ajnel's reviews
665 reviews

The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When doctor Nora Davis was 11 years old, she sent her serial killer father to jail.  Now 30 years later, a copycat murderer started killing her patients and everything points to her.  As always McFadden provides us with a fast-paced psychological thriller with loads of twists and turns. The reveal is a bit disconnected and far-fetched, but overall the novel is enjoyable enough. 3.5/5

The Devil Wears Scrubs by Freida McFadden

emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.0

Intern MD, Jane McGill, has to deal with sleepless nights on call, battling wits with the sadistic yet charming Sexy Surgeon, and surviving her senior resident, Dr. Alyssa Morgan, who is hell-bent on making Jane pay tenfold for the deadly sin of incompetence. Somewhat funny and romantic but mainly a short manual on first-year internship terminology and practices.  

The Guests by Agnes Ravatn

dark emotional funny 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

Karin and Ingve, are offered a luxury coastal home for a week.  Once there they lead on that they own the said home, which in turn leads to them learning more than they intended from one of the other home-owner couples. Karin's growing anxieties highlight how isolation magnifies internal anxieties and self-doubts within a relationship. Not strictly a crime thriller but a razor sharp psychological thriller which focuses on the minutiae.  Very engaging and entertaining.

The Dancer by Óskar Guðmundsson

dark emotional sad 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

4.0

A very dark and atmospheric Nordic psychological noir set in Reykjavik, where a poor teenage male ballet dancer reaches a psychological break point after years of abuse by his alcoholic mother and a school bully. Very well written, especially as it is written from a first person antagonist perspective. 

Never Lie 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

5.0

Tricia and Ethan are on the hunt for their dream home but get snowed in at a large manor house  that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a respected psychiatrist who disappeared mysteriously some years earlier. Tricia discovers a hidden room in the house, with all Hale's consultation audio transcripts. This inspires Tricia to find what happened to Hale.  But, is that all which she will discover?  A fast paced atmospheric psychological thriller with loads of unexpected twists and turns.  The breadcrumbs are there but the reader really needs to keep up with his or her deductions .  Masterfully written.

The Silenced by Anders de la Motte

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A totally disfigured body leads detective Julia Gabrielsson on a hunt to discover its identity. As Julia's investigation progresses, a  web of power struggles, secrets, and hidden agendas begins to unravel; while those at risk will stop at nothing to stay in control. A very dark crime and political thriller which delves deep into the grey areas of human nature.  Fast paced and morbid at times, with a plethora of twists and turns.  A worthy second act to the equally brilliant "MemoRandum". 

Do You Remember? by Freida McFadden

dark 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

5.0

Tess wakes up each day with no memory of the past seven years. Her only guide is a letter she wrote to herself during a possible moment of clarity. But something feels dangerously wrong, especially when she discovers notes she writes to herself on her thighs.  McFadden gives us the psychological thriller version of "50 First Dates".  Unpredictable, infuriating and impossible to put down.  McFadden at her best. 

Memorandom: A Thriller by Anders de la Motte

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

Police officer, David Sarac, wakes up in hospital after a car crash with severe amnesia, brought on by a seizure he suffered. The only clue he remembers is a name... "Janus"; someone who seems to hold the answers about his actions.
He becomes a target of various underworld and even police forces, who are determined to find Janus before he does.  A fast-paced suspense thriller with more twists and turns than a Swedish country road.

City on Fire by Graham Bartlett

dark emotional tense fast-paced

4.0

An action-packed crime thriller, which explores the chaos which ensues when the criminal element slowly and thoroughly psychologically attacks the individuals who make up a city's police department.  Fast paced and utterly enjoyable.

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French

dark emotional mysterious

• 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

Charlotte Salter vanishes on the night of her husband 50th birthday party.  While he is utterly unconcerned, Charlotte's four children know that something is terribly wrong.  Shortly after the disappearance the body of a family friend is found, binding the children of two families in a 30 year uncertainty as to what happened to their respective parents.  However a podcast intended to be a cathartic process leads to unexpected answers.  The husband and wife team of Nicci French gifts us with a dark, emotional and oppressive novel, which stays a mystery till the very end.