Kill the Next One by Federico Axat

This book has been making the rounds in the literary circles so I decided to pick it up and see what all the hype was about. Before I get going, I want to let you know that I read a translated version, and the translator was David Frye.

Ted McKay has the perfect life: a beautiful wife, 2 loving daughters, and a great job. But after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, he finds himself holding a gun to his temple, ready to pull the trigger. And that’s when the doorbell rings. A stranger offers him a deal: why not kill 2 deserving men before dying? The first target is a criminal who has escaped the justice system, and the second is a man who also has terminal cancer and wants to die. After executing these kills, someone will come along and kill Ted. There is a logic to this that Ted appreciates: it would be easier for his family to deal with his murder than his suicide. However, after killing his targets, Ted realizes that something is not right with this plan. And thus, his reality begins to unravel.

This book is a whirlwind story. From page one, it had me. And I got caught up in trying to make sense of every twist and confusing turn that this novel takes. Believe me, there are a lot. At first, I was wondering what was going on. Every page I turned made me question if what I was reading was true or not. But eventually, the pieces started to come together to create this unbelievable story and journey. This is a book that makes you work. Every time you think you’ve figured it out, the author throws something else at you that makes you rethink the entire story. While I’m still unable to put all my thoughts together when it comes to this book, I will say that I really enjoyed this novel and all of its twists and turns. It’s complicated, and confusing, but so worth all the effort. Definitely one of my favorite psychological thrillers!

Happy reading ~

The Lost Children by Helen Phifer

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really like female detective stories. I like seeing female characters who are giving orders and are smart, brave, and able to stand their ground. I was very excited to give this novel a shot so here is my review:

The Moore Asylum used to be home for many children from the Brooklyn Bay. But when a scandal about the asylum erupted, it closed down and has remained abandoned since…. until now, when an elderly man is found dead, strapped to a gurney and murdered in a most brutal way. Detective Lucy Harwin is called onto the scene and finds herself on the trail of a killer fixated on righting the wrongs of this asylum – one body at a time.

This was a fast-paced story with lots of action. Detective Lucy Harwin is always running around trying to find evidence and talk to forensics and go back to crime scenes. In that aspect, I think the author did a good job in showing the effort and dedication that goes into a career in law enforcement. The chapters switched perspectives, sometimes showcasing the voice of the killer, sometimes taking a flashback to the days when the asylum was still active, even showing the voice of one of the victims! While I found the excerpts from the asylum to be interesting, I found that seeing the perspective of the killer made it really easy to guess who it was. I figured out the identity of the murderer quite early on, which was a bit of a disappointment; I like having that slow thrill and anticipation of finding out who it is at the very end. I also found that everything seemed to happen a bit too easily for Lucy; it was pretty much as if everything fell on her lap and there wasn’t as much real detective work as I would have liked. This was a decent detective fiction that had a really fast pace that kept me gripped – but the overall story itself had its flaws.

Happy reading ~

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

Remember how I had mentioned that I had placed a bunch of books on hold in the hopes that they would become available during my Christmas break from school? Well, lucky for me, I got them all now. Two days before school starts. Hooray. I’m hoping you can sense the sarcasm here. Anyways, I’m going to push through and try my best to get through everything as quickly as possible since I have no idea when I will be free next.

In the 1800s, an asylum was not simply a place for the insane, it was also a place to hide family secrets. And so, Grace Mae, daughter of prestigious Senator Mae is sent to an asylum with a bulge in her belly. Just as she began to think that her life would be spent in darkness, she found a beacon of hope – and with it, a new path. When Grace meets Dr. Thornhollow, a young doctor with an interest in criminal psychology, he sees an intelligence in her that is unlike that in any of his other patients. He immediately recruits her as his assistant where, under the guise of a madwoman, Grace can observe details of the crime scene and the potential suspects lurking in the crowds. Finally, Grace feels happy, especially once she is taken to an ethical asylum where she becomes friends with other residents. But as her adventures take her deeper and deeper towards the perpetrators of the murders she investigates, Grace must come to terms with her own demons and the madness within herself.

This was a very well-written novel. The style actually took me off guard, but perhaps that was because it has been a while since I’ve read anything historical. I liked the character of Grace and I enjoyed the story being told here. The detective was reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, whom I adore! The time line wasn’t very strict so sometimes it took me by surprise that months had gone by between one scene and the next. There were also aspects of the story that I wish I could have heard more of, such as more details about the murders and the discoveries that Grace and Thornhollow made; sometimes it felt quite passive. But overall, this was definitely an interesting read and I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a good mystery with a historical background!

Happy reading ~ 

The Forgotten Girl by Sara Blaedel

I was waiting for sooooo long for this murder mystery that I had almost forgotten about it. But after having read it, I can honestly say that it is one of the best books I’ve read this week!

Louise Rick is an investigator who has signed up with a new division that handles all odd cases. And her first case is definitely an odd one. A woman’s body is discovered in the woods near Hvalso and no one seems to be able to know who she is. When Louise releases the victim’s picture to the public, she is surprised to get a call from a woman who used to work in a mental institution. Apparently, this woman and her twin were mental patients. However, they were presumed to have died many years ago. If this woman had been alive all of these years, then where is her twin? And who would want to fake her death in the first place? As Louise tries to get to the bottom of this mystery, her own past comes rushing up to her. If she doesn’t find out who is behind this crime, then she may be the next victim.

This was a very good book. I liked he main character and the chemistry between her and her friends/coworkers/family. The mystery itself wasn’t too obvious but I’m sure someone with good sleuthing skills could have figured out. The crime itself was quite grisly and when I finished the book, I was quite appalled by the violent nature of it all. All in all, I enjoyed the novel and can’t wait to read more by this author!

Happy reading ~ 

Asylum by Jeannette de Beauvoir

If you haven’t realized already, I like to read a lot of dark thrillers. With a title like this one, you know I wouldn’t be able to resist.

Martine LeDuc works as the publicity director for the city of Montréal. Part of her job is to ensure that the city is seen as a charming and safe place for tourists to come. Which is definitely not the impression being made what with the current string of murders happening. The mayor sends Martine as the liaison between his office and the police department so that she can keep him abreast of the developments in the case. But doon, Martine finds herself getting more caught up in the case. She teams up with Detective Fletcher, a young man who has yet to have a break through case, and they go about assembling the pieces to find out what connects the murders to each other – and how to prevent another one from happening.

So there are aspects of this novel that I liked and there were aspects that I simply hated. I really liked how there were random journal entries that were written; I love when books incorporate flash backs! I also loved how this book was based off of real events. History is important to me and its use in fiction is something I admire very much. I really did not like the way the author wrote the novel. At times, it felt like she was trying too hard to make the character alive by including aspects of her life I really couldn’t care about. Sometimes it felt like things were just haphazardly added in as a last minute thought in order to tie things together. Sometimes the main character got too emotional and rambled. Although the story line was interesting and the solving of the crime was fun, I didn’t enjoy this book. I honestly just read it because I wanted to find out who the killer was and why he/she was killing those women. I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone unless they had nothing to read and wanted to kill time.

Happy reading ~