Mini-Reviews: Nine Perfect Strangers and Dark Sacred Night

Welcome to Monday Mini-Reviews of Nine Perfect Strangers and Dark Sacred Night

As part of my combat-the-reading-slump program, I have been trying to read outside YA and I’m enjoying it.

Also, these books were not review books, just books I bought or got from the library to try. Liberating!

Mini-Reviews of Nine Perfect Strangers and Dark Sacred Night

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Published on November 6, 2018 by Flatiron Books

Mini-synopsis adapted from Goodreads: Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.

Mini-Review of Nine Perfect Strangers: I think Liane Moriarty is really talented – I really admire the way she makes all her characters feel fully-formed and relatable. I read What Alice Forgot and though it was interesting, but magical realism isn’t really for me. Then (I think) I got an ARC of Big Little Lies at a BEA way back and took it on a plane. LOVED that one. Unfortunately, the plot of Nine Perfect Strangers was just too out-there for me. I loved the group of characters she created and the way she made them come to life, but the plot leaned too far to weird/dark comedy for me – I wanted more of a BLL feel.  (When I think about it, it’s possible that the book version of BLL leaned more toward dark than the HBO adaptation, which I remember better. And I thought it was fantastic.)

Check out my Spoiler Review of Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty!

Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly

Published on October 30, 2018 by Little, Brown

Mini-synopsis adapted from Goodreads:  Renée Ballard is working the night beat again, and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours only to find a stranger rifling through old file cabinets. The intruder is retired detective Harry Bosch, working a cold case that has gotten under his skin. Bosch is investigating the death of fifteen-year-old Daisy Clayton, a runaway on the streets of Hollywood who was brutally murdered and her body left in a dumpster like so much trash. Now, Ballard joins forces with Bosch to find out what happened to Daisy and finally bring her killer to justice.

Mini-Review of Dark Sacred Night: I’ve been reading Harry Bosch books since forever. There’s something really nice about reading a series where the characters age along with you. It makes the character feel much more real.

The only parallel YA I can think of in which the characters age are the Jessica Darling books by Megan McCafferty. Is there anything else I’m forgetting? There must be!

In any case, I love police procedurals and always love seeing what Harry is getting up to. He’s in his 60s by now, and doesn’t put up with any crap (not that he ever did, but I like that he’s sort of been put out to pasture working cold cases and still shows the younger cops up.) I also like Ballard, the younger female cop who has been appearing in his books recently.

IN PROCESS:

Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

I didn’t read Final Girls and maybe I should start with that. I’ve read a few chapters and just not sure I’m feeling it. Give me advice, reader friends! Should I switch to FG? Should I give this more time?

Update: this did NOT go well, but you can read my Spoiler Discussion of Final Girls or my Review of House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

Talk to me in comments! Have you read Nine Perfect Strangers and if so, what did you think?