G.P. Putnam’s Sons | Book Chatter

One of the Girls
By Lucy Clarke
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593422649, June 2022, 432pp.

The Short of It:

Impossible to put down!

The Rest of It:

This book has it all. A beautiful Greece setting, characters you care about. a quick, dramatic pace, and it will keep you guessing. A group of friends take off on a “hen” weekend, a bachelorette party to celebrate Lexi’s upcoming wedding but everyone on this trip has a secret she is keeping and at the top of the story you know someone ends up dead so from the very first page I was pulled in.

Clarke tells a really good story. There are some surprises and many twists but that gorgeous Greece setting takes center stage. With each page, you are right there with them. At the villa, on the boat, soaking up the sun and enjoying they many drinks that a gathering such as this one has readily available. Clarke slowly peels back the many layers and reveals all of their insecurities and worries and doubt. Do you ever really know your friends?

If you haven’t read One of the Girls yet, you should. It was excellent and got me out of my slump.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

The Deep
By Alma Katsu
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780525537908, March 10, 2020, 432pp.

The Short of It:

The lure of the Titanic on that fateful night is what fascinated me and pulled me in. Add some ghosts and a sister ship and you’ve got me.

The Rest of It:

Annie is a survivor of the Titanic. On that fateful night, she dove into the frigid waters to save a baby from a drowning woman’s arms. Recovering from that incident, she spends her days at a hospital. A hospital normally reserved for the mentally ill but she doesn’t exhibit any characteristics of such an illness. She is, however, without anyone to speak for her. Or so they think.

One day she receives a letter from a friend who also survived the Titanic’s sinking, inviting her to become a nurse on its sister ship, the Britannic. The war has been hard and there are many injured young men to tend to. Would she be interested?

As the story unfolds, we spend time on both ships. The before, the after, and how the events of the Britannic play into this story. There is a supernatural element to this tale. I think Katsu is known for this although I’ve never read her work before. You are asked many times to suspend your disbelief. I’m not sure I did, but I did enjoy how the two stories came together.

You may or may not be surprised of the love story contained within these pages. It’s a love triangle of sorts so there’s a little drama there. Enough to hold your interest. Overall, an enjoyable read but nothing that will wow you. The pace was a little slow in the beginning but picked up mid-way through. I can’t compare this book to her other works but I can say that based on this one, I would read her work again.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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