A Murder In Paris by Matthew Blake

Recovered memories represent a complex phenomenon, with the potential for both the genuine recall of traumatic events and the construction of false memories. It’s crucial to approach this topic with sensitivity, recognizing its capacity for both healing and harm. When renowned painter and Holocaust survivor Josephine Benoit confesses to a decades-old murder, claiming she once killed a woman with her same name at the Hotel Lutetia in 1945 to steal her identity, everything fractures. Her granddaughter, Dr. Olivia Finn, insists her grandmother’s memory has been unreliable for years but the confession sets off a chain of events too disturbing to ignore.

Not long after, Josephine is murdered.

At first, it seems like a tragic coincidence. Why would anyone kill her now, so many years after the war and over a confession that might not even be real? But as Olivia begins digging, it becomes clear, this isn’t just about an old crime. Despite the pervasive distrust, Olivia embarks on a journey to uncover the truth and find clarity amidst the confusion. 

I found myself pitying both, Josephine and Olivia. They are grappling with fractured relationships, hidden agendas, and the unsettling feeling that those around them are not who they seem. 

It’s a bit draggy at times, but it almost feels intentional, pushing you to sit with the weight of what’s being unearthed. The alternating narrators and short, punchy chapters kept me hooked. The themes of memory, trauma, and the unreliability of perception, with a focus on uncovering secrets from the past, are quite similar to the author’s previous work, Anna O. 4 ⭐

We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter

I don’t even know how to put this into words. I’ve only read one book by Karin Slaughter before, and I wasn’t expecting this. Not this level of emotional devastation. We Are All Guilty Here grabbed me by the heart, tore it out, and made me feel every beat of these characters’ pain and I cried real tears for them like they were people I knew irl. I still can’t stop thinking about them.

Set in the small town of North Falls, where everyone’s in everyone else’s business, the nightmare begins when two fifteen-year-old girls, Madison Dalrymple and Cheyenne Baker, vanish. Their bikes are found abandoned. There’s blood at the scene, then drugs and stacks of cash are found in their room. Evidence that raises more questions than answers. The town turns savage.

But for Officer Emmy Clifton, this case is personal. Madison is the stepdaughter of her best friend, Hannah. Emmy carries the guilt like a second skin and it only deepens when the girls are found dead, brutally bruised. The killer vanishes without a trace. No evidence. No DNA. Just a red herring. The case is also known as the Broken Angels.

Twelve years later, North Falls is dragged back into its darkest memories when another teenage girl vanishes. With history repeating itself, Emmy is forced to reopen wounds she never truly healed. She must face the trauma she buried, the secrets the town tried to forget, and the haunting possibility that the killer never left.

This book isn’t just a psychological thriller it’s a deep dive into the fractures of human nature. Slaughter masterfully pulls apart each character’s layers, exposing raw emotion, deep flaws, and the domino effect of every choice.

And the ending is twisted, gut-punching, and utterly unforgettable. We Are All Guilty Here is an emotional roller coaster wrapped in a murder mystery, which is dark, gritty, and so well-crafted it hurts. Karin Slaughter nailed it. 5⭐

Pengabdian by Hasrudi Jawawi

Setelah lama menyepi akibat pandemik dan kebuntuan idea, Fuadi kembali dengan novel terbaru tentang sebuah kisah seram yang diinspirasikan daripada kejadian sebenar. 

Semuanya bermula dengan satu panggilan. Rozi menerima berita tentang kemalangan yang meragut nyawa kakaknya, Rosmi, dan abang iparnya, Hisham. Mereka meninggalkan seorang anak kecil bernama Dani. Walaupun hubungan mereka renggang sejak Rosmi berkahwin, Rozi tahu dia tiada pilihan selain hadir sekurang-kurangnya untuk melihat mereka buat kali terakhir.

Tapi sejak dia jejakkan kaki ke rumah mereka, ada sesuatu yang tidak kena. Dinding yang seakan bernafas. Dan gangguan-gangguan kecil yang lama-lama menjadi bayangan menyesakkan. Rozi yakin semuanya ada kaitan dengan latar belakang abang iparnya, anak kepada seorang dukun bernama Pak Pandak. Dia mula percaya bahawa ‘sesuatu’ sedang mencari waris. Dan Dani adalah sasarannya.

Namun, apa yang membuat Pengabdian lain daripada cerita seram biasa adalah cara ia diceritakan. Pak Pandak dan Sufian ialah unreliable narator. Apa yang Rozi alami...adakah benar-benar berlaku, atau cuma bayangan yang dicipta oleh rasa bersalah, trauma, atau sesuatu yang lebih gelap?

Ada bahagian dalam buku ini yang mungkin aku rasa klise pada awalnya kematian misteri, saka turun-temurun, rumah berhantu tapi, penulis membawanya ke tahap lain dengan bab demi bab, kita akan meragui sama ada ini cerita rekaan atau satu pengakuan.

Pengabdian bukan hanya tentang warisan ilmu hitam. Ia tentang dendam, keturunan, dan kebenaran yang ingin disembunyikan. 

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Even though I haven’t read the first two books in Susan Ryeland’s series, The Marble Hall Murders reads like a masterfully layered standalone. Everything you need to know is threaded so cleverly into the narrative that you never feel lost only drawn deeper into its web.

It all begins with Marble Hall, the eerie, imposing family estate where the cracks in a legacy first began to show. It was there that Miriam Crace, one of the UK’s most celebrated children’s authors, died under what was officially ruled as natural causes. But her grandson Eliot Crace didn’t believe that story. He was convinced she’d been murdered by someone in the family.

Just like Alan Conway before him, Eliot was crafting a murder mystery that mirrored real life. A continuation of the Atticus Pünd detective novels, and also a symbolic confession, a ticking time bomb of truth wrapped in fiction. He planned to reveal his grandmother’s killer through the pages of his book.

But he never got to finish it. He got killed in a hit-and-run on the night of her twentieth death anniversary.

The layers here are extraordinary, a book within a book where the inner mystery bleeds ominously into the real world. And once again, Susan Ryeland now Eliot's editor, finds herself entangled in a deadly puzzle. She’s already paid the price for Alan Conway’s twisted tales: she’s lost her career, her reputation, even her peace of mind. Now, with Eliot’s death, she’s not just involved - she’s the prime suspect!

I am obsessed with this book. The premise is pure genius. Atticus Pünd is a deliciously Poirot-esque detective, every clue and line of deduction gripping. But it's Susan's struggle, the betrayals, the danger, the desperate search for truth that gives the story its heart.

This is what a murder mystery should be, smart, bold, twisty, and always one step ahead of the reader. The Marble Hall Murders is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. 5⭐

Fair Play by Louise Hegarty

 Surely this is a parody. That was my exact thought halfway through this book and judging by the Goodreads reviews, I’m not the only one who felt this way.

To be clear, I finished the book. Out of sheer stubbornness and morbid curiosity. But I really tried not to write something negative. Unfortunately, this story simply doesn’t make sense. To put it plainly, the book is overly dramatic in all the wrong places, and deliberately ambiguous in a way that feels more evasive. I have no issue with classic, even cliche, murder mystery tropes. But here, the writing, plot progression, and overall execution fall short.

The premise had potential though. Abigail hosts a murder mystery game for her brother Benjamin’s birthday. A group of close friends and mutual acquaintances gather for the New Year's Eve event, but by morning, Benjamin is found dead behind a locked door.

Part Two introduces Auguste Bell, a consulting detective and mystery writer who declares this a classic locked-room mystery with a closed circle of suspects. The setup is pretentious. Everyone has a motive, and while it’s officially ruled a suicide, Bell believes otherwise.

The plot is disjointed, characters blur together, motivations are unclear, and the pacing stumbles between overexplaining and underdelivering. It feels like an attempt to mimic Agatha Christie without her finesse, restraint, or insight.

To be fair, there are a few glimpses of atmosphere and tension that hint at what this story could have been. And the ending left me more confused than intrigued. If you've read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Perhaps there’s something I missed. But for me, what on earth did I just read? 😂