
author: Fiona Cummins
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:
3.5 ⭐️

I really loved the storyline but I struggled with this one, it was really slow to start and I didn’t think the MPs story was necessary. It feels like it took me ages to read because I couldn’t get into it completely.

Fiona Cummins� writing is fabulous and I’ll definitely pick more books by her but for me When I Was Ten did not wow me.
]]> The Silent Bride 62921149
Alice and Seth are a perfect love story: the handsome doctor and his beautiful fiancée. They’re wealthy, well liked and made for each other—the envy of all their friends. Alice can’t wait for the day of their dream wedding. But when she arrives at the altar, she doesn’t recognise the man waiting to marry her.

When this stranger insists he’s Seth, her husband-to-be, the entire congregation seems to agree. Even her parents try to persuade Alice to go through with the wedding.

As panic sets in, Alice’s world comes apart. Where is the real Seth, and why have all traces of him disappeared from her life? Fearing she’s losing her mind, she sets out to uncover the truth and escape the nightmare she’s living in. But with everyone around her convinced by the fake Seth, how can she ever hope to find the man she loves?]]> 267 Shalini Boland 1662507070 Cynth 5
The storyline was so interesting! A bride walks down the aisle but she doesn’t recognise her fiancé at the end of the aisle!

So clever, I’m definitely a Shalini Boland fan now! ]]> 3.80 2023 The Silent Bride
author: Shalini Boland
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:
I absolutely devoured this book, it was so fast paced and gripping!

The storyline was so interesting! A bride walks down the aisle but she doesn’t recognise her fiancé at the end of the aisle!

So clever, I’m definitely a Shalini Boland fan now!
]]> The Husband Before You 222824481
Opening the front door, I’m stunned to see a familiar face. I never thought I’d see Freddie’s deep brown eyes and crooked smile again. But how is this possible when he died ten years ago�?

It took years to move on, but finally my life is almost perfect. I live in a gorgeous house with my handsome second husband Carter, my two daughters and our adorable baby boy. I’ve never stopped missing Freddie or wondering what happened to him. But now he’s here and staring right at me � and my head is spinning with questions.

Then Freddie says, ‘Don’t trust Carter.� It sends shivers down my spine. Freddie and Carter used to be best friends. So what does he mean? Carter has been my shoulder to cry on, my rock. He’s helped me through the darkest times. I trust him with my life� don’t I?

Who is telling the truth: my first husband or my second husband? And could one of them be behind the threatening notes I’ve been receiving?

I have to make the right choice. My life depends on it�

An absolutely addictive page-turner with heart-pounding twists from beginning to end. Fans of The Woman in the Window, Shari Lapena, Lisa Jewell and The Housemaid won’t be able toput this down!]]> 366 A.J. McDine 1835259375 Cynth 4 I was completely hooked and read it in just over a day. It was gripping and the story was really well laid out. The characters were interesting and came across well.

Some of the twists were unexpected and I loved how it unfolded. The short chapters made it easy to read and I couldn't put it down.

I will definitely be recommending this one!

rating: 4.5]]> 4.10 The Husband Before You
author: A.J. McDine
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:
This was my first time reading a book by A J McDine and it will definitely not be my last one.
I was completely hooked and read it in just over a day. It was gripping and the story was really well laid out. The characters were interesting and came across well.

Some of the twists were unexpected and I loved how it unfolded. The short chapters made it easy to read and I couldn't put it down.

I will definitely be recommending this one!

rating: 4.5
]]> I Would Die for You 218379721 Now: Nicole Forbes lives a quiet life in a small seaside Californian town with her husband and daughter. She is not expecting a writer to knock on her door asking for her personal insight into the downfall of the biggest British band of the 1980s—unveiling the threads of a life she put behind her years ago. The same day, her daughter goes missing and the school claims her aunt picked her up . . . but she doesn’t have an aunt. Convinced of a link between the two, Nicole is forced to revisit long-abandoned memories from her past to protect everything she now holds dear.

1986: Sixteen-year-old Cassie is obsessed with the hottest band in London, Secret Oktober. Harboring an intense crush on the leading man, Ben Edwards, she will do anything she can to capture his attention among the throngs of groupies at the band’s scandalous backstage parties. But when Ben discovers her older sister Nicole singing at a local bar one night, he can’t help but feel drawn to her, setting in motion a collision course that could tear their family apart.

Infused with the sounds of the 80s, this thrilling new novel from the inimitable Sandie Jones will captivate readers, as she explores what the frenzy of fandom can lead to in this shocking blockbuster.]]> 408 Sandie Jones 1035029626 Cynth 4
It was cleverly plotted and the twists were good. I really enjoyed the flashbacks chapters and love that it was set both in London in the 80s and California in 2011.

The characters were interesting and I enjoyed the plot around the famous boys band!

It did feel rushed at times and some parts of the story were a bit out there, which is why it’s a 4⭐️ for me.

Would definitely recommend.]]> 3.71 2024 I Would Die for You
author: Sandie Jones
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves:
review:
My first book by Sandie Jones but it definitely will not be my last.

It was cleverly plotted and the twists were good. I really enjoyed the flashbacks chapters and love that it was set both in London in the 80s and California in 2011.

The characters were interesting and I enjoyed the plot around the famous boys band!

It did feel rushed at times and some parts of the story were a bit out there, which is why it’s a 4⭐️ for me.

Would definitely recommend.
]]> Look Closer 59316367 448 David Ellis 0399170928 Cynth 5
At first I wasn’t getting into that much, thought it was a standard domestic thriller but oh my how wrong I was!

The twists in this were insane and so well mapped out, it flowed perfectly and I loved the back and forth timelines and the multiple POVs

I can totally see why it is so hyped up and it really is worth it! ]]> 4.17 2022 Look Closer
author: David Ellis
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/28
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves:
review:
´Ƿ�

At first I wasn’t getting into that much, thought it was a standard domestic thriller but oh my how wrong I was!

The twists in this were insane and so well mapped out, it flowed perfectly and I loved the back and forth timelines and the multiple POVs

I can totally see why it is so hyped up and it really is worth it!
]]> The Last Party 205837684 A loving mother. A notorious murderer. They both have reasons to hide their secrets in a novel of escalating shock and suspense by New York Times bestselling author A. R. Torre.

Perla Wultz lives with her husband, Grant, and their precious daughter, Sophie, in a gated Pasadena community. Affluent, sociable, and accomplished, Perla plays the part of loving wife and mother to perfection. It seems an ideal life, if not for a decades-old crime that has become Perla’s dark and consuming secret obsession.

Twenty-three years ago, Leewood Folcrum confessed to murdering two young girls during a birthday party. Though he’s been condemned to a life sentence, his crime is not forgotten. Not by Perla, nor by an inquisitive doctoral student interviewing Folcrum for his dissertation. He’s getting the killer to open up—about his motives, his confession, and the truth of what really happened on that horrible night.

As the past and the present entwine, the deceptions behind the infamous murder begin to surface. But who’s deceiving who now? And why? And as an ingeniously twisted plan is set in motion, who will be the next to die?]]> 349 A.R. Torre 1662519583 Cynth 5
This book surpassed my expectations, I was completely hooked!

The FMC is completely unhinged, all the characters are so well written. I loved the format of the book as well with all the little «snippets/comments» from witnesses throughout the book.

I did guess the twist but it didn’t take away from the satisfaction of the twist and ending of this book!

I’ve already ordered my next A R Torre book! ]]> 4.08 2024 The Last Party
author: A.R. Torre
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
review:
Probably one of the easiest 5 star I’ve given this year.

This book surpassed my expectations, I was completely hooked!

The FMC is completely unhinged, all the characters are so well written. I loved the format of the book as well with all the little «snippets/comments» from witnesses throughout the book.

I did guess the twist but it didn’t take away from the satisfaction of the twist and ending of this book!

I’ve already ordered my next A R Torre book!
]]> The Family Across the Street 58016065
Everybody wants to live on Hogarth Street, the pretty, tree-lined avenue with its white houses. The new family, The Wests, are a perfect fit. Katherine and John* seem so in love and their gorgeous five-year-old twins race screeching around their beautiful emerald-green lawn.

But soon people start to notice: why don’t they join backyard barbecues? Why do they brush away offers to babysit? Why, when you knock at the door, do they shut you out, rather than inviting you in?

Every family has secrets, and on the hottest day of the year, the truth is about to come out. As a tragedy unfolds behind closed doors, the dawn chorus is split by the wail of sirens. And one by one the families who tried so hard to welcome the Wests begin to realise: Hogarth Street will never be the same again.

A completely gripping, twist-packed psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Sally Hepworth and Lisa Jewell.
(*there is a typo on the back cover that calls him Josh)]]> 247 Nicole Trope 1800198264 Cynth 4
It was a short fast paced thriller packed with tension and twists.

There were some things that felt a bit far fetched but I like the characters, especially Logan and Gladys!

I would absolutely recommend, especially if you’re looking for a short thriller to get you out of a slump!]]> 3.87 2021 The Family Across the Street
author: Nicole Trope
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
I have to say, I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did.

It was a short fast paced thriller packed with tension and twists.

There were some things that felt a bit far fetched but I like the characters, especially Logan and Gladys!

I would absolutely recommend, especially if you’re looking for a short thriller to get you out of a slump!
]]> What You Did 44107392 It was supposed to be the perfect reunion: six university friends together again after twenty years. Host Ali finally has the life she always wanted, a career she can be proud of and a wonderful family with her college boyfriend, now husband. But that night her best friend makes an accusation so shocking that nothing will ever be the same again.

When Karen staggers in from the garden, bleeding and traumatised, she claims that she has been assaulted—by Ali’s husband, Mike. Ali must make a split-second decision: who should she believe? Her horrified husband, or her best friend? With Mike offering a very different version of events, Ali knows one of them is lying—but which? And why?

When the ensuing chaos forces her to re-examine the golden era the group shared at university, Ali realises there are darker memories too. Memories that have lain dormant for decades. Memories someone would kill to protect.

]]> 282 Claire McGowan 1542091349 Cynth 4 I read it quickly and really enjoyed the way the story was set up!

Definitely one I would recommend!

Check TW.]]> 4.00 2019 What You Did
author: Claire McGowan
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves:
review:
A fast paced thriller with good twists, that kept me hooked throughout.
I read it quickly and really enjoyed the way the story was set up!

Definitely one I would recommend!

Check TW.
]]> Eight Years of Lies 222440949
This is the day my life changes for ever.

Earlier, I was scrolling through Facebook when something caught my eye. A photograph. The caption PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP ME? HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?

It's my husband and our daughter.

The man I married eight years ago isn’t who I thought he was at all. My husband has been lying to me . . . about everything.]]> 301 Lisa Hall 1835269524 Cynth 2
The storyline was interesting enough but the flow just didn’t work for me. I also found the main character insufferable.

The twist was good and the ending was satisfying at least!

Rating: 2.5]]> 3.96 2025 Eight Years of Lies
author: Lisa Hall
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
Not sure about this one�

The storyline was interesting enough but the flow just didn’t work for me. I also found the main character insufferable.

The twist was good and the ending was satisfying at least!

Rating: 2.5
]]> Final Girls 32738765
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.

That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.]]> 343 Riley Sager 1785034030 Cynth 4
While some parts felt a bit longer than necessary, the narrative flowed smoothly, keeping me invested throughout. Sager’s writing style and ability to build tension are as captivating as ever, making this yet another standout read from him.]]> 3.63 2017 Final Girls
author: Riley Sager
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves:
review:
I went into Final Girls by Riley Sager completely blind, unsure of what to expect � and it did not disappoint. The story had me hooked from the start, with its suspenseful atmosphere and cleverly crafted twists. Just when I thought I had figured out the ending, Sager pulled the rug out from under me, leaving me genuinely shocked.

While some parts felt a bit longer than necessary, the narrative flowed smoothly, keeping me invested throughout. Sager’s writing style and ability to build tension are as captivating as ever, making this yet another standout read from him.
]]> The Trap 179843788 She'll try again tomorrow night. But will the man who took her sister take the bait?]]> 384 Catherine Ryan Howard 1804991163 Cynth 4
My only disappointment and the reason why it’s not 5 ⭐️ is that the ending was not satisfying for me.

I loved the writing and will definitely pick up more books by Catherine Ryan Howard!]]> 3.54 2023 The Trap
author: Catherine Ryan Howard
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed that one, it was very clever and the plot unfolded very well.

My only disappointment and the reason why it’s not 5 ⭐️ is that the ending was not satisfying for me.

I loved the writing and will definitely pick up more books by Catherine Ryan Howard!
]]> The Psychopath Next Door 213725649
Ethan Dove’s family has moved to a new home in a safe community, and it’s exactly the fresh start they need. Not only is his marriage to Emma hanging by a thread, but his son, Dylan, and twelve-year-old daughter, Rose, deserve to have a happy childhood.

After Rose is bullied by the boys across the road, Ethan is relieved when the woman who lives next door steps in. Fiona Smith has come into their lives at just the right moment, and when she offers to look after Rose during the school holidays, Ethan and Emma can’t believe their luck.

Which is exactly what Fiona wants. Because, far from being the perfect neighbour, Fiona is the last person you should trust with your child. With a vicious plot for revenge, Fiona is happy to train Rose to be her accomplice, especially when she begins to suspect that Rose might not be as innocent as she appears�

The Psychopath Next Door is a gripping and twisted psychological suspense thriller set in the terrifying world of Mark Edwards’s bestselling The Magpies universe.]]> 340 Mark Edwards 1662508964 Cynth 5 This book was amazing! Probably one of my favourite reads so far this year.

It was so clever, the characters were so good and the plot was gripping!

The twist and the end had me physically drop my jaw, it was one of those books where I lost myself in and enjoyed it so so much!

100% recommend!!]]> 3.99 2025 The Psychopath Next Door
author: Mark Edwards
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves:
review:
I’m still picking my jaw up from the floor�
This book was amazing! Probably one of my favourite reads so far this year.

It was so clever, the characters were so good and the plot was gripping!

The twist and the end had me physically drop my jaw, it was one of those books where I lost myself in and enjoyed it so so much!

100% recommend!!
]]> The Missing Hours 59345981 288 Julia Dahl 0571354122 Cynth 3
While I found the plot compelling and the pacing engaging, the characters fell a bit flat for me, which made it harder to fully connect with the story. I do think it’s a good read and would recommend it for anyone looking for a short read!]]> 3.33 2021 The Missing Hours
author: Julia Dahl
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves:
review:
The missing hours by Julia Dahl felt like it could be a very dark episode of Gossip Girl. It is set in the privileged world of New York City. We follow socialite Claudia whose life takes a turn for the worst when she wakes up from a drunken night with barely any memories. The story is told from multiple POV and has an interesting flow.

While I found the plot compelling and the pacing engaging, the characters fell a bit flat for me, which made it harder to fully connect with the story. I do think it’s a good read and would recommend it for anyone looking for a short read!
]]> Geneva 217046285
In Geneva, the couple are feted as stars - at least, Sarah is. But behind the five-star luxury, investors are circling, controversial blogger Terri Landau is all over the story, and Sarah's symptoms are getting worse. As events begin to spiral out of control, Sarah can't be sure who to trust - including herself.]]> 288 Richard Armitage 0571384404 Cynth 4
Geneva follows the story of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier, who travels to Geneva with her husband Daniel for a conference. However, what begins as a professional trip quickly takes a dark and unexpected turn as Sarah is drawn into a web of secrets and deception. With her career and personal life at stake, Sarah must uncover the truth before it’s too late. Packed with tension and intrigue, this novel will keep you hooked until the final page!]]> 3.44 2022 Geneva
author: Richard Armitage
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves:
review:
If you’re looking for a gripping, fast-paced thriller with brilliantly crafted characters, Geneva by Richard Armitage is a must-read. The storyline is captivating from start to finish, keeping you on edge as you navigate the twists and turns of this cleverly written novel. One of the standout elements is the constant uncertainty about who can be trusted, which adds to the suspense and makes for an engaging reading experience. I’ll definitely be recommending this to fellow thriller enthusiasts.

Geneva follows the story of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier, who travels to Geneva with her husband Daniel for a conference. However, what begins as a professional trip quickly takes a dark and unexpected turn as Sarah is drawn into a web of secrets and deception. With her career and personal life at stake, Sarah must uncover the truth before it’s too late. Packed with tension and intrigue, this novel will keep you hooked until the final page!
]]> The New Neighbours 215811351 You know your neighbours are plotting a crime but no one believes you . . .

DON'T MISS THE SPINE-TINGLING NEW THRILLER FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR CLAIRE DOUGLAS, AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW

'Douglas is a master storyteller' JANICE HALLETT

'Douglas is the queen of the unexpected twist' GILLIAN MCALLISTER

'Claire Douglas is the Queen of Gripping Pageturners' CL TAYLOR

---

When Lena helps her teenage daughter gather sounds for her media studies project, she doesn't expect her boom-microphone to pick up a conversation between her neighbours, the Morgans.

And she’s certain they are planning a crime.

Her family and friends tell her that she must have misheard. After all, the Morgans are a well-respected, upstanding couple in their early sixties. They’ve never been in trouble with the law.

Yet Lena can’t stop thinking about it. Because what if she hasn’t misheard? What if she can prevent something awful happening?

After all, stopping it could help ease her conscience about her own dark past . . .

---

Praise for Claire Douglas

'Few people do psychological thrillers as claustrophobic and as creepy as Claire Douglas' Tim Weaver, bestselling author of No One Home

'Thrillingly tense and twisty' B. A. Paris, bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors

'Stunning . . . with a killer twist' Closer

'Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train' Marie Claire

'Twisty, exciting yet so very real' Gillian McAllister, bestselling author of Anything You Do Say]]> 360 Claire Douglas 1405957662 Cynth 4
I loved the main character and how the story develops.

There were a few great twists that kept me wanting to read more. It was cleverly plotted and beautifully written!

I would definitely recommend this!]]> 4.00 2025 The New Neighbours
author: Claire Douglas
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves:
review:
Claire Douglas has delivered another gripping thriller.

I loved the main character and how the story develops.

There were a few great twists that kept me wanting to read more. It was cleverly plotted and beautifully written!

I would definitely recommend this!
]]> You Killed Me First 212375021 Three women. Three smouldering secrets. Who will make it out alive?

It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in � she’s moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this?

Rewind eleven months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret � and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors.

As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire Night is approaching and someone is set to burn…But who will it be?]]> 385 John Marrs 166250649X Cynth 5
The twists were twisting and the plot was so clever!

I absolutely loved the Desperate Housewives, Pretty Little Liars vibes!

A must read!]]> 3.94 2025 You Killed Me First
author: John Marrs
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this!!

The twists were twisting and the plot was so clever!

I absolutely loved the Desperate Housewives, Pretty Little Liars vibes!

A must read!
]]> <![CDATA[A Game of Lies (DC Morgan, #2)]]> 123513986 But on this show, you can't trust anything you see.

Stranded in the Welsh mountains, seven reality show contestants have no idea what they've signed up for.

Each of these strangers has a secret. If another player can guess the truth, they won't just be eliminated - they'll be exposed live on air. The stakes are higher than they'd ever imagined, and they're trapped.

The disappearance of a contestant wasn't supposed to be part of the drama. Detective Ffion Morgan has to put aside what she's watched on screen, and find out who these people really are - knowing she can't trust any of them.

And when a murderer strikes, Ffion knows every one of her suspects has an alibi . . . and a secret worth killing for.]]> 368 Clare Mackintosh 1728296501 Cynth 0 currently-reading 3.67 2023 A Game of Lies (DC Morgan, #2)
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Party (DC Morgan, #1)]]> 60305071 At midnight, one of them is dead.
By morning, all of them are suspects.

It's a party to end all parties, but not everyone is here to celebrate.

On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests. His vacation homes on Mirror Lake are a success, and he’s generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbors.

But by midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.

On New Year’s Day, Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects. The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbors, friends and family—and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.

With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead…but who finally killed him.

In a village with this many secrets, murder is just the beginning. ]]> 432 Clare Mackintosh 172825096X Cynth 4
Clare Mackintosh’s writing is always flawless! ]]> 3.70 2022 The Last Party (DC Morgan, #1)
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed the first book in the DC Morgan series, the characters were so good and it actually made me want to go to Wales, it was so atmospheric!

Clare Mackintosh’s writing is always flawless!
]]> Next of Kin 59408130 ON AN ORDINARY WORKING DAY�

Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. He’s at his son’s nursery to pick up Max. But he isn’t there.

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE�

Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot.

Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done. Max has been locked in her car for three hours on the hottest day of the year.

IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE�

But she’s too late.

What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial, that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye�

A gripping, brave and tense courtroom drama, Next of Kin will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, heart-stopping page.]]> 336 Kia Abdullah 0008433674 Cynth 5
It is beautiful written and the story develops so well and quickly.

I would absolutely recommend!]]> 4.10 2021 Next of Kin
author: Kia Abdullah
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves:
review:
Wow. I devoured this book, I read it in 8 hours as it was so gripping I couldn’t put it down.

It is beautiful written and the story develops so well and quickly.

I would absolutely recommend!
]]> <![CDATA[The Woman in Cabin 10 (Lo Blacklock, #1)]]> 58776653 An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

This was meant to be the perfect trip. The Northern Lights. A luxury press launch on a boutique cruise ship.

A chance for travel journalist Lo Blacklock to recover from a traumatic break-in that has left her on the verge of collapse.

Except things don't go as planned.

Woken in the night by screams, Lo rushes to her window to see a body thrown overboard from the next door cabin. But the records show that no-one ever checked into that cabin, and no passengers are missing from the boat.

Exhausted and emotional, Lo has to face the fact that she may have made a mistake—either that, or she is now trapped on a boat with a murderer...]]> 368 Ruth Ware Cynth 4
Lo is on a luxury cruise after having survived a burglary in her home. She’s struggling with the trauma when she hears what sounds like the murder of the woman in the cabin next door, she reports it but there is no evidence and according to records and witnesses there has never been nobody staying in cabin 10�

I would definitely recommend!


]]> 3.57 2016 The Woman in Cabin 10 (Lo Blacklock, #1)
author: Ruth Ware
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves:
review:
4.5 ⭐️ I really enjoyed this one, it was interesting and gripping!

Lo is on a luxury cruise after having survived a burglary in her home. She’s struggling with the trauma when she hears what sounds like the murder of the woman in the cabin next door, she reports it but there is no evidence and according to records and witnesses there has never been nobody staying in cabin 10�

I would definitely recommend!



]]> The Stranger in Her House 141236527 A stranger has infiltrated your family…and now he’s taking over.

Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims—sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.

The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she’s built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he’s trying to push her out completely.

It’s her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she’s not the only one left wondering if she’s lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever—or has that been his plan all along?]]> 347 John Marrs 1662506473 Cynth 4
This follows Connie who looks after her mother, Gwen, who suffers from Dementia when a strange man starts insinuating himself into Gwen’s life and things very quickly take a super odd turn�

This was not my favourite John Marrs as I did find it frustrating at times but still a very very solid read that I would recommend! ]]> 3.94 2024 The Stranger in Her House
author: John Marrs
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves:
review:
Another great book by John Marrs.

This follows Connie who looks after her mother, Gwen, who suffers from Dementia when a strange man starts insinuating himself into Gwen’s life and things very quickly take a super odd turn�

This was not my favourite John Marrs as I did find it frustrating at times but still a very very solid read that I would recommend!
]]> Daisy Darker 130946342
The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows�

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker�s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling.]]> 338 Alice Feeney 1529089824 Cynth 4
It was a retelling of And Then There Were None which I really enjoyed.

It started a bit slow but quickly couldn’t put it down as so much was happening!

Definitely recommend!]]> 3.76 2022 Daisy Darker
author: Alice Feeney
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves:
review:
I love Alice Feeney’s writing and Daisy Darker didn’t disappoint.

It was a retelling of And Then There Were None which I really enjoyed.

It started a bit slow but quickly couldn’t put it down as so much was happening!

Definitely recommend!
]]> Drowning Woman 198493801
Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets—no one ever does—but when her restaurant fails, and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next move—until early one morning, she sees asobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Lee has thwarted her one chance to escape her life.

Out of options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her, until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the women soon strike up a close and unlikely friendship. And thenone day, Hazel makes a shocking she wants Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.]]> 352 Robyn Harding 1538726777 Cynth 5
The twists were unexpected and I absolutely loved the ending.

I am definitely a fan of Robyn Harding now! ]]> 4.06 2023 Drowning Woman
author: Robyn Harding
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves:
review:
This surpassed my expectations, I was completely gripped! The characters were so well written and the story was so engaging.

The twists were unexpected and I absolutely loved the ending.

I am definitely a fan of Robyn Harding now!
]]> Someone in the Attic 214569040
Anya is enjoying a relaxing bath when she hears a noise in the roof. Through the open bathroom door, she sees the attic hatch swing open, and a masked figure drops to the floor. Thirty seconds later, Anya is dead.

Across town, Anya's old school friend, Julia, sees an online video of a masked figure climbing out of an attic. She suddenly realises why the footage is eerily familiar. It was filmed inside her house.

Why would a stranger target Julia? Unless of course, it's not a stranger at all...]]> 368 Andrea Mara 1787636526 Cynth 5
Love Andrea Mara’s writing!]]> 3.95 2024 Someone in the Attic
author: Andrea Mara
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
I loved this one, it was gripping and I was sure I had guessed the twist but turns out I absolutely hadn’t!

Love Andrea Mara’s writing!
]]> Don't Let Her Stay 80830635
Joanne knows how lucky she is. Richard is a wonderful husband, Evie is the most gorgeous baby girl, they live in a beautiful house� Life couldn’t be better.

Until Richard’s twenty-year-old daughter Chloe turns up. Chloe hasn’t spoken to her father since the day he married Joanne two years ago. But Chloe wants to make peace. She’ll even move in for a few weeks to help Joanne with the new baby.

It sounds perfect, but when things happen that make Joanne feel like she’s losing her mind, she begins to wonder: Is Chloe really here to help? Or has Joanne made a terrible mistake by letting her move in?

And is it too late to ask her to leave?

Perfect for fans of Frieda McFadden, Sue Watson and Shalini Boland, Don’t Let Her Stay is a totally addictive psychological thriller with a twist that will shock you!]]> 288 Nicola Sanders Cynth 5 Highly recommend!]]> 3.95 2023 Don't Let Her Stay
author: Nicola Sanders
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
This had me completely hooked. The end gave me whiplash! It was very fast paced and made you question everything you think is happening!
Highly recommend!
]]> The Baby Swap 221925646 Someone stole my little boy. I’ll do whatever it takes to get him back�

Staring down at the sweet baby in my arms, I feel panic instead of love. Because this isn’t the child I gave birth to. My husband whispers to the midwife. They all think I’m going crazy. But the tiny boy in my arms is crying again. I’m he knows I’m not his mummy. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get my son back.

I did it. I swapped my baby with another newborn in the hospital. As I hold the child in my arms, I hear my own little boy start to cry on the other side of the curtain. My heart is shattering into a million pieces.

I know I had no choice. I didn’t want to do this. But no one can ever find out the reason why I swapped my baby. Because if anyone knew the truth, my life and my child’s life would be in danger�

Number 1 bestselling author Daniel Hurst is the master of fast-paced thrillers with twist after twist. The Baby Swap is an utterly addictive, page-turning read with a jaw-dropping ending for fans of T.M. Logan, Freida McFadden and B.A. Paris.

What readers are saying about The Baby Swap:

�A total rollercoaster� Flipping pages like my life depends on it� Totally bingeable. I mean, baby swapping? Dramaaa� Just when I thought I had it all figured out, BAM—curveball� Had me speed-reading� Whoa� Kept me hooked!� ŷ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

�Wow!... I couldn’t get enough of this� Had me gasping� I was on the edge of my seat the entire time� I couldn’t stop reading� Easily deserves 5 stars for the amount of jaw drops!� ŷ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

�HOLY COW� AMAZING. MY GOODNESS� Gave me chills� What a crazy wild ride� WOW, what a BANGER... OUTSTANDING� Brilliant!� NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

�Addictive, gripping� A page-turner!... Holy Moly!... Left me with my mouth hanging open!... Had my head spinning. Whew!... Jaw-dropping� I was completely sucked in from the first page until the very last!� Openbookposts.com, ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

�Wowza!... An adrenaline-fueled pulse-pounder� I couldn't read fast enough� Had my emotions running on high speed� My goodness� I loved every minute!� ŷ reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

�An absolute rollercoaster� Gripping� Packed with jaw-dropping twists� Turning the pages long into the night� Utterly addictive� I was hooked� I actually gasped� An unforgettable, unputdownable read!� Kelly Lacey, ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

�Gave me heart palpitations in the best way!... Every chapter was a cliffhanger, I was reading on the edge of my seat!...]]> 268 Daniel Hurst 1836185650 Cynth 4
This one was brilliant! I couldn’t put it down. It was fast paced with short chapters that kept you hooked!

A woman swaps her own baby with someone else’s on the maternity ward. I was literally hooked from the prologue!

A MUST read for fast paced thriller lovers ]]> 4.04 The Baby Swap
author: Daniel Hurst
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.04
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:
4.5 ⭐️

This one was brilliant! I couldn’t put it down. It was fast paced with short chapters that kept you hooked!

A woman swaps her own baby with someone else’s on the maternity ward. I was literally hooked from the prologue!

A MUST read for fast paced thriller lovers
]]> <![CDATA[Famous Last Words (International Edition)]]> 224998655
From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an addictive thriller about a new mother’s world upended when her husband commits a terrifying crime. How well does she truly know the man she loves? And what danger does she face if her entire life has been built on a lie?

It is June 21st, the longest day of the year, and new mother Camilla’s life is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop her infant daughter off at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But, when she wakes, her husband Luke isn’t there, and in his place is a cryptic note.

Then it starts. Breaking there's a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive, and tell her Luke is involved. But he isn't a hostage. Her husband—doting father, eternal optimist—is the gunman.

What she does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind that morning says...

Famous Last Words is the story of a crime, a marriage, and more secrets than Camilla ever could have imagined. This novel cements Gillian McAllister’s reputation as “the best at putting her characters in impossible situations and making her readers not only contemplate but feel what it would be like to find themselves in those situations.� (Emily Henry)]]> 416 Gillian McAllister 0241648033 Cynth 4 3.97 2025 Famous Last Words (International Edition)
author: Gillian McAllister
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves:
review:
I rated this 4.5 ⭐️ A very very interesting thriller. I was gripped and loved the story line!
]]> The Guest 203578920 New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris captivated psychological thriller readers everywhere with Behind Closed Doors. Now she invites you into another home full of heart-pounding secrets, in The Guest.

Some secrets never leave.

Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris' clothes, even rearranging the furniture.

Laure has walked out on her husband—and their good friend—Pierre, over his confession of an affair and a secret child. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive of their friends, but as Laure's mood becomes increasingly unpredictable, her presence takes its toll.

Iris and Gabriel's only respite comes in the form of a couple new to town. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past. Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could have known.]]> 320 B.A. Paris 1250908175 Cynth 2 3.62 2024 The Guest
author: B.A. Paris
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves:
review:
I really struggled to get through this book. I found it very slow and boring. It only got interesting in the last 5% - I had such high hopes as I absolutely loved Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris.
]]> Beautiful Ugly 211004123 The million-copy bestselling Queen of Twists Alice Feeney returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage. . .
. . . and revenge.

Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible � a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t.
Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.]]> 306 Alice Feeney 125033778X Cynth 5 3.63 2025 Beautiful Ugly
author: Alice Feeney
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves:
review:

]]> The Train from Platform 2 215767902 You’re trapped underground. There’s no way out. And there’s a killer on the loose�

When former Detective Inspector Jess boards the London Underground, it should be just a few short stops home. But as the tube barrels towards Baker Street, it’s brought to an abrupt stop, and they’re plunged into the darkness.

And then she hears the screeching.

Jess pushes through into the driver’s cabin. There, she finds his lifeless body, and stab wounds in his neck, still bleeding. But if nobody could get into the cabin from the outside, and nobody else could get into Jess’s carriage, the realization strikes there's a murderer among the passengers.

With no escape from the train, and in the pitch black, Jess is thrust into a deadly game. Every commuter becomes a potential threat, and time is ticking on relentlessly. In a race against the unknown murderer, Jess must unravel the sinister truth before the killer strikes again…]]> 317 Stephanie Steel 0008735220 Cynth 2 3.66 2025 The Train from Platform 2
author: Stephanie Steel
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves:
review:

]]> Hostage 195915361
'Hypnotically good' LEE CHILD
'Jaw-dropping twists' LUCY FOLEY
'The book of the summer' SUN

It's twenty hours to landing. A lot can happen in twenty hours . . .

You're on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney. It's a landmark journey, and the world is watching.

Shortly after take-off, you receive a chilling anonymous note.

There are people on this plane intent on bringing it down - and you're the key to their plan.

You'd never help them, even if your life depended on it.

But they have your daughter . . . So now you have to choose.

DO YOU SAVE HUNDREDS OF LIVES? OR THE ONE THAT MATTERS MOST?

'Feels like a blockbuster movie' LISA JEWELL

'The queen of nail-biting suspense' IRISH INDEPENDENT

'A nail-biter of a thriller' SHARI LAPENA

'A rip-roaring finale' GUARDIAN

'Propulsive - will have you questioning "what would you do?" at every turn' KARIN SLAUGHTER

'Mackintosh is a pro' NEW YORK TIMES

'Taking the locked room mystery to a new, white-knuckle extreme, this is electrifying' HEAT

'When Clare Mackintosh goes high concept, she doesn't mess around' LINWOOD BARCLAY

'An incredibly tense read that has a satisfyingly clever ending' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

'A thrilling rollercoaster of a story. It'll leave you breathless' JANE FALLON

'A smart pay-off' THE TIMES, THE BEST THRILLERS FOR JUNE

'A tense, convincing, nail-biter of a thriller' ADELE PARKS, PLATINUM MAGAZINE

'A banger of a book with a truly agonising "what would you do?"' RUTH WARE

'A thrilling, chilling gut-punch of a book' RED

'Why did no one warn me how bloody addictive it is?' TAMMY COHEN

'I dare anyone to read this high-octane, tense thriller on a flight' PRIMA

'I got wrong-footed, then I got whiplash! Mind-blowing' SANDIE JONES

'The year's most intriguing high-concept plot' DAILY EXPRESS

'Full of mystery, tension and emotion. An incredible thriller' ALLIE REYNOLDS

'Buckle up for some edge-of-your-plane-seat action' FABULOUS]]> 392 Clare Mackintosh Cynth 5
I felt so many emotions through this book and it's not often it happens to me. If you've not read this one yet then I would highly recommend you add it to your wishlist!]]> 3.87 2021 Hostage
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:
This is definitely a 5 star read for me. Firstly the setting and storyline are so gripping that I couldn't put it down but I also absolutely loved the fact that I related so much with Mina (the main character) who is a mum but also French Algerian living in the UK.

I felt so many emotions through this book and it's not often it happens to me. If you've not read this one yet then I would highly recommend you add it to your wishlist!
]]> Keep It in the Family 60109530
Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a chilling message scored into a skirting board: I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC. Following the clue up into the eaves, the couple make a gruesome discovery: their dream home was once a house of horrors.

In the wake of their traumatic discovery, the baby arrives and Mia can’t shake her fixation with the monstrous crimes that happened right above them. Haunted by the terrible things she saw and desperate to find answers, her obsession pulls her ever further from her husband.

Secrecy shrouds the mystery of the attic, but when shards of a dark truth start to emerge, Mia realises the danger is terrifyingly present. She is prepared to do anything to protect her family—but is it already too late?]]> 380 John Marrs 1542017289 Cynth 5 4.08 2022 Keep It in the Family
author: John Marrs
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves:
review:

]]> Survive the Night 55628983
Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news - the Campus Killer, who's tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again.

Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh's story.

As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she's thinking.

Meaning that she could very well end up as his next victim.]]> 336 Riley Sager 0593183169 Cynth 5 3.51 2021 Survive the Night
author: Riley Sager
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]> I Know Who You Are 35483371 From Alice Feeney, the author of Sometimes I Lie, comes I Know Who You Are, a thrilling novel about a little girl who runs away from home and an actress whose husband has gone missing.

Meet Aimee Sinclair: the actress everyone thinks they know but can’t remember where from.

Except one person.

Someone who knows Aimee very well—and what she’s done. . .

When Aimee comes home and discovers her husband is missing, she doesn’t seem to know what to do or how to act. The police think she’s hiding something and they’re right, she is—but perhaps not what they thought. Aimee has a secret she’s never shared, and yet, she suspects that someone knows. As she struggles to keep her career and sanity intact, her past comes back to haunt her in ways more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.]]> 384 Alice Feeney 0008236070 Cynth 3 3.38 2019 I Know Who You Are
author: Alice Feeney
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:

]]> What Lies Between Us 53142315
Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.]]> 363 John Marrs 1542017025 Cynth 5 3.97 2020 What Lies Between Us
author: John Marrs
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Local Woman Missing 56420368
‘LOVED EVERY MINUTE� Joshilyn Jackson

You’ll never find her. Don’t even try.When a local mother and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, suddenly vanish, their close-knit suburban community is rocked by fear and suspicion. How could such a terrible thing have happened in their small town?

Then, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly reappears. Everyone wants to know what really happened to her. But there are secrets hidden deep in the past � and when the truth about those missing years begins to surface, no one is prepared for what they’re about to find out.

Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Claire Douglas and Freida McFadden‘Strap in tight as this is one hell of a ride� NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

‘A taut, twisty thriller that kept me turning the pages� NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

‘Highly recommended� NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

‘Had me hooked� NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐�

____

Praise for Mary Kubica

‘Kubica’s salacious, thoroughly mysterious characters bear the qualities we all crave in a thriller� Karin Slaughter

‘A page-turning whodunit� Ruth Ware

‘Brilliantly propulsive and engrossing, with twists you won’t see coming� JP Delaney]]> 352 Mary Kubica 0008916454 Cynth 5 4.13 2021 Local Woman Missing
author: Mary Kubica
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Watching You 36532519
As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all—including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie—a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5—excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.

One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother—whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years—is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her.

Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam…]]> 488 Lisa Jewell Cynth 5 4.28 2018 Watching You
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves:
review:

]]> No Exit 35522836
Darby Thorne is a college student stranded by a blizzard at a highway rest stop in the middle of nowhere. She’s on the way home to see her sick mother. She’ll have to spend the night in the rest stop with four complete strangers. Then she stumbles across a little girl locked inside one of their parked cars.

There is no cell phone reception, no telephone, no way out because of the snow, and she doesn’t know which one of the other travelers is the kidnapper.

Who is the little girl? Why has she been taken? And how can Darby save her?]]> 287 Taylor Adams 1912106760 Cynth 5 3.98 2017 No Exit
author: Taylor Adams
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves:
review:

]]> The Crash 216223604 The nightmare she’s running from is nothing compared to where she’s headed.

Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn’t realize she’s heading straight into a blizzard.

She never arrives at her destination.

Stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and broken ankle, Tegan worries she’s made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle she is rescued by a couple who offers her a room in their warm cabin until the snow clears.

But something isn’t right. Tegan believed she was waiting out the storm, but as time ticks by, she comes to realize she is in grave danger. This safe haven isn’t what she thought it was, and staying here may have been her most deadly mistake yet.

And now she must do whatever it takes to save herself—and her unborn child.

A gut-wrenching story of motherhood, survival, and twisted expectations, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a snowbound thriller that will chill you to the bone.
]]> 384 Freida McFadden 1464232989 Cynth 4 3.58 2025 The Crash
author: Freida McFadden
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> The House Across the Lake 60482514 The New York Times best-selling author of Final Girls and Survive the Night is back with his most unexpected thriller yet.

Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing—a tech innovator, Tom is rich; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.

One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other—and the longer Casey watches—it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey becomes consumed with finding out what happened to her. In the process, she uncovers eerie, darker truths that turn a tale of voyeurism and suspicion into a story of guilt, obsession and how looks can be very deceiving.

With his trademark blend of sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy surprises, Riley Sager’s The House Across the Lake unveils more than one twist that will shock readers until the very last page.]]> 351 Riley Sager 1399700596 Cynth 4 3.55 2022 The House Across the Lake
author: Riley Sager
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves:
review:

]]> The Sun Down Motel 45885644
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…]]> 327 Simone St. James 0440000173 Cynth 5 3.99 2020 The Sun Down Motel
author: Simone St. James
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves:
review:

]]> Rock Paper Scissors 56269064 Think you know the person you married? Think again�

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts � paper, cotton, pottery, tin � and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney.]]> 294 Alice Feeney 1250266106 Cynth 5 3.88 2021 Rock Paper Scissors
author: Alice Feeney
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves:
review:

]]> No One Saw a Thing 61432218 Two children get on the train. Only one gets off...

No one saw it happen.
You stand on a crowded tube platform in London. Your two little girls jump on the train ahead of you. As you try to join them, the doors slide shut and the train moves away, leaving you behind.

Everyone is lying.
By the time you get to the next stop, you've convinced yourself that everything will be fine. But you soon start to panic, because there aren't two children waiting for you on the platform. There's only one.

Someone is to blame.
Has your other daughter got lost? Been taken by a passing stranger? Or perhaps the culprit is closer to home than you think? No one is telling the truth, and the longer the search continues, the harder she will be to find...]]> 384 Andrea Mara 178763650X Cynth 5 3.87 2023 No One Saw a Thing
author: Andrea Mara
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Angel Maker (DI Jamie Johansson, #1)]]> 56882277
A teenage girl is found dead in the woods. The kill bears a chilling resemblance to those of the Angel Maker, a serial killer caught two decades ago.

But with the old case files missing and doubts swirling about the original investigation, London Met detective Jamie Johansson is drawn back to the icy streets of her home city to help. Her father, one of Stockholm's most notorious detectives, closed the case when Jamie was just a girl. And her memories may hold the only key to unlocking the past, and the truth of whether he put the right man behind bars all those years ago.

Jamie will have to confront her own dark childhood, as well as the evil stalking the city if she hopes to crack this case. But with so many secrets buried beneath the frozen earth, will she be able to find the killer before he claims his next victim?

The Angel Maker is back, and a plan twenty years in the making is already in motion.

***

Angel Maker is the stunning first outing for DI Jamie Johansson and will have readers on the edge of their seats. With a ruthless killer, a host of likely suspects, tight plotting, gritty characters, and a twist that will feel like a punch to the gut, this is the crime thriller you've been waiting for.

Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Jo Nesbø, Rachel Lynch, and JD Kirk, Angel Maker is sure to cement Greene as one of your new favourite authors.

Book 1 in the DI Jamie Johansson Series.]]> 444 Morgan Greene Cynth 5 4.29 2021 Angel Maker (DI Jamie Johansson, #1)
author: Morgan Greene
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Every Little Breath 180345503
I stumbled upon his latest victim tied up in the basement of the house he was renovating, and it was my evidence that helped convict him to a life in prison.
My boyfriend never forgave me for turning against his dad and a couple of years later took his own life. That was fifteen years ago.

I am now a local evening radio presenter, but it seems I can’t escape my past.
Late one night, when I’m alone, the phone rings. The caller wants me to solve a riddle, and tells me a life depends on it.

‘Only you can save her�
‘If she dies it’s your fault� And so, the deadly game begins.
Someone wants revenge.

The perfect read for fans of authors like Clare Mackintosh, Cara Hunter, and Paula Hawkins.

Praise for Keri Beevis
'Another winner from Ms Beevis. A gripping story with plenty of twists and turns' - J.A. Baker
'An atmospheric thriller that grips until the last page. Beevis at her best!' - Diana Wilkinson
'One of my favourite authors! Keri Beevis does it again, with this fast-paced, chilling thriller!' - Amanda Brittany
'Beevis delivers again with a creepy unsettling tale that had me looking nervously over my shoulder' - Valerie Keogh
'Another suspenseful page-turner from this very talented author' - John Nicholl 'Brilliant, chilling, and unputdownable' - Gemma Rogers
‘Beevis has created a dark psychological thriller thick with atmosphere. Cleverly woven threads pull together in a heart-stopping conclusion in this satisfyingly clever tale. Highly recommended� - Diane Saxon
'A disturbingly chilling thriller which is completely gripping. The Sleepover is an intense mystery full of clever twists which I didn't see coming' - Alex Stone]]> 416 Keri Beevis 1835180434 Cynth 4 4.23 2021 Every Little Breath
author: Keri Beevis
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mistletoe Mystery (Molly the Maid, #2.5)]]> 210040063 Molly the Maid has a whole new mystery to solve in this heartwarming novella from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest.

Molly Gray has always loved the holidays. When Molly was a child, her gran went to great lengths to make the season merry and bright, full of cherished traditions. The first few Christmases without Gran were hard on Molly, but this year, her beloved boyfriend and fellow festive spirit, Juan Manuel, is intent on making the season Molly’s mofinst joyful yet.

But when a Secret Santa gift exchange at the Regency Grand Hotel raises questions about who Molly can and cannot trust, she dives headfirst into solving her most consequential—and personal—mystery yet. Molly has a bad feeling about things, and she starts to wonder: has she yet again mistaken a frog for a prince?

A heartwarming, magical story about the true spirit of the season, The Mistletoe Mystery reminds us that love is the greatest mystery of all.]]> 112 Nita Prose 0593875443 Cynth 4 3.41 2024 The Mistletoe Mystery (Molly the Maid, #2.5)
author: Nita Prose
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/25
date added: 2024/12/25
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]]> Behind Closed Doors 29437949
But it’s difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are inseparable.

Some might call this true love. Others might wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. Or why she never seems to take anything with her when she leaves the house, not even a pen. Or why there are such high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows.

Some might wonder what’s really going on once the dinner party is over, and the front door has closed.]]> 293 B.A. Paris 1250121000 Cynth 5 3.96 2016 Behind Closed Doors
author: B.A. Paris
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder at Holly House (Frank Grasby Mystery, #1)]]> 124028498 It's December 1952, and a dead stranger has been found lodged up the chimney of Holly House in the remote town of Elderby. Is he a simple thief, or a would-be killer? Either way, he wasn't on anyone's Christmas wish list.

A mystery that can't be solved
Inspector Frank Grasby is ordered to investigate. The victim of some unfortunate misunderstandings, he hopes this case will help clear his name. But as is often the way for Grasby, things most certainly don't go according to plan.

A Christmas to remember
Soon blizzards hit the North York Moors, cutting off the village from help, and the local doctor's husband is found murdered. Grasby begins to realise that everyone in Elderby is hiding something - and if he can't uncover the truth soon, the whole country will pay a dreadful price...]]> 363 Denzil Meyrick 1787637182 Cynth 4 3.47 2023 Murder at Holly House (Frank Grasby Mystery, #1)
author: Denzil Meyrick
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/18
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves:
review:

]]> The Christmas Guest 83814905 An American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family's Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village's grim history.

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma's aloof and handsome brother.

But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she'd ever imagined?

Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later.]]> 96 Peter Swanson 0063297450 Cynth 4 3.58 2023 The Christmas Guest
author: Peter Swanson
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
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]]> The Gift 63945326 It’s Christmas Eve and Stella Hansen is broke.

She is so broke that despite working two jobs, she can’t even afford a present for her husband on their first Christmas as man and wife. But then a mysterious storekeeper at a pawn shop offers Stella an intriguing trade.

Stella wants more than anything to buy her husband the Christmas gift of his dreams. But will it come at a terrible price?


The Gift is a gripping Christmas-themed thriller inspired by the classic O. Henry tale, The Gift of the Magi.]]> 47 Freida McFadden Cynth 2 3.24 2022 The Gift
author: Freida McFadden
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.24
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Finale (Caraval, #3) 40381392 A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for.

It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.

With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time—only those who will win, and those who will lose everything.

Welcome, welcome to Finale . . . all games must come to an end.]]> 478 Stephanie Garber 1250157668 Cynth 5 4.14 2019 Finale (Caraval, #3)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves:
review:

]]> The Christmas Jigsaw Murders 217081747 THIS CHRISTMAS, A KILLER TAKES FAMILY GAMES TO A MURDEROUS NEW LEVEL.

On 19th of December, renowned puzzle setter, loner and Christmas sceptic Edie O’Sullivan finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep. Unwrapping it, she finds a jigsaw box and, inside, six jigsaw pieces. When fitted together, the pieces show part of a crime scene � blood-spattered black and white tiles and part of an outlined body. Included in the parcel is a message: ‘Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.� It’s signed, Rest In Pieces.

Edie contacts her nephew, DI Sean Brand-O’Sullivan, and together they work to solve the clues. But when a man is found near death with a jigsaw piece in his hand, Sean fears that Edie might be in danger and shuts her out of the investigation. As the body count rises, however, Edie knows that only she has the knowledge to put together the killer’s murderous puzzle.

Only by fitting all the pieces together will Edie be able to stop a killer � and finally lay her past to rest.]]> 352 Alexandra Benedict 1398525405 Cynth 3 3.41 2023 The Christmas Jigsaw Murders
author: Alexandra Benedict
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves:
review:

]]> Legendary (Caraval, #2) 36329818
After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever...

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . the games have only just begun.]]> 451 Stephanie Garber 125009531X Cynth 5 4.11 2018 Legendary (Caraval, #2)
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves:
review:

]]> The Woman in Coach D 217587790 “Let the fear set you free, Jenny.�

It’s been sixteen years since Susie Patterson last told me those words. Sixteen years since our ever-escalating dares and challenges finally went too far, and my best friend plunged into the icy waters of Hangman’s Cave never to be seen again.

I’ve spent every moment since trying to come to terms with what happened - and recover the memories I lost the night my best friend died. I’ve been a wreck - tormented by panic attacks, treated like a pariah, and never quite certain that all the terrible things people whisper about me behind my back aren’t true.

All I know for certain is that the night Susie died, the person I used to be died as well.

Except suddenly, I’ve discovered that Susie’s not dead. I saw her again just now, getting off the same train as me at Manchester Piccadilly station. I looked into her eyes, and they were exactly the same as the eyes I used to stare into back when we were teenagers.

It shouldn’t be possible. I thought my fractured mind was playing tricks on me. There’s no way Susie could still be alive all these years later�

Then, the letter arrives. An envelope containing pages from the diary I wrote back when I was just seven years old, accompanied by a handwritten note.

Susie is alive, and she's asking me a

“Are you ready to play our game again?�

The Woman in Coach D is an intense and addictive psychological suspense by bestselling author Sarah A. Denzil, the “mistress of twists.� It’s a must-read for fans of Gillian Flynn, Frieda McFadden, and Paula Hawkins.

"Sarah Denzil writes clever and original plots, and The Woman in Coach D is one of her finest yet." -- Miranda Rijks, bestselling author of The Visitors and Make Her Pay

"It will haunt you for a long while after you close the book." -- ŷ reviewer]]> 406 Sarah A. Denzil Cynth 5 3.43 The Woman in Coach D
author: Sarah A. Denzil
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.43
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
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]]> The Guest List 52656911
The bride � The plus one � The best man � The wedding planner � The bridesmaid � The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?]]> 319 Lucy Foley Cynth 4 3.81 2020 The Guest List
author: Lucy Foley
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/02
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]]> Tell No One 43933
Everyone tells him it's time to move on, to forget the past once and for all. But for David Beck, there can be no closure. A message has appeared on his computer, a phrase only he and his dead wife know. Suddenly Beck is taunted with the impossible- that somewhere, somehow, Elizabeth is alive.

Beck has been warned to tell no one. And he doesn't. Instead, he runs from the people he trusts the most, plunging headlong into a search for the shadowy figure whose messages hold out a desperate hope.

But already Beck is being hunted down. He's headed straight into the heart of a dark and deadly secret- and someone intends to stop him before he gets there.]]> 370 Harlan Coben 0440236703 Cynth 4 4.05 2001 Tell No One
author: Harlan Coben
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves:
review:

]]> The Boyfriend 208503280 She's looking for the perfect man. He's looking for the perfect victim.

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.

Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He's charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.

Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.

Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim...

A dark story about obsession and the things we’ll do for love, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden proves that crimes of passion are often the bloodiest…]]> 368 Freida McFadden 1728296226 Cynth 4 3.95 2024 The Boyfriend
author: Freida McFadden
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/25
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves:
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]]> The Hike 61424779 Wish you were here?
Think again . . .

Maggie, Liz, Helena & Joni. Old friends bound by history, adventures, old secrets.

And now, bound by murder.

They lace up their hiking boots for the adventure of a lifetime in the Norwegian wilderness: a place of towering mountains, glass-like lakes, log cabins and forests stolen from a fairytale.

It’s the perfect place to lose yourself � until a broken body is found at the bottom of a ravine.

Somewhere out there, someone knows exactly why a woman has died. And in this deep, dark wilderness, there’s a killer on the trail . . .]]> 384 Lucy Clarke 0008462429 Cynth 3 3.66 2023 The Hike
author: Lucy Clarke
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid's Wedding (The Housemaid, #2.5)]]> 220921867 The Housemaid’s Wedding is a winter-themed short story meant to fill in the long gap between Book 2 of the Housemaid series (The Housemaid’s Secret) and Book 3 (The Housemaid is Watching). It can be read either between Book 2 and Book 3, or after Book 3.

Today is supposed to be the happiest day of my life.

I'm engaged to the man of my dreams, and in a few short hours, I'm going to stand before a judge, who will declare us husband and wife, till death does us part. Despite some bumps in the road, this day is everything I dreamed it would be.

There's only one problem:

Someone out there doesn't want me to live long enough to say my vows.

And if I'm not careful, they may very well get their wish.]]> 76 Freida McFadden Cynth 3 3.40 2024 The Housemaid's Wedding (The Housemaid, #2.5)
author: Freida McFadden
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/22
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves:
review:
Short and sweet but not very exciting
]]> The Night She Disappeared 55922299
One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favorite area for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.�

Could this be a clue towards what has happened to the missing young couple? And what exactly is buried in this haunted ground?]]> 416 Lisa Jewell 1982137363 Cynth 5 4.05 2021 The Night She Disappeared
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/19
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Do Not Disturb 58778536
To avoid spending her life in prison, Quinn makes a run for it. She leaves behind her home, her job, and her family. She grabs her passport and heads for the northern border before the police can discover what she’s done.

But when an unexpected snowstorm forces her off the road, Quinn must take refuge at the broken-down, isolated Baxter Motel. The handsome and kindly owner, Nick Baxter, is only too happy to offer her a cheap room for the night.

Unfortunately, the Baxter Motel isn’t the quiet, safe haven it seemed to be. The motel has a dark and disturbing past. And in the dilapidated house across the way, the silhouette of Nick's ailing wife is always at the window. Always watching.

In the morning, Quinn must leave the motel. She'll pack up her belongings and get back on the road to freedom.

But first, she must survive the night.

Do Not Disturb is a Hitchcock-style psychological thriller that will keep you tearing through the pages until you reach the shocking conclusion!]]> 325 Freida McFadden Cynth 4 3.93 2021 Do Not Disturb
author: Freida McFadden
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves:
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]]> Good Bad Girl 83668030 Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things. Alice Feeney, returns with another thrilling mystery filled with drama and her trademark surprises.

Twenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow linked, and a good bad girl may be the key to discovering the truth.

Edith may have been tricked into a nursing home, but at eighty-years-young, she’s planning her escape. Patience works there, cleaning messes and bonding with Edith, a kindred spirit. But Patience is lying to Edith about almost everything.

Edith’s own daughter, Clio, won’t speak to her. And someone new is about to knock on Clio’s door…and their intentions aren’t good.

With every reason to distrust each other, the women must solve a mystery with three suspects, two murders, and one victim. If they do, they might just find out what happened to the baby who disappeared, the mother who lost her, and the connections that bind them.

In the style of Daisy Darker and Rock Paper Scissors, Good Bad Girl is a thriller in which nobody can be trusted and the twists come fast and furious.]]> 306 Alice Feeney 1250843960 Cynth 4 3.62 2023 Good Bad Girl
author: Alice Feeney
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/14
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Family Remains (The Family Upstairs, #2)]]> 58855185 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell comes an intricate and affecting novel about twisted marriages, fractured families, and deadly obsessions in this standalone sequel to The Family Upstairs.

Early one morning on the shore of the Thames, DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery. When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead on the kitchen floor in a Chelsea mansion thirty years ago.

Rachel Rimmer has also received a shock—news that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. All signs point to an intruder, and the French police need her to come urgently to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very much doesn’t want to answer.

After fleeing London thirty years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, Lucy Lamb is finally coming home. While she settles in with her children and is just about to purchase their first-ever house, her brother takes off to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present.

As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they’re connected in ways they could have never imagined.

In this masterful standalone sequel to her haunting New York Times bestseller, The Family Upstairs, Lisa Jewell proves she is writing at the height of her powers with another jaw-dropping, intricate, and affecting novel about the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love and uncover the truth.]]> 452 Lisa Jewell 1982178892 Cynth 4 3.82 2022 The Family Remains (The Family Upstairs, #2)
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/11
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:

]]> The Pact 56393543
A golden summer, and six talented teenagers are looking forward to the brightest of futures - until a daredevil game goes horribly wrong, leaving three strangers dead.

18-year-old Megan takes the blame for the crime, leaving her friends to get on with their lives. In return, they each agree to a 'favour', payable on her release from prison.

Twenty years later Megan is free.
It is payback time.
And her friends start disappearing, one by one . . .
Richard & Judy bestseller Sharon Bolton is back, with her twistiest thriller yet.]]> 384 Sharon J. Bolton 1409198308 Cynth 4 3.91 2021 The Pact
author: Sharon J. Bolton
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:
Very good thriller, keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing
]]> Never Lie 62080187
But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate� with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end.

In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.

Tricia plays the tapes one by one, late into the night. With each one, another shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, and Dr. Adrienne Hale’s web of lies slowly unravels.

And then Tricia reaches the final cassette.

The one that reveals the entire horrifying truth.]]> 286 Freida McFadden Cynth 4 4.09 2022 Never Lie
author: Freida McFadden
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/21
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:

]]> The Midnight Library 52578297
When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?]]> 288 Matt Haig 0525559477 Cynth 4 3.96 2020 The Midnight Library
author: Matt Haig
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/15
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:
This book altered my brain chemistry - absolutely wonderful book
]]> One by One 54197718
A night spent sleeping on dirt and leaves is not how Claire Matchett expected to spend her vacation.

She thought this would be a break from the stresses of work and raising her young children. A chance to repair her damaged marriage. A week of hiking and hot tubs with two other couple friends. It sounded like heaven.

Then Claire’s minivan breaks down on a lonely dirt road. With no cell reception, the group has no choice but to hike the rest of the way to their hotel. But it turns out the woods aren’t as easy to navigate as they thought.

Hours later, they are lost. Hopelessly lost.

And as they navigate deeper into the woods, the members of their party are struck down mysteriously one by one. Has a wild animal been hunting them? Or is the hunter one of them?

But as more time passes, one thing becomes clear:

Only one of them will return home alive.]]> 295 Freida McFadden Cynth 2 3.87 2020 One by One
author: Freida McFadden
name: Cynth
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/30
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)]]> 50659467
At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.]]> 419 Sarah J. Maas 1635575567 Cynth 4 4.16 2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Cynth
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:
Amazing!! Absolutely obsessed with the universe! Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
]]>