Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

 

[Summary: After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.]

Review:

I've read several books recently that have a podcast angle and not all of them have pulled it off successfully. Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is a good example of a story that uses this element successfully to propel the story rather than just supplement it. It kept me guessing, too, and the murderer of Savvy came as a surprise. My one complaint is that Ben was the only person who seemed to realize that Lucy had some sort of PTSD/brain injury, but even he didn't encourage her to get medical help for it, he just kept her talking to fuel his podcast. I doubt something like that just disappears because she remembered the night of Savvy's murder. If you like small-town gossip, lots of sleeping around (WTH Lucy's mom!!?), a cool grandma, and a juicy murder mystery, this one's for you. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

 

Summary: Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl came to her senses and called the police, the Angels committed suicide and mother and baby disappeared. 
Now, true crime author Amanda Bailey is looking to revive her career by writing a book on the case. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen; finding them will be the scoop of the year. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and also on the baby’s trail. 

As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realize that the truth about the Angels is much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined, and in pursuit of the story they risk becoming part of it.

I have mixed feelings about this one and will try to explain why. First of all, I dislike the format immensely. Reading this on an e-reader made it impossible to see the emojis that were used in the texts, and there were alot of them. The story is interesting and kept me invested in it, but the long list of characters became difficult to keep straight in my mind. I also felt like most characters were one-dimensional, including many of the important ones. My other main issue of contention here is that we were told how things happened rather than shown and that felt contrived at times and not very satisfying. All that being said, I appreciate that Hallett was trying to do something different and experiment with format while delivering a complex story. Final verdict 3.5 stars.

 

Well, I've finished up my holiday reading with two really fun books. First up was the Christmas Guest, a novella by Peter Swanson. I read most of this on the bus on my commute into work and didn't want to put it down. The story pulls you in quick with an American teenager being invited to spend the Christmas holidays with a British school friend she doesn't know that well at the girls' family home in the Cotswolds. From there things go insane quickly as most Peter Swanson stories do. Lots of twists and turns that I did not see coming. I really enjoyed this one.

Next up was a book I saw recommended by some bookstagramers although I had never heard of it. The Christmas Murder Game also involves a country house in England where family members are locked away together from before Christmas to after New Years to play a scavenger hunt game and the winner gets the keys to the house. Lots of family secrets and backstabbing ensue. Another really fun book that was perfect for my holiday reading.

Enjoy!

Heir of Uncertain Magic by Charlie Holmberg

 

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms was a recent favorite read, with a fun and creative setting that stuck in my mind for a long time. What a treat to return again to Holmberg's reimagined Rhode Island of the mid 1800s, where boats and other vehicles are powered by magic. The soul of a young boy that was trapped in the walls of Whimbrel House in the first book is now in a dog and makes for some amusing antics, while also tying the household together emotionally. What started as a supposedly haunted house is now a home for an unconventional family that is still learning about themselves and where they fit in the world.  While many authors do a fine job of world-building, Holmberg always injects hers with a little something extra, which in this case I can only think of as being 'homey charm.' Thanks to Netgalley and 47North for this engaging ARC.

The Couple at No 9 by Claire Douglas

 

This has been out for a while but I just got around to reading it. Another good one from Claire Douglas. I appreciate getting it from Netgalley before it was archived. It's twisty and has multiple narrators who may or may not be reliable. There were a few too many characters who tripped me up a couple of times  but overall it was a solid suspense story that held my interest. Also I learned a new British phrase, "memory care homes." In the US we just call these nursing homes or assisted living, but memory care home sounds more compassionate, at least to me.

Malice House by Megan Shepherd

I guess I forgot to review this, but better late than never. Megan Shepherd got all the things right in this book that I wanted but didn't get from Madman's Daughter. I was pulled into the story quickly and connected with the characters and world-building. This is the way to do gothic horror in a contemporary setting without being silly or overly gory. There is some gore, but it's not Mexican Gothic level gore. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. [4 Stars]

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

First of all, I'm astounded that this is the author's first novel. Second, I'm rarely a fan of the story-within-a-story concept, but it is handled incredibly well by Bartz. As the women embark on their individual writing and one-on-one sessions with their host and mentor Roza, an acclaimed horror novelist, you start to sense a gathering claustrophobic atmosphere that eventually takes root and doesn't let anyone go until the end. Will they all complete their novels in a month? Will they all survive the month? I was glued to my seat and didn't want to put this one down! Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for providing another awesome ARC in exchange for an honest review.