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Reviews by Rebecca K. (Chicagoland)

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The September House
The September House
by Carissa Orlando
Dream home or haunted house? (5/14/2023)
I read a lot of thrillers, and not as much horror (especially supernatural horror), but a good haunted house story is hard to resist.

A few ghosts won't keep Margaret away from her dream home. Sure, they appear mangled based on how they were murdered, but the house is …more
Zig-Zag Boy
Zig-Zag Boy: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood
by Tanya Frank
New age-y response to serious mental illness (3/20/2023)
I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't get past some glaring issues. Though author Tanya Frank is telling the true story of her son's struggle with schizophrenia in his late teens/early 20s, she mentions only once or twice that she has certain privileges that are not …more
Widowland
Widowland: Widowland #1
by C. J. Carey
Fascinating alternate history (5/31/2022)
While historical fiction isn't my usual forte, I was interested in Widowland as soon as I read the description. It's an alternate history about what it might be like if Germany won World War II.

In this world, the US remained neutral during the war. Now, Great Britain is …more
Good Husbands
Good Husbands: A Novel
by Cate Ray
Murky moral questions come to light (3/14/2022)
Strangers to each other, Jess, Priyanka, and Stephanie are three very different women at different points in their lives. They receive identical letters in the mail, accuses each of their husbands of rape decades ago. That's the premise of "Good Husbands" by Cate Ray.

Jess …more
The Fields
The Fields: A Novel
by Erin Young
A great new series (10/19/2021)
Erin Young's debut novel "The Fields" is a fast-paced and timely mystery. Set in Black Hawk County, Iowa, the story begins with the discovery of a dead body in a cornfield. A young woman was brutally murdered and her body found on a family-run farm. It's one of the few in …more
Lady Sunshine
Lady Sunshine
by Amy Mason Doan
A perfect summer read (5/31/2021)
In 1999, Jackie Pierce is a music teacher for kids. She's surprised when she learns she has inherited The Sandcastle, the sprawling estate of her late uncle, a rock star, upon her aunt's death. It immediately takes her back to the summer of 1979, when she spent the season …more
He Started It
He Started It
by Samantha Downing
Dysfunctional family road trip (3/4/2020)
Three siblings from a dysfunctional family, along with two of their spouses, gather for a cross-country road trip to echo a trip they took with their grandfather decades earlier and to spread his ashes at the end of the trip. They must do that in order to gain their multi- …more
My Lovely Wife
My Lovely Wife
by Samantha Downing
A Killer Couple (10/21/2018)
This is definitely an entertaining book. It's a domestic drama about a married couple and their two children, with the hook being that mom and dad are serial killers. An unexpected twist near the end amped up the drama and action. I wish the characters were a bit more well- …more
Our House
Our House
by Louise Candlish
A family drama/thriller (6/16/2018)
This is the first novel I've read by Louise Candlish. While I enjoyed the character of Fiona, I found it difficult to like her husband Bram. For the majority of the story, his motives seemed purely selfish. Though the plot is a bit fantastical (there's fraud and then there' …more
Vox
Vox
by Christina Dalcher
Great new feminist fiction (5/7/2018)
I LOVED this novel! A big part of what made the story so great is the characters. Jean, a Ph.D and mother of four, is tasked with working on a solution for the brother of the president - a man who placed strict limitations on the rights of girls and women. Jean is relatable, …more
Only Child
Only Child
by Rhiannon Navin
Adorable narrator but awful mother (1/7/2018)
I loved the narrator of this book, 6-year-old Zach. I enjoyed the plot and thought the story was well-executed and suspenseful but still "literary fiction." I also like how Zach's brother Andy was only related to the reader based on how others thought/spoke about him, as he …more
Force of Nature
Force of Nature: Aaron Falk Mystery #2
by Jane Harper
A workplace teambuilding conspiracy (10/20/2017)
This is the first novel I've read by Jane Harper and I enjoyed it. I liked the switching time periods to explain the present time and then flashing back to the actual teambuilding camping excursion. The coworker drama is very realistic - from petty dislikes to hating a …more
I See You
I See You
by Clare Mackintosh
Gripping thriller (12/4/2016)
This is the first novel I've read by Clare Mackintosh, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot is genuinely creepy - women in London are assaulted and killed during their commute, and the police are trying to track down the killer(s). However, it's the family dynamic between …more
Since She Went Away
Since She Went Away
by David Bell
David Bell at his best (7/6/2016)
"Since She Went Away" is another example of David Bell doing what he does best. He can build the tension, lead the reader down the wrong pathway, and give a twist ending as well as any of the masters of psychological thrillers. With a wide variety of unique characters ( …more
All Is Not Forgotten
All Is Not Forgotten
by Wendy Walker
Disturbing Pscyhological Thriller (10/20/2015)
Trigger warning: This novel contains graphic descriptions of rape.

It was difficult for me to get into "All is Not Forgotten" because of the brutal rape scenes. There are multiple storytelling elements going on simultaneously - from alternating narrators that sometimes …more
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs
by Matthew Dicks
Cute novel about friendly revenge (6/1/2015)
I enjoyed "The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs." The story of a woman who stops being a pushover and stands up to her high school bully is an idea that seems appealing to me, and I can only imagine others would love the same opportunity. I liked that the novel wasn't …more
Five
Five
by Ursula Archer
A new voice in mystery (9/24/2014)
Dark and disturbing, "Five" is the first adult novel by Ursula Archer. It mixes traditional police investigations with social technology and a ruthless psychopath. With multi-dimensional characters and a killer leaving chilling clues, it's a page-turner you won't soon …more
Accidents of Marriage
Accidents of Marriage
by Randy Susan Meyers
Strong character-driven story (6/25/2014)
"Accidents of Marriage" is an interesting view at the life of one family. Told from the alternating viewpoints of the wife, husband, and eldest child, the multiple voices worked in showing the situation from different perspectives.I enjoyed the novel, but found it a bit …more
Brutal Youth
Brutal Youth
by Anthony Breznican
For anyone who hated high school! (5/26/2014)
I was pretty blown away by "Brutal Youth," the first novel by Anthony Breznican. Taking place in the early 1990s, it's the story of a year at a Catholic high school. The teachers are no happier to be there than the students, and many people go to great lengths to cover …more
Buying In
Buying In
by Laura Hemphill
Exhilarating ride on Wall Street (11/5/2013)
Debut novelist Laura Hemphill's "Buying In" is a compelling look behind the (fictional) scenes of the crisis on Wall Street. Both timely and intriguing, the novel is not only for readers with background knowledge of the banking industry. Told through alternating viewpoints …more
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