I Kill Killers

 

With the house still in disarray I am unable to get to the books I had set out to read so I am scrounging through free libraries which lack thrillers. 

I went into I Kill Killers blind having never heard of S.T. Ashman and it starts out with a bang. Right away you get an idea of what type of person Leah is and how she will do what she perceives as right and just no matter what.

Leah is a well written character with flaws and an interesting point of view on life. Clearly Leah is not like any every day person she devotes herself fully to anything she sets her mind to including playing the piano and killing serial killers. It was interesting to see Leah's though process unfold as the book progressed. 

Liam is a straight laces FBI agent who is all about justice through the court system. Despite knowing something is not right Liam is not about to listen to the higher ups who insist he is wrong. With danger lurking around every turn Liam does not back down and continues to search for the truth.

While both characters are very different I enjoyed reading about both of them. The writing is smooth and flows easy. It is graphic though and I understand the trigger warnings. I do not handle seeing blood in movies but I can read about it in books. I have started looking for the second book with no luck the local library does not have a copy. 

Despite my lack of posting in July I have been reading books just none were good enough I bothered to write a review for them. 

Do You Remember?

Do You Remember? is the last book the library had by Mrs. McFadden that I had not read. I consider it average since it a lot of was repetition. 

I am not a writer but I imagine writing a story where the main character wakes up every day with no memory of the past seven years of her life would be difficult. Despite this overlap of the story the pace moved along fairly quickly. 

The twist was not my favorite, since so few characters were in the story it was pretty easy to figure out who was a good person and who was not a good person. Despite the small cast I was still caught off guard with the ultimate twist at the end. While not my favorite book by Mrs. McFadden I did manage to read it in less then 24 hours.   
 

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.