Some Books I’ve Been Loving: Crime Edition

Note I purchased nearly all of these books from The Book Centre in Waterford. You can order online with delivery or pick up in store which is great for anyone trying to limit their time in public areas.

The Silent Patient: Crime Fiction

Alex Michaelides

Alex Michaelides, 43 year old author made his debut with The Silent Patient. Given the hype surrounding this novel, it’s hard to believe it was a debut in the first place. Nonetheless, it became the New York Times #1 Bestseller of Hardcover fiction within its first week of sales! This novel is sure to have you hooked from the first page.

Looking for more evidence on why you should buy this? Brad Pitt has reported sparked interest by purchasing the movie rights. Needless to say, Alex Michaelides has outdone himself in this new field.

Usually when there’s so much hype surrounding a new novel, it can be hard to determine if it is just that, hype. Or whether the hype is warranted. After seeing the name pop up on one too many occasions, I decided to see for myself if it really was all that. And in my personal opinion it is and much more. The whole story line was completely mind-bending, with one of the best twists in a plot I’ve ever come across. If you said you saw it coming, you’re lying!

The story is based around Alicia Berenson. Successful artist and devoted wife to photographer Gabriel. At the beginning of the story we’re given glimpses into Alicia’s life, through her diary. It’s clear how besotted by Gabriel she is. She speaks of how he walks on air and how she would die before allowing one hair on his head to come to harm…Which is why it’s startling when she shoots him five times. And what’s worse, refuses to utter a single word. Not in defence, guilt or even despair.

Queue Theo, a psychotherapist bequeathed with the seemingly impossible task of decoding Alicia’s silent memoir, during her time at The Grove, a psychiatric facility for criminals.

The writing is orderly and neat, to the point while grasping each superfluous detail. Between sheer fluidity of the plot and the unremitting build of tension, it’s logical that the next step for this be a screen play. The plot is constructed effortlessly, as Theo digs for information from everybody in Alicia's life, as he endeavours to find the exact crack to her psyche.

As anticipation builds with each page, Theo becomes almost fixated on Alicia as he races to bring the truth to light. The “big twist” at the end was justifiably astounding.

I would without a shadow of a doubt recommend this book. It was completely a thought-provoking read that left you wanting more each page until you finished.

Dirty Little Secrets: Crime Fiction

Jo Spain

Six neighbours with six secrets and six reasons to want Olive Collins dead. Withered Vale, an exclusive gated community with a small number of residents in Co. Wicklow. The kind of place everyone dreams of living. Where people's lives emanate perfection. Wealth, power, prestige. These tenants seemingly have it all… Or is it just the mirror from the immaculate windows.

From the outside looking in, life appeared good. Flawlessly landscaped gardens, remoteness and serenity. There’s just one problem with The Withered Vale… one of its residents has been rotting inside her home unnoticed for three months. This is one murder-mystery you’ll be dying to read.

In come the investigating detectives Frank, the borderline fed up, about to retire detective, and his partner the young, eager up and comer, Emma. They begin asking questions, soon to find out that everyone is hiding something and nobody is particularly sad to see Olive dead.

When I first started this novel I was initially wary with the multi-person narrative. This can often lead to a jumbled story and usually with it an easy to read climax.

However, a couple pages in and I started to change my tune. Understanding that the narrative is in fact pertinent to the story. I found myself dying to know more about each of the neighbours, what they were hiding and how it related back to Olive’s death.

While there’s a lot going on in the story, it’s cunningly structured. Building a backstory of each of the main characters while simultaneously persisting with the incidents at hand. All in all, I would highly recommend this novel. It was thoroughly enjoyably and easy to follow.

The Guest List: Murder Mystery

Lucy Foley

A spellbindingly shocking murder mystery thriller with twists around every corner. From the bestselling author of The Hunting Party (which is next on my list), Lucy Foley. “It starts with a party. It’ll end in murder.” Captivating from even the blurb. The setting is spectacular, a remote island on the Irish coast. A wedding invitation some might die for, quite literally.

Jules and Will are the “it” couple. Will is moderately famous as a star on the TV show “Survival”. Jules isn’t far from the limelight either as a top woman in power, running her own company. After just a couple months of dating the pair are set to tie the knot. How does a legendary duo say “I do?” in style of course. The exclusive ceremony is held on Inis Amplóir, a practically deserted island. Having discovered the island from wedding planner Aoife, Jules was immediately drawn to the wild beauty of the island, she felt it was a sign, with her Irish roots and all that.

As the élite guest list arrives, the weather takes a turn for the worse. A storm is brewing and the guests are left stranded, adding to the already spooky feel of the island. Sequentially, the event kicks off with everyone boisterous and disorderly wedding, as like most weddings. The mood instantly transforms when the lights go out and an ear-piercingly high scream reverberates.

They all have secrets…but who has the motive?

The author uses multi-character first person narrative to expose the truth by cutting back and forth from the present, the murder scene and the events preceding. We are left in suspense for most of the novel. Thirsty for the knowledge of who the murderer is, who has died or if this is all just some cruel trick altogether?

Having never read a mystery novel before, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. To me, a good mystery needed two things, a trailblazing concept and a fluid execution. As a No.1 Sunday Times best-seller, I was intrigued immediately with by this. The unusual setting, with a twist on the typical “fairy-tale” day. As I wouldn’t customarily read crime stories I worried that story would be raced, or the plot would lose rational or become clumsy. My worst fear was figuring out who did it in the first few pages.

With pleasure I can guarantee that this novel does not fall under any of those characteristics of its stereotype. I was astounded with how much I enjoyed this read. A complete page-turner. The author effortlessly tells the story sinuously in an exhilaratingly stirring fashion. This is a finish over a weekend kind of story, you will not be able to put it down until you know for certain what has happened. Each page you’ll want to “leave it there for the night” will end with a sentence piquing your interest even further making it impossible to put down.

The Chain: Crime Drama

Adrian McKinty

A blazing, heart stopping and brilliant thriller that completely lives up to the hype. The author dives straight in to this story with a killer opening sentence. “She’s sitting at the bus stop checking the likes on her Instagram feed and doesn’t even notice the man with the gun until he’s almost next to her.” The simplicity of it all absorbed me into the novel from this very line, and I couldn’t put it down right until the very end. Just imagine the absurdity of it all, you’ve just dropped your little girl at the bus station. You answer your phone to a total stranger, who informs you they’ve just kidnapped your child. But because this is a downright twisted scenario, they’ve taken your child to save theirs.

The rules are simple. In order to get your child back is to kidnap someone else’s son or daughter in the next 24 hours. If you decide to go to the police, or you fail to do what is asked of you within the timeframe, your child is killed. You will be reunited only when your victim’s parents complete their kidnapping without any hitches, and so on. This is ‘The Chain’…you are now a part of ‘The Chain’.

The basic premise of a chain is familiar to us all. We’ve all received chain mail from time to time. You must complete the task and pass it on. Never in a million years however, did I think it was fathomable or in any way plausible to mirror the tactics of a chain among a kidnapping cartel. Personally, I found chain mail, however innocent it came, to be threatening and ominous, without the added fear you may never see your daughter again. This is exactly what Rachel faces as her universe comes crashing down. Kylie is Rachel’s daughter, her whole world. She would do literally anything to get her back, even kidnap someone else’s kid. The idea is bizarre and illogical at best, but with no time to think she must get her plan in action. The only issue is, even when you’ve carried out your tasks, the nightmare isn’t over. You are in ‘The Chain’ now and once you’re in, there’s no getting out!

McKinty is Belfast born and bred with many great books under his belt already. He’s won the Edgar Award, the Ned Kelly Award, the Anthony Award, and the Barry Award. His novels have been translated into over 20 languages. The author is obviously incredibly talented and I certainly would look out for his name a whole lot more now on my literary hunts. He has a knack for creating an interminable tension from start to finish. You never truly relax until the very end, at any point the ground could open back up again.

Over all I would rate this novel a 9/10. I was blown away by the in-depth psychological thinking of the author from the get-go. This story got to me on a personal level too, and completely got me thinking how easy it is for us to be spied on, how much of ourselves we share with the word, and most of all how much are we willing to do for the people we love. Would we ruin someone else’s lives to save our own?

Dear Child: Crime Fiction

Romy Hausmann

Lena’s life is strictly routine. Wake up at the same time every morning, to cook breakfast for her two kids. The kids must have their meal on time. Her meticulous schedule is broken into cooking, meals, study time and even toilet breaks, all without leaving home. Home? Lena’s new home has become a windowless cabin buried deep in the woods. To only one to leave is the man who is her husband, the father of her children, and her captor. He provides these rules for the family so as to “protect” them from the dangers outside.

This novel was a No 1 International Bestseller in Germany with over 250.000 copies sold and has since been translated for English readers.

Like a godsend, one day Lena manages to break free, running from her captor…straight into a moving car. Lena wakes up in hospital for the nightmare to continue. It’s as though this man wants her to belong to him in every way manageable. As if it wouldn’t be enough, what he craves most is her desire to belong to him, to get back what’s his and have her willingly subdue.

The plot twists with an even bigger conundrum when the question is raised as to who ‘Lena’ really is. Her parents arrive to the scene for identification only to find a ‘Lena’ doppelgänger instead. There are so many questions to be answered. Who is this stranger? Why is she calling herself Lena? Why does her daughter, Hannah, look exactly like the real Lena? And most importantly, if she is not Lena then where is the real one?

This book was definitely a 9/10 from me. Filled with suspense and thriller around every corner. It was a complete page turner!