The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

Wow! This was an absolute roller coaster of craziness and I enjoyed it. Thanks to the publisher kindly granting my wish for this book I had it in my TBR pile for months before it was published, but am glad I finally read it this month since it takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Harriet is a novelist who is pregnant and marrying into a wealthy family with a lot of secrets, one of which may or may not include the fact that one of them has killed several women. It sounds bad, but Harriet has her own horrible secret that's she's been keeping for decades, so she's not quite sure how awful these folks really are in comparison to her. The snotty rich people like to play family games, hence the title, that include a bizarre Krampus-themed tradition that scares the crap out of their kids and Harriet. But Krampusnacht shenanigans are nothing compared with their Christmas game, and that's where all hell breaks loose. I've read previous books by Steadman and this one was fast-paced like those, which I like, but it also had a few too many family members who didn't add much to the story. Overall, highly recommended as a fun, Christmas-y thriller. Thanks to Netgalley, and especially the publisher, who saw my wish for this book and granted it. Published October 18, 2022.

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

 

This book is probably best enjoyed by ardent Lisa Jewell fans, of which I am one. I say that not only because you have to read The Family Upstairs to understand the family dynamics that carry over into Family Remains, but also because nothing happens for the first half of this book. It plods along, reacquainting us with the dysfunctional surviving family from Cheyne Walk and introducing Sam, the police detective who is trying to solve the puzzle of what happened there 25 years ago. There's also a parallel storyline about Michael, the father of Lucy's son Marco, that occurs in flashbacks. It all comes together at the end in a satisfying way, but it takes time and patience on behalf of the reader to get there. Not my favorite among Jewell's books.

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

 

Wow, wow, wow!! I don't give many 5-star reviews, but here it is. This is not the first time Sally Hepworth has hooked me with a fantastic plot. I honestly couldn't put this down. The setting, characters, just all of it is fabulous and adds up to the perfect cozy thriller read. Loved this one!

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin

 

Last year I read Megan Goldin's The Night Swim, which was a great concept with strong characters. Her new book Stay Awake is a decent thriller, but not quite of the same caliber in terms of plotting and pacing. I wanted to like this more than I actually did for a number of reasons, but I do applaud her for putting a fresh spin on the "amnesiac who might have killed someone" trope. I had a hard time getting into this one initially and found some of the timeline confusing, especially all the repetition. I really started to wonder about halfway through if this was a book in search of an editor. But once the story picked up things fell into place and made sense, and it finished as a fast-paced thriller. Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

 

One warm summer night twenty-five years ago, Liza Gold and her friends celebrated their high school graduation with a party on the beach. It should have been the best night of their lives, only, one of them never came back out of the ocean. The tragedy haunted Liza Gold for years. Now, Liza is a recently divorced working mom struggling to connect with her standoffish teenager daughter Zoe when history repeats itself. Another young woman has drowned at Beach Week, and this time the victim is Zoe’s secret best friend.

Wow! This book was fantastic. Anyone who is not already a fan of Aggie Blum Thompson will be after reading this one. These are some messed up folks and the story is one that you can really sink your teeth into. How well do we really know our friends? Even those we've known "forever" may have a dark side that we never see. That's the main premise here, and it takes the main character Liza on a crazy journey that starts with events that happened to her in high school and that ultimately impact her own teenage daughter in ways she could never have imagined. This is a thrill ride that hooked me from the first page. Thompson's writing style is so engaging that you can't help but think about your own long-term friendships and wonder if there was ever something you may have even witnessed a friend doing, or that they told you about, that wasn't what you thought it was at all. Seriously, it will mess with your head, but read it anyway! Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for providing an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 

The Downstairs Neighbor by Helen Cooper

 

Synopsis: From her downstairs apartment in suburban London, Emma has often overheard the everyday life of the seemingly perfect family upstairs–Steph, Paul and teenage daughter Freya–but has never got to know them. Until one day, she hears something that seizes her attention: Freya has vanished and the police are questioning Steph and Paul about their life. Do either of you have any enemies? Anyone who might want to harm or threaten you?

Oh my lord! This was fabulous. Anyone who likes Lisa Jewell's style of British domestic slow-burn thriller will eat this one up. There are a slew of characters to keep track of, which can make it hard to put this down and pick right up again, but this twisty story is worth it. Just when you think you know what's going on, you don't! I loved it. For a debut novel, Helen Cooper knocked it out of the park. As soon as I finished it I found out that NetGalley had gifted me her new one, The Other Guest. I'll be reviewing that here closer to the pub date in July.

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon

Jennifer McMahon has done it again. I've been a fan since Winter People and she hasn't let me down since. This is another twisty, dark drama reminiscent of last year's The Drowning Kind, with a hint of Stranger Things vibes. Troubled siblings, secret pasts, and perfectly creepy elements are McMahon's forte and I love it. I'll be over here not-so-patiently waiting for her next book. Much thanks to Gallery and to Netgalley for providing this ARC. Publication date: April 26, 2022.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

 

Sally Hepworth is a favorite of mine because I can always count on her books to be addicting. I couldn't put this one down and spent my whole weekend engrossed in it. It's one of those books that's hard to say much about without ruining it for others. That being said, I didn't love the ending, or rather the open-ended ending. Nevertheless, I loved the characters and the plot and I'm sure others will too. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for another fabulous read. Publication date: April 5, 2022.