Starter House by Sonja Condit Starts May Right!
Over the last several weeks I have finished reading several books and over the weekend I added several to my “to be read” shelf. Here are the books that I have finished….along with the date finished and the book’s number on my list of books read in 2016……
20. Close Your Eyes – Michael Robotham (April 27th) Book Joseph O’Loughlin #8
From Goodreads….
When a former student bungles a murder investigation, clinical psychologist Joseph O’Loughlin steps in to face a ruthless killer.
A mother and her teenage daughter are found murdered in a remote farmhouse, one defiled by multiple stab wounds and the other posed like Sleeping Beauty waiting for her Prince. Joe O’Loughlin is drawn into the investigation when a former student, trading on Joe’s reputation by calling himself the “Mindhunter,” jeopardizes the police inquiry by leaking details to the media and stirring up public anger.
With no shortage of suspects and tempers beginning to fray, Joe discovers a link between these murders and a series of brutal attacks where the men and women are choked unconscious and the letter “A” is carved into their foreheads. Read More
Along with the above there is a secondary storyline the book. Joe is asked by his estranged wife to move back into their cottage with his family which includes his wife and their two daughters. Joe is thrilled at the prospect of reuniting with his wife and daughters only problem is that his wife has cancer. And once again Joe is faced with the problem of balancing his work and his family!!
Bottom Line: Close Your Eyes is another excellent book from Michael Robotham. This series is one of my favorites and like many of them it keeps getting better which is very hard to do because Robotham set the bar really high with his early books!! I will even forgive him for joining the ranks of William Kent Krueger and Karin Slaughter Ratings: Goodreads **** (4.15) *RGrandad **** 1/2 (4.5)
21. Summit Lake – Charlie Donlea (April 29th)
From Goodreads…..
Set in a small, picturesque North Carolina town, Charlie Donlea’s suspenseful debut novel tells the haunting story of a murdered law school student, the reporter assigned to her story—and the intimate connection that comes when the living walk in the footsteps of the dead.
“No suspects. No persons of interest. Just a girl who was alive one day and dead the next.” Read More
This is Charlie Donlea’s debut novel and a smashingly good debut it is! The murder victim is Becca Eckersley a first year law student and the daughter of a powerful attorney who is about to become a judge. After Becca is murdered investigator Kelsey Castle is sent by her employer Events magazine to Summit Lake to find out what happened. Once she arrives Kelsey discovers that the murder appears to be more complex than the theory that the Feds are promoting that it was a random robbery gone bad. The story is told by both flashbacks which chronicle the last year of Becca’s life and Kelsey’s current investigation.
Bottom Line: Summit Lake was a very good read. It took me a while to get into the story and I must admit that I found some aspects of the story somewhat implausible. Particularly the willingness of the county police chief to give police files to Kelsey. But the overall story more than made up for those minor dislikes. Ratings Goodreads **** (4.07) RGranddad ****
22. Starter House – Sonja Condit (May 8th)
From Goodreads…..
In the vein of Heart-Shaped Box and The Thirteenth Tale, Starter House is a haunting and skillfully told debut novel about a newlywed couple and their first home — a home that seems to be haunted by a very malicious ghost. Read More
This was a Dollar Tree purchase and I have to say that the were more aspects of this book that troubled me than in Summit Lake. The first thing that bothered me was that after meeting that little boy and feeling a presence that pushed her down the stairs resulting in almost losing her baby.,Lacey Miszlak didn’t just say I’m not staying in this house. Secondly, is that she never really tells her husband what’s going on in the house! Poor Eric! But as the storyline progressed those things seemed less and less important and I enjoyed the unraveling mystery.
Bottom Line : While I liked Starter House it never really that scared me . I did get engrossed in the book about two-thirds of the way in and really liked it from then on until the end. While I enjoyed the characters I never really connected all that much with them particularly Eric, whose character I really did not like that much at all. So over all good but not great for me! Ratings Goodreads: ***+ (3.16) RGranddad *** (3.00)
Ok so I was going to discuss the three new books that I added to my to be read pile in this post, but I think that I’ll save that for another post!!
