A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw (Adult Fiction Book Review)

A History of Wild Places
by Shea Ernshaw
Published by Atria Books
on December 7, 2021
Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 368 pages

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Synopsis:
Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Hired by families as a last resort, he requires only a single object to find the person who has vanished. When he takes on the case of Maggie St. James--a well-known author of dark, macabre children's books--he's led to a place many believed to be only a legend. 

Called "Pastoral," this reclusive community was  founded in the 1970's by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn't exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it... he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James. 

Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis's abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there's a risk of bringing a disease--rot--into Pastoral.
Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove perfect, isolated world isn't as safe as they believed. 



My Thoughts:

Travis Wren has the special ability to see a person's life and history when touching an object that belongs to them. With this ability, he is able to help find missing persons from time to time, which is how he ended up on the case of Maggie St. James, a missing children's book author that disappeared. Armed with only a few clues of where she was last seen before disappearing, Travis Wren sets off to find Maggie, dead or alive. 

And then the story switches to the isolated, secret community of Pastoral nestled deep in the wilderness, where the people believe the outside world is infected with 'rot' so no one ever leaves. One community member, Theo, who has been defying the leaders' rule about not traveling down the 'road' that would take him out of Pastoral, finds Travis Wren's truck and clues that he was headed for their community, which prompts Theo and his wife, Calla, to question the communities existence altogether. 

A History of Wild Places is a darkly mysterious read with lots of plot twists that I definitely did not see coming. The community of Pastoral is very cult-like, with a leader that promotes the threat of a terrible sickness if anyone leaves. 

The beginning of this book really drew me in. It starts like a true crime mystery with the possibility of a hint of horror, with Travis Wren and his ability headed deep into the woods following subtle signs that lead the way.
But then it completely switched characters, setting, etc, to give us the story from inside the reclusive community of Pastoral. I lost interest a little bit at that point and had to switch to audio to keep it going but once Theo and his wife start to catch on to the mystery of Travis Wren visiting their community, everything comes together splendidly.
I'm glad I didn't give up on it because that twist ending blew me away! 

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The Guide by Peter Heller (Adult Mystery Thriller Book Review)

The Guide
by Peter Heller
Published by Knopf
on August 24, 2021
Genre: Adult, 
Length: 272 pages

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Synopsis:
The best-selling author of The River returns with a heart-racing thriller about a young man who, escaping his own grief, is hired by an elite fishing lodge in Colorado, where amid the natural beauty of sun-drenched streams and forests he uncovers a plot of shocking menace. 


My Thoughts:

Jack thinks he's found the perfect guide job at the prestigious Kingfisher Lodge, with it's beautiful stretches of river nestled in the Colorado mountains; especially with his first client being the beautiful and talented signer, Alison K, who also happens to be a natural fisherwoman. But when they're shot at on a neighboring lodges' property line, Jack starts to notice the little things that don't quite add up about the lodge, it's employees, and it's patrons.  

 Though the main character is clearly suffering from the recent death of a friend and family member, The Guide starts us off with this seemingly perfect, peaceful little slice of Colorado and all seems right with the world despite that this is set during the height of the covid pandemic.

This ended up being the perfect, peaceful read for me. I really enjoyed the setting and the outdoorsy nature of the story itself and it reminded me of being in the mountains, which is exactly what I needed and was looking for. 
On the other hand, this is the first fiction novel I've read set during covid times and I thought it might deter me from enjoying the story but it ended up being a well-woven part of the overall story and I enjoyed it nevertheless. 

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys outdoorsy stories (specifically about fishing) or anyone looking for a covid-based mystery or thriller.

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Final Girls by Riley Sager (Adult Horror Thriller Review)

 

Final Girls
by Riley Sager
Published by Dutton Books
on July 11, 2017
Genre: Adult, Horror, Thriller
Length: 342 pages

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Literary Awards:
Litsy Award for Horror (2017)
Goodreads Choice Award for Horror (2017)
ITW Thriller Award for Best Novel (2018)

Synopsis:
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror-movie scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to--a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. There was Lisa, and Sam, and now Quincy. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them...
That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. 


My Thoughts:

Quincy Carpenter finally has her life together years after the Pine Cottage Massacre that she was the sole survivor of. She spends her days sharing her cute baked goods on social media and almost never thinks of herself as a Final Girl, that is until her good friend, Coop--the cop that saved her from Him ten years before--makes the long journey to inform her of another Final Girl--Lisa--'s suicide. Shortly after, the elusive second Final Girl, Sam, shows up on Quincy's doorstep and though she kind of always dreamed of being friends with the others, she quickly finds that being a Final Girl has it's ultimate ups and downs. 

This debut novel from Riley Sager has a great mix of horror and mystery thriller with a twist ending that will blow you away.  Our MC survived the group stabbing of her college friends at Pine Cottage and is now known as a Final Girl. She's fine with it. Nbd. But when Sam, another Final Girl who has avoided the press for years, shows up on her doorstep, they become quick friends. But Sam wants Quincy to remember that night at Pine Cottage, and she just might do anything to get her to.

  This is my third Sager novel and I'm a little disappointed that I didn't jump on this author's books from the start because they are all so good! I surprisingly went into this without having anything spoiled for me after years of seeing it on Bookstagram and while the beginning was a little slow to get into, I finally get why there was so much hype surrounding this when it released. He's quickly becoming a favorite and I plan on reading his other two novels in the next few months!  

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Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian (Adult Historical Thriller Review)

Hour of the Witch
by Chris Bohjalian
Published by Doubleday Books
on May 4, 2021
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Thriller
Length: 406 pages

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Synopsis:
A young Puritan woman--faithful, resourceful, but afraid of the demons that dog her soul--plots her escape from a violent marriage in this riveting and propulsive historical thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant. 

My Thoughts:

Hour of the Witch is set in Boston, Massachusetts in 1662 just as the 'witch' hangings we're starting to happen more frequently in the area and is about a young woman named Mary Deerfield who petitions for a divorce from her cruelly abusive husband and is subsequently accused of witchcraft. 

Twenty-four-year-old Mary is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man who dips into drink a little too often but seems to hide all of his outbursts for his wife alone so no one quite believes her when Mary turns up with bruises, and eventually an even worse wound that prompts her to leave her husband even though no woman she knew had done it before. But with whispers of witches circling the community, Mary must fight a bitter battle to win her freedom.

I love historical fiction, especially if it has darker elements, and this may be one of my newest favorites! 
I have read many like it but this one really stands out for me, and not just because it had the ending I really really hoped for. There's also a big dark mystery at the center of this story that keeps us wondering who is innocent and who is scheming. The ending is so very thrilling that I think even non-historical fiction readers might enjoy this one! 

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The Cousins by Karen M. McManus (YA Mystery Thriller Book Review)

 

The Cousins
by Karen M. McManus
Published by Delacorte Press
on December 1, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 337 pages
Ages: 14 - 17 years

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Synopsis:
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each other, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they are surprised... and curious. 

Their parents are all clear on one point--not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious--and dark--their family's past is.


My Thoughts:

Three cousins who have never met are invited to work at their estranged grandmother's exclusive island resort for the summer. Having been disowned over a decade before, the families aren't quite sure what to make of the invitations but see it as an opportunity to fall back into their mothers'/grandmothers' good graces, or at least find out the mysterious reason they were disowned in the first place. 
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah have grown up not knowing why their parents were disowned but have seen how it affects them and want to end the mystery themselves, but when they show up at the resort and meet a grandmother who doesn't even seem to know they were coming, the mystery only deepens. 

This is a solid YA mystery thriller with good pacing and a worthwhile twist ending, 
but I didn't love it and gave it three stars, which I will explain below. 

I've been gravitating towards mystery thrillers lately and this was what was available on my local library's Overdrive at the time so I gave it a go. I'd seen a lot of positive reviews for this author's previous book, One Of Us Is Lying, so I thought I'd give The Cousins a try since that one wasn't available. 

This started out well, with likable and unlikable characters and a mystery that some may find intriguing. The characters all seem upper-middle-class and with the rich grandmother and at least one of the characters' love for expensive things this seems to perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and the like. I'll be honest and admit that "rich kids' first world problems" isn't my favorite trope so I immediately disliked the financial manipulation in the first few scenes and since that is pretty much the whole point of the book, I just really didn't enjoy it.

I got 50% of the way through the ebook before it was due back so I switched to the available audiobook and that is where it got worse. The voice actors were almost all very droll, emotionless, and unfeeling. Especially Jonah's character. I honestly felt like I was back in high school listening to non-readers try to get through a textbook paragraph that was required to be read out loud. 
Alas, I have issues with not finishing a book sometimes so I kept on for that mystery and I won't say I was disappointed in it, but this just wasn't for me.  I may still try One Of Us Is Lying though!

You can see my original thoughts on this book on Bookstagram! 

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Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (Adult Horror Thriller Book Review)

Home Before Dark

by Riley Sager 

Published by Dutton Books

on June 30th, 2020

Genre: Adult, Fiction, Horror, Thriller

Length: 384 pages

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Synopsis:
In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father's bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound--and dangerous--secrets hidden within its walls?

My Thoughts:

I think this might be my favorite read so far this year! 
Ghost stories and haunted houses have always been my jam but I've also really been enjoying murder mystery thrillers lately and this is both! 

Maggie Holt doesn't remember what happened at Baneberry Hall before her family fled the house when she was five years old, never to return again, but she's pretty sure the bestselling 'true ghost story' her father wrote about their 'experience' is complete bull. When her father dies and leaves her the house, Maggie decides to go back, not only to fix it up to sell but also to prove the book wrong. She soon finds that the book just may be rooted in fact and there may be ghosts after all. 

This suspenseful mash-up of murder mystery and paranormal haunting has alternating chapters between Maggie Holt as an adult returning to the famous haunted house and the book her father wrote, 'House of Horrors'.  I loved that we get to read the ghost story along with the MC's present-day return to the house that inspired the book her father wrote. Together, they wove a suspenseful and spooky murder mystery with tons of twists and turns that had me reading late into the night. 

I definitely recommend this if you're looking for a great read for Spooky Season! 

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The Wolf Wants In by Laura McHugh (Adult Mystery Thriller Book Review)

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Goodreads Giveaways. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Wolf Wants In

by Laura McHugh

Published by Spiegel & Grau 

(Penguin Random House)

on August 6, 2019

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Length: 272 pages

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Synopsis:

In a small town ravaged by the opioid crisis, a woman confronts a dark secret about her brother's shocking death--a gripping novel of suspense for fans of  Sharp Objects and S-Town. 

Like Laura McHugh's previous award-winning thrillers, The Weight of Blood and Arrowood, The Wolf Wants In is an atmospheric, beautifully told novel that barrels toward a twisting, chilling end and keeps up turning the page to find out how these small-town secrets will unravel--and who will survive.


My Thoughts:

Sadie's brother, Shane, dies of what is waved off as a heart attack but his wife of one year, Crystle--a hard woman from the least-liked family in town--is quick to dispose of his every possession within a month of his death. Sadie is suspicious so she delves into the details of her brother's adult life while repairing a fractured friendship with an old friend whose missing daughter's bones were recently found in the woods nearby, not far from her father's, who was the main suspect in her kidnapping. When Crystle let's slip that Shane might have had something to do with it, Sadie is determined to figure out the truth. Meanwhile, the second MC, Henley, a teenage cousin of Crystle's, ends up entangled in the plot as she tries to escape her dead-end small town.

I don't read a lot of mystery thrillers, and especially not contemporary ones like this, but I'm always branching out and trying new things and I've been gravitating towards books like this a lot more recently. I was quickly caught up in Sadie's search for the truth about her brother and the unfolding story of the Petits and all the connections that come to light. Crystle's callousness towards her deceased husband and the typical drug-ridden small-town family secrets really had me hooked. 

I did think it was more mystery than thriller until the end and that it leaned heavily on the second pov for that suspense, but I still enjoyed it. 

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The Shadows by Alex North (Adult Horror Book Review)

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Goodreads Giveaways. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Shadows
 by Alex North

Published by Celadon Books

on July 7, 2020

Genre: Adult, Horror, Thriller, Mystery

Length: 336 pages

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Synopsis:
The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times bestseller The Whisper Man. 

My Thoughts:
The Shadows is a fantastic psychological thriller with dark elements and a twist ending! 

Paul Adams returns to his hometown for the first time in twenty-five years, after learning that his mother has fallen, gotten hurt, and might not have long to live. Returning to the little town of Gritten he is strongly reminded of his childhood and the reason he left all those years ago and never looked back. 

Switching between Paul's teen years and twenty-five years later when he returns home, we learn the story of Charlie Crabtree and the horrific event that changed Paul's life forever. 

This was a fantastic read and has since fueled my need for thrillers. I loved the really dark horror elements in this book such as the lucid dreaming, disturbed teenagers, and the possibly demonic Mister Red Hands. I really enjoyed how the author wove both past and present together and I will admit that I did not see the twist ending coming, despite that I didn't like how obvious it was that certain things were left out of the plot just to surprise us in the end. That said, I think the author has great potential and I will definitely read more in the future!

Speaking of, I attempted reading The Whisper Man once before but I wasn't in a thriller mood at the time and didn't stick with it. The Shadows drew me in quickly but when it mentioned The Whisper Man I thought I'd messed up by not reading that first. So far, the only link that I know of is that they are set in the same 'world', just towns apart, and the detective, Amanda Beck, is in both. 

I definitely recommend if you like your thrillers with hints of horror! 

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Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (Mystery Thriller Book Review)

Lock Every Door

by Riley Sager

Published by Dutton Books
on July 2, 2019
Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Length: 371 pages

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Synopsis:

No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of who are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind. 

As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story... until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.

Searching for the truth about Ingrid's disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building's hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.  

My Thoughts:

When Jules answers an ad to apartment-sit at the infamous Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most elite buildings, she is sure it is too good to be true and there's no way she will get the job. She's newly heartbroken, living on a friend's couch, with no family to speak of. she is immediately accepted and moves in despite the extensive rules set in place for her as well as the rumors about the buildings dark past.

She is quickly enamored by the apartment; the very one on the cover of her favorite book whose author lives in the very same building, and soon makes friends with fellow apartment-sitter, Ingrid, who reminds her of the older sister that went missing when Jules was just a teenager. When Ingrid shares her concerns and then disappears altogether, Jules starts to see the danger she may be in and is determined to find Ingrid and set things right. 

This is my first novel by Riley Sager so I can't compare to his previous novels but I did enjoy this. I'd been seeing this book all over Instagram and the blogs I follow and I love stories that take place in spooky houses or buildings so I thought I'd give it a try. I wasn't enthralled until about halfway through when everything picked up and become thrilling but when I did, I couldn't put it down. I was hooked on the second half and loved the ending.

I really liked that the author touched on real-world issues like poverty and how hard it is to get a foot up when you're down on your luck, on your own, or are starting out with absolutely nothing as well as the disparity between classes and how easy it is to fall into that money pit.  

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Hidden Bodies (You #2) by Caroline Kepnes (Adult Book Review)

Hidden Bodies
by Caroline Kepnes
(You #2)
Published by Atria/Emily Bestler
on February 23, 2016

Genre: Adult, Thriller

Length: 439 pages

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Synopsis:

Joe Goldberg is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he's heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him. 

In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can't stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don't always stay that way. They re-emerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: true love. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he's more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn't want to hurt his new girlfriend--he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he's done, he may not have a choice. 

My Thoughts:

If you're not familiar with or haven't read the first book in this series, You, which is now a hit show on Netflix, you might want to avoid this sequel review because there may be some spoilers.

At the end of You, Joe Goldberg was ready to move on and get over Beck with the brand new Amy, but just when everything seemed absolutely perfect she took off for LA to be an actress.

Not willing to let her go, he upends to the West Coast on a mission to track Amy down. Once there, he works his way into the lives of his neighbors, creating a network of eyes that might help him find who he's looking for. But he's so caught up in this new world that he starts creating a new life without Amy and that's when he meets Love Quinn. He's convinced she's the one and he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, but his past keeps coming back to haunt him.

I enjoyed being back in Joe's headspace, even though it's a pretty disconcerting place to be. Hidden Bodies was just as good writing-wise, but I did kind of feel like the plot was all over the place for a while and not as intense as You. Likewise, I didn't love the setting and it didn't make a lot of sense to me for Joe to get caught up in the lives of celebrities, but by the end, I was okay with where it went and really just hope we get another one!

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You by Caroline Kepnes (Adult Book Review)

Title: You

Series: You #1

Author: Caroline Kepnes

Publisher: Atria / Emily Bestler Books

Publication date: September 25, 2014

Genre: Adult, Thriller

Length: 424 pages

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Synopsis:

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card. 

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she'll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight--the perfect place for a "chance" meeting. 

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck's life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself waiting in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck's perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way--even if it means murder. 

My Thoughts:

I feel like I need to shake this one off and pretend I never read it but at the same time I know I won't get it out of my head easily. 

This was one of the most disturbing books I've ever read and how fitting that it mentions American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis in it. You is on a different level but it definitely left me feeling similarly unsettled. 

Joe Goldman runs a bookstore where he meets Guinevere Beck for the first time. He stalks her on social media, quickly inserts himself into her life, and does everything he can to stay there. 

You is written in the second person, meaning the main character, Joe, is talking to you, about you; you being Beck. I haven't encountered this point of view often so it was a bit refreshing. It was executed very well and I couldn't help but get pulled into the mind of Joe, oddly sympathizing with him when things don't go his way, all the while knowing from the beginning that Joe is a predator. A dangerous one. Being in his mind was no light thing. 

We learn up front just what Joe will do to get into Beck's good graces, and once he's there, he will do anything to keep her attention. If the writing and pov weren't so gripping, I probably wouldn't have continued with this book. The subject matter is out of my comfort zone (and boy did it make me uncomfortable at times!) and not my usual genre either, but I couldn't give up on Joe or Beck no matter how unnerving their 'relationship' was. 
I also enjoyed that I never knew what was going to happen next. I kept trying to figure it out but was always surprised (but perhaps I just don't read enough books like this for it to be predictable).

I hear there's a sequel and I'm honestly kind of torn on whether or not to read it. I think I've had quite enough of Joe Goldberg for a while but maybe I'll be in the mood for a thriller again in the future. 
I'm also unsure if I'll watch the tv series adaptation right away. I did watch the pilot episode when it aired and that was the reason I gave the book a chance! 

Content Warning: Lots of adult language, mentions of sex, masturbation, and more. 

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