Penguin | December 2016 | 368 pgs
Source: Library
14th November, 1980. Annie Doyle is murdered while she is out discussing a deal with Andew Fitzsimons, a High Court judge who would do anything to please his wife, Lydia. Annie's body is quickly buried in their garden, after all nowhere else is safer than your own property, isn't it? Avalon is their luxurious house and no one has access without their permission, especially when the Fitzsimons' reputation is concerned. Avalon is an old estate which has passed on by Lydia's father and her grandfather, and Lydia would hang onto it fiercely no matter whatever the circumstances is. Little does they know that their only teenage son, Laurence, got home early on that fateful night and has questions about their lies.
Karen Doyle isn't convinced that her sister, Annie is dead and is adamant of finding her on her own. The investigations have long been ceased after there wasn't any lead on the case and with Annie's notorious behaviour of a wild loose girl, everyone believes she might have flee her Dublin home and move in some other places with a new identity. Karen thinks otherwise; she knew her sister plus there isn't anything missing from her rented place. The years go by and some circumstances led Laurence and Karen befriended each other. And what happened in the past would begin to unravel slowly and by then the wheels of motion has been set and it is not stopping until another tragedy strikes.
Told from three persons' POV, Lying in Wait was an absorbing read about an unplanned murder go haywire. While this story doesn't have a cast of unreliable narrators, many of them are not particularly likeable. This whydunit kind of suspense has a strong sense of foreboding and intrigue that made this an unputdownable book. As the story progresses, readers will get to know more about these three narrators and their history, and what they would do to protect the person they loved. The ending would absolutely chill you and set you thinking at the same time.
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Quercus | February 2017 | 384 pgs
Source: Library
The Chalk Pit is the ninth installment of Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway mystery and though I jumped into this book without any idea of the characterisations or the writing style, I found myself enjoying this book featuring the main protagonist and DCI Harry Nelson working together during their investigations.
When some human bones are found buried beneath the grounds of an old chalk-mining tunnel in Norwich during an excavation for a new development project, Ruth thinks they are probably medieval although she is skeptical about their translucence appearance; a sign that they were boiled soon after death.
On the other end, DCI Nelson and his team are following up on a case of a missing homeless woman named Barbara after a few fellow homeless people reported not seeing her for weeks. There are some rumours about underground societies, ritual activities and even cannibalism but Ruth remains objective. Then two homeless people were found murdered and two more women were reported missing that make Ruth and the police think that there are something more than meet the eye surrounding the underground tunnels and they may have to dig deeper to unravel the mystery.
Despite my limited knowledge of the cast of characters, I found myself absorbed in this book quickly and it didn't take me too much time to get to know more about the characters and I loved it that way considering I was new to this series and on top of it I read it out of order. Ruth and Nelson are two very engaging characters with their past history and their complicated relationship (Nelson has two grown up children with his wife and another younger daughter with Ruth. Nelson stay married to his wife and his relationship with Ruth is considered more like friends. However, something happened along the way which I think might alter these characters' perspective and I'm very curious to see where this would take them in the future books.)
Another thing worth mentioning is the insight of the homeless people while reading this book. The author has covered several aspects about their circumstances and experiences which I couldn't help but to feel for them and while some were poor and not highly educated, a few had actually led a normal life until some situations pushed them off the edge.
All in all this was an intriguing read. Most of all, the dynamic between Ruth and Nelson kept me engaged throughout the book. I'll be sure to check out the other books of this series.
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Grand Central Publishing | February 2015 | 352 pgs
Source: Library
This first novel by Sandra Block is a story about Freudian nightmare and the dark side of memories, family and the strain and bond that connect us all, as well as the discovery of one's own empathy.
Dr. Zoe Goldman is a resident in training in a psychiatric ward in Buffalo, New York. Aside from tending to troubled patients, she is intrigued by a new patient who murdered her mother. While Sofia's case is disturbing, Zoe on the other end has her own baggage; she was adopted and she wants to know why and how her biological mother passed, especially she has been plagued by nightmares of a fire during her childhood. To complicate matters, her adoptive mother loses her memory to dementia and she has to rely on her own to search for the answers.
Of course we all know that the truth might not be pleasant and what we know might hurt us; so ultimately Zoe would find out the truth surrounding her past and well, what a surprise it was.
I read Little Black Lies with no idea where this story would take me so I enjoyed that moment of having the story unveiling itself to me. Zoe was an interesting character with some emotional baggage. Overall, the story was intriguing but I thought there's still room for improvement concerning the characters' development. That being said, Little Black Lies was an intriguing read and I am curious where the author would take us in her next Zoe Goldman series, The Girl Without a Name.
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Houghton Mifflin | January 2016 | 288 pgs
Source: Library
The Poison Artist was an extraordinary mystery I read among many others; one which totally engaged me from the beginning till the end with the writer's prose right up to how this story was skilfully crafted and told.
Dr. Caleb Maddox is a toxicologist and he is also studying the chemical effects of pain. One evening after a fallout with his artist girlfriend, he goes to a bar and encounter a mysterious woman. Bewitched by her quiet and seductive demeanour over a glass of absinthe, he knew he has to find her by every means.
During his search, there were a few missing men who turned up dead and the post-mortems are inconclusive. Henry, who is Caleb's old friend and a medical examiner, has secretly sought Caleb's insight on the chemical evidence left on the victims' bodies. It turned out that one of the victims was at the same bar the night Caleb frequented; the night which he encountered the mysterious woman.
What follows subsequently was a series of searching and finding answers both from Inspector Kennon as well as Caleb. And as the story progresses, Caleb's search for the killer as well as the mysterious woman entwine and the closer he gets to them he finds himself more confused and putting him in an unfavourable position.
The Poison Artist was a lethally gripping thriller which entranced this reader from its first page till the last. The author's writing was precise and well-written; I found the scenes between Caleb and the mysterious woman to be the most engaging and all the time I was both fascinated and wary of her. Caleb, on the other hand, was obsessed by her despite he knew very little of this woman and that too often her appearance in places are deemed to be questionable. Most of all, I liked it that this story threw me off with its surprises, though I think the outcome may not appease to all readers. Still, I would recommend this to readers who love a good mystery.
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
I loved this K-drama. With elements such as a power supergirl with a few buttkicking moves, thrown in some complicated love issues and a super evil psychopath and you will have Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.
I will skip the plot since the above about sums up the overall picture of this fantasy romcom. What this drama captivated me is the fantastical portrayal of Do Bong Soon (starring Park Bo-Young) and her outlook on family, friends and life in general. Generally speaking, she is a simple-minded girl with a big heart and a bigger righteousness mind who would risk dangers to protect anyone who's in need of assistance (be it a simple lift of a heavy bulky item or a life-threatening situation.)
Her love life, however, is a bit more complicated, though. She has been friends with rookie detective In Gook-du (Starring Ji-Soo) since they were teenagers and she's always carry a torch for him since then but that feelings is always one-sided until later, which I felt was way too late since by then she was attracted by Ahn Min-hyuk (starring Park Hyung-sik), a young CEO of a video gaming company. She and Min-Hyuk has a history way before they knew each other; and I loved to see how their feelings for each other develop from a boss-subordinate relationship to being a more-than-friends relationship. Their sense of togetherness most often brought a smile to my face be they flirting or clashing with each other's ideas.
Then, there is the case of the psychopath who abducts young women to be his "brides". This thrilling plot captivated the crime thriller reader in me and it was interesting to see how this suspense involved Bong Soon and Min-Hyuk ultimately. That being said, this drama gravitate more towards the romantic aspect and I loved it all the same. And oh, that ending! *grins*
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Sphere | January 2016 | 480 pgs
Source: Purchased
City of the Lost is Kelley Armstrong's first book of her Casey Duncan series and I was excited to read it as it features a tough, flawed female detective and a setting of the isolated Yukon wilderness.
The story opens with an intriguing scene of Casey visiting her new therapist. Twelve years ago, Casey had killed a man. While an incident had left Casey both emotionally and physically scarred, she knew that man didn't deserve death despite what he had done. She then moved on and became a homicide detective and she knew someday the crime she had committed will catch up on her. On the other end, Diana, who is Casey's best friend, faces a problem involving her ex-husband who is stalking and abusing her. Diana knew there is a town where they would be safe; Rockton has only about 200+ population and it is meant for people who want to shed their old lives, just like them. They managed to get into Rockton after going through some procedures.
While Diana has a valid reason of escaping from her ex-husband, Casey gained her entrance into Rockton as the new detective in town. Sheriff Eric Dalton is wary of Casey as a newbie but Rockton needs her expertise considering they have their very first murder case. Rockton may deem as a sanctuary for those who want to escape their old life, but are all the residents they claimed as who they are? Or was the horrific murder done by the hostiles; those who lost something when they left Rockton had began to lose their humanity and revert to something animalistic?
City of the Lost is a great first book of a new series with an interesting cast of characters and the atmospheric Rockton made this book stand out from the rest. The plot and the suspense captivated me, but it was the characters who held my interest throughout the story. Casey Duncan is a woman who has a flawed past and one who doesn't shy away from the imperfections in life or in people. Her willingness to get involved with an ex-con who had come clean in the initial stage of the story tells a lot about her personality and her way of viewing things in general, never mind if they have a future or not. Her interactions with Sheriff Eric Dalton came off as a slow start and with doubts so it was interesting to see their attitudes towards each other changed as the story progresses. All in all this was an intriguing story and I look forward to reading her next installment, A Darkness Absolute.
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group | April 2017 | 304 pgs
Source: Edelweiss via Publisher (Advance Reading Copy)
Ashford, Vermont, 1975. There was once a Sandeskis family living in a sleepy town where they resided among abandoned mills and factories. Burntown, as they called this town, was their home and the Sandeskis were a happily family. Miles was a respected professor and during his free time, he would make mechanical animals and talking dolls for his young daughter, Eva. But his greatest invention was a plan which was passed on by Miles's father; a machine which would allow the living to communicate with the dead. Then came the Great Flood which Eva believed that was what killed her father and her brother, Errol. Eva and her mother, Lily, left their place and lived off the grid in a campsite on the river's edge with three mystical women who called themselves "fire eaters". These women knew how to breathe and eat fires through a herb they called "devil's snuff" and it also allowed them to see the future through their vision.
Eva, now known as "Necco" on the street, has been hiding away her life ever since her mother passed. According to Lily, her father was murdered by someone called "Snake Eyes" (or the Chicken Man) who wanted her father's invention. But Eva never believed what she was told and thought her mother was under depression and grief, until her mysterious death and Eva's boyfriend being murdered signified that there is indeed someone out there who is looking for her and wants her father's plan.
Along the way, Eva befriended two people; Theo, a high school senior who is scrambling to find her lost bag containing some drugs and money she owes a drugs dealer and Pru, a woman who works as a cafeteria lady at a Catholic School and runs errands for a circus as her other secret life. Pru knew Theo because she has been relying on her for her "vitamins" for some time but she hasn't heard from Theo for awhile and she needs her stuff to get her going. As the lives of these three different women intersect, they knew they have to rely on one another to get their life in order and most of all, to escape from "Snake Eyes" who has begun to close in on them.
Jennifer McMahon's stories never fail to surprise me; each of them is different and I knew I can always count on her for a good escapism read. Be it supernatural, fantasy or thriller, she has a knack for capturing your attention through the various worlds she created and soon you will find yourself engaged in her characterisations and premises, never mind if the subjects might seem bizarre or not. That is how Jennifer McMahon's books are and I like the different style and topics she imply in them. While I was fascinated by Burntown and the imagination of a great machine which could allow the living to communicate with the dead (it sounds creepy!), it was these notion - "one's hope to dream and dare to make them true" and "girl power" which spoke volumes to me. Eva, Theo and Pru have their flaws and I liked how they overcome their issues and daring to dream under difficult circumstances and of course, through the support of their friendship. Pru might be a secondary character but surprisingly, she was my favourite character among all. I liked that she finds her courage and dreams despite she thinks she is fat and worthless; and what she did in the end brought a smile to my face. Burntown may not be my favourite McMahon book but it was quite an inspiring read in my opinion.
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Macmillan | January 2017 | 496 pgs
Source: Library
Rattle is a book which is neither easy to read nor write after turning that last page. It was hard to articulate my thoughts and put them into words as aside from the horror of the crimes, it also features a medical condition of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (Stone Man Syndrome); a rare debilitating disease that causes sufferers to grow a second skeleton which literally traps them in a prison of bone (this definition was extracted from the author's note. For more info please click above link.)
And on top of it all was a terrifying serial killer, named the Bone Collector, is a psychopath who leads two lives - an ordinary man who's like anyone else and a caretaker of his family's macabre museum in another. Aside from abducting little children who seem to have some skeletal deformities, his other modus operandi is leaving rabbit skeletons around either as a clue or as a taunt, nobody knows but Detective Sergeant Etta Fitzroy is adamant to trace him down and to see that the children are returned safely back to their parents.
But that is not all, two sets of parents (with their children missing) face some marital problems; most of which is one parent is not attentive enough to their family and even DS Etta Fitzroy doesn't escape from her own woes - a stillborn baby and an older broker husband who doesn't really want children. However, Fitzroy's characteristic shine in her devotion to her work amid her personal life.
As for our antagonist the Bone Collector, he remains as a shadow and readers know very little of him until the last quarter of the book; and by then the intensity was full-blown and readers would be caught up by the cat-and-mouse race. Overall, Rattle was quite an unsettling read with a creepy psychopath and his evil deeds and while it was a thrilling read to me, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending. Perhaps there is a sequel to it? I hope so.
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
HarperCollins Publishers | January 2017 | 400 pgs
Source: Library
It all started with the stained sheets. Dawn and her husband, Rob, had rented a vacation house by the beach for four days and when Dawn later found out that she would lose $200 of the deposit due to the stained sheets, she lost her cool. Miranda, the host, thinks otherwise and thought Dawn has agreed to the terms since she has not heard from her. From there, they started firing each other with accusing emails and texts, calling each other names and proceeds to stalk each other's life online.
But behind these battles hide a bigger façade as Dawn and Miranda each has their family history and secrets to hide from their spouse respectively. For Dawn, she came from a family who offered her minimal love and attention and her teenage life was a mess; hooking up with boys and such until she met her current husband, Rob. Rob didn't know about her past and Dawn sees her marriage as a new start, until she sees Miranda as a threat and she feels she needs to resurrect the old Dawn as she was.
Miranda, on the other end, is a doctor's wife and though her financial status is far better off than Dawn, she relies on the rental income so that she could continue to send money to her 27-year-old son, Thad. Miranda knew Thad is still using drugs on and off and that he also requires money for his art works but she is not willing to cut him off completely the way her husband, Larry, did. Thus, she views Dawn as a threat after the latter has left several nasty and negative reviews on websites and defame her reputation as a trusted host.
As these two different women are set to ruin each other's life, what they didn't realise is their behaviours and the deeds they have done are spiralling out of control and in no time their secrets would be laid bare and would shatter everything they have built all this time. This Is Not Over is a refreshing multi-layered tale about a mundane domestic disagreement which has gone haywire and though what Dawn and Miranda did to each other are way overboard, in some ways some of their behaviours are relatable as at times we will encounter some frustrating or annoying matters and people and whether or not we would let things slide or keep them to heart and make ourselves miserable. Dawn and Miranda aren't likeable characters, that's for sure but they are unforgettable and their stories will remind us about causes and consequences.
© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
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