Suspense/Thriller

Unfollow Me follows a hugely popular mommy YouTuber named Violet Young, who has over a million subscribers who faithfully watch her daily vlogs about her life and family. But one day, she completely disappears from the online world. Overnight, Violet has taken down her YouTube, Twitter, Instagram accounts — it’s as though she’s never existed.

What’s interesting about this story is that it’s told from the point of view of two of her most avid fans as they investigate Violet’s disappearance and try to figure out what happened to her. They are pretty much in a panicked frenzy as they scramble to determine why Violet shut down all her social media accounts.

First, there’s Lily, who is living alone with her three-year-old son Archie and Yvonne, a 40-year-old married woman who is desperately trying to get pregnant. The story is told from alternating timelines between Yvonne and Lily and later on in the story, from Violet’s husband, Henry.

What follows is quite a fast-paced narrative as Violet’s story begins to unfold from alternating perspectives with some surprising twists in the process. This is one of those stories where none of the characters are what they seem, which is one of my favorite types of tropes. Thus, it’s up to the reader to determine who is lying and what is real, which is no easy task. It’s also worth mentioning that most of the characters are mostly unlikeable, which added an extra exciting element to the story.

The book dealt with a variety of themes such as obsession, celebrity worship, lying, loss, jealousy, grief, Internet trolls, online stalkers, online influencers, privacy, and, of course, social media addiction. What especially intrigued me about this story, however, is that it’s not really so far-fetched as I see this type of thing all the time online.

This story about a mommy vlogger sucked me right in, and before I knew it, I was as obsessed as Violet’s fans about finding out what happened to her. I also enjoyed how the story illustrated how the lives that people portray online might not be actual fact, and in the case of this story, everyone involved seemed to have their share of dark secrets. It also makes you question the information we share about ourselves online and how the trolls we encounter on Social Media may not be as harmless as we think.

I’ve discovered that I really enjoy stories about the world of social media, and this one did not disappoint. Unfollow Me is a multi-layered creepy psychological thriller with dark undertones and a fun mystery to solve, which rendered it truly unputdownable for me. I love the types of stories where you can’t trust anyone, and that was definitely the case here, and the web that the author created was exceptionally intricate. I also thought that the ending was satisfying, as was the fun epilogue.

I thought Unfollow Me was brilliantly paced, well-constructed, emotionally intense, and flawlessly executed. All in all, this is a chilling and eye-opening book about the impact that Social Media influencers have on the lives of others, and I loved it.

Purchase Unfollow Me on The Book Depository

Purchase Unfollow Me on Amazon

This story is based on true events that take place during the 80s in a small Minnesota town and is told from the point of view of a 12-year-old girl named Cassie West. Her life, however, is far from innocent and idyllic as her parents throw strange parties with people indulging in…shall we say…very adult activities. There’s also the fact that Cassie lives in constant fear of her father coming up the stairs to her room at night. Additionally, because of their father’s erratic and often dark moods, Cassie and her sister try to stay under his radar at home as much as possible, as he is definitely someone to be feared. I found him to be a truly scary monster of a man whose subtle manipulations intrigued, disgusted and terrified me.

But Cassie’s life really changes, and the atmosphere of the story takes an even more chilling turn once some when local boys go missing. The culprit, who wears a hockey mask, abducts the boys and then returns them, but they are different afterward — they’re sullen and violent. Some people claim they’ve been molested. The rumors and finger-pointing begin as neighbors accuse each other, and the town’s dangerous secrets begin to surface. So when Cassie’s own sister begins to undergo a dark change, she knows she must figure out the dark mysteries in her life and her town if she and her sister are to survive. So in this way, the story ends up being one of self-preservation.

What follows is a pitch-dark, gut-wrenching, and nightmarish portrayal of a teenager whose childhood is stolen by the monsters in her life — the sinister child-predator who’s committing unspeakable crimes in her town and the monster under her own roof. It’s also worth mentioning that the sheriff and many of the town’s locals aren’t much better. There were times that the story felt so intense and anxiety-provoking, that I had to stop and breathe for a minute. The tale has an ever-increasing darkening atmosphere that increased the sense of foreboding and menace as we moved forward through the narrative.

This book ended up being completely different than what I expected. I went into it thinking it would be a book about a kidnapper/child molester, but it ended up being more about Cassie and the horrible secrets right under her own roof. What I especially enjoyed about Unspeakable Things, is that Cassie never explicitly describes what’s going on at home. She drops a hint here and a glimpse there, encouraging us to use our own imagination and try to piece together ourselves what’s going on. This aspect of the story certainly got my imagination churning and, in the process, led me into some very dark places.

Now though a 12-year-old girl narrates this haunting tale, this is definitely not a children’s book. It’s super dark and disturbing on many levels. Many terrible things happen, and they happen to children. So sensitive readers be warned.

My only quibble with the book was that I found the ending a tad abrupt though the journey getting there was fun. The author does have an epilogue on her website, which I thought rounded off the story nicely. But be sure not to read the epilogue until after you’ve finished the book as it does contain spoilers.

All in all, this book has the perfect balance of mystery, spine-tingling suspense, and wonderfully detailed descriptions that kept my eyes glued to the page, and though it was highly disturbing and mesmerizingly twisted, I ended up enjoying this story.

Purchase Unspeakable Things on Amazon   

Purchase Unspeakable Things from The Book Depository   

The story opens in 1468 and follows a young priest named Christopher Fairfax who arrives at the local parish in an out of the way Essex village. He’s there to officiate at the funeral of the village priest, Father Lacy, who had died in a fall from a local landmark known as The Devils Chair.

As he goes through the priest’s belongings, he learns that the man was a collector of artifacts that he discovered in local digs, including fragments of glass, old coins, and human bones. He then discovers ancient books in the deceased man’s collection — especially records of the suppressed Society of Antiquarians books that are expressly forbidden by the church and would result in severe punishment — even execution — if discovered. In fact, all previous copies of this book have been burned by the church.

So Father Fairfax is quite shocked to discover that the old Father Lacy, his mentor, and predecessor, was a heretic. Gasp!

I can say that this point that the society here in this story completely revolves around the Church. I can even go so far as to say that in this story, the Church and State are inextricably linked. So even though he knows it’s forbidden, Fairfax begins reading some of the priest’s old books and ends up drawn into a mystery that causes him to question everything he knows about his world, his church and his faith.

So this was one of those books that ended up being not at all what I thought it was. What’s different about this book, is that the twist comes early — right at the end of Chapter 1 or Chapter 2. I was reading along and slowly had the impression that something wasn’t quite right with what I was reading….that the passages contained elements that didn’t make sense in the story. I was confused. Then all of a sudden, a light bulb went off and I was like, “Oh my God! Now I get it!”

The name of this book, “The Second Sleep,” is a reference to the antiquated practice of people waking up for a couple of hours during the night and then going back for their “second sleep.” Kind of like second breakfast, I guess. But once the big reveal happens and you understand what’s really going on, then the title takes on a secondary meaning.

Because of the early twist, I can actually say very little about the story without giving it away so talking about this is kind of tricky, but I will say that my assumptions and expectations were completely challenged here. I was fortunate as I went into this 100% blind, thinking that it was a basic historical fiction novel about a priest. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

What we have here then, is a highly detailed description of Medieval England that follows a priest who, like his predecessor, becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about the past, a truth that has been carefully hidden away. Along the way, Fairfax also discovers that there are irregularities surrounding Father Lacy’s death.

Our protagonist goes on quite a fascinating journey of self-discovery here and he takes on his predecessor’s search, even though knowing that his research could lead to his ruin and condemnation. There’s also the puzzle here of attempting to uncover why the current world and current society are the way they are. This is when the pace of the story really picks up we journey along with Father Fairfax and he slowly unravels a centuries-old mystery. There is a race against time as he, along with a couple of others, attempt to unearth the secrets that Father Lacy had begun investigating, before the authorities catch up to them.

I thought this was such an imaginative book with numerous twists and turns along the way. The writing was also quite atmospheric and I could vividly picture the buildings, landscape, and people of Medieval England as the author described him, providing me with a strong sense of place.

I will say that the truth behind the facade in the story — the actual truth — is utterly chilling and leads the reader (or at least it did me) into some very uncomfortable and frightening territory. I thought the story was alarming and definitely leads to some serious contemplation about our own society and the dangers of where it might lead us.

In truth, this is a very rich story and deals with several loaded issues such as history, secrets, zealotry, power of the church, controlling people, the fragility of society, corruption and hidden knowledge. And there are plenty of others that I can’t talk about lest I give anything away.

My only niggle with the book was the ending, which was so open-ended that it left me with a feeling of dissatisfaction. If it wasn’t for that, which I found a tad abrupt, this would have been a five star read for me. But still, this was a mesmerizing thought-provoking novel with a meticulously woven plot, compelling — and dodgy — characters and a thrilling, if not creepy concept with plenty of suspense and a shocking early-on reveal.

I thought that the story flowed nicely and it held my interest throughout, especially once the pace picked up after the big literary twist and a sense of urgency was established. I enjoyed the development and progress of the plot and it felt to me like I was digging up some long-lost treasure that no doubt will haunt me for a long time. To say this book is entertaining is doing it a disservice, as it’s intriguing and beguiling — tense and unsettling — on so many levels.

Now if this sounds like something you may enjoy, I would caution you to try and not read any reviews of it because people don’t seem to have any qualms about including spoilers. Shame! In my opinion, this original story is best enjoyed when knowing as little as possible about it.

Robert Harris is a new author for me and I definitely hope to read more of his work.

Purchase The Second Sleep on Amazon

Purchase The Second Sleep on The Book Depository

The Chalk Man is a book whose premise intrigued me right from the get-go, especially the Stranger Things vibe that the story had.

So this follows Eddie Adams (aka Eddie Munster) and his group of friends: Hoppo, Fat Gav, Metal Mickey, and Metal Mickey and the narrative jumps back and forth between two different timelines, both told from Eddie’s point of view.

In the 1986 timeline, Eddie is 12-years old, and the kids spend their day riding their bikes around town leaving little chalk stick figure messages for either other — messages only they can understand. But things change for Eddie and his friends when one day, a stick figure leads them to the dismembered body of a young woman. This, however, is only one of the tragedies that tore the community apart that summer for Eddie and his friends. Lots of bad things happen that summer and the small town where Eddie lives is filled with secrets, lies, hypocrisy, and some pretty nasty characters as well.

Thirty-years later in 2016, Eddie is fully grown. What’s interesting about this timeline, is that we get to see how the events that took place 30 years earlier affect Eddie and his friends in the present.

Now as for Eddie, he’s single, a teacher, lives with a rather odd roommate, drinks too much and thinks he’s put his past behind him. But then he receives an anonymous letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure and as it turns out, his friends got the same letter. They assume it’s only a prank until one of them turns up dead. It becomes clear, then, that it’s not a prank and that the past has come back to haunt him. Eddie soon finds himself thrust into a 30-year-old mystery.

I thought the author did an excellent job of juggling the two timelines. This method doesn’t always work well in novels, but Tudor managed to expertly pull it off in a perfectly-paced narrative. She also managed to give us a fantastic set of characters in a convincing small-town setting to both fascinate us and distract us. I enjoyed the curious references surrounding the mysterious “chalk man” thought the story, which added to the plot’s intrigue.

This is definitely one of those stories where you should assume nothing and trust no one, one of my favorite tropes. This results in an addicting and unique story with captivating situations, but also some great twists along the way. The fast-paced storyline kept me utterly engaged until the climactic ending.

Now speaking of the ending, though surprising, I couldn’t quite buy into it. It felt just a bit too much over the top for me, resulting in a badly needed eye-roll. So though I enjoyed the story and the characters, the outrageous ending caused me to knock off a star. But still, I found The Chalk Man to be a thrilling and engaging tale with plenty of surprises. It was dark and sinister, with gobs of creepiness and secrets.

Purchase Chalk Man from Amazon

Purchase Chalk Man from The Book Depository

Behind Closed Doors follows a married couple, Jack and Grace, and from the outside, it looks like they have the perfect marriage and that Grace has the perfect life — she has a beautiful home and a handsome, successful husband who never leaves her side. The people who know them call it true love. But things are not as they appear as hinted at by the title, and that is the premise for this heart-in-your-throat domestic psychological thriller. Right from the very start, there is this intense sense of foreboding that grabs you right by the throat and doesn’t let go until the end.

From reading the blurb, it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s really going on. But the extent of it and the diabolical manner in which it’s executed is what’s shocking. I actually thought the blurb gave too much away, and I wish I’d gone into this book without having read it. Still, it was one hell of a hair-raising journey.

I enjoyed how the story alternated between past and present, told from Grace’s point of view. Here we see how Grace met Jack; we see the early days of their relationship and how things ended up the way they are in the present — a living nightmare.

Now there’s really no jaw-dropping twists, turns or surprises (though the ending was fantastic!) and no great mystery to solve. Instead, we follow along with our heroine as she struggles through her terror to find a way out, and it was the anticipation of the unknown — the anticipation of what may be coming that ratchets up the tension in the book. The suspense level is off the charts.

What I found especially terrifying about this story how easily our heroine found herself trapped and isolated, and the realization while reading it that this could, under the right circumstances, happen to anyone was bone-chilling.

It’s quite an intense story and found it difficult to read at times, not because the content was graphic or gory because it wasn’t. Instead, it was the situation of our heroine — one in which every day was filled with terror — how every taste of certain imminent freedom ended in utter disappointment and frustration.

It’s how the author gave us just enough information to imagine the worst — and just when we think Grace’s situation cannot get any worse, it does.

This harrowing, fast-paced super-claustrophobic story was a page-turner for me. The characters of Grace and Jack were extremely well-fleshed out, complex, and believable. As for the story, it was disturbing on so many levels that it made me feel during several places throughout the book as though I’d been sucker-punched.

It’s a sick, twisted, depraved little book with a villain that is pure evil, and yet, I couldn’t put it down. This phenomenal story about mental abuse taken to the extreme was so expertly plotted and drawn out that I was stunned to learn later that this was the author’s debut novel.

The pacing is flawless; the characterization splendid; but what really stood out for me with this book is the tension that the author creates. It had my heart-pounding most of the time I was reading.

Behind Closed Doors is so incredibly nightmarish, raw, gut-wrenching, and unsettling that it’s impossible not to be taken on a wild emotional ride.

Purchase Behind Closed Doors from The Book Depository

Purchase Behind Closed Doors from Amazon

The Institute is Stephen King’s latest book, and I’d have to say one of the most psychologically terrifying that I’ve read in a while. The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Luke Ellis, who is a child prodigy and is going to be attending two different prestigious universities simultaneously in the upcoming semester. He’s also demonstrated some telekinetic ability, such as the ability to toss empty pizza pans to the floor and close cabinet doors with his mind.

But Luke’s ideal life is shattered one night when intruders enter his home while everyone was asleep, murder Luke’s parents, gas Luke and load him in the back of a van.

He awakens to find himself in a bedroom that resembles his own, yet it’s missing the window. He soon discovers that he’s in a sinister place called “The Institute” run by the evil Mrs. Sigsby and her harsh and ruthless crew of caretakers, cafeterias workers, doctors, and techs. In the Institute, there are other kids who have also been kidnapped from their homes — kids ranging in age from 7 to about 16. All of these kids are special in that they all have either telekinetic or telepathic talents, and they’re known as either TPs or TKs.

This is probably one of the most unsettling stories that I’ve read in a long time. What we have here is an evil institution hidden away in the middle of the Maine woods that performs horrible and bizarre experiments on kidnapped children, including mysterious injections that cause convulsions.

But what I found especially distressing about this story is the behavior of the ruthless caretakers. We’ve all grown up believing that adults will be nice to us if we’re nice to them. That is so not the case here. If a child behaves and does what they are told, they get tokens, which they can use in the vending machines for treats (including cigarettes and booze). But if they don’t go along with what’s asked of them or dare to smart off, the scumbag caretakers don’t hesitate to slap the children across the face, punch them in the stomach or zap them with their tasers.

The harshness and the violence the kids endured were shocking, and I felt sick to my stomach here and there while reading it. That’s the part I found especially distressing: the utter lack of scruples. There was also the absence of any sense of fairness, which is another thing young children tend to believe it.

We then take a harrowing journey along with the children as some of the Institute’s biggest secrets come to light.

Now what’s interesting about this book is that in the opening pages, we’re introduced to an ex-police officer named Tim Jaimeson, who left his job and hitchhiked to the small town of Dupray, South Carolina where he took on a job as a “Night Knocker.” There he meets all sorts of interesting people, especially the endearing and utterly eccentric Orphan Annie, who seemed to be a bit of a conspiracy theorist.

I found his story quite compelling, and I had a difficult time figuring out how his adventure fits into that of the Institute, which was supposedly the theme of the novel. But then, the story completely switches gears and for the rest of the book, were immersed into the day-to-day lives of the children. But we do meet Mr. Jameson again as he becomes an integral part of the storyline later on in the book when the novel comes full circle.

This is quite a long book….I actually listened to this on audio, and it was over 19 hours. But what a page-turner! At no point was I bored but instead was enthralled and often horrified by the brutal plot-line of the story.

The plot drew-me right in from the get-go, and I became obsessed with this story. I mean, what goes on in that Institute is sheer insanity, something that I couldn’t even begin to imagine on my own. And I thought that the character development was phenomenal. Stephen King truly knows how to write children. We really get to know the kids: Luke, Avery, Kalisha, Nick, George, and the others — and yes, we even get into the head of the evil characters, a place that wasn’t very comfortable to be in.

The friendships that grew between the kids were especially heartwarming, and I loved how strong and distinct each kid’s voice was. I was especially enamored with Luke, who turned to be not only intelligent but also brave and devoted with an extra big heart — and even though his situation looked absolutely hopeless, he soldiered on with an admirable resolve.

Now I will say that this probably isn’t the book for more sensitive readers as the book deals with topics such as child abuse (both physical and emotional), suicide, murder, grief, PTSD, drowning, loss of loved ones and more. That being said, the book was definitely difficult to read in places. Your heart will break into a million pieces, and you’ll experience feelings of horror and revulsion.

But for me, the story was worth sticking with it, and I ended up loving this masterfully told tale. I loved that, despite the horrors that the kids were put through, they all supported each other and rallied together when necessary.

This definitely has made my list of favorite Stephen King novels. It was captivating, thrilling, and unsettling, and I felt that the heartbreaking scenes were nicely balanced by the blood-pumping action scenes and complex moral dilemmas.

I loved the original premise of this intense, sometimes brutal, no-holds-barred thriller and felt that the ending did not disappoint. It ended up being a heart-pounding story of courage and sacrifice.

The story was brilliantly paced, well-constructed, and flawlessly executed and left me on the edge of my seat for most of it. It was indeed a spine-chilling, tension-packed gripper.

Purchase The Institute on Amazon

Purchase The Institute on The Book Depository