Psychological Thriller | Book Chatter

The Breakdown
By B.A. Paris
St. Martin’s Press, 9781250122469, July 2017, 336pp.

The Short of It:

Another unputdownable read by B.A. Paris.

The Rest of It:

I’ve spent this summer reading page-turners and I have to say, it’s be a really pleasant summer for these types of reads. In The Breakdown, we meet Matthew and Cass. Newly married, they live in a large home in rural part of town. A home that backs to the woods and a road that Matthew has warned Cass not to take late at night. After an evening out with friends and the horrible storm-related traffic on the highway, Cass goes against her better judgement and takes the shortcut home. What she didn’t expect to see was a woman pulled over to the side of the road. She makes a snap decision to NOT stop to see if she needs assistance and to her horror, the woman turns up dead the next morning.

This is a fun book to read. I’ll admit, Cass has some issues and they get a little repetitive in the telling. For one, she has signs of early onset dementia, which her mother had so everything she does and knows cannot be relied upon because of her failing memory. Plus, she’s jumpy from the fact that a murderer is on the loose so there are a lot of false alarms but man, I couldn’t stop turning those pages.

I really enjoyed Behind Closed Doors so when I heard that Paris had another book out, I jumped at the chance to read it and I am glad I did. It was fun and suspenseful even though I kind of figured out what was going on. If you like quick, psychological thrillers and don’t mind an unreliable narrator (I love them!) then be sure to pick it up.

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

My Husband’s Wife
By Jane Corry
Pamela Dorman Books, Hardcover, 9780735220959, January 31, 2017, 384pp.

The Short of It:

History repeats itself.

The Rest of It:

The title of this story is a little misleading and it’s not fully explained until the last third of the book but what started off as a rocky start, turned out to be quite a page turner.

Lily is married to Ed. Their marriage is riddled with problems. Ed doesn’t have a full-time job because he’s an artist trying to make a name for himself. Lily, resents having to be the sole breadwinner but when she takes on her first murder case everything takes a backseat including her marriage.

Carla is the little neighbor girl who lives next door with her mother. She’s alone much of the time because her mother chooses to entertain her “boyfriend” Larry in order get the things she needs like rent money, clothes and tuition for her daughter. After Lily and Ed offer to watch Carla, a bond grows between Carla and Ed as Carla becomes Ed’s artistic muse.

This book could be split into two separate novels. Carla’s childhood is interesting enough but once Carla is grown, the story takes a different direction as we follow her into adulthood and see how her mother’s actions impact her later in life. In addition to Carla’s story, there’s Lily’s story and how a murder case from the past affects her years later.

As you might have guessed, Carla and Lily’s stories are intertwined due to Ed but the way they come together is not smooth and dare I say it, a tad awkward. The transition between childhood and adulthood needed a little finessing in my opinion and some of the plot points weren’t realistic but the last third of the book had me flipping pages left and right to see how the story would end.

I think this book tried too hard. It tried to be many things ( a murder mystery, a psychological thriller, a book about relationships, etc.) It lacked focus even though the last third of the book was pretty riveting. All in all this book was just okay for me. It missed its mark.

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

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