Flowers for the Dead by C.K. Williams

4.5 stars rounded up
TW: rape, suicide

This was an exhilarating read, everything I would hope for in a psychological thriller. It is the story of Linn, who as a 17-year-old was brutally raped. Nineteen years later and forever traumatized by what she can and cannot remember about that night, Linn decides to revisit the past and finally find some answers.

Williams deftly takes us deep into Linn's past and her friendships with Anna and Teo, and Jacob, whom she dated briefly. Minor troublemakers, as kids Linn, Anna and Teo played ding dong ditch throughout the town and had a very specific way of signaling each other through a three-count tapping or doorbell ring. This plays heavily throughout Flowers for the Dead, for while Linn investigates her past and that night, someone torments her with those same doorbell rings in the dead of the night.

I loved the character development in this story. Williams did a wonderful job of digging deep into Linn's trauma and reminding readers that unless you have experienced it, it's difficult to understand the reasoning behind some of the actions victims take (for example, and this is no spoiler, Linn chooses to stay in the house where the attack happened, despite there being no cell service).

I took off half a star because I knew the "whodunnit" about a quarter of the way through the book. Also, I wasn't crazy about the shift in narrators, particularly in the last quarter of the book. Despite those minor annoyances, Flowers for the Dead is a worthy thriller. I look forward to more by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Flowers for the Dead is scheduled to publish March 30, 2020. Find this book here. See this review on Goodreads.

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison

From the publisher:
J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new psychological thriller examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to in order to protect their secrets.

Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond.

But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder.

When a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

Don’t miss this fast-paced suspense story from New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Long books usually intimidate me. This one didn't ... Primarily because of the author's provocative prologue and opening chapters. She had me, hook, line and sinker.

I liked Ash, mostly, but every other student? Detestable, and that's putting it lightly. But that's what was so great about this novel. Ellison took what we know about private boarding schools, bullies and spoiled rich kids and made this story just shine.

There were a few twists and turns that you couldn't possibly see coming, so anything you think may be true could just as easily be false. And I savor that kind of writing.

And it is great writing, to be sure. I nicked half a star because I had to look up so many words. It seemed to me she used million-dollar words far too often. And, I'll admit, it was longer than I would have liked, but the extra scenes added to the story.

I enjoyed the epilogue. You may not, but I found it fitting.
Find this book here.

Good Talk by Mira Jacob

From the publisher: Mira Jacob's touching, often humorous, and utterly unique graphic memoir takes readers on her journey as a first-generation American. At an increasingly fraught time for immigrants and their families, Good Talk delves into the difficult conversations about race, sex, love, and family that seem to be unavoidable these days.

Inspired by her popular BuzzFeed piece "37 Difficult Questions from My Mixed-Raced Son," here are Jacob's responses to her six-year-old, Zakir, who asks if the new president hates brown boys like him; uncomfortable relationship advice from her parents, who came to the United States from India one month into their arranged marriage; and the imaginary therapy sessions she has with celebrities from Bill Murray to Madonna. Jacob also investigates her own past, from her memories of being the only non-white fifth grader to win a Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest to how it felt to be a brown-skinned New Yorker on 9/11. As earnest and moving as they are sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, these are the stories that have formed one American life.

I have to say, I couldn't put it down. I wasn't sure how I would like a graphic novel, although I had read a shorter one before. Turns out, I'm a huge fan! Or maybe it was just such a great book that I wasn't bothered by the art (nah, I loved the art!).

I was so intrigued by Mira's life (she's too dark, what??), particularly the interactions with her mother- and father-in-law during the 2016 election. And while I loved the Mira/Jed interactions, it was her conversations with Z that really grabbed me. I want to meet this kid!

I was so enthralled with this memoir that I sat and read it in two hours. Think I'll pick it back up and go through it for the art this time. You can pick up this book here.

side note - I had the good fortune of meeting and chatting with Ms. Jacob last year and I just loved her. She'd make a great dinner guest!

King Clown by Mark Lages

King Clown is the story of Adam Stern, a middle-aged man dealing with pneumonia and his father's death. A recovering alcoholic, Adam, while hospitalized, has vivid dreams in which past and present collide in some interesting and amusing ways.

When our protagonist's father dies, he leaves Adam a box with a handful of strange, and unrelated items, including a poem that references a "King Clown." With no idea who or what this king clown is or its relation to him, Adam spends his time in the hospital attempting to figure out why this poem was left for him.

This is my second Mark Lages book and his writing style is consistent throughout. He writes conversationally and the book is riddled with personal stories designed to further character development, which he does well.

If you're looking for a thrill ride, this isn't your book. But if you want a slow burn with interesting, fun and sometimes heart wrenching background stories, King Clown might be for you. I find myself reflecting on his books and realizing I enjoyed them, but sometimes become restless while reading. I think I'd rather sit down and chat with Lages face-to-face to hear his many wonderful stories (although he's told me he writes better than he converses-ha!).

Many thanks to the author for the book in exchange for an honest review.
See this review on Goodreads. Buy this book here.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

4.5 stars rounded up

Let me start by saying that in my book, Margaret Atwood can do no wrong. I've been a fan for decades, and that's not going to change anytime soon. I tend to love everything she puts her name to.

That said, there are a few problems with the Testaments. Others have said because of two of the three narrators, this book reads like a YA dystopian novel. I get that. And for that reason, this book doesn't have the heft that the Handmaid's Tale had.

We already know that Gilead is an abominable place to live, with a theocratic, misogynistic regime. So Atwood could either choose to further that story or take us into the future, to the end of the story, if you will. She chose the latter. And the story has a satisfying end, although I think I would have enjoyed learning more about how the men in power may have met their demise.

I think this series needs two more books. I'd like to read the story of how Gilead was formed. We get a bit of that in the TV show but aren't privy to it in the books.

I'd also like a book to bridge the gap between the Handmaid's Tale and the Testaments. Fifteen years have passed since "Baby Nicole" was smuggled from Gilead. I need to know what has happened since that time. You don't get many answers to that in this book.

I loved the Testaments, but others may be disappointed because it doesn't read like its predecessor. My only hope is that there is more to come.

See review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman

Still not sure if this is a three-star or four-star book. The premise threw me off and was hard to get beyond. I'll be back with a full review.

Full review:

Three and a half stars, rounded down.

The writing in this book is fantastic, and for that reason alone it deserves three stars. It's the story that threw me for a loop because honestly, it's a subject that I really don't care for. I know there are a lot of people who have "relaxed" marriages or relaxed rules about marriage but that's just not my deal and I have a hard time sympathizing with couples who have problems following that decision.

The characters were well developed and likable even, though I absolutely found myself liking Mitch more than his wife, Jessica. And there wasn't a lot to like in the other characters, honestly, because they played such a small role, other than to refer to them as the "Core Four" more than once, which grated on my nerves.

And that bartender? OMG are you kidding? His whole story was absolutely unbelievable. You'll need some suspension of disbelief on this guy for sure. (The end of this book was absolutely absurd...every single bit of it, and it lost a star for that.)

All in all a decent read. If you like chick lit and/or you don't mind reading about open marriages, you'll probably love this. It just wasn't for me so much.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Killing the Girl by Elizabeth Hill

From the publisher: A perfect life, a perfect love – and a perfect murder.

For over forty years Carol Cage has been living as a recluse in her mansion, Oaktree House. Fear is her constant companion. She’s been keeping a secret – and it’s about to be unearthed.

When she receives a compulsory purchase order for her home, she knows that everyone is going to find out what she did to survive her darkest weeks in 1970. She writes her confession so that we can understand what happened because she wasn’t the only one living a lie. The events that turned her fairy-tale life into a living hell were not all they seemed.

She’s determined not to pay for the mistakes of others; if she has to face justice, then they will too.

Carol Cage has a terrible secret … and she’s about to exact retribution on everyone who had abandoned her.

My review:

"Maybe we all need an unattainable lover to keep us tortured but alive."

This is the story of Carol (the girl), a naive teenager who in 1970 falls in love for the first time with an older playboy. Obsessed with Frankie, Carol goes out of her way to impress him and show him she's worthy of his love. Even after she learns of his reprehensible behavior, Carol willingly remains in Frankie's clutches. That bodes well for Frankie, for a time, because what's most important to him is money, and with Carol by his side, he can weasel his way into her newfound inheritance.

Forty years later, Carol tells her story in the form of a diary, a confession she expects to be read when her home is torn down to make way for new roads. When Oaktree House comes down, so too will Carol's decades-long charade.

Killing the Girl is about lies and their consequences. It is about deep, dark secrets, murder and coverups, family and the relationships that feel like family. It is about defining happiness when we have no idea what is most important in life.

With a small-town backdrop and rich, fully-developed characters, Elizabeth Hill weaves a tale that is impossible to stop thinking about long after the story is done. Five well-deserved stars for Killing the Girl.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and BookSirens for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.


Killing the Girl by Elizabeth Hill was published April 14, 2019. Available here.