Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

I Found You by Lisa Jewell  (out now) Thanks to the dominance of the psychological thriller in the book market over the last two years, I have been reading a lot of mysteries lately. And recently, they’ve all started to blur into one and I have been getting tired of them. Enter this book. I Found You renewed my love for the genre and showed me that Lisa Jewell is one to read. Right from the start I was hooked on this one. I really liked how the book went between different people and their parts of the story. Then when the book picked up in the past in the second part, I really didn’t want to put it down. I spent the majority of the book playing detective, trying to piece it all together before the book did it for me, which I absolutely enjoyed in this one. Jewell gives you just enough in each chapter to move the story line along and keep you absolutely hooked, wanting to know what happens next. The Child by Fiona Barton  (release date: June 27) The Widow...

Release Date: March 7, 2017 Tiger mothers have nothing on Karen Bloom. Things may have not turned out so well with her son Ewan but she is definitely not letting her daughter Bronte slip through the cracks. Straight A’s, music lessons, and dance classes dominate the young prodigy’s life. Karen expects her family to always be at 200 percent and nothing less. But behind the facade of the perfect family lies a wealth of secrets. Karen’s husband Noel, a successful small-town doctor has a taste for women and alcohol. Noel’s teenage daughter Verity is under strict discipline at school and at home due to her aggressive behaviour. And Bronte, the one on whom everything rests, longs to run away from it all. When Bronte actually does go missing, a domino effect hits the family. As tragedy strikes the family again, all of their secrets and lies begin to spill out, leading readers to wonder how far people will go in their quest for perfection in The Trophy Child by Paula Daly. ...

When Jenna Gray’s life changed in a split second, the world became too much for her to handle. Knowing the only way she would be able put it all behind her was to escape, and so she left her home to live in a remote cottage on the Welsh coast. But no matter how far from home she was, she couldn’t escape the events of that terrible night in November. The detectives investigating the case couldn’t just walk away. Though there were few leads, they knew that if they just kept with it long enough, there would be a breakthrough. And when that happens, the past comes crashing back down on Jenna just as she thinks she may once again be able to experience a little happiness in her life. I Let You Go , by Clare Mackintosh, is a heartbreaking, thrill ride of a novel that will have you hooked with every twist and turn. Whenever someone asks me if I have read this book, all I can say is “yes and wow.” This book gets a big, huge “WOW” from me. It is incredible. Twice, I gasped so loud...

Her whole life Kate O’Brian has been the odd girl out.  As the scholarship student at a succession of elite private schools, she’s had to prove she is worth her place all while keeping her past a secret. She’s book-smart and she’s street-smart and she can stand her ground no matter what life throws at her and no matter what she has to do. Now she is in her final year of high school and she’s attending yet another new school. But she has a plan. She will climb the social ladder and achieve her ultimate goal - a spot at Yale. She just needs to find the right “it” girl who she can use to her advantage. That girl is Olivia Sumner, a wealthy yet troubled teen. She is back at Waverly School to repeat her last year of high school after mysterious circumstances prevented her from finishing. She’s in desperate need of a best friend, and Kate may be the one for her. But when the handsome Mark Redkin joins Waverly as part of the administration, their world is turned upside down. Ma...

Clare is on the run and the remote mining town of Blackmore may be the best place for her to hide. Blackmore was once a prosperous town but when the mine closed after a devastating accident, the town and its residents began to crumble. The people are already suspicious of the newcomer in their midst and when she begins to ask questions about Shayna Fowles, a local girl who is missing, they want to know what she is really doing in their town. But Clare isn’t the only one with secrets. Jared is Shayna’s ex-husband and suspect number one according to most people in the town. There is also Charlie, the town’s dealer and the one who supplied Shayna with the drugs she was addicted to when she went missing. Shayna’s parents Louise and Wilfred are not only dealing with tragedy of their missing daughter but the deterioration of Louise’s mind.  And Louise’s doctor Derek, who tried desperately to get Shayna to go to rehab, seems to be a little to close to the family. As Clare gets to k...

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace, that perfect couple everyone wants to be. He is a handsome lawyer, who represents women who are victims of domestic violence. She is a beautiful and doting wife who takes immaculate care of their home. It’s safe to say that their friends are in awe and possibly a tiny bit jealous. But if you take a closer look at Jack and Grace you’ll notice some cracks in the facade. They are never apart. She never answers the phone and she always cancels last minute when she has plans. And the house has a security system that not only keeps people out but also keeps them in. Behind Closed Doors , by B.A. Paris, is a chilling and terrifying thriller that shows how no one can really know what goes on in a marriage. Wow. As I sit down to write about this book a month after I read it, all I can still say is, wow. This is a good read. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with page-turning suspense, that I must absolutely keep reading because ...

Casey Duncan is a talented police detective, dedicated to her job and her best friend Diana.  Other than her no strings attached relationship with ex-con Kurt, her life is focused on those two things.  But Casey carries with her a very dark secret - she once killed a man, and she got away with it. Casey and Diana have been on the run for years, from Diana’s powerful and abusive ex-husband.  Once again, he’s found her and now it’s time for Diana to run once more.  But when a figure from Casey’s past shows up and threatens her life, the two women realize that they need to go somewhere they will never be found. Diana has heard of a place, a town where people who need to disappear completely can go.  Located in the far northern reaches of Canada, this town is their only hope.  Casey and Diana are thrilled to be accepted into Rockton, but when they arrive Casey quickly discovers that all is not as it seems.  Because a hunter has come to Rockton, ...

Canadian Publication Date: 16 February 2016 Jean Taylor’s husband died last week and while it is expected she would be mourning, she is actually quite relieved.  Because for years, she kept quiet about her husband- from her family, friends, the media, and the police.  But she doesn’t have to keep quiet anymore. Years ago, Jean’s husband Glen was accused in the disappearance of a young girl but the police were never actually able to prove that it was him.  Jean remained the perfect wife and insisted to the police that her husband couldn’t have committed the crime.  Throughout all of the accusations and harassment, she stood by Glen.   But now that Glen is gone, she can tell the truth.  It’s what everyone has been waiting to hear, and the police and the media are ready to listen.  But if Jean has been covering up for so long, will it be easy for her to finally tell the truth? The Widow is a stunning debut psychological thriller by for...

Roz is a single mother who is at her breaking point.  She has lost her business, her debts are racking up, and her ex-husband can’t be relied upon for any help.  With her rent three months late, she comes home from work one day to find an eviction notice on her door.  She is officially out of options. One night, at her sister’s fortieth birthday party Roz meets Scott, a friend of her sister’s and a very wealthy man.  Wealthy and married.  But that doesn’t stop Scott from pursuing Roz and knowing what kind of trouble she is in, he makes her an offer- a night with him in exchange for some money. Roz knows she is desperate, but how desperate is she?  One night and she could get enough money to pay the rent and keep her house.  Another night and she could have all of her debt paid off.  Scott is looking for a no-strings attached relationship and discretion is of the utmost importance, so what’s the worst that could happen?   But be...

Who Should Read This:   Mystery/Thriller fans, anyone who enjoyed The Silent Wife, Before I Go To Sleep, The Girl on the Train, etc. The year is 1993 and the city of Toronto and surrounding areas are haunted by the disappearance and murders of two young girls.  Evie Jones is the rookie reporter assigned to cover the story, staking out the crime scene and digging around in the past to look at over a decades worth of missing girls. But all of this brings back the haunting memories of when Evie was eleven years old and her best friend Lianne Gagnon was kidnapped and murdered.  Though the police knew who did it, a man named Robert Cameron, he was never found and arrested.   As her work takes her into a troubling world, she decides to find out what really happened to Lianne.  But her queries make her mind race toward unimaginable places.  And when she catches a man standing outside her home, watching her through the window, she becomes convinced t...

Who Should Read It:  Mystery fans and anyone who wants to read the books everyone is talking about in 2015. Each day, Rachel Watson takes the same train to work in London and back.  Sitting in the same seat each day, she watches as lovely suburban homes flash past, thinking about the people who live inside them.  As the train stops at the same signal each day, she watches a couple in their home, living what she imagines is the perfect life.  Rachel gives them a story, even gives them names - Jason and Jess - and these little moments take her mind off the fact that she used to be just like them. One morning, the train stops at the signal and Rachel sees something that shocks her.  The next day, she learns on the news that Jess, real name Megan, is missing.  Convinced she may know what happened to Megan, Rachel goes to the police, but she isn’t what would be considered a reliable witness.  Convinced she can find Megan, she becomes a part of th...

From the outside, Jodi and Todd have the perfect marriage.  They both have great jobs, they live in a beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, and they are equally supportive of each other.  But on the inside, it is a completely different story.  Todd is a serial philanderer and Jodi chooses to look the other way.  But things can't stay that way forever and they are headed down a path which at the end Todd lays dead and Jodi is the killer. The Silent Wife is the debut novel by non-fiction writer A.S.A Harrison.  A gripping page-turner, it is the story of a marriage that is falling to pieces and is beyond repair.  A highly talked about novel, it has been called "this summer's Gone Girl ." I was hooked on this book from the beginning.  When you first pick up a book that tells you right on the back who committed the crime, you have to wonder how much there is going to be to hold your interest.  But this is more than a whodunit book, it's a...

What would you do if your friends child disappeared while under your care?   Lisa Kallisto is just plain overwhelmed.  A mother of three and tireless worker at an animal shelter, she is always on the go and always exhausted.  One freezing day in December, in the Lake District of England, Lisa is going through the motions and when she takes her eye off the ball, thirteen-year-old Lucinda goes missing.  And not only that, she's the second teenage girl to go missing in two weeks. Lisa is consumed with guilt and sets out to do everything she can to find her.  Lucinda's family publicly blames Lisa and she takes that on herself.  But when the first girl turns up and Lucinda doesn't, Lisa begins to discover that the small, quiet town she lives in has many secrets and friends may not be who they appear to be. Just What Kind of Mother Are You? is the debut novel from Paula Daly. This  book takes every mother's worst nightmare and turns it into...

Sally Thorning is an over-worked and tired mother of two young children who is desperate for a break. So when a business trip is cancelled, she doesn't tell her husband Nick and instead she books the week off and takes a secret holiday on her own. But she doesn't get much time to herself, because she meets a man named Mark Bretherick and spends the week with him. A year later Sally is back to her hectic life when she hears the name Mark Bretherick on the news. The details that are given are all the same - his address, his job, his wife Geraldine and daughter Lucy. When she looks closer she finds out that Geraldine and Lucy are dead. And the Mark Bretherick that is on the television is someone she has never seen before. The Point of Rescue is outstanding. It is thrilling and chilling with the right amount of suspense. As the story grows larger, Hannah keeps all of the pieces together and weaves an intense tale. This is a great book. Often, thrillers can become too...