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A Carnivore’s Inquiry by Sabina Murray
“This is what exploration had opened up the door to. Not only widespread slaughter, but the necessary accompaniment of gorging.” Unapologetically solipsistic and deeply manipulative, Katherine, the central character of A Carnivore’s Inquiry, makes for an awful human being and a deeply entertaining narrator. A predecessor to Ottessa Moshfegh and Mona Awad’s protagonists, and many…
1st pov, 2000s, 4 STARS, A Carnivore's Inquiry, A Carnivore's Inquiry by Sabina Murray, Adult, affairs, age gap, ALIENATION, ambiguous protagonist, ambivalent mood, America, ART/CREATIVITY, books about writers, cannibalism, cheating, class, cold tone, colonialism, Contemporary, dark, dark humor, desire, ennui, female authors, feverish, filipino american author, GOTHIC, history, HORROR, introspective, Italy, LITERARY FICTION, literary references, madness, maine, Mexico, modern gothic, MURDER, MYSTERY, navel gazing, NEW YORK, no plot just vibes, otherness, PRIVILEGE, psychological, Psychological thriller, psychopaths, published in 2004, read in 2023, rich people, road trip, Sabina Murray, satire, self-destructive, serial killers, she is dangerous, she is not feeling good at all, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, the female malaise, travel, unreliable narrators, violence, womanhood/femininity -
Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare
“So many secrets between them. So many lies.” That’s it. That’s the book. (i am only half joking) Actual review: Although Chain of Iron is one of Cassandra Clare’s least action/mystery driven books the drama between the various characters is sure to keep you turning pages. Chain of Iron picks up 4 months after its…
3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, adventure, Alastair Carstairs, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ANGST, bi side characters, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, Cassandra Clare, Chain of Iron, Cordelia Carstairs, curses, DEMONS, drama, Edwardian era, england, f/f side, fake dating, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, friendships, gay side characters, ghosts/spirits, great storytelling, HISTORICAL FICTION, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LONDON, m/m side, MAGIC, monsters, PARANORMAL, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, ROMANCE, serial killers, shadowhunters, siblings, The Last Hours, TLH, wedding drama, YOUNG ADULT -
Three by D.A. Mishani
Three wasn’t quite the “dark psychological thriller with a killer twist” I was anticipating. The blurb and cover suggests a far more suspenseful and possibly subversive tale that the one D. A. Mishani actually delivers. The novel’s tripartite structure didn’t feel particularly original as it has become quite popular in novels that fall under the…
2 STARS, 3rd pov, affairs, Contemporary, CRIME, D.A. Mishani, domestic thriller, drama, heavy on telling, Israel, Israeli, Israeli author, Jewish, male authors, MARRIAGE, published in 2020, read in 2020, serial killers, SUSPENSE, Three, THRILLER, TRANSLATED FICTION, violence against women, west bank -
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
“Ayoola lives in a world where things must always go her way. It’s a law as certain as the law of gravity.” Having read this novel twice I can safely say that I find it to be an exceptionally riveting read: once I start it, I just want to keep reading.My Sister, the Serial Killer…
1st pov, 4 STARS, abuse, Adult, Black & Black heritage authors, Contemporary, dark humor, DEATH, HOSPITAL, jealousy, millennial, MURDER, My Sister The Serial Killer, Nigeria, Nigerian author, Oyinkan Braithwaite, re-reads, read in 2018, read in 2020, read in 2021, serial killers, SISTERS, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social media, SUSPENSE, terrific prose -
The Less Dead by Denise Mina — book review
The Less Dead is a gripping, if bleak, piece of tartan noir. When sex workers, drug addicts, migrant workers, and otherwise marginalised groups are victims of murder, they are called the ‘less dead’. Their deaths are less important, not as ‘impactful’. Denise Mina’s novel, in a similar vein to recent releases such as Long Bright…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, addiction, ADOPTION, BOOK REVIEW, cheating, class, Contemporary, CRIME, dark, dead girls, Denise Mina, female authors, lgbtq+ side, mothers & daughters, netgalley, Noir, obsession, Poverty, prostitution, published in 2020, rape, read in 2020, REVIEW, scotland, scottish author, serial killers, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, SUSPENSE, Tartan Noir, The Less Dead, THRILLER, violence against women -
Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen — book review
“There is something bad in the air and in the water now, something rotten and wrong. A moral disease.” While Please See Us gives its readers a slightly more innovative “missing women” type-of-story. Providing us with a panoramic of Atlantic City Caitlin Mullen’s novel follows Clara, a young psychic, and Lily who has only recently…
3 STARS, addiction, Adult, America, American, Atlantic City, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Caitlin Mullen, Contemporary, CRIME, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), female authors, friendships, ghosts/spirits, MAGICAL REALISM, missing girls, missing women, MURDER, new jersey, obsession, Please See Us, published in 2020, read in 2020, serial killers, spiritualism, stalking, Summer, summer reads, SUPERNATURAL, SUSPENSE, tarots, THRILLER, violence, violence against women -
Long Bright River by Liz Moore — book review
Set against the opioid crisis in Philadelphia Liz Moore’s thought-provoking novel portrays the long-lasting and devastating effects that addiction have on an individual, on a family, and on an entire neighbourhood. “These girls, he says. He looks at me and puts one finger to his right temple, taps it twice. Stupid, is what he means.…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, addiction, America, American, cold tone, CRIME, family, Liz Moore, Long Bright River, mothers & daughters, netgalley, opioid crisis, Philadelphia, prostitution, published in 2020, read in 2020, serial killers, SISTERS, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, unreliable narrators, violence against women -
The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup — review
In spite of its promising beginning The Chestnut Man implements far too many cliches for my liking (a few of which are listed on CrimeReads). This book centres on a series of gruesome killings in Copenhagen. On each crime scene the killer leaves behind a chestnut doll. Although the writing is detached it does pay…
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The Echo Killing: Book Review
The Echo Killing by Christi Daugherty ★★✰✰✰ 2.5 stars This novel gives a great and detailed description of the routine and logistics of the protagonist’s job as a crime reporter. The various side characters, although somewhat conventional to this type of novel, were well rendered and entertaining. So, why did I end up disliking this…
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Blood Echo: Book Review
Blood Echo by Christopher Rice ★★✰✰✰ 2 stars I really enjoyed Bone Music, its action oriented plot made for thrilling read. Both Charlotte and Luke showed some actual character growth, and I came to like them both. Sadly, Blood Echo is merely an echo of its predecessor. The beginning of this novel was promising enough,…
Tag: serial killers
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Long Bright River by Liz Moore — book review
Set against the opioid crisis in Philadelphia Liz Moore’s thought-provoking novel portrays the long-lasting and devastating effects that addiction have on an individual, on a family, and on an entire neighbourhood. “These girls, he says. He looks at me and puts one finger to his right temple, taps it twice. Stupid, is what he means.…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, addiction, America, American, cold tone, CRIME, family, Liz Moore, Long Bright River, mothers & daughters, netgalley, opioid crisis, Philadelphia, prostitution, published in 2020, read in 2020, serial killers, SISTERS, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, unreliable narrators, violence against women
luce [is reading] 