Hello, Readers. Literally. Hello, people who read. This one’s for you.
Thrillers used to bother me. Not because of the topic, but because I couldn’t read the endings online. Fantasy series usually have a full fandom so it’s easy to find spoilers. Romance is predictable- odds are good they’ll end up together. But thrillers, not so much. People don’t post the spoilers because that would… well, spoil it.
I have this problem where I like to know what’s going to happen. I like to read full summaries. I like to know who the murderer is. You could probably psychologically analyze this- blah blah trauma, blah blah need for control. I tell myself it’s so I can appreciate all the hints the writers have laid out to lead you to the conclusion.
Thriller audiobooks have thwarted this need within me, and I think that’s healthy. It’s like exposure therapy. They’ve helped me practice patience and acceptance- if I want to know what happens, I just have to wait. I’m learning how to be surprised without feeling threatened; it’s okay if I don’t know what to expect. Plus they’re like little quizzes to see if I can pick up on red flags.
Thus, here we are.
A list of the thrillers I read in July:
My Rating System
0- I didn’t finish it.
1- This is an objectively bad book.
2- This is a subjectively bad book.
3- I will probably never think about it again but it was fine.
4- I would recommend this book to others.
5- I would buy this book and read it again.
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
Woman’s dad is an imprisoned serial killer and someone is copycatting him.
3/5
I knew who the killer was the second they came into the story. I feel like it was obvious, but the book has a ton of good reviews so I’m not sure others agree. I finished the book because I wanted to know if I was right.
I didn’t love the way the author wrote. I love flowery, poetic language (Wasteland by FLB is one of my favorite books and that’s basically all it is) but this felt like it was detracting from the story rather than adding to an immersive experience. But it was fine!
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Woman is blamed for her best friend’s death and a podcaster helps her find the truth.
5/5
I love the main character; she made me laugh. Some books feel like they were written by someone trying to imitate an experience, and some books feel like they were written by someone who understands the experience. This author seems to get it. That’s all I can say.
The audiobook experience was cool because they basically produced the podcast.
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
Undercover con woman… cons?
4/5
It reminded me of the Ocean’s *Number-of-Choice* series, kinda, in that the twists and turns aren’t necessarily plausible but are entertaining. Or maybe it only reminds me of it because it was a heist. I like heists, apparently.
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
Women go missing (bet you didn’t see that one coming).
3/5
I liked The Other Mrs. by the same author so I tried more of her stuff. It was fine. I didn’t predict the killer ahead of time, which is a plus, but… I don’t know.
There are books where you don’t see the ending coming because it’s so well written (None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell had me going “wtf” up until the last page). Then there are books where you don’t predict the ending because it doesn’t make sense. I guess I struggled to believe the characters would have taken the actions they did.
I really enjoy her writing, though. She keeps me interested.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Reporter returns to hometown to write about mysterious murders.
4/5
I thought I knew who the killer was, then I thought I was wrong, and then I was surprised when I ended up being right. Gillian Flynn is another author who gets it. I like that her main characters aren’t perfect people.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Victim of a family massacre seeks the truth of that night.
3/5
I can’t fully explain why this book annoyed me but it did. I guess I wanted there to be more to these characters. Maybe personal growth? A better plot twist? I wish the existing twist had twisted back into a full 360. I wasn’t satisfied with how it ended.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
For some reason, a teen girl is permitted to reopen a murder case under the guise of a school project.
3/5
Someone recommended this in a comment under one of the other books I liked, so I got it without hesitation. I should have hesitated. I did not know it was a YA book or I would have skipped it.
It was… fine? I would rate it a 2 but I can recognize I’m not the audience. (Am I? I think I am, technically, a young adult, so why are YA books targeting teens? I’m sidetracked.) Anyway, it was fine. It seemed like the author planned the plot well. I immediately knew who the killer was. I wasn’t inclined to read the other ones in this series.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Wife goes missing.
5/5
I know I’m super late to this party, but I loved this book. When the movie came out 10 years ago (TEN?????? Excuse me? Time flies???), I didn’t care. But since I liked the other Flynn books, I tried this one. I loved it. It was so good. Again, Gillian Flynn gets it.
Honorable Mention (not a thriller)
Crescent City books 1 and 2 by Sarah J Maas. Sort of.
Readers, I have tried to read this series. I really tried. I just cannot bring myself to care. I don’t know why? A Court of Thorns and Roses is what got me back into reading in 2020. The Throne of Glass series is one of my favorite fantasy series (Hot Take: it’s a better story than ACOTAR*).
As far as the genre, the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning is my favorite book series of all time and it’s urban fantasy**. Whatever it is, my eyes glaze over and my mind tunes out when I try to read CC.
* Could this be because SJM ripped off ACOTAR from another book series?
** There are comparisons of CC and the Fever series; SJM may have ripped off Fever, too.
But!
Then YouTube recommended the Cari Can Read summaries about the first two books, which I watched like podcasts while I cooked dinner, so I kind of feel like I read them. I’m hoping she makes a video about the third book cause there’s no shot I’m going to read it myself. (Upon getting links for this, I see Cari recently came out with a video about book 3!!!)
Book 1 – House of Flame and Shadow
Book 2 – House of Sky and Breath
Book 3 – House of Flame and Shadow
I’m gonna be honest, the series sounds like a dumpster fire, but Cari was super entertaining.
So with that, Reader, I have been snapped out of my Thriller Only phase and back into fantasy. I do have some more thrillers on hold from the library so August will probably be a mixed month. I suspect my completed list will be much shorter though, because I’m working my way through A Game of Thrones right now, and she is three times the length of my average thriller.
GoT actually inspired me to maybe try a new thing on this blog. Like a fantasy diary. I’m still shaping it in my head, but stay tuned for that.
Anyway, I’m off to go listen to the CC book 3 summary.
Till the next.