Tag Archives: Thriller

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten

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Synopsis:
When her autistic son is accused of murder, a lawyer takes the law into her own hands, convinced of his innocence despite the rampant evidence against him.

Review:
I really don’t think that many parents of autistic children are going to be pleased with Saving Max, which preys on the common fear that autistic children are unmanageable and unable to love. Combine that with parental anxiety over watching your vulnerable little boy grow into a strong man, and you have the roots of the tension that fuels Saving Max, one that plants the seeds of wondering whether those innocent-looking stimming behaviors could turn violent.

That said, I did find the book to be a real page-turner in terms of plotting, even though I guessed the murderer and their motive about halfway through. That’s way early for me, because I’m usually in the dark until the last pages, so it must be really obvious. But even so I enjoyed seeing how all the story events played out and felt satisfied with the ending. What more can you ask for from a thriller, really?

Many thanks to Mira for the review copy.

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

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Synopsis:
Freed from the clutches of the madman who abducted her, a broken young woman tries desperately to make sense of what happened to her.

Review:
I find it really strange that the New York Times gave Still Missing such a glowing review, because while I enjoyed the read I didn’t think it rose above genre expectations at all. The prose is pedestrian and the revelations contrived. Oh well.

The Long Way Home by Andrew Klavan

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Synopsis:
An amnesiac high school boy is on the run from both the US government and fundamentalist Islamic extremists.

Review:
I couldn’t get into The Long Way Home, despite Andrew Klavan’s stellar reputation. It had a lot of action but the plot and characters seemed too simply drawn.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy.

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

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Synopsis:
Kaylee is a bean sidhe, a soul screamer who thinks she can save lives–until she discovers that some souls–like a talented pop star–are beyond saving because they’ve made a deal with the Netherworld.

Review:
My Soul To Save is a quirky read with an interesting concept, albeit one that never quite came together for me. I had difficulty grasping the worldview behind the notion of soul screamers and grim reapers (all attractive teens, of course), and so it was hard for me to connect with the story. I sometimes couldn’t tell whether a particular action was good or bad, and that moral ambiguity just didn’t sit well with me.

Then again, I probably spend more time than the average person contemplating theology, so if you’re not plagued by that particular blessing/curse, then you’ll probably really enjoy My Soul to Save. It’s a solid YA suspense thriller with all the elements you want. And you can enter to win one of three free copies by leaving a comment here!

Many thanks to Harlequin Teen for the review copy.

The Surrogate by Kathryn Mackel

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Synopsis:
A childless couple contracts with a lonely drifter to carry their sole remaining embryo, but little do they know that the baggage she brings includes criminal connections and demonic possession.

Review:
The Surrogate was simply terrible. Cardboard characters, overstuffed plotting, and an implausible storyline just really got on my nerves.

The Hunted by Brian Haig

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Synopsis:
A political thriller about a Russian businessman on the wrong side of his own country–and the United States.

Review:
I picked up The Hunted because I’m intrigued by Russia, having spent 10 days in St. Petersburg about a decade ago. However, the book turned out to be the kind of manly political thriller that I just can’t get into. I was hoping for John Le Carre but it was more Tom Clancy/Nelson DeMille (I’m actually just guessing on those, because I don’t know the genre at all). But I’m going to pass it along to my dad, because I think he’ll love it!

I Can See You by Karen Rose

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Synopsis:
A serial killer stalks women through a virtual reality world.

Review:
I Can See You is a pretty formulaic serial killer story. I’m always hoping for something more when I pick up books like this, but unfortunately it didn’t hold any surprises. I’m sure if you are a fan of the genre, you will enjoy the book. I can take or leave serial killer thrillers, so this one just didn’t do it for me.

You Can’t Hide by Karen Rose

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Synopsis:
When a troubled psychiatrist’s patients start committing suicide, it appears that she is a murderer.

Review:
You Can’t Hide is the second Karen Rose thriller I was sent to review. I was hoping to discover a new favorite crime writer, but unfortunately I just couldn’t get into either book. I always want something more out of a genre read, but these books just don’t deliver. She’s a very strong writer and a good plotter

In the Face by Lorelei Armstrong

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Synopsis:
When a famous movie star appears to have dumped a body on his plastic surgeon’s balcony, a simulation-obsessed detective delves into a seamy world where there are no limits to what people will do for fame.

Review:
Babies getting plastic surgery–that’s all I needed to hear to get interested in Lorelei Armstrong’s debut, In the Face. Melding a hard-boiled style in the tradition of James M. Cain and Andrew Vachss with a cyberpunk sensibility, Armstrong delivers a fast-moving, intellectually stimulating thriller with a strong story at its center.

In the Face is set in a vaguely futuristic world, where “shapers” work on young babies in the hopes of achieving physical perfection. Evo Selig is the biggest shaping success, and has become a huge movie star. There are countless bootleg “simulations” that show Evo doing just about everything a person could want him to do, and so when a sim appears that shows Evo dumping a body, it’s fairly easy to prove that it wasn’t Evo. Except Evo keeps pretending like it was him, and Detective MacEvoy finds he has a PR nightmare to contend with in addition to a messy murder investigation.

I loved the ideas that Armstrong created for In the Face, and she does an outstanding job of not letting them overwhelm the narrative. The book is a perfect blend of LA Confidential and Neuromancer, a quick and dirty read that has me hoping Armstrong is hard at work on her next book.

Button, Button by Richard Matheson

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Synopsis:
A collection of short stories by a preeminent contributor to “The Twilight Zone.”

Review:
Button, Button is an uneven bit of business, purporting to highlight the very best of Richard Matheson’s “Uncanny Stories.” Some are good, one is spectacular, but others have not aged well.

First, the good:

“Button, Button” exhibits a flawless “Twilight Zone” concept and execution. Apparently a Cameron Diaz movie based on it is coming soon. Seems like a bad idea to me. The genius of the story demands a smallness not readily translatable to the big screen.

“Dying Room Only” is a quick and dirty thriller with great atmosphere, but a weak ending.

“A Flourish of Strumpets” seems more suited to the talents of Shirley Jackson, with its priggish couple assailed by a gang of prostitutes with the tenacity of door-to-door Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jackson would’ve mined the story’s full Gothic potential. Matheson keeps it clean but I wanted more quirk.

“Pattern for Survival” is a funny little tale about a most successful author. It took me a few reads to get the joke, which is quite subtle but highly rewarding.

The not-so-good:

“Creeping Terror” takes an amusingly sociological look at the spread of Los Angeles. It’s written like a research paper, a gimmick that doesn’t do it for me.

The outstanding:

“Girl of My Dreams” is a noir version of a gothic premise: a young woman who can see how people may die, and her blackmailing boyfriend have a disagreement over a mark. I loved the tone he maintains throughout. This is the one I’d most like to see as a movie.

“Mute” is quite different than the other stories, lacking either a gimmick or a stylized tone. It’s the story of a young man who can’t talk, and the people who are trying to usher him into the world of language. Ferocious and mysterious, this is the story that most sucked me in.