Someone We Know

 

I just seem to be on a thriller/mystery era at the moment. Since the last one let me down I went back to comfortable and familiar Shari Lapena. Someone We Know kept me guessing at every turn. 

A young woman is found dead in the truck of a car that was sank into a lake. Soon the police learn her name is Amanda and everyone from her husband to endless barrage of lovers is as suspect. As the two detectives on the case navigate the twists and turns of who killed Amanda they soon learn no one is as they seem and everyone has secrets. 

My biggest issues with Someone We Know is that it ended like the book would be a series but it is not. I do not want to give spoilers but I was hoping that something mentioned at least twice that I recall would have had more of a set in stone ending instead of leaving it up to the readers imagination on what it could have been. Despite that Mrs. Lapena's writing remains consistent, she has a style all her own. Like usual if I see any more work by Mrs. Lapena I would not hesitate to try reading it. 

The Girl Who Vanished

 

The Girl Who Vanished had such an exciting premises but I had to force myself to keep reading. The story started out with a bang then just slowed to a snails pace.

Despite the story jumping around I was able to keep track of all the characters easily. Other then struggling a bit with some of the British English I pretty much figured out everything including the big mystery fairly early in the story. Really I should have just skipped ahead and read the ending to see that I was correct in my assumption. 

Hotel Magnifique

 

I had no intention of finishing Hotel Magnifique so quickly or read the majority of the story in one day however circumstances changed and it was it was the only thing I had to do while sitting in the ER for five hours. 

Jani is an interesting character, fiercely loyal to her sister she dreams of a better life for the both of them. One of the more endearing things for me about Jani is she never ever stopped asking questions or demanding answers even when she should not have. Since I am information driven I loved that aspect of Jani and could easily relate to her always opening her mouth to demand an answer. 

The writing was smooth and transitioned easily between aspects of the hotel. I loved the word building and the magical aspects of the hotel described. Despite enjoying that part I do feel like a huge hole was in the plot of the story and that more could have been done with the enchantments of the hotel. While a stand alone that did finish nicely I want more of the story. I want to see Jani with Bel more, maybe a novella with them. 

Sometimes I Lie

 

I have read another book by Alice Feeney and enjoyed it so I figured I would give Sometimes I Lie a chance. 

Normally I do not like books that jump around from different point of time, I tend to get lost in the story. This is now the case with Sometimes I Lie, every transition was clear and concise. I like how each chapter had a date and time so I clearly knew what was being happening and when. Amber despite being in a coma still came across as as strong character with quirks, feelings, and regrets. I loved that about her, it made her feel so real. Like the other story I read the mystery started out slow but then wham the twists and turns kept coming nonstop. I was not able to figure out everything coming and that made me enjoy the story all the more. 

The End of Her

 

I have not felt like searching for books to read so I keep going back to familiar authors. Shari Lapena has been keeping me entertained with several of her books lately. Sadly I could not get into The End of Her. While I did finish the story I found it repetitive and it ended on another mystery which was frustrating. 

Stephanie has a happy life with her young twins and devoted husband. All that changes when a woman from her husband's past shows up declaring he killed his first wife and unborn child. Refusing to give into her demands of money Stephanie tries to navigate the confusing mess her life has become.

As I said before the story is super repetitive it, it goes on and on about how sleep deprived Stephanie is and the other characters constantly repeat their actions. It got tedious and boring quickly. I did finish the story hoping for a great ending but it was mediocre at best.