Review: Just One Look

Just One Look by Harlan Coben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY RATING: 5 stars

This book was a fantastic read! It opens with a hitman confessing to US attorney Scott Duncan that the sister he thought died in a dorm fire fifteen years ago was, in fact, murdered.

But what does that have to do with Grace, a young mom? That, of course, is a question that will be answered much later in the book.

Grace is old-school when it comes to taking photographs, preferring to use a roll of film rather than a digital camera. One day, she goes to pick up the photos she had dropped off, and discovers something very odd in the packet - an old photograph, which shows 5 people, one of them, her husband, Jack.

This photograph opens the proverbial can of worms, so to speak. When her husband sees the photo, he demands to know where she got it, then immediately climbs into his van and drives off. Thus begins a nightmare for Grace.

Her husband disappears, and is in trouble.
Her world unravels.
Someone is threatening her family.
She starts to discover secrets she didn't even know existed.
And what does Scott's sister have to do with all this?

As Grace digs deeper, secrets that have been buried for the past fifteen years begin to come to light, and she begins to realize that they are somehow intertwined with her own past.

In a race to save her family, who can she really trust?

MY THOUGHTS:
This book was very well written and well paced. Grace and her husband, Jack, were both likeable characters. The story unfolded well, and in the usual Harlan Coben signature-twist-at-the-end style, he dropped an intense bombshell that left me reeling.

I definitely recommend this book if you love a good thriller!

Please follow my blog http://thecompulsivebookworm.blogspot... for more reviews!

View all my reviews

Review: Don't Let Go

Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fifteen years ago, Nap Dumas' life unraveled. He lost his twin brother, Leo, in a train accident. Leo's girlfriend, Diana, also died in the accident, and on the same night, Nap's girlfriend, Maura, vanished. Never losing hope of one day seeing Maura again, Nap, now a detective, enters her fingerprints into a police database, hoping to be alerted in case she ever resurfaced.

Now, in the present day, a gruesome shooting of a police officer, Rex Canton, has triggered the alert, prompting the police investigating the case to pay a visit to Nap. It turns out the dead officer was a school mate of Nap's, who had partnered with a divorce lawyer to help entrap husbands of his clients with DUIs. Nap begins to investigate Maura's role in it, and, as he does, realises that there is something more sinister at play, especially when he discovers a link between Leo, Diana, Maura, Rex and two other school mates, especially when someone else turns up dead.

What really happened fifteen years ago?
And does the creepy property on the edge of town have anything to do with it?

MY THOUGHTS
The book was very well written, with a satisfying twist and finish. It was written in first person, from Nap's point of view. Nap was an interesting character. He was not afraid to cross lines and do what he thought was right (even if, ethically speaking, it wasn't). His internal monologue to his brother, Leo, was often endearing and interesting. It was obvious that Nap never really had closure over Leo's death, but at the end of the book, once he unravelled the mystery of what really happened that night, he was finally able to gain the closure he needed.

Overall, a five star read!

Please visit my book blog http://thecompulsivebookworm.blogspot... for more reviews and recommendations


View all my reviews

Review: The Stranger

The Stranger by Harlan Coben
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What would you do if a stranger suddenly came up to you and told you a secret about your spouse?

You'd investgate, of course.

That's exactly what happened when Adam Price does when someone approaches him and tells him something about his wife, Corinne. Discovering that the stranger is, in fact, right, Adam confronts Corinne, who begs him to give her time to sort out something, and promises to tell him the truth that evening.

But, come evening, Corinne is nowhere to be seen. The only communication Adam gets from her is a cryptic text telling him to look after their kids and that she needs some time. Something about this does not sit right with Adam and he begins a desperate quest to fins his wife.

Meanwhile, there is also someone out there who has an agenda and will stop at nothing to see it through.

I won't go into too much detail because I don't want to give out too much detail about this book. What I will say is that this is quite a thrilling read, and the author has done a great job of gradually peeling back the secrets until you, the reader, can't wait to find out what exactly is cooking.

View all my reviews

Review: The Au Pair

The Au Pair by Emma Rous
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fairly decent read, though abit far-fetched, to be honest.

Shortly after her father's death, Seraphine finds a photo taken on the day she was born, which was also the same day her mother committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. The photo shows her parents with one newborn looking very happy.

The problem with this? - Seraphine has a twin brother, Danny.

Seraphine is determined to unravel the mystery of her family. Her best bet is Laura, her elder brother Edwin's au pair, who may have answers.

Meanwhile, Serpahine's own grandmother, Vera, and a former family friend, Alex, may have the answers she is seeking, but no-one is willing to talk.

Told in dual points of view, of Laura in the past, and Seraphine in the present, the story gradually unravels, and family secrets are slowly revealed. However, I found the big reveal to be abit too far-fetched, but the book itself was decently written.

Please follow my book blog http://thecompulsivebookworm.blogspot... for more reviews!

View all my reviews

Review: Dear Anna

Dear Anna by Katie Blanchard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am the perfect woman for John, straight from his design. So, why am I watching him smile at a blonde with spaghetti sauce on her chin?

Out shopping one afternoon, Medeia Moore stumbles across something she would never have wanted to see - her husband, John, having an intimate lunch with his secretary, Anna.

Furious, this scorned wife begins to take a fresh look at her marriage and realises all the ways she has been belittled and manipulated in her marriage, and begins to plot revenge on her husband and his mistress, coming up with a master plan that will leave his life in shambles, and take away all that he holds dear.

What an interesting read! Medeia's revenge was well thought out and executed. I was rooting for her to get her revenge on her no-good, slimy husband, and she did. I wont go into the details of how she executed it, so as not to spoil the story, but if you enjoy a good revenge story, I definitely recommend giving this one a try!



View all my reviews

Review: Lies She Told

Lies She Told by Cate Holahan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reading this book was like reading two books, both deliciously intertwined, leaving the reader asking just what is fiction and what is reality?

Liza has been given one month by her publisher to get out of her writing funk and write a bestseller to rival her first novel. Setting out on an affair theme, she begins writing the story of Beth, a young mother with a newborn, who unwittingly discovers that her husband is cheating on her.

Meanwhile, Liza's own life is in turmoil. Multiple, unfruitful fertility treatments as well as the disappearance of her husband's best friend have put a strain on her marriage, and she is struggling to stay afloat.

The story is told in alternating chapters of Liza's own life, as well as that of her novel. As Liza delves deep into her novel, parallels begin to emerge between Beth's life and her own.

Quite an entertaining read, and highly recommended!

View all my reviews