Mystery/Suspense

Review of The Cottage by Lisa Stone

September 25, 2021 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Blurb:

An isolated cottage…

After losing her job and boyfriend, Jan Hamlin is in desperate need of a fresh start. So she jumps at the chance to rent a secluded cottage on the edge of Coleshaw Woods.

A tap at the window…

Very quickly though, things take a dark turn. At night, Jan hears strange noises, and faint taps at the window. Something, or someone, is out there.

A forest that hides many secrets…

Jan refuses to be scared off. But whoever is outside isn’t going away, and it soon becomes clear that the nightmare is only just beginning…

Review

The Cottage was quite an unusual book and not at all what I expected. It follows a woman named Jan Hamilin, who has just lost her job and broken up with her boyfriend. She decides to rent an isolated cottage in the woods for six months, giving herself a chance to regroup. However, when strange things start to happen (such as odd noises, glimpses of creatures who only come out at night, and random items appearing on her doorstep), she begins to wonder whether it was such a good idea, after all, to be out in the woods all by herself. The tension in the story really amps up when the events escalate.

What’s interesting about this novel is that the narrative alternates back and forth between Jan’s adventures in the woods and that of a devastated couple desperate to start a family whose recent child was a stillbirth. This was the second child that they’d lost that way, which leads to an investigation by the husband, Ian, with some startling results. There are indeed some deep, dark, dangerous secrets to be uncovered. Via the alternating points of view, the author gets us not only into the heads of her characters but also into their hearts.

These two seemingly unrelated stories then begin to connect in an interesting and disturbing way, resulting in quite a jaw-dropping revelation. At this point, the book gets super creepy, especially as the two stories start to come together, and I was hooked. What I especially enjoyed about this unsettling story was that it turned out to be a completely different type of book than I thought it’d be. Though the premise was compelling and gripping, there was a definite “eeeewwww” factor to it, especially once we learn in the afterward that the story is based on actual events.

That being said, the story deals with some heavy themes and topics, which I won’t mention so as not to give anything away. Let’s just say that though creepy, I found the story surprising, somewhat shocking, but ultimately enjoyable. There’s an ominous undercurrent of foreboding running beneath this unsettling tale, and it’s one of those books that once you start, you just have to keep on reading no matter how late it is… I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

Creepy vibes? ✓
Mysterious? ✓
Thrilling ✓
Haunting? ✓
Suspenseful? ✓
Page-turning? ✓
A strong “ick” factor? ✓

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Review of We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

June 6, 2021 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Blurb

There are two kinds of families: the ones we are born into and the ones we create.

Walk has never left the coastal California town where he grew up. He may have become the chief of police, but he’s still trying to heal the old wound of having given the testimony that sent his best friend, Vincent King, to prison decades before. Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released.

Duchess is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Her mother, Star, grew up with Walk and Vincent. Walk is in overdrive trying to protect them, but Vincent and Star seem bent on sliding deeper into self-destruction. Star always burned bright, but recently that light has dimmed, leaving Duchess to parent not only her mother but her five-year-old brother. At school the other kids make fun of Duchess―her clothes are torn, her hair a mess. But let them throw their sticks, because she’ll throw stones. Rules are for other people. She’s just trying to survive and keep her family together.

A fortysomething-year-old sheriff and a thirteen-year-old girl may not seem to have a lot in common. But they both have come to expect that people will disappoint you, loved ones will leave you, and if you open your heart it will be broken. So when trouble arrives with Vincent King, Walk and Duchess find they will be unable to do anything but usher it in, arms wide closed.

Chris Whitaker has written an extraordinary novel about people who deserve so much more than life serves them. At times devastating, with flashes of humor and hope throughout, it is ultimately an inspiring tale of how the human spirit prevails and how, in the end, love―in all its different guises―wins.

Review

Wow – what a stellar novel! This is a gripping, character-driven story that unwinds in such unbearable suspense that I couldn’t put it down until the last page. Thirteen-year-old Duchess Day Radley, a self-proclaimed “outlaw,” quickly cemented herself as one of my favorite characters in the book. She’s super feisty, determined, and sharp as a tack, and doesn’t take anyone’s crap. She’s also admirable in that she’ll do anything for her little traumatized brother Robin – especially whatever needs to be done to protect him. In this way (and in others), the story is a powerful look at how far we’d go and what we’d sacrifice for those we love.

Once we’ve been introduced to the story’s main characters, the author wastes no time in plunging us into the middle of a scintillating mystery. What follows is a roller coaster of a story with twists galore, some expected and some not. A wise and painful book in places, the story speaks of authenticity and loss — about how we convince ourselves to make irrevocable choices and mistakes and how these decisions harden us in the process.

I love a good story that pushes the boundaries, and Whitaker does that here in a mesmerizing way with his genuinely remarkable protagonists. The plot intertwines and unravels slowly into an intricate and unnerving tale of lies, secrets, grief, familial drama, heart-breaking motivations, deception, regret, and murder. This is a poignant tale that aches with past and present bruises, and several scenes brought tears to my eyes. The pages flew by for me, culminating in an almost cinematic speedup as the climax builds to its shocking conclusion.

Whitaker’s prose here is flowing, beautiful, dark, and eerily atmospheric, and his complex and multilayered cast of characters convincingly and impressively illustrate the best and worst of humanity. This is definitely the best book I’ve read this year, and I have little doubt that it will stay with me for a long, long time.

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Review of Bad Moon Rising by John Galligan

June 3, 2021 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Blurb

A record heat wave suffocates remote rural Wisconsin as the local sheriff tracks down a killer hidden in the depths of the community in this atmospheric, race-to-the-finish mystery by the acclaimed author of the Bad Axe County series.

Sheriff Heidi Kick has a dead body on her hands, a homeless young man last seen alive miles from the Bad Axe. Chillingly, the medical examiner confirms what Sheriff Kick has been experiencing in her own reoccurring nightmares of late: the victim was buried alive. As the relentless summer heat bears down and more bodies are discovered, Sheriff Kick also finds herself embroiled in a nasty reelection campaign. These days her detractors call her “Sheriff Mommy”—KICK HER OUT holler the opposition’s campaign signs—and as her family troubles become public, vicious rumors threaten to sway the electorate and derail her investigation.

Enter Vietnam veteran Leroy Fanta, editor-in-chief of the local paper who believes Heidi’s strange case might be tied to a reclusive man writing deranged letters to the opinions section for years. With his heart and liver on their last legs, Fanta drums up his old journalistic instincts in one last effort to help Heidi find a lead in her case, or at least a good story…

With simmering tension that sweats off the page, Bad Moon Rising infuses newsworthy relevance with a page-turning story of crime in America’s heartland, capturing global issues with startling immediacy while entertaining from start to finish.

Review

This is the third book in a series featuring Wisconsin local sheriff Heidi Kick. Each book can be read as a standalone (this is actually the first book in the series that I’ve read).

In Bad Moon Rising, our sheriff is tasked with solving the murder of a young homeless man who was apparently buried alive. This isn’t the first murder of this type to occur in the community. A local newspaperman, Leroy Fanta, suspects that the crimes may be connected to a somewhat “unhinged” reader of the newspaper who has been sending angry and disturbing letters to the editor for years. He decides to investigate to help the sheriff with the case and ends up unearthing some pretty dark secrets in the process. The evil at play in the town was quite surprising.

It’s also worth mentioning that Heidi is in the midst of a reelection campaign that has gotten quite nasty, with her nemesis resorting to all sorts of unseemly tactics to oust the sheriff.

I found this book to be utterly captivating, with a gripping mystery to solve. The author does a masterful job of layering on the mysteries until we’re almost frantically turning the pages, impatient to find out what the hell is going on. The suspense is unrelenting to the very end. I also found the characterization in this book to be really powerful. There is no shortage of quirky characters, all of whom add to the overall atmosphere of the narrative and play an essential part in the development of the plot.

I was glued to my seat as I immersed myself in this mind-blowing police procedural that takes the reader down a dark and twisty path and then totally blows your mind with a jaw-dropping conclusion. All in all, I found Bad Moon Rising to be tense, unsettling, a tad creepy, and it kept me guessing till the very end. I plan on picking up the other books in this series as I grew pretty attached to Sheriff Kick by the end of the story.

This book will be released on June 29, 2021.

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Review of Mystery at the Masquerade by Josh Lanyon

March 20, 2021 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Blurb:

Ellery Page, aspiring screenwriter, reigning Scrabble champion, and occasionally clueless owner of the Crow’s Nest mystery bookshop, is both flattered and bemused when he’s invited to the annual Marauder’s Masquerade, the biggest social event of the season in the quaint seaside village of Pirate’s Cove, Rhode Island.

Ellery doesn’t even know Mrs. Bloodworth-Ainsley—nor, it turns out does Mrs. Bloodworth-Ainsley know Ellery. But Marguerite’s son, Julian, wants to know him. Julian, handsome, rich, and engaging, is a huge mystery buff, but he’s never quite worked up the nerve to ask Ellery out.

As his relationship with Police Chief Jack Carson seems to be dead in the water, Ellery is grateful for a little flattering male attention from the village’s most eligible bachelor. But any hopes of romance hit the shoals when Julian is accused of murdering his mother’s unlikable second husband during the spooky annual ghost hunt in the old cemetery.

Review

Murder at the Masquerade is the third book in the Secrets and Scrabble series — that follows Ellery Page, a bookstore owner and amateur sleuth who resides in the seaside village of Pirate’s Cove. Once again, Ellery is reluctantly dragged into another murder investigation — this time, at the town’s most prestigious yearly event. This time, Ellery is surprised by the attentions of Julian, the son of one of the wealthiest families in Pirate’s Cove. Paying a visit to Julian’s family crypt, they stumble across the body of Julian’s unlikeable stepfather, and Ellery is inadvertently drawn into the investigation, much to the chagrin of Police Chief Jack Carson.

Like the past two books, this was an intriguing yet lighthearted mystery populated with numerous shenanigans and quirky, oddball secondary characters. I really loved journeying along with this zany set of vibrant characters as the pieces of the puzzle slowly fit into place, and the mystery unfurled. I’ve come to love the folks of this village community, and it’s heartwarming to see them slowly begin to accept Ellery as one of their own.

Though the mystery itself is at the forefront of the story, we do see a significant step forward in Ellery’s hot and cold, push and pull romance with Police Chief Jack Carson. I look forward to future books to see where their relationship goes. But as this is a cozy mystery, there is no on-page violence, swearing, or sex, so this is the perfect story for those who don’t like their mysteries too gory or too sexy.

All in all, I found it delightfully inventive, playful, humorous and clever, with all of its creepy crypts, hidden tunnels, and over-the-top characters and situations. This tongue-in-cheek story is a treat for cozy mystery fans.

Oh, and Ellery’s lovable dog Watson, who plays a more significant part in the story this time, is the cherry on top of this fun and delightful tale.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy of this book.

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Review of The Bright Lands by John Fram

July 13, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

It’s difficult to believe that this is a debut novel as it was not only addictive and gripping but also incredibly well-written. This was a riveting supernatural thriller/horror novel full of suspense, twists, and tension that takes place in a creepy small town with quite an assortment of fascinating characters.

As Joel begins to investigate his brother’s disappearance, he unearths a plethora of painful memories — memories he thought he’d left behind him after being shamed out of town ten years prior for being gay — and he ends up exposing the town’s darkest secrets. But Joel wants answers and is willing to do whatever it takes to get them — even if it puts his life in jeopardy.

As he gets closer to the truth, it eventually becomes clear that the town itself is responsible for the evil goings-on in Bentley with a frightening urban legend at the heart of it all. I actually thought that this was going to be a small-town mystery story, so I was a bit gobsmacked when the horror and supernatural elements came into play – though I will say pleasantly surprised.

Think you have it figured out? Think again! And that’s what I enjoyed about the story — how unpredictable it was. I was a bit surprised, though, when the story went super dark and took on an overall sense of foreboding, hints of menace, and the general feeling that something was off. What we end up with, then, is a razor-witted, intense, and brutal look at the modern human condition – a tale of twisted narratives fueled by obsession, resulting in a tense and unsettling read. This book is a serpentine tale of betrayal, madness, and murder.

But interestingly, it’s also about casting off shame and stigma. At its core, it’s a novel rooted with human failings: the dangers of bigotry and close-mindedness of our own society leading to many of the characters facing insurmountable demons — demons resulting from the suppression of the self and the suppression of others. There is definitely a deeper story within these pages, and parts of it speak to the divisiveness of the world in which we live.

Additionally, the author explores several other important themes in the story: sexuality, religion, betrayal, drugs, predation, complicated family dynamics, racism, conformity, and the confusion that coming of age can bring along with it.

I liked how the story was told several alternating POVs, allowing us to see the events through multiple lenses and perspectives. Though there are several pivotal events in the story, at its heart Bright Lands is a character-driven story where every character has something to hide. All their stories come together to weave a dark and intricate tale that draws you in until the very end. What we end up with is a pitch-dark, terrifying story that explores what we’re capable of when our backs are against the wall.

I will say, however, that The Bright Lands is a disturbing novel with graphic content, so it may not be appropriate for more sensitive readers.

All in all, this was an edge-of-your-seat page-turner that kept me guessing until the explosive ending, and though it wasn’t quite what I expected, I enjoyed the wild ride it took me on.

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Review of Secret at Skull House by Josh Lanyon

May 24, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

This is the second novel in Josh Lanyon’s new Cozy Mystery series (Secrets and Scrabble), and we follow our snarky and often clueless main character Ellery Page who once again finds himself him a whole heap of trouble.

As it turns out, Ellery’s ex-boyfriend and famous horror author Brandon Abbott has just come to town and purchased the supposedly haunted/cursed Skull House. Abbott has purchased the house because of the two murders that have occurred there. Ellery is not happy about Abbott’s surprise appearance in Pirate’s Cove, given that their relationship ended badly.

Things become even more complicated when Brandon stirs the hornet’s nest of a twenty-year-old murder case of a local high school football player and the subsequent disappearance of his supposed killer — a case that certain townspeople want to be forgotten. As Brandon begins to investigate the cold case — much to the chagrin of certain locals — Ellery finds himself once again thrust into the middle of a murder case. As in the first book, Ellery begins ‘sleuthing’ to clear his name and reputation, which are once again being smeared in the local paper. As in the first book in this series, Ellery’s amateur investigating leads him into even more trouble.

In this story, we also see the continuation of Ellery’s hot and cold, romance/non-romance with Police Chief Jack Carson, which again, stalls before it can take off, which, truth to told, resulted in somewhat of a frustrating reading experience. So like the first book, romance in this one is mostly non-existent. The author does a magnificent job of placing the story’s primary emphasis on the murder mystery with a small (and possibly developing?) side story on the two principal characters.

As this is a cozy mystery, there is no sex, cursing, or on-page violence, but what we do have is a fast-paced, whimsy, light and comforting read with a few exciting twists along the way as decades-old secrets become revealed. But that being said, I found that Secret at Skull House contains all the things that cozy mystery readers live: quirky and colorful locals, a small town, plenty of gossip, and a compelling mystery to solve and I’ll be interested to see where Lanyon takes the series in future books.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.

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