Tag: thriller

GONE TONIGHT by Sarah Pekkanen

August 1, 2023 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. Ruth Sterling is quiet, hardworking, and lives for her daughter. All her life, it’s been just the two of them against the world. But now, Catherine is ready to spread her wings, move from home, and begin a new career. And Ruth Sterling will do anything to prevent that from happening.
Ruth Sterling thinks she knows her daughter. Catherine would never rebel, would never question anything about her mother’s past or background. But when Ruth’s desperate quest to keep her daughter by her side begins to reveal cracks in Ruth’s carefully-constructed world, both mother and daughter begin a dance of deception. No one can know Ruth’s history. There is a reason why Ruth kept them moving every few years, and why she was ready–in a moment’s notice–to be gone in the night. But danger is closing in. Is it coming from the outside, from Ruth’s past? Is Ruth reaching a breaking point? Or is the danger coming from the darkness that may live in Catherine, herself? Propulsive, brilliant, layered, and provocative, GONE TONIGHT is a thriller that showcases Sarah Pekkanen at the top of her game.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this review copy!

You know when you are reading a book and you can’t wait to have free time to get back to it? This is one of those books. Pekkanen has the ability to create multilayered characters that are both unreliable narrators yet sympathetic at the same time.

GONE TONIGHT has two strong female characters in the mother-daughter team of Ruth and Catherine Sterling. At first glance Ruth seems to be an overbearing, controlling parent, while Catherine is a wishy-washy daughter, content with drifting through life. But there is so much more behind this curtain! Catherine is ready to take a new job in another state, far away from Ruth and her constant scrutiny. When Ruth learns about Catherine’s plan, she creates a diabolical and twisted plan to keep her daughter near and dear. And then their lives begin to unravel.

I hated Ruth. Such a helicopter parent! And I also wished Catherine was stronger. Then, as the pages turned, I started to understand Ruth and disliked her less. Then, it seemed as if Catherine had found her inner strength and was going to leave her mother behind. Ok, the plot is all tied up neatly.

Nope.

The author adds some mind-blowing twists to the mix and wham! everything goes sideways and you can’t stop reading. GONE TONIGHT is psychological suspense at its best. I had no idea who to trust or who to believe. At a certain part of the book, I just kept murmuring “wow” as the plot took hairpin turns and twists yet stayed on the rails. A few more unreliable narrators got added and the conflict took a violent turn. Just when I thought the author couldn’t wring out another drop of crazy, another twist sent everything in yet another direction.

Yes, this story is full of suspense. But I also need to mention that the dialogue is on point. Ruth and Catherine seem completely believable as they alternately snipe at each other, then provide loving support. I also liked that each chapter was told from the POV of one of the characters. It is sometimes awkward to get into a rhythm when POVs are alternating, but once you become immersed, it flows. Using this style helped me get into the minds of each woman, giving me another layer of understanding of their “why”. (Even if that “why” is kind of unhinged.)

If you love psychological suspense, action, and well-written, opinionated female characters, you will adore GONE TONIGHT. There is so much more I would like to say about this book, but it can’t be done without including spoilers. Pekkanen is at the top of her diabolical game here – do not pass this one by.

Want your own copy? You can pick it up here.

THE FIRST HARM by Steven Piskula

November 29, 2022 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 0 Comments

A first-year medical student determined to do everything right . . . discovers something very wrong. Now somebody wants her dead. Tanna Christensen spent countless hours planning for her first gross anatomy dissection, but nothing could have prepared her for what she found. Beneath her scalpel lies a cadaver riddled with disturbing genetic abnormalities—evidence pointing to an unthinkable crime. Tanna believes her discovery is the tip of a terrifying secret that goes far deeper than a single corpse. But when her investigation leads to a brutal murder, a lethal cover-up threatens to destroy the future she once dreamed of. And now she’s the next target. Afraid and on the run, Tanna must expose the truth before more lives are lost—including her own. Or is it already too late?

Thanks to the author, BookSirens, Hidden Gems Books, and editors Jim Thomsen and David Gatewood for this ARC!

THE FIRST HARM is an excellent first outing by author Steven Piskula. There is suspense, mystery, sci-fi medicine, and a strong female lead character. Aspiring physician Tanna is drawn into a conspiracy when she secretly dissects a corpse that has an unusual anatomy glitch. Soon, her world comes crashing down around her as she is hunted mercilessly to prevent her from sharing her knowledge with the world. She finds an unlikely ally in an emotionally damaged former biker, Jason, who gets caught up in the whirlwind cat-and-mouse game purely by accident.

Tanna is a strong character, yet weak at the same time. She is filled with self-doubt and sometimes hesitates when she should be acting. She is full of dogged persistence, however, as she never gives up in her quest to uncover the truth. At times I wished she would stop second-guessing herself and be confident; this was probably the most frustrating thing about the story.

There is a love-to-hate self-aggrandizing head scientist, Dr Craig Emmerson, who is the head of Modern Genetics, a futuristic but entirely plausible company doing some unethical research. He is arrogant, narcissistic, and brilliant. Even though he was the baddest of villains, I enjoyed reading his innermost thoughts and learning about his evil intentions. I would be eager to see a prequel with him as the center of attention (this fictional character would LOVE that!) to learn more about his journey as he created Modern Genetics.

I did feel dubious about Jason, who is an addict who just wants to be high so he can escape his demons. He is very rough around the edges, but no fool, as he helps Tanna escape some precarious situations. As the book progresses, they become more of a cohesive team while the action ratchets up. I was definitely turning those pages to see what was going to happen next!

The author’s writing style is straightforward and easy to read. His ability to create the sci-f medicine of Modern Genetics is amazing and thought provoking, as his creation of other characters, some of which may be unreliable narrators. I was not sure who I should trust as the book progressed, and the ending was satisfactory without being abrupt or inconclusive. There were twists along the way that held my interest and I could not predict how the book would end. Piskula is an accomplished screenwriter with an MFA, and his talent shines bright in THE FIRST HARM. It was a wonderful read.

Want your own copy? You can pick it up here.

e-Murderer by Joan C. Curtis

November 17, 2015 / Kyle Wendy Skultety / 1 Comment

e-MURDERER is a race to find a psychotic killer before he kills again.
On this anything but typical Monday morning Jenna Scali, who works part-time for a shrink, opens an email that depicts the brutal death of a young girl. On that same day the police uncover a dead coed two blocks from Jenna’s house. The e-murderer’s description creepily echos the death described in the newspapers.

Thanks once again to author Joan C. Curtis, who also wrote THE CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT, for gifting me this book for review.

Jenna Scali is a reluctant participant in the events taking place around her. She gets an email out of the blue that describes a murder, and thinks nothing of it. But when the emails keep coming, and the body count around her starts rising, she realizes that the common thread is her and she’s got to do something before she’s the next victim.

The tone of E-MURDERER is different from CLOCK in that it’s a bit lighter – the main character hasn’t got a time limit of three months left to live – and so that sense of urgency isn’t in the forefront. However, Curtis does a great job of creating drama with a light hearted touch by including her wonderful Southern humor. For example: Jenna’s friend and co-worker Starr says (about digging through patient files on the down low) “We can go through these files like my mama used to go through my diary”. Curtis is also a master of describing odious characters clearly, with descriptions that will have you cringing (oniony breath, yellow teeth–ugh!). It’s always easy to develop a picture in your mind when you read her books, which is a quality I value in an author.

Jenna’s pal Starr is a true outspoken Southern girl and tells Jenna the truth with no holds barred. I just loved all her pithy sayings and sassy attitude. Compared to Starr, I found Jenna a bit wishy washy, when she kept hesitating to go to the police because she didn’t want to cause trouble at her job by possibly violating patient’s privacy. I also wondered at her boss’s seeming lack of concern for Jenna. He seemed mildly interested for a few moments whenever Jenna would try to explain things and talk about murder, then he would brush her off and resume work. I began to get frustrated with both him and Jenna for being so passive. Eventually the danger becomes too much to handle for Jenna and she is off and running, taking matters into her own hands despite her fears.

Plot twists begin to pop up towards the middle of the book, and the action picks up. Jenna begins sleuthing in earnest, and starts to develop feelings for the handsome policeman handling the case. She is also trying to convince her boyfriend that she needs more space, a concept he is having trouble grasping. Once again, Curtis’ character development is dead on, as the clingy boyfriend becomes more and more irritating.

Some of the supporting characters start to appear guilty, but it will not be obvious who the e-murderer is until you get near the end. Curtis gives you just enough information to tantalize you with a hint of suspicious behavior, and then another character seems like a better candidate!

Always enthralling and often amusing, E-MURDERER is another fun and fast read. Want your own copy? You can pick it up [easyazon_link identifier=”B013GR330M” locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”gimmethatbook-20″]here[/easyazon_link].