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