Tag: Domestic suspense

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“Every parent’s an unreliable narrator. We think we know our kids better than anyone. But none of us can see them objectively.”
― Jason Rekulak, The Last One at the Wedding

Have you ever read a review quote that perfectly sums up a book? Grady Hendrix said the following about The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak: “The ultimate middle-class Dad battles the 1% for his daughter’s soul in the best thriller I’ve read all year.” This review quote captures my latest read perfectly!

Frank hasn’t talked to his daughter Maggie in three years, so he’s noticeably shocked and excited when she calls him out of the blue. His shock is even more amplified when Maggie announces that she is engaged and she wants Frank to come to her wedding in New Hampshire this upcoming summer. Full of dreams and hope, Frank eagerly accepts, envisioning a perfect future with Maggie and her new husband. He has a second chance to make things right.

Things starts to fall apart gradually. When Frank first meets Maggie’s fiance, he is shocked. Maggie is marrying into an incredibly wealthy family. Her husband-to-be is Aidan, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Aidan has no interest in meeting Frank however. He shows up late to dinner and spends the entire evening brooding and drinking as much as possible. Hoping his reaction is due to circumstances outside his control, Frank keeps attempting to bond with Aidan.

Months later, when Frank arrives at the wedding venue, he discovers that the wedding is taking place at a private estate. Osprey Cove is secluded, luxurious, and staffed by armed guards who patrol the perimeter fence. Staff swarm the grounds preparing for the pre-wedding activities. Feeling completely out of his depth, Frank decides that he is going to spend this time reconnecting with Maggie and working to learn more about her new family. This is increasingly difficult as Maggie has a million wedding tasks to complete, Aidan is constantly disappearing, and Aidan’s mother is locked in her bedroom recovering from a debilitating migraine. Frank is also confused as he discovers that the locals are hostile to the Gardners due to the disappearance of a local woman. Who is telling the truth? The more Frank starts to poke around, the more he realizes all the secrets that are hiding. His quest to learn more about the Gardners could cost him any relationship with Maggie. Should he keep searching? Or live in the dark? How far is he willing to go?

Hidden Pictures by this same author was my favorite book of 2022, so my expectations were high when I learned he had a new book coming out in October 2024. While I enjoyed The Last One at the Wedding, it didn’t live up to my Hidden Pictures expectations. That didn’t stop my deep enjoyment of all the twists and turns. This book is full of suspicions, red herrings, and plot changes that had me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a domestic suspense thriller full of tension, family drama, and conspiracy.

“Everyone has a story. Some of us are better at telling it than others.”
― Jason Rekulak, The Last One at the Wedding

This title is also available in large print.

Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Do you keep a list of what you’re reading? I do! When looking over my list recently, I noticed that it’s been a while since I read a psychological thriller. For my latest read, I turned to Shari Lapena, a psychological thriller writer, and her 2023 book, Everyone Here is Lying. This domestic suspense title is quickly paced, well-written, and ripe with suspicion. The author switches between multiple points-of-view which adds layers to this book, making readers unsure of who is actually telling the truth and what their true motivations are. While some parts of this book had me rolling my eyes, the twist caught me out of nowhere and I didn’t see the ending coming!

Stanhope is a safe neighborhood where nothing bad ever happens. Saying that practically guarantees that something bad is going to happen immediately and destroy many families. Well, the residents of Stanhope are about to have their worlds shattered on the afternoon of a normal Tuesday.

William Wooler is a stand-up guy. He’s a family man, a practicing doctor, but he’s also been having a torrid affair. Every Tuesday for months he’s been meeting his mistress at a motel in town. He thought they would leave their spouses and start a new life. Those plans are shattered when the affair ends horribly at the at motel. Left shattered and angry, William returns home, hoping for silence. His bad mood only worsens when he walks into the house to find his nine-year-old daughter Avery in the kitchen, sent home early from choir practice. Avery is difficult. Their conversation soon turns testy and William lashes out, losing his temper.

Flash forward a couple hours and Avery is declared missing. The community rallies around the Wooler family as they are united in grief over the missing Avery. When the detectives start poking around, they soon realize that Avery’s disappearance isn’t what they thought it was. William isn’t the only one lying. Others in their neighborhood are keeping secrets. When witnesses start coming forward, the detectives must wade through their stories to determine who is telling the truth. They all want the same thing after all. They all want to know who took Avery. They all want Avery to come home safely. Right?

As always, Lapena ends this book leaving you wanting more, yet sadly she writes standalone. You’ll have to come to your own conclusions about what happens to the characters after the book ends!

This title is also available in large print, CD audiobook, and Playaway audiobook.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

- Michelle Leave a comment

I am a huge fan of mystery and psychological thrillers and Watching You by Lisa Jewell is a fabulous addition to the genre.  The twists and turns in this thriller will keep you guessing until literally the last paragraph.  The book begins with a murder in an affluent English town but the reader does not know the who, what, when, where or how.  With an opening such as this, the tension grows and every character’s motivations are suspect until the true killer is revealed.

Newlyweds Joey Mullen and her husband Alfie have just moved to the exclusive neighborhood of Melville Heights in Bristol, England.  Unable to afford rent on their own, they take up residence with Joey’s brother and sister-in-law.  As a newcomer in the neighborhood, Joey befriends Tom Fitzwilliam, the beloved local school headmaster who lives two doors away and her initial friendship turns quickly from infatuation to obsession.  But, unbeknownst to Joey,  someone is watching through their photographic lens.  It is Tom’s teenage son, Freddie, who documents the goings on in Melville Heights and sees the blossoming relationship his dad is starting with Joey.

But Joey isn’t the only person in this neighborhood who is obsessed with Tom Fitzwilliam.  Bess, a young student at the school, is observed slipping in and out of the headmaster’s office by Jenna, another teen in the neighborhood and the speculation grows.  Does Tom have secrets to hide?   To add to the intrigue Jenna’s mother is convinced a group of neighbors, headed by Fitzwilliam, is stalking her.  Young Freddie and Jenna join forces and with their prying eyes discover a decades old suicide which will bring motivations for murder to light.  Everyone has a reason, but who is willing to kill in order to keep a secret and enact revenge?

About half way throughout the book I thought I knew the ending, but I was completely shocked at the culprit and the twisted motivations behind the killing.  I highly recommend Watching You for suspense and thriller fans!

 

 

 

 

 

One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis

- Lynn Leave a comment

Opinion is truly divided on One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis.  People who don’t like it, really HATE it. They feel manipulated and ticked off at the author and the main character – Emily/Cat. I have to admit, I began to fall into the second camp midway into the book, but still had to finish it. Seskis subverts expectations over and over again, and I think this is part of why people get upset. It seems to be one sort of book and then it goes in a completely different direction

The author tantalizes the reader by withholding critical information. Why has Emily left her life? What exactly was the tragedy that set her flight from her family and home into motion? Some of the most interesting parts of the book are the methods Emily/Cat uses to disappear. Because her passport is in her maiden name, which is a common one (Brown) and because she alters her first name, she is able to get lost in London.

As Emily transitions to Cat, it’s gratifying to see her gradually re-build her life – she gets a job she is good at, a place to live, and a new friend. However, it doesn’t take long for Cat to spiral out of control – she alienates co-workers as her drug use and drinking escalates. The actions of her truly awful sister and the series of events that lead to her becoming a national pariah, make you wonder if these things are really happening or if they are part of Cat’s hallucinations. 

If you like intricate plots, and don’t necessarily need a cuddly heroine, you may enjoy this domestic suspense novel.