ginasbookreport

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc; first published by Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Mystery / Thriller Read This If You Love:  Fans of Rachel Hawkins “ Pericolo …” When Millie applies to be the housemaid for the Winchesters, she didn’t think she would be hired. She has a past and a steady job, a place to live, and not having to eat sandwiches in her car for every meal seems like a dream. When Nina Winchester hires her, she quickly learns that keeping house for Nina is more than a challenge. Nina is erratic and, some say, a lunatic. Millie does her best to please her and her drop-dead gorgeous husband. What could go wrong? Or, maybe, what has already gone wrong? The Housemaid  takes off like a speeding train and doesn’t let up until the last page. Somewhat predictable? Maybe. A fast read that’s perfect for mystery fans wanting some easy summer reading. Definite

The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan Publisher: William Morrow Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Literature Read This If You Love: Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising   “ It struck me as odd that someone who could claim knowledge of a god could hate someone so forcefully.” Cassidy Holmes struck it big as a member of the 90s girl group Gloss. Fifteen years later, she has committed suicide and her former band mates are left analyzing their past and all the steps that lead Cassidy down a dark road. Cassidy, through her own voice and version of the past, also steps through what it was like for her to want, need, achieve, be adored, but always feel alone.  While many will want to compare The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes  to Daisy Jones and the Six , I actually felt like it was more reminiscent of Reid’s Malibu Rising . There have been a run of oral histories of fictional bands. Unraveling is a narrative with time jumps and different points of view. While it covers a

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda Publisher:  Marysue Rucci Books Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Mystery / Thriller Read This If You Love:  The Last Guest House “This yearly trip wasn’t helping anyone. This promise. We had been too young when we’d agreed to come together for the anniversary, as a way to keep one another safe.” The survivors of a tragic incident are grown up now, but they still struggle with the events of the night their world’s were torn apart. When dealing with the past leads one member of the group to her death, the remaining survivors agree to gather once a year at The Shallows to check in on one another and support each other through the anniversary. This year, things feel different…mysterious…like everyone is hiding something deeper. Why can’t they all piece together what happened the night of the incident? What if they did? What would the full truth be? To be honest, The Only Survivors was on track to be a 3-star book for me until I hit about page 17

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn Publisher:  Berkley Press Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Mystery / Thriller Read This If You Love:  Fans of Richard Osman’s  The Thursday Murder Club  series / fans of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series “Shouldn’t you be twirling your mustache when you say s@*t like?” Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie are four older women on their way to retirement from The Museum. But these are no ordinary retirees…they have made a living as assassins and now someone is out to permanently retire them! Using their training and years of experience, the ladies lean on the way society treats and sees women over a certain age in order to escape to safety. Who is trying to kill them and why? Will they figure it out and take out their own assassins before death finds them?  While the characters were not spies, Killers of a Certain Age  reads like a spy thriller to me, sprinkled with lots of humor and laugh out loud moments. This book felt like a n

The Trade Off by Sandie Jones Publisher: Minotaur Books an imprint of St. Martin’s Press Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Mystery  Read This If You Love: Fans of Sandie Jones / What the Neighbors Saw / The Block Party “People’s lives are being used for clickbait.” The Trade Off  is set in the cutthroat world of UK tabloid journalism where you do anything to get the story…even if that means creating the story. Stella is hell-bent on getting the top job at The Globe  and isn’t afraid to practice a little trade off to get subjects to give her the interviews she wants. Jess is new to the tabloid world and has her efforts set on changing the practices for more ethical reporting. The two women are on a collision course of disaster and not everyone will make it out alive.  I really enjoyed that this book had more meat and depth to the story than Jones’s previous books. The Trade Off  felt extra developed with an expansive storyline that is relevant to our own tabloid media world. It’s

North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan Publisher: Minotaur Books an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Crime Read This If You Love: Fans of Harlan Coben “I loved you, Tony. You were my brother in all but blood. And you took my children. Stole them from me. I’ll never forgive you.” Tony Reed is on the run with his two kids, Kristen and Ryan. The problem? They aren’t his kids and their family wants them back—a family that is willing to kill to get what they want. North of Nowhere is packed full of action, violence, crime, and corruption. It is also set in atmospheric Montana and that plays as big of a role as any character in the novel. From the get, this novel hits the ground running. It is an action packed and edge of your seat thriller, but not what I would call a traditional mystery—more crime thriller. There were times where I screamed and threw up my hands in a “Oh, come on!” exclamation and then the next minute I was

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Mystery / Thriller Read This If You Love:  The Night Swim / podcasts “The scariest monster is the one that hides in plain sight.” Rachel Krall is back for another season of her podcast! Dark Corners is the follow up to The Night Swim . (You can read it as a standalone novel, but the previous book is well worth a read.) This time around, Rachel is called in when a suspected serial killer is about to be released from prison. Everything from there snowballs into an enjoyable thrill ride. Told through traditional narrative and podcast episodes, this is a great read for those who binge listen to true crime and wrongful conviction podcasts. Also a great book for readers who like to slowly piece together a mystery.  I found the overall mystery to be interesting, even if a little predictable. Additionally, the influencer angle to the story and the commentary it conveyed about our social media

The Family Plot by Megan Collins Publisher:  Atria Books an imprint of Simon & Schuster Inc. Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Mystery / Thriller Read This If You Love:  The Winter Sister / Listeners of My Favorite Murder “…we can’t restore your life, but we strive to restore your memory with this breath—“ The Lighthouse family lives on Blackburn Island in the “murder mansion.” They are an unusual family who are obsessed with murder. The homeschooling agenda for the four children (Charlie, Tate, Dahlia, and Andy—-all named after murder victims) included Honorings for the dead and reports on well-known cases. As if the islanders weren’t already put off by the families mysterious ways, there is also the Blackburn Killer who has been killing women for decades. Dahlia Lighthouse is coming back home to bury her father and see her remaining family. Will her twin Andy show up? She hasn’t seen him since he left on their 16th birthday and she has spent her entire adult life searchin

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen, Narrated by Kate Mara Publisher:  St. Martins Press and Macmillan Audio Ginasbookreport Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre:  Mystery / Thriller Read This If You Loved:  Dark Corners by Megan Goldin “I am and will always be a mother.” Ruth and her daughter Catherine have always had an incredibly tight bond…Ruth has made sure of it. So when Catherine is preparing to break out on her own, Ruth will do anything she needs to keep her daughter by her side. After all she’s done thus far, what would be off limits? Catherine starts to become suspicious that her mother’s health isn’t as clear cut as she first thought. Why aren’t the connective threads of her memory and life adding up? Secrets, lies, and deception abound…does Catherine really even know her mother? This is a novel full of action and deception and Kate Mara does a brilliant job as the audiobook narrator. I couldn’t turn it off, even when I went out to run errands. I just HAD to find out what happened next. A g