ajnel's reviews
665 reviews

Game by Anders de la Motte

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

"Game", is the first book in a trilogy. The protagonist, Henrik "HP" Pettersson, an unemployed 31 year old, with a taste for excitement and gambling,  finds himself drawn into a mysterious game. The game starts with seemingly simple tasks, but quickly escalates into risky missions that transform HP's ordinary life. As HP progresses, he must decide whether the thrill and rewards are worth the increasingly dangerous situations he finds himself in. A fast-paced mystery thriller exploring an underworld which ostensibly ties into all aspects of human endeavour.  The novel overflows with unique and unpredictable twists and turns making it a true modern adventure.

Bridge by Lauren Beukes

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.0

A science fiction thriller that follows Bridge, a young woman grappling with the recent death of her neuroscientist mother. The novel takes a turn when Bridge discovers evidence that suggests her mother might still be alive, but in an alternate reality. This discovery leads Bridge on a quest across alternate realities, where she encounters different versions of herself and her mother.  As Bridge searches for Jo, she uncovers a dangerous secret about a mysterious creature called the Dreamworm; the enabler to traveling between realities. There are however others who are also hunting for the Dreamworm. The race to find the Dreamworm puts Bridge in mortal danger.  Beukes has a talent for creating a science fiction environment / world which feels natural, familiar and very realistic.  A page-turner with a plethora of twists and turns.  A must for all science fiction fans. 

The Last Word by Elly Griffiths

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

"The Last Word" is the fourth novel in the Detective Harbinder series.  The novel however focuses on the private detective duo of Natalka and Edwin. The daughters of a deceased romance novelist believe their mother was poisoned by her husband. Edwin, with his fondness for obituaries, discovers a connection between the writer's death and the obituary writer who also unexpectedly died, not long before. This connection leads them to a writer's retreat with a sinister atmosphere where a third writer dies. Like the Ruth series, one gets the impression that Griffiths is under extremely truncated delivery deadlines.  The focus of both series has almost exclusively shifted to character development and the actual whodunnits are pretty run-of-the-mill and almost feels like an afterthought.  These later novels, though competently written, just do not live up to Griffiths immense ability to author complicated and original whodunnits.

The Heart Keeper by Alex Dahl

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

A psychological suspense novel that explores the loss by a mother of a young daughter, whose heart in turn provided the only way of survival for someone else's daughter of a similar age.  Grief can be so powerful that a mother can start to belief that the heart carries the essence of her daughter.  Though it is a slow burn, with a focus over developing the relevant psychological conditions, this novel never loses its 'edge'.  Thoroughly engaging. 

The Inmate by Freida McFadden

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

"The Inmate", is a psychological thriller, in which nurse Brooke Sullivan, moves back to a small town where she was almost murdered by her  (consequently  incarcerated) ex-boyfriend.  As luck would have it, the only employment opportunity  in said town was at the prison where said ex-boyfriend is incarcerated.  Brooke also slowly start to become romantically involved with her old neighbour and then best friend.  Through Brook's interaction with both men, she starts to doubt if she sent the right man to prison.  A fast-paced and dark novella, which delves deep into the capacity of the human mind to create a coping-mechanism narrative.  There are more than enough twists and turns and the reveal is well supported by breadcrumbs throughout the novella.

Ward D by Freida McFadden

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A medical student, Amy Brenner,  is dreading her mandatory overnight shift on the hospital's locked psychiatric ward, especially as she has a dark secret connected to the ward. As the night progresses, her paranoia escalates as things in the ward are either very strange or she is going totally crazy.  A fast-paced psychological thriller.  Unfortunately, there are only a very limited number of potential reveals the setting of a locked psychiatric ward can lead to.  This despite McFadden kept us pivoting between the two possibilities almost up to the very end.  Very decent! 

The Kitchen by Simone Buchholz

dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

A series of murders occur in Hamburg, where the victims are men with histories of violence towards women. Prosecutor Chastity Riley slowly descends into a moral grey area between justice and vengeance.  Buchholz's signature dark, macabre, melancholic and witty style, shines through each word in this crime noir novella.

After She'd Gone by Alex Dahl

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? No

5.0

Liv  is a single mother in Norway who is suddenly kidnapped. Anastasia is a fashion young model from Russia and she and Giorgio, an aristocrat and extremely wealthy Italian owner of a large model agency, falls instantly in love. Selma is an Oslo-based investigative journalist determined to expose the dark secrets behind the modeling industry.   Three point of view stories which are bound to intertwine.  A dark psychological thriller with some of the best placed breadcrumbs I've read in a while. Extremely well written and thoroughly engaging. 

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Did the comatose Caitlin jump or was she pushed. Meghan Michaels, an ICU nurse and single mom gets pulled into a web of strange events around Caitlin.  A psychological thriller with loads of twists and turns, some more believable than others.  Not really a page turner and every twist is more of a let down than what it builds up to.  Way too unbelievable and long-winded.

One By One by Freida McFadden

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

Claire Matchett is heading out on a week long mountain getaway with her estranged husband, her lover, his wife, her best friend and the best friend's new boyfriend.  Then the mini van breaks down close to the retreat and the group becomes lost in the woods. One by one death comes knocking.  A decent psychological thriller with some cool twists and turns.  The reveal is a bit of a McFadden recipe and if you read enough of her books pretty predictable.  3/5