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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is so Florida. Billionaire rich lady gets married at 70. Right from the beginning that is sus. Who gets married at 70? Her husband confesses to being a murderer then says she was just drunk. It’s a whole thing. She changes her mind then. It’s disjointed and cooks but at the end it all wraps up rather abruptly. A fun mystery.
3.5 ⭐️
a psychological thriller that follows julie as she tries to piece together whether her mom is the victim of an elaborate crime or suffering from dementia. for the majority of this book the main character is so frustrating and embodies so many of my pet peeves! she makes dumb mistakes, trusts very untrustworthy people, and believes obvious lies. at times it did feel like the author had just learned about gaslighting and decided to write a book around that concept. that being said, it all came together in the end and there some good twists throughout. overall, it was a good thriller and kept me guessing.
cw: suicide
thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my ARC of shell games by bonnie kistler. all opinions are my own.
a psychological thriller that follows julie as she tries to piece together whether her mom is the victim of an elaborate crime or suffering from dementia. for the majority of this book the main character is so frustrating and embodies so many of my pet peeves! she makes dumb mistakes, trusts very untrustworthy people, and believes obvious lies. at times it did feel like the author had just learned about gaslighting and decided to write a book around that concept. that being said, it all came together in the end and there some good twists throughout. overall, it was a good thriller and kept me guessing.
cw: suicide
thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my ARC of shell games by bonnie kistler. all opinions are my own.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Is he a murderer or is she losing her mind?
Julie Hoffman loves her mother Kate, a beautiful force of nature and successful businesswoman who has just reconnected with and married her first love Charlie. Julie is thrilled to see her mother so happy and has become very fond of Charlie, plus she (and her doctor husband Eric) hopes that maybe this new relationship will give Julie a respite from being at her mother's beck and call. The last thing she expects is to get a phone call on behalf of her distraught mother just a few hours after the ceremony. Kate has called the police and accused Charlie of having murdered multiple people years earlier and gotten away with the crime, saying that he just confessed his worst secret to her. Charlie, meanwhile, says he never said it, that perhaps Kate's confused (having had more than a little bit to drink that day). Eric, whose relationship with Kate is rocky on a good day, says that its further proof that Kate's mind is slipping and calls in a neurologist friend for an immediate consult. Is Charlie gaslighting Kate, hoping that he will gain control of the business and money of which he swore he wanted no part? Is Kate displaying signs of Alzheimer's or dementia, her formidable brain that for decades has created deals that amazed the business community letting her down? Julie doesn't want to believe the former, but can't reconcile the latter with the woman she knows. She has always been in her mother's dominating shadow, but as the situation worsens she is going to have to find the strength within herself to sort through the distortions and ulterior motives at play, even from those whom she should be able to trust.
Set amongst the glamorous movers and shakers in the powerful world of Florida property development, where everyone from ambitious politicians to society's elite play angles and have hands about to slip in your pocket, author Bonnie Kistler has dreamed up an interesting premise for this psychological thriller. There are also those whose worries about the devastation to the environment wrought by massive development pitted against those whose only goal is to make the next bigger, more lucrative deal. I wish that the characters had the depth to enhance the plot line, but, must admit that I found Julie a bit too gullible, and couldn't find many characters to whom I could warm up. Julie does grow a backbone eventually, and there are twists right up until the end. It was a quick read and not a horrible one, just not one that stood out for me. Fans of Liv Constantine, Jaime Lyn Hendricks and Alafair Burke might find it appealing, as would those interested in a suspenseful tale set in the world of Florida development. My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for allowing me access to Shell Games in exchange for my honest review.
Julie Hoffman loves her mother Kate, a beautiful force of nature and successful businesswoman who has just reconnected with and married her first love Charlie. Julie is thrilled to see her mother so happy and has become very fond of Charlie, plus she (and her doctor husband Eric) hopes that maybe this new relationship will give Julie a respite from being at her mother's beck and call. The last thing she expects is to get a phone call on behalf of her distraught mother just a few hours after the ceremony. Kate has called the police and accused Charlie of having murdered multiple people years earlier and gotten away with the crime, saying that he just confessed his worst secret to her. Charlie, meanwhile, says he never said it, that perhaps Kate's confused (having had more than a little bit to drink that day). Eric, whose relationship with Kate is rocky on a good day, says that its further proof that Kate's mind is slipping and calls in a neurologist friend for an immediate consult. Is Charlie gaslighting Kate, hoping that he will gain control of the business and money of which he swore he wanted no part? Is Kate displaying signs of Alzheimer's or dementia, her formidable brain that for decades has created deals that amazed the business community letting her down? Julie doesn't want to believe the former, but can't reconcile the latter with the woman she knows. She has always been in her mother's dominating shadow, but as the situation worsens she is going to have to find the strength within herself to sort through the distortions and ulterior motives at play, even from those whom she should be able to trust.
Set amongst the glamorous movers and shakers in the powerful world of Florida property development, where everyone from ambitious politicians to society's elite play angles and have hands about to slip in your pocket, author Bonnie Kistler has dreamed up an interesting premise for this psychological thriller. There are also those whose worries about the devastation to the environment wrought by massive development pitted against those whose only goal is to make the next bigger, more lucrative deal. I wish that the characters had the depth to enhance the plot line, but, must admit that I found Julie a bit too gullible, and couldn't find many characters to whom I could warm up. Julie does grow a backbone eventually, and there are twists right up until the end. It was a quick read and not a horrible one, just not one that stood out for me. Fans of Liv Constantine, Jaime Lyn Hendricks and Alafair Burke might find it appealing, as would those interested in a suspenseful tale set in the world of Florida development. My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for allowing me access to Shell Games in exchange for my honest review.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No