First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

"First Lie Wins" by Ashley Elston is a treat for anyone who likes a good mystery and loveable female confidence tricksters (female conmen just didn't sound right). I loved the narrator's voice, the twists and turns the plot took, and the absolutely perfect ending. Also, this is one of Reese's Book Club Picks! 

Can't wait for this author's new novel coming out in 2025!

Blurb:

Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job isn't like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.

Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there's still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn't be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Wow. 

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty is one of the best books I read this year. In the top two for sure, maybe the top one? If I wrote this book, I'd be so proud.

As always with this author's books, you will fall in love with the characters. There are a lot of characters in Here One Moment, and you'll want to be friends with every single one of them.

The premise is fascinating (a person on a flight from Hobart to Sydney tells the other passengers how and when they are going to die), the resolution thoroughly satisfying.

A beautiful book.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

How to describe Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson? 

• Kind of like Ready Player One, but imagined 30 years earlier.
• Dense in detail. 
• Intense. 
• If Terry Pratchett wrote cyberpunk instead of fantasy, but not as laughing-out-loud. Just as an example, his main character is called Hiro Protagonist. I mean, how brilliant is that?

This book is like a wild mix of Hunter S. Thompson, Philip K. Dick, Anthony Burgess, and John Brunner. Written eight years after Neuromancer and long before Ready Player One, it shines brightly in the cyberpunk genre. Set in a near-future where governments have collapsed, and society is held together by anarcho-capitalism, Stephenson creates a chaotic but fascinating world.

Nominated for a Prometheus Award, the story walks a fine line between a libertarian dream and a dystopian nightmare. It's packed with sci-fi, social commentary, and big philosophical ideas, all delivered at breakneck speed. Think of it as a Mark Twain-style adventure, but on overdrive.

At its heart, it's a smart, modern adventure that mixes in elements of prehistory and archaeology.

Favourite quote: "BMW drivers take evasive action at the drop of a hat, emulating the drivers in the BMW advertisements--this is how they convince themselves they didn't get ripped off."

Favourite scene: the memo sent to office workers about the use of toilet paper.

I'm a late comer to this book, as it was published in 1992 and here I am in 2024. I'm ready to read this author's impressive backlist.

 

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz features two intertwined plots: one is the mystery novel about a German detective Atticus Pünd, authored by the fictional writer Alan Conway; and the other follows publishing editor Susan Ryeland as she searches for the missing final chapter of Conway's novel while also investigating Conway's death.

If you haven't read and internalised many, many Agatha Christie books, Magpie Murders will probably not resonate with you. There is a purposeful slowness to the book, especially when it comes to the story within the story, which is pretty much vintage Christie. There are characters who could have come straight from the village of St. Mary Mead. There is a breakfast scene consciously or subconsciously modelled on the one in A Murder is Announced. And of course, Atticus Pünd, the foreign outsider detective with a lovable dimwit sidekick, is our dear Hercule Poirot.

I remember that Dame Agatha herself used a similar ploy in her books by creating a character called Ariadne Oliver. Ariadne (like Christie) is a crime fiction novelist, the creator of the Finnish detective Sven Hjerson.

Another nugget is that the book within the book is based on a children's rhyme about magpies (one for sorrow, two for joy), which is another device often used by Ms Christie.

I loved it, but, you know what? As soon as I finished Magpie Murders, instead of turning to its sequel, I quickly re-read three of my favourite Agatha Christie novels, and I'm in the mood for more. Apologies, Anthony Horowitz, you'll have to wait.

Witness 8 (Eddie Flynn #8) by Steve Cavanagh

I have a short list of authors whose books I buy on pre-order, irrespective of the title or book description. Steve Cavanagh is on that list, together with Liane Moriarty, Joshilyn Jackson, Lee Child and Harlan Coben.for some reason, though (and I blame Amazon's Audible Books for this), I missed the publication of "Witness 8" by a whole month. 

It took me ten seconds to get it from the library and one day to read. It's awesome. If you aren't familiar with the Eddie Flynn series, you can start with "Witness 8", the eighth book, but you might pick up on spoilers for some characters' story arcs. The series is definitely worth reading, but if you don't want to commit, start with this book or "Thirteen". You will fall in love with the main characters (and their dog), you will keep turning the pages as the plot sweeps you along. And when you finish "Witness 8", you will reach to read or re-read the earlier books.

Blurb:

Ruby Johnson is a nanny and maid to wealthy families in Manhattan's West 74th Street.

She knows their routines. Their secrets.

One night, on her way home, Ruby witnesses a neighbour's murder.

She knows the victim. She knows the killer.

She makes an anonymous call to the police and names the murderer.

But Ruby didn't tell the truth...

Because there's something wrong with Ruby Johnson.

Eddie Flynn, conman turned trial lawyer, must defend an innocent man accused of this terrible crime.

As Ruby's deadly game begins, one thing is certain.

It won't be the last murder this witness is involved in...

The Quiet At The End of The World

 Wow. Five out of five stars for "The Quiet At The End of The World" by Lauren James. Here's what I loved:

• It's SF utopian / distopian, and we honestly need more novels in this genre.
• It's YA without the horror of The Hunger Games. I mean, I love The Hunger Games, but I struggle that ten-year olds read it.
• It's YA but also for adults.
• The book is incredibly well-written. The action starts on page one. The world feels real. The characters are loveable. All in all: unputdownable.
• There is no antagonist. Instead of the all-too-common man-versus-man, this is man-versus-environment. Or, in this case, two teeneagers trying to stop the end of the world as they know it.
• Best of all, it's one of those books that make you think about what it means to be alive.

Blurb:

Lowrie and Shen are the youngest people on the planet after a virus caused global infertility. Closeted in a pocket of London and doted upon by a small, ageing community, the pair spend their days mudlarking for artefacts from history and looking for treasure in their once-opulent mansion.

Their idyllic life is torn apart when a secret is uncovered that threatens not only their family but humanity’s entire existence. Lowrie and Shen face an impossible choice: in the quiet at the end of the world, they must decide who to save and who to sacrifice . . .

Remarkably Bright Creatures

"Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt is a remarkable book, pun intended. It's "that octopus book" as people refer to it, but it's not about an octopus - not only about an octopus. It's about people finding themselves, finding each other, finding happiness. It's a gentle, hopeful, uplifting bok.

I can't wait for the sequel, which will be set in the same smaal town.

Exerpt:

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

"Family Family" by Laurie Frankel

Where do I even start? I feel like I know these characters, I believe the story is true to the letter, and I refuse to accept it's fiction and that I won't be able to meet India Allwood in real life.

What a book! 5 stars out of 5 for plotting, pacing, author's voice and beautiful writing. And thank you, Laurie, for tackling the important issue of adoption.

This book is not about adoption, though. It's about what makes a family. And what makes a family - family.

Blurb:

“Not all stories of adoption are stories of pain and regret. Not even most of them. Why don’t we ever get that movie?”

India Allwood grew up wanting to be an actor. Armed with a stack of index cards (for research/line memorization/make-shift confetti), she goes from awkward sixteen-year-old to Broadway ingenue to TV superhero.

Her new movie is a prestige picture about adoption, but its spin is the same old tired story of tragedy. India is an adoptive mom in real life though. She wants everyone to know there’s more to her family than pain and regret. So she does something you should never do—she tells a journalist the truth: it’s a bad movie.

Soon she’s at the center of a media storm, battling accusations from the press and the paparazzi, from protesters on the right and advocates on the left. Her twin ten-year-olds know they need help–and who better to call than family? But that’s where it gets really messy because India’s not just an adoptive mother…

The one thing she knows for sure is what makes a family isn’t blood. And it isn’t love. No matter how they’re formed, the truth about family is this: it's complicated.

"The Wrong Girl" featured in the Writers' News

Click here to buy

 

The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger

"The New Couple in 5B" by Lisa Unger is - yes, naturally a thriller - but also something else. Something more. Or different. There's a mood to the book that's absent from the author's other works. The setting is a periodic piece of a historic apartment building in New York, potentially plagued by ghosts and definitely plagued by weird neighbours and weirder paranormal social gatherings.

Definitely a must-read. Oh, and incidentally, the author has recently won the International Thriller Writers Thriller Award for Best Short Story with her work "Unknown Caller". Well deserved, it's brilliant!

Blurb:

Rosie and Chad Lowan are barely making ends meet in New York City when they receive life-changing news: Chad’s late uncle has left them his luxury apartment at the historic Windermere in glamorous Murray Hill. With its prewar elegance and impeccably uniformed doorman, the building is the epitome of old New York charm. One would almost never suspect the dark history lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.

At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbors turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.

Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner

"Still See You Everywhere" by Lisa Gardner is the third book in the Frankie Elkin series. This one is set on a tropical island. I love Lisa, I love Frankie, and I love islands. That would have been enough to persuade me to read it, except that everything by Lisa Gardner is on my preorder list by default anyway. 

If you still need convincing, here's a list:

• a cool setting
• super quirky characters
• relentless pace.

Blurb:

A lifetime missing. Just three weeks to find her. The brand new thriller from the New York Times no. 1 bestselling author. A remote tropical island. Countless dangerous secrets. No way to call help. 

Missing persons specialist Frankie Elkin is on an isolated island off the coast of Hawaii. Her mission- to find Lani, the missing sister of a Death Row serial killer known as the Beautiful Butcher who is awaiting execution in just three weeks' time. According to the Beautiful Butcher's sources, Lani is being held captive by her millionaire ex-boyfriend on the island. The only way to gain access is for Frankie to go undercover. 

But can Frankie really trust the word of a serial killer? Plus, this island is no paradise with deadly creatures and suspicious co-workers at every turn, and an incoming tropical storm about to cut her off from the outside world. Could this be Frankie Elkin's most dangerous case yet?

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you probably would have noticed that I hardly ever review books set in World War Two (notable recent exception here). Having grown up in Poland, I've had my fill of war stories - every anniversary of Berlin falling, Warsaw uprising, or just because, the television screen would be full of images too traumatic to contemplate.

However, "The Kitchen Front" by Jennifer Ryan is a gentle book. Yes, the war is raging. Yes, her husband's plane was shot down. Yes, there are raids and rations. And yet, against the backdrop of all that is sad, there is family and love and cooking inventive dishes despite the food shortages.

Simply beautiful. Read it.

Blurb:

In a new World War II-set story, four women compete for a spot hosting a wartime cookery program called The Kitchen Front - based on the actual BBC program of the same name - as well as a chance to better their lives.

Two years into WW2, Britain is feeling her losses; the Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is putting on a cooking contest--and the grand prize is a job as the program's first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the contest presents a crucial chance to change their lives.

For a young widow, it's a chance to pay off her husband's debts and keep a roof over her children's heads. For a kitchen maid, it's a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For the lady of the manor, it's a chance to escape her wealthy husband's increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it's a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession.

These four women are giving the competition their all--even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together serve only to break it apart?

The Big Thrill Discusses The Wrong Girl With Yvonne Eve Walus

Yvonne Eve Walus recently sat down with The Big Thrill to discuss her latest domestic thriller, THE WRONG GIRL.

Q: When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character?

A: The recurring character in my crime fiction is Constable Zero Zimmerman who’s a mixture of very analytic and orderly (almost on the autistic spectrum) but also very good at reading body language and sensing whether someone is telling the truth or not (something an autistic person struggles with). She’s... (read the rest here)

Right Place Wrong Time - short story by Yvonne Walus

Delighted that one of my short stories was highly commended in the prestigious Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition 2024 organised annually by the Crime Writers’ Association. Read it here.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a book you will either love or put down after the first few pages. The prose is beautiful and the plot slow-burning, so if you're in the mood for a boom-boom-boom James Patterson thriller, you might not have the patience for "Americanah". And yet, it's well worth digging into it for the author's keen observations and spot-on comments on the life of an immigrant, race, and culture. In a way, a more descriptive title might have been "Africanah", because the novel provides a glimpse of the life in Nigeria, not to mention hair rotines for "curly" hair.

Blurb:

Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

I don't understand why "Yellowface" by R.F. Kuang has such mixed reviews. It's brilliantly simple and simply brilliant in the way it makes us reconsider cancel culture, online warriors, as well as what is and what isn't culture appropriation. A page-turner, easy to read and difficult to put down.

Blurb:

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

 The reasons you will love "happiness Falls" by Angie Kim:

1. The author's voice is engaging, fresh, quirky, totally believable
2. The pace is tight
3. The theme of happiness woven through the story makes for some good thinking
4. You will care about the characters
5. You will immediately look for more books by this author

Blurb:

"We didn't call the police right away." Those are the first words of this extraordinary novel about a biracial Korean-American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing.

Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything--which is why she isn't initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don't return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia's brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak.

How AI made my book trailer

 I confess, I've been a bit slow to board the AI train. Mostly because I'd rather write science fiction stories about it than actually use it. And also because I don't want to put creative people out of jobs. Still, curiosity won in the end, and so here is my first ever AI-generated book trailer for "The Wrong Girl".

Some observations:

• At first glance, wow, so impressive. I tell the free program/site invideo to make me a book trailer for a domestic thriller in which a teenager and her mother are on the run, and a mysterious near-death at a boarding school in a New Zealand seaside school, and it does.
• I get an opportunity to edit it. The script changes are easy, and when I ask for the voice to speak slower, it does.
• However, when I ask for a few clips to be replaced with something else, it struggled. Replaced the wrong clip. The replacement wasn't as specified (I'm guessing their library is limited).
• I have the option to pay to remove watermarks and for high definition, but I don't. It's just a bit of fun, not a marketing tool.

What do you think?

(You can read more about "The Wrong Girl" here.)

The Wrong Girl - a review

 Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers’ Favorite

It’s been four years since I discovered the excellent writing of Yvonne Eve Walus when I read her book, Serial Wives. Though not her first novel, it was her first mystery murder featuring New Zealand policewoman, Zero Zimmerman. I loved both the story and the protagonist, so I was delighted to find Zero is back in The Wrong Girl, and what a terrific read Walus has for fans like me. The setting for this novel is a boarding school for the daughters of wealthy parents. Following a staff drowning, the suicide of a male student in the nearby boys’ school, and now what might be either a suicide or the attempted murder of a popular female pupil, Zero, a “human lie-detector”, has her work cut out for her.

Through Zero, Yvonne Eve Walus leads readers down varying and chilling paths of possibilities as she tries to discover the truth behind these deadly occurrences. But don’t feel bad if the sleuth in you doesn’t discover who and why these unfortunate events have happened: Walus is as highly skilled in keeping us guessing as Zero is in tracking down the truth! While I love Walus’ complex plots, the other things she brings to her stories make me want to stand up and applaud. In The Wrong Girl, Walus addresses current polarizing topics like gender issues. She delves deeply and thoughtfully into parenting problems, and she understands teenage crushes, jealousies, and angst. It’s fascinating how well she explores the roller-coaster of emotions teenagers face while Zero and other adults in the novel parallel the same insecurities when it comes to romance and love. How does she weave all that raw humanity into such a well-plotted novel? That’s what you will find out and enjoy when you read The Wrong Girl. Bravo, Yvonne Eve Walus!

The Wrong Girl - author interview

Interviewer: A novel is such a major undertaking; there’s the writing of it, of course, then you’re spending months and months revising, polishing, and then promoting it. How did you know this was the book you wanted to spend the next couple of years on?

Yvonne Walus: As a mother of teenagers, I knew I wanted to write about the issues that Generation Z faces: gender identity hype, very real gender dysphoria, the desire to conform to trends, depression, suicide ideation, heartbreak. I’m hoping to start a conversation about our children’s drive to label themselves: gay, autistic, non-binary, vegan, communist, cat lover, city-dweller. In their search for identity, do they create boxes and borders and societies divided?

Read the rest of the interview here.

Book Trailer - The Wrong Girl

 

Check it out here.

The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

If you don't know the work of Ellen Baker yet, you're in for a treat. "The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson" uses the author's signature prose to paint a powerful tale of love across four generations. Call it a family saga, call it historical fiction, as long as you also call it your next read.

There's so much to love about this book! The words, the world, the warmth. This book might make you cry, it might make you sigh with nostalgia, it might even make you rush out to buy circus tickets - but one thing it'll definitely make you do is think deeply about the world as it was in the 1930s and as it is today. 

Blurb:

In 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago, promising to be back once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns, and shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she is sold to a traveling circus to perform as the “little sister” to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde. With Isabelle and the rest of the circus, Cecily finally feels she’s found the family she craves. But as the years go by, the cracks in her little world begin to show. And when teenage Cecily meets and falls in love with a young roustabout named Lucky, she finds her life thrown onto an entirely unexpected—and dangerous—course.

In 2015, Cecily is now 94 and living a quiet life in Minnesota, with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandson. But when her family decides to surprise her with an at-home DNA test, the unexpected results not only bring to light the tragic love story that Cecily has kept hidden for decades but also throw into question everything about the family she’s raised and claimed as her own for nearly seventy years. Cecily and everyone in her life must now decide who they really are and what family—and forgiveness—really mean.

Cassandra Complex / Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

These are the things I didn't know before I started writing this blog:

1. "Cassandra Complex" and "Cassandra in Reverse" by Holly Smale are the same book. I was hoping it was a series, but nope.
2. Holly Smale, the author of said Cassandra books, is not the authour of "The Rosie Project" trilogy - that's Graeme Simsion. My mistake, but a fortuitous one.
3. "Cassandra Complex" is a Reese's Book Club Pick.

These are the things I already knew:

1. "Cassandra Complex" is a bloody good book.
2. Yeah, the protagonist is on the spectrum.
3. It's about time travel.
4. Everyone should read it.

Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett

"Eye of the Needle" by Ken Follett is one of the best spy thrillers I've ever read. It's right up the with The Day of the Jackal" by Frederick Forsyth - which, okay, stricktly speaking doesn't feature spies. What's interesting in both these books is that the plot hinges on events that have already happened, and yet the books manage to keep you biting your nails through the night as you read "just one more chapter".

I almost didn't read "Eye of the Needle" on principle, because I actively avoid World War Two fiction, having been exposed to it way too much as a child. I'm glad I bent on this one - it's exceptionally well written.

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

I love Lisa Unger's fiction, and her novella "Christmas Presents" was no exception. I read it just before Christmas (apologies I'm only blogging it now, but it's been a wonderful and busy holiday season), and can I just say to my favourite authors out there that writing an annual Christmas novella is an excellent idea....

This one has a podcaster, a cold case, and beautiful Christmas presents that may or may not be from a serial killer. Christmas fiction the way I like it! (And yes, along the same line of thought, "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie.)

A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett

"A Stroke of the Pen" by Terry Pratchett is a collection of his early stories published under a pen name in various newspapers and magazines. They are full of magic trees and dragons, and while the style may not be as polished as in "Night Watch", the author's voice is definitely him.

Speaking of voices, what makes the audio book extra special is that the stories are read by people like David Tennant, Nigel Planer, Stephen Briggs, AND Rhianna Pratchett.

The foreword is - of course -  by Neil Gaiman. 

This is more of a cult book, so if you've never heard of Terry Pratchett, start with... hmmm - "Going postal"? "Mort"? "Hogfather"? "Guards Guards"? "Good Omens"? - and circle back to this one once you're a fan.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

"Leaving Time" by Jodi Picoult is a novel about mourning, memories, mothers and - yes - elephants. Beautifully written and meticulously researched, it will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

Is it sad in parts? Yes. 

Is it uplifting? Yes.

Is it enjoyable? Immensely.