The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan

Three couples. Two bodies. One secret.

Dark Fell Barn is a “perfectly isolated” retreat, or so says its website when Jayne books a reservation for her friends. A quiet place, far removed from the rest of the world, is exactly what they need.

The women arrive for a girls’ night ahead of their husbands. There’s ex-Army Jayne, hardened and serious, but also damaged. Ruth, the driven doctor and new mother who is battling demons of her own. Young Emily, just wed and insecure, the newest addition of this tight-knit band. Missing this year is Edie, who was the glue holding them together until her husband died suddenly.

But what they hoped would be a relaxing break soon turns to horror. Upon arrival at Dark Fell Barn, the women find a devastating note claiming one of their husbands will be murdered. There are no phones, no cell service to check on their men. Friendships fracture as the situation spins wildly out of control. Betrayal can come in many forms.

This group has kept each other’s secrets for far too long.

Paperback, 336 pages

Published March 29, 2022

by William Morrow

4/5 stars

Sometimes, for no other reason then, a eerie cover will cause this reader to do an impulse purchase and that is what happened here. Though I was a tad nervous that this book would be another one of those stranded in one place with a deranged serial killer on the loose the whole time,  thankfully it wasn’t. 

The Long Weekend is a twisty dark story that spans over a couple of days. There is a lot going on with quite a few POVs but after a while it was not hard to keep track of who was who and the different relationships. It did got off to a slow start, but just after the half way mark I could not put this book down. The story was intriguing, the mystery creepy, that location dark and spooky. I read the last third of this book in one sitting, I had to know what was going on. I will confess that I had to suspend my belief a few times as more things continued to happen even right down to the very end. But still an entertaining suspenseful read that was a perfect fit for this long weekend here in Ontario.

Gilly McMillan is not a new author to me, while I enjoyed her book The Nanny I enjoyed this one much more just for the tension, suspense and a fun but dark read.

This book was part of my 2022 reading off my shelf challenge and takes the honour of being book number 50

Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

You can save hundreds of lives. Or the one that matters most.

A claustrophobic thriller set over twenty hours on one airplane flight, with the heart-stopping tension of The Last Flight and the wrenching emotional intensity of Room, Hostage takes us on board the inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney.

Mina is trying to focus on her job as a flight attendant, not the problems of her five-year-old daughter back home, or the fissures in her marriage. But the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger, someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination. Someone who needs Mina's assistance and who knows exactly how to make her comply.

It's twenty hours to landing. A lot can happen in twenty hours.

Paperback, 339 pages

Published June 22, 2021

by Sourcebooks Landmark

3.5/5 stars

Be forwarned, I am so going against the flow in my thoughts for Hostage.

The premise for Hostage is intriguing, it sounds suspenseful and the type of thriller I would enjoy. I think my biggest problem with this book was I couldn’t connect with the characters nor feel any emotional connection to the story. Given other reviews this seems to be a me issue. At one point I even went so far as to grab the audio book from CloudLibrary. One female reader for all the different povs. That would have worked if the book is told from a female pov but it wasn’t and the male parts just didn’t work.

The story is told from a number of different POVS, mainly Mina and Adam, husband and wife with their daughter Sophia. There’s back story here that plays a big part of what transpires and the author wove that seamlessly into the story. There are other points of view scattered throughout which made everything connect at the conclusion. As for the ending, I mean the very ending, the last couple of chapters I really enjoyed those.  The twist that I didn’t see coming.

Hostage is very much a story of 'what would you do if you were in that situation' and honestly I can’t imagine and therefore can’t judge Mina for what transpired. This is my first time reading a Claire Macintosh book, I will continue and give her another try.

This book was part of my 2022 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge -#38

Friend Request by Laura Marshall

A paranoid single mom is forced to confront the unthinkable act she committed as a desperate teenager in this addictive thriller with a social media twist.
Maria Weston wants to be friends. But Maria Weston is dead. Isn't she?

1989. When Louise first notices the new girl who has mysteriously transferred late into their senior year, Maria seems to be everything the girls Louise hangs out with aren't. Authentic. Funny. Brash. Within just a few days, Maria and Louise are on their way to becoming fast friends.

2016. Louise receives a heart-stopping email: Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook. Long-buried memories quickly rise to the surface: those first days of their budding friendship; cruel decisions made and dark secrets kept; the night that would change all their lives forever.

Louise has always known that if the truth ever came out, she could stand to lose everything. Her job. Her son. Her freedom. Maria's sudden reappearance threatens it all, and forces Louise to reconnect with everyone she'd severed ties with to escape the past. But as she tries to piece together exactly what happened that night, Louise discovers there's more to the story than she ever knew. To keep her secret, Louise must first uncover the whole truth, before what's known to Maria--or whoever's pretending to be her--is known to all.

Kindle Edition, 385 pages

Published September 5, 2017

 by Grand Central Publishing

4/5 stars

Friend Request is a dual time period story where secrets of the past don’t stay hidden.

Back in 1989 Mean Girls was thriving and the repercussions roll over to 2016 just in time for the 25th Class Reunion.

This book had so much going for it, mysterious past, ghosts of the past and when those ghosts show up years later what follows is a twisted thriller with an unexpected ending.  

For Louise it’s a question of protecting not just her son but her mind. As she confronts the past and who this mystery person is (could it actually be Maria?) she also needs to reconcile to what happened and the role she played. This book had me questioning everyone Louise came in contact with, the time switches were nice and smooth, the mystery slowly unravelled to an fitting conclusion. It was a great ride.

This is Laura Marshall’s debut, looking forward to more of her books.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for a digital copy in exchange for a honest review.

Not a Happy Family: A Novel by Shari Lapena

The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and Someone We Know who has sold more than 7 million copies of her books worldwide.

In this family, everyone is keeping secrets—even the dead.

Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there, and Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich. But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught Easter dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated.

Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did someone snap after that dreadful evening? Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions? That must be what happened. After all, if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this, you'd know. 

Paperback, 352 pages

Published July 27th 2021

 by Doubleday Canada

4.5/5 stars

I've read a number of Shari Lapena and this is by far the best.  It has everything that I love in mystery/thriller.

What do I love in this genre you wonder?  Well I love the unputdownableness (if it becomes a real word I lay claim to it). With shorter chapters it was easy to just squeeze in another chapter until I got to the point where I couldn't put it down and read the last third in one sitting.

The characters were a mixed bunch and honestly I didn't feel much empathy for any of them, and that's fine because it just made me look at everyone with suspicion.  They were each flawed and coming from the different POV's made it fascinating see things through their eyes.  Learning the family dynamics, motivation and relationships might sound daunting with this larger cast of characters but it wasn't hard to keep everyone straight.

The mystery was great, just when I'd think I solved it there would be another twist.  I was kept on my toes while trying to connect the dots.

Not a Happy Family is the story of relationships within a dysfunctional family, where money is high up on everyone's priority list.  It is so well written, suspenseful and full of  secrets making everyone a suspect.

Definitely a book I highly recommend.

This book is part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge, obtained from SweetReadsBox (the suspense box).

Review: The Whisper Man by Alex North

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town. After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window...

Paperback, 368 pages

Published August 20th, 2019

by Celadon Books 

*** 

The Whisper Man is a rather creepy story with a subject matter not for the faint of heart. I’ll admit on one hand being curious about this one and on the other a little nervous about any story that involves kids, not just because I’m a mom but a human being. Also, I should have reviewed it when I finished the book last month just to stop thinking about it.

So my thoughts. There is a lot going on within the pages, it wasn’t just a story of missing boys but also of grief and loss, relationships, coping and of course police procedures. The author uses not just the main characters backgrounds and struggles but also some of the secondary characters and while it was interesting I did struggle to connect. The mystery itself was interesting enough with some twists and turns I didn't anticipate and I will say the it took me almost to the end until I figured things out, so hats off to the author for that one.

With so many glowing reviews it was a 3 star for me, meaning I liked it (and that’s a good thing, right?)