The Couple Next Door

Right away we are introduced to Marco and Anne - a young couple out for dinner at their neighbor's house. It is a little boring with the expected cliches - until they return home that is. They come home to find the unthinkable has happened. Their baby is missing.

A painful period begins for the parents while the search for the baby starts. With no leads, no clues and no evidence, suspicion begins to fall on the parents. How will it end for Marco and Anne? Can they really be guilty of kidnapping their own baby? The detective isn't sure. With so many secrets lurking beneath the surface, it'll take a lot of digging before the truth is revealed.

The Couple Next Door takes you on a ride that isn't worth taking. Aside from the depiction of the pain and horror the parents go through, nothing else made an impact. The detective makes cryptic statements about suspecting one person and then the next but we never really see his thought process or how he came to that conclusion. 

Then there was that ending - if we can even call it that. It felt like another story at the end. One we didn't expect or even want. Without it, I would have counted this as an average book, with average characters, and a semi-interesting plot - with it, I can't help but feel the author didn't know what she was doing....

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

We know what will happen. The protagonist knows what will happen - the problem is how to stop it.

Aiden Bishop is tasked with a seemingly simple objective - he must stop the murder of Evelyn at the end of the day, or else the day will restart and he will be in another guest's body. He has only so many attempts before he is stripped of his memories and the whole process restarts. Will he be able to solve the mystery in time? Is all what it seems? Who are the hosts whose bodies he inhabits? Can he solve the riddle before he himself is in danger? The novels pulls us through various perspectives, repeating the day over and over again and yet flawlessly aligning events so that the picture becomes clearer with each passing host. Not so clear however, that we are ready for the ingenious twist at the end.

Will we discover who Aiden Bishop is? That's what kept me hooked to the novel until the end. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a novel that reminds me somewhat of Agatha Christie. The setting of Blackheath is familiar, but we have here something more than simply a mystery that must be solved. Aiden Bishop must solve the enigma of the murder, and we must solve the enigma that is Blackheath.

The Wife Between Us

This book was oh, so good. I've been a mystery fan for years (my obsession with Agatha Christie is obvious if you search my blog!), but I have never read any contemporary mystery novels. I didn't think I would enjoy this, but I was so wrong!

The Wife Between Us leads you on a journey that leaves you amazed, intrigued and amazed again. I didn't know what was happening and before I knew it, I understood it all. The story revolves around two women: Nellie and Vanessa, both entangled in the life of Richard, a handsome and successful man who deeply cares about his wife. Little by little, we begin to see glimpses of their lives, like little puzzle pieces that should fit together, yet don't seem to.

We are first introduced to Nellie - the 'other woman'. She seems to be a young, and slightly naive girl who's been swept off her feet by the much older and stable Richard. He has fallen in love and when he loves someone, there's nothing he won't do.

Next we have Vanessa - the wife. An unstable alcoholic who has ruined Richard's life. Her antics and uncontrollable behavior have cost her her marriage.

Prepare to be blown away!