Tag Archives: Suspense

Review: The Search Party

The Search Party

The Search Party
By Hannah Richell
Atria Books,9781668036068, January 2024, 352pp.

The Short of It:

So many secrets!!

The Rest of It:

A spellbinding locked-room mystery about a glamping trip gone horribly wrong when a powerful storm leaves the participants stranded and forced to confront long-held secrets and a shocking disappearance. ~ from the publisher

Right from the start, you are in for a wild ride! Max and Annie develop a glamping resort in the wilds of Cornwall. To test everything out, they invite a few of their college friends and their families to experience glamping (glamour camping) with great food, luxury tents and the like. But it’s been awhile since everyone has been together and some are now married with kids!

All of the couples are very different, as are the kids. Some young adults, teens and a few elementary aged kids. Kip, Max and Annie’s adopted son, is at the center of the tension as he’s very sensitive to things and will shut down when stressed or involved in a confrontation of any kind. Some of the parents don’t understand why Kip is given such a wide berth by his parents. Much of what he does, and his reaction to things set him apart from the other kids and make him an easy target.

Then, something goes horribly wrong. A storm moves in, a child goes missing and as the couples are held captive by the weather and the stress of a missing child, all the secrets pour out. Tempers flare. Hard feelings come out. Much more than a thin tent, luxury or not, can contain.

This was a super fun read with lots of twists and turns. The couples take turns being deplorable so loyalties jump around quite a bit. You really don’t know what’s next!

Highly recommend.

Source: Sent to me by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Review: You Like it Darker

You Like it Darker

You Like it Darker
By Stephen King
Scribner, 9781668037713, May 2024, 512 pp.

The Short of It:

A mix of tried and true King stories and some not so typical ones.

The Rest of It:

Readers always ask me what King book I recommend. Well, that is not an easy question to answer. When I was a pre-teen I started with his classics like Cujo, Salem’s Lot, Carrie and the like. Then I dabbled in his short story collections, and then hit the big guns like The Stand and IT. I hear over and over again that King’s work is too dark, too morbid, too graphic. Sometimes, yes. Most of the time though it’s solid storytelling, excellent character development and just enough plot and suspense to keep those pages turning.

That brings me to King’s latest, You Like It Darker. I had a hard time obtaining a library copy so with my premium Spotify account I get free audiobooks so I gave it a listen.

What an experience! The audiobook is read by Will Patton. He was the perfect reader for this collection. I could not wait to jump into the car for a listen. Some of the stories I absolutely loved and wouldn’t mind if they somehow expanded into a novel. King, are you listening?

My faves:

  • Two Talented Bastids (think other worldly)
  • Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream (prophecy in the form of a dream)
  • Rattlesnakes (dead twins, snakes, ghosts)

There are a few stories that didn’t really fit the King mold but they were pretty short and since the three above were so strong I consider the collection a success overall. There is nothing like spending the summer with King.

If you are new to King, these stories will give you a good sense of his storytelling and all that King quirkiness that his readers have come to expect. PLUS, there are lots and lots of Easter eggs for his other novels in here. When I heard some of them I literally gasped out loud in the car! So fun.

Definitely recommend the audio.

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