Faithful Place by Tana French
Published: July 13th, 2010 by Viking
Genre: Mystery
Format: Kindle, 416 Pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was nineteen, growing up poor in Dublin's inner city and living crammed into a small flat with his family on Faithful Place. But he had his sights set on a lot more. He and his girl, Rosie Daly, were all set to run away to London together, get married, get good jobs, break away from factory work and poverty and their old lives.
But on the winter night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn't show. Frank took it for granted that she'd given him the brush-off--probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again.
Neither did Rosie. Everyone thought she had gone to England on her own and was over there living a shiny new life. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie's suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes it or not.
Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he’s a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he’s willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.
My Thoughts:
Another excellent mystery that's heavily character-driven rather than plot-drive from Ms. French. Her plots don't quite make a lot of sense but I still enjoy my way getting there. Mackey and his family came alive for me. I loved getting a better sense of his history and what has made him tick. I loved her exploration of families. How messy and complicated they are and why. Sometimes I had to set the book down because the dysfunction felt a little too familiar...
Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab
Published: March 2nd, 2021 by Scholastic Press
Genre: Horror, Middle Grade
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Where there are ghosts, Cassidy Blake follows...unless it's the other way around?
Cass thinks she might have this ghost-hunting thing down. After all, she and her ghost best friend, Jacob, have survived two haunted cities while travelling for her parents' TV show.
But nothing can prepare Cass for New Orleans, which wears all of its hauntings on its sleeve. In a city of ghost tours and tombs, raucous music and all kinds of magic, Cass could get lost in all the colourful, grisly local legends. And the city's biggest surprise is a foe Cass never expected to face: a servant of Death itself.
Cass takes on her most dangerous challenge yet...
My Thoughts:
This is another fantastic instalment by Schwab. Loved reading about Cass and her antics in New Orleans. How her parents are still clueless about her supernatural abilities. But I love her friendships and how she solves each problem with help. And of course, her kitty is always super cute!
Broken Harbor by Tana French
Published: April 28th, 2013 by Penguin
Genre: Mystery
Format: Hardcover, 450 Pages, Library
Rating: 3.5 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Mick “Scorcher" Kennedy is the star of the Dublin Murder Squad. He plays by the books and plays hard, and that's how the biggest case of the year ends up in his hands.
On one of the half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children have been murdered. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher thinks it's going to be an easy solve, but too many small things can't be explained: the half-dozen baby monitors pointed at holes smashed in the Spains' walls, the files erased from the family's computer, the story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder slipping past the house's locks. And this neighborhood—once called Broken Harbor—holds memories for Scorcher and his troubled sister, Dina: childhood memories that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control.
My Thoughts:
The plot was a bit better in this one. But...overall, this one wasn't as good as I was hoping but she still knows how to pack a punch. And such a different take from her other books, taking on class and the economic downturn on the global scale but especially in Ireland. I also enjoyed getting to know Scorcher Kennedy that we were introduced to in "Faithful Place." I love that she fleshes everyone out eventually. Everyone's a bit different and I love that she can write them so vividly. It's another great reason to read this series since she doesn't focus on one detective each book. I'd say one of the big explorations in this one is despair and the horrors one can do when there are no lights at the end of the tunnel.
The Secret Place by Tana French
Published: September 2nd, 2014 by Penguin Books
Genre: Mystery
Format: Kindle, 541 Pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
A year ago a boy was found murdered at a girlsʼ boarding school, and the case was never solved. Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to join Dublin’s Murder Squad when sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey arrives in his office with a photo of the boy with the caption: “I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.” Stephen joins with Detective Antoinette Conway to reopen the case—beneath the watchful eye of Holly’s father, fellow detective Frank Mackey.
With the clues leading back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends, to their rival clique, and to the tangle of relationships that bound them all to the murdered boy, the private underworld of teenage girls turns out to be more mysterious and more dangerous than the detectives imagined.
My Thoughts:
French takes on teen girls in an upper crust boarding school. While the dialogues of the teens weren't especially convincing, the emotions were. And the plot. This is one where I could see it. It seemed plausible. And I just learned French puts a bit of supernatural stuff into each of her books based off of Celtic myth/folklore. This book had it the most abundant, which wasn't my favorite. But overall, I liked the plot and the teen emotions exploration. I wasn't a big fan of the detectives...but they came through in the end.
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
Published: April 2nd, 2019 by Harper Voyager
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror
Format: Kindle, 432 Pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
A thrilling, atmospheric debut with the intensive drive of The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival.
When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.
Instead, she got Em.
Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . .
As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em’s motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, Gyre must overcome more than just the dangerous terrain and the Tunneler which calls underground its home if she wants to make it out alive—she must confront the ghosts in her own head.
My Thoughts:
This was gripping! I read this for April's Spring Into Horror readathon and boy oh boy. It delivered. Sci-fi horror that can make me feel claustrophobic. It felt like a combo of Alien and The Descent. Two of my fave horror films of all-time. And add in some lesbian romance and boom. I really enjoyed this one. There were only a couple of places where it dragged but overall an engaging story and one I wouldn't mind returning to.
Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi
Published: October 2010 by Leisure Books
Genre: Horror
Format: Kindle, 448 Pages, Own
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Soon after Travis and his wife move into their new house by the lake, he becomes convinced the house is haunted. Is it the ghost of a child who was murdered there years before - or is there a deeper mystery?
My Thoughts:
This is my first book by Malfi. I also read this one for my Spring Into Horror readathon. I'll definitely be returning to another of his books soon.
Travis and his wife move into a secluded home by his brother. He soon becomes convinced the house is haunted. He begins to become obsessed with the house, the history, and the ghost. As he delves in, it brings up his own baggage from when he was a child and the death of his little brother. I really enjoyed the exploration of grief and obsession. How do we process all of that? It's one of the reasons I love horror. We can explore all of this stuff in interesting ways.
*all images taken from Goodreads.com
Read in part for
Spring Into Horror Readathon.
