I recently listened to the audiobooks for two mystery thrillers. The perfect books to read in October in my opinion haha. Although I have to admit, I like reading them year round. You can catch me on the beach reading a very dark book and I will be extremely happy. I wanted to share my thoughts on both, but don’t have a lot to say. So I have two mini reviews for you today, let’s jump in!
Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind.
Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn's happy small-town family life was torn apart by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father—Pikeville's notorious defense attorney—devastated. And it left the family fractured beyond repair, consumed by secrets from that terrible night.
Twenty-eight years later, Charlotte has followed in her father's footsteps to become a lawyer herself—the ideal good daughter. But when violence comes to Pikeville again, and a shocking tragedy leaves the whole town traumatized, Charlotte is plunged into a nightmare. Not only is she the first witness on the scene, but it's a case that unleashes the terrible memories she's spent so long trying to suppress--because the shocking truth about the crime that destroyed her family nearly thirty years ago won't stay buried forever. Packed with twists and turns, brimming with emotion and heart, The Good Daughter is fiction at its most thrilling.
The Good Daughter (Good Daughter, #1) by Karin Slaughter
Published by William Morrow on 08/08/2017
Pages: 656
Goodreads
If you’ve been around for a while you might already know that Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite writers of all time. I adore her mystery thrillers, they are often gruesome and have shocked me with twists all the time. And to my dismay I haven’t read all of her books yet, I used to be on top of her releases but it had been a couple of years since I last read one even though I have multiple on my shelves waiting for me to pick them up.
Recently there was a sale over at Audible and I saw a Karin Slaughter book I owned but hadn’t read yet, The Good Daughter. I immediately started listening to it and finished it in just 3 days. This was a typical Karin Slaughter book and I mean that in the best way. I was drawn in by the story, enjoyed reading about the characters, listened to a brutal crime and was shocked by some twists.
The characters in this book aren’t super likeable but not unlikeable either. They are just ‘real’, they have personalities that consist of both the good and the bad. And that I something I really like. They read like actual human beings who sometimes make mistakes and stupid decisions. And like I said, I really enjoyed reading about Sam and Charlie. This book was about more than just the mystery, it was also about this family and all that they have been trough. It was so interesting to read about their dynamic and at the same time try to figure out what happened. I need to dive into my other Karin Slaughter books soon!
A chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Death Trap, A. A. Milne's Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox's Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain's Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald's The Drowner, and Donna Tartt's A Secret History.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects . . . and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks on 26/01/2021
Pages: 304
Goodreads
During the same sale I also bought Eight Perfect Murders. This book had been on my wishlist for a long time now. I really liked the premise and was so curious how it would be executed. This book isn’t that long so it was a pretty quick listen. A disclaimer upfront, the book mentions the plots of a ton of (older) mystery stories and will spoil the ending of them. So that is sometime to be mindful off. I didn’t read most of them and won’t read most of them, but still want to read a couple of them so hopefully I forget those spoilers haha.
The synopsis does the story justice and I did enjoy the story. We got some twists I saw coming and some I didn’t so that was a decent balance for me. I don’t really have an opinion about the main character, maybe because the book was less than 300 pages. He was fine to read about but also quite forgettable. And I think overall that might be my feelings about this book. It was enjoyable but not rememberable. A nice mystery to read but not one I would recommend to everyone and anyone.
And those were my thoughts and feelings about The Good Daughter and Eight Perfect Murders. Have you read either of these? Or both? I would love to hear from you in the comments!
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