Home Before Dark by Riley Sager | Should I read more books by Riley Sager?

Will I ever become a Riley Sager fan?

Last year I read my first Riley Sager book – «Lock Every Door» and, to be honest, I wasn’t impressed. The thriller genre is very competitive. There are so many incredible writers whose books I love and who never fail to surprise me with the crazy twists. So far I can’t say the same about Riley Sager. 

Someone who is new to the mystery / thriller genre will appreciate his books much more than I have, and will probably be surprised by the twists and turns.

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Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney | A slow-burn suspense book!

«Playing Nice» is my second book by J.P. Delaney. Last year I found one of his books – «The Girl Before» at the local thrift bookshop. Surprisingly, I read it a few days after the purchase [which never happens!] and even though I wasn’t head over heels for it, I still enjoyed it.

When I saw that he was publishing a new book this year, I of course immediately requested it and was very lucky to get approved. That being said, «Playing Nice» didn’t blow my mind either. J.P. Delaney’s books seem to be a very quiet sort of mystery. There wasn’t anything particularly thrilling about it.  I didn’t stay up all night trying to finish this book. However, it was still entertaining in its own way.

The Shadow Friend by Alex North | An interesting thriller but not as captivating as I wanted it to be!

Ever since the release of «The Whisper Man» by Alex North last year, I’ve been very excited to read his debut thriller. Especially because it received so much positive feedback (and the cover definitely caught my attention). 

Guess what. I still haven’t read «The Whisper Man» but I was very lucky to get the ARC of Alex North’s new release – «The Shadow Friend» (or «The Shadow» as it’s called in the US). I’m so happy that I finally got to read at least one Alex North books!

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda | The perfect book to read in one sitting and preferably with lights on!

Apparently, the word “thrilling” means causing excitement and pleasure. I can agree with excitement, but pleasure? When I think thrilling, I imagine stories that make my heart beat faster, slightly spooky, maybe a little bit creepy, with a lot of unpredicted plot twists! And that’s exactly what «The Girl from Widow Hills» was like. 

It’s been a very long time since I’ve read a book until late at night, refusing to go to sleep because I needed to finish it and see the things finally unravel. This was my second Megan Miranda book and it took me completely off guard.

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs | Not what I expected?

It’s been a long time since I really committed to reading thrillers and mysteries. My reading taste changes all the time, and more often than not something that I would have found absolutely incredible a few years (sometimes months) ago, fails to surprise me in a way I wanted it to.

That’s how I felt about «What Lies Between Us» by John Marrs. While it had a very captivating plotline, smart twists, and characters I couldn’t trust, it just didn’t leave me dumbstruck as I thought it would.

The Other People by C.J. Tudor | The best of C.J. Tudor’s books to date!

After reading «The Chalk Man» in 2018, I immediately became a fan of C.J. Tudor’s writing! She creates the most gripping and thrilling plots, infused by the terror of simple common things that feel too real. Last year, I read her other book «The Taking of Annie Thorne» that was just as incredible as the first one. 

And now in 2020, we got «The Other People»! Her next book (my edition of «The Other People» had the first chapter of it) is coming out next year and sounds very interesting.

Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar | One of my favorite tropes in thrillers!

Reading «Grace is Gone» reminded me of two very distinct things:

1. why thrillers and mysteries used to be my favorite genres, and also
2. why I stopped reading them. 

This might sound like I disliked this book, which is not true. But I can’t say that it was the best Mystery either, especially since I suspected from the very beginning what the twist will be, and patiently waited for my guess to be confirmed by the author.

I Dare You by Sam Carrington | Will I ever find a thriller I love?

I love books written in “now and then” style when each chapter brings us closer to THE day of the crime, and two realities – the future and the past, finally meet together and in a mere click, everything starts to make perfect sense. 

It’s been so difficult to find some new thrillers and mysteries that would really surprise me. I remember when I was younger, all I used to read were thrillers and all of them were amazing. Which prompted me to pick up more and more of the same genre. I don’t know if it’s the critical reader in me, and the need to review books that is lowering my excitement, or simply I can’t choose the right books for myself anymore

The Girl Before You by Nicola Rayner

I’ve been meaning to write the review for «The Girl Before You» by Nicola Raynor for a very long time. I read it back at the beginning of May, and have been trying to come up with some words to describe this book ever since. 

The Observer compared this book to «The Girl On The Train» by Paula Hawkins but in my opinion, it didn’t live up to this comparison. It’s definitely not The Girl On The Train and it’s definitely not a book I will reread at any point.

The reason why it took me so long to finish this review was that I didn’t have anything to say about this book, which is sad because I always try to find something to talk about in every single book I read.

Date Night by Samantha Hayes | Whirlwind of events and emotions in this new thrilling page-turner!

It’s been a long time since I read a domestic thriller. It’s been even longer since I read a  GOOD domestic thriller. «Date Night» by Samantha Hayes was the most enticing and interesting read of August so far. 

Why didn’t I give it 5 stars you might wonder?

As much as I loved the characters, the story, the mystery and the eerie feeling of the book, the ending was a big let down! But, of course, no spoilers! So you’ll need to read this book yourself to see what I’m talking about. *wink*

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager | Not the most gripping thriller!

My first book by Riley Sage, «Lock Every Door» was a very entertaining way of getting to know the author’s style, and plunge myself into the mystery of one of the most luxurious buildings in Manhattan. 

Was I expecting a little more thrills? Yes.

Was I disappointed by the unbelievable plot twists? Slightly.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim | A slow-burn courtroom drama!

I did it, guys! I finally managed to finish this book! It only took me… what? two and a half months? 

Maybe I should have DNF’d it as soon as I realized that this book wasn’t for me, which happened at exactly 7% into the book. Or maybe I made the right decision to actually read all of it, so I wouldn’t wonder later on if I misjudged the book. I don’t know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Right after finishing «Miracle Creek» I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads, but as I sat down to write my review, I thought it would be unfair to the author and the book itself to give it a lower rating when I couldn’t pin any flaws to it, other than “it wasn’t for me”. 

As a result, I won’t be rating the book, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! 

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell | Literary Fiction disguised as a Thriller

I always thought of myself as a fan of any mystery/thriller premise. Any story revolving around crime. Characters trying to figure out what really happened. These were the main elements that sucked me in.

After reading «Then She Was Gone» by Lisa Jewell, I realized that I much prefer novels centered around the  “Who did it” question than “Why it happened”. There is just something so addicting about gathering clues, brainstorming and constantly questioning who the villain is!

Lisa Jewell gave us a different type of thriller – a character-driven mystery, showcasing the flawed people and their motives, instead of a fast-paced page-turner with an unpredictable turn of events.

The Taking of Annie Thorne by C. J. Tudor | Can you tell what is real?

If you thought «The Chalk Man» was dark and creepy, «The Taking of Annie Thorne» will give you jitters. C.J. Tudor took the mystery of her second book to the new level by adding some surprising horror elements. The attention to details, the mystery elements, and deeply engraved traumas provided the perfect scenery for a creepy thriller!

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton | A Unique Murder Mystery for Agatha Christie fans!

What do you do when someone dies at her own welcome party? And what the day repeats itself over and over again, and you watch Evelyn Hardcastle kill herself for the thousands of times?

Aiden Bishop knows what it feels like when you are incapable of helping, watching the death approach again and again. Watching it through the eyes of 8 different hosts, 8 different people with their own habits, strengths, and weaknesses.  Watching and hoping that the next day you will come closer to solving this mystery.