Book Review: The Chain By Adrian McKinty

 

About

It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. But a cell phone call from an unknown number changes everything: it's a woman on the line, informing her that she has Kylie bound and gagged in her back seat, and the only way Rachel will see her again is to follow her instructions exactly: pay a ransom, and find another child to abduct. This is no ordinary kidnapping: the caller is a mother herself, whose son has been taken, and if Rachel doesn't do as she's told, the boy will die.

"You are not the first. And you will certainly not be the last." Rachel is now part of The Chain, an unending and ingenious scheme that turns victims into criminals—and is making someone else very rich in the process. The rules are simple, the moral challenges impossible; find the money fast, find your victim, and then commit a horrible act you'd have thought yourself incapable of just twenty-four hours ago.

But what the masterminds behind The Chain know is that parents will do anything for their children. It turns out that kidnapping is only the beginning.

My Thoughts

This book was action packed from beginning to end. This is my first time reading this author and it definitely would not be the last.

In 'The Chain' we meet teenager Kylie, daughter of cancer survivor Rachel, who has been kidnapped by an unknown couple. For Kylie to be returned safely Rachel has to first pay the ransom and continue The Chain by kidnapping another child. Left with no choice Rachel, sets down a dangerous path which ended up consuming her.

Haunted by THE CHAIN Rachel did not rest until she figured out who was behind this sinister crime organisation. The results are even more shocking. The background is even more jaw dropping.

I figured out who was behind the chain a little before it was revealed but it didn't make the revelation less impactful I think. This was a very well written book.

Book Review: Death in the Dry River By Lisa Allen-Agostini

About

When Police Constable Johnson "Sonny" Stone stumbles upon a murdered man's corpse in the filthy Dry River on the edge of Port of Spain, Trinidad, he unwittingly opens a case involving calypso, conspiracy and corruption.

It is 1932. African chattel slavery and Indian indentureship are over, but neither has been left behind. British Colonial Port of Spain is a roiling pot of disparate races, classes and the rich take what they want, the gangsters take what they need, and the poor take whatever's left.

Depressed by his wife's leaving him, and suspended from the Constabulary for insubordination, Sonny Stone is drawn into an investigation that searches every corner of the city. His Solve the case no matter where it ends, or who it destroys.

My Thoughts

A short book but very entertaining and well written. In this book we follow Constable Johnson Sonny Stone, a police officer in early 20th century Trinidad, who stumbles upon a dead body in the Dry River which is near his home. There is one thing though Sonny has been suspended for insubordination, however that does not deter his thirst for solving puzzles as he becomes invested to solve this murder mystery.

This novella was very fast paced and I recommend it. What I liked is the history that was interwoven into the story. I wished this could be a series I liked this book a lot.

 

Book Review: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

 

About

Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet.

Lydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee; a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue - in Marilyn's case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James's case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the centre of every party. But Lydia is under pressures that have nothing to do with growing up in 1970s small town Ohio. Her father is an American born of first-generation Chinese immigrants, and his ethnicity, and hers, make them conspicuous in any setting.

When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, James is consumed by guilt and sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to make someone accountable, no matter what the cost. Lydia's older brother, Nathan, is convinced that local bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it's the youngest in the family - Hannah - who observes far more than anyone realises and who may be the only one who knows what really happened.

Everything I Never Told You is a gripping page-turner, about secrets, love, longing, lies and race.

My Thoughts

Lydia is dead!!

Lydia a mixed race teen is found dead and her family is left dealing with a very big loss.

I found this book was well written. It dealt with a lot of different themes such as tragedy, grief, family relationships and regret. James was a Chinese American professor who for all his life has tried to fit into an America that did not see him as an equal. He finds love in the beautiful Marilyn, a young ambitious student, who is determined to not be like her homely mother, She wanted to become a doctor and see the world. As their forbidden romance blossomed, marriage comes and then children, Marilyn soon accepts her fate is to be a wife and mother of her three kids Nath, Lydia and Hannah.

Somehow in Lydia both James and Marilyn sees a fresh start. In Lydia, they see opportunities that they didn't have. This put immense pressure on Lydia to excel at friendships and academics. Meanwhile the other two children Nath and Hannah the youngest, were almost invisible to their parents. When Lydia died in a suspected suicide the family members all dealt with the grief in different ways....the question is did they survive??

I think this is an important book.... Very good with a lot of lessons and jaw dropping moments.

Bool Review: The Housemaid's Secret by Freida Mc Fadden

 

ABOUT

As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can't risk losing this job – not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe . . .

It's hard to find an employer who doesn't ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It's almost perfect. But I still haven't met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I'm sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I'm doing laundry. And one day I can't help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything...

That's when I make a promise. After all, I've done this before. I can protect Mrs. Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It's simply a question of how far I'm willing to go...

My Thoughts

FMF does it again in the sequel to the very popular Housemaid.

Millie is at a place in her life where she is settle. She has a stable boyfriend Brock and is studying. When she lands a job with the very rich Douglas Garrick, there is no way she will turn it down. As usual trouble seems to follow Millie, as she realises there is something terribly wrong in the Garrick household especially with Mrs. Wendy Garrick who is locked up daily in her room.

Millie intent, to find out what's wrong gets herself once again in a situation that could cost her everything as it could lead her to prison. Her estranged ex Enzo is back and together they embark on yet another dangerous adventure.

This was very entertaining and of course what I like best are the unexpected twists that come at the very end.

Book Review: Through the Storm (Le Veq Family #1) by Beverly Jenkins

 

ABOUT:

Married For Money

Raimond Le Veq needed to marry to gain his inheritance and restore the fortunes of the House of Le Veq, the proud Black New Orleans family whose wealth had been ravaged by the War Between the States. Still wounded by the double-cross of the only woman he ever came close to loving, he gave the choice of bride to his mother. But he never be expected that she would pick Sable Fontaine--the beautiful former slave he could not allow himself to trust again.

Freed By Passion

Betrayed and sold to a cruel neighbor, Sable did whatever it took escape. With the spirits of her royal African ancestors guiding her, she made a bold bid for freedom, and won. But along the way she had to hurt the charming Union Major Le Veq, who had romanced her and championed her. Now fate has brought them back together in a marriage of convenience. Can she convince Raimond she was never a Rebel spy, and that this time, she'd choose him above all else?

My Thoughts

This is the first book of the Le Veq series. and it follows Raimond and Sable

Sable is a character that I met in Rebel and Forbidden. It was nice reading about her story, from being a slave to the wife of Raimond Le Veq. As usual the book gave a very indepth account of the period of the end of slavery in America and the Civil War. I love how BJ in her books create hope and love among her characters in spite of the hardships of the times.

Great book as usual. Every book I have read from this author I loved them all.

Book Review: The Tenant by Freida Mc Fadden

 

There’s no place like home…

Blake Porter is riding high, until he's not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancee, he's desperate to make ends meet.

Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She's exactly what Blake's looking for. Or is she?

Because something isn't quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets...

Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realizes it, it'll be far too late. The trap is already set.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden knocks at your door with a gripping story of revenge, privilege, and secrets turned sour…

My Thoughts

I have been looking forward to reading The Tenant since it came out and I can say that yet again I was not disappointed. What I appreciate about FMF books are the fact that they are fast paced and they keep you reading until the very end.

When Blake gets fired from his dream job as VP in a big company, he and his fiancé Krista decide to take in a tenant to assist with finances. After many failed interviews in walks Whitney, a young woman who they assumed would be the perfect tenant.

When Whitney moves in, things start to get strange in the apartment. Blake immediately becomes suspicious but what he discovers would leave him shook.

This book kept me on my toes to the very end and again I was not disappointed.