The Sequel is stunning! As the title says, it is the sequel to Jean Hanff Korelitz's The Plot, but could completely stand on it's own.  The Sequel explores the spirited yet flawed character of Anna in depth, and gives the reader additional insight into her character than we had in the first book. 

Prior to reading The Sequel, I'd recommend taking a glance at a summary of The Plot, but the main character of Anna does explain the idea of The Plot in the first chapter by referencing the previous book and providing essentially a high level overview.  Having read the previous book, I was able to make additional connections between the two books (which I always love!), but it wasn't necessary to have read The Plot first. 

In The Sequel, Anna sets out to publish her own novel after the death of her writer husband, who had stolen the idea for his best selling novel from a former student. The book quickly rises to the tops of the charts. However, she soon begins receiving letters anonymously that hint that they know Anna's secrets. What will it take for Anna to oust whomever is sending her these letters while ensuring that she keeps her secrets safe?

Thank you to Celadon Books and Jean Hanff Korelitz for the advance copy of The Sequel! The Sequel will be hitting shelves on October 1, 2024, so you do have time to get ahead of the game and read The Plot first =)

Loved love loved this thriller from Megan Miranda! Her last book wasn't such a quick read in my opinion, and this one was extremely redeeming! Coming to shelves on April 9, so be sure to grab it ASAP!!

Hazel Sharp inherits her childhood home, and the drama that comes with it. Her father disinherited his biological children, and left her his home. Hazel isn't his biological child, but her father married her mother and they lived there for several years. After her mother disappeared, he continued to raise Hazel as his own.

Hazel comes home for the funeral, and learns that her siblings are considering contesting the will. While she's in town, she learns that her brother and sister-in-law have a rather tumultuous marriage, and her mother's car is pulled from the lake. This leads her to suspect that maybe her mother didn't leave her behind after all, and met with foul play. 

Did Hazel's mom leave of her own free will and is she still out in the world somewhere? Did she meet with foul play? Will Hazel get to keep the house or will it go to her siblings, that are blood relatives of her father?

Questions abound in this thriller, and it was absolutely unputdownable for me. Get this one when it comes out!!

Bye, Baby is the story of Billie West and Cassie Barnwell's friendship. They were extremely close friends for many years, but recently have grown apart. Cassie is now a fashion influencer, and Billie is, well, Billie. Although they were bonded by a tragedy in highschool, that particular tragedy is also what drove them apart. Billie, in effort to become close to Cassie again, follows Cassie on social media and sporadically reaches out. When Billie's new boss asks her to cat-sit, Billie says yes...and later comes to realize that Cass's apartment is one floor up. Cassie is throwing a big party, and Billie wasn't invited. When Billie hears Cass's baby crying, she climbs up the fire escape and takes the baby to comfort it. However, she quickly realizes the error of her ways, and desperately tries to figure out a way out of the predicament that she has put herself in.

Will Billie be able to talk her way out of this one? Will the tragedy from their high school days bring Cassie and Billie back together? 

This was my first Carola Lovering book, and I loved it! Am looking forward to reading more of her work. 

​The Guest is full of unexpected twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing until the end!
Iris and her husband Gabriel arrive home one evening to find one of their friends, Laure, at their house. She’s upset with her husband, and planning to stay until they resolve things. Laure’s visit becomes longer and longer as her husband doesn’t respond, and they all soon suspect that he is having an affair. 
In addition to the suspected affair and lingering houseguest, tragedy seems to hang over Gabriel. Gabriel found a neighbor that fell in the quarry but was unable to save him, and is currently struggling with depression. Iris struggles to stay connected with Gabriel while he is recovering, and their marriage is floundering. 
New neighbors Esme, her husband, and their gardener interject some hope into Iris as she tries to cope with a depressed husband and overbearing new housemate for who knows how long. Although Esme is a light in the darkness for Iris, some of her behaviors leave Iris questioning her true motivations. 
Will Laure ever move back home? Will Gabriel recover from the tragic death of a neighbor? Are Esme’s actions pure? 
Although there is much darkness in BA Paris’ The Guest, the multitude of characters keep the reader early turning the pages and guessing at the connections and motivations. Brought there are many characters,  they are easy to differentiate and follow. Paris, in traditional style, has significant twists throughout the novel and an ending you won’t see coming. If you like thrillers, snag this one when it hits the shelves!

Whew! This one was a doozy! 
Evie Porter works undercover for a private employer and goes on special "missions." She's worked her way up the chain of command and reports directly to the boss. When she goes on her latest mission, she is shocked when somebody shows up that has her original name....and looks like her....and has the background story that aligns with Evie's history....
First Lie Wins is a cross between a cat and mouse tale along with a spy/secret agent theme. Evie is desperately trying to unravel the mystery of if or why her boss sent "her" to meet up with herself, while staying undercover and trying to work on her current job. 
This book grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go! 

​House of Glass is Sarah Pekkanen’s latest thriller, and true to style, Sarah Pekkanen’s storytelling hooks you from the beginning. 

We begin with Stella observing a potential client from afar. This feels a bit creepy, but we soon learn that Stella is a court appointed therapist who specializes in working with teens that have had significant trauma. The child she is observing is younger than her typical client, so she is trying to decide if she thinks she can help. 

As the story continues, Stella does decide to take on Rose’s case, and becomes involved in the custody dispute between her divorcing parents. As she gets to know the family, she notices many odd things. Rose is secreting away small items that could be construed as weapons, like pieces of glass and a box cutter. After Rose’s nanny falls to her death, all the windows in her house have been replaced with plexiglass instead of glass. All of the cups in her house are plastic. Although the family can’t come to a consensus on custody for Rose, they are united in trying to protect Rose - but what or who exactly are they trying to project her from?

We also learn more about Stella’s background, and the trauma she experienced as a small girl that has led her to be an expert in childhood trauma and therapy. Stella’s mom died when Stella was young, and she still has questions about that long ago night. After this terrible experience, Stella had several bouts of luck that helped shape her. However, as Stella’s own life is beginning to unravel and she turns to history to learn more about her mother’s death, she begins to question everything about her life and the significant people in her life. 

This is a psychological thriller filled with twists and turns, and an ending I never saw coming! Set a reminder for August 6th when this book hits store shelves!

Whew! It's been a hot minute. I've been reading, but not posting.  So let's get updated!

One by One is another quick ready by Freida McFadden. This is an older title of hers, but a great one! Came out in 2022. 
Our narrator is Claire, who is extremely unhappy in her marriage, yet going on a vacation with her husband and 5 other friends. They take a trip each year, and this year is no different.  Except, Claire's daughter has a dream that Claire gets eaten by a monster in the woods....Claire brushes this off initially, but after the group literally gets lost in the woods on the way to their resort and people start disappearing, she begins to question if she will ever return home to her children.
Primarily, the narrator is Claire, but there is also an anonymous narrator who has a chapter interspersed here and there.  Anonymous tells us of their horrific childhood, and leads us to believe that they are a piece of the puzzle in the mystery of the people that have disappeared, but the reader is left to decipher who anonymous may be.
This book was an unputdownable thriller, and I read it from cover to cover in a day. Although Claire at times seemed a bit immature, Freida McFadden ratcheted up the tension a notch at a time that kept me rapidly turning pages on my Kindle. Absolutely loved this book, and highly recommend it to fans of Freida McFadden and Lisa Gardener. 

Trauma, survivor’s guilt, and best friends with well kept secrets in a small town come to a shocking conclusion in Lisa Unger’s novella, Christmas Presents. Can you trust anybody?

Madeline Martin is the scarred only survivor of murderer Evan Handy, who killed her best friend while she watched. 2 other friend’s of Madeline’s disappeared that same evening, and haven’t been heard from since. Their disappearance has always been attributed to Evan, but he denies any part of their disappearance. Of course, he also denies the murder he is in jail for, as well as injuring Madeline. 

10 years later, a podcaster comes to town to investigate the cold case of the still missing girls, as well as several more recent disappearances. Old wounds are opened up and long kept secrets uncovered. 

Christmas Presents is perfect for fans of Lisa Unger and Megan Miranda. Murder mystery and thriller fans alike, grab your copy!

​Megan Goldin is back with one of my favorite characters of hers, the true crime podcaster Rachel Krall with her latest pulse pounding thriller!

Krall is pulled into an FBI missing persons case when Maddison, a social media influencer, disappears after visiting suspected killer Terence Bailey in prison and they discuss Rachel Krall. Rachel doesn’t know Maddison or Terence, and has had no contact from either. She cannot imagine why they were discussing her or how she could be connected to these two individuals. However, with Maddison missing and Terence Bailey, a suspected murderer, about to get out on parole, the clock is sure ticking!

Dark Corners is told in alternating timelines. We get pieces from present day with Rachel and the FBI’s missing person investigation, and also another storyline with another murder that occurred nearby. The chapters don’t make clear when we are switching timelines, so the reader has to piece it together, which is easily done from the different characters. The mystery of how this other timeline connects continues to draw the reader in. We aren’t sure if this is related to the missing persons case, a past murder, or something that will occur later in the main timeline of the story. 

Bodies keep appearing. Will the FBI or Rachel get to the bottom of this puzzle before Terence is released on parole and could possibly murder more women? Or will Terence continue his reign of terror after being released from prison?

Pre-order this heart stopping thriller from Megan Goldin right now!! Twists galore and an ending that will surprise even regular thriller readers like me, you won’t want to miss this one!!