psychological thriller – K. J. Farnham

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When I heard All the Missing Girls was being compared to The Girl on the Train, I just had to read it. After all, I love suspenseful psychological thrillers. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to the comparison, but I still liked it for other reasons.

One unique, yet confusing, quality of this book is that much of it is told in reverse order. It starts out in the present, with Nicolette (Nic) returning to her hometown to help sell her father’s house after being away for ten years. Going home is difficult for her due to the reason she left in the first place: Her best friend Corrine disappeared without a trace and the case was never solved. Right after she arrives at her childhood home and visits her senile father, the story is catapulted forward two weeks. And that’s when things became hard for me to follow.

Over the course of the two weeks (told in reverse), another girl disappears, and everyone is wondering if it has anything to do with Corrine’s disappearance. Well, here’s a SPOILER for you…the disappearances are related, just not in the way you will most likely think they are.

Two things All the Missing Girls does have in common with The Girl on the Train is that it has an intricately woven plotline, and there are a few twists and turns–none nearly as shocking as those in The Girl on the Train, but surprising nonetheless.

Despite the misleading title (there are really only two missing girls) and the confusing reverse order narration, I liked the story and appreciate the way Miranda brought everything together in the end. Honestly, I might have liked it more had the comparison bar not been set so high.

AMAZON

GOODREADS

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Widow by Fiona Barton

January 22, 2016April 30, 2019 K. J. Farnham

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The Widow is a psychological thriller that captivated me from page one. It begins with a meeting between widow Jean Taylor and reporter Kate Waters. Kate is the first reporter Jean has ever agreed to speak with regarding accusations against her recently deceased husband, Glen Taylor. The whole world wants to know: Now that Glen’s dead, is Jean willing to reveal what she knows? Did she know about Glen’s habit? Did she know whether he did what people say he did? Did she lie for him? How could she live with him after what he was accused of? And Kate wants to be the the one to deliver Jean’s side of the story to the world.

But this brilliantly complex story isn’t told by way of Jean simply sitting down and spilling her guts to Kate. Glen’s alleged crimes are slowly revealed through alternating points of view (The Widow, The Reporter, The Detective, The Mother, and The Husband) that weave back and forth through time. The time hops and multiple perspectives were pieced together perfectly to create one heck of a suspenseful tale. My only gripe with the narrative is that I had to double-check dates several times to clarify the timeline.

Barton did a marvelous job of fleshing out all of the key players in this story so that I understood their behaviors and motivations. In fact, they became so real to me that I couldn’t sleep when I finished the book. It was nearly 3 a.m. and I was dead tired, but I could not stop thinking about real-life court cases that have been publicized to no end. I thought about the families of the accused individuals and about the accused themselves. And I got chills when I thought about the fact that people like Glen Taylor really do exist.

GOODREADS

AMAZON

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Brother by Ania Ahlborn

January 11, 2016April 30, 2019 K. J. Farnham

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“Hey, have you heard this one before? Two serial killers walk into a record store…”

Brother is a faced-paced psychological thriller. Its hillbilly serial killer theme reminded me of movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Deliverance, and The Hills Have Eyes. However, it wasn’t just about a bunch of degenerate killers looking for their next victim. As the title suggests, it was more about the relationship between brothers Reb and Michael and why Reb thrives on making Michael’s life miserable.

Ahlborn didn’t waste any time introducing the deranged family in this book. There’s Momma (the ringleader of the bunch), Wade (the dad and enabler), Reb (the psychopathic brother), Misty Dawn (the innocent sister), and then there’s Michael. While Michael is part of the family, he isn’t related by blood. And unlike Momma, Wade and Reb, Michael actually has a conscience and longs for normalcy. Ahlborn did a great job of making me like and sympathize with Michael.

The chapters flow together seamlessly and rotate between Michael’s perspective, Reb’s perspective, and flashbacks that clue readers in on why Reb hates Michael so much. The vivid characters combined with the brutal acts carried out by several of them scared the crap out of me, and most of the twists and turns blew my mind.

If you like serial killer books and don’t mind gore and a bit of torture, I highly recommend this book.