I’ve reviewed YA for 15 years. I love mysteries. Here is my list of the Best YA Mystery Books to read. Whether you like girl detectives, science-driven stories, YA historical mysteries or teen books inspired by Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes – I have you covered! Best YA Mystery Books to Read was updated in 2026!
[Read more…]Review: Conviction by Denise Mina
Looking for a puzzling, quirky, surprisingly comic, readable book? Definitely check this one out. Find out more in my review of Conviction by Denise Mina
Conviction by Denise Mina. Published on June 18, 2019 by Mullholland Books.
Synopsis: The day Anna McDonald’s quiet, respectable life exploded started off like all the days before: Packing up the kids for school, making breakfast, listening to yet another true crime podcast. Then her husband comes downstairs with an announcement, and Anna is suddenly, shockingly alone.
Reeling, desperate for distraction, Anna returns to the podcast. Other people’s problems are much better than one’s own — a sunken yacht, a murdered family, a hint of international conspiracy. But this case actually is Anna’s problem. She knows one of the victims from an earlier life, a life she’s taken great pains to leave behind. And she is convinced that she knows what really happened.Then an unexpected visitor arrives on her front stoop, a meddling neighbor intervenes, and life as Anna knows it is well and truly over. The devils of her past are awakened — and in hot pursuit. Convinced she has no other options, she goes on the run, and in pursuit of the truth, with a washed-up musician at her side and the podcast as her guide.
Review: Conviction by Denise Mina
I’d read some of Mina’s Paddy Meehan books back in the early 2000s and liked them – they featured a female reporter in Glasgow. But then I started reading YA and read fewer thrillers.
When I saw the podcast element of this one, I was hooked. I love podcasts – I listen to them every day while walking the dog. I do a mix of news, true crime. Right now I’m listening to Catch and Kill.
This book was just the kind of mix of quirky, funny and suspenseful that I love.
Anna loves podcasts too. There are some reasons for that, some of which she’s willing to tell us (a distraction from issues with her marriage) and some she’s not. When she recognizes someone from her past in her podcast AND her husband makes an announcement, her life is set on an unexpected course.
The narrative of this was first person and a bit jumbly. Anna would allude to something but tell us she’d get to that later. She’d mention something and then just drop it. As a result, you need to pay attention to all the details, as they could be important later.
At first I was intrigued but a bit confused, but gradually, all the puzzle pieces Anna kept offering began to fall into place.
Definitely recommend this if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers and are okay with a plot that’s not a linear police procedural but a little more unconventional!
Want more mystery and thriller reviews? You can find them here!
Reviews: The Last Widow and Pieces of Her
These reviews of the Last Widow and Pieces of Her are also a tale of me, an author whose books I loved and then quit reading, a jump-off to tomorrow’s discussion post, AND an announcement of a FREEBIE FRIDAY this week (yay!)
I read all the Karin Slaughter Grant County books until Slaughter violently and unexpectedly killed off a central character and I decided that her books had just become too grim and violent for me. So I took a loooong (10?) year hiatus from her books. (Yes, readers do this and that will be tomorrow’s discussion topic, so check it out!)
Recently I dipped a toe back into the Slaughter water (ha!) with both a standalone AND a book back from that former series. So… check out my reviews: The Last Widow and Pieces of Her. *cue suspenseful music*
Here’s what I thought:
Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter
Published August 21, 2019 by William Morrow
Thanks to the publisher for sending a review copy. My links are Amazon Affiliate links and all money raised goes to Metavivor. You can find out more here.
Synopsis adapted from Goodreads: Andrea Cooper knows everything about her mother Laura. She’s knows she’s spent her whole life in the small beachside town of Gullaway Island and she’s never kept a secret in her life. All that changes when a Saturday afternoon trip to the mall explodes into violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura. Because it turns out that before Laura was Laura, she was someone completely different. For nearly thirty years she’s been hiding from her previous identity, lying low in the hope that no one will ever find her. But now she’s been exposed, and nothing will ever be the same again.
Review: Pieces of Her
I really enjoyed this one – I love stories about ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations. Andrea (Andy) suddenly realizes her mom has been hiding a BIG secret and has to a) figure out what her mom is hiding and b) how to help her.
Pieces of Her has a dual timeline – one following Andy in the present and the other taking us back to her mom’s secret life in the past. Andy was annoying at times, and the dual timeline wasn’t 100% successful for me, but overall I really enjoyed this and I think it will make a great Netflix series.
The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter
Published on August 20, 2019 by William Morrow
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.
Synopsis adapted from Goodreads:
A mysterious kidnapping: A scientist from the Centers for Disease Control is grabbed by unknown assailants in a shopping center parking lot. A devastating explosion: The serenity of a sunny Sunday afternoon is shattered by the boom of a ground-shaking blast. A diabolical enemy: Medical examiner Sara Linton and her partner Will Trent, an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, rush to the scene—and into the heart of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to destroy thousands of innocent lives. When the assailants abduct Sara, Will goes undercover to save her and prevent a massacre—putting his own life on the line for the woman and the country he loves.
Review: The Last Widow
So … there were two elements of the book for me: the Sara and Will romance part and the story itself. Full disclosure: I was never the biggest Sara fan (maybe part of why I was so annoyed about the character who was killed off). I like Will well enough.
There was an “it’s not you, it’s me” situation between me and this book which happened the have themes and plots that I strongly dislike.
I don’t like kidnapping plots and all and really don’t like woman-in-jeopardy kidnapping plots. (I think I would have liked this more if Will got kidnapped and Sara had to try to save him.)
The rest of The Last Widow had elements I also wasn’t crazy about, namely pedophilia (horrible) and infectious diseases and germ warfare (really creepy). So, I’ll be honest: I did a lot of skimming.
Will I cautiously go back to Karin Slaughter books? Yes, if they are standalones. And yes, I will definitely try the Netflix series. But I think I’m done with Will and Sara (sorry, guys! Wishing you all the best!)
Have you read Karin Slaughter? Talk to me in comments! Also, come check out my “Author Breakup” post tomorrow.
Looking for thrillers? Check out yesterday’s review of The Turn of the Key!
Modern Gothic With a Twist: Review of The Turn of the Key
Looking for a Modern Gothic with a twist? Check out my Review of The Turn of the Key! I am all about creepy gothic stories and a big fan of Ruth Ware. What did I think of this one? Find out in my review below! With marked SPOILERS!
[Read more…]Review of Lady in the Lake
Lady in the Lake is a historical mystery which will be adapted for Apple TV in July 2024! Check out my review of Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman!
[Read more…]Review of The Whisper Network with Spoilers
I’m all about a female-forward summer thriller! Check out my review of The Whisper Network! (Do you have questions about the ending of Whisper Network? Want the ending explained? Find spoilers for The Whisper Network at the very end of this post!)
