Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

A quick summary before I begin my raving on how much I loved this book: Anna, her best friend Elise, Anna's boyfriend Tate, and a group of their friends are in Aruba for Spring Break. Then one day, Elise is found murdered, stabbed to death in the beach house they were staying in. Anna, the narrator of the book, is targeted by the police as the killer.

Haas draws on the Amanda Knox case most heavily for inspiration, as well as the Natalie Holloway case. She explores the way the media can spin evidence, as well as the intensity of high school and the relationships formed there, and the feeling of being trapped with no control over your future. Having Anna as the narrator really forces the reader to feel everything she is feeling, from watching crime shows portray her as a sociopath, to fighting for sleep in a tiny jail cell.

The book is not told in chronological order, which works brilliantly in this case. Jumping back and forth from the trial, to when Anna and Elise first met, to their time in Aruba, really amps up the tension and suspense.

And then there were those two words. Those of you have read this book will instantly know which words I refer to. This book has a twist, a solution to the mystery, that packs such a wallop it leaves you reeling, and stays with you even when the book is closed.

If you loved this book, I would definitely recommend you check out Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois. It's another fictional take on the Amanda Knox case.

4/5 stars ****

The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel

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

The premise of The Forgotten Girls is one that is fraught with mystery and promise. A woman has been found dead, and the detectives working to identify her discover that she used to be a resident in an institution. They also discover that she was reported dead over thirty years ago, as was her twin sister.

Other cases spring up along the way as well, that may or may not be connected, and that bring up memories for the protagonist, Louise Rick, that she would rather forget.

So here's the thing with this book. It was good. It was gripping. I was completely invested in the mystery of the twin sister "forgotten girls", their ties to a now-defunct institution, and the nature of a mysterious accident that left one permanently scarred with burns.

But I don't know if I would have liked this book more if I had read the other books in the series first. It's billed as a standalone, but there's a lot of time taken up by a secondary character, Camilla, and her wedding planning that I may have enjoyed more if I knew the character from before and thus cared about her. There were a lot of side plots as well that didn't seem necessary, like a romance that came out of left field, and the possible buying of a community garden plot.

The side plot that did work for me was that of Louise's past, specifically what happened to the man she was in love with so many years ago. The ending of The Forgotten Girls sets up a really interesting surprise twist on what both readers and Louise had been led to believe, and I just might follow that thread.

All in all, I would recommend this to readers who like psychological thrillers, and don't mind quite a bit of darkness with very little light. But I wouldn't tell them to rush to put this at the top of their to-be-read list. They can get to it in time, and maybe start with the first book in the series.

The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian

March Middleton, a young, sensible, smart woman, is sent to live with her guardian when she is orphaned. As it turns out, her guardian is the famous detective, Sidney Grice. As she arrives at her new home, a series of grisly murders have begun. Questions of guilt and innocence, love and loyalty, class and status, and masculinity and femininity, are explored within a clever mystery with lots of twists and turns.

Kasasian is highly aware of the homage he is creating to another detective duo, Holmes and Watson, and he plays around with this very cleverly. There are even references to Grice needing a "Boswell", and March's visit to a certain famous doctor. Kasasian depicts Grice as a Holmes who never had a Watson. Grice seemingly lacks humanity and takes delight in other's misfortunes as they offer him chances to earn money by solving their crimes. But as March inches more and more into Grice's life, a tender side does start to emerge, which I felt was highly necessary to keep Grice from being a character impossible to like.

Something tragic is hinted at in March's past, and by the end of the novel, there are still many mysteries surrounding what happened to her. I definitely want to read the next book in the series to find out the answers.

Five Friday: Five Books I Recommend That Start With "C"

As usual, I have tried not to pick books that I have talked about at length on this blog before :)

1) Cartwheel by Jennifer duBois

This is a brilliant fictional twist on the Amanda Knox story. Readers follow the story of a girl in a foreign country accused of murder, with her sister and her possible boyfriend as main characters as well. The suspense is constantly building, and this is a book that is impossible to put down.

2) The Count and the Confession: A True Murder Mystery by John Taylor

In this true crime story, Taylor digs deep to find answers to puzzling and troubling questions. Would someone confess to a murder they didn't commit? Could the police have manipulated a mother of three into declaring herself a murderer? And just who exactly was the murder victim himself?

3) Cast of Shadows by Kevin Guilfoile

This genre-defying novel asks the chilling question: If you had the chance to come face-to-face with the murderer of your child, how far would you go? For a scientist dealing in experimental genetics, the answer might just be too far to ever come back from.

4) A Child's Book of True Crime by Chloe Hooper

In an attempt to understand a murder in a nearby town, the protagonist, Kate, begins to rewrite the story as a children's book. Meanwhile, she continues in an affair with an author who has also written a book on the murder, and who is the father of one of her students.

5) Christietown by Susan Kandel

This is a really fun mystery series, with a mystery author biographer as the protagonist. This means that within a well-written cozy mystery, you also get lots of great information on the famous mystery writer the book is themed around. This entry in the series centers around my all-time favorite author, Agatha Christie, and features a mystery-themed housing development (how amazing would that be?!), a Miss Marple play, and the infamous real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie herself.

Don't forget to enter my first giveaway! Mystery Box of Books Giveaway! I will also be participating in my first book blog blog hop giveaway soon, so keep an eye out for that!

What are your favorite books that start with C?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten New-To-Me Authors in 2015

(As always, Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish )

1.  Jessica Knoll; Luckiest Girl Alive is one of my favorite reads of the year, and one of my favorite reads ever. 

 

2. Paula Hawkins; To me, The Girl on the Train more than loved up to its hype, and I got to meet Paula Hawkins at ALA and have her sign my book, which was a definite bonus.

3. Graeme Simsion; I loved The Rosie Project, and plan to pick up The Rosie Effect sometime in the near future.

4. Amy Butcher; I've raved about her book Visiting Hours on my blog quite a bit. Needless to say, I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

5. Jon Krakauer; Believe it or not, I had never read any of his books before this year.

6. Kate Bolick; Her book Spinster is a must-read as far as I'm concerned. It really spoke to me.

7. Susan Cain; Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking is a book that meant so much to me, and came at a time in my life when I really needed it.

8. Jon Ronson; After reading The Psychopath Test, I immediately put the rest of his books on my wishlist. He is one of my new favorite non-fiction authors.

9. Erin Morgenstern; The Night Circus is another one of my favorite reads of the year, and another one of my all-time favorite reads.

10. Christopher J. Yates; Black Chalk is another book I have raved about on this blog before. I can't wait to read more of his works.

Honorable Mentions: M.O. Walsh, Elizabeth Little, Marie Kondo, Joel Dicker, Rainbow Rowell, Kent Haruf, Harry Dolan, Jennifer duBois, Blake Crouch, Alex Marwood, Ernest Cline, Maggie Mitchell, Chris Grabenstein, Christopher Bollen, Nina De Gramont, Natalie Haynes, Peter Swanson, Jan Elizabeth Watson, and Joelie Charbonneau.

Murder Most Finicky by Liz Mugavero

I was given an ARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for a review. This did not effect my opinion or review of the book.

Murder Most Finicky is a cozy mystery with a baker, nicknamed Stan, as its protagonist. But Stan is a baker for pets, especially cats, which is why Sheldon Allyn, a celebrity pastry chef, wants her on board in his business empire. But when Sheldon brings together some of the top chefs to spend a weekend together preparing a dinner to impress new investors, past secrets and new jealousies collide to end in murder.

This was a really enjoyable read. The characters are all quirky and colorful, though sometimes there were so many characters I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. Stan comes across as very real, struggling to figure out how to balance her family, her romance, and her booming business, and wanting to decide on what she really needs out of life.

The mystery began quickly, which I always appreciate, and the book's pacing did not let up from there. There was always something happening to keep the reader's attention, and the food descriptions made me want to start cooking up a storm. The romance was very sweet, and while an integral part of the plot, did not overpower it.

I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family who love cozy mysteries like I do.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

(Don't forget to enter my very first giveaway, for the chance to win a mystery box of books-and there will definitely be ARCs in there! Box of books giveaway! )

"You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul..."

This is a book that stays with you, even when you are doing something other than reading, even when you have closed the covers on the final page.

It is rare that a book makes me so desperately want to be a part of its world. But this is one of those books. It left me longing to wander among the tents, along the paths, to visit the Ice Garden, to climb through the Cloud Maze, to eat the caramel apples and drink the hot chocolate.

This story is ostentatiously about a challenge, about magic, about a circus. But it is about so much more. It is about fate, and destiny, and what it means to be bound to something or someone. It is about answering the everlasting question of if your fate can be changed, if your future is set in stone, if rules can be broken.

It is a love story, but not just about two people. There is the love that people have for dreams, for the place that feels like home, for the experiences they live for and cannot do without. I loved this book.

5/5 stars