Her Last Breath

 

Even though I did not enjoy The Last Word the premise for Her Last Breath was too interesting to pass on. 

Her Last Breath started out so slowly and took me several sittings of reading to get interested enough to keep reading. Once the meat of the story started I was eager to keep reading and did not want to put the book down.

Tess is an interesting character, permanently scared by her upbringing she does not take risks but finally agrees to go with her best friend caving. Mr. Adam's ability to write about small spaces underground in the dark is thrilling and claustrophobic all at the same time. 

If you can get past the slow start, sadly is it needed to set the stage for the story, and deal with an aging detective's woes about having to retire due to memory issues the story is worth it. 

The Third Son

 

Due to a water leak I am in a hotel while a company fixes the leak and water damage. Since I had to leave suddenly I was without a book. I found The Third Son in a free library near the hotel.

While a thriller it is slower paced then what I am used to and it also included the use of a young child and a preteen child. That made it hit differently for me. Daniel and Nathan were my favorite characters and I wish we had seen things from Daniel and Nathan's point of view. Despite points of view changing I did not loose interest. 

The chapters are short but a lot is packed into each chapter. While not moving quickly nothing was filler and the story had a creepy edge to it which I did enjoy. I plan on trying more of S. E. Green's work and even the work they did under their real name. 

Want to Know a Secret?

 

Ever since I read a teaser sample for Want to Know a Secret I have been eager to read the rest of the story. So was everyone else apparently because the wait list at the library was lengthy. 

April is a great character, I felt like she was talking to me while holding a container full of something delicious she had baked. It was pretty clear from the start of the story that April just wants to be an every day mom that fits into her rich suburban neighborhood. Passing out sweet treats and sharing juicy gossip is the life April strives for while keeping up the perfect family image with her attorney husband and son.

Once again I did not figure out all the twists. The story moved along at an okay pace as the blackmailer continued to make April's life more and more miserable. Then wham the twist and the plot plowed forward at a quick pace. I was glad I had nothing else planned so I could just binge read the ending. 

The Ex

 

I reserved The Ex from the library a few months ago and it was finally my turn to read it. Despite being super busy I managed to read it in four days. 

Really I thought I had the whole story line figured out then wham out of no where I was like no way and realized I had figured out about 25% of the story line. Despite having read many of Mrs. McFadden's works I still enjoy her twists and the books keep me entertained. 

Brain Damage

 

 I got Brain Damage from the library and I am glad I did. It is different from Mrs. McFadden's other works I have read. It is an earlier novel of hers. For one I would not call this a popcorn thriller more like a slow paced thriller. Nor it is just a thriller but another genre as well. 

Charly was a bit of a Mary Sue but still I did see her growth as a character. Jamie was my favorite character he had a way of lightening up moments. Even the nurses and other patients seemed to be real people I knew enough about them I was not wondering more. 

The story line moved steadily but a lot slower then any other story I have read by Mrs. McFadden. The best part is reading it and realizing how much Mrs. McFadden has grown as author. It is always interesting to me to see authors realize their niche then really work there way to improving themselves in that niche and Mrs. McFadden has clearly done that. 

The Divorce

 

Mrs. McFadden is an author I always put a hold on for new books as soon as I see the announcement about the release. Luckily I was one of the first few people to place that hold at the library for The Divorce. 

It is not easy to talk about a thriller/mystery book without giving away the twist(s) and I am not one to give a synopsis of the plot (what the back or inside cover of the book is for).

Naomi was a complex character, I felt sorry for her she comes home and just is thrown out of her own house. As the story progressed I continued to sympathize with Naomi over everything happening to her. 

Even though I know Mrs. McFadden's writing style I still was not expecting the final twist(s) and more importantly I enjoyed the story. I was able to make the book last three evenings since I wanted to savor it.

The Silent Patient

 

I got The Silent Patient at a second hand store and I see why it was there. 

The writing is fine. Well done even. No grammar errors and it makes sense. The plot was so boring, slow, and drug out, the author counted on the shock factor of the last twenty to thirty pages to carry the whole story. This style did not work for me at all.