Reviews: The Turnout, and Chasing the Boogeyman

 The Turnout by Megan Abbott

This is a story about sisters, Dara and Marie, who run the dancing school, once owned by their parents, along with Dara’s husband Charlie. Dara and Marie are dancers practically since birth, while Charlie was a dancer who became too injured to continue. 

The annual The Nutcracker is approaching, a huge event for the school, when a man arrives, and upsets the careful balance the sisters have carefully maintained. 

Abbot is a genius writer-she’s absolutely an auto buy author for me. This book is beautifully and brilliantly unsettling, leaving readers feeling off kilter as the sisters do. As always, Abbot deftly explores femininity and female roles, and what happens when men enter the picture. I highly recommend this book.

Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar 

Chizmar does something very impressive and clever here. He takes moments and facts from his real life, but inserts a series of fictional murders, writing as if the book is true crime and the murders really happened. There are even photographs included to make it feel even more like a true crime story. 

This creepy book had me totally hooked. The reveal of who the killer is was a twist I never saw coming. I highly recommend this book. 

ARC Review: Win Lose Kill Die

 I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself. 

Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy 

At an exclusive boarding school, Head Girl is the true definition of power. But when the Head Girls start dying off, a group of friends must solve the mystery or find themselves the next victims. 

The twist in this one was so good! I never saw it coming. This is a dark young adult read, with some gore and really intense moments. I enjoyed it, but definitely know going in this is not a light mystery. I would recommend this book. 

ARC Review: Only She Came Back

 I received a copy of this book from Novel Suspects and the publisher.

Only She Came Back by Margot Harrison

Sam is fascinated by true crime, so much so that she once tried to make her own true crime podcast. Kiri, a girl Sam went to high school with, is now the prime suspect of a crime. Kiri went into the desert with her YouTuber boyfriend, but came out alone, her sweatshirt covered in his blood, telling people he is probably dead.

As Sam becomes the safe place for Kiri to share her stories and secrets, Sam must decide just how far she is willing to go to know the truth-and what, exactly, the truth will mean.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were very three dimensional, as were their relationships. Learning about Kiri’s life and relationship with her boyfriend through diaries was a very effective technique, particularly because the readers don’t know how much they can trust Kiri as her own narrator. I did not call the major twist, which is always fun. I would recommend this book.

ARC Review: There Should Have Been Eight

 I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself. 

There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh

A group of friends gather at an estate to spend quality time together. The eight from the title refers to Bea, a member of their group who committed suicide years ago. As they meet up, they become snowed in, and with the snow comes a reckoning with their past, one that just might reveal the truth of what happened all those years ago.

This book is an absolute rollercoaster ride, full of moments of happiness interspersed with tragedy, lightness with scares in the dark. There are so many twists and turns, I didn’t predict a single part of this book. I would recommend this read. 

ARC Review: Good Girls Don’t Die

 I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself. 

Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry

Three women, each stuck in a situation all too familiar-one in a small town with a murder, one in a remote cabin in the woods with a killer, and one in a survival game. They must each figure out what is going on to have any hope of escaping with their lives. 

This is a really clever book, and I was fascinated by each scenario and rooting for each woman. The way everything comes together is fantastic. The only thing is I wish the small town with a murder would have read more cozy mystery than it did. I would recommend this book. 

ARC Review: The Manor House

 I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.  

The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan

Tom and Katie won the lottery and built the Glass Barn, and are now neighbors with the residents of the Manor House, Sasha and Olly, and their housekeeper Kitty. One tragic day Tom dies in the Glass Barn’s swimming pool, and the police suggest it may be something more than just an accident. This leaves Nicole mourning, and wondering if she might be in danger too.

I liked that this book had short chapters and constantly changing povs. This kept the book engaging and quick moving through what could have been a slow moving plot. The very ending was really great, and I didn’t see it coming at all. This isn’t the best book I’ve ever read, but it was a good read, and I would recommend it.