Gallery/Scout Press | Book Chatter

The River at Night
By Erica Ferencik
Gallery/Scout Press, 9781501143205, August 2017, 320pp.

The Short of It:

Four women, inexperienced in river rafting take a rafting trip of a lifetime. What could go wrong?

The Rest of It:

Pia, Sandra, Rachel and Win have known each other for years. They’ve been through divorces and break-ups and weathered many ups and downs but the one thing they look forward to is the girl trip they take every year. This year, Pia books a white water rafting experience with a guide, exploring newly discovered territory and right from the get-go, things don’t go as planned.

I picked this book up thinking it was another book entirely! My mistake but I kept reading and I really enjoyed this story. Some of it was a tiny bit far-fetched but the frantic pace of it and the overall desire to survive comes through crystal clear. The river plays a major role, but there are human threats to consider as well which make it a little more exciting.

It’s been around for a few years and was definitely not the NEW book I thought I was reading, but I’d still recommend it.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

The Turn of the Key
By Ruth Ware
Gallery/Scout Press, 9781501188770, August 2019, 352pp.

The Short of It:

I needed a book that I could not put down and this was it.

The Rest of It:

Nanny stories are quite popular. Add a supernatural element, difficult kids, weird parents and a big, spooky house and you have a winner. Now add technology. I mean, cameras, apps, smart refrigerators and TVs and you up the creep factor by 100%.

Rowan finds the nanny position of a lifetime. A high-paying, live-in gig that will take her to the beautiful Scottish moors. The house is unique. An old Victorian in the front, but the back half of the house is all gleaming and new, outfitted with the latest technology. At first, Rowan is impressed by this. Sandra and Bill, architects by trade, restored what they could but re-imagined the rest but all of its gadgetry proves to be a bit much for Rowan when she is immediately tasked with watching the children for ten days while the parents are at a business conference.

Did I mention that the last four nannies all left within a two-year period? Or that the house has a history of death and violence? Or that some in the town believe it to be haunted?

This was such a fun book to read. I was completely immersed and could not turn those pages fast enough. It’s sufficiently creepy and keeps you guessing with all its plot twists. The ending felt a tad rushed but overall, I really enjoyed this one and found it to be really entertaining and fun. I read it in one day. A work day, which should tell you something.

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

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