Review: The Line Between

The Line Between by Tosca Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How does an author so seamlessly and relevantly write a story about a cult and the apocalypse? Somehow, Tosca Lee did so.

Working on two timelines, the story unfolds. It begins with Wynter being excommunicated from the cult environment she had been part of since the age of 6. Her mother brought her and her older sister to this "haven" to escape her abusive husband. At the age of 23, Wynter finds herself outside the gates and shunned.

The second storyline begins with Wynter, her mother, and sister entering the cult and joining. It continues, alternating between present time as Wynter grows older and ties the stories together very well. While the backstory is building, Wynter finds herself in a world where people are suddenly getting sick, losing their minds, and quickly dying. She joins forces with a stranger, who I would have liked to know more about his story, but it is up to them to solve this mystery. The backstory and the current story catch up to one another and Wynter finds herself in possession of something that could be very helpful.

I couldn't put it down. Really well written and paced.

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Review: Before She Knew Him

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing comes an exquisitely chilling tale of a young suburban wife with a history of psychological instability whose fears about her new neighbor could lead them both to murder . . .

Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.

But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder—an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either.

Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college, when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate?

The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he’s planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she’s been watching him, that she’s really on to him. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape.

Frankly, I did not know what to expect with this book. It is established very early on that 1) Hen has had psychological issues so may not be a reliable witness and 2) Matthew has something to do with the disappearance/murder of someone. I didn't expect the ending. I also didn't expect the very ending. Both surprised me. In fact, more than a few moments in the book surprised me. I liked it.

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Review: Hunting Annabelle

Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This book had a very interesting aspect to it - the narrator is presented as mentally ill. He takes antipsychotic drugs and spent time in a mental institution after committing a murder. Therefore, his narration is not necessarily one we can trust.

The story progresses and the reader becomes more and more uncertain of the facts presented. Ultimately, not all the characters are who we think they are at the outset. This book is dark. Much darker by the end. I thought the book was interesting enough to keep reading but I was unsatisfied by the end.

If you like a dark book, this is for you.

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