Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Good morning, readers. Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Peter Swanson's latest, Before She Knew Him.

Hen has a history of getting a little... obsessed. Which is why, when she becomes convinced her neighbor might be a killer, her husband and the officials are just a little less than keen to take her totally seriously.

But then one night Hen follows her neighbor and witnesses something horrible. Good news is that now she thinks she has what she needs to get the police to listen. Bad news is that the neighbor sees her!

Hen has issues. She freely admits it. They're new to the neighborhood and it seems their neighbors, Matthew and Mira, might just be new friends in the making. But then Hen sees a trophy in Matthew's office that she's certain is connected to a murder that hit a little too close to home in recent years. Literally. The victim was from the area Hen lived in and she became obsessed with the case. Which is why no one believes her - she has a history of fixation and obsession that even resulted in her leaving school.

The narration alternates between Hen and Matthew so we do find out rather quickly whether or not Hen is onto something. And of course Matthew knows rather quickly that Hen is telling people he's a killer.

Peter Swanson definitely knows how to write a page turner.

Unfortunately I find that his characters and plots lack a depth that I really am looking for in order to truly sink into a story. They're engaging and fun but I find I'm not able to really invest myself in the characters or the plot. It's a bit like popcorn - satisfying but not exactly filling.



Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Thursday, March 7, 2019

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Lucy Foley's The Hunting Party.

Every New Year, Katie and her friends get together the celebrate the holiday and spend time with one another. It's been their tradition since college. Four couples and Katie, and now an infant as well. It's the one time of the year that they all get together without fail. 

This year, their trip has been planned and booked at a remote lodge in the Scottish Highlands. They were told they'd be the only party there, but a mix up means there's another couple. It definitely doesn't make them happy, but the festivities will go on nonetheless. Until one of the guests at the lodge goes missing. 

By the time the holiday has passed, a body has been found. And it definitely isn't an accident. But who is responsible? Is it one of the close knit group? Is it one of the strangers? Is it one of the two lodge staff members? Or is it the Highland Ripper everyone has been talking about?

I loved Lucy Foley's The Hunting Party! The setting alone makes it immensely appealing: a remote location and a snowstorm that's cut that location off from the outside world. Yes!

Multiple narrators means multiple perspectives as the story progresses. And the timeline bounces back and forth as well, revealing the body and the fact that it's definitely murder before the reader has a chance to really get to know the characters at play.

Doug, the gamekeeper with a dark past, and Heather, the manager with a secret in her own background, have both chosen to live and work at the lodge, voluntarily hiding away from everything and everyone beyond the grounds of the estate. Their perspectives of the group, jaded though they may be, are those of an outsider. Someone not part of the insular group, who doesn't share the history or the inside jokes or the forgiveness that a shared past can give to a person's behavior.

But Katie, Emma, and Miranda each give a different perspective of the group and of themselves. And as the story goes on, two things become very clear: first, this group is absolutely not as close as it once was and second, that most, if not all of them, are hiding things from one another.

But again, who is the killer? And, the thing that's most fun from the start, who is the victim?!

The Hunting Party is fabulous from start to finish and makes for the absolute perfect snow day read!


For more on Lucy Foley and her work you can like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble