ARC Review: Ink Ribbon Red

 I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review.

So here’s the thing. I absolutely adore Alex Pavesi’s first book, The Eighth Detective. As in, I’ve re read it, recommended it, and just generally loved every word of it. 

I was so excited to see this second book was coming out. I even thought about preordering it, but was thrilled to discover I’d been selected on NetGalley to receive an ARC. I saw some negative reviews, but held out hope.

Unfortunately, Ink Ribbon Red did not live up to all my hopes and dreams. 

The plot sounds fantastic. Writers gather together and create stories where one of the writers murders the others. Lines start to blur and secrets are revealed.

The problem was that the lines were so blurred, I couldn’t keep everything straight. Who was murdered? Were they murdered at all? Was it all just a collection of stories by the writers, meta fiction maybe? Or did characters actually die? 

This may just be a personal preference, but I think not, as Pavesi’s first book also played around with stories within a story and mysterious mysteries, but I loved that book. I think this second book just may be an instance of a great story idea being taken too far into left field. 

But the writing style was brilliant. 

While I can’t recommend this second book, definitely check out the first book. 

ARC Review: Parent’s Weekend

 I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

A group of college students just graduated, and are supposed to meet their parents for a celebration dinner. But when their children never show, the group of parents can’t help but worry something is terribly wrong. Secrets and a mysterious death all come into play in this mysterious and suspenseful story.

While this book was mysterious and suspenseful, it is not my favorite Alex Finlay. The story was a little slow moving, and while I appreciated the twists, they weren’t the best Finlay has produced. Finlay is definitely talented though, and so this book rises above the masses to still be a good read. 

Review: Night Watcher

 I received a copy of this book from Novel Suspects Insiders.

Nola once saw the (masked) face of a serial killer. Now, years later, she runs a podcast about scary stories. But after a terrifying call-in, Nola is convinced the serial killer of her childhood is back. 

This is a super scary read!! As in, I was nervous to turn out the lights and go to bed! While there were a few times the writing itself wasn’t my favorite (a little cliched and a little confusing), on the whole this was a solid read. I couldn’t put it down, despite (or more likely because of) being throughly creeped out. The way spooky scenes were written felt so immediate. Plus, I liked the bits of romance, and familial relationships. If you want to be scared, pick this book up.