Reviews:What Remains of Me, and The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle

This is one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

In What Remains of Me, Gaylin spins an amazingly tangled tale about a murder from the past and a murder from the present colliding, sending secrets spiraling out from the wreckage.

Hollywood is a place of secrets and lies, and Kelly Lund is caught up in the middle of it all. When she was a teenager, she was convicted of murdering a famous movie director. Now out of prison, her father-in-law is found dead under similar circumstances, and Kelly finds herself a suspect once again. 

Gaylin is a brilliant writer. What I have to mention first and foremost is how expertly she delivers her twists. I spent the last third of the book literally gasping out loud, unable to stop turning pages because I had to know what would happen next. Just when I would think I had things figured out, Gaylin would completely surprise me once again.

I also really loved the technique of weaving flashbacks from the time of the original murder with scenes from the present day. This did a lot for character development, as well as setting up future plot points and creating a lot of suspense.

Essentially, I can't say enough about how much I loved this book. It's absolutely one of the ones I'm going to go to when people ask for a recommended read that they haven't heard of yet.

I will read absolutely anything having to do with Agatha Christie, especially when it's an entry in a cozy mystery series that I already know I enjoy. 

When her brother's business partner is murdered during the opening night festivities at their new bar, Amy-Faye takes it upon herself to solve the mystery and clear her brother as a suspect. But along the way, she discovers that almost everyone in her small town has a secret to hide, and some have a possible motive for murder.

DiSilverio does a really nice job of weaving in the themes of Murder on the Orient Express along with some discussion of plot points (though be warned, if you haven't read the source material, the ending will be spoiled for you in this book--and if you haven't read the source material, go and read it now, it's one of my all-time favorite books!).

The characters are unique and entertaining without becoming stereotypes, and Amy-Faye is a strong narrator and protagonist, with a great supporting cast. The romance is also well-handled with a light touch, an important part of the story without overpowering the mystery.

This is definitely a cozy series I would recommend. DiSilverio has made a fun mystery series centered around famous mysteries, and I'm excited to read the other Readaholics' stories.