Tropical Girl Reads

Title:- Lie By The Pool

Author:- Susan Walter

Date published:- will be published on 12th September 2023

Publisher:- Lake Union

No. of pages:- 276 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

A desperate woman. An irresistible invitation. An escalating nightmare of secrets, lies, and murder.

Bree’s new home is luxurious and private, with a fancy Beverly Hills address. What a shame it’s not hers. Widowed, penniless, living in her car, and out of options, she’s climbed the fence and crashed in the pool house. All she wants is a good night’s sleep. But when Sophie, the absentee owner, finds her, she gets a whole lot more.

Sophie invites Bree back for a party. When it winds down, Bree can’t resist sneaking upstairs to sleep in a real bed. But the next morning, she wakes to find Sophie’s dead body floating in the pool. As the resident vagabond, she’s both the only witness and the prime murder suspect.

Bree knows she shouldn’t run, but her husband’s death was mysterious, too. If she’s going to clear her name, she’s going to have to work fast. Because the killer is still out there, and she’s next.

This was a fast paced and twisty thriller and I couldn’t put this book down.

Bree is barely surviving by conducting piano classes and is homeless, living in her former home. Then the owner of the home have a Halloween party and the next day, a body was found lying in the pool, murdered.

The story is told from multiple character POV Bree, Carter, Sophie, Luke. Luke is the contractor and Brees husband and Sophie worked for Luke. This is also a page turner and the twist at the end was completely unexpected. Overall, this was actually a good thriller that will keep you hooked from the first page onwards. Worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the ARC. the review is based on my honest opinion only.

The winner of the (not terribly) prestigious WIFTS screenwriting award for “All I Wish,” the film she wrote and directed starring Sharon Stone, Susan Walter is excited to add “novelist” to an eclectic resume that includes “failed concert violinist,” “unwatchable TV news reporter,” and “dazed mother to two teenage girls.” A native of Boston, she suppresses her irresistible accent to avoid stink eye from sports fans across Los Angeles, where she now resides. She has an AB in government from Harvard, which she has so far failed to put to good use, and enjoys skiing, lazy bike rides, and wicked strong coffee. Susan’s first two novels, “Good as Dead” and “Over Her Dead Body,” were Amazon First Reads editors’ picks, and both hit number one on Audible across all categories. “Lie by the Pool,” a novel of suspense about a woman who witnesses a murder while stowed away in a Beverly Hills pool house, is scheduled for publication on September 12, 2023. For “behind the scenes” content or to join her mailing list, please visit her at www.susanwalterwriter.com, and thanks for stopping by!

Title:- The Kind Worth Killing

Author:- Peter Swanson

Date published:- February 3rd 2015

No. of pages:- 320 pages

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

A devious tale of psychological suspense involving sex, deception, and an accidental encounter that leads to murder. Fans of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train will love this modern reimagining of Patricia Highsmith’s classic Strangers on a Train from the author of the acclaimed The Girl with a Clock for a Heart—which the Washington Post said “should be a contender for crime fiction’s best first novel of 2014.”

On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing very intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. Ted and his wife were a mismatch from the start—he the rich businessman, she the artistic free spirit—a contrast that once inflamed their passion, but has now become a cliché.

But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.” After all, some people are the kind worth killing, like a lying, stinking, cheating spouse. . . .

Back in Boston, Ted and Lily’s twisted bond grows stronger as they begin to plot Miranda’s demise. But there are a few things about Lily’s past that she hasn’t shared with Ted, namely her experience in the art and craft of murder, a journey that began in her very precocious youth.

Suddenly these co-conspirators are embroiled in a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, one they both cannot survive . . . with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.

This book has been mentioned in Bookstagram and Tiktoks that I decided to give this book a try. I have read Eight Perfect Murders by this author before and the plot of this novel sounds really interesting. And yes, this was actually really good!

Ted and Lily meet in London Heathrow Airport as they are ready to board on a flight to Boston. While having drinks, Ted tells Lily about his wife Miranda who is cheating behind his back with their contractor Brad. Both Ted and Lily start plotting to murder both Miranda and Brad and even meet each other when they land in Boston. But soon, this becomes a cat-mouse chase game…

The book is divided into three parts–in the first part, the story is told from Ted and Lily’s POV. Then the second part if told from Miranda’s Lily’s and a detective is introduced in the story Henry Kimball’s POV.

The story is fast-paced and I have to say, this book was nearly impossible to put down. Things start getting interesting towards the middle of the book, when the greatest twist was introduced in the story. I was literally put on the edge of my seat as I was reading this book and I simply couldn’t put the book down as I really want to know what is going to happen next. Lily is a very interesting character and truth to be told, I like how Lily is killing “bad” people or people who have harmed her or her friends. The writing was really great and I have to say, this was way better than Eight Perfect Murders. For the whole time, I was feeling like I was watching a movie that I was really hooked into.

For anyone who is interested in an action packed thriller filled with twists and turns and is a page turner, I recommend this book–worth 4.5 stars!

Peter Swanson is the author of six novels including The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year, and his most recent thriller, Eight Perfect Murders. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine.

A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and cat.

Title:- Finlay Donovan is Killing It

Author:- Elle Cosimano

Date published:- February 2nd 2021

Genre:- Comedy Thriller

No. of pages:- 355 pages

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

Finlay Donovan is killing it…except, she’s really not. A stressed-out single mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: The new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written; her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her; and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. She soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments.

Wow…I didn’t expect this book to be really good!

Finlay Donovan’s life is almost falling apart. She is suffering from writer’s block, her husband has moved on with a woman named Theresa and is fighting for the custody of her two children. So while at Panera, while Finlay is discussing about the plot of her suspense novel with her literary agent, a woman overhears her conversation and mistakes Finlay as some contract killer. And Finlay realizes that solving real-life murder cases, when it involves a Russian mob is not as easy as fictional cases.

Initially, the first part was slightly boring but then soon, it became fast-paced and witty. Fin is such a lovely and funny character and she and Vero, the nanny who was fired by Finlay’s ex-husband make a good pair of solving the murder cases let alone getting entangled in one! The writing was really great and I was immediately hooked into the book despite the first chapter being a bit boring. There were some funny moments in the book which will make you laugh out loud that literally you will cry with tears! Finlay became one of my favorite characters and overall, I couldn’t wait to see what the ending was and actually enjoyed the reading! This is the first book of the Finlay Donovan series and so I cannot wait to read more books from this series!

Title:- The Blackout

Author:- Sarah Goodwin

Date published:- will be published on 31st August 2023

Publisher:- Avon

No. of pages:- 384 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 3/5

Writing:- 2/5

Overall rating:- 2.5/5

When Meg and Cat arrange a night out in Bristol, it’s the perfect distraction from Meg’s grief over her brother. But, after accidentally spending their cab money on drinks, they must walk home all the way across the city. Hungry, exhausted and barefoot, they decide to take a shortcut along a dark canal path.

That’s when they notice the two men silently following them.

Suddenly forced to run for their lives, Meg and Cat scramble into an abandoned house and hide for hours before eventually the police show up to rescue them.

But then the night goes from bad to worse…

This book actually had a promising storyline and plot. However, this was actually a disappointing book in my opinion.

Meg and Cat go out for the night for drinks but when they spent all the money on the drinks, they were forced to walk together alone in dark alley. And while walking, they realize that the two men were following after them. Frightened Meg and Cat hide in the abandoned cottage and call the police for help. When the police come for help, they believe that help has finally arrived but then their night starts getting worse.

As I mentioned, the whole plot has a wonderful storyline. However, the way the plot was executed was the main issue here. Too much of repetitions, there were some parts that were not relevant to the story, some parts were a bit of slow burn in my opinion and not fast paced. In story like this, you would expect a heartbeat moment and being on the edge of the seat wondering what is going to happen next but with this story, I did not feel any of that. Only the ending was OK but not overly great. There were not many twists or jump-scare moments in the book. Overall this book only worth 2.5 stars.

I have read books from this author but I have to say, this book wasn’t her best. If you want to read books from this author, I would say The Stranded is probably her best book, which kept me on the edge on the whole time.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the invitation. This review is based on my honest opinion only.

Title:- Things We Do in The Dark

Author:- Jennifer Hillier

Date published:- July 19th 2022

No. of pages:- 352 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

Things We Do in the Dark is a brilliant new thriller from Jennifer Hillier, the award-winning author of the breakout novels Little Secrets and Jar of Hearts. Paris Peralta is suspected of killing her celebrity husband, and her long-hidden past now threatens to destroy her future.

When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she’ll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it’s not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it’s only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she’s worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.

Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she’s unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris’s secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.

Because the only thing worse than a murder charge are two murder charges.

This is the fifth book I have read from Jennifer Hillier and I have to say, I enjoyed reading her latest book! Although in my opinion, Jar of Hearts (if you haven’t read yet you MUST read it) is her best, this book actually will kept you right on the edge of the seat while reading this book.

The story starts with Paris Peralta, wife of a famous comedian and actor Jimmy Peralta covered with blood and arrested for her husband’s murder. With the media focused on the murder case, it will be time when Paris who have buried her past and started a new life might follow after her, threatening to ruin her future. Some twenty years ago, Ruby Reyes dubbed as the ‘Ice Queen’ brutally murdered a financier Charles Baxtor and on present day, she was released out on parole. Drew who is doing a podcast on Ruby is determined to unveil Ruby’s character as Ruby treated her own daughter Joey badly. Drew had known Joey for a long time.

What drew me into the story was the middle of the story. It did start out great with Paris locked up for the night and people don’t really believe in her story. The middle part of the story was interesting although you might wonder what the connection between Paris Peralta and Ruby Reyes’s cases is. The connection was revealed towards the end, which was actually a huge twist and from then on , it was impossible to put the book down. Reading about Joey Reyes was emotional and sad and I like how the whole story itself was realistic as a whole. The poll dancers descriptions were all realistic. Overall, I did enjoy reading her latest novel and cannot wait for her next one–worth four stars!

Jennifer Hillier imagines the worst about people, and then writes about it.

She’s the USA Today, Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail bestselling author of Things We Do in the Dark, described as “an intoxicating thrill ride” by the New York Times and “propulsive and chilling” by People magazine. It was a Book of the Month Club selection, an Indigo Top Ten Best Book of the Year, an Amazon Editor’s Spotlight Pick, a Goodreads Choice Award nominee, a Loan Stars pick, and a her third consecutive novel to be honored as a LibraryReads pick, which places her in their Hall of Fame.

Jennifer is also the author of six other psychological thrillers. Her USA Today bestselling novel Little Secrets is currently being adapted for Peacock by Tish Cyrus’s Hopetown Entertainment, writer Melissa Scrivner Love and Universal Television, and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Anthony Award. Jar of Hearts won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel and was also shortlisted for the Anthony and Macavity Awards. Her earlier novels are Creep, Freak, The Butcher, and Wonderland, the last of which will be published in mass market paperback and audiobook for the very first time in April 2023. Her books have been published in twenty-three languages so far.

Jennifer is Filipino-Canadian, born and raised in Toronto. She spent eight amazing years in Seattle which is where she first became a published writer. She’s a Seahawks fan who married to a Packers guy. They have a young son who looks most like her when he’s crying. She’s afraid of the dark and can’t sleep unless she’s checked the locks on the doors several times. She loves writing when it’s raining, sleeping when it’s sunny, and reading after everyone else has gone to bed. She cherishes her family (those who read, and those who don’t), and her friends (those who write, and those who don’t). She’s a cat person without a cat, which makes her sad. But she’s now back in the Toronto area permanently with her family, which makes her happy.

Her next novel is coming in 2024.