Review: A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena 

Publishing Date: August 15, 2017
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 320
Fiction - Suspense/Thriller/Mystery

The Premise from the Publisher: "You come home after a long day at work, excited to have dinner with your beautiful wife. But when you walk through the door, you quickly realize that she's not there. In the kitchen, there is a pot on the stove, and vegetables on the counter, abandoned. Her cellphone and her purse are still in the house, in the bedroom, exactly where she keeps them. It looks like she's left in a blind panic. You fear the worst, so you call her friends to see if they know where she is. Then you call the police. The police tell you that your wife's been in an accident. They found her in the worst part of town, after she lost control of the car while speeding through the streets. But why would she go to that neighbourhood? And why was she driving so fast? Was she running toward something? Or away from something? The police think your wife was up to no good. You refuse to believe it, at first. Then, as the stories and facts don't line up, and your wife can't remember what happened that evening, you start to wonder. You've been married for two years and you thought you knew her better than anyone else in the world . . . but maybe you don't" (Doubleday).

My overall thoughts and review: This book is Lapena's second book after her debut of The Couple Next Door. If you want to read my review for that one, you can find it here! I really enjoyed that one and there is something simplistic and nicely paced about Lapena's writing. I love how straight forward it is and there is a stronger emphasis on dialogue. I also love that the chapters are not incredibly super long and I feel like the actual story is moving quickly, so it felt fast paced as I read along. This premise of this story definitely intrigued me becaause its the question of whether or not she really doesn't remember or she is simply saying that to hide something. On the surface, Tom and Karen Krupps seem like the perfect happy couple with nothing bad to hide, but this accident shakes open a whole bunch of secrets. You start doubting Tom and Karen and with each chapter, more secrets unravel. I also loved how you began to question other characters as well, like Brigid, the neighbour & Karen's best friend. Detectives Rasbach & Jennings try their best to decipher the truth and although the case appears fairly straight forward with certain facts, some things simply don't add up and it blows the case out of the water. I liked that it brought on questions of "how much can you really know of a person?" and whether or not we hide our skeletons from the people we love. I didn't particular like any of the characters which was interesting, but I was still invested in their story and wanted to find out more about them. I did feel like the end felt a bit rushed and I would've liked some more details about a certain character's past. It does end in a really nice way which leaves the door open for more, and has you feeling unsettled like nothing is ever truly resolved. I quite like it when thrillers/mysteries do that because it isn't always the case in life where things are wrapped up in a neat bow. Overall, if you liked Lapena's previous book, you will surely enjoy this one!

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars)

Available for purchase at:
Chapters/Indigo, Kobo, Amazon and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)

Disclaimer: An advanced reader's copy of the book was provided by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: I Found You by Lisa Jewell

I Found You by Lisa Jewell 

Publishing Date: April 25, 2017
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 352
Family Life & Suspense

The Premise from the Publisher: "A young bride, a lonely single mother, and an amnesiac man of dubious origin lie at the heart of New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell’s next suspenseful drama. In a windswept British seaside town, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, and no idea how he got there. Against her better judgment, she invites him inside. Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed. Twenty-three years earlier, Gray and Kirsty are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. Their annual trip to the quaint seaside town is passing by uneventfully, until an enigmatic young man starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortable—and it’s not just that he’s playing the role of protective older brother. Two decades of secrets, a missing husband, and a man with no memory are at the heart of this brilliant new novel" (Atria Books).

My overall thoughts and review: I love a good thrilling read especially with a family dynamic. So many of the books today are focused on a love relationship, and while that's nice, I like seeing family dynamics at work as well. When I first read the premise of this book, I knew I wanted to read it since it had similar elements to Broadchurch (one of my favorite shows ever) with a mystery to be solved and of course, a seaside town setting. I was also really intrigued by three story-lines happening at once, and like I said, there seemed to be a focus on family with the story-line of Kirsty and Gray. I must admit that in the beginning, it was a bit hard to follow all the different narratives (I think that's why it took me so long to finish, since I read it super slowly to catch all the details), but soon it became evident that somehow each story had a mystery: who was the man sitting outside her house, for Alice - Lily was missing her husband, and the siblings, Gray and Kirsty, were trying to figure out what this mystery character, Mark, really wanted. I really liked that the story of the two siblings took place 23 years earlier, so whatever had happened to them is linked to the present time. Even though it comes down to two possible outcomes for the ending, I really did enjoy it and I have to admit, I thought the ~other~ outcome was going to happen for the most part. I was genuinely surprised but also sad to learn of the truth of everything since it's absolutely heartbreaking what happened. I will say that the story resolves itself quite nicely and it's a nice departure from the regular open endings of thriller novels. It was also paced nicely, but unfortunately the reason why this book only gets 4 stars from me is simply because I wasn't too invested in the story-line of Lily. I just was not interested and did not really care much for the character, and I think because in contrast to Alice, she was in a way, too dependent on another character (she begins to rely on her husbands friend and it just becomes too much imo). My favorite character was definitely Alice and seeing her dynamics with her kids. She is genuinely a good person and I really liked that she owned her flaws in a really empowering way. I really enjoyed this book and it is in the same vein as Clare Mackintosh's I Let You Go; so if you loved that, you will love this one! It's my first time reading something by Lisa Jewell, but it surely won't be the last :)

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars)

Available for purchase at:
Chapters/Indigo, Kobo Books, Amazon and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)

Disclaimer: An advanced reader's copy of the book was provided by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review. All opinions of the book are my own.

Blog Tour: Our Little Secret by Roz Nay - Review and Author Q&A

Our Little Secret by Roz Nay 

Publishing Date: June 6, 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 256
Psychological Thriller / Mystery

The Premise from the Publisher: "The detective wants to know what happened to Saskia, as if I could just skip to the ending and all would be well. But stories begin at the beginning and some secrets have to be earned. Angela is being held in a police interrogation room. Her ex’s wife has gone missing and Detective Novak is sure Angela knows something, despite her claim that she’s not involved. At Novak’s prodding, Angela tells a story going back ten years, explaining how she met and fell in love with her high school friend HP. But as her past unfolds, she reveals a disconcerting love triangle and a dark, tangled web of betrayals. Is Angela a scorned ex-lover with criminal intent? Or a pawn in someone else’s revenge scheme? Who is she protecting? And why?" (SS).

My overall thoughts and review: To begin with, I like to pride myself on the fact that I read quite a lot of psychological thrillers. Whatever is new and released, I usually pick it up. I love a good thrilling read and I also love guessing the "outcome" of the text. I will have to admit, the last few thrillers I've read this year, have been a bit lack luster, since I've been able to figure out the outcome and "villain" so to speak, quite early on. I also wasn't dazzled by any turns in other thriller books I've read recently, so when a book comes along like this one, that completely blows me away... I'm incredibly impressed. I also watch a ton of crime television, so I think my deducting skills are quite good at this point :P and when a book just is able to "trick" me in a certain way, and have me thinking I know what's going on and pull the rug from under my feet, I'm just in awe. That is what happened with this book. I've already recommended it to a handful of people and I immediately staff-picked it at work. For a small book, it packs a big punch! It follows the character Angela, who is being held in an interrogation room by Detective Novak. They have a bit of a cat and mouse dynamic which is reminiscent of Luther and Alice in the TV series, Luther. The crime isn't quite clear from the beginning so it builds the suspense, and to understand the real narrative, Angela tells Novak that she must start at the beginning. The beginning of her story with her ex, HP. What the reader learns is that HP and Angela had an incredibly intense first-love romance. It was an all consuming kind of love and as the reader, I really felt like they were endgame. Nothing could come between them. Obviously that isn't the case. In some moments, you really feel for Angela and the situation she's in, but other moments, it's really hard to feel sorry for her. It is such a twisty narrative because you flip back and forth with feeling empathy and rage for certain characters. But the way Nay wrote about highschool relationships and friendships felt so real to me, and incredibly authentic, which I really appreciated. So many secrets are revealed and just learning how things got to a certain point is fascinating. I honestly could not put the book down because I was so intrigued. I know I always say this, but I find it really hard to write reviews for books I really loved. I can't say enough good things about it, but at the same time, I don't want to say too much without spoiling it. It is a short book which is impressive since Nay is able to build a really strong sense of character and world-building in 256 pages. I also got the lovely opportunity of meeting Nay at a book event where she shared with us readers that the book had a different victim and different crime to begin with, which is super cool. All in all, I LOVED this book. I'm so impressed with it and I'm already sitting at the edge of my seat waiting to see what Nay writes next. Please do yourself a favor and pick up this book. Whether you are a fan of psychological thrillers or not, you will not regret it. It is a truly wonderful debut!

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮✮ (5/5 stars)

Available for purchase at:
Chapters/Indigo, Kobo Books, Amazon, and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)

A jar of manifestations that was sent along with the book by Simon & Schuster. 

Author Questions and Answers
1) What was the inspiration behind Our Little Secret?

I wanted to write a tender love story, set at a golden time, and blend it with the kind of obsession that can come from getting stuck in the past, or being aggrieved in the present. I used to teach high school, so I think a lot of the inspiration came from the powerful sense of potential that all eighteen-year-olds have. I wanted to turn that and make it darker.

2) Which character would you say, you are most like?

I’m quite laid-back like HP; I like the finer things in life like Freddy; I try to be kind and grateful like Saskia. But honestly, I’m probably mostly Angela. With one obvious exception.

3) What do you hope your readers take away from the book?

I hope I’ve twisted and turned them, and made them question everything they thought they’d understood. It’s a little book, but my hope is it presents a world that readers can get lost in for a few days.

4) Since your book falls into the category of thrillers... what thrilling books have you read recently and loved?

I’m a huge Harriet Lane fan—I think she writes so well. I read Her recently and still think about it. I loved Jessica Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive, Emma Cline’s The Girls and Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven. I’ll read everything these writers create.

5) Roz, this is a fantastic debut novel. What advice do you have for aspiring writers who hope to publish one day?

I think the key is just to keep writing and not worry about who is going to like it or not like it or read it or criticize it. The best, purest stage of writing a novel is when it’s just you and your laptop and you don’t have to worry about all the other stuff. I think if you hold yourself to high standards and write because you’re enjoying the language of it, the rest will come. You have to believe!

Thank you so much, Roz, for stopping by and answering the questions! Be sure to stop by the other blogs for more blog tour content! :D 

Disclaimer: An advanced reader's copy of the book was provided by Simon and Schuster Canada for participation in the book tour. All opinions of the book are my own. 

Review: What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan

What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan 
(AKA Burnt Paper Sky) 

Publishing Date: January 3, 2017
Publisher: Harpercollins
Pages: 496
Thriller

The Premise from the Publisher: "Rachel Jenner is walking in a Bristol park with her eight-year-old son, Ben, when he asks if he can run ahead. It’s an ordinary request on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Rachel has no reason to worry—until Ben vanishes. Police are called, search parties go out, and Rachel, already insecure after her recent divorce, feels herself coming undone. As hours and then days pass without a sign of Ben, everyone who knew him is called into question, from Rachel’s newly married ex-husband to her mother-of-the-year sister. Inevitably, media attention focuses on Rachel too, and the public’s attitude toward her begins to shift from sympathy to suspicion. As she desperately pieces together the threadbare clues, Rachel realizes that nothing is quite as she imagined it to be, not even her own judgment. And the greatest dangers may lie not in the anonymous strangers of every parent’s nightmares, but behind the familiar smiles of those she trusts the most. Where is Ben? The clock is ticking. . . ." (HC).

My overall thoughts and review: I've been on such a thrilling reads kick for a while now. I don't know what it is... but I love seeing how the mystery unravels for the reader. This is my first time picking up something by Macmillan and I was not disappointed. I listened to this book via audible and there were two voice actors who did the voices of Rachel and the DI. I thought they did a pretty good job narrating the story. The premise is incredibly chilling where a child goes missing one afternoon because his mom lets him run ahead on their walk with their dog Skittle. I had a few ideas of who it could have been and what had happened and I will say, I was genuinely surprised right up until the very end. There was quite a few twists and turns that I did not expect and I really enjoyed those aspects. I think what I enjoyed most is seeing how conflicted Rachel was feeling and seeing how she kept replaying various moments and scenarios. You got to see her grieve as a mother during this period in her life and as the reader, you really empathized with her. I found myself liking the DI a lot too and seeing how this one case kind of "rocked" his world a bit. It affected every aspect of his life and it is a good example of "taking the job home." He is truly a conflicted character with a lot of flaws and I liked seeing his vulnerability in some scenes. You can't say too much in these reviews for thriller books without giving too much away. I'll say that fans of I Let You Go, Girl on the Train, and The Widow, will surely enjoy this one. It is a clever and heart-wrenching thriller about a parent/child relationship. I really enjoyed it and I've already pushed it on a few friends to read! It reminds me of a good British crime TV show!

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars)

Available for purchase at:
Audible, Chapters/Indigo, Kobo Books, Amazon and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)

Review: The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Publishing Date: November 8, 2016
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co
Pages: 528
Fiction / Thriller

The Premise from the Publisher: "She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning. Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon. When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it's her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous. Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of" (LBC).

My overall thoughts and review: With my long commute to campus some days of the week, I always depend on my trusty audible app to keep me sane and awake. I subscribe to their system where you get a credit a month, and it usually takes me about a few days to finish a book or sometimes a week. I did not know that Meyer was writing another book, let alone it being a thriller. I remember going into work and suddenly seeing it on display. I decided to purchase this book as an audiobook on audible because I wanted something thriller-esque to keep my attention during the commute. The last time I read something by Meyer was a few years ago and it was The Host. I was not exactly taken with that book, but similar to her other novels, she writes in a very addictive way that makes you constantly want to read more. She definitely writes character heavy which I really appreciate. I loved how much of an internal voice we got from the main protagonist Alex. I also quite liked the secondary characters like Daniel, Kevin and Val too. I also loved how much of a role the dogs had in the story. But where does the book fall short for me? I found it hard at times to suspend my disbelief. Things had a way of being so predictable that there wasn't really a big twist for me or many surprises and I expect that when reading thrillers. I also found it hard to believe things being resolved so easily and maybe because I'm jaded a bit with reading other books, but I expected some collateral damage. Also the biggest thing that bugged me was the lack of world building. The giant house that they spend most of their time in is described but I felt like we barely got enough of that area. I know Meyer is known for being character-driven but in a novel this big, I really expected an even-hand when it came to character and world building. Overall, I think if you are a fan of her other books, you will enjoy this. It is a nice change from her other supernatural stuff and she does write character dialogue really well. However, compared to other thriller books out there, this one simply did not "thrill" me and I did not see it as gripping-on-the-edge-of-my-seat kind of narrative. I would definitely recommend the audiobook version however since Ellen Archer does an amazing job narrating it (I loved when she narrated the parts of Kevin especially!)

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮ (3.5/5 stars)

Available for purchase at:
Audible, Chapters/Indigo, Kobo Books, Amazon and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)

Review: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Publishing Date: January 3, 2017
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 352
Thriller/Mystery

The Premise from the Publisher: "In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant, but as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the desk, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong..." (SS).

My overall thoughts and review: As some of you know, I work at Indigo and each month we spotlight a book for Staff Pick of the Month. The most recent pick to that list is Ruth Ware's book, The Woman in Cabin 10. I instantly bought it when I got into work when it released. This was my first time picking up something from Ruth Ware. I've loved all the SPOTM reads before, and I was especially excited for this one because it fell under the umbrella of thrilling reads / gripping literature / mystery. I've been a huge fan of these kinds of books for a while now and the fact that this one took place on a fancy boat.. I was instantly intrigued. Was anyone thinking Titanic?? I know I was. You are first introduced to Lo who is a journalist to a travel magazine and she has an opportunity to travel on a luxury cruise with select passengers. The reader also learns from the beginning that Lo experiences a break-in at her home, so she tries to concentrate on the trip, but obviously there's some emotional trauma backlash from the break-in experience. You are introduced to a grand cast of characters, everyone has a reason to be on the boat and everyone is there for their own purposes; be that to write their own journal piece, take photos or simply to hang out with the Bullmers (the owners of the Aurora). One evening, Lo believes that she witnesses a horrible accident: a body being thrown overboard. She starts investigating with the cruise ship staff but there is no one unaccounted for. The staff begin to judge Lo's judgement and the reader begins to untangle all the different alibis and narratives of each character on the cruise. It felt like a bit of a Clue game during these moments and I really enjoyed that. I will say, I did not see the giant twist/conclusion coming. It is a clever one. I liked how every character was suspicious and the scenes where she wrote about Lo's internal voice were absolutely chilling. I would hate to be in her position: alone and thinking the absolute worst and having no one believe you. The only reason the book did not get a full five stars from me was because I felt it wrapped up too quickly towards the end. There was a lot of groundwork to set up the pacing of the book but towards the end, I felt it was done so quickly. I wanted a bit more conclusion. But overall, I enjoyed this read. It definitely makes me want to go out and pick up Ware's other books. If you are a fan of Clare Mackintosh and Paula Hawkins, this one is definitely for you!

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars)

Available for preorder at:
Chapters/Indigo, Kobo Books, Amazon and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)

Holiday Gift Guide | "Grip-Lit" Edition!

Hi everyone. I'm back with another holiday gift guide. Many thanks on the amazing response on twitter from the last holiday gift guide. I'm so pleased to see many of you picking up those suggestions. For my next category, I want to focus on "Grip-Lit" aka Gripping Literature.. or rather Thrilling Reads. I feel like since the emergence of Gone Girl there has been an influx of thrilling reads and I'm all about that life. I love reading thrillers so much. They keep me on the edge of my seat and they aren't too far that they venture into horror (I'm still a bit of a chicken). They kind of venture into the mystery realm too. Anyways, I have a few older books on this list and some that came out this year, but I hope you will pick some up regardless.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson (✮✮✮✮ - 4/5 stars)
Publishing Date: September 17, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 368

My pitch: At my store, we have a table titled "thrilling reads" - during a shift of fixing up books, I picked this up because I had seen a trailer for it and didn't realize it was a book first. I saw that the protagonist's name was Christine, so instantly I was intrigued. A woman wakes up with no memory of where she is, does not recognize the man she's in bed with, and when she looks in the mirror, she has aged. Christine wakes up every day not remembering and she is told by Ben, her husband, that she suffered memory loss from an accident. As Christine uncovers the truth about her past and what really happened, things get extremely complicated. It is one of those keep-you-constantly-guessing reads. It reminded me a lot of Marcela the TV series, and I think fans of that show will definitely enjoy this! I haven't watched the movie adaptation yet, but I definitely plan to!

Available for purchase: Indigo/Chapters - Kobo - Book Depository

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (✮✮✮✮ - 4/5 stars)
Publishing Date: August 23, 2016
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 320

My pitch: This story touches on a difficult subject and on a scenario that no parent ever wants to get in. Marco and Anne are next-door having dinner with their friends one evening and because their sitter canceled, they couldn't find anyone to watch their child. Instead of bringing the baby to the dinner, they left the baby next door and checked on the child every half hour and used the baby monitor. Of course, chaos struck the couple & the child goes missing. As a detective attempts to uncover the mystery and try and locate the child, more horrible truths start coming to light. The couple begins to doubt one another, they start to doubt their friends and family while the safety of their child is at the center of it all. I read this in one sitting and I could not put it down. I was so intrigued and I felt like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds.. (I think you can tell now from my two suggestions that I have a thing for crime shows). I also really liked the character Anne and empathized with her throughout the entire story.

Available for purchase: Indigo/Chapters - Kobo - Book Depository
Disclaimer: A copy of this book was sent to me by PRHC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh (✮✮✮✮✮ - 5/5 stars)
Publishing Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Pages: 384

My pitch: Another book that tackles a dark subject again... during a dark night, a mother loses grasp of her child and her son dies in a tragic car accident. The hit-and-run is never solved and there are many dead leads and the mother attempts to move away to deal with the loss of her child. I really can't say too much more than that. But please listen to me when I say, this book is a must read. I picked it up after one of my friends raved about it and I have to tell you, it is the first time ever reading a book that I felt the author geniunely tricked the reader. I remember getting to a moment in the book and going "WAIT! WHAT?" and I had to flip back and re-read a few pages because I was astonished. The book is so incredibly clever and I love how the entire story unravels. I just could not put this book down and I enjoyed it so much. I can definitely see why it was a Staff Pick of the month book. If you are new to Gripping Lit, this is the one to start you off. It is simply amazing!! Can't say enough good things about it. (Also.. currently reading Mackintosh's new one and that is also really good.. full review to come ;))

Available for purchase: Indigo/Chapters  - Book Depository
Disclaimer: A copy of this book was sent to me by PRHC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Other books I'd like to mention but I already wrote full reviews on are:

 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - Full Review HERE!

With Malice by Eileen Cook (YA Grip Lit) - Full Review HERE! 

Let me know in the comments below what other holiday gift guides you'd like to see! 

Review: The Widow by Fiona Barton

The Widow by Fiona Barton

Publishing Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Penguin Canada
Pages: 336 pages
Psychological Thriller

The Premise from the Publisher: "A loving husband or a heartless killer...she'd know, wouldn't she? There's a lot Jean hasn't said over the years about the crime her husband was suspected of committing. She was busy being the perfect wife, standing by her man while living with accusing glares and anonymous harassment. Now her husband is dead, and there's no reason to stay quiet. People want to hear her story. They want to know what it was like living with that man. She can tell them there were secrets. There always are in a marriage. The truth--that's all anyone wants. But the one lesson Jean has learned in the last few years is that she can make people believe anything. For the reporter who has secured the exclusive interview, this is the scoop of a lifetime. For the detective who has lived a half-life since he failed to get justice for the victim, it is a chance to get at the truth that has eluded him for so long. For Jean, it's a chance to defend herself, what she knew--and when. This is the tale of a missing child, narrated by the wife of the main suspect, the detective leading the hunt, and the journalist covering the case. It's a brilliantly ominous, psychologically acute portrait of a marriage in crisis--perfect for fans of The Silent Wife and The Girl on the Train" (Penguin Random House). 

My overall thoughts and review: When I got a package in the mail that had an arc of this book in an evidence bag with a pack of skittles, I was instantly intrigued. I'm a big fan of psychological thrillers and I tore into this book immediately! The narrative moves from past/present offering the reader a look into Jean's relationship with her husband and the dark secrets that take place in a marriage. The big case that the book surrounds is that of a missing child and how Jean's husband was associated with it. The text also deals with how she had to stand by his side during the time he was under the microscope and how interviewers and the media work in this situation. We get to see things from the Reporter's point of view which I really enjoyed and it offers something different that not a lot of books do, since they always focus on the negative side of the media. Ultimately, what this book tackles is marriage. What does it mean to be married? Do you stand by the side of your husband even if you have doubts? What limits must one go to? The text kept twisting and turning and keeping me on the edge of my seat and I was completely blown away with the outcome. I don't want to say too much to risk spoiling it, but like the premise from the publisher states, if you were a fan of The Girl on the Train and even Gone Girl, I think you will definitely enjoy this read! It focuses on marriage, interpersonal relationships, identity, abductions and what comes after for a "widow" like Jean. Also.. small tip, don't eat skittles or candy of any sort while reading :P

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars) 

Now available for purchase at:
Chapters/Indigo, Kobo Books, Amazon and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)
Disclaimer: An advanced reader's copy of this book was sent to me by Penguin Canada for consideration/review. All opinions are my own.