Bookish Bluebird: mystery

Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Dual Review: THE WORD IS MURDER + THE WHISPER MAN

I keep telling myself I want to read more Mystery/Thriller books that don't include the In Death series. I've read three last year, and that's including these two up for review. 2021 will be the year I try to incorporate more into my reading! I have quite the little to-be-read collection piling up. Both Anthony Horowitz and Alex North were new authors to me. One blew my socks off and the other left me conflicted. It goes to show how much my mood and impressions of a character can greatly affect my enjoyment of a story. Both books have this minimalist cover-look though that I absolutely am a fan of.

Review: THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 by Ruth Ware

Title: The Woman in Cabin 10

Author: Ruth Ware

Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo's stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparking, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo's desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

"There's a reason why we keep thoughts inside our heads

for the most part—they're not safe to be let out in public."

This book triggered all my wannabe Detective Conan skills! Just ask my cousin who I religiously kept updated on my reactions and critical deductions (whether or not she was a willing participant of these impromptu book club messages is unknown). Some of my guesses were not too far off from the truth either. When the book first released, the hype was all over my social media and had caught my interest as a new fan of thriller novels. I was curious if I would like the story because, I was more interested in procedural crime type mysteries/thrillers at the time. It was fun getting my brain working and trying to figure out the what happened though. Hopefully there will be a book-to-movie adaptation of The Woman in Cabin 10, I would watch it!

Review: JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta

Title: Jellicoe Road

Author: Melina Marchetta

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future.

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"Some people say their prayers at night. I don't. What I say is always the same.

My name is Taylor Markham. I live on the Jellicoe Road."

I can honestly say I did not expect such an intricate and beautifully written story. I have book pals who've raved about this author and this book. Of course they recommended it to me and in typical reader fashion, I put it on the back burner with my Mt. TBR *smh*. I finally see why this book is often referenced and brought up again and again on my book feeds. There is a reason Jellicoe Road won an award, people!!

Review: LOVE YOU MADLY by Ashlee Mallory

Title: Love You Madly

Author: Ashlee Mallory

Meredith Sanders was the golden girl in high school—a homecoming queen with a trail of worshipping minions. Now she's all grown up with a trail of failed marriages. The only good thing she has in her life is her brilliant and beautiful teenaged step-daughter...who's missing. But the best man for the job has a serious hate-on for her.

Back in high school, queen bee Meredith made Travis Brennan's life miserable. Since then, he's gone from class geek to a hardened, former SEAL, specializing in private security. As much as he wants to help Meredith's step-daughter, he can't help but clash with the gorgeous woman who once made his life hell.

But as they investigate the increasingly mysterious disappearance, their conflicted past threatens to turn into a very provocative present...

"If someone didn't want you, then to hell with them. Lesson learned.

Because loving someone was a risk—it left you vulnerable."

Based on the cover (I'm all heart eyes over here!), I thought this would be a sexy kind of romantic suspense. Turns out there was very little [read: hardly any] sexy times/romance and a heck of a lot of heart-racing suspense. I didn't really mind the lack thereof but I felt kind of misled by the cover and title. The suspense aspect of the novel was great though! Love You Madly reminded me of a certain Liam Neeson movie, so I had no problem visualizing the setting and many important scenes. Doing so actually made the book more enjoyable for me.

Review: THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killer her friends and left her strangely unharmed.
There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

"Sometimes, the mind has a way of protecting us from things until we're ready to deal with them."

Woah. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was my first YA, paranormal read after a long line of adult contemporary romances. It. Was. Awesome! The build-up was wonderful and though I felt the excitement leveled off a bit part-way through, it picks right back up and leaves you hanging. Literally too. There's a cliff hanger!! I haven't read a book with a cliff hanger in what feels like forever. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.

"Thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real."

Mara wakes up in a hospital bed with no recollection of how she got there. But she quickly learns that she was the only survivor among her friends of a horrible accident. Mara (with her family) moves to Rhode Island and enrolls into a private high school hoping to start anew and move on from the tragedy. Unfortunately, she's suffering from PTSD and hallucinations. As the story progresses, she begins to question her sanity (as did I) as the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur.

I really liked how the flashbacks were spread throughout the book. The pacing was good and it felt more realistic that she didn't remember everything all at once. The story was intriguing and kept me on edge, questioning what happened and what would happen. There were many memorable secondary characters. Mara's family was a big one. I loved how overbearing and protective her mother was. Or how her older brother Daniel would look out for her at school or even at home. Then there's Noah Shaw. Oh, Noah.

"Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever. I was made for you, Mara."

Cue swoon. I was suspicious about him at first, especially with his interest in Mara but he stole my heart pretty quickly. Noah's "the guy" when it comes to whose pants the female population of Croyden want in. Luckily, he's not an a-hole about it and he's actually quite the gentleman. Saving Mara from the humiliation of her art book being shown (+10 brownie points) and always opening doors for her (+5 brownie points).

And that ending!! I'll be honest, I didn't see that coming at all and I'm not entirely sure I believe it was even real. I look forward to reading what the sequel, The Evolution of Mara Dyer, will have in store. There's a HEA in the horizon... right?

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Jamie Roth

I really hope we see more of him!

Any moment with Jamie present was enjoyable.
He was a great friend and was good comic relief in an otherwise intense story.

A Better Person

"You're the only one who knows, Mara. The only person who knows me. I don't want to lose you."

I won't lie. Even though Noah made my heart melt in this scene,

I was secretly chanting "Do it." The dark side was just too tempting.

Extras: Character Casting

Monday, August 18, 2014

Review: DEAREST CLEMENTINE by Lex Martin

Title: Dearest Clementine

Authors: Lex Martin

Twenty-year-old Clementine Avery doesn't mind being called bitchy and closed off. It's safe, and after being burned by her high school sweetheart and stalked by a professor her freshman year of college, safe sounds pretty damn good.

Her number one rule for survival? No dating. That is until she accidentally signs up for a romance writing class and needs material for her latest assignment. Sexy RA Gavin Murphy is more than happy to play the part of book boyfriend to help Clem find some inspiration, even if that means making out...in the name of research, of course.

As Gavin and Clem grow closer, they get entangled in the mystery surrounding a missing Boston University student, and Clem unwittingly becomes a possible target. Gavin tries to show Clem she can handle falling in love again, but she knows she has to be careful because her heart's at stake...and maybe even her life.

**DEAREST CLEMENTINE is a stand-alone novel with two companion novels. This New Adult romance is recommended for readers 18+ due to mature content.

"I want us to have a future, I want you to be mine, and I'm willing to wait as long as you need to get there."

LOVED IT. Dearest Clementine is the debut novel of author Lex Martin, and boy did she debut with a bang. This book had a little bit of everything. There was humor, angst, mystery and drama. The plot was unique and the character interactions all enjoyable.

The story is told in the POV of our heroine, Clem. She's awesome. Intelligent, funny, independent and strong-minded. She's an indie author who published one hit book under a pen name during her freshman year.

"I don't need make-believe when real life is more fucked up. Especially my life."

With a history of uncaring parents, a cheating ex and stalker problems, Clem doesn't trust others easily and constantly avoids the dating scene. While trying to find inspiration for a new novel, she meets sexy RA, Gavin Murphy. He's a complete gentleman and plays the guitar (*swoon* I'm a sucker for musicians!). Oh, and he has a nerdy sense of humor which I loved! When Clem mistakenly signs up for a romance writing course, Gavin offers his assistance in helping with her writing assignments. All I can say is that I have a new appreciation for the stacks at the university library!

"Where I'm uptight and anxious, he's cool and collected. Where I often feel lost and aimless, he's focused and driven."

Aside from our awesome hero and heroine, we also have quite a group of wonderful secondaries. Kade was one that didn't stand out much at the beginning but slowly had me warming up to him as the story progressed. The only one I had conflicted feelings about was Daren, Jax's best friend (Jax is Clem's hot soccer player twin brother). It may take me a bit to get over what he did, but we'll see how my feelings change in the next book of the series.

"In romance, the sex comes secondary to love. Sex might be part of it, but it's really about the bigger story of growth."

Overall, Dearest Clementine is a fantastic read, highly recommended! There was just the right amount of a "slow burn" in Clem and Gavin's relationship and the mystery/suspense aspect of the story was well written too. I cannot wait to start Jax's book!

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Jenna
I want her as a friend. Period.
Mainly because she's hilarious but she's such a sweet person too.
Oh, she's also an Out-Skank master!

'Golden Girl'
If Gavin were to serenade me with a song written specifically for me,
I'd melt and throw myself at him. End of story.

Extras: Character Casting, Gavin edit, 'The Stacks' edit

Thursday, April 8, 2021

Dual Review: THE WORD IS MURDER + THE WHISPER MAN

Friday, November 29, 2019

Review: THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 by Ruth Ware

Monday, September 30, 2019

Review: JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Review: LOVE YOU MADLY by Ashlee Mallory

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Review: THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin

Monday, August 18, 2014

Review: DEAREST CLEMENTINE by Lex Martin