I am small and the world is big: WATCHING FROM THE DARK.

Watching from the Dark by Gytha Lodge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Aidan Poole logs onto Skype to chat with his girlfriend Zoe, he witnesses a horrible incident--Zoe being attacked just out of frame. Terrified that she's dead, Aidan tries to reach her without success. But, for some reason, Aidan is reluctant to reach out directly to the police. When DCI Jonah Sheens finally gets Zoe's case, he discovers the dead body of the vibrant young artist. Zoe was beloved by her group of friends. So why was she killed--and why didn't Aidan want to contact the police?

This was a good one! Told in a back and forth storyline, jumping between the present-day investigation of Zoe's murder and the past, starting with Zoe meeting Aidan at a wedding and falling for him, WATCHING FROM THE DARK is an exciting thriller! I loved that it kept me guessing with its full slate of suspects (Zoe has a lot of friends and acquaintances). I am a total sucker for British police novels--if there's a DCI or DI, I'm totally in. I've read the first book in the series but cannot really remember it, but I quite enjoyed seeing DCI Jonah Sheens and his team again.

Lodge does an excellent job delving into the nuances of all the characters--both Sheens' team and all those suspected in Zoe's murder. We learn a lot about Zoe via the past excerpts, so our victim comes alive, creating empathy and pushing forward the desire to solve the crime. I also loved the concept of someone both witnessing a crime via Zoom and also being a suspect for said murder. Overall, this is a quick-moving mystery filled with a slate of mysterious suspects. 4 stars.


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It's four in the morning and you're all alone: WHAT SHE KNEW.

What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Rachel Jenner and her son Ben are enjoying a frequent tradition: spending time in the park with their dog, Skittle, when things take a turn. Ben asks to run ahead to the rope swing, and Rachel agrees. That's the last she sees of her son. It's as if Ben has vanished into thin air, and Rachel feels her world cleave into two. The police are called, and the investigation is handed over to DI James Clemo. This is Jim's first major investigation as lead, and he's determined to do it right. Meanwhile Rachel is reeling from her decision to allow Ben to run ahead--one that's quickly questioned by her ex-husband and soon, the media. As days pass by without a break in the case, the media quickly turns its harsh glare directly onto Rachel. Rachel, meanwhile, starts questioning herself--and those around her.

I absolutely adored Gilly Macmillan's mystery The Perfect Girl, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I knew I had to read it. I didn't realize it was part of a series (apparently featuring Jim Clemo), so I decided to read this one first. It's Macmillan's first book, but, of course, you can barely tell, because she's an amazing writer. She's going to be one of my favorite mystery writers going forward.

The format of the novel is unique -- we get Jim and Rachel's point of view, broken down by Day 1, 2, 3, etc. of Ben's disappearance. But we also get transcript pieces of Clemo's meetings with a psychologist, whom he is meeting with a good year after Ben's disappearance. The gist is that Ben's case has so clearly affected Clemo and his job performance that meeting with this woman--in hopes of getting a good report--is the only way he may be able to remain on the job.

It's an effective format and certainly ratchets up the suspense and tension as we wonder exactly what happened to Ben: who took him? Will he return home safely to his mother and father? Is anyone in this novel telling the truth? It's a slow-burning book, with no major sudden twists and turns, but deftly written, with each character superbly fleshed out. Our cast is small, but well-done: Ben's mother and father, his teachers and schoolmates, his troubled aunt, and those investigating his case.

The standouts, of course, though are Rachel and Jim--our storytellers. Rachel is reeling from her divorce, telling us her story directly, and delving into her own flaws. It allows Macmillan to illustrate the power (not always positive) of modern day society's relentless media focus and what those anonymous people in social forums can do to real, actual people. Rachel isn't always a sympathetic character, though my heart often went out to her, but she's real--a flawed, authentic mother.

And, speaking of flaws, Jim is a fascinating character. We get bits and pieces of how he's formed by his past. He's not a one-dimensional, stereotypical policeman, but a very intricate character. He's driven, but honestly, he's really quite a mess. As a result, he's intriguing but also frustrating in many ways. I'll be quite interested to see where he is in Macmillan's second novel in the series.

So, while this novel is filled with complicated characters, it is also a mystery at its core. Our intricate cast slows things down a bit, but luckily the plot keeps you guessing and wanting to turn the pages. I had various suspicions, throughout, but the ending completely surprised me (something that's hard to do). The novel takes a lot of unexpected turns. At the halfway point, I was completely befuddled, but invested.

Overall, this one is pretty captivating. I actually found myself keeping my daughters closer to me while reading and feeling nervous when they ran off. The night after I finished it, I had creepy dreams about a child being kidnapped--I rarely, if ever, dream about the books I'm reading! Sweet Ben really touched me and, as I mentioned, while I didn't always like Rachel, I very much empathized with her. Macmillan is a wonderful writer, and I'm very excited to be starting ODD CHILD OUT in the next couple of days.

You can read my review of Macmillan's THE PERFECT GIRL here.

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I wish I could drive away to the sunset: 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Ginny Blackstone is leading a completely ordinary life in New York City. She has a best friend, she attends school; you know, the usual. The only "extraordinary" force in Ginny's life has always been her Aunt Peg, her charming, odd, albeit slightly flighty aunt. When Aunt Peg passes away, Ginny receives a series of 13 envelopes from her--to be opened strictly in order--each with a series of instructions that will take Ginny on a set of adventures.

I certainly wanted to like this book. I love Johnson's Shades of London series (seriously, read it) and, honestly, her Twitter account. When this book popped up as a deal on Bookbub, I figured, why not? However, I just never got into the premise. Part of it is that I'm probably a lot like Ginny: I'm not adventurous, and the thought of traveling around Europe without a map or a cell phone (or a freaking plan!) absolutely terrifies me, and so the book completely stressed me out. Ginny was sweet, but also awfully naive, to an almost painful extent. While I did like her (and empathized with her at times), I had a hard time getting into the other characters, including her supposed love interest, and honestly, I found myself getting irritated at her late aunt. Who does this to a teenager? I'm surprised the poor girl didn't just self-destruct.

All in all, this is just a weird book. It's supposed to be quirky (much like Aunt Peg), but it fell short for me. It's a shame, because I think Johnson is excellent at capturing the teen voice, especially those teens who are sort of on the outside (e.g., Shades of London), and you could certainly see hints of that here. There are definitely heartwarming moments to this book and parts to enjoy. But overall, it just fell flat, and I found it, as the Goodreads 2 stars states, "OK."



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