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Welcome to my book club! Maybe you want to get back into the habit of reading like me or maybe you are stuck in a rut with what to pick up next? Hopefully this will inspire you.
This month was extremely busy in my actual real-life job, so I only managed to read two books – a cosy mystery and crime thriller. One I highly recommend and the other, don’t bother!
1. Found
Genre: Crime Thriller
Author: Erin Kinsley
I devoured this book in a day! It’s been dubbed an ‘unputdownable thriller’ and I couldn’t agree more.
Most parents worst nightmare is their child going missing. This is exactly what happens when 11 year Evan disappears after rugby practice. The hunt is on as they try to find the culprit but sadly the case goes cold. Until many months later, Evan is very accidentally found. Whilst he deals with his trauma, another child is kidnapped and we realise this isn’t a one off crime.
What I particularly enjoyed about this crime thriller was its emphasis on the struggles families go through. It felt very raw, honest and real. The horror of losing a child doesn’t stop when/if they return. The journey to recovery, for everyone, is long and often, heartbreaking.
The whole story felt grounded, as we also learnt about the realities of policing. Lack of resource, budget and time is a brutal reality. I was relieved that the leading detective DI Naylor (a lady – yayy!) wasn’t hugely flawed – usually these types of characters are. Instead she was driven and a damn good copper!
‘Found’ had me completely hooked. It is the definition of a page turner and I think you need to buy it right now.
Rating: 5/5
Don’t forget to check out my January reads!
2. The Plot is Murder
Genre: Murder Mystery, whodunnit
Author: V. M. Burns
This was meant to be a cosy mystery but I struggled to get through it.
Sam opens a cosy bookstore on the shores of Lake Michigan. Problem is, her murder mystery shop becomes the real thing as a realtor is found dead on her doorstep. The case needs solving so her and her motley crew of OAP friends become sleuths.
There is also a mystery within a mystery, as Sam is writing her own whodunnit novel set in 1930s England, which runs alongside the story. I found that slightly better written and more interesting than the main story.
Unfortunately the writing was laboured and clunky. It felt very amateur. There was too much description that did not add to the story. I persevered, hoping it might pick up but it didn’t. Even her two pet dogs couldn’t save it.
Rating: 1/5
Join me next month for another chapter of recommended reads!
I hope you join along with my book club. Have you read any of these novels? What do you think I should pick next? Let me know in the comments.