Tuesday, May 28, 2019

A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay

 I know it's been a long time since I made a review but most of the books I read were not hideous enough for me to lambast nor were they excellent enough to warrant a review. A Noise Downstairs however has broken that spell. This novel gets 5 stars from me! I usually pride myself in finding out who the culprit is due to the length of time I have been delving in mysteries. However, Barclay is so adept in  twisting his tale with several plausible scenarios that I eventually started doubting my own suspicions.
Let's start with a brief summary. College professor Paul Davis used to have a very ordinary life until, while driving along a deserted road , he surprises a colleague  disposing 2 dead bodies. His fellow worker then attacks him but fortunately, a cop was passing by and stopped the ongoing crime from escalating into something more serious. Paul was saved but was so injured that he had to seek both medical and psychological help. His coworker has since been thrown in jail.
To assist him in his recovery his wife, Charlotte, finds a vintage typewriter for him to write his thoughts down. She found it on sale and thought he might be intrigued by it. However, before he knows it  Paul swears the typewriter is possessed and types by itself at night.  Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs but Charlotte insists she hears nothing. Now she is worried the physical and psychological trauma he experienced has pushed him over the edge.
When the truth started to unravel, my suspicion was almost correct until I reached the last few pages. I was amazed how things turned around. I did not see that coming! Such an excellent thriller!

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Don't Close Your Eyes

I have been very busy but while checking my bookmarks, I saw my poor neglected mystery blog and decided to update it. So here goes!
Don't Close Your Eyes by Christie Craig - It has a very good plot but unfortunately, since it was made by a Romance novelist there was this intense desire to add sex even though how ridiculous the scenario was. Like her carrying her thong in her purse when she goes to school to teach. Really? She was not even planning to swim or go to the gym? You put an extra underwear if you are scared you would have an accident during your period and believe me! A thong shall not be a good alternative to catch any flow ! She then tosses her purse at the back of the guy's car which conveniently hurls the precious little thong to pop out of the purse! Aroused , the guy dutifully rushes to her school with the said thong and brings it to her classroom. This ignites her lust that she immediately goes to bed with him once they get back to her house from school.
There were a lot of titillating scenes that I guess were acceptable and very standard in romance novels but it irritated me because it deflected from the actual storyline. Still, the plot was good. However this book made me vow never to get a book by a romance novelist ! I read books with a lot of sex but her scenes were bordering on the ridiculous.