Welcome to this months #BuddyRead episode. What's a Buddy Read? Co-host Classy and I select a title that we'll either read, listen to, or a combination of both. Afterwards we come together to chat about it on the podcast! This is a candid and spoiler-filled convo.  We talk about this book during a live chat at in the Shelf Addiction Official Facebook group, so you'll want to join us there!
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In this episode, we're discussing The Sun Down Motel, by Simone St. James. Both Classy and I listened to the audiobook version. Be sure to listen to the After Show on Patreon, because we share who we  picked for the fantasy casting and select our next title!

​Check out previous Buddy Read titles here!

​Welcome to this months #BuddyRead episode. What's a Buddy Read? Co-host Classy and I select a title that we'll either read, listen to, or a combination of both. Afterwards we come together to chat about it on the podcast! This is a candid and spoiler-filled convo.  We talk about this book during a live chat at in the Shelf Addiction Official Facebook group, so you'll want to join us there!
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In this episode, we're discussing The Marsh King's Daughter, by Karen Dionne. Both Classy and I listened to the audiobook version. Be sure to listen to the end because we share why we picked who we did for the fantasy casting!

​Check out previous Buddy Read titles here!

Publisher: Hutchinson / Random House Audio
Release Date: November 7, 2017
Format: MP3 Download
Pages: Hardcover: 288 | Audio Length: 8 hours 52 mins
Narrator:​ Karissa Vacker
Source: Audiobook Publisher
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: It has been ten years since Abby Williams left home and scrubbed away all visible evidence of her small town roots. Now working as an environmental lawyer in Chicago, she has a thriving career, a modern apartment, and her pick of meaningless one-night stands.

But when a new case takes her back home to Barrens, Indiana, the life Abby painstakingly created begins to crack. Tasked with investigating Optimal Plastics, the town's most high-profile company and economic heart, Abby begins to find strange connections to Barrens’ biggest scandal from more than a decade ago involving the popular Kaycee Mitchell and her closest friends—just before Kaycee disappeared for good.

Abby knows the key to solving any case lies in the weak spots, the unanswered questions. But as Abby tries to find out what really happened to Kaycee, she unearths an even more disturbing secret—a ritual called “The Game,” which will threaten the reputations, and lives, of the community and risk exposing a darkness that may consume her.

With tantalizing twists, slow-burning suspense, and a remote, rural town of just five claustrophobic miles, Bonfire is a dark exploration of the question: can you ever outrun your past? 

*This audiobook was provided by  the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

​The story opens up beautiful Kaycee Mitchell having what may be a seizure and collapsing during mock elections in the last year of high school in the small rural town of Barrens, Indiana. Kaycee’s illness has spread across the campus and mass hysteria (think Salem Witch Trials) has taken over amongst the clique of mean girls. Eventually the other girls confessed to lying about their illness, but Kaycee never did.

I've been on a thriller/suspense binge for the last few months and a well-done thriller such as this title contributes to the madness! Read on to find out why I rated 'The Kind Worth Killing" 4 bookmarks.

Publisher: William Morrow​
Release Date:  February 3, 2015
Format: Kindle ebook
Pages: 416 (ebook)
Source: Scribd App
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Review Date: December 5, 2016
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: A devious tale of psychological suspense involving sex, deception, and an accidental encounter that leads to murder. This is a modern re-imagining of Patricia Highsmith’s classic Strangers on a Train from the author of the acclaimed The Girl with a Clock for a Heart.

On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. But their game turns dark when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.” 

From there, Ted and Lily’s twisted bond grows stronger as they plot Miranda's demise, but soon these co-conspirators are embroiled in a game of cat-and-mouse--one they both cannot survive--with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.

Initially I rate this title at 3 bookmarks, but after talking about it with my book club last night, I realized that I liked it more than that, so the rating got kicked up a notch. 'The Kind Worth Killing' is a winner for book clubs. This lead to lots of excited and entertaining conversation. This is a smart, well thought out, and memorable story. 
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Into the Darkest Corner was one of my book club reads from September. This book is a well crafted page turner that will have you feeling all sorts of emotions. Rage, heartbreak, disappointment, victory and relief.  Read on and find out why this title earned my highly coveted 5 bookmark rating!

Publisher: Harper 
Release Date: January 2, 2013  (first published January 1st 2011)​
Format: ebook
Pages: 410 (ebook)
Source: Scribd 
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
Review Date: October 17, 2016
Rating: 5 bookmarks

Synopsis: When young, pretty Catherine Bailey meets Lee Brightman, she can't believe her luck. Gorgeous, charismatic, and a bit mysterious, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true.

But what begins as flattering attention and spontaneous, passionate sex transforms into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon discovers that Lee's dazzling blue eyes and blond good looks hide a dark, violent nature. Disturbed by his increasingly erratic, controlling behavior, she tries to break it off; turning to her friends for support, she's stunned to find they don't believe her. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—is trying to build a new life in a new city. Though her body has healed, the trauma of the past still haunts her. Then Stuart Richardson, her attractive new neighbor, moves in. Encouraging her to confront her fears, he sparks unexpected hope and the possibility of love and a normal life.

Until the day the phone rings . . . 

​​This story is dark...VERY dark. Hence the title, Into The Darkest Corner.  My book club was more vocal than they'd ever been when discussing a book selection. 

I could see the writing on the wall as the story began with a court case. The man being interviewed on the stand sounds like he just got out of a horrible situation with a crazy woman...but I knew things weren't what they seemed. From the first page I was reading compulsively wanting to find out how it all was going to end, but at the same time, there were moments when I was nervous to turn the page. Nervous to see just how bad things were going to get for Catherine.

I'm reviewing a title that I read for my last book club meeting. The Cold Cold Sea was great book for a book club discussion. Read on to find out why. I don't want to reveal major plot points, so I'm going to try to keep this one spoiler free.

Publisher: Legend Times Group
Release Date: May 1, 2015 (first published January 1st 2013)
Format: ebook
Pages: 256 (ebook)
Source: Scribd 
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
Review Date: September 26, 2016
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: ​When three-year-old Olivia disappears, her parents are overwhelmed with grief. Weeks go by and Olivia’s mother refuses to leave the cottage, staring out at the turbulent sea and praying it didn’t claim her precious daughter’s life. Not far away, another mother watches proudly as her daughter starts school. Jennifer has loved Hailey for five years, but the child is suddenly moody and difficult, and there’s a nagging worry of doubt that Jennifer cannot shake off. As she struggles to maintain control there are gaps in her story that even she can’t explain. Time is running out for Maggie at the cottage, and also for Jennifer and Hailey. No one can underestimate a mother’s love for her child, and no one can predict the lengths one will go to, to protect her family.

I pulled this review out of the vault ladies and gents. I'm back with another audiobook/paperback combo book review. Same as I did with Eeny Meeny and Pop Goes the Weasel, I listened during the work day and read the ebook at home in the evening. Why was this in the vault? Well... I completed this book well over 6 months ago and pretty much forgot to post the review! #bookreviewerfail  Better late than never, right? Right.

Publisher: NAL | Penguin Audio
Release Date: February 2, 2016  (first published 2015)
Format: Paperback & Audio MP3
Pages: Paperback: 434 pages | Audio Length: Approx 8.5 hours
Narrator: Elizabeth Bower, Scott Joseph
Source: Scribd 
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Review Date: September 7, 2016
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: Detective Helen Grace is on the trail of a twisted serial killer in this gripping thriller in the “taut, fast-paced”* international bestselling series.

Ruby wakes up in a strange room. Her captor calmly explains that no one is looking for her. No one wants her. Except him.

When the body of a woman is found buried on a secluded beach, Detective Helen Grace is called to the scene. She knows right away that the killer is no amateur. The woman has been dead for years, and no one has even reported her missing. But why would they? She’s still sending text messages to her family. 

Helen is convinced that a criminal mastermind is at work: someone very smart, very careful, and worst of all, very patient. But as she struggles to piece together the killer’s motive, time is running out for a victim who is still alive... 

​After finishing the last two books in the series, I seriously wanted to know what hot mess Helen would find herself in next. The Doll's House is book three in the Helen Grace series. While I liked it, let's just say I didn't enjoy this installment as much as the last.  What I did like and continue to like is the pacing of the story. Same as with previous installments the chapters are short and thus make you feel that you're moving through the book quickly.