Two Reviews of Books You MUST Read!

Greetings! Hope that title managed to grab your attention. I had the pleasure recently of reading two superb novels by blogger buddies - both psychological thrillers, both debuts - and as the authors also happen to be CPs and BFFs, I thought it only fitting to review them together.

First up, it's The Mistaken by Nancy S. Thompson

Blurb:

All Tyler Karras wants is to enjoy life with his expectant bride; what he gets instead is a graveside seat at her funeral. With the woman who killed her uncharged and still free, all Ty wants now is revenge.

His brother, Nick, has dangerous connections and suggests a sadistic plan: grab the woman responsible and hand her over to his associates—sex-traffickers in San Francisco’s Russian Mafia. They offer Ty more than he dreamed possible. In exchange for the woman, they’ll finally let his brother leave the business for good—with his debt wiped clean and his heart still beating.

There’s just one problem: Ty kidnaps the wrong woman.

Now he must protect Hannah Maguire from the very enemy he's unleashed, but the Russians are holding Nick as leverage to force Ty to complete their deal. Caught in a no-win situation, Ty must find a way to save himself, his brother, and the woman, but with the Russian Mafia, even two out of three makes for very long odds.

My review:

A stunning debut novel rich in characterisation and twists and turns, Nancy S. Thompson has really created something special here. She examines the consequences of a man who considers himself good being driven mad by grief and revenge. The events in Tyler Karras' life following his wife's death are like a whirlpool leading him down a path of insane destruction; it might seem over the top in the hands of a lesser author, but Thompson does such a good job you wouldn't believe it was her first book. 

The multiple first person narrative allows us to get up close and personal with the characters' emotions and reactions at each step of the way. Thompson lands them in impossibly dangerous situations, leading you to forge on to discover just how they will get out of them. From a relatively slow start, Thompson builds the momentum until it's impossible to put the book down. If you want gripping action sequences and nailbiting twists, the novel delivers in spades, but it also offers a thoughtful look at what someone can do when they're driven over the edge, and the nature of redemption.

Purchase Links:

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Amazon UK Kindle  Amazon UK Paperback

Author Links:

Blog

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Next up, Finding Claire Fletcher by Lisa Regan

Blurb:

Newly divorced and with his career in jeopardy, Detective Connor Parks takes solace in the arms of a beautiful woman he meets at a bar. The next morning, Claire Fletcher is gone, leaving nothing behind but an address and a decade-old mystery. The address leads to the Fletcher family home where Claire's siblings inform Connor that their fifteen-year-old sister was abducted from a city street ten years ago and is presumed dead. During those ten years, Claire endured the cruel torture and depravity of the man who abducted her. Paralyzed by fear and too ashamed to return to her family, Claire is resigned to her life as Lynn, the identity her abductor forced upon her. Every time she attempts escape or betrays him in the smallest way, someone dies. Even now, her clandestine run-in with Connor Parks may have put his life at risk, as well as the lives of her family. Connor is convinced that not only is Claire Fletcher alive, but that she is also the woman he met at the bar. Driven to see her again, he begins his own investigation, off the clock and without the police department's consent. He is determined to find her and unravel the mystery of her abduction and odd reemergence. But finding Claire Fletcher proves more dangerous than he anticipates. In fact, it may be deadly.

My review:

A first-rate thriller that draws you completely into the tortuous existence led by Claire, held captive by a deranged criminal for ten years. This was a completely absorbing read, told so well by Regan that I felt I was right there watching the action unfold. It is brutal at times, but that would be the reality of such a situation. The book drew me in not only from the premise in the blurb, but the conundrum this presents; if Claire has enough freedom to meet Connor in a bar and go home with him, why does she not simply return to her family? The answers are heartbreaking as they become clear, and Regan does a superb job in analysing her protagonist's psychology as a victim. 

I won't say too much about the plot, so as not to give away any spoilers, but I will say that the relationship between Connor and Claire, ignited on that first night, is the driving force that propels the action forwards and I was really rooting for both of them. Claire's seemingly omnipotent abductor is a horrifying and sinister presence, and my jaw dropped at the revelations that unfolded and the tension that ramps up towards the heart-in-your mouth conclusion. This novel has such strong emotions in it that it's hard to describe, making you palpably feel Claire's sadness, but also the hope that exists in the world. 

I felt at the end that the title had a dual nature; there is the literal search for Claire spearheaded by Connor, but also Claire's search for the girl that she was before her gruesome ordeal. A brilliant and thought-provoking debut.

Purchase Links:

Amazon (Paperback) Barnes & Noble (Paperback) Amazon (e-book) Barnes & Noble (e-book) Author Links: Website Blog Twitter Facebook Goodreads This will most likely be my last post until the A-Z Challenge starts in a week. I'll be around a bit, but I plan to do a bit more editing and reading in that time. Can't wait for next Monday!