I can’t be the only one looking forward to a summer holiday. It is definitely time to write all my book reviews for the year, so that you can choose your holiday reads. I am starting a series of book reviews with the thrilling, gripping, gotta-read-in-a-weekend books because they are so unputdownable and make perfect summer holiday reads.
Spy, crime and psychological thrillers here for you…
Retired Spies… At their Best
The Spy Coast
This is definitely on my best books of the year list… It is a fabulous read. I was waiting for the audible, because my husband will love it too, but as soon the “book book” landed on my desk I couldn’t help myself. So the audible launches in the new year, to be sure I will be downloading that one. Meanwhile,…
It is a page turner right from the start. In a gentle and relaxing manner spies of old are called out of retirement, when a past case (or should I say body) lands in the driveway of our heroine, Maggie Bird. The local police arrive, but nice as the local chief, Jo Thibodeauis, is, she soon realises that this group of retirees are not your typical canasta players. The collection of spies, fondly known as the Martini Club, are always more than one step ahead of Jo, every step of the way. The more she tries to solve the local murder the more the Martini Club realise that they have a web of past cases to resolve and it all leads to one nemesis that was presumed dead… or is he? There is definitely someone out there that knows more than they should and the lives of our spies are not safe, until this case is put back under wraps and left well alone. It is the spy version of the Thursday Murder Club, only our spies are not quite ready for a retirement home… they are in ready for gentle living in Maine, laid back fishing trips and “canapés and card evenings” with a bottle of wine. That being said, they were also quite well-prepared for their past to catch up with them and definitely equal to the task of self-preservation. I love a fast spy themed thriller. This is an excellent holiday read, on my list of best books of 2023. Add it to your list and enjoy it.
Psychological Thriller
The Good Daughter
This book gets a WOW from me, I was blown away by the many twists and turns… every time you think you have the plot under control, Abigail remembers something else. The book appears to be a psychological thriller about a young and naive seventeen year old girl living in an isolated community of the New America Baptist Church. She and her family are part of a group that believes the rest of the world is depraved and “their way is the only way.” As a group they spend a lot of time and energy trying to convince the world to change their wicked ways and join them. The book begins with a violent house fire that consumes Abigail’s home and both of her parents. She is left, more alone than ever and with the extra burden of being responsible for her younger siblings.
As the police return to question the girl, the community closes in around her, to protect her from the world at large, and they all begin to realise that she has no memory of the event, let alone the weeks leading up to the event. As we step back in time, and allow Abigail to tell her story, we realise that this is a coming of age story, the story of Abigail growing up and reaching marriageable age within the community. On a trip into town she meets a young podcaster, called Summer, who asks if she can interview her about her life in the community. Abigail is thrilled at the opportunity to “council” Summer, and accepts the assignment with nervous enthusiasm. Nervous, because she knows her father will not approve, and enthusiasm because she believes that she will do such a great job of converting Summer, that her father will be impressed with her. Things don’t go according to plan and the more time she spends with Summer the more she begins to remember and to realise what an oppressive and sinister environment she is living in… all that she thought was serving and security is neither safe, and far more like slavery.
This book cannot have a good outcome, and we already know that it will end with a fire, that engulfs her parents. Her father turns out not to be the hero of the day, and even her mother is not who she thought she was. A book about failed trust, and extremely triggering for readers that have experienced physical and emotional abuse. If you are looking for a book to read in a weekend, then this is it. I could not put it down, I had to see if, against all odds, Abigail was able to make it safely through.
Beach Holiday Crime
The Dive
This is another very quick read, not because it is a short book at all, but because it is gripping and you have to know the outcome. Set on a pristine and perfect island in Thailand where several people have come on holiday to escape it all, and then never left. Cass the diving instructor, is there to teach visitors to the island and as she takes a fresh tour group on their first dive they encounter their first victim, or is it the first? What about the guest who recently “fell” when out hiking? The story is told by Cass, and an instagram influencer, Brooke. Clearly everyone on the island has secrets that they would like to keep secret. There are secrets upon the secrets and there is someone on the island determined to betray victim after victim. This book has a great stalkerish, serial murder mystery, endless summer holiday vibe, and would make the most excellent summer vacation read. It is not overly complicated but also, so many unexpected twists and turns… and plenty of nail biting moments. Absolutely impossible to guess who the culprit is. Great read, if you are heading for the coast this summer, pop this into your beach bag.
Another Thriller, Everyone Really is Lying
Everyone Here is Lying
The title says it all. My goodness, you will not believe the twists and turns in this book… literally every time I thought I had a handle on where it was going the entire story would twist again. Not to mention that none of the characters were likeable… what a read. A husband, who is having an affair, arrives home to find his daughter, Avery, has been sent home from school early… or was she? Next thing the daughter is missing, without a trace. The father discovers that he is an unwilling suspect, he appears to have been perfectly, if not too perfectly set up. The whole town is turned upside down in the search, not to mention everyone in town has something to hide and is trying to point the investigation away from themselves. There is nothing like a missing child to get the police department to ask questions and the more questions, the more lies creep to the surface… no one is living the quiet middle class life that is portrayed by a drive through the neighbourhood. Twists and turns, I kept reading because really, what more could possibly emerge… turns out, quite a lot. This is a very fast-paced read… whether you like the characters or not, you will want to find out what happens to Avery. This is quite literally unputdownable, with a shocking twist in the last paragraphs.
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These books were all given to us for review purposes by Penguin Random House South Africa. This is not a sponsored post and opinions expressed are entirely my own.