A few solid reads from October for ya!
In case you missed it:
(68) All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers (2022, 320 pages) (crime mystery thriller). Audiobook. This one brought to you by the host of the popular true crime podcast Crime Junkie. Margot Davis has always been haunted by the sensational and unsolved murder of her childhood friend and neighbor, January Jacobs. Twenty years later, grown-up journalist Margot has returned to the small town where it happened to care for her deteriorating uncle. When another little girl from a nearby town goes missing under eerily similar circumstances, Margot can’t help but investigate, and in doing so may uncover more than she’s bargained for about her hometown and old neighbors. A reasonably clever & entertaining read, though the ending felt unfulfilling and sort of off.
(69) The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman (2021, 320 pages) (crime mystery thriller). Paper book. A smart psychological thriller with the makings of a new classic! British star Mia Eliot spends pilot season in LA auditioning for one new show after another, hoping to land something that will take her career to the next level. At an audition, she meets another out-of-town actress also making the rounds and agrees to do her small favor. But when Emily disappears, leaving Mia with her bag, phone, and keys and the woman who shows up to get them claiming she is Emily is certainly not Emily, the police dismiss her as confused or making things up or both. Suddenly Mia has the feeling that something terrible has happened, and now she may actually be the one in danger.
(70) Double Indemnity by James M. Caine (1936, 115 pages) (crime thriller, classic). Paper book. Another dark classic from one of the masters. When a woman consults an insurance salesman about taking out an accident policy on her husband, the salesman suddenly sees the opportunity to commit the perfect crime and split the payout with the wife. The trick is staging a fatal accident on a train, where insurance policies pay out double. They pull it off, but the crime is in fact so perfect that it rouses the suspicion of the claims manager. An oldie but goody of the genre!
(71) In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead (2021, 352 pages) (crime/mystery/thriller). Audiobook. Jessica Miller is on her way to her ten year college reunion, where she hopes to finally, FINALLY impress all her old classmates with how successful and gorgeous she’s become. However, the event is complicated by the brutal murder of her friend Heather their senior year and her messy relationships with the rest of the “East Hall Seven.” The case has remained unsolved, and Heather’s younger brother is determined to wrest a confession from one of the group before homecoming is over. This was a pretty cleverly woven & creative story, but I think I am kind of over dark college whodunnits that flash back and forth between what went down in college and some kind of ten-year-reunion-esque situation where someone(s) scheme(s) to solve the old cold case. Nearly every person in this book is objectively terrible, and while you do get *some* backstory that explains why, it makes it hard to root for anyone. That together with how dark the story is in general made it kind of a bleak read where the takeaway feels like “People are selfish and terrible and you can never believe or trust anyone.”
(72) Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie (2013, 390 pages) (crime/mystery/thriller). Paper book. Genivere Loxley has never gotten over the stillbirth of her daughter eight years ago, nor has she been able to get pregnant again; since then her life has ground to a complete standstill. Then one day a woman appears at her front door, claiming that Gen’s baby was born alive, and Gen’s successful businessman/TV star husband Art paid the hospital staff to fake the stillbirth. Gen’s world is turned upside down; with the help of an ex business partner of Art’s, Gen decides she will go to any lengths necessary to find out the truth about her husband and child. This story was a bit out there for me and there were so many places where the actions of the characters seemed completely unbelievable. It also felt very long and like it could have used additional editing.
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