saltygalreads's reviews
306 reviews

Local Woman Missing follows the story of a trained doula named Meredith, her family and neighbours after Meredith and her daughter Delilah go missing. I will also note that perhaps I was never destined to like this novel, since the storyline of an abducted child is very disturbing to me and I cannot find much entertainment in it.

I will express an unpopular opinion - I did not enjoy this book. I am aware that most reviewers have given this 4-5 stars, and I usually quite like thrillers/mysteries, but this one did not do it for me. In the positive column, it was a quick read, flowed nicely and was well-written. On the negative side, it bothers me when characters are presented in a certain light and then act in a way that is very inconsistent with that presentation. The conclusion of the mystery is quite unbelievable to me and rather full of holes. It is true that a slight stretch of the imagination is often required in a good mystery or thriller, but this ending did not feel believable at all to me.

I will chalk this one up to following the trends and reading what is popular, rather than following my own inclination.

Of the three novels from TJR that I have read, this is probably my favourite so far.

This story drew me in from the very beginning. It felt to me like Mick and June Riva were real people. Even though the characters and the Malibu setting are very glamourous, the human drama is very real and relatable. As the plot unfolds, the characters discover love, hope, ambition, disappointment, grief, jealousy and renewal.

It would be easy to categorize this as a fun beach read, but it is actually better than that. It is a well-written novel which flows effortlessly between the past and present, weaving the storylines of the characters together. Then there is a final ironic twist at the very end - so satisfying! Even though I am not a bandwagon kind of gal, I have to climb on the TJR bandwagon and give this one 5 stars for sure.

"Going home meant entering that museum of grief, that monument to everything I'd lost."

Connor Nye is an English professor and a published author. He drinks a bit too much, trying to escape from the pain of losing his wife and son to a sudden accident. But Connor has a dark secret to hide - he is guilty of plagiarism, having published his student's manuscript under his own name. Why doesn't his student protest? She doesn't protest because she has gone missing, for two years, and everyone assumes she is dead. And now a police detective believes Connor is a murder suspect, because the book is just a little too true to life and Connor wrote details only the killer could know.

This novel by David Bell is totally engrossing and so well-written. The plot is believable, the issues are timely and the protagonist is flawed but likeable. He continues to make poor choices, but we are rooting for him nonetheless. Many of the characters appear unreliable and cannot be taken at face value, so that the reader begins to question everyone's motives, even Connor's. Events unfold at a quick pace which keeps the reader's interest.

Perhaps the only criticism might be that the ending and epilogue felt a little flat and rather anti-climactic. However it is a satisfactory ending with no loose ends. I would certainly recommend this for any mystery fan that enjoys a briskly-paced mystery with no gore.

I opened this book and disappeared into the narrow streets of Stockholm, following a fascinating storyline that weaves together the killing of Olaf Palme with the history of jazz in Sweden and the mystery of the 'missing' fourth Stieg Larsson novel. Florence Wetzel does so masterfully and in a way that clearly shows her love and respect for the subject. The characters are presented so vividly that I can see and hear them - Juliet, Bunny, Henrik and Holiday.

I couldn't possibly do justice to the plot so I won't even try. I will simply say that I was completely immersed in it and felt bereft when it ended. There are numerous surprising twists which I didn't see coming and quite a satisfying ending. I have nary a complaint.

Five stars all the way. And to the author - please feel free to write a sequel any time you want.

This is my second read in the DI Rob Miller series. Again, I enjoyed the dynamics between Jo and Rob as they try to balance their personal chemistry with their work relationship. However it would be a little more fraught I think if there was a little more substance shown in the relationship between Rob and Yvette. After all, he has been with her for some time and he did marry her, so it seems a little soon to quit on their marriage.

As for the mystery this time around, there is a serial stabber targeting men with a taste for roughing up prostitutes. It's an interesting storyline, but I do feel that the resolution to the mystery was wrapped up a little too easily and neatly. I love Biba's writing, but as an avid mystery reader I want you to make me work for it a little bit! That being said, I am developing an addiction to Rob Miller so I expect I will be continuing with the next one. It's a good read, it just needs a little more meat on the bones.

33 Women, set in southeast England, tells the story of three sisters - Celine. Vanessa and Pip - as they clear up their mother's estate after her death. Middle sister Vanessa had been murdered some years previously and the killer was never identified, although the sisters are convinced it was her estranged boyfriend. Close to their mother's home is a refuge or commune for women, called Two Cross Farm, with a group of very private and secretive residents lead by a mysterious woman known as Seed. When another woman is found dead in the area, she is found carefully arranged in a way startlingly similar to Vanessa, and she bears the same tattoos as Vanessa, with two crosses. Who is the murderer, and are the killings linked in some way to Two Cross Farm?

I will admit I struggled to finish this audiobook and had difficulty staying with it. The story concept is fairly original and the narrators are quite good, however the pace at times is a little slow and drawn out. The character of Una is quite entertaining and adds to the enjoyment of the novel, and the theme of domestic violence is timely and relevant. However the twist at the conclusion seemed a bit of a stretch for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and also to Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy.

The Heatwave is a sultry, slow-burn psychological thriller set in the heat of summer in Provence.

Pros: eerie atmosphere; tense feeling of being watched; chilling concept of loving and fearing your own child
Cons: the ex-husband is a complete ass (is anyone that much of a jerk?); tension builds very very slowly to the point that it loses some momentum and takes too long to "get to the point"

Ultimately, I feel that this was a well-written suspense novel - the setting and atmosphere complemented each other perfectly. However, I was left with some lingering questions, and the ending left me with a sinking feeling. That was likely the author's intention, but I didn't enjoy the feeling!

The Maidens is told from the perspective of Mariana, a woman who has sustained many losses in her life. Her parents are both dead some years, and she is grieving the more recent loss of her young husband Sebastian and the life they had together. She is very protective of her niece Zoe, the only close family she has remaining. Zoe attends Cambridge University, where both Mariana and Sebastian both attended. A series of violent murders of young women in a cult-like group called The Maidens brings Mariana to Cambridge to support Zoe, when Mariana becomes involved in unravelling the mystery of the murders. Mariana fixates on Edward Fosca, a hypnotic libertine who teaches at Cambridge and leads The Maidens.

The Maidens is set in historic, mysterious Cambridge University and the author's vivid descriptions evoke hallowed, dimly-lit chambers, stacks of dusty books and aged oak paneling. The references to Greek mythology are seamlessly explained so that the reader does not need to have any knowledge of the Greek classics to understand.

Mariana is a fascinating character and we see the world of Cambridge through her lens. But is her vision and perception accurate, or is it clouded by grief and her idealistic adoration of her late husband and beloved niece? Definitely a 5 star read!