Wraith by Mark Wheaton

 

Cecily Underwood and her mother never stayed in one place for too long and avoided large crowds since they left France.

After her mother died under tragic circumstances, she

inherited a fortune from her great-grandmother who is dying to see her for the last time. Unfortunately, Marguerite LeClercq had been found dead an apparent suicide.

Though they were long estranged, Cecily believes the wraith has something to do with it. She knew the tragedies that had befallen her family had lived on in the form of a curse and carried it down through the centuries. 

About half the story, I felt a little disoriented, but it fits in Cecily's current state of mind. She hadn't known her family history and the curse capable of making everyone suffer. This is a story of unsettling revenge in a slow-burn horror that sends chills down your spine. I give 4 ⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

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#donereading #wraith by #markwheaton #igreads #igbooks #bookstagram #goodreads #emabaca #bookrecommendations #bookreview #malaysiamembaca 

Penance by Eliza Clark

 

A teenager, Joan Wilson was murdered by three girls who set fire to a small beach chalet in 2016. Hours earlier, Joan was struck by them and locked in the chalet. The burns covered 80% of her body and she died after three days of the ordeal. Several years later, a journalist, Alec Z. Carelli wrote a book about emotional insight before the murder. 

This is a work of fiction but based on actual events with some adding for dramatic purposes. It drove my mind. A lot of complicated feelings for such a young girl to carry. The most common problems of teenagers are peer pressure, growing up too fast, and identity crises. Personally, I don't require trigger warnings for myself 😅😅. But please be warned. This book heavily contains bullies, torturers, violence, weak-minded, grief, manipulation, homophobia, suicide, attention-seeker, fandom of true crime, and delusion - to name some of them. 

The story delves into the psychology of the characters and their motivations including the pov of the victim's mother, the perpetrators and their parents, teachers n friends. Eliza Clark does a really good job of depicting the narrative of a twisted yet driven murderer. Unlike many other crimes, a prank gone wrong appear to be senseless, right? Despite the display of a realistic depiction, it's not normal behaviour to kill someone for no reason. I thought the details could be worse irl. 5 ⭐️ 

Thanks to @times.reads and @putrifariza for the review copy. Opinions are my own 💙 

*Available at all major bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia and their online stores

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#donereading #Penance by #elizaclark #igreads #igbooks #emabaca #goodreads #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreview #grantabestyoungnovelist #malaysiamembaca

Silence For The Dead by simone St. James

 

The Gersbach family built a home, Portis House. During WWI, they disappeared and the house is being used as an asylum. It's an exclusive retreat of peace and solace with proper care for soldiers who became unstable. They are treated with rest, quiet surroundings, and routine. 

Portis House had advertising for nurses and Katharine Weekes was accepted to perform the duties of a nurse although she lacked experience. 

The patients are having strange nightmares. The dream is always the same tale about ghosts.  Something was going on outside of normal rationality. Kitty is convinced there's a secret that someone's keeping and she has to find out. 

Silence For The Dead is originally published in April 2014. The combination of post-war and gothic is so compelling. It is my first time reading a Simone St. James novel and I don't really read the reviews/synopsis beforehand, so I love the feeling that still lingered in me. Please beware that this book may contain material on child abuse, PTSD, bullying, suicide and war veteran and their mental distress. Def 5 ⭐️ 

Thanks to @times.reads and @putrifariza for the review copy. Opinions are my own 💙 

*Available at all major bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia and their online stores

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#donereading #SilenceForTheDead by #SimoneStJames #igbooks #igreads #bookstagram #goodreads #emabaca #bookrecommendations #bookreview #gothic #malaysiamembaca

Prom Mom by Laura Lippman

 

Amber Glass was sixteen years old when she delivered a baby on a prom night. The baby died and she accepted a plea deal in a juvenile facility until she was eighteen.

She returned to her hometown twenty years later, where she 

ran across Joe Simpson, her prom date. They had become friends, and she had fallen for him. Again

Joe Simpson is a successful businessman who is happily 

married (or so he believes). Despite his explanations and unwavering ambition, he has 

never changed. It is set in COVID times. The pandemic had made people claustrophobic and affected their lives.

This story started a bit slow as we get to know these characters and their backstories. I realized the low-scoring reviews and classified it as an unconventional thriller. The book undeniably hooked me with an unexpected ending. 5 ⭐️ for me.


Thanks to @times.reads and @putrifariza for the review copy. Opinions are my own 💙

*Available at all major bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia and their online stores.

The Boy From Biloxi by John Grisham

 

The rivalry began as a friendship between two men. Lance, a well-known figure in the Biloxi as the Boss through bar, gambling, and brothel. He was the king of the underworld, with plenty of money and power, and now he was grooming his oldest son to learn the business. It makes Biloxi a rough town with a lot of crime.

While Jesse, a lawyer who running for District Attorney. His reputation was stellar. He was considered above reproach. He had known Lance his entire life but they were living and working in different worlds. The friendship was about to change because he would be in the middle of a rough campaign of good versus evil.

The conflict of the story is when he put away Lance to prison. The worst is yet to come, it was time for revenge. The Boys From Biloxi is a dramatic story that spotlights family drama, friendship, corruption, organized crime, court scene and lawsuits is above all how education, hardship n good deeds always win.  I'm always nervous before reading a predictable ending but JG always grabs my attention with his compelling courtroom scenes. This is a slow-burn legal thriller that indicates the author's professional expertise with a large cast of characters. I give 4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to @definitelybooks #pansing for the review copy. Opinions are my own 💙

*Available at all major bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia and their online stores

Death Of A Bookseller by Bernard J. Farmer

 

Sergeant Jack Wigan just met Michael Fisk, a book-runner in an inconvenient state. Being a book-runner is like searching, picking up and selling rare/ first-edition/ most wanted books to other dealers or collectors. Instantly, they became close friends. Soon after that, Fisk was found stabbed surrounding his book in his own house. It was unlikely that he had any enemies other than books were the motive. From the time of his murder, Fredrick Hampton was accused. He happened to quarrel with the dead man and was seen at the Fisk's house. Fred denied it and claimed someone has framed him.

Sergeant Jack Wigan felt the man was innocent but hard to justify the feeling because there are so many loopholes in the case. The police had arrested the wrong person because circumstances seemed to implicate him. Wigan tried to find out general movements on the day of Fisk's death. He convinced all connected with the trade are suspect.

There are several potential suspects indeed.  I did think I had the ending all worked out, but obviously, I'm wrong. It does make the flow a little unbelievable. But guess what, it's fiction though. Originally published on January 1, 1956. This is the second of four detective novels that Farmer wrote featuring detective Sergeant Jack Wigan series.

Thanks to @netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for earc. My opinions are my own.