Tag: carti thriller

Posted in Jesse Q. Sutanto

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Vera Wong #1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Posted on by roxtao

SYNOPSIS:

Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing… Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective? Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).

But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer. Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.

REVIEW:

The day I finished this book I bought two other novels by Jesse Q. Sutanto and I’m hunting what else she wrote. I do have a weak spot for books that have this type of nosy old lady as a protagonist so I wasn’t quite surprised that I loved Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers as much as I did. The fact that the author is also diving into so many different cultures through her characters also added to my delight while reading the book.

It’s been a while since I read Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers and I’m still unable to find anything I did not like about it. The atmosphere, the mystery, all of the characters and the relationships between them, everything had just the perfect dose of comfort and thrill. I did feel my heart beating equally faster both when the action was becoming more intense and also when anything was threatening a new friendship between the characters.

I love how strong and uplifting the whole story was, despite each character carrying their own problems on their shoulders. Each of them could be crushed under the pressure, but the bonds that form between them empower them equally and lift some of the weight. Not all of it, but just enough to keep them going and to grow stronger with every day that passes. And that’s probably one of the most beautiful things that we see not only in books, but in daily life as well: how humanity is not defined by a multitude of people, but by the relations between them.

I also loved how visual the whole story was, without even using an excessive amount of descriptions. The moment I think about Vera’s teahouse I can envision it clearly, with all her ancient cabinets and windows darkened by time, on the quiet ethnic street with snoopy neighbours. Additionally, the narrative voice definitely has an accent, so it almost felt like I was listening to an audiobook in my head, rather than reading.

Really fun and lovely read! I haven’t checked any GoodReads reviews yet in order to be sure, but I highly doubt anyone could possibly dislike this book. I personally enjoyed every page of it!

Posted in Julie Clark

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Posted on by roxtao

SYNOPSIS:

Two women. Two Flights. One last chance to disappear.

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he’s not above using his staff to track Claire’s every move, making sure she’s living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn’t know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.

A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets — Claire taking Eva’s flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it’s no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

The Last Flight is the story of two women — both alone, both scared — and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.

REVIEW:

I just turned the last page of The Last Flight and I’m at a loss for words. I here declare my forever loyalty to this writer and promise to read every single book that she releases 🤩

10 pages into this book and my heart was already in my throat! Whaaaat a ride it has been! The whole book, every single page, every phrase buzzes with electricity, keeping your heart pounding and giving you permanent goosebumps. Even the recollections from the past, the side stories that should throw a wave of calmness and nostalgia don’t manage to dissolve for a second the tension and suspense.

And compared to most of the thrillers published in the last few years, the character’s portraits are anything but bland or stereotypical. I’m absolutely mesmerized by the depth of the two heroines’ personalities and how the author managed to merge the incredible tension with such profound backgrounds, detailed psychological features and intense and relevant message for the present days.

There is absolutely nothing missing from this book, nothing that feels missmatched or inaccurate. Every action, every trait, every step that either Claire or Eva take are deeply rooted in their past, from their childhoods to their recent years. I’m not even sure if some other readers will feel like some parts of the protagonists’ personalities have negative sides. Perhaps Eva might look too dark and too cold or Claire too paranoid and weak. But for me, the background given to them was so well depicted that makes it impossible to judge them even for a second or to feel like they would have had any other choices at any given time.

And over everything else, you can’t stop feeling their fear constantly, like a heavy blanket that covers everything they do, think or feel. Both Claire’s and Eva’s fear feels like a drowning moment on a loop, over and over again. Impossible to forget for even a moment, impossible to be completely free or relaxed even during the simplest activities. Whatever actions they take, whatever thoughts they have, they feel like gulps of air taken between desperate attempts to move, to survive. And yet, both of them find enough strength to fight, to find ways, to give themselves a chance to calculate the difference between reality and the paranoid thoughts seeded inside their minds by the constant terror.

I loved the side characters as well, how colorful they were sketched and how well the writer illustrates the impact of their choices over the lives of Claire and Eva. How a small gesture for someone can mean the world for someone else.

I don’t even know how to end this review, other than highly recommending it. I feel like nothing I could say gives enough justice to how intense the book is or to the way it will throw you on a roller coaster of emotions from the first to the last page.

Posted in Liane Moriarty

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Posted on by roxtao

SYNOPSIS:

Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? These nine perfect strangers are about to find out…

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.

Frances Welty, the formerly best-selling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Most of them don’t look to be in need of a health resort at all. But the person that intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of Tranquillum House. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer—or should she run while she still can? It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking exactly the same question.

Combining all of the hallmarks that have made Liane Moriarty’s writing a go-to for anyone looking for wickedly smart, page-turning fiction that will make you laugh and gasp, Nine Perfect Strangers once again shows why she is a master of her craft.

REVIEW:

Some books just don’t give you that addiction feeling that doesn’t let you to put the book down until you don’t find out what happens next or until you’ve finished one more chapter. But in the same time, they are so cozy and comfortable to read that you wouldn’t mind if they would last forever.

This was the case for me with Nine Perfect Strangers. The book doesn’t have any wow factor, it’s not mind blowing in any way. Everything is balanced and mild: the drama, the characters, the mystery. But in the same time, slowly, with every page you read, you get attached to each one of the completely normal and non-spectacular characters, you want to find out more about their boring lives and just dive deeper into their minds. They’re all absolutely normal people, but they’re all nice and funny and the connection that forms between them creates the same pleasant atmosphere.

I’ve read other books from the same author and until now, Nine Perfect Strangers was the most superficial of them all. You know those thin commercial books that used to come when you were buying women magazines in the 90’s? This novel has the exact same vibe. Light, summer read that keeps you entertained enough but without leaving any marks in your memory once you’ve finished it. I wasn’t disappointed by reading it but it’s clearly not the book that I would enthusiastically talk about.

Posted in Trish Harnetiaux

The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux

Posted on by roxtao

SYNOPSIS:

You’re invited to a lavish Christmas party in an isolated mansion.
And your hosts will do anything to keep you from finding out their secrets…

When husband and wife Henry and Claudine organise their company’s Christmas party in a remote mansion, they expect it to be a night to remember. But the festive mood quickly turns sour when a sinister gift is unwrapped in the Secret Santa gift exchange. As heavy snow traps the guests inside the mountainside lodge, it quickly becomes clear that one of the party is out for revenge.

It’s no longer just about enduring the evening. It’s about making sure you get out alive.

A lavish locked-room mystery with a seasonal edge, THE SECRET SANTA is packed with twists that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

REVIEW:

This book felt very much like a shot of alcohol: super fast and surprisingly intense, you’re finishing it before you even know it and it gives you no time to get bored or lose your interest.

Yes, the story doesn’t go super deep and it might feel more like a short story or novella instead of a full length novel despite the decent number of pages. However, it definitely doesn’t feel rushed or incomplete. Perhaps it’s not offering a lot when it comes to people’ motivations or complex descriptions, but it brings a clear view of the actions happening and colorful enough portraits of the main characters. And by colorful I believe it is the best way to describe the individuals that we’re encountering in The Secret Santa. Nobody could argue that their personalities are the most genuine, but in the same time, they’re not annoyingly unbelievable also. It feels like the author took some very normal features and just exaggerated them enough to make a statement, but not to the point where the characters turn to caricatures. I encountered this technique before with other authors and always loved it. It’s like the characters themselves become the definition of certain traits: ambition, platitude, stubbornness, revenge, etc. But in the same time, they are portrayed with enough colors to give them full personalities. Frankly, you’ll never meet in real life such unidirectional personalities but for sure you won’t mind loving them or hating them when you’re reading about them.

As long as you don’t start the book expecting a deep dive, but instead, a light and catchy story, I’m sure you’ll be enjoying it a lot and find very little things to judge or to dislike.

Posted in Livia Harper

Boyfriend Glasses (Greta Bell #1) by Livia Harper

Posted on by roxtao

Synopsis:

The first time Greta saw Blake, she knew he was the one. Knew it like fire knows tinder.

She hadn’t thought she’d be at a frat party her first week in college, but her roommate, Amber, convinced her to go. Greta couldn’t believe how easy it was to get in. It seemed like they threw those parties just so girls like her would come. But she was pretty now, and everything was different. No one knew anything about her ugly duckling past or all the darkness before. It was a whole new world, a brand new start. Then she saw Blake and knew he was her destiny.

But Blake saw Amber first. And he got…confused. Blake was her soul mate. She could tell. She knew all about soul mates.

Too bad about her last one.

Review:

Sick, sick, sick, it’s mental and I fricking loved it. This was by far the craziest novel that I’ve read in… I don’t know… forever?

I definitely did not expect something like this! From the book’s description you can already imagine that something is twisted and wrong, but in no way you can fathom the level of insanity that you will encounter between the pages.

At some point, I was honestly wondering if there are people who are so insane in reality. Then I decided that I don’t actually want to find out. I prefer living in my small glass bubble where everything is fine and everyone is normal and continue imagining that only in books things can go so, so wrong. But afterwards, I noticed some other Goodreads reviews that are mentioning the “Clerambault syndrome” and of course I had to google that and omg, it’s real and damn scary and we should all be afraid to live in this world.

I don’t want to spoil anything from the book, I don’t want to dissect the character’s motives and actions. But I can promise you that you’ll be hooked from the first to the last page and that if you take any breaks from reading, your mind will not be able to concentrate on anything else. You’ll just wish to get back to the story as soon as you can and find out what in the world will happen next. It’s absolutely addictive. I bought the next two books from the series as soon as I reached the last page of Boyfriend Glasses and I swear I felt like my fingers were not moving fast enough on the screen to complete the purchase, that’s how much the adrenaline was pumping through my veins.

If you’re still not convinced to give this book a chance, please be informed that for the moment, it’s still free on Amazon. And even if your reading list is never ending long, be sure that you will finish it in a day or two, so you have no excuse not to let yourself dive into all the madness that this book offers. So do yourself a favor and get it as soon as you can. Be ready for a ride that will defy your logical chain of thoughts and turn the table upside down. You’ll thank me later.