ajnel's reviews
665 reviews

Broiler by Eli Cranor

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Gabriela Menchaca and Edwin Saucedo, are offspring of undocumented immigrants who work at the brutal Detmer Foods chicken processing plant. Mimi and Luke Jackson, are seemingly well-off, with Luke being the plant manager at the very same plant. Their worlds collide when Luke fires Edwin and Edwin kidnaps Mini and Luke's baby.
This Southern Noir novel explores the harsh realities of low-wage labour and the desperation which drives people to commit crimes. Cranor has in his previous two novels distinguished himself as a master of gritty Southern crime writing.  Broiler is no exception, but the heavy focus on Mimi and Gabi sometimes slows the story to an almost stop.  The ending is also a bit too Disney to fit into the rest of the story.  Beautifully and richly written with a True Crime atmosphere, but for this small shortcoming.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The story follows Susan Ryeland, a book editor, who receives the unfinished manuscript of a new novel by her best-selling author, Alan Conway. The embedded narrative, titled Magpie Murders, features Conway's signature detective, Atticus Pünd, investigating a death and a murder in a quaint English village. As Susan delves into the manuscript, she becomes engrossed in the captivating whodunit. However, her excitement is interrupted when she learns of Conway's self-proclaimed suicide. Determined to see the novel published, Susan sets out to uncover the missing chapters and solve the real-life mystery surrounding Conway's demise.
Horowitz masterfully blends a golden age murder mystery with a modern-day setting, creating a suspenseful and very clever read in which the external story more and more starts to mirror the embedded narrative.

The Institution by Helen Sarah Fields

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Dr. Connie Woolwine, is a forensic profiler known for her ability to get inside the minds of criminals. In this story, she goes undercover in a high-security prison hospital for the criminally insane to investigate a murder and a kidnapping. Very quickly Connie realises that all is not as it seems in the Institution and that those in power might be the ones whom she should be investigating.  A fast moving claustrophobic psychological thriller where the reveal is as unpredictable as every other twist and turn. 

A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"A Noise Downstairs", follows Paul Davis, a college professor whose world is turned upside down after witnessing a shocking crime committed by a colleague, which colleague also  voraciously struck him with a spade to the head. As he recovers from the trauma, strange occurrences plague him, including the unsettling sounds of a vintage typewriter typing on its own. With his sanity questioned and a mysterious connection to the typewriter emerging, Paul delves into a nightmarish investigation that blurs the lines between reality and paranoia. An excellent psychological thriller with a very well hidden whodunnit.  Barclay really knows how to mess with your mind. 

Man of Bones: From the author of The Times 'Thriller of the Year' by Ben Creed

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

In the third novel in the series, set in Leningrad in 1953, Senior Militia detective Revol Rossel attends a hit and run where a man and woman were killed.  Shortly thereafter a Cornel from the MGB arrives and instructs the Melitia record the hit and run as an accident, but Rossel soon learns it was no accident and that the deceased holds a huge secret. An extremely well written and detailed historical murder mystery.  Beautifully and brutally descriptive.

Dead Like You by Peter James

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Recently married DS Roy Grace is finally ready to move on from the disappearance of his wife and start a new family in a new house. However, his plans are disrupted when a series of brutal attacks begin resembling a cold case from years ago - the unsolved "Shoe Man" attacks. As more women are assaulted, Grace is forced to confront the past and delves back into the original investigation. The key to catching the current perpetrator might lie in what happened all those years ago. Playing out in two eras, James times the incidents like a time-hpping dance, whilst retaining a eerie atmosphere throughout which carries both the suspense and tempo of the novel.  The whodunnit is also well developed with an unexpected unfold. 

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Will surprises Sara with a secluded mountain honeymoon at the luxurious McAlpine Lodge. However, their romantic getaway takes a dark turn when a violent murder of one of the McAlpines shatters the tranquility. Stranded by a storm and with a cast of suspicious guests and even more suspicious hosts Will and Sara, must navigate a web of secrets and lies to find the killer before another victim dies.  A very dark and disturbing whodunnit, featuring Karen Slaughter's signature visceral style loaded with unexpected twists and turns.  

The Last Lie by Alex Lake

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Claire has a wealthy loving dad and a romantic husband who only has eyes for her.  Her perfect life led her to obsess about the one missing bit, i.e., having a baby, something which has so far proved impossible.  But suddenly Claire learns a fact about her husband which sends her off the edge.  A fast moving psychological whodunnit with some truly unique twists and turns. 

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The novel explores the dark side of filmmaking and the legacy of a mysterious, lost horror film. The story follows the attempted reboot of a notorious cult classic from the 1990s, only three scenes of which were ever released. As the production gears up, strange occurrences begin to plague those involved, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. Tremblay used a central character of the original film as an (almost) extra in the reboot and as such very intentionally jumps between the two time periods through first person storytelling. "Horror Movie" delves deep into the psychological impact on the remainder of the principal cast (and esp the main protagonist) where one of their ilk accidentally dies during filming leading to the canning of the film and protracted court proceedings.  One might add that the plot of the original film would have made a very compelling slasher film.  An excellent read.

Cabin Fever by Alex Dahl

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Alex Dahl is well-known for her slow burn psychological thrillers with detailed character development which slowly leads to a dreaded and futile climax . "Cabin Fever" is a prime example of her style.  A psychologist, Kristina, is married to the incumbent president of Norway.  She is concerned about an author patient or hers, Leah who has gone missing. As such  Kristina fears Leah was murdered by her on-and-off abusive boyfriend and Kristina eventually decides to drive to Leah's cabin. Here she finds herself snowed in, in the midst of her being confronted with a number of horrors.  Unfortunately the novel is just too slow and too predictable to justify the climatic "twists and turns".