The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner

They survived what no woman should ever have to endure. Now these three women have the means, the opportunity, and the perfect motive. Are they trying to get away with murder–or is someone trying to make sure that this time they don’t get away at all? The Survivors Club… that’s what Jillian Hayes, Carol Rosen, and Meg Pesaturo call it. They won’t consider themselves victims. They are survivors. They faced the blazing headlines and helped lead the investigation that caught the man who changed their lives forever. 

And now that Eddie Como, the College Hill rapist, has been murdered, shot down outside a packed courthouse moments before his trial was about to begin, all three women are openly ecstatic that he’s dead. They are also the prime suspects in his murder. Detective Sergeant Roan Griffin knows all too well what can drive even the best people to cross the line. But he has never seen a case quite like this one. But questions taunt Griffin: Who ordered the deaths of Eddie Como and his killer? Could three ordinary women have been driven to do the unthinkable? Had someone in the Survivors Club become a killer? 

π π π π

I love Lisa Gardner’s novels and I was thrilled to find a stand alone novel by her! If you have never heard of her, I would recommend her Quincy and Rainie series, starting with The Perfect Husband. So, so amazing!

The Survivors Club was a brilliant stand alone that has everything that I want from a mystery – likeable characters, lots of action and a surprising mystery.

The novel started off in so many different direction – a sniper on a rooftop, a police detective returning back to work after a leave of absence, and a woman recollecting about the worst night of her life. I loved how all of the storylines connected and I had no idea what was going to happen.

5 calculators out of a potential 5! One of my favourite mysteries this year!

Let’s be friends! Goodreads & Instagram

The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie

When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.

A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day. Instead, she stood on the street and witnessed it going down, with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, fled the disaster and is hoping that her past won’t catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror unfold on the morning news, knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building.

Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?

π π π π

I typically really enjoy novels that have characters that are woven together, but The Good Liar just felt too unrealistic for me. As the novel went on and the twists kept coming, it kind of lost me a bit.

I did enjoy the different story lines and reading about all 3 women and their unique perspectives about one horrible day. I liked the women and wondering how Kate fit in with the other two women.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. If the description sounds interesting to you, check it out!

Let’s be friends! Goodreads & Instagram

WWW Wednesday – August 29, 2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are:

What did you recently finish reading?

A young woman wakes up in a cold, dark cellar, with no idea how she got there or who her kidnapper is. So begins her terrible nightmare.

Nearby, the body of another young woman is discovered buried on a remote beach. But the dead girl was never reported missing – her estranged family having received regular texts from her over the years. Someone has been keeping her alive from beyond the grave.

For Detective Inspector Helen Grace it’s chilling evidence that she’s searching for a monster who is not just twisted but also clever and resourceful – a predator who’s killed before.

And as Helen struggles to understand the killer’s motivation, she begins to realize that she’s in a desperate race against time…

I am really enjoying the Helen Grace series. This is the 3rd novel and I enjoyed it as much as the first two novels!

What are you currently reading?

There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.

There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

I’m torn on this one. I like it, but there are aspects that I don’t really like. This one will come down to the ending!

What do you think you’ll read next?

Poppy and Carise are frustrated. They’re tired of watching the same old cycle: women in their office fall pregnant, leave early and take months off only to eventually return, requesting ‘more flexibility’. All with smug smiles on their faces.

That’s why they create the ‘No Baby Club’ – a Facebook group dedicated to women like themselves who don’t have children, who don’t want children and who simply want to vent about the ‘annoying mummies’ in their lives. They create challenges designed to make sure that childless women reap the benefits, like leaving early for a fake appointment and making one of them pick up the slack for a change. Memberships soar.

But as the group’s tasks get more extreme, Carise starts to worry that they’re taking things too far. On top of that, it seems that not all the new members are being honest and it’s not long before things start to slide disastrously out of control…

Nicola is the sister of best selling author, Liane Moriarty. I enjoyed Nicola’s previous novel, The Fifth Letter, and her newest novel sounds super interesting!

What are your WWW? Have you read The Dolls House, The Cheerleaders and Those Other Women?

Let’s be friends! Goodreads & Instagram

Top Ten Tuesday – Back to School

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Back to School – Books I read in school.

Hello everyone! I’m back from my vacation, so I’ll be posting a lot more in the next few weeks! I’m no longer in school (thank goodness!), so I decided to reminisce about the books that I had read during elementary school and high school. I was a math major in university, so there was no interesting school novels that I read during those 4 years!

What is your favourite book that you read for school?

Let’s be friends! Goodreads & Instagram

WWW Wednesday – August 15, 2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme is hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are:

What did you recently finish reading?

They survived what no woman should ever have to endure. Now these three women have the means, the opportunity, and the perfect motive. Are they trying to get away with murder–or is someone trying to make sure that this time they don’t get away at all? The Survivors Club… that’s what Jillian Hayes, Carol Rosen, and Meg Pesaturo call it. They won’t consider themselves victims. They are survivors. They faced the blazing headlines and helped lead the investigation that caught the man who changed their lives forever. 

And now that Eddie Como, the College Hill rapist, has been murdered, shot down outside a packed courthouse moments before his trial was about to begin, all three women are openly ecstatic that he’s dead. They are also the prime suspects in his murder. Detective Sergeant Roan Griffin knows all too well what can drive even the best people to cross the line. But he has never seen a case quite like this one. But questions taunt Griffin: Who ordered the deaths of Eddie Como and his killer? Could three ordinary women have been driven to do the unthinkable? Had someone in the Survivors Club become a killer? 

So, so amazing! Loved The Survivor’s Club!

What are you currently reading?

Jack Swyteck, a brilliant Miami defense attorney has spent years rebelling against his father, Harry, now Florida’s governor. Their estrangement seems complete when Harry allows one of Jack’s clients — a man Jack believes is innocent — to die in the electric chair.

But when a psychopath bent on serving his own twisted version of justice places both Jack and Harry in extreme jeopardy, the two have nowhere to turn but to each other. Together they must find a way to overcome their cunning tormentor’s manipulation . . . even as the stakes are being raised to far more perilous heights.

Just started reading this last night!

What do you think you’ll read next?

A burnt-out political aide quits just before an election — but is forced to run a hopeless campaign on the way out. He makes a deal with a crusty old Scot, Angus McLintock — an engineering professor who will do anything, “anything, ” to avoid teaching English to engineers — to let his name stand in the election. No need to campaign, certain to lose, and so on. 

Then a great scandal blows away his opponent, and to their horror, Angus is elected. He decides to see what good an honest M.P. who doesn’t care about being re-elected can do in Parliament. The results are hilarious — and with chess, a hovercraft, and the love of a good woman thrown in, this very funny book has something for everyone. 

The Best Laid Plans is my in-person book club read for August! I’m curious on whether or not I will enjoy it.

What are your WWW? Have you read The Survivor’s Club, The Pardon or The Best Laid Plans?

Let’s be friends! Goodreads & Instagram