The Light in the Hallway by Amanda Prowse

I chose to read this beautifully written novel a month after I lost my mom to dementia. That's perhaps not the best timing on my part because the book opens with Nick losing his wife to cancer following a long battle with the disease. Prowse deftly maneuvers the emotions of watching someone close to you die: the pain, the grief, the rage and the guilt are written with such expertise as to ensure you'll need a box of tissues near you as you read.

When Kerry dies, Nick is left alone to see their son off to college, a son who refuses at first to acknowledge his mother's death. Soon, though, Olly experiences the entire range of emotions and Nick finds himself comforting a boy who is at odds with himself and his feelings.

The remainder of the book delves into moving on and beginning to find pleasure and happiness again. Nick finds a new friend and has to deal with his sister-in-law's and son's feelings about that. Prowse expertly writes Nick's character as a man who is both sympathetic but firm. I love how he handled all of the issues that were thrown at him.

Interspersed in the modern-day story are tales of Nick, Eric and Alex during the summer of 1992 when the three friends truly became best buds. I loved those stories so much that I found myself eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Prowse tidies things up nicely at the end for us. I'm not always a fan of that, but given the heartwrenching and emotionally draining beginning of the Light in the Hallway, I was happy to see where she went with the final chapter of the book.

Four well-deserved stars to this great read.

Many thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Read this review on Goodreads.

Empty Vessels by Nicholas Williams

3.5 stars rounded down

Empty Vessels is the story of Lucas, his girlfriend, April, and their pal, Scarlet. This YA thriller focuses on the young adults, who work in Lucas' father's biotech firm, which has found a way to produce "vessels" that will eventually serve as bodies for individuals after death. Or not. That part still isn't so clear to me.

This technology is understandably in demand and the thriller part of the story focuses on who is trying to take control of that technology and who stands in their way. Lucas and April find themselves at the center of a weird plot to own the tech and both must try to stay alive long enough to keep the technology out of the hands of those who would manipulate it for their own needs.

The big twist wasn't such a big twist. The second big twist wasn't a big twist either. Subtracted a full star for that. The writing and tech background was top-notch. The ending tidies things up nicely. Overall a good book.

Many thanks to Booksirens for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Read this review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Boy Interrupted by Patrick King

TW: rape, torture, molestation, animal cruelty, gruesome depictions of murder

4.5 stars, rounded up. The more I think about this book, the more intriguing and heartwrenching it becomes to me.

Boy Interrupted is the story of little Kenny Hanson, who at the age of 4 has his innocence shattered in an attack by his own father. He endures this savagery for eight more years until his "sweetness" is gone and daddy doesn't want him anymore.

As happens in some cases of molestation, young Kenny finds an outlet for his pain and rage, and he does so at a young age. Eventually, Kenny is placed in an institution, where it's expected he will live out his life, unable to hurt anyone.

More than 20 years pass and the elder Dr. Hanson continues to practice medicine with his buddies who also took part in his early charades with young Kenny. But bodies start piling up, all doctors, all tortured and killed in horrific ways.

It's up to Susan, Brian, Raif and the rest of the team to find the connection between these men and stop the killer. Coincidentally (or not?!), Susan at one time was a patient of Dr. Hanson. What role this might play, it's up to the reader to discover.

Boy Interrupted had me at the edge of my seat throughout. Although many parts of this book were gruesome, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. Indeed, I found myself seeing life through Kenny's eyes, even if only temporarily, to try to understand some of the things he did.

Each of the characters had great depth and were well written and explored, including Dr. Hanson, who's insanity was hard to fathom, yet written to perfection.

I'm looking forward to more by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

See this review on Goodreads, Amazon, Netgalley or Barnes & Noble.