The Kind Worth Killing - Peter Swanson

This suspense follows Ted and Lily.  The two meet on a flight and after having a few drinks, they play a game of truth where they can't lie to the other, no matter how small.  When Ted reveals that his wife Miranda is cheating on him and that he could kill her for this betrayal, Lily offers to help.  As their plan unfolds, the two of them also find there is a detective on the case and that they might have a harder time coming out of this alive than they originally expected.

Full disclosure: Bummer book review incoming.  This was one of those books that I'd only heard good things about.  It is constantly listed as people's favorite Peter Swanson read but I don't get the hype around this book at all.  I was 100% on-board with the premise and even gave this time to sit on the shelf between when I first heard about this book and before picking it up to make sure it wasn't overhyped for me.  However, this was one of those books where I was getting annoyed at most of the character's choices, plot points, and even Swanson's writing choices. I'm pretty bummed because I just wanted to love this as much as other people seem to love it. 

I was initially intrigued by our two main characters. Their initial interaction and conversation does seem a bit fantastical since I can't imagine any real person having that conversation on an airplane, but I'm always down to give a thriller a bunch of leeway with this type of stuff.  We do get a pretty good sense of these characters right at the opening...but then that's it.  I didn't get more character development other than Ted wants his wife dead and Lily wants to help him kill her. As the characters go through some pretty significant events during the course of the book, I was expecting some character development.  However, it just felt like Lily and Ted continued to be the same characters we met at the beginning with little to no added depth to their characters.

I love a good cat-and-mouse thriller but due to some plot/writing choices, I found this completely devoid of tension.  There were a number of twists and reveals that I wasn't expecting, which was good.  These reveals were pivot points in the plot where the tension and momentum that was building then had to completely stop in order for the plot to pivot.  And these types of pivot points happened numerous times throughout the book which means that the momentum was starting and stopping instead of building consistently over the course of the story.  The twists that happened were something I haven't seen in a lot of books so I do give Swanson points for that.  These twists maybe could have worked if the other aspects of the book were more robust such as the characters, but it they didn't work for me.

I enjoyed the flashbacks we got of Lily's past way more than the current-day plot.  I thought this past-timeline story was much more intriguing and tense.  The connection to the current plot isn't clear at first and I was initially nervous that this was just another way to show us the same character detail we already know about Lily.  However, I did enjoy the way Lily's past tied up to the ending of the book and left the door open a bit for more books. And while Swanson did recently release a sequel to this, I'm most likely not going to be picking it up.

Overall, I don't think there was anything truly bad about this book, but a good chunk of it was just not working for me. Great premise, but I didn't connect with the characters or plot execution.  I wish I loved it as much as other people seem to.

The Odds - Jeff Strand

 

This thriller/horror follows gambling addict Ethan after he falls off the wagon.  After losing just under ten thousand dollars in Vegas, Ethan is dreading calling home to his wife.  But when a mysterious man offers Ethan the chance to win it all back, Ethan thinks it must be a scam but decides the opportunity is too good to pass up. Afterward, he thinks the game is over and he can return to his regular life only the game is just beginning. 

TW/CW: gambling addiction, child endangerment, gore

I thought this was a pretty solid read, but overall not what I was expecting.  While, from an overview perspective, this book was exactly what I was expecting based on the premise, I wanted more of everything.  I wanted more character development, more gore, more stakes, more drama, more details on the behind the scenes, etc.  

This was very much a max-plot/min-character type of read. The main plot of the game starts just a few pages in and doesn't let up.  We do get some details about Ethan and his family, but they felt very surface level.  I was expecting the challenges Ethan faces to be based around his character or specific character traits but really the only character trait that seems to matter is his gambling addiction. Plotwise, this book starts early and keeps going.  We get a good mix of different challenges and it was interesting to get more details on the structure of this game.  I thought the challenges had a nice escalation pattern to them so the tension doesn't stagnate at any point. 

Because of these constant new plot points but very little down time, the pacing is fast which makes this a really fun potato chip type of read.  At 256 pages, it was already a bit on the shorter side, and the quick pacing makes it absolutely fly by.  This fast pacing does help the reader glaze over some of the more fantastical parts of the plot.  I didn't have enough downtime while reading to wonder "why doesn't Ethan just do X to get out of this" type of questions.  I've seen on a few other reviews that this sort of pacing/writing style comes up in other of Strand's books. 

As much as the challenges do escalate, they never quite get as gory as I was expecting.  The final challenge is set up to be the level of messed up that I was expecting, but due to plot reasons, we never get to see it play out on page.  There are still moments of violence and death, but not the Saw-type gore challenges that I was expecting. Despite the lack of on-page gore, Strand does a decent job of still amping up the tension in this read with aspects such as time limits for Ethan to complete certain challenges.  When we find out more of the reason for this game and how the behind the scenes works, that also adds to the tension as well.  

Overall, this was a fun read but lacked the character development I would prefer.  I really wanted to know more about the characters and the game but I really liked the details we did get. 

I read this for the Midnight Society Book Club - hosted by ReadingWryly.  Bookclub live show linked here. 

The Hike - Lucy Clarke

 

This suspense/thriller follows 4 friends on their annual vacation.  Maggie, Helena, Liz, and Joni rotate who picks vacation destinations and this year, Liz picks hiking up a mountain in Norway - a far cry from their normal sand, sun, and cocktails. But the friends show up, all ready for a break from their regular lives for reasons not even shared with friends.  Only once they are there, the weather isn't the only thing that could derail their hike.  They aren't the only ones on the mountain and the locals advise that there is something eerie, almost supernatural, about the mountain. 

TW/CW: drug use, drug abuse, death of a loved one, infidelity, animal death

This was one of those reads that has a pretty simple premise but absolutely used that premise to the max.  Clarke does a fantastic job of taking everything I was expecting from a survival/suspense/thriller and adds in other aspects I didn't even know I wanted.  We also get right to the main meat of the story of hiking this mountain pretty quickly.  This is one of those books where if the premise doesn't sound interesting to you, I'd recommend you just pass on this one because there isn't a ton of extra plot outside of the events that take place on the mountain.  I think the elements that Clarke added with the other threats the characters end up facing elevate this past what I was expecting, but even if this was just a straight up outdoor survival story, I would have enjoyed it.

Since we are following this group of friends, I enjoyed the decision to have this be multi-POV.  However, since we are following 4 people, I felt the POV switching did get in the way a little bit of the character development.  I didn't have enough time sitting in each character's head to be able to get a good sense of who they are.  They are easy enough to tell apart because each friend falls into a stereotypical archetype (the party friend, the over-worried new mom, the midlife crisis one, the bossy one). I did like how we got to see the different friendship dynamics and what each person thought of the others at certain times during the book.  However, I didn't feel like we got as much character depth as I would have personally liked.  I can see, on paper, how the characters were changed by their experiences but I didn't quite feel those changes come through when reading.

The setting was spot on and had a nice blend of British domestic drama and stoic Nordic noir.  When we find out about the rumored supernatural history of the mountain and of events that have taken place there, I was 1000% on board.  I absolutely loved the little hints of folklore horror that we get and I would have loved even more of them.  We get to see a whole spectrum of natural elements our characters have to overcome - everything from extreme weather to blisters.  My favorite part of any sort of survival story is how the characters interact in a stressful environment that they aren't used to.  There is no calling for an Uber or deciding halfway that they are done.  So when the going gets tough, they have to stick together even when that's the last thing they want.

I was a little surprised at the mystery/thriller element that gets introduced around the halfway point.  As I mentioned before, I would have been perfectly happy if this was a straight-up wilderness survival story. I do think this element increased the overall tension and helped the plot momentum.  However, I wanted more of a build up.  Going into this hike, there wasn't really anything out of the norm going on so neither I, nor the characters, were expecting anything of this magnitude.  I wanted more hints that maybe something wasn't quite right in this area of Norway so that when the characters get to that point in the plot, it would start to come together a little earlier.  I did like the solution to the mystery, but just wanted more of it spread throughout the book.

Overall, this was a fun read that paid off on the premise.  I enjoyed our variety of characters and their battles against the elements as well as their own inner demons. 

Thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for the ARC.  Expected publication date is August 29, 2023.

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It - Katy Brent

 

This thriller/comedy follows influencer Kitty Collins as she accidentally kills a man following her home after the bar one night.  She isn't remorseful, thinking that since he was a bad person anyway that the world is better off without him.  Then, as she comes across other men who the world would be better off without, she discovers a new hobby.  Balancing this new hobby, a budding romantic relationship, and her other friendships makes Kitty a very busy girl.

TW/CW: murder, sexual assault, rape, dismemberment, eating disorder 

My favorite aspect of this read was far and away the voice.  Kitty has such a distinctive voice that hits you right in the face at the opening of the book.  As a character-focused reader, I absolutely love voice-y MCs and how much that voice adds to the overall narrative.  I think it is even more important in this read due to Kitty's newly found hobby.  The character's voice can be the difference between the read having a comedic edge and it being a much darker story.  I do think that Kitty does veer into the 'unlikable MC' territory a bit, especially with her friends.  But as the story progresses, even these unlikable personality quirks become integral to the plot and I think they come full circle to endearing. 

Kitty's friend group is filled with the stereotypical, vapid, influencer types.  Since we are so far in Kitty's POV, we don't get a whole lot of detail about these friends right away.  As the story progresses, we do get more information but they never quite felt like fully fleshed out characters to me - they stayed more on the caricature side of things. I did like how the friend group felt like a real friend group where they might be annoyed at each other at times, but overall they are supportive of each other.  This point is especially emphasized in the last third of the book. 

Going into this read, I was a bit afraid that the murder aspect would either be very sparsely used or would end up feeling monotonous.  However, I was pleasantly surprised that we do get a number of kills and they are all varied.  We get a number of different circumstances, all centered around revenge and feminine rage. Kitty is not one to mince words when it comes to how she feels about predators and the ways men act toward women. However, this world view does get a little heavy handed toward the end of the book.  It is very obvious (and confirmed in the author's note at the end) that a certain cultural moment influenced this plot.  I just thought that when we get to the last 10% or so, that Kitty's voice goes away and the book's 'message' takes over.  However, I thought Kitty was doing a fine job as a character getting the reader to empathize with her world philosophy. 

Overall, this was a fun read that lost steam at the end for me.  I really enjoyed our MC's voice and the variety of kills we get on page.  However, I didn't quite connect with the other characters we see. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the ARC.  Publication date was June 13, 2023

Romance Wrap Up July 16-31

Free Hand - E.M. Lindsey

This MM romance is the first in the Irons and Works series and follows Derek and Basil.  Derek is a tattoo artist at Irons and Works and he has a set routine for his days - a routine that doesn't include romantic partners for various reasons including but not limited to Derek's PTSD from his abusive childhood. That changes when he has a panic attack in front of Basil - a Deaf florist. Basil is similarly uninterested in romance after an ableist ex boyfriend. But Basil is also intrigued by the tattooed stranger he helps breath through a panic attack.  I really enjoyed this read and will certainly continue on in the series.  I found Derek and Basil to be very interesting and complex characters that are surrounded by a great cast of side characters.  I was a bit overwhelmed at first with all the characters, but we get enough one-on-one scenes to give me a good sense of all the characters. The romance was a bit of a friends to lovers arc as Derek and Basil, both convinced a relationship with the other wouldn't work out, can't seem to be able to stay away from the other.  Once the romance got going at about the halfway point, I wanted a bit more of some cute romance scenes before we got to the heavier scenes.  I really loved the amount of understanding Derek and Basil have for each other and their personal struggles. 

TW/CW: child abuse/neglect, PTSD, ableism, homophobia, death of a parent, death of a partner (in past

Something Wild and Wonderful - Anita Kelly

This MM romance follows Alexei and Ben as they meet while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  Each have their own reasons for spending months hiking the trail, but they agree to travel together for a while.  As they spend miles together, getting to know the other and sharing bits and pieces of their past, both grow very fond of the other.  And when that fondness grows into more, the two are elated to find someone they seem to fit so well with.  But when they leave the trail and their outside lives start creeping in, they will both need to figure out if their romance can go the distance.  Oof, this one really found a place in my heart.  This was such an emotional yet quiet romance.  Kelly is phenomenal at capturing those little moments in a relationship that really get to the core of the connection between the two.  Seeing Alexei and Ben so in sync and comfortable with each other, even before their friendship turned romantic, was something I don't find in many romances.  I loved how we get pieces of their backstories as the main story progresses so there isn't one big info-dump session.  Alexei and Ben are both such complex and complete characters that this was one of those rare romances where it really felt like the two of them were meant to be together. These two have crawled into my heart and I don't think I'll stop thinking about them anytime soon. 

TW/CW: parental disownment, homophobia 

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.  Publication date was March 7, 2023

Kink Camp: Hunted - A. Anders

This is the first book in the Camp Haven series and follows Grace and Liev.  This is Grace's first time to Kink Camp - attending with her best friend Max who finally convinced Grace to come along to experience her fantasy.  Liev is the owner of the camp and after the death of his wife 3 years ago, he's just starting to come back from the brink.  When Grace picks up his post on the bulletin board - a hunter looking for prey, one night, no names - she instantly knows this is exactly what she came here for.  Except one night isn't going to be enough for either of them.  This had more heat and more emotional depth than I was expecting and I absolutely loved it.  Anders does a fantastic job of introducing the reader to this camp setting and all the various characters in attendance.  I loved the wide variety of kink types we get to see - all presented in such an open and joyous manner.  The connection between Grace and Liev is phenomenal and super hot.  I loved how that feeling of instant connection played out on page with them both being drawn to the other even though they didn't use names or really even see the other in the dark of their encounter.  I do wish we had gotten some more of their actual relationship once they finally knew who the other was. We already know they have off the charts chemistry as play partners, I just wanted a better sense that they were actually compatible as a romantic couple doing day to day stuff.  We do get an epilogue of almost 1 year later and that scene does give us a glimpse into their every day lives.  I can't wait to continue on in this series and see all of these great characters find their HEAs.

TW/CW: death of a parent, death of a spouse, CNC, BDSM

The Hunt - Kelly J. Ford

 

This mystery/suspense follows Nell, a factory worker in the small town of Presley, Arkansas. A town known for their Annual Hunt for the Golden Egg - and the rumored serial killer who stalks the hunt. For the last seventeen years, someone has died during the Hunt and while the deaths have been overwhelmingly ruled as accidents, some members of the town aren't so sure.  Nell's brother is rumored to be The Hunter's first kill.  Now, another year of the Hunt is starting and Nell's focus is keeping her nephew safe and avoid the Hunt as much as she possibly can.  But it isn't going to be easy to hide out this year and when the danger comes too close for comfort, Nell will have to face her past. 

This is one of those books where, I think, if you go into it with certain expectations you will be disappointed.  I'll admit, I went into this expecting some sort of slasher-type situation where Nell pieces it all together and finds the killer.  That is not this book. This is a more quiet, character focused mystery with some good spooky moments.  All the characters are a little on edge this time of year, because even if they say they don't believe the Hunter exists, there's still a chance.  So I'd say go into this read with a more character-focused, small town tension expectations. 

I really loved the way the past deaths were integrated into the story.  We get these very brief chapters with a sort of investigative lens to the past deaths.  The deaths do not go in order, but they do give the reader a nice mix of deaths that 100% sound like accidents and ones that sound more suspicious.  This helps put the reader in the mindset of the town where no one is really quite 100% sure if the Hunter really exists.  This is also a quick way to get info to the reader so we know what most of the residents of Presley know without having some heavy-handed dialogue or big flashback scenes. Since there have been so many deaths, the individual details don't matter as much as the overall picture they paint for both the characters and the reader.

The character work in this was far and away the star of the read.  We're mostly following Nell, but we also have chapters from her friend Ada's POV.  Both of these women could absolutely be categorized as unlikable and Nell is an entire hot mess who sometimes you just want to shake her because she just makes bad decision after bad decision.  However, they are also extremely compelling and are fully fleshed out characters who, despite their questionable choices at times, are both trying to do the right thing for their situations.  Getting Nell's POV as the Hunt brings up intense feelings of guilt and grief as well and Ada's POV shows us her balancing of Nell's feelings while also being an avid hunter of the Golden Egg every year.  And as with any small town setting - we get a whole cast of side characters that help flesh out the world. 

The tension didn't quite build up for me as much as I think it needed to in order to have a really great payoff at the resolution.  While we do get moments throughout the book where a character acts a certain way or there are certain events that make the reader think that maybe the Hunter is real, those moments were so small and so spread out throughout the read that they didn't really build in my mind. So, then when we have a character who is suspected of being the Hunter's next victim, I didn't feel the amount of tension or worry that I think I should have.  

The ending was a bit of a mess in all the best ways.  We get so many plot points coming together but also get some unexpected points thrown in as well.  It was a little messy but felt very realistic that a lot of characters and plot lines would come together around the Hunt.  It would be interesting to see, upon re-read, if I could pick up on smaller point that would make the ending feel a little less haphazard or if that was Ford's intention all along.  The main story does end a bit abruptly, but we get 2 flashforward scenes to help give more of a resolution to the reader.

Overall, while this was a more character-focused and less bloody read than I was initially expecting, I ended up really enjoying it.  I think the last 25% or so wanted to be more of a thriller, but I didn't find the tension had built enough to really make me worry for these characters. The ending was a little wild and came together a bit more quickly and messily than I was expecting but overall I thought it was a good way to close the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.  

Publication date is July 25, 2023

I Know What You Did - Cayce Osborne

 

This mystery/suspense follows Petal Woznewski as she finds her name, her full name, listed in the acknowledgements in the newest hit thriller - "I know what you did, Petal Woznewski.  And now everyone else will, too".  She tries to go back to her regular, introverted life in NYC but she can't shake her curiosity.  As she reads the book, it becomes clear that the story is based upon the true death of Petal's friend in high school. Only Petal and their other friend, Jenny, know the truth of what happened that night.  There is no information available about the anonymous author, so Petal returns to her hometown to find out who wrote the book and why, after all these years, did they decide to unearth the past. 

TW/CW: death of parents, suicide, death of a friend, stalking, 

The standout element to this debut novel is by far Petal's voice and character. Some readers will definitely find her unlikable because she is pretty selfish and jaded.  I loved her character and found that her attitude and personality quirks made perfect sense given her background.  I also  think these sorts of mystery/suspense that revolve around one character's past really need a strong lead character to draw the reader into the story.  Half of the fun is figuring out what happened in the past that would lead them to act the way they do.  Due to Petal's anti-social nature, we don't get a ton of side characters.  However, the ones that we do get, I thought Osborne does a good job of building their characters out quickly and I was really able to get a sense of these characters in the short time that Petal interacts with them.

This was a fun take on the 'secrets from the past' trope, especially as Petal gets deeper into the book. She can tell immediately that the book is based on true events and everything is lining up perfectly to her memory of those days.  However, then the author veers away from how the events truly happened.  We get portions of the book which serve as flashbacks, of sorts, but then we get Petal immediately either agreeing with or correcting the flashback.  We then get flashbacks of her own memory.  It is an interesting push/pull sort of balance going on where even Petal questions her memory, at times.  There are some details revealed that she didn't know but isn't quite sure if these details are even real or more creative liberties. 

The stalker element was a bit understated but I think it was a real integral part to upping the stakes of the story.  It acts as an occasional reminder for both Petal and the reader that this isn't just all a coincidence and that there is something bigger going on. I do wish there was more escalation with the stalker elements - either with type of stalking or frequency - so that tension really ramps up.  I also think there could have been some great red herrings with the stalking element, specifically, that would have been fun. The stalker element does come into play when we get to the solution of the mystery and I always like when all the different threads in a mystery come together at the end.

The resolution to the mystery element was probably the weakest part of the book and where this really felt like a debut.  I liked where we ended up, but I found the road to that resolution to be a bit rough.  Like any good mystery, there were a number of red herrings but I never felt like these options were pursued in-depth enough for them to come off as real options for resolutions.  Now, most mystery readers know that the resolution, most times, won't be the first option presented but I find part of the fun is having the case for that option be made so well that it makes you double guess your senses.  I also found Petal's personal drive to solve the mystery to sort of wane at certain parts and if the main character isn't super driven to solve the mystery, it can be a bit of a drag to read. I will note that these choices could have been 100% on purpose, but they just didn't come together in the type of mystery read I prefer. 

Overall, this was a really fun read with some interesting elements and played on my favorite tropes.  I loved Petal's prickly character and though the premise of secrets being revealed via a book was fantastic.  I do think the mystery reveal wasn't quite as tightly plotted as it could have been, but I enjoyed the overall resolution. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC

Publication date was July 18, 2023