Unbalanced by Jason Parent

 By-the-book Detective Asante Royo can only clean up Fall River’s filth for so long without getting dirty. When he’s called to an apparent suicide at an apartment complex notorious for its prostitution and drug trade, he doesn’t shed a tear for the life wasted. Yet something about the scene haunts him, and when his investigation gets swept under the rug, he has a hard time living with the stain.

Jaden Sanders is an unstable loner who lives across the hall from the crime scene. When three men break into his apartment, Jaden is ready for a fight. He kills two of his attackers in self-defense then stalks and stabs the third in the back. Jaden is soon arrested for murder.

With no clear motives for the home invasion or Jaden’s violent response, Royo must uncover the true story before more people get hurt. His only leads are derived from the version of events extracted from a truly unbalanced mind. Is Jaden a victim being steamrolled by cold justice or a murderer capable of killing again? 

The story opens in the aftermath of a possible suicide when Detective Royo notices a few things about the scene that seem suspicious. From there we plunge into a mystery/thriller when Jaden Sanders, the victim's boyfriend who lives across the hall becomes a victim of a home invasion. Jaden manages to kill his attackers but is later charged with murder.

Jaden was a fascinating character and I was more interested in his story line than I was in the detective work. He had suffered a breakdown after the death of his girlfriend and was still not very stable after his release from the psych hospital. 

As a rule you probably know by now I do not generally read detective stories, but as a fan of several of this author's previous works I was more than happy to dive into this novel. I also confess to having watched more than a few trials on court tv so the courtroom aspects of this novel were kind of a guilty pleasure for me. 

The mystery of what, if anything the break in had to do with the death of Jaden's girlfriend kept me guessing at whether Jaden was the bad guy or the target.

This is the fifth title I have read by this author and although my preference is for his horror stories I enjoyed this twisty thriller.

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Jason Parent for the finished paperback.

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Hide by Kiersten White

 

The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught.

The prize: enough money to change everything.

Even though everyone is desperate to win--to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts--Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she's an expert at that.

It's the reason she's alive, and her family isn't.

But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.

Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Mack is a young woman, friendless, homeless, consumed with guilt, and with nowhere to turn. Against her better judgment, she enters into a reality show-like competition of Hide and Seek in which she and 13 other competitors will hide for a week in an abandoned amusement park. The last to be found will win fifty thousand dollars. Everyone wants the money but some need it more desperately than others. Some are hoping this will be a stepping stone to fame and wealth, others just hope it will lead to a more normal life.

The synopsis intrigued me, but even though I knew there would be 14 competitors in this deadly game I was not entirely prepared to meet them all. It's a lot to keep track of, but fear not, many of them are throwaway characters that are only here to be killed off, while others are there in case you need someone to hate in order to know who you're rooting for.

I did wonder why it had to be a week and what they would do if thirteen competitors were found before then, but that is sort of explained later.

I was expecting a slasher in the woods story, but that is not exactly what I got.

It becomes increasingly clear to the contestants that there is something off about this competition but with no means of contacting help all they can do is try to survive.

There are frequent changes in point of view which was sometimes confusing but these become fewer as more contestants are eliminated.

I loved the setting, and descriptions of the run-down park, with creepy skeletal remains of rides and concession stands, but sometimes the descriptions of finding a hiding spot and basically staying there all day gave me the urge to skim.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 out of 5 where half stars are not an option.

My thanks to Del Rey Books for the advance copy.

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Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for teens and young readers, including And I Darken, Now I Rise, Bright We Burn, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, and Slayer. She lives with her family near the ocean in San Diego, where she perpetually lurks in the shadows. Visit Kiersten online at KierstenWhite.com and follow @KierstenWhite on Twitter.

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel

A girl would be such a blessing...

The last time Maeve saw her cousin was the night she escaped the cult they were raised in. For the past two decades, Maeve has worked hard to build a normal life in New York City, where she keeps everything—and everyone—at a safe distance.

When Andrea suddenly reappears, Maeve regains the only true friend she’s ever had. Soon she’s spending more time at Andrea’s remote Catskills estate than in her own cramped apartment. Maeve doesn’t even mind that her cousin’s wealthy work friends clearly disapprove of her single lifestyle. After all, Andrea has made her fortune in the fertility industry—baby fever comes with the territory.

The more Maeve immerses herself in Andrea’s world, the more disconnected she feels from her life back in the city; and the cousins’ increasing attachment triggers memories Maeve has fought hard to bury. But confronting the terrors of her childhood may be the only way for Maeve to transcend the nightmare still to come…
 

When Mae was a child, she escaped from the only life she had ever known, having been born into a cult referred to as the Mother Collective. She was quickly adopted by parents who loved her but were not prepared to deal with the level of emotional trauma she had suffered. Mae did receive some counseling but was taught that it was best to just let the past go rather than actually process her feelings. Throughout the years she never gave up searching for her cousin Andrea who was raised in the cult with her, and who she had not seen since the day of her escape. When she finally reconnects with Andrea, her wealth and success are intimidating and she refuses to let Mae speak of their past. Despite this, she is excited to have found her family, but the closer she gets to Andrea, the more isolated she becomes from her own life. Is it a series of terrible coincidences that leave Mae with no choice but to turn to Andrea? Or has Andrea orchestrated these events for her own nefarious agenda?

I loved Mae from the start. She seemed to look down on herself but I was proud of her accomplishments. She is stronger than she knows, even if I did want to scream at her to run away! Some of the occurrences were predictable, but knowing that they were going to happen did not detract from my enjoyment of the story and maybe even increased the dread I felt since I saw what was coming but I couldn't warn Mae. The way that Andrea and her friends interacted with their husbands fairly screamed that they had been drinking the Kool-Aid. yet somehow the ending managed to take me by surprise. This is a must-read for any fan of psychological thrillers.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Tor Nightfire for the review copy

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Tales to Keep You Up at Night by Dan Poblocki

 From the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Magic Misfits comes a spectacularly spooky novel that will keep you up way past bedtime.

Perfect for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark!

Amelia is cleaning out her grandmother's attic when she stumbles across a book: Tales to Keep You Up at Night. But when she goes to the library to return it, she's told that the book never belonged there. Curious, she starts to read the stories: tales of strange incidents in nearby towns, of journal entries chronicling endless, twisting pumpkin vines, birthday parties gone awry, and cursed tarot decks. And at the center of the stories lies a family of witches. And witches, she's told, can look like anyone...

As elements from the stories begin to come to life around her, and their eerie connections become clear, Amelia begins to realize that she may be in a spooky story of her own...
With hair-raising, spine-chilling prose, Dan Poblocki delivers a collection of interconnected stories that, if you're anything like Amelia, is sure to keep you up late in the night.

Tales To Keep You Up At Night is a spooky collection of short stories for middle grades, ages 10 and up. I enjoyed them myself and I am long past middle grades and deep into middle age.

Amelia and her little brother, along with their two moms have gone to grandma's house to pack things up because grandma has been missing for quite some time. Amelia happens to find an old library book that she decides to return, but once she gets there she is told by the librarian that the book did not belong to that library. As Amelia settles in to read the creepy tales she finds they are all connected, not just to each other but to her family and to the disappearance of her grandma.

There are stories of revenge, including revenge gone wrong when a bullied child tries to get even with his tormentor, a Halloween tale about the dangers of accepting free pumpkins that aren't cut for jack-o-lanterns, a creepy-crawly tragedy that befalls a girl who steals from her mother's purse, and many more.

I loved the way the stories are all connected. I think the fast pace and multiple chills should keep young readers interested.

Only one of the stories was not a big hit with me and that is mainly because it was written in the second person. I am not a fan of that format and it just doesn't work for me. That is the only thing that prevents this from being a 5-star read.

This title will be released on August 16 which is perfect timing if you are looking to keep your child reading over the summer break, or even if you enjoy a good spooky story yourself. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy this book.

4 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy.

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