Hello!
How has October been treating you so far?!
Mine has been festive and full of happy anticipation.
My first half of October is dedicated to all things Bengaliana and Durga Pujo and I often read a classic Bengali novel during this time.
The second half of October is however firmly meant for one thing and one thing only- Thrillers!
Something about Halloween and all the scary things and spooky vibes take over and all I want to do is read thrillers.
Now, I obviously also read a ton of thrillers all year round, I am always in the mood for a good psychological thriller.
And recently I've read a few good ones that I want to talk about here.
So let's jump into some mini-reviews..
1. The Arrangement by Robyn Harding: This one I buddy read with my sister while we were in Kalimpong. We got cozy, under quilts with a cup of coffee and started reading this twisted tale about sugar babies and sugar daddies. We could not put it down, we read it in one sitting in under 4 hours. It was fast paced and entertaining and immersive. Slightly predictable in places but it was fun and sometimes I just want to read an adequately well written book that entertains me.
Plot Summary: Natalie, a young art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not go online and find a sugar daddy—a wealthy, older man who will pay her for dates and even give her a monthly allowance? Lots of girls do it, Nat learns. All that’s required is to look pretty and hang on his every word. Sexual favors are optional.
Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is…Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving.
So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gabe’s posh Upper East Side apartment, murder.
Emotionally powerful and packed with page-turning suspense, The Arrangement delves into the sordid, all-too-real world of shadowy relationships between wealthy, powerful men and the young women who are caught in their web.
Rating: 3.5/5
2. A Girl Named Anna by Lizzy Barber: This book was yet another book I raced through in one sitting. I started reading it late one night, meaning to read a chapter or two at the most but, but...I just couldn't stop reading. This book reminded me slightly of the Madeline McCann case, I think it was meant to. It's like if years from now a fully grown Madeline discovers the truth about her life and goes about finding her way back to her real parents and life. A concept and premise that had me hooked from the word go. I really enjoyed this book. The alternating perspectives and the two young girls trying to unearth the truth. I also really enjoyed..perhaps that's not the right word..but I liked reading about the after effects of a loss of a child on the family. The gaping hole left behind in the wake of a missing child. It was heartbreaking and shown so well.
Plot Summary: Raised in a quiet rural community, Anna has always been taught that her Mamma’s rules are the only path to follow. But, on her eighteenth birthday, she defies her Mamma for the first time in her life, and goes to Astroland. She’s never been allowed to visit Florida’s biggest theme park, so why, when she arrives, does everything about it seem so familiar? And is there a connection to the mysterious letter she receives that same day—a letter addressing her by a different name?
Rosie has grown up in the shadow of the missing sister she barely remembers, her family fractured by years of searching without leads. Now, on the fifteenth anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, the media circus resumes as the funds dedicated to the search dry up, and Rosie vows to uncover the truth herself. But can she find the answer before it tears her family apart?
Rating: 4/5
3. The Sleepover by Carol Wyer: This book was a quick read but not very gripping. The book started off really well. A teenaged girl's body was found in the burnt-down home of two club promoters, who had no direct connections to her. A few days later her mother was also found murdered. But, that's where the mystery and intrigue of this book ends!
The author spent a lot of time on the drama in the lives of the cops and victim's family rather than adding more red herrings or creating more suspense.
While the killer is not easy to guess, because this person seemingly had no motive! It was not some smart bit of writing, but one of those lazy tropes where the killer is someone out of the blue!
Plot Summary: When Detective Natalie Ward is called to the home of fourteen-year-old Roxy Curtis she can’t help but empathise with Roxy’s distraught mother Cathy. Roxy hasn’t come home, last seen heading next door for a sleepover with her best friend Ellie. As the mother of two teenagers herself, Natalie knows that this is every parent’s worst nightmare.
But when Roxy’s body is found in the basement of a beautiful Victorian mansion on the other side of town, Natalie’s darkest fears are confirmed. What was Roxy doing there? The people who knew her best should know – but Cathy seems evasive, and Ellie refuses to talk. Natalie is determined to find out what secrets they are keeping…
Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.
When her body is found two days later, Natalie is forced to face the fact that Roxy’s loved ones are in real danger. Things take a more sinister turn when Ellie vanishes, her mobile phone switched off. Is Ellie hiding something about the night Roxy died that could put her in terrible danger? And can Natalie work it out before another innocent life is taken?
Rating: 2.5/5
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