Daisy Darker - Alice Feeney

I absolutely love Alice Feeney's writing. I just knew her latest book, Daisy Darker, would be another riveting read. But for those of you who haven't read Feeney yet, this description might interest you...

"A family reunion on a tiny tidal island leads to murder in this delightfully twisty and atmospheric thriller with a wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None."

Daisy Darker's family is most definitely dysfunctional. And each of them is harboring secrets. The characters are all so unlikable, barring Daisy. But, they've gathered as a family to celebrate their Nana's 80th birthday. The tide cuts off the island for eight hours. And the first hour brings the first body. A poem written about the deceased on the kitchen wall. And clues to ..... well you can see what might be about to happen, right?

Feeney's writing is so addictive. And her plotting is so devious, delivering a twist at the end that can't be predicted. I love being caught off guard! The setting was so atmospheric - the isolation and the rambling house itself. Daisy is the narrator and we see things through her eyes as well as her memories of the past. Take the time to enjoy Feeney's prose as well - there are some gems in Daisy's recounting.

Loved it! See for yourself - read an excerpt of Daisy Darker. (Loved that name/title too)

Hidden Pictures - Jason Rekulak

I read Jason Rekulak's first novel back in 2017 and loved it. I was thrilled to see that he had penned a new book - Hidden Pictures. This descriptor and cover from the publisher caught my eye...."comes a wildly inventive spin on the classic horror story in Hidden Pictures, a supernatural thriller about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets." Who else liked it? Stephen King did..."I loved it." 

I quite liked the flawed but likable lead character Mallory. She's a recovering addict and desperately wants this second chance to pan out. She's making good money, has her own little cabin to live in, the parents seem like good people and their little boy Teddy is a joy. Sounds great right? But...yup, there's that but. Young Teddy starts drawing some increasingly disturbing pictures. The parents dismiss her concerns but....

I'm going to leave things there for you to discover. Rekulak's plot is inventive and insidious. The creep factor increases as Teddy's drawings begin to tell an unsettling tale. The drawings included in the book  from illustrators Will Staehle and Doogie Horner add extra goosebumps. 

Hidden Pictures was a page turner for me. I was caught up in the story and really wanted to know what/who was behind the pictures as well as the why. I have to say, Rekulak surprised me with a twist that no reader could predict on the way to the answers. Bravo! I absolutely love being caught off guard with what direction a book is going to take. A few situations require a few grains of salt - but go with it. It's entertainment I'm after and I definitely found it in the pages of Hidden Pictures. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Hidden Pictures. 

Spotlight - Treasures of the Sky - Jenny Tinghui Zhang

I'm today's stop for the blog tour of Treasures of the Sky - Jenny Tinghui Zhang's debut novel.

What's it about? From Flatiron Books:

"A propulsive and dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, about a Chinese girl fighting to claim her place in the 1880s American West.

Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been - including the ones she most wants to leave behind - in order to finally claim her own name and story.

At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat." "Engulfing, bighearted, and heartbreaking." - Ann Patchett

Photo Credit: Mary Inhea Kang

Read an excerpt of Treasures of the Sky.

"Jenny Tinghui Zhang is a Chinese-American writer. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Apogee, Ninth Letter, Passages North, The Rumpus, HuffPost, The Cut, Catapult, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the University of Wyoming and has received support from Kundiman, Tin House, and VONA/Voices. She was born in Changchun, China and grew up in Austin, Texas, where she currently lives. Four Treasures of the Sky is her debut. You can connect with Jenny on Instagram."

 

Sleepless - Romy Hausmann

I enjoyed Romy Hausmann's first English novel, Dear Child (my review) and happily picked up her newly released novel Sleepless. 

The premise? From Flatiron Books:

"It's been years since Nadja Kulka was convicted of a cruel crime. After being released from prison, she's wanted nothing more than to live a normal life: nice flat, steady job, even a few friends. But when one of those friends, Laura von Hoven--free-spirited beauty and wife of Nadja's boss--kills her lover and begs Nadja for her help, Nadja can't seem to refuse.

The two women make for a remote house in the woods, the perfect place to bury a body. But their plan quickly falls apart and Nadja finds herself outplayed, a pawn in a bizarre game in which she is both the perfect victim and the perfect murderer..."

Sleepless opens with a letter - the sender or recipient are not named. The letters continue throughout the book offering up a look at the past of the writer. I always enjoy epistolary entries in a book.

The time frames of Sleepless goes back and forth from chapter to chapter. Nadja's entries always have her name, but the other timeframes are identified only by date. A myriad of players populate these chapters. 

I found it impossible to connect with the lead character Nadja. I felt like I should because of her past, but she makes impossibly foolish decisions over and over again. There's another character called Nelly who appears at the beginning of the book in a past timeframe. Her I liked. As the book progressed I wondered how her story and Nadja would connect by the end of the book. But that connection ended up being only marginal and I questioned her even being in the book. Same goes for her counterpart Paul. He too only has a tangential connection with the main plot. Without saying too much, the epilogue was an odd add-on.

I liked Hausmann's premise, but felt the execution was lacking for me. The jumping timelines, the twists that defied belief and the disjointed feeling overall. I really had higher hopes for Sleepless based on Dear Child. I'm sorry to say this one was a bit of a disappointment for me. See what others thought on Goodreads.

The Neighbor's Secret - L. Alison Heller

Cottonwood Estates is the place you want to live and raise a family in. Good schools, low crime - and wonderful neighbors. That's the setting for L. Alison Heller's newest novel, The Neighbor's Secret. I love this premise - it provides a wide open palette for the author's imagination. 

The Cottonwood Book Club officially meets once a month, but they've got numerous email chains on the go, keeping a close eye on their neighborhood. The monthly book club email reminder is priceless - quite witty. I quite enjoyed them. (And truth be told - it's a club I would join in a heartbeat)

There's a slew of club members, but the book focuses on three of them. Lena is an older long time resident of Cottonwood. She has closeted herself in her home, but is convinced to join the club. There's an undisclosed secret in her past, one she skirts around. And that only whetted my appetite for finding out what it was. Annie too has a secret she's tucked away. But her focus is on her teenaged daughter Laurel - her behaviour has become worrisome over the last few months. And last is Jen. Her son Abe is troubled, more than she lets on or acknowledges. A vandal is now targeting Cottonwood and scandals are simmering. 

Short flashbacks from the past gives the reader more of an idea how the present has been impacted. Heller does a great job of eking out bits of the secrets, dropping hints and clues that left me thinking I had figured out Lena's past. I'm happy to say that I was not completely right about the final reveals. I'm always glad when I can't predict endings.

The suspense was not as high as I had expected going in. Yes, there is some, but the focus is more on the relationships between mothers and children, wives and husbands, friends and acquaintances. 

The Neighbor's Secret is a well written, slow burning tale that will ask you - how far would you go to protect the ones you love? See for yourself - read an excerpt of The Neighbor's Secret.

Rock Paper Scissors - Alice Feeney

I've read all of Alice Feeney's previous books, but I think her latest - Rock Paper Scissors - is my favourite. If you're looking for a book you can't put down 'til the last page is turned, you're going to want to pick this one up. I finished it in a day on the back deck.

Why is it so good you ask? Feeney deliciously and deviously hoodwinked me, turning all my assumptions upside down in the last pages. I well and truly appreciate not being able to predict what direction a plot is going to take. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wright's marriage hasn't been right for a long time. When Mrs. Wright wins a weekend getaway, it sounds like the perfect opportunity to rekindle things. 

The getaway happens to be in a remote part of Scotland in a very old, renovated church. Cue the creepy vibe. The only other person in the area lives in a run down cottage down the road. (Check) Oh, and did I mention that Mr. Wright has face blindness? He literally cannot recognize faces, including his own. (Check) And both Mr. and Mrs. know there's much more than a happy marriage on the line this weekend.

As readers we are privy to both character's thoughts in alternating chapters. Mrs. also writes a yearly anniversary letter to her husband, but never gives it to him. It does give us more information though. And I quite like the yearly word and it's definition included in the letter as well. They're unusual words that tie right into the plot.

And the plotting is superb. That twist at the end had me rethinking what I'd read. It was there in front of me, but I didn't catch it. The atmosphere is perfect, isolated with a sense of eeriness that can't be defined. The characters are perfectly drawn. And there's a dog.  :0)  

Clever, clever, clever! I loved this one to bits. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Rock Paper Scissors. 

Razorblade Tears - S.A. Cosby

I thought S.A. Cosby's novel Blacktop Wastelands was brilliant. His latest book, Razorblade Tears releases today - and I have to say it's even better imo.

Ike and Buddy Lee don't have much in common - one is Black and the other is White. Their paths wouldn't normally cross in their small Virginia town. But what they do have in common are their sons. Sons that loved each other, married and had a child. Sons that are now dead, gunned down for who knows what reason. The cops don't seem to be making any progress with the case, so the two men reluctantly join forces to try and find who killed them. And make them pay. The other thing they have in common? They were both alienated from their sons for their own homophobic bias, they've both served hard time and although they're living the straight and narrow now, they each have a history of violence.

Cosby has created two anti heroes that will immediately have the reader firmly behind them on their quest for justice. Or maybe vengeance is a better descriptor. The action is non stop, the plotting intricate and believable, the dialogue true and the writing addictive. I couldn't put the book down.

"There was no turning back. There was no path that led anywhere except down a long road as dark as your first night in hell and paved all along the way with bad intentions. They could call what they were seeking justice, but that didn't make it true. It was unquenchable, implacable vengeance. And life, inside the graybar and out, had taught him that vengeance came with consequences."

But the real draw amongst all the above is Ike and Buddy Lee. There's more to these two than what they show to the world. They loved their sons, but.... And along the road to redemption, those buts are challenged, their guilt, grief, loss and yes, love is revisited. There's a number of supporting players that are just as well drawn. 

Razorblade Tears is a raw, powerful, gritty, gut wrenching good novel - with many truths woven through it. Absolutely, positively recommended.

And the title? "Tears ran from his eyes and stung his cheeks. Tears for his son. Tears for his wife. Tears for the little girl they had to raise. Tears for who they were and what they all had lost. Each drop felt like it was slicing his face open like a razorblade." 

Razorblade Tears has already been optioned by Paramount Players. The casting has to be carefully chosen to do right by Cosby's book. This reader also hopes that Cosby is hard at work on his next book. He's firmly planted on my 'must read' list. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Razorblade Tears.

You can connect with S.A. Cosby on Twitter, his blog and on Facebook.

Giveaway - The House Uptown - Melissa Ginsburg

Melissa Ginsburg's new novel, The House Uptown is newly released and thanks to the great folks at Flatiron Books, I have not one, but three copies to giveaway!!

What's it about? From Flatiron Books:

"Ava, fourteen years old and totally on her own, has still not fully processed her mother’s death when she finds herself on a train heading to New Orleans, to stay with Lane, the grandmother she barely remembers.

Lane is a well-known artist in the New Orleans art scene. She spends most of her days in a pot-smoke haze, sipping iced coffee, and painting, which has been her singular focus for years. Her grip on reality is shaky at best, but her work provides a comfort.

Ava’s arrival unsettles Lane. The girl bears an uncanny resemblance to her daughter, whom she was estranged from before her death. Now her presence is dredging up painful and disturbing memories, which forces Lane to retreat even further into her own mind. As Ava and Lane attempt to find their way and form a bond, the oppressive heat and history of New Orleans bears down on them, forcing a reckoning neither of them are ready for." Sounds good doesn't it! Get a sneak peek - read an excerpt of The House Uptown.

Credit: Chris Offutt

"Melissa Ginsburg was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She is the author of the novel, Sunset City, and the poetry collection Dear Weather Ghost. She teaches creative writing and literature at the University of Mississippi in Oxford." You can connect with Melissa Ginsburg on her website, follow her on Goodreads and as well as on Twitter.

Enter for a chance to win one of three copies using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US only, no PO boxes please. Ends April 23/21. (And these are physical copies!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Northern Reach - W.S. Winslow

W.S. Winslow's debut novel, The Northern Reach, releases today. What a beautiful cover - I'd love to be there. And the story inside? Just as captivating...

From Flatiron Books:

A heart-wrenching first novel about the power of place and family ties, the weight of the stories we choose to tell, and the burden of those we hide

Frozen in grief after the loss of her son at sea, Edith Baines stares across the water at a schooner, under full sail yet motionless in the winter wind and surging tide of the Northern Reach. Edith seems to be hallucinating. Or is she? Edith’s boat-watch opens The Northern Reach, set in the coastal town of Wellbridge, Maine, where townspeople squeeze a living from the perilous bay or scrape by on the largesse of the summer folk and whatever they can cobble together, salvage, or grab.

At the center of town life is the Baines family, land-rich, cash-poor descendants of town founders, along with the ne’er-do-well Moody clan, the Martins of Skunk Pond, and the dirt farming, bootlegging Edgecombs. Over the course of the twentieth century, the families intersect, interact, and intermarry, grappling with secrets and prejudices that span generations, opening new wounds and reckoning with old ghosts.

W. S. Winslow's The Northern Reach is a breathtaking debut about the complexity of family, the cultural legacy of place, and the people and experiences that shape us." Read an excerpt of The Northern Reach.

“Is there anything better than getting to walk through a small and unfamiliar town and peer through the windows into the lives lived in the houses there? The Northern Reach gives you that rich and satisfying treat. Here is a Maine as various and stark as the pull of tides in every human heart.” – Sarah Blake, author of The Guest Book

Cr: Jeff Roberts

"W.S. Winslow was born and raised in Maine, but spent most of her working life in San Francisco and New York in corporate communications and marketing. A ninth-generation Mainer, she now spends most of the year in a small town Downeast. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French from the University of Maine, and an MFA from NYU. Her fiction has been published in Yemassee Journal and Bird's Thumb. The Northern Reach is her first novel." You can connect with W.S. Winslow on her website and follow her on Twitter.

His & Hers - Alice Feeney

If you like clever plotting, you're going to want to pick up a book by Alice Feeney. Now, her first two novels have been great - but this latest - His & Hers is fantastic!

"There are two sides to every story: yours and mine, ours and theirs, His & Hers. Which means someone is always lying." And you will be hard pressed to know who is lying in this intricately plotted suspense novel!

Hers - Anna Andrews is a news reporter. When a body is found in the village of Blackdown, Anna is sent to cover the story. She has no choice, despite her reluctance to set foot in the village again.

His - Detective Jack Wallace is on the case as well. In more ways than one - investigator and possible suspect.

Unknown - creepy missives from an unknown player add to the story....

Oh boy, I can't tell you how much I loved this book. My favorite genre is mystery and I fancy myself to be a bit of an armchair detective. But, I did not see the ending at all. Do not, I repeat do not cheat and read/listen to the last chapters out of order. That will absolutely spoil what is a massive gotcha!

One of my favorite storytelling styles is the back and forth from alternating narratives. As readers, we end up knowing much more than each character does. But who is telling the truth? Feeney happily led me down the garden path more than once. There are numerous characters who could be the culprit.

And I won't say much more - suffice to say it's an addictive read/listen! Those who enjoy psychological suspense are going to want to pick up His & Hers.

I did listen to His & Hers. I often find myself more immersed in books by choosing the audio version. Such was the case with this book. The two readers - Richard Armitage and Stephanie Racine - are both excellent and I've enjoyed their narration in the past. Listen to an excerpt of His & Hers.

Blacktop Wasteland - S.A. Cosby

Wow, just wow. My review isn't going to do justice to S.A. Cosby's recently released Blacktop Wasteland - but just know it's an absolutely fantastic read.

Cosby opens Blacktop Wasteland with a night race on a road in rural Virginia. Bug's driving a Duster that his father left behind when he walked away. The description of time and place is so vivid - I could smell the gas, the rubber, hear the revving of engines, the squeal of tires and the buzz of the night. The settings are also characters in this book.

"Progress had left this part of town behind. A blacktop wasteland haunted by the phantoms of the past."

Beauregard "Bug" Montage is known as the best wheelman on the East Coast. Was. Bug's left the Life - he's gone straight - owns a garage, has a wife and a family. But his debts are mounting, despite his best efforts. He needs money.....and he knows one way to get it. He goes looking for a job - one that needs a wheelman - and he finds one.

There are so many layers to Cosby's story. First off the characters are wonderfully drawn. Bug is an intricate character, one the reader can't help be onside with. The supporting cast - good and bad - are just as well drawn. (I had a soft spot for cousin Kelvin) All of them jump off the page, with detailed lives.

And then there's' the heist. I must say, I can't get enough heist stories. This one is brilliantly imagined and planned. But there's always a snag somewhere. And again, Cosby's plotting is a standout. The danger, action and yes, unforseen twists and turns had me committing a crime. I couldn't help myself....I peeked ahead a few chapters. I know, I know, but the tension was unbearable! I truly couldn't put the book down.

But there's more to this story than just the heist. It's a study of a man whose life has been a struggle and his desire to have a better life for his family. Memories provide a look at Bug's early and formative years.

And that ending? Not what I wanted, but instead what is real. If I had to put a genre label on Blacktop Wasteland, it would be grit lit.

Blacktop Wasteland is one of my favorite reads for 2020. A pedal to the metal, non stop read. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Blacktop Wasteland.

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

There has been tons of buzz surrounding the release of Sarah Pinborough's just released novel, Behind Her Eyes.

Especially the ending. And to get to the ending, you need to start at the beginning. (no cheating!) I started reading and was immediately immersed in the story.

David, a psychiatrist and his wife Adele have just moved to a new city. It's a new job for David and what looks to be a fresh start for their marriage. Louise is a single mom who works as a secretary, out on the town for a night, when she meets a handsome man. And takes him home. Unbelievably, that man turns out to be David - her new boss. And Adele wants to be friends with Louise.

So much could go wrong here eh? Nothing is as you expect it to be in this book. But there is definitely something wrong - in so many ways. I thought I had things pegged in the first few chapters and that Pinborough's plot would be similar to others in the psychological suspense genre. But I was mistaken, very mistaken. The character I thought was the victim is not. One of these three is playing a long range 'game', one you can't even begin to imagine.

The reader is privy to all the machinations of that character. We know what the other two players do not. But it's still not easy to fit together what's going on. Pinborough is quite cryptic with her dropped clues and foreshadowing.

So, that ending. It's definitely good. I thought the book had ended and then there was that one last 'gotcha'. That I did not see coming. Surprise endings are hard to pull off but Pinborough does.

So why would I rate this a four and not a five? Well, being deliberately obtuse so as not to ruin the book for you, I wasn't one hundred per cent sold on the plot device Pinborough employs to achieve that ending. Pragmatic me found it a bit of a stretch. But overall, Behind Her Eyes was a good read, one that will keep you intrigued. Read an excerpt of Behind Her Eyes.