Mystery

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

| Jasmin De Anda

An addictive mystery…

The Silent Patient is a fascinating psychological mystery that keeps you wanting answers.

SYNOPSIS

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….

An Intriguing Read…

The story follows Theo, a psychotherapist who expresses his interest in not only understanding Alicia, but his goal to get her to speak. The story seemed straight forward, it’s one that poses you with the question without directly telling you what to think, the question of “Did Alicia really shoot her husband, and if she did, then why?” At first I thought it would be a simple investigation. Theo of course has his therapy sessions with Alicia, but when the patient won’t say a word, he changes course, trying to understand her by other means. Speaking to her friends and family, trying to uncover not only what happened that night, but what led to it. 

A Guarded Mystery..

The story is actually one where the reader seems to know more than the main character because it goes back and forth between Theo’s first person narrative, and Alicia’s own diary entries. As a reader, I was given information that Theo didn’t have but was trying to gain.

This isn’t a story that feeds you evidence so you can figure out what happened. The author gives the information he wants. I knew I didn’t stand a chance in solving the mystery because there was nothing to solve. What this story does is take you on this journey both before and after the murder, and teases the truth. It definitely succeeded in keeping me interested because I was desperate to know what happened, and shocked at every crumb the author gave me. I must say when I finished the book, I was not disappointed.

MORE DETAILS

Word Count (rounded)~ 85,000

Page Count: 308

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological

My Rating…

My personal rating for this story is complicated. I want to give it five stars because I’m in awe of it. Psychological mysteries are one of my weaknesses along with sci fi thrillers, and romantic suspense so I am definitely biased. I also know stories like this are never the same once you know the answers. The question of whether I will read it again is one I’m not sure of. Maybe someday it will fade just enough to let me get even a little bit of that thrill again.

I’m still giving it five stars because the thought of reading it again is exciting, maybe like with movies I’ll notice things I hadn’t the first time. It feels great to finish a book again feeling excited to talk about it.

The next book I’m reading is “Death Takes a Holiday at Pemberley” by Kelly Miller, Pride and Prejudice fan fiction featuring Death.

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A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw

| Jasmin De Anda

An interesting premise with a frustrating delivery…

A Wilderness of Stars is a beautiful story at the surface that turns muddled.

SYNOPSIS

Vega has lived in the valley her whole life—forbidden by her mother to leave the safety of its borders because of the unknown threats waiting for her in the wilds beyond. But after her mother dies, and Vega sees the fabled twin stars in the sky, it’s an omen she can no longer ignore, forcing her to leave the protective boundaries of the valley. But the outside world turns out to be much more terrifying than Vega could have imagined. People are gravely sick—they lose their eyesight and their hearing, just before they lose their lives.

What Vega keeps to herself is that she is the Last Astronomer—a title carried from generation to generation—and she is the only one who carries the knowledge of the stars. Knowledge that could hold the key to the cure. And so when locals spot the tattoo on Vega’s neck in the shape of a constellation—the mark of an astronomer—chaos erupts as the threats her mother warned her about become all too real.

Fearing for her life, Vega is rescued by a girl named Cricket who leads her to Noah, a boy marked by his own mysterious tattoos. On the run from the men who are hunting her, Vega, Cricket, and Noah set out across the plains in search of the cure the stars speak of. But as the lines between friend and protector begin to blur, Vega must decide whether to safeguard the sacred knowledge of the astronomer. Or if she will risk everything to try to save them all.

A Story that Never Felt Complete…

The book itself is all very ambiguous. It relies on your need to know the answers to the questions introduced to keep you invested. Because of that, it was the type of book that if someone had asked me what kind of book it was before I had finished it, I would have probably sounded like I was only pretending to read.

It’s all nonsense until the author doesn’t want it to be. Which is why this book is a mystery. Even the timeline is a mystery. There is information which lulls the reader into thinking they know exactly what they are reading. The existence and common use of wagons, saloons, and horseback riding for instance, but also the mention of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday as legends already gone. At the same time information is introduced which doesn’t match the suggested timeline such as constellations being information no one knows.

A Childish and Infuriating Main Character…

The main character, Vega is burdened with information passed on to the women in her family from generation to generation, but she is very unreliable in a way that made me worry if she was truly the last hope of humanity. It is mentioned that she was trained her entire life for the day she would leave the valley for this important journey, but her mother’s training didn’t seem to mean anything when danger arose. Most of the story seems to rely on her being childish, indecisive, and incredibly naive. Each time she should run or is told to run, she hesitates. Each time she notices possible danger, she goes toward it. I wanted to shake this girl and tell her to start using her brain. Even knowing she is in danger doesn’t seem to help her instincts. The book relied on her stupidity to introduce danger which made each situation frustrating.

To add to her lack of instincts, it is mentioned that the tattoo on her neck must be hidden, yet she does nothing to hide it, only covering it with her hair which constantly shifts, exposing the tattoo.

Each idiotic decision she makes is followed by her immediate regret as if the well deserved self chastising is enough to redeem her. It’s a miracle this girl survived so long, and by miracle, I mean she’s lucky she always has character’s with her who are much brighter than she is.

MORE DETAILS

Word Count (rounded)~ ?

Page Count: 416

Genres: Mystery

Wonderful Side Characters…

Luckily what made me keep reading this book was the wonderful side characters who kept her safe. There is her father, in name only, who is a wonderfully kind man. Then there are two teens, Noah and Cricket, who are much more equipped for survival and understand the importance of Vega’s role.

My Rating…

I hope this book has a sequel because if Vega is in desperate need of a redemption arc for her basic human instincts. My rating for this book is once again so complicated. I liked it so much that I don’t want to give it low stars, but what I hated was enough to deter me from a reread. I’ll give it three stars to remind me of the good in it, but really no rating makes sense for me.

The next book I’ll be reading is “Romantic Comedy” by Curtis Sittenfeld.

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Dark Corners by Megan Goldin

| Jasmin De Anda

An intriguing mystery with a captivating investigation…

Dark Corners is a modern crime thriller following the skilled podcaster, Rachel Krall.

SYNOPSIS

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his freedom approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? Why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel Krall goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail, the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krell herself. Suddenly a target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed Night Swim returns to search for a popular social media influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer.

The Sequel to a Thrilling Series…

First, something I didn’t know when I read this was that Dark Corners is actually book two of a series. I know from reading it myself that you don’t need to read book one first to be able to follow along. I was never confused, and honestly had no idea I was reading the second book of the series until I went to get the plot description for my YouTube video and saw the words “Rachel Krall 2” above the title. I got my copy from my book of the month subscription and my TBR list is so backed up that if I saw it was a sequel, I had long forgotten that. The lucky thing about investigative fiction is that although it’s the same main character, it’s a new mystery with new suspects and I can confidently say it doesn’t tie into book one.

Rachel Krall…

This book follows Rachel Krall, an investigative journalist turned true crime podcast star as she tries to find out what happened to the missing influencer, Madison Logan. Something I really enjoyed about this book is that it felt realistic. Someone in law enforcement might beg to differ, but the thing is I don’t care if a book ends up being true to police protocol as long as it is logical. Actually I would prefer a story that doesn’t tell people exactly what law enforcement uses to find criminal’s. I’ve never liked the idea of ending up with a guidebook on what a criminal should avoid, so if it’s made up protocol, even better. Anyway, I’m getting off topic. 

In the story Rachel Krall is by no means law enforcement. Yes, she was an investigative journalist, but unless you have some kind of background in law enforcement, it seems unlikely an FBI agent would call her for help. Which is what I thought this book handled really well. Because despite what the description says, the FBI does not ask her for help, not with the case at least. Rachel is there for one reason, her name was linked to the man in prison and the missing influencer who visited him. But once they feel she isn’t needed, they want her gone.

The thing I loved about the character Rachel was that she was never the annoying character I’m used to reading in crime books. The ones that say that stupid line I wish didn’t exist, “I can take care of myself”. I die a little inside every time a female character says that, especially when it’s followed by the immediate proof that they in fact cannot take care of themselves. When the FBI tries to send her home, she doesn’t immediately go into dangerous situations. Granted, any involvement in the case is putting herself in danger, she plays it smart. She doesn’t try to pretend she’s a detective, but uses her skills to learn more about the missing pieces by going undercover.

MORE DETAILS

Word Count (rounded)~ ?

Page Count: 352

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological

Three Perspectives…

The book has something which I noticed is really common in crime thrillers lately, and that is to have chapters that follow the killer. From the beginning it’s made clear that the FBI believes Terrence Bailey is responsible for the death’s of the women, but they think he didn’t act alone and had an accomplice. Which is why a few of the chapter’s follow that accomplice and make it very clear that he’s a killer. It was told in a way that leaves the question of how this man is linked to Terrence and the missing influencer.

A Clear Story…

I’m a stickler for logic in a story. I need a clear explanation on how point A got to point B and was happy when by the end of the book, everything made absolute sense. I wasn’t left with questions or plot holes, and I never wished for more. The story doesn’t pretend that every strange occurrence is directly related to each other. There are clues introduced that end up being nothing more than a coincidence, while others end up being connected in ways I never expected. That’s what made this book wonderful to me, that it wasn’t clean, but it was not flawed.

My Rating…

Mystery is something I love, but I’ve always felt that once you know what happens, it’s never the same. I guess the same can be said about any genre, but with crime thrillers where the story is 100% about the mystery, it’s a little tough to reread which is why my rating for this book is three stars because I loved it, but I doubt I would reread it again. Now if it turned into a mini series, I would probably rewatch it once or twice.

The next book I’ll be reading is “A Wilderness of Stars” by Shea Earnshaw, a mystery story.

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The Last Thing He Told me, Laura Dave

| Jasmin De Anda

A riveting and heartfelt mystery..

The Last Thing He Told Me is not a story that I would usually find myself picking up, but I’m glad I did.

SYNOPSIS

Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.

With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists, and evocative family drama, The Last Thing He Told Me is a riveting mystery, certain to shock you with its final, heartbreaking turn.

Our Main Characters…

The story begins with Hannah Hall, a happily married woodturner whose primary goal is to earn the approval of her sixteen-year-old step daughter, Bailey, who continues to respond to Hannah’s efforts with eye rolls and passive aggressive responses. With very little information, Hannah decides Bailey may be the only one capable of finding the answer as to where Owen is.

While the story focuses on the perspective of Hannah through a first person narrative, Dave does a wonderful job at keeping the reader immersed as Hannah is forced to face a range of emotions as she searches for Owen. Yet the narrative managed to keep Bailey involved every step of the way as she goes from annoyed teenager to a vulnerable child who only wants to see her father again.

As Hannah and Bailey are forced to question everything they know about Owen, the reader is able to get to know Owen through the eyes of Hannah in a series of flashbacks, while remaining relevant to the story’s plot.

A Naturally Progressing Story…

While many stories lose themselves in the standard plot line of beginning, middle, and end; I found it refreshing that The Last Thing He Told Me jumped right into the story and simply continued on. As Hannah and Bailey search for answers, every decision they make and action they take felt realistic and kept me invested in their journey to the point where I became as desperate for answers as they were and could not put down the book.

What I loved most…

Although I deeply enjoyed the mystery of Owen’s disappearance, what I enjoyed most was the relationship between Hannah and Bailey as they bonded over their shared conflict. Despite the short time span of the story, the character development of these two girls never felt rushed. Hannah and Bailey’s relationship was truly the heart of the story, the mystery acting as the catalyst for their transition to family.

MORE DETAILS

Word Count (rounded)~ 96,000

Page Count: 320

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Domestic Fiction

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