THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden completely surprised me—in the best way.

I started this one with low expectations. I love a good mystery, but psychological thrillers aren’t usually my thing. A few chapters in, though, I was hooked. McFadden’s writing is so conversational and easy to read that it feels like a friend is telling you a wild story. The short chapters and constant tension make it ridiculously hard to put down.

What begins as a seemingly straightforward “troubled young woman takes a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy, dysfunctional family” setup quickly turns into something much darker and more twisty. Just when I thought I had the characters figured out, the story zigged and zagged with jaw-dropping revelations. The final stretch is packed with “holy mackerel” moments that left me rethinking everything.

It reminded me a lot of Verity by Colleen Hoover—same unreliable-narrator, domestic-nightmare energy—but I actually preferred McFadden’s version: tighter pacing, less sex, and more of that subtle (but not overly graphic) edge. The ending is a fantastic segue into the sequel, and I’m already tempted to dive in after a cozy mystery palate cleanser.

If you’re on the fence about psychological thrillers, The Housemaid might just pull you in the same way it did me. One leg dangling off the edge, for sure. Highly recommend!

Rating: 4 / 5⭐

The FIFTH ASSASSIN by Brad Meltzer...

The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer was published in 2013 by Grand Central Publishing. It is the second book of the Culper Ring series, which picks up where book one, The Inner Circle, ends with the main character, archivist Beecher White inducted into the modern-day Culper Ring.  

It is essential to understand what the Culper Ring is before diving into any of the three books in Brad Meltzer's Culper Ring Series, so let me explain. The Culper Ring was a real, honest-to-goodness network of American spies operating during the American War of Independence. The Ring was organized in 1778 and was used to provide General George Washington with information on British troupe movements.¹ Meltzer's Culper Ring Series assumes that the spy ring still exists. However, the plot twist is that two separate factions within the organization are working in opposition. 

This installment begins with an unknown assassin in Washington, D.C., attempting to recreate the assassination plots successfully achieved by four of the most infamous killers in U.S. history, John Wilkes Booth, Charles Guiteau, Leon Czolgosz, and Lee Harvey Oswald. Throughout history, everyone believed the four killers were lone gunmen. However, Beecher White is not convinced. Through his investigation, he discovers that the four assassins may have worked together over the past hundred years. 

It's up to Beecher and the Culper Ring to find answers to the Who, What, Why, and How questions that remain unresolved before the copycat assassin finds its mark...the current President of the United States. Can it be done, but more importantly...can it be done before the assassin succeeds? 

This is an absorbing tale with more than one unexpected turn of events. I enjoyed this novel very much, but since many of the characters and subplots are continuations from the first book, I recommend reading the books in sequential order. I think you'll be glad you did.

My Personal Rating... ⭐⭐⭐⭐

DROWNING by T.J. Newman

Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 by T. J. Newman, published in 2023 by Simon & Schuster. This work of fiction is an aviation disaster thriller that is not for the faint of heart.

When Flight 1421's engine explodes shortly after takeoff with 99 souls aboard, the pilot has no choice but to ditch the Airbus into the Pacific Ocean near the island of Molokai. Those passengers that did not perish upon impact are left with a take-it-or-leave-it decision to make... evacuate the plane and run the risk of falling victim to the burning jet fuel on the water's surface, or follow the advice and insistence of Will Kent, an engineer by trade and fellow passenger to stay aboard the aircraft. The only problem with that plan is that there is a limited amount of oxygen onboard the ditched jet, it's slowly filling with water, and there's a genuine threat that looms over their heads of drowning when the plane sinks and or breaks apart as it descends further down into the sea. 

Twelve passengers and crewmembers opt to remain on the plane, Kit Callahan, the pilot who takes command; the flight crew, Kaholo, Jasmine, Bernadette, and Molly; passengers Ryan, widowed in the crash; Andy, the resident jackass; an elderly couple, Ira and Ruth; Will and his 11-year-old daughter Shannon (two of the main protagonists in the story), and Maia a young girl close in age to Shannon traveling alone.  

Chris Kent is Will's estranged wife and Shannon's mother. She also owns and manages an ocean salvage operation company. While working on a government salvage job on a neighboring island, Chris learns of the crashed jet where her daughter and soon-to-be ex-husband are passengers and rushes to the scene, crew, and equipment in tow. She is ultimately recruited (at her insistence) by the Navy in the rescue efforts of the Airbus. 

As the wrecked plane teeters on the edge of a cliff 200 feet below the water's surface and is already close to where no one can come to its aid, can Chris devise a method to get the passengers off the jet? Can Will and the other plane passengers find a way to keep the fuselage watertight, at least long enough for rescuers to help them evacuate the sinking plane safely?   

Interwoven throughout the novel is a subplot concerning the damaged relationship between Will and Chris, the loss of their eldest daughter Annie, and the overprotection of their youngest, Shannon. Can they put the past behind them, or is it too late?

Some parts of Newman's Drowning are challenging due to their intensity. Also, some technical descriptions concerning the rescue efforts are hard to follow. If you fear the water, flying, or both, this book is not for you. However, if you are looking for a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the one.

My Personal Rating is ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

 

The LION's GAME by Nelson DeMille...

The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille was published in 2002 by Grand Central Publishing and is the 2nd book in the John Corey series. 

John Corey is a veteran New York City police detective that does not follow protocol if he can avoid it. Wounded on the job the previous year, Corey is assigned to work with the Anti-Terrorist Task Force during his recovery. Unlike John, the team, comprised of FBI and CIA agents, follows protocol consistently. 

Asad Khalil, whose name means Lion in Arabic, has been in training for the past decade to exact revenge against America for the 1986 bombing of his country. He is now ready to strike. 

While Khalil is stalking his targets, finding and stopping him falls mainly on the shoulders of the irreverent John Corey. Corey's street smarts come in handy after the Lion successfully fulfills part of his personal war against the U.S. However, the ATTF team must first identify and find Khalil's next victim and thwart any further attempts at completing his self-imposed mission of murder.

John Corey's cheeky attitude toward authority, along with his sometimes indelicate turn of phrase, adds a touch of humor that offsets the severe and tragic events of the novel and brings this character to life. But, of course, like any good story, there must be a love interest, and this is a good story! Kate Mayfield, an FBI agent on the task force, fills that role perfectly. She's intelligent, beautiful, good at her job, and keeps John on his toes, which helps him keep his job. 

The Lion's Game is an action thriller at its best. DeMille fans will love this novel. And if you've never read one of his thrillers, you will find The Lion's Game an excellent initiation into this author's work.

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

MAGPIE MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is a mystery novel published in 2016 by The Orion Publishing Group. It's the first book in the Susan Ryeland series and an excellent introduction to it. The book uses a story within a story format, primarily focusing on the murder of a mystery writer.  

The main story goes like this, Susan Ryeland, a book editor, receives a copy of a manuscript by best-selling author Alan Conway. Unfortunately, Conway has a less-than-pleasant demeanor and is not exactly one of Susan's favorite clients. As a point of fact, Susan loves her job and only puts up with Alan because his books are so successful. And this latest story promises to be another triumph. However, the odd thing about this new manuscript is that as Susan nears its end, she notices that the book's final chapter still needs to be added. After all, who writes a murder mystery without an ending? And when Susan is told that Alan Conway has died of an apparent suicide, she suspects all is not as it appears. So she decides to investigate Conway's death to learn the truth and find the manuscript's missing chapter while at it.

Atticus Pünd, the 1950s fictionalized detective and the main protagonist of Conway's successful books, is charged with investigating a murder at a local manor house in this latest novel. However, the more Susan reads, the more convinced she is that another story is hidden in its pages. So can Susan solve the mystery in the final Atticus Pünd novel without the last chapter, or...can the fictional Atticus help Susan solve the mystery of Alan Conway's death? You'll need to read Magpie Murders to find out. This is a carefully crafted puzzler with an ending you won't see coming. And a must-read for anyone that loves a good mystery.

My Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

STRANGERS on a TRAIN by Patricia Highsmith...

Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith was published in 1950 by Harper & Brothers. If you are looking for a cozy mystery, this book is not for you. If you expect this book to be anything like the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock movie, you're also in for a bit of a surprise. The movie is a slightly whitewashed version of this novel.

Guy Haines and Charles Anthony Bruno are two strangers that meet on a train. Haines is an architect on his way back to his hometown to confront his cheating wife, Miriam, hoping to finally settle the terms for a divorce... three years in the making, so that he can marry the woman he loves, Anne Faulkner. 

Bruno is a spoiled, ne'er-do-well playboy with a psychopathic bent from Long Island, New York. He has a strong affinity for his mother and an equally passionate hatred for his father. 

Bruno proposes a solution that, in his mind, will solve both of their problems... "swap murders," with Bruno killing Miriam if Guy kills Bruno's father; since neither has a motive for the murders they committed, the police will have no reason to suspect either one of them of the killings. Guy, of course, doesn't take Bruno seriously, but Bruno kills Miriam anyway while Guy is out of town. When Bruno informs Guy of his crime, Guy is reluctant to turn him over to the police for fear that Bruno will claim that Guy is complicit in the murder exchange plan. Unfortunately, the longer Guy remains silent, the more he implicates himself, and the longer Guy delays in 'fulfilling his end of the agreement,' the more impatient and dangerous Bruno becomes to him. 

Strangers on a Train is a psychological thriller much darker than the film adaptation. Further details on the plot twists will spoil the book for you, but believe me...there are a few. However, the novel starts out a little slow but does pick up speed in the third chapter and only lets go at the end. If you like any of Highsmith's other books, like "The Talented Mr. Ripley," it's worth reading, especially if it's been a while since you've seen the film. 

My personal rating... ⭐⭐⭐½