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14 Days to Die
To what extent would you go to avenge your husband's infidelity?
Stay-at-home mom Sarah Johnson has the perfect family—a handsome, hardworking husband and two healthy and beautiful children. At least, that’s what she’s been telling herself for years. After the tragedies in her youth, Sarah deemed living a lie easier than dwelling on the past and facing her everyday failures. To avoid any kind of confrontation at home she doesn’t read her husband’s emails or spy on him like most jealous wives do. She wouldn’t jeopardize her comfortable but dull life for anything.
But Sarah’s world is about to crumble around her when she receives a phone call from a man with a heavy foreign accent telling her that her perfect husband has put a price on her head. She is offered two weeks to come up with a counteroffer or die. Why would her model husband Mike want her dead? Hasn’t she been the perfect wife? Or has her karma finally caught up with her—making her pay for her former transgressions? The final countdown begins and now Sarah has to race against time to find out what went wrong in her marriage and find a way out of this nightmare.
So the game of life or death begins. Secrets are unveiled. Emotions are unleashed. Actions are taken.
Will there be a winner in this dangerous game when no one can escape the twist of fate?
Stay-at-home mom Sarah Johnson has the perfect family—a handsome, hardworking husband and two healthy and beautiful children. At least, that’s what she’s been telling herself for years. After the tragedies in her youth, Sarah deemed living a lie easier than dwelling on the past and facing her everyday failures. To avoid any kind of confrontation at home she doesn’t read her husband’s emails or spy on him like most jealous wives do. She wouldn’t jeopardize her comfortable but dull life for anything.
But Sarah’s world is about to crumble around her when she receives a phone call from a man with a heavy foreign accent telling her that her perfect husband has put a price on her head. She is offered two weeks to come up with a counteroffer or die. Why would her model husband Mike want her dead? Hasn’t she been the perfect wife? Or has her karma finally caught up with her—making her pay for her former transgressions? The final countdown begins and now Sarah has to race against time to find out what went wrong in her marriage and find a way out of this nightmare.
So the game of life or death begins. Secrets are unveiled. Emotions are unleashed. Actions are taken.
Will there be a winner in this dangerous game when no one can escape the twist of fate?
226 pages, ebook
First published January 13, 2016
322 people are currently reading
5915 people want to read
About the author
A.B. Whelan
22 books732 followersNew release: Easy Prey is a a razor-sharp psychological thriller inspired by real-life con artists and emotional predators. Easy Prey will leave you breathless and questioning everything. Releasing on July 17, 2025.
Whelan is an Amazon bestselling author of domestic psychological thrillers.
She currently resides in California with her husband and two children. When she isn't writing, editing, marketing, or researching her next book, you can find her walking her two rescue dogs, socializing online, coaching soccer, or doing another DIY project with her husband.
Find me on:
* Facebook (AuthorABWhelan)
* Instagram (authorabwhelan)
* Goodreads (A.B. Whelan)
* Twitter (AuthorABWhelan)
* Bookbub: A.B. Whelan
Whelan is an Amazon bestselling author of domestic psychological thrillers.
She currently resides in California with her husband and two children. When she isn't writing, editing, marketing, or researching her next book, you can find her walking her two rescue dogs, socializing online, coaching soccer, or doing another DIY project with her husband.
Find me on:
* Facebook (AuthorABWhelan)
* Instagram (authorabwhelan)
* Goodreads (A.B. Whelan)
* Twitter (AuthorABWhelan)
* Bookbub: A.B. Whelan
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
August 20, 2024
Most psychological thrillers dig their way into your psyche bit by bit, but with this opening paragraph " It was a fine winter day that eighth of February when I decided to kill my husband" my psyche was well and truly dug!
Sarah's world begins to unravel when she receives a phone call from a man with a heavy foreign accent, telling her that her husband Mike has put a price on her head. She is given 14 days to come up with a counter offer or die. As the days tick away, Sarah discovers many things about Mike, and decides to make him pay before those 14 days are up.
A victim living with heart pounding fear is one thing, but A. B. Whelan takes it to another level by having Sarah's object of fear sit right across from her at the breakfast table, share her bed, play with the kids he's fathered.
There are so many underlying story lines here that make you want to keep turning the pages. With well drawn characters and a great ending, what are you waiting for? Get your hands on this book.
* Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy*
Sarah's world begins to unravel when she receives a phone call from a man with a heavy foreign accent, telling her that her husband Mike has put a price on her head. She is given 14 days to come up with a counter offer or die. As the days tick away, Sarah discovers many things about Mike, and decides to make him pay before those 14 days are up.
A victim living with heart pounding fear is one thing, but A. B. Whelan takes it to another level by having Sarah's object of fear sit right across from her at the breakfast table, share her bed, play with the kids he's fathered.
There are so many underlying story lines here that make you want to keep turning the pages. With well drawn characters and a great ending, what are you waiting for? Get your hands on this book.
* Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy*
December 20, 2015
Sarah has a "perfect" life. Just moving back to the states from Italy with her handsome husband and kids they both adore, she is living a typical suburb mom life. Picking up after her family, doing things with the kids, taking care of her handsome husband. (bleck)
I analyze his outfit, the way he hunches over his plate, his hair-shaved and combed to the side like the soccer star Christiano Ronaldo's.
Then she gets a phone call. A guy with an accent calls and tells her that her husband has hired him to kill her. He is willing to make a deal though, she has fourteen days to come up with money or he will do the job.
Sarah starts digging into her husband's activities after that and finds out that he has a been leading a whole different life than the one she thought he was.
(He has been putting the old wiener in just about everything. No wonder Sarah had all those yeast infections)
Sarah gets pissed off. She doesn't want to die because her husband has deemed that he doesn't want her around. She gets a bunch of episodes of CSI...she knows they will help her to kill her husband. (She will get him first-then collect the insurance)
I think I saw on CSI that bruises can show up postmortem on a body just in time for the autopsy. I put the pillow back against the headboard. It's too much of a hassle, and I'm not a cold-blooded killer.
Sarah doesn't let the fact that she really isn't a killer stop her.
She puts some of her plan in action. Cooking for her husband with a little helper in his food.
Assisting his toothbrush during her cleaning of the house:
The story does drag on at times and that kept me from giving it a full five stars. There is several times when I just wanted them to hurry up. Then some random scenes that were not needed get thrown in to the mix.
Sarah, for me anyways, was a likable character. I kept rooting for her even when she started giving the husband some of his own medicine.
But in defense of the faithful wives and mothers in the world, we are also aware of hot guys around us. Guys who don't fart up the bedroom by the time you get out of the shower. Guys who don't smell like a gym bag after mowing the lawn on a hot summer day. Guys who put the toilet seat down, close their sock drawer, and put their dirty laundry into the hamper instead of in the floor next to it. But we don't give up on our family and run off with these hot guys.
And I didn't come close to figuring out how this book would end. Frigging awesome!
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
So I found out recently that not everyone likes this little section of my reviews. Well, fuck em. I'm still going to do it. (ETA..I should have said probably here. I need political correctness training.)
I'm picking for this one my friend Michelle Only Wants to Read's review. Because I would have missed this entertaining book if not for her review.
I analyze his outfit, the way he hunches over his plate, his hair-shaved and combed to the side like the soccer star Christiano Ronaldo's.
Then she gets a phone call. A guy with an accent calls and tells her that her husband has hired him to kill her. He is willing to make a deal though, she has fourteen days to come up with money or he will do the job.
Sarah starts digging into her husband's activities after that and finds out that he has a been leading a whole different life than the one she thought he was.
(He has been putting the old wiener in just about everything. No wonder Sarah had all those yeast infections)
Sarah gets pissed off. She doesn't want to die because her husband has deemed that he doesn't want her around. She gets a bunch of episodes of CSI...she knows they will help her to kill her husband. (She will get him first-then collect the insurance)
I think I saw on CSI that bruises can show up postmortem on a body just in time for the autopsy. I put the pillow back against the headboard. It's too much of a hassle, and I'm not a cold-blooded killer.
Sarah doesn't let the fact that she really isn't a killer stop her.
She puts some of her plan in action. Cooking for her husband with a little helper in his food.
Assisting his toothbrush during her cleaning of the house:
The story does drag on at times and that kept me from giving it a full five stars. There is several times when I just wanted them to hurry up. Then some random scenes that were not needed get thrown in to the mix.
Sarah, for me anyways, was a likable character. I kept rooting for her even when she started giving the husband some of his own medicine.
But in defense of the faithful wives and mothers in the world, we are also aware of hot guys around us. Guys who don't fart up the bedroom by the time you get out of the shower. Guys who don't smell like a gym bag after mowing the lawn on a hot summer day. Guys who put the toilet seat down, close their sock drawer, and put their dirty laundry into the hamper instead of in the floor next to it. But we don't give up on our family and run off with these hot guys.
And I didn't come close to figuring out how this book would end. Frigging awesome!
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
So I found out recently that not everyone likes this little section of my reviews. Well, fuck em. I'm still going to do it. (ETA..I should have said probably here. I need political correctness training.)
I'm picking for this one my friend Michelle Only Wants to Read's review. Because I would have missed this entertaining book if not for her review.
December 28, 2015
4.5 Stars
Sarah Johnson is a stay at home mom who wants everyone to think she has been happily married for over 14 years. She has the perfect family. She's even convinced herself of this over the years. However, a phone call changes all of that and Sarah is forced to face up to everything she's been denying. Not only is her husband being unfaithful but he wants her dead and has hired a hit-man to carry out the plan to end her life. But this hit-man tells Sarah that he's not keen on killing women. He tells her if she comes up with the money to pay him off he will let her live.
But she only has 14 days.....
At first Sarah is shocked that her husband would want to have her killed. She's tried to be the perfect wife. But Sarah has some secrets of her own, things in her past that she's tried to forget. The guilt comes up now and then but now she feels that perhaps it's what she deserves. That feeling doesn't last and she realizes she needs to survive to be around to raise her children.
Then the feelings of anger set in and she realizes she not only wants to survive but to make her husband pay. Oh and I LOVED the little ways in which she made him pay. She got a lot of satisfaction from these little paybacks. I will never look at my toothbrush the same. You can't help but root for Sarah and really dislike her husband, Mike.
I really enjoyed this book and would have finished it in a few sittings if it wasn't for all the holiday stuff going on. At times there was a lot going on in the story, and I got a little bit confused. Some of it was little distracting but not enough to pull me away from the main story. And some of the extracurricular activities were definitely fun to read about.
I liked how the book kept me wondering. Interspersed though-out the book were police interviews with everyone from her old high school friend, the older neighbor who babysat her children, the busybody neighbor, the hot new neighbor and more. It made for some entertaining and interesting reading and made you wonder what exactly what was going to happen next.
All in all I really enjoyed the book. I loved the original plot and thought it was very well written. While I may have had ideas about who did what, I did NOT see the ending coming and I love that.
I would definitely recommend this book! I really look forward to reading more from A.B. Whelan.
***Also you should really check out the review my friend Shelby wrote as it's got some perfect gif's to go along with her awesome review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Sarah Johnson is a stay at home mom who wants everyone to think she has been happily married for over 14 years. She has the perfect family. She's even convinced herself of this over the years. However, a phone call changes all of that and Sarah is forced to face up to everything she's been denying. Not only is her husband being unfaithful but he wants her dead and has hired a hit-man to carry out the plan to end her life. But this hit-man tells Sarah that he's not keen on killing women. He tells her if she comes up with the money to pay him off he will let her live.
But she only has 14 days.....
At first Sarah is shocked that her husband would want to have her killed. She's tried to be the perfect wife. But Sarah has some secrets of her own, things in her past that she's tried to forget. The guilt comes up now and then but now she feels that perhaps it's what she deserves. That feeling doesn't last and she realizes she needs to survive to be around to raise her children.
Then the feelings of anger set in and she realizes she not only wants to survive but to make her husband pay. Oh and I LOVED the little ways in which she made him pay. She got a lot of satisfaction from these little paybacks. I will never look at my toothbrush the same. You can't help but root for Sarah and really dislike her husband, Mike.
I really enjoyed this book and would have finished it in a few sittings if it wasn't for all the holiday stuff going on. At times there was a lot going on in the story, and I got a little bit confused. Some of it was little distracting but not enough to pull me away from the main story. And some of the extracurricular activities were definitely fun to read about.
I liked how the book kept me wondering. Interspersed though-out the book were police interviews with everyone from her old high school friend, the older neighbor who babysat her children, the busybody neighbor, the hot new neighbor and more. It made for some entertaining and interesting reading and made you wonder what exactly what was going to happen next.
All in all I really enjoyed the book. I loved the original plot and thought it was very well written. While I may have had ideas about who did what, I did NOT see the ending coming and I love that.
I would definitely recommend this book! I really look forward to reading more from A.B. Whelan.
***Also you should really check out the review my friend Shelby wrote as it's got some perfect gif's to go along with her awesome review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
February 12, 2017
14 DAYS TO DIE by A.B. Whelan is a debut psychological gripping thriller with many twists and turns that keeps you guessing until the very last page. And I never guessed the brilliant ending! I loved this book!
Sarah Johnson has the perfect package, a wonderful husband and two beautiful children. Well not so perfect…the marriage wasn’t bad but not great. Her husband, Mike is a bully and doesn’t handle frustration well. And for that his wife is on the receiving line for emotional abuse and terror.
They were just a couple approaching their forties after fourteen years of marriage, who live in the suburbs, just going through the motions. Mike, an Air Force firefighter, loved himself and money more than anything else. Sarah, had given up her dreams after they had a family.
And then something went terribly wrong!
“But Sarah’s world is about to crumble around her when she receives a phone call from a man with a heavy foreign accent telling her that her perfect husband has put a price on her head. She is offered two weeks to come up with a counteroffer or die. Why would her model husband Mike want her dead? Hasn’t she been the perfect wife? Or has her karma finally caught up with her-making her pay for her former transgressions? The final countdown begins and now Sarah has to race against time to find out what went wrong in her marriage and find a way out of this nightmare.”
I felt sorry for Sarah, who is emotionally barren and isolated, thanks to her husband’s love of electronics and his iPhone. He doesn’t make an effort to communicate with his wife.
“No one that despicable deserves to live.”
The novel is divided into chapters counting down the numbers of days to die.
The days are ticking away…her life was on a balance…and the ending, the last page blew me away! I never would have come up with this!
After reading this book, you will now look at your husband and other people in your life in a new light. What comes around goes around!
My thanks to the author , inMotion Capitol and NetGalley for the digital copy.
Sarah Johnson has the perfect package, a wonderful husband and two beautiful children. Well not so perfect…the marriage wasn’t bad but not great. Her husband, Mike is a bully and doesn’t handle frustration well. And for that his wife is on the receiving line for emotional abuse and terror.
They were just a couple approaching their forties after fourteen years of marriage, who live in the suburbs, just going through the motions. Mike, an Air Force firefighter, loved himself and money more than anything else. Sarah, had given up her dreams after they had a family.
And then something went terribly wrong!
“But Sarah’s world is about to crumble around her when she receives a phone call from a man with a heavy foreign accent telling her that her perfect husband has put a price on her head. She is offered two weeks to come up with a counteroffer or die. Why would her model husband Mike want her dead? Hasn’t she been the perfect wife? Or has her karma finally caught up with her-making her pay for her former transgressions? The final countdown begins and now Sarah has to race against time to find out what went wrong in her marriage and find a way out of this nightmare.”
I felt sorry for Sarah, who is emotionally barren and isolated, thanks to her husband’s love of electronics and his iPhone. He doesn’t make an effort to communicate with his wife.
“No one that despicable deserves to live.”
The novel is divided into chapters counting down the numbers of days to die.
The days are ticking away…her life was on a balance…and the ending, the last page blew me away! I never would have come up with this!
After reading this book, you will now look at your husband and other people in your life in a new light. What comes around goes around!
My thanks to the author , inMotion Capitol and NetGalley for the digital copy.
January 23, 2016
Wham! Bam! What a "crazy" ride!
The countdown begins with the first chapter when Sarah receives a threatening and enlightening call about her cheating scumbag of a husband who wants her dead and must now find a way to pay $100k to a hit-man or die! As for Mike, well payback really is a bitch as the Mrs. truly is quite creative in her revengeful ways.
Despite a couple dubious plot issues and a bit of futile foolishness here and there, this mystery-thriller is highly entertaining from beginning to end with secrets revealed, shocking twists and an unforgettable conclusion! Unputdownable! (and all for only $2.99) Thank you A. B. Whelan!
February 19, 2016
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
3.5 Stars
“Is it possible that we all have darkness within us; only some of us never have a chance to act upon it while others are left with no choice?”
I read this book over a month ago, but never got around to reviewing it since I suck. I’m also currently dealing with a situation at work that looks like this . . . .
Which has left me feeling a bit like this . . .
(Hence today's featured coffee mug.)
So you’re gonna get what you get with this review. (I know, I know but somehow you’ll have to go on without the real high caliber quality you’re used to seeing in my review space.)
Alright, so 14 Days to Die was quite the unexpected little thriller. I’d never heard of this author before but couldn’t resist running to grab an ARC when several of my friends read/enjoyed it.
Things started off very well . . .
“It was a fine winter day that eighth of February when I decided to kill my husband.”
Uhhhhh, yes please . . .
Sarah and Mike have been happily married for a long time. Or so Sarah thought . . .
“After fourteen years of marriage, caring, cleaning, dirty laundry, cooking, love, kisses, and hugs, all I’m left with are two options: kill or be killed.”
The decision is Sarah’s to make after she receives a call from her potential murderer. Sarah has two choices – let things play out as is and wind up dead at the hands of a hired killer or come up with double the amount of money and flip the script on her darling hubs instead. The only problem? Sarah has about zero dollars and killer-for-hire is severely lacking in the patience department . . .
I’m pretty hard to please when it comes to psych thrillers (probably because I read so many of them), so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one. Things that worked well for me? The ending was presented right from the jump so there was no let down or “boooooo I saw that coming” moment. The characters were well-developed and even though I wanted to kick Sarah’s ass sometimes she seemed fairly realistic. Speaking of realistic, there were some “Lifetime Television for Women” moments thrown in, but somehow I didn’t want to stab someone in the face when they occurred. And finally the pacing was spot-on. At barely over 250 pages there was little time for lulls in the story.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
3.5 Stars
“Is it possible that we all have darkness within us; only some of us never have a chance to act upon it while others are left with no choice?”
I read this book over a month ago, but never got around to reviewing it since I suck. I’m also currently dealing with a situation at work that looks like this . . . .
Which has left me feeling a bit like this . . .
(Hence today's featured coffee mug.)
So you’re gonna get what you get with this review. (I know, I know but somehow you’ll have to go on without the real high caliber quality you’re used to seeing in my review space.)
Alright, so 14 Days to Die was quite the unexpected little thriller. I’d never heard of this author before but couldn’t resist running to grab an ARC when several of my friends read/enjoyed it.
Things started off very well . . .
“It was a fine winter day that eighth of February when I decided to kill my husband.”
Uhhhhh, yes please . . .
Sarah and Mike have been happily married for a long time. Or so Sarah thought . . .
“After fourteen years of marriage, caring, cleaning, dirty laundry, cooking, love, kisses, and hugs, all I’m left with are two options: kill or be killed.”
The decision is Sarah’s to make after she receives a call from her potential murderer. Sarah has two choices – let things play out as is and wind up dead at the hands of a hired killer or come up with double the amount of money and flip the script on her darling hubs instead. The only problem? Sarah has about zero dollars and killer-for-hire is severely lacking in the patience department . . .
I’m pretty hard to please when it comes to psych thrillers (probably because I read so many of them), so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one. Things that worked well for me? The ending was presented right from the jump so there was no let down or “boooooo I saw that coming” moment. The characters were well-developed and even though I wanted to kick Sarah’s ass sometimes she seemed fairly realistic. Speaking of realistic, there were some “Lifetime Television for Women” moments thrown in, but somehow I didn’t want to stab someone in the face when they occurred. And finally the pacing was spot-on. At barely over 250 pages there was little time for lulls in the story.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
January 10, 2016
I'd like to thank Netgalley and the author for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.
Wow! I feel lucky to have found another great debut in such a short period of time. This book came highly recommended from a few Goodreads friends and it did not disappoint.
Sarah Johnson is a stay at home mom raising 2 children with a seemingly perfect life to the outsider. After 14 years of marriage however, she receives a call one evening from a hit man who has been hired by her husband. She is confronted with evidence of her husband's infidelity and is given a choice- if she can raise double the amount of cash to be paid by her husband, Mike, in 14 days, the hit man will not kill her. The catch is that the only way she can scrape together $100,000 would be to kill her husband and pay it out of his insurance policy.
Talk about a fantastic plot and premise for a thriller! Not only was this one fast paced, it had exceptional character development in a short book (around 225 pages I believe). I could feel my heart beating faster with each call she got reminding her of the impending doom hanging over her head. Mike is clearly an extremely unlikable character, and as we unearth more of his secrets I felt inclined to encourage Sarah to off him. And that ending? Whoa. I had a few aspects figured out, but had not expected the whopper twists in the ending. I think my favorite scenes were those with Sarah and her neighbor Bruce. This book was thrilling with a side of romance that I could stomach. Overall a fantastic read that I highly recommend!
Wow! I feel lucky to have found another great debut in such a short period of time. This book came highly recommended from a few Goodreads friends and it did not disappoint.
Sarah Johnson is a stay at home mom raising 2 children with a seemingly perfect life to the outsider. After 14 years of marriage however, she receives a call one evening from a hit man who has been hired by her husband. She is confronted with evidence of her husband's infidelity and is given a choice- if she can raise double the amount of cash to be paid by her husband, Mike, in 14 days, the hit man will not kill her. The catch is that the only way she can scrape together $100,000 would be to kill her husband and pay it out of his insurance policy.
Talk about a fantastic plot and premise for a thriller! Not only was this one fast paced, it had exceptional character development in a short book (around 225 pages I believe). I could feel my heart beating faster with each call she got reminding her of the impending doom hanging over her head. Mike is clearly an extremely unlikable character, and as we unearth more of his secrets I felt inclined to encourage Sarah to off him. And that ending? Whoa. I had a few aspects figured out, but had not expected the whopper twists in the ending. I think my favorite scenes were those with Sarah and her neighbor Bruce. This book was thrilling with a side of romance that I could stomach. Overall a fantastic read that I highly recommend!
January 15, 2016
This may be called 14 DAYS TO DIE but it only took me 1 and 1/2 days to read it. I was hooked from beginning to end.
I read at the back of this book in the Acknowledgments that this author this author A. B. Whelan has other books written, I hadn't seen them due to her writing a different genre, this I understand is her first Thriller/Crime.
I definitely hope it won't be her last!
In my humble opinion, I have read lots of Thrillers from each type from psychological to mystery, from the daft to the sublime, and this one is written in a fantastic way that keeps the pace up and keeps you alert at all times.
I am going to say: This really needs picking up by some film company I would love to see this played out visually.
This author has really captured and netted my interest from page one.
This had pitch.
This had power.
This had pace.
This had me Guessing
This really did suck me in. There were moments in this book, the way that it is written with excerpts of some being interviewed that I thought YES C'MON gotcha!
Nope
I am not going to give spoilers.
But we have a woman here who appears "happily married" but this all goes down the chute when she finds out her husband is not only having an affair............[not telling]
He wants her dead.
Why not just divorce her? I hear you ask..
Still not telling you!
This had twists, upon twists.......and at the end, twists. It will tie you up in knots.
I defy you to know the climax before the last two chapters.
Awesome read. Highly recommended.
I really do hope this author writes more thrillers, will she top this one? I do hope so. It will be difficult though.
* My thanks to inMotion Capitol via Net Galley and the author for my copy to read, enjoy and review*
I read at the back of this book in the Acknowledgments that this author this author A. B. Whelan has other books written, I hadn't seen them due to her writing a different genre, this I understand is her first Thriller/Crime.
I definitely hope it won't be her last!
In my humble opinion, I have read lots of Thrillers from each type from psychological to mystery, from the daft to the sublime, and this one is written in a fantastic way that keeps the pace up and keeps you alert at all times.
I am going to say: This really needs picking up by some film company I would love to see this played out visually.
This author has really captured and netted my interest from page one.
This had pitch.
This had power.
This had pace.
This had me Guessing
This really did suck me in. There were moments in this book, the way that it is written with excerpts of some being interviewed that I thought YES C'MON gotcha!
Nope
I am not going to give spoilers.
But we have a woman here who appears "happily married" but this all goes down the chute when she finds out her husband is not only having an affair............[not telling]
He wants her dead.
Why not just divorce her? I hear you ask..
Still not telling you!
This had twists, upon twists.......and at the end, twists. It will tie you up in knots.
I defy you to know the climax before the last two chapters.
Awesome read. Highly recommended.
I really do hope this author writes more thrillers, will she top this one? I do hope so. It will be difficult though.
* My thanks to inMotion Capitol via Net Galley and the author for my copy to read, enjoy and review*
February 16, 2016
Deliciously fun suspense/mystery that will leave you reeling, all in under 225 pages!!
Sarah Johnson is a happily married woman with two loving children. Perfect house, perfect life. All until the phone call that brings her perfect world crashing down around her. Her husband has hired someone to kill her for $50K, but the killer has an offer-he will kill her husband instead, for double the price. She has 2 weeks to come up with the money...
A lot can happen in two weeks, which is intricately played out in the remaining chapters.
From lies and betrayals to jealousy and adultery, this book has it all and then some. It made me gasp, made me angry, sad, and even laugh as I rooted for the underdog. The twists and turns came like punches-I just wasn't prepared for what was coming. Thinking back, I probably should have been, as the author brilliantly left subtle clues along the way that pointed to how things would all play out.
I highly recommend this fast, fun read to all fiction lovers who want a book that steps outside the lines.
My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
Sarah Johnson is a happily married woman with two loving children. Perfect house, perfect life. All until the phone call that brings her perfect world crashing down around her. Her husband has hired someone to kill her for $50K, but the killer has an offer-he will kill her husband instead, for double the price. She has 2 weeks to come up with the money...
A lot can happen in two weeks, which is intricately played out in the remaining chapters.
From lies and betrayals to jealousy and adultery, this book has it all and then some. It made me gasp, made me angry, sad, and even laugh as I rooted for the underdog. The twists and turns came like punches-I just wasn't prepared for what was coming. Thinking back, I probably should have been, as the author brilliantly left subtle clues along the way that pointed to how things would all play out.
I highly recommend this fast, fun read to all fiction lovers who want a book that steps outside the lines.
My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
February 26, 2016
Uggh! I just want the hit man to shoot me in the head after reading this book. It is sooooo boring and depressing!
First off, we have the world's biggest dumbass as our main character. Sarah gets a phone call from some guy claiming to be a hit-man and tells her that her husband has hired him to kill her. He gives her 14 days to come up with 100 grand to stop this thing. We get to count-down the days in this book, and believe me, they are the longest days ever. It's like a day getting a root canal. Please, just make it stop!
So, you get this phone call, what do you do? Um, duh! You go to the cops. That's it. I don't care that he made a threat that you can't go to the cops. Of course he's going to tell you that!!! He doesn't want you to go to the cops because he doesn't want to get caught. It's very cut and dry, right? Wrong, dumbass doesn't go to the cops, but decides to go ahead and kill her husband herself instead. Then, she can get the insurance money and pay off the hit-man. Yeah, she's that dumb.
Okay, so she thinks she might go to the cops once, but the hit-man calls and tells her not to, so she goes home. Seriously? You're taking orders from the hit-man now? Aside from the fact that he must be in the area if he could see her. Maybe it's the perfect time to go to the cops. Sheesh!!
Instead, she spends the whole book thinking about her marriage and the mistakes she made. It's like a freaking counseling session from hell. I just want the hit-man to go ahead and kill her already!
And, frankly, after hearing about her marriage, and how her husband treated her, I think she's an even bigger dumbass for allowing it to go on. He continually bitched at her about not working outside the home. Well, guess what? Taking care of a family 24/7 is a thankless brutal job. A real man appreciates a wife who is willing to do this for him and his children and doesn't bitch about the lost income. (Shout out to my hubsy!) And, if a wife decides she wants a career instead, she should also be appreciated for her hard work both outside and inside the home. In other words, Husbands -don't be douchebags!
So, we are treated to watching the dumbass go from one idiotic move to the next, all while thinking - pages and pages of thinking - until we get to the worst ending ever.
First off, we have the world's biggest dumbass as our main character. Sarah gets a phone call from some guy claiming to be a hit-man and tells her that her husband has hired him to kill her. He gives her 14 days to come up with 100 grand to stop this thing. We get to count-down the days in this book, and believe me, they are the longest days ever. It's like a day getting a root canal. Please, just make it stop!
So, you get this phone call, what do you do? Um, duh! You go to the cops. That's it. I don't care that he made a threat that you can't go to the cops. Of course he's going to tell you that!!! He doesn't want you to go to the cops because he doesn't want to get caught. It's very cut and dry, right? Wrong, dumbass doesn't go to the cops, but decides to go ahead and kill her husband herself instead. Then, she can get the insurance money and pay off the hit-man. Yeah, she's that dumb.
Okay, so she thinks she might go to the cops once, but the hit-man calls and tells her not to, so she goes home. Seriously? You're taking orders from the hit-man now? Aside from the fact that he must be in the area if he could see her. Maybe it's the perfect time to go to the cops. Sheesh!!
Instead, she spends the whole book thinking about her marriage and the mistakes she made. It's like a freaking counseling session from hell. I just want the hit-man to go ahead and kill her already!
And, frankly, after hearing about her marriage, and how her husband treated her, I think she's an even bigger dumbass for allowing it to go on. He continually bitched at her about not working outside the home. Well, guess what? Taking care of a family 24/7 is a thankless brutal job. A real man appreciates a wife who is willing to do this for him and his children and doesn't bitch about the lost income. (Shout out to my hubsy!) And, if a wife decides she wants a career instead, she should also be appreciated for her hard work both outside and inside the home. In other words, Husbands -don't be douchebags!
So, we are treated to watching the dumbass go from one idiotic move to the next, all while thinking - pages and pages of thinking - until we get to the worst ending ever.
February 21, 2016
Sarah Johnson's comfy world turns ugly when she receives a telephone call from a man telling her that her husband, Mike, has paid him to kill her. The man gives her an "out", but only if she can double the contract amount within 14 days.
Good stuff with the premise and the pacing. The ending was killer. Keep your friends close and your toothbrush closer, because paybacks can be hell.
Good stuff with the premise and the pacing. The ending was killer. Keep your friends close and your toothbrush closer, because paybacks can be hell.
December 13, 2015
Meet Sarah Johnson ... wife of Mike, mother to two young children, a housewife, who knows her life isn't perfect, but considering she's been married 14 years, it's an okay marriage.
But today is the day she decides to kill her husband. Before you judge her too harshly, there are things the reader needs to know. Firstly, she receives a phone call from a stranger, one with an Italian accent. He informs her that he is a hit man. Her husband has hired him to kill her. He tells her make me a better offer and I will kill your husband for twice what he's paying me... you have 14 days to decide.
And so the book begins. She discovers so many secrets, so many lies that her husband has kept from her. As she researches how to kill him, she takes the reader along with her on her journey into the past.
Mike hasn't been physically or sexually abusive .. he just hasn't cared...at least, not about her. He comes across as a type of bully.
Sarah used to be a strong woman, was starting her own business ... before she got married. But now she's let herself go ...
It's a kind of depressing story in some aspects. It's like peeking in the windows of your neighbor's house ... you just can't turn your eyes away.
Every few chapters there is an ongoing conversation ... it's actually more like an interrogation between a detective and individuals who know the couple. So the reader 'knows' something has happened ... at this point you leave it to the imagination to think of all the ways this could end.
Did she kill him? Did he kill her? Did the hitman kill one or the other? The suspense starts to build and doesn't let up until you get to the very last page. The ending took my breath away.
My thanks to the author / inMotion Capitol / NetGalley who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
September 19, 2022
Here are 5 reasons why I enjoyed "14 Days To Die":
1) I loved the premise:
A happily married wife/mother receives a phone call from a hitman telling her that her perfect husband has hired him to kill her.
The wife has 14 days to come up with a counteroffer or die.
2) The book was fast-paced, witty, and intricately plotted.
3) The author's 14-day countdown to death was a clever and effective way to frame the storyline.
4) I loved the way the author interspersed police interviews with the family's friends and associates throughout the book.
Readers knew something horrible was about to happen and these interviews intensified the tension and suspense.
4) WOW! The ending was brilliant and unexpected.
One reason why "14 Days to Die" did not earn all 5 stars:
At times, the author went off on tangents that could have been omitted without compromising the storyline.
This book was a very impressive 2016 debut novel by A.B. Whelan that somehow escaped my radar.
I listened to the audiobook read by Lisa Flanagan, who did an outstanding job with the narration.
Since the book showcased multiple POVs, the book would have benefited from multiple narrators.
I look forward to reading future books by this talented author.
1) I loved the premise:
A happily married wife/mother receives a phone call from a hitman telling her that her perfect husband has hired him to kill her.
The wife has 14 days to come up with a counteroffer or die.
2) The book was fast-paced, witty, and intricately plotted.
3) The author's 14-day countdown to death was a clever and effective way to frame the storyline.
4) I loved the way the author interspersed police interviews with the family's friends and associates throughout the book.
Readers knew something horrible was about to happen and these interviews intensified the tension and suspense.
4) WOW! The ending was brilliant and unexpected.
One reason why "14 Days to Die" did not earn all 5 stars:
At times, the author went off on tangents that could have been omitted without compromising the storyline.
This book was a very impressive 2016 debut novel by A.B. Whelan that somehow escaped my radar.
I listened to the audiobook read by Lisa Flanagan, who did an outstanding job with the narration.
Since the book showcased multiple POVs, the book would have benefited from multiple narrators.
I look forward to reading future books by this talented author.
May 3, 2016
Originally posted on The Book Nympho
Sarah Johnson's supposedly idyllic world crashed around her the day she received a mysterious call from her hired assassin who offers her a counter deal: double what her husband agreed to pay him to kill her and he'll drop the assignment. She's got 14 days to come up with the money. What follows next is her attempt to come to terms with her imminent demise.
This was an interesting story with an unusual premise, told in Sarah's voice so we get to see the facts and fiction about her marriage and her relationships, past and present. At times it was incoherent because it was a realistic way of dealing. I liked, pitied and sympathized with her through most of the story and was frustrated with some of her choices at others. Some of her actions silently taken against her husband were hilarious, though quite diabolical.
I enjoyed the story but found it implausible at times. Her relationships with Bruce and Benny escalated too fast without depth, really confusing me at times. I have mixed feelings about the ending as I'd already figured it out but wanted just a little more. It left me unsettled and maybe that's the point. However, I found it hard to put this book down. 3.5 stars
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
Sarah Johnson's supposedly idyllic world crashed around her the day she received a mysterious call from her hired assassin who offers her a counter deal: double what her husband agreed to pay him to kill her and he'll drop the assignment. She's got 14 days to come up with the money. What follows next is her attempt to come to terms with her imminent demise.
This was an interesting story with an unusual premise, told in Sarah's voice so we get to see the facts and fiction about her marriage and her relationships, past and present. At times it was incoherent because it was a realistic way of dealing. I liked, pitied and sympathized with her through most of the story and was frustrated with some of her choices at others. Some of her actions silently taken against her husband were hilarious, though quite diabolical.
I enjoyed the story but found it implausible at times. Her relationships with Bruce and Benny escalated too fast without depth, really confusing me at times. I have mixed feelings about the ending as I'd already figured it out but wanted just a little more. It left me unsettled and maybe that's the point. However, I found it hard to put this book down. 3.5 stars
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
January 13, 2016
14 Days to Die is now available on Netgalley: https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book...
EXCERPT:
It was a fine winter day that eighth of February when I decided to kill my husband. When I come to think of it, I mean really think of it, it wasn’t the first time I had considered erasing him from the face of the Earth. But let’s be honest here; what wife, after a day of emotional abuse, hasn’t found solace in the thought of getting rid of her husband? Sometimes when Mike came to bed drunk, yelling at me and cussing me out, I imagined putting a pillow over his face and keeping it there until he stopped moving and—more importantly—talking. I could never go through with it, though. I’m not a psychopath.
There was always the possibility of leaving him and starting a new life, but our marriage wasn’t all bad. We managed to balance it out. My husband is a good man. He’s just not great at handling his own frustrations. Near forty, he evaluates his life quite often, and the result gives him more grief than he is able to handle. I’m good at terrorizing myself emotionally, so I’ve become resilient to the emotional terror he inflicts on me. So our marriage works—more or less.
We don’t have millions of dollars in the bank or a private yacht anchored in the bay at Newport Beach, but we have two beautiful and fantastic children, and we have each other. I thought that ought to count for something. But I was wrong. My husband loved money and himself more than he ever loved me. Unfortunately I had to find it out in the most twisted and heartbreaking way.
Sheriff’s Sergeant Tom Long: How would you describe your marriage, Mrs. Johnson?
Sarah Johnson: Happy. Stable.
Sheriff’s Sergeant Tom Long: What happened then?
Sarah Johnson: Something went terribly wrong.
Sheriff’s Sergeant Tom Long: What went wrong?
Sarah Johnson: Everything.
14 DAYS TO DIE
In the morning, sun penetrates our double kitchen window that overlooks our mediocre backyard. The light brings out the splash marks and food particles on the glass that the kids and Mike manage to sprinkle all over the window when they come to use the sink. Usually I’d grab a cloth, wet it and clean the grime off, then polish the glass to perfection. But I won’t do it now. This morning, I turn around and lean against the sink with my back to the window instead, watching Mike eat his sunny-side up eggs at the breakfast nook. His fingers are folded loosely around the fork’s handle, a piece of egg white stuck between the teeth. He’s working on his breakfast absentmindedly, almost like a robot that is programmed to do the same routine every day. His iPhone is tucked in his left hand like an extended limb. On the screen, his thumb jumps around as if involuntary spasms control it. I know he’s texting. I’m standing only a few feet away from him. The man has no shame.
I’d like to find out who invented the Smartphone and lock him up for the rest of his life in a room with nothing but his own creation and an internet connection. I’ve always believed that the human race is emotionally wired. We need everyday social interaction in person—not via electronics. Maybe my lack of social interaction is to blame for how my life turned out.
Mike wasn’t always so addicted to the screen. We used to eat breakfast together sitting around the dining table. I’d make all kinds of fancy dishes with eggs like omelets loaded with veggies, scrambled eggs with spinach and Parmesan cheese, frittata I learned to make while we were living in Italy. Up until a few years ago, we would clink glasses before drinking our fresh-squeezed orange juice and wink, sending air kisses to each other. My father used to say that I had so much pride in my work that it wouldn’t matter what I did or who I was—a corporate director, baker, or housewife—I’d always achieve perfection. I still make fancy breakfasts, but now I eat alone.
Mike’s cell beeps again. I recognize the alarm sound his phone makes when a new text message arrives. He smiles. I frown, wanting to rip the phone out of his hand, smash it on the floor, and stomp on it until it becomes nothing more than a pile of glass and metal pieces.
I feel anger rising in my chest. I lead my eyes away, but not too far. No. This morning Mike has my undivided attention, and neither the broken eggshells on the counter nor the dirty skillet on the stove can draw it away.
I analyze his outfit, the way he hunches over his plate, his hair—shaved and combed to the side like the soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo’s. Oh, for crying out loud, you’re almost forty I want to tell him.
When he got home from the barber’s a month ago showing me his new hairstyle I actually liked it. It made him look younger, more stylish. But since I found out that he didn’t update his style for me, I just want to take scissors to his hair.
A cup of hot coffee steams next to Mike’s plate—black with a hint of vanilla-flavored nature bliss coffee creamer. The smile still lingers on his face as he sets his phone down and sips at the coffee. Maybe it’s that cute, sexy half-smile that ignites a spark lighting up the stacked-up logs of bitterness in my mind, I don’t know, but as I witness his joyful reaction to the message, a fire starts in my head—a fire that I won’t be able to quench until I follow through with my plan. I should have known. Wives always do, so I have heard.
The image of the three monkeys—one holding its ears, the other its eyes, the third its mouth—comes alive in my mind. I’ve been a fool. The bitter recognition rushes blood to my temples making me dizzy.
Only yesterday I was going through family photos from our three years in Italy. I organized them by trips we took: Pisa, Firenze, Rome, London, and Croatia. I convinced myself that in spite of the occasional yelling and blaming, we were a happy family. We had it better than most people did.
I clench my teeth, take the broken eggshells from the counter, and dump them into the trash. I desperately want to hold onto those memories—of me feeling happy about the pictures—but the harder I try, the more they slip away. That was yesterday. Today is a new day. Today I have to take matters into my own hands, or soon I will be six feet under with nothing but regrets.
Mike drains the orange juice—not fresh squeezed but store bought. He’s lucky I even made him breakfast.
I stare at his glass for a while, some old memory or perhaps just a thought swirls inside the recesses of my mind. I pick up the container that is half full with country-style orange juice. Based on statistics most women choose poison as a murder weapon. Sounds appealing to me too. There would be no blood. I wouldn’t have to watch Mike’s eyes as his soul leaves his body when I plunge a knife deep into his chest.
I shudder.
The thought of murdering my husband bothers me. I’ve been living a clean and humble life for over a decade, yet I know the darkness is somewhere still inside me. I only need to find it and bring it to the surface. I need my old friend, madness, if I want to execute such an unforgivable sin, or I will fail. It won’t be easy I know. I married Mike because I loved him. He’s the father of my children . . . but he gives me no choice. No one that despicable deserves to live.
The awakening winter sunlight pours through the open window and touches my bare shoulders. The warmth embeds a pleasant feeling in me. I step away from the sun. When you’re plotting to kill your husband, pleasant feelings aren’t the ones you need. I have to keep my head clear and my mind focused. After fourteen long years of marriage I won’t end up in prison spending the rest of my life trading toothbrushes for candy bars. Patience, I tell myself, is the one thing that separates the smart criminals from the lousy ones. Mike will leave in twenty minutes to play a pick-up soccer game with his buddies (so he told me) and I’ll have the entire morning to surf the Internet for ideas.
“Is there any more coffee?” Mike asks, pushing his empty mug towards me without looking up from his phone. There was a time when he used to say please at the end of every request. I can’t even recall when he stopped using pleasantries with me.
I wipe my hands on a kitchen towel and take his cup. I pour him coffee from the pot then I add a special ingredient. No, it’s not love. A good splash of creamer disguises my foamy spit. The cup overflows.
“Whoa!” he snaps. “Watch what you’re doing!”
I don’t respond to that. “When did you say your game was?” I ask.
“I told you like five times already. It’s at eight thirty.” He scoops up the remaining morsels of his eggs, shoves them into his mouth and pushes the plate toward me. Then he takes a big gulp of his coffee. My face remains expressionless while amusement rattles my insides. So that’s how it feels to have the upper hand. I used to be good at this game. But that was long time ago.
“Why? You have plans for this morning?” he adds unkindly as if I don’t feel like a useless accessory to his fun life already.
“No, I’ll be home.” I always am.
January 21, 2016
This is an exciting, intriguing and tension gripping thriller. There are so many long reviews that I will just say that Karma can be a bitch.
How well do we really know the people close to us, the ones we love and come home to every night feeling secure in the knowledge that we are living a wonderful life? What happens when doubt, fear and disbelief become part of our every day lives? Who can you trust when you are not even sure of the consequences of your own actions. Lots of twists, turns and surprises which made me really enjoy the book. I do have to say that I was a little disappointed in the end, hence the four stars.
How well do we really know the people close to us, the ones we love and come home to every night feeling secure in the knowledge that we are living a wonderful life? What happens when doubt, fear and disbelief become part of our every day lives? Who can you trust when you are not even sure of the consequences of your own actions. Lots of twists, turns and surprises which made me really enjoy the book. I do have to say that I was a little disappointed in the end, hence the four stars.
January 23, 2016
Deceit and dastardly deals.......And bad, bad Karma crouched on a taunt moral slingshot. Take aim. It's comin' for you!
A.B. Whelan's 14 Days to Die hovers around the ancient adage of what one puts out into the universe will, eventually, find its way home. And home is in the quaint suburbs of Southern California on a typical cul-de-sac with two lively children, squawking chickens, and a passive dog. Whelan injects the day-to-day life of middle America with bills, lack of money, school and backpacks, and cooking evening meals. But all is not typical in this particular cul-de-sac home.
Sarah and Mike Johnson have fallen into complacency in their 14 year old marriage. Mike possesses an ego on steroids and there is not a mirror in the home that is not checked for the joy of basking in its image. Mike was a fireman in the Air Force and the family lived in Italy for a period of time. Eventually, they returned to the States. However, Mike has picked up a jaunty little souvenir which he brings home to Southern California. And the wheels begin to turn.
Sarah is the complete opposite of Mike. She once was a highly energetic woman with her own business which was just getting off the ground when the family moved to Italy. Sarah hasn't worked in ten years. She lives the life of stained clothing and cleaning toilets. Can it get any worse? Oh, but it does! Sarah receives a phone call revealing Mike's double life. As shocking as that is, this stranger devulges that Mike has put a hit on Sarah. If Sarah pays a huge "premium" to this hitman, he will forego the hit. She has only 14 days to come up with the cash.
And here's where we observe Sarah pumping energy like a hamster in an exercise wheel. Whelan sets the stage further by giving us snippets into the radius of Sarah's past relationships. There's more to this woman than merely her stained wardrobe. The stain spreads and spreads throughout the story.
I do agree with other readers. The ending is shocking, but the shock leaves no satisfaction. You can judge for yourself. But just know that the carpet ride was fast and furious. Jennifer Lawrence doesn't even have to read for the part. She was meant to play it.
A.B. Whelan's 14 Days to Die hovers around the ancient adage of what one puts out into the universe will, eventually, find its way home. And home is in the quaint suburbs of Southern California on a typical cul-de-sac with two lively children, squawking chickens, and a passive dog. Whelan injects the day-to-day life of middle America with bills, lack of money, school and backpacks, and cooking evening meals. But all is not typical in this particular cul-de-sac home.
Sarah and Mike Johnson have fallen into complacency in their 14 year old marriage. Mike possesses an ego on steroids and there is not a mirror in the home that is not checked for the joy of basking in its image. Mike was a fireman in the Air Force and the family lived in Italy for a period of time. Eventually, they returned to the States. However, Mike has picked up a jaunty little souvenir which he brings home to Southern California. And the wheels begin to turn.
Sarah is the complete opposite of Mike. She once was a highly energetic woman with her own business which was just getting off the ground when the family moved to Italy. Sarah hasn't worked in ten years. She lives the life of stained clothing and cleaning toilets. Can it get any worse? Oh, but it does! Sarah receives a phone call revealing Mike's double life. As shocking as that is, this stranger devulges that Mike has put a hit on Sarah. If Sarah pays a huge "premium" to this hitman, he will forego the hit. She has only 14 days to come up with the cash.
And here's where we observe Sarah pumping energy like a hamster in an exercise wheel. Whelan sets the stage further by giving us snippets into the radius of Sarah's past relationships. There's more to this woman than merely her stained wardrobe. The stain spreads and spreads throughout the story.
I do agree with other readers. The ending is shocking, but the shock leaves no satisfaction. You can judge for yourself. But just know that the carpet ride was fast and furious. Jennifer Lawrence doesn't even have to read for the part. She was meant to play it.
January 19, 2016
A debut Thriller novel for author AB Whelan that I mostly enjoyed and for some time felt I was going to mark higher only for the finale let it down. in my opinion. 3 stars doesn't really do it justice as it was better than that, but not quite a 4 star for me. I really do thing there needs to be more stars to choose from.
A fast paced novel that is an easy read and keeps you wanting to read more. A psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns and a large dose of tension. The novel keeps you guessing throughout the book and the ending will surprise many readers.
The main character is Sarah Johnson, a mom who appears to have the perfect family, a loving husband and 2 well behaved children. Then everything changes when she receives a phone call from a stranger who tells her that husband Mike has hired a hit man to kill her. Told that her husband is being unfaithful and wants her dead so he can start a new life with his new love. The hitman offers Sarah the opportunity to come up with the money to kill Mike and let her live instead. But she only has 14 days to decide.
Sarah decides she must act to avoid been killed and is determined to get back at her cheating husband.
What follows is a trip through every emotion as the author leads you up cul-de-sacs trying to unravel the mystery. A very entertaining read with a unique plot and could easily be polished and made into a film.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Inmotion Capitol for supplying me with a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.
A fast paced novel that is an easy read and keeps you wanting to read more. A psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns and a large dose of tension. The novel keeps you guessing throughout the book and the ending will surprise many readers.
The main character is Sarah Johnson, a mom who appears to have the perfect family, a loving husband and 2 well behaved children. Then everything changes when she receives a phone call from a stranger who tells her that husband Mike has hired a hit man to kill her. Told that her husband is being unfaithful and wants her dead so he can start a new life with his new love. The hitman offers Sarah the opportunity to come up with the money to kill Mike and let her live instead. But she only has 14 days to decide.
Sarah decides she must act to avoid been killed and is determined to get back at her cheating husband.
What follows is a trip through every emotion as the author leads you up cul-de-sacs trying to unravel the mystery. A very entertaining read with a unique plot and could easily be polished and made into a film.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Inmotion Capitol for supplying me with a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.
March 29, 2016
**** 4.5 "You Reap What You Sow" Stars ****
"It was a fine winter day that eighth of February when I decided to kill my husband."
"I need my old friend, madness, if I want To execute such an unforgivable sin, or I will fail."
Sarah Johnson thought things were good. She has a handsome husband, great kids, fabulous house, the "perfect" everything. So it seems. What everyone doesn't see is how her husband treats her. She is shadow of her former self. After letting go of a wonderful job that earned her great money and supported her husband, Mike thru his schooling. She has followed her husband around being the trophy wife and mother.
Her trophy life comes to a brick wall when she receives a phone call letting her know that her wonderful husband has hired a hit man to kill her and she has 14 days to come up with $100k or she is dead.
"A couple of days ago my biggest problem was picking lunchmeat for the kids and deciding between fried chicken and meat loaf for dinner. Now I'm thinking of ways to kill my husband before he kills me."
Sarah finds help from her past to teach her present a lesson while falling in love with a future just out of her grasp.
The frantic journey Sarah is about to embark on is filled with lies, secrets and a couple of eye opening orgasms. You will laugh, scream and have your heart broken with the Sarah's journey into a life she never planned.
You will NEVER see the ending coming and if you are anything like me.....that ending will totally piss you off. AB Whelan.....that ending knocked me on my behind and left me speechless and ready to scream!
BTW......I LOVED THIS ONE BIG TIME!!
"It was a fine winter day that eighth of February when I decided to kill my husband."
"I need my old friend, madness, if I want To execute such an unforgivable sin, or I will fail."
Sarah Johnson thought things were good. She has a handsome husband, great kids, fabulous house, the "perfect" everything. So it seems. What everyone doesn't see is how her husband treats her. She is shadow of her former self. After letting go of a wonderful job that earned her great money and supported her husband, Mike thru his schooling. She has followed her husband around being the trophy wife and mother.
Her trophy life comes to a brick wall when she receives a phone call letting her know that her wonderful husband has hired a hit man to kill her and she has 14 days to come up with $100k or she is dead.
"A couple of days ago my biggest problem was picking lunchmeat for the kids and deciding between fried chicken and meat loaf for dinner. Now I'm thinking of ways to kill my husband before he kills me."
Sarah finds help from her past to teach her present a lesson while falling in love with a future just out of her grasp.
The frantic journey Sarah is about to embark on is filled with lies, secrets and a couple of eye opening orgasms. You will laugh, scream and have your heart broken with the Sarah's journey into a life she never planned.
You will NEVER see the ending coming and if you are anything like me.....that ending will totally piss you off. AB Whelan.....that ending knocked me on my behind and left me speechless and ready to scream!
BTW......I LOVED THIS ONE BIG TIME!!
December 9, 2015
Whoa...I was not prepared for this.
This is a gripping thriller full of twists and turns. As established in the book’s blurb, Sarah is contacted by a stranger who lets her know her husband has asked him to kill her. If she strikes a deal with him, he will spare her life. She’s got 14 days to come up with the money.
Each chapter is structured as a day in the countdown to Sarah’s fate. As the story moves forward, we get a glance at her marriage, her daily routines, and her insights about the choices she’s made in life. We also learn about her longings and regrets as she evaluates her life under a new perspective. She's a very well drawn character. I felt like I knew her.
I got a kick out of the story as it is set in Temecula (this is my turf. I am so happy to have discovered a local author, and this is a fantastic book). As Sarah drives around town and describes the average middle-class neighborhoods of this area, I felt very connected with her story. I drive by the Air Force base on a weekly basis. I know the hell of being stuck in traffic trying to get on the freeway at Winchester Rd. knowing there is no way to avoid it. She writes: “People who commute hours a day to work have already accepted their fate in silent resignation.” Being so familiar with the area was a surreal experience. It made me wonder about my neighbor’s lives. We see all these pretty suburban homes and we don’t really know what happens inside. Sarah and Mike seem to have a happy, stable life: The American suburban dream. Only, they don’t.
How much can a person’s life change in just two weeks? Is it possible to realize you don’t know a thing about the person you have lived with for more than a decade? How will Sarah handle the information she just discovered? The story is full of unexpected surprises all the way to the end.
Solid read!
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
This is a gripping thriller full of twists and turns. As established in the book’s blurb, Sarah is contacted by a stranger who lets her know her husband has asked him to kill her. If she strikes a deal with him, he will spare her life. She’s got 14 days to come up with the money.
Each chapter is structured as a day in the countdown to Sarah’s fate. As the story moves forward, we get a glance at her marriage, her daily routines, and her insights about the choices she’s made in life. We also learn about her longings and regrets as she evaluates her life under a new perspective. She's a very well drawn character. I felt like I knew her.
I got a kick out of the story as it is set in Temecula (this is my turf. I am so happy to have discovered a local author, and this is a fantastic book). As Sarah drives around town and describes the average middle-class neighborhoods of this area, I felt very connected with her story. I drive by the Air Force base on a weekly basis. I know the hell of being stuck in traffic trying to get on the freeway at Winchester Rd. knowing there is no way to avoid it. She writes: “People who commute hours a day to work have already accepted their fate in silent resignation.” Being so familiar with the area was a surreal experience. It made me wonder about my neighbor’s lives. We see all these pretty suburban homes and we don’t really know what happens inside. Sarah and Mike seem to have a happy, stable life: The American suburban dream. Only, they don’t.
How much can a person’s life change in just two weeks? Is it possible to realize you don’t know a thing about the person you have lived with for more than a decade? How will Sarah handle the information she just discovered? The story is full of unexpected surprises all the way to the end.
Solid read!
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
February 14, 2016
3 love-hate stars
As weird as it sounds, 14 Days to Die is one of my 2016 favourite reads and, at the same time, one of my least favourite books. It's very confusing.
Long story short, Sarah (housewife and mother of two) gets a lovely call from a stranger. He informs her that her husband hired him to kill her and she has two weeks to double the sum her better half is willing to pay. She agrees and decides to kill him first.
First of all, the things I loved about the book:
*Sarah's transition from a career woman to a housewife and her being ok with it.
*Sarah observing her husband for the first time after learning of his plans, and her later puzzling things together.
*the way she actually starts living when she knows all could end in 14 days.
*the ending (it's quite unconventional).
And now, the things I hated:
*the anxiety I felt while reading the first third of the book (I almost dnf it because I hated how it made me feel).
*the siblings from hell.
*Mike (the husband) - a bully and a douchebag.
*the ending - it's not fair!
And now I need something lovey-dovey or a Miss Marple mystery to make all the anguish and sadness go away.
As weird as it sounds, 14 Days to Die is one of my 2016 favourite reads and, at the same time, one of my least favourite books. It's very confusing.
Long story short, Sarah (housewife and mother of two) gets a lovely call from a stranger. He informs her that her husband hired him to kill her and she has two weeks to double the sum her better half is willing to pay. She agrees and decides to kill him first.
First of all, the things I loved about the book:
*Sarah's transition from a career woman to a housewife and her being ok with it.
*Sarah observing her husband for the first time after learning of his plans, and her later puzzling things together.
*the way she actually starts living when she knows all could end in 14 days.
*the ending (it's quite unconventional).
And now, the things I hated:
*the anxiety I felt while reading the first third of the book (I almost dnf it because I hated how it made me feel).
*the siblings from hell.
*Mike (the husband) - a bully and a douchebag.
*the ending - it's not fair!
And now I need something lovey-dovey or a Miss Marple mystery to make all the anguish and sadness go away.
February 24, 2016
Sarah Johnson's husband is planning to kill her. How does she know this? The assassin has called and offered her a way out of that end if she can pay him $50,000 (which she does not have). He has given her 14 days to come up with the money or die...and this book is about those 14 days and how Sarah deals with this situation and her (once considered perfect) husband.
Sometimes you just need to take a break and read something that is fun and has nothing to say beyond the telling of a good story. This fills that bill for me. It was a page-turner that I couldn't quite figure out down to the last page. I didn't particularly like Sarah or Mike but I couldn't help wondering where all this madness would lead to and I did begin to care about her in a detached sort of way.
Happily I did not let broader questions like, "what about these kids" spoil the ride for me, which I can sometimes do when a novel is ignoring some aspect of life that I think is important. I just relaxed into the ride and let it take me where it would.
The closest I can come to a comparison novel...not in plot, but in the feelings I had while reading, was The Girl on the Train. I find this kind of novel very hard to rate and I always want to put a disclaimer that it is a 4-star read for the genre that it represents. You won't walk away with any kind of enlightenment, but you might enjoy the time you have invested none the less.
Sometimes you just need to take a break and read something that is fun and has nothing to say beyond the telling of a good story. This fills that bill for me. It was a page-turner that I couldn't quite figure out down to the last page. I didn't particularly like Sarah or Mike but I couldn't help wondering where all this madness would lead to and I did begin to care about her in a detached sort of way.
Happily I did not let broader questions like, "what about these kids" spoil the ride for me, which I can sometimes do when a novel is ignoring some aspect of life that I think is important. I just relaxed into the ride and let it take me where it would.
The closest I can come to a comparison novel...not in plot, but in the feelings I had while reading, was The Girl on the Train. I find this kind of novel very hard to rate and I always want to put a disclaimer that it is a 4-star read for the genre that it represents. You won't walk away with any kind of enlightenment, but you might enjoy the time you have invested none the less.
March 28, 2016
This was how I was feeling about this book right up to the beginning of the end...
98% of this book was a 5 star read for me. I enjoyed Sarah's inner musings, they made me snicker out loud on more than one occasion. The stuff she did to Mike was nasty, but funny. The plot flowed nicely and kept me turning the pages. Then we got to the ending and I was left underwhelmed. It seemed rushed and confusing. With something thrown in about one of the characters that left me perplexed as to why it was even included considering the outcome of said character.
I was also confused about So which was it?? I also think that there were a few things that could have been more fleshed out. Sarah and Mike's background for example. The
Overall I really enjoyed this one, but it loses a star for the less than impressive ending.
98% of this book was a 5 star read for me. I enjoyed Sarah's inner musings, they made me snicker out loud on more than one occasion. The stuff she did to Mike was nasty, but funny. The plot flowed nicely and kept me turning the pages. Then we got to the ending and I was left underwhelmed. It seemed rushed and confusing. With something thrown in about one of the characters that left me perplexed as to why it was even included considering the outcome of said character.
I was also confused about So which was it?? I also think that there were a few things that could have been more fleshed out. Sarah and Mike's background for example. The
Overall I really enjoyed this one, but it loses a star for the less than impressive ending.
May 18, 2016
What a brilliant book. I am annoyed that it took me so long to read this book but with life being so busy right now it couldnt be helped.
This booked had my gripped from page 1. You meet Sarah, a mother of 2, a doting wife that does everything for her family. You would think she has the perfect family and life, a nice house, cars and nice things. Then things turn when sarah gets a phone call from a man with a foreign accent claiming that her husband as put a hit on her to be killed. The man gives her 2 weeks to come up with a counter off or die.
Sarah wonders why her husband would want her dead when she has been a model wife. It comes down to her to find out why Mike would do this and things she finds out shocks her.
Sarah plots to kill her husband. She is addicted to crime programs and watching them gives her ideas, but will she full fill them?
Fast passed book and really did enjoy it and hope to read more from this author
Thank you to netgalley and publisher for a advance free copy of this book for a honest review
This booked had my gripped from page 1. You meet Sarah, a mother of 2, a doting wife that does everything for her family. You would think she has the perfect family and life, a nice house, cars and nice things. Then things turn when sarah gets a phone call from a man with a foreign accent claiming that her husband as put a hit on her to be killed. The man gives her 2 weeks to come up with a counter off or die.
Sarah wonders why her husband would want her dead when she has been a model wife. It comes down to her to find out why Mike would do this and things she finds out shocks her.
Sarah plots to kill her husband. She is addicted to crime programs and watching them gives her ideas, but will she full fill them?
Fast passed book and really did enjoy it and hope to read more from this author
Thank you to netgalley and publisher for a advance free copy of this book for a honest review
January 27, 2016
*4.5 stars
Surprisingly, this was really good.....why I'm surprised is a mystery. Guess I just wasn't expecting much. I'm glad this book proved me wrong. It started off right away with a hit on Sarah and the chapters were divided on how many days she had left. Even though, this was a psychological thriller, at times I actually found this to be humorous. Not sure if the author meant it to be but I found myself chuckling quite a bit at the thoughts Sarah was having. So either way, I enjoyed it. I thought the book was written well, it was short because it didn't have tons and tons of details but had enough information to keep the book flowing and interesting. If A. B. Whelan wrote another mystery, I would definitely check it out.
**Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Surprisingly, this was really good.....why I'm surprised is a mystery. Guess I just wasn't expecting much. I'm glad this book proved me wrong. It started off right away with a hit on Sarah and the chapters were divided on how many days she had left. Even though, this was a psychological thriller, at times I actually found this to be humorous. Not sure if the author meant it to be but I found myself chuckling quite a bit at the thoughts Sarah was having. So either way, I enjoyed it. I thought the book was written well, it was short because it didn't have tons and tons of details but had enough information to keep the book flowing and interesting. If A. B. Whelan wrote another mystery, I would definitely check it out.
**Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2016
http://angelerin.blogspot.com/2016/01...
(3.5 Stars)
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an ebook copy of 14 Days To Die By: A.B. Whelan.
I have been looking forward to reading 14 Days To Die ever since I saw the summary for it on Goodreads. I am happy to say that I wasn't disappointed! I gave this one 3.5 stars, but it definitely deserves to be rounded up to 4 stars and not down to 3 stars based on enjoyment alone.
14 Days To Die is about a stay at home mom named Sarah who receives a call one day that her husband has put out a hit on her. She has 14 days to either come up with double the money that her husband Mike offered, or he will kill her. Sarah has to figure out a way out of all this, all the while wondering if karma from her past has caught up with her.
This book was intense from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. It was a very quick and easy read for me since it was so fast-paced. The writing was pretty well done, except there were a few times that I felt it was too repetitive. Also, when we finally got some information on Sarah's past it was a bit underwhelming. I was expecting something more dramatic I guess. I probably would have given this one 5 stars if it wasn't for that. I was pretty disappointed in her past transgressions. Insert eye-roll here.
I think part of the reason that I enjoyed this book so much is that as a housewife myself I found 14 Days To Die to be a little terrifying. Well not in the traditional manner, but if I think too hard about it. The whole "What if this happened to me?" thing. Which I'm still trying to not think about fully. Because even though it's ludicrous that my husband would ever hire a hit-man to kill me, there are other things in this book that I think most married women worry about. It's just a small leap to hiring a hit-man from there. Eep.
Overall 14 Days To Die is a pretty great, but not perfect psychological thriller. I enjoyed it quite a bit and I'm glad that it (mostly) lived up to my expectations. It's worth the read for sure!
I would recommend 14 Days To Die for fans of Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, and anyone looking for a good psychological thriller.
(3.5 Stars)
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an ebook copy of 14 Days To Die By: A.B. Whelan.
I have been looking forward to reading 14 Days To Die ever since I saw the summary for it on Goodreads. I am happy to say that I wasn't disappointed! I gave this one 3.5 stars, but it definitely deserves to be rounded up to 4 stars and not down to 3 stars based on enjoyment alone.
14 Days To Die is about a stay at home mom named Sarah who receives a call one day that her husband has put out a hit on her. She has 14 days to either come up with double the money that her husband Mike offered, or he will kill her. Sarah has to figure out a way out of all this, all the while wondering if karma from her past has caught up with her.
This book was intense from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. It was a very quick and easy read for me since it was so fast-paced. The writing was pretty well done, except there were a few times that I felt it was too repetitive. Also, when we finally got some information on Sarah's past it was a bit underwhelming. I was expecting something more dramatic I guess. I probably would have given this one 5 stars if it wasn't for that. I was pretty disappointed in her past transgressions. Insert eye-roll here.
I think part of the reason that I enjoyed this book so much is that as a housewife myself I found 14 Days To Die to be a little terrifying. Well not in the traditional manner, but if I think too hard about it. The whole "What if this happened to me?" thing. Which I'm still trying to not think about fully. Because even though it's ludicrous that my husband would ever hire a hit-man to kill me, there are other things in this book that I think most married women worry about. It's just a small leap to hiring a hit-man from there. Eep.
Overall 14 Days To Die is a pretty great, but not perfect psychological thriller. I enjoyed it quite a bit and I'm glad that it (mostly) lived up to my expectations. It's worth the read for sure!
I would recommend 14 Days To Die for fans of Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, and anyone looking for a good psychological thriller.
January 14, 2016
Breaking News! A Book Blast for 14 Days to Die by A. B. Whelan has been set up! Check out the details here ~
https://puplumages.wordpress.com/2016...
Meanwhile...
Hello!
Who's calling?
Death..
The not-by-chance discovery of her husband's intentions to have her murdered are the beginning of a true evaluation of Sarah's apparently happy marriage with her husband. Concluding the revelations to be just the tip of the iceberg, the scales are tipped in favor of Sarah hating her husband more and more by every passing day, wishing him dead by each passing moment, cursing herself for trusting life and more than that, the man she loves wholeheartedly, too much. She learns it the hard way how being the dedicated loyal wife has its biggest pitfall, first being taken for granted and then desired to be rid off in the most ominous possible way! Another novel I was tempted to read the moment I read its blurb and excerpt. 14 Days to Die by A.B. Whelan. A little slow paced story that doesn't let you go!
The story builds its drama word by word and the very prologue is so engaging, so genuine and understandable, despite its hilarious picturization, you fall headlong in sympathy for this woman called Sarah. The honest but hilarious rollout of her minute to minute musings do not catch you off guard, but instead, you smile and smirk at how relatable those feelings would be for women caught in a similar situation.
One could say the book shouldn't be read by men because it is too close a read of a troubled woman's mind. Knowing the intensity of her pain can actually prepare them to fend fo themselves! :P
The novel's big plus is it's very localized, homely timbre. For me, it's very Asian in tone, more like incidences coming from an Indian home, something I like, the familiarity of content, despite being foreign. It was like a setting from my neighborhood, including Sarah's narration of her everyday experiences, hopes, expectations, disappointments, beginning from her children, going onto Mike and ending on life itself.
Somehow, unlike the other reviewers who enjoyed it as a fun read, I perceived it more literally and hence seriously despite the novel's even-paced, comfortable, sometime hilarious, sometimes sarcastic, cheeky situational humor and even a light uncomplicated tone, totally natural and unforced, completely unlike the compromise that Sarah was thrust into. Because life is like that. It reads like a genuine, honest, serious, gutsy take on mostly at-home women wives, or maybe even serious girlfriends, it must not be a joke to be in this woman's shoes. It took me more time than due for this book, the author was too kind to rush the ARC for the review but I wasn't exactly enjoying it as much as I should, only because I had been feeling unhappy about Sarah's plight, making me feel vague and uneasy, plus a bad cold and damp weather keeps you mostly in the S.A.D. phase, because otherwise the book had every expression to keep me turning pages. On the other hand, I was so excited about the book, I could go hug kiss the author for penning such a literal account of what a woman goes through and thinks like, 'only' when she realizes she is getting crushed in the daily grind and being made a scapegoat, so much so that she is turned into the soon to be butchered sheep.
I have often wondered, why is it that marriages break up when there begin lurking threats of third, fourth, fifth or multiple angles? The rocky marriages such as Diana-Charles-Camilla or Hillary-Clinton-Monica and the fatal or disastrous outcomes of such trio situations, how many times did the situation of one of them sending a hired killer aiming for another's heart, arise with them as a thought, a possible reality, or a failed attempt? What goes on in the mind of the betrayer and the betrayed? Does the thought of getting back at their more than errant husband/wife haunt them enough to want to get back at them in some way, plausibly with a reactionary love affair somewhere in the light of a revenge (such as Diana's with Hewitt, Gilbey, Barry Mannakee and then later with Dody Fayed, Squidgygate I and II and what not) . Or it could lead to defiling of the partner's image followed by divorce such as the publication of Diana: Her True Story in 1992, followed by the Camillagate scandal concluding in a string of divorces.
Sometimes, the reasons are far more trivial, where the husband is not able to segregate his personal life from the world outside and is unable to make either reassure the woman back home or make her secure about him. It is a lack of not merely understanding, but also the maturity of his accepting the necessity of the woman back home to be made at ease and if she already is, then not to go out and break her trust.
Love triangles become lethal when the offended believe they have been lied to or betrayed. No one likes being made a subject of treason. OR the killer was repeatedly lied to, betrayed, ignored and used callously, sometimes in their partial knowledge and then finally, after waiting for long for their partner to realize their worth and sincerity, their patience gives in, leading to such instances of retribution. So mostly, an intimate partner murder is a gendered phenomenon. Some people kill their mates because they find themselves in a love triangle.
This is all in the wide angle, those caught in a triangle are too much at fag ends to fall in a single line again. All in all, I just have to say, I won't blame Sarah at all for her reactions and responses, her thoughts and capacity to cope with what came her way. It couldn't have gone any other way. So I don't get those 'women' reviewers at all who say Sarah was whining and her husband had forced her to get into that depreciatory situation. You must be really too blind and too successful and assumedly happy to not see that it wasn't her choice, she was thrust into it for the love of her marriage, her family, her husband, her children, in the reverse order.
Was this a crime of passion-- a frenzy of the heart? Was it a calculated retribution, for disrupting a bond between two lovers, that boomeranged? Or was it just one of those times...when somebody had to die? The end made me a tad sad. I kept waiting for a miracle. From the beginning till the ned. Perhaps this is where we fail. We expect miracles from ordinary lives and much more from people than the Angels we make them out to be in our heads. But then, that is what life can be. A Miracle or a Disaster. It depends on whose faith is answered. Learn the fascinating truth in a riveting story of cultivated obsession, betrayal, and murder... I am not giving away anything. :P Go find for yourself from this a must pick up for the season. You can buy the book soon, the expected publication is January 13th 2016!
And one more thing! If you want to win a signed ARC of '14 Days to Die' than check out this Goodreads book giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
https://puplumages.wordpress.com/2016...
Meanwhile...
Hello!
Who's calling?
Death..
The not-by-chance discovery of her husband's intentions to have her murdered are the beginning of a true evaluation of Sarah's apparently happy marriage with her husband. Concluding the revelations to be just the tip of the iceberg, the scales are tipped in favor of Sarah hating her husband more and more by every passing day, wishing him dead by each passing moment, cursing herself for trusting life and more than that, the man she loves wholeheartedly, too much. She learns it the hard way how being the dedicated loyal wife has its biggest pitfall, first being taken for granted and then desired to be rid off in the most ominous possible way! Another novel I was tempted to read the moment I read its blurb and excerpt. 14 Days to Die by A.B. Whelan. A little slow paced story that doesn't let you go!
The story builds its drama word by word and the very prologue is so engaging, so genuine and understandable, despite its hilarious picturization, you fall headlong in sympathy for this woman called Sarah. The honest but hilarious rollout of her minute to minute musings do not catch you off guard, but instead, you smile and smirk at how relatable those feelings would be for women caught in a similar situation.
One could say the book shouldn't be read by men because it is too close a read of a troubled woman's mind. Knowing the intensity of her pain can actually prepare them to fend fo themselves! :P
The novel's big plus is it's very localized, homely timbre. For me, it's very Asian in tone, more like incidences coming from an Indian home, something I like, the familiarity of content, despite being foreign. It was like a setting from my neighborhood, including Sarah's narration of her everyday experiences, hopes, expectations, disappointments, beginning from her children, going onto Mike and ending on life itself.
Somehow, unlike the other reviewers who enjoyed it as a fun read, I perceived it more literally and hence seriously despite the novel's even-paced, comfortable, sometime hilarious, sometimes sarcastic, cheeky situational humor and even a light uncomplicated tone, totally natural and unforced, completely unlike the compromise that Sarah was thrust into. Because life is like that. It reads like a genuine, honest, serious, gutsy take on mostly at-home women wives, or maybe even serious girlfriends, it must not be a joke to be in this woman's shoes. It took me more time than due for this book, the author was too kind to rush the ARC for the review but I wasn't exactly enjoying it as much as I should, only because I had been feeling unhappy about Sarah's plight, making me feel vague and uneasy, plus a bad cold and damp weather keeps you mostly in the S.A.D. phase, because otherwise the book had every expression to keep me turning pages. On the other hand, I was so excited about the book, I could go hug kiss the author for penning such a literal account of what a woman goes through and thinks like, 'only' when she realizes she is getting crushed in the daily grind and being made a scapegoat, so much so that she is turned into the soon to be butchered sheep.
I have often wondered, why is it that marriages break up when there begin lurking threats of third, fourth, fifth or multiple angles? The rocky marriages such as Diana-Charles-Camilla or Hillary-Clinton-Monica and the fatal or disastrous outcomes of such trio situations, how many times did the situation of one of them sending a hired killer aiming for another's heart, arise with them as a thought, a possible reality, or a failed attempt? What goes on in the mind of the betrayer and the betrayed? Does the thought of getting back at their more than errant husband/wife haunt them enough to want to get back at them in some way, plausibly with a reactionary love affair somewhere in the light of a revenge (such as Diana's with Hewitt, Gilbey, Barry Mannakee and then later with Dody Fayed, Squidgygate I and II and what not) . Or it could lead to defiling of the partner's image followed by divorce such as the publication of Diana: Her True Story in 1992, followed by the Camillagate scandal concluding in a string of divorces.
Sometimes, the reasons are far more trivial, where the husband is not able to segregate his personal life from the world outside and is unable to make either reassure the woman back home or make her secure about him. It is a lack of not merely understanding, but also the maturity of his accepting the necessity of the woman back home to be made at ease and if she already is, then not to go out and break her trust.
Love triangles become lethal when the offended believe they have been lied to or betrayed. No one likes being made a subject of treason. OR the killer was repeatedly lied to, betrayed, ignored and used callously, sometimes in their partial knowledge and then finally, after waiting for long for their partner to realize their worth and sincerity, their patience gives in, leading to such instances of retribution. So mostly, an intimate partner murder is a gendered phenomenon. Some people kill their mates because they find themselves in a love triangle.
This is all in the wide angle, those caught in a triangle are too much at fag ends to fall in a single line again. All in all, I just have to say, I won't blame Sarah at all for her reactions and responses, her thoughts and capacity to cope with what came her way. It couldn't have gone any other way. So I don't get those 'women' reviewers at all who say Sarah was whining and her husband had forced her to get into that depreciatory situation. You must be really too blind and too successful and assumedly happy to not see that it wasn't her choice, she was thrust into it for the love of her marriage, her family, her husband, her children, in the reverse order.
Was this a crime of passion-- a frenzy of the heart? Was it a calculated retribution, for disrupting a bond between two lovers, that boomeranged? Or was it just one of those times...when somebody had to die? The end made me a tad sad. I kept waiting for a miracle. From the beginning till the ned. Perhaps this is where we fail. We expect miracles from ordinary lives and much more from people than the Angels we make them out to be in our heads. But then, that is what life can be. A Miracle or a Disaster. It depends on whose faith is answered. Learn the fascinating truth in a riveting story of cultivated obsession, betrayal, and murder... I am not giving away anything. :P Go find for yourself from this a must pick up for the season. You can buy the book soon, the expected publication is January 13th 2016!
And one more thing! If you want to win a signed ARC of '14 Days to Die' than check out this Goodreads book giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
January 5, 2018
This title has been lingering on my TBR for quite some time so I decided that it was high time I read it. The first line captivated me, and I was more or less riveted to the novel for its duration.
"It was a fine winter day that eighth of February
when I decided to kill my husband."
Sounds cold. Calculating. Yet... the reader comes to realize that the reason she wants to kill her husband is that he has put a 'hit' out on her! A man with a foreign accent calls her on the phone telling her so - and that she has 14 days to die.
Sarah Johnson is the mother of two young children, a devoted mother and housewife. Her husband Mike, an Air Force firefighter, is having an affair. This is the reward she gets for following him around the world for his career, neglecting her career that she coveted.
The setting is Temecula, Southern California. A suburban community where things look fine to the unwary observer.
"If my husband thinks badly enough of me to hire someone to kill me,
maybe I am bad. I can be bad - that I know. I will show him just how bad."
The book is told in countdown fashion. 14 days to die, 13 days to die, etc. This is interspersed with police interviews 'after an event'. This event is not apparent to the reader until later on in the book.
Also, the reader is given hints as to something in Sarah's past that would make her a less than reliable narrator.
"I need my old friend madness, if I want to execute such an unforgivable sin, or I will fail."
You know how, when you are REALLY angry, you are filled with adrenaline? I felt that way while reading this novel. Frenzied almost. And I never really knew who Sarah was. Was she mentally unstable? a victim to be pitied? a scheming manipulator? or... a sociopath? Other aspects of her personality were unlikable, her husband Mike was unlikable, yet... I kept rapidly turning pages. I akin it to the fascination one feels when glued to the television after a disaster has taken place. You can't watch it, yet you can't NOT watch it.
"The past always catches up with us.
There are no unsettled scores or unpaid bills in life."
Meanwhile, Sarah is losing weight. Her throat is bothering her a lot and her voice is getting hoarse. No wonder, all the stress she has been under lately...
Mike has pretty much always been emotionally abusive.
"Maybe subconsciously I married him because he offered me the punishment I believed I deserved..."
It is no surprise then, that Sarah, severely stressed and with little to no support system, turns to a handsome neighbor. Bruce is a wealthy, unmarried, casino manager. They share an unquenchable lust.
Oh, and did I mention that Sarah is a book blogger? Funny, I think she is the first book blogging protagonist that I've ever read.
The ending of the novel felt rushed, yet it did contain some jaw-dropping twists. The hitman's character seemed more than a tad unbelievable, yet still I read on. Although I could spot several weak points in the plot, they didn't stop me from reading this compelling work of suspense fiction. It is for that reason that I give this book 4 stars.
"I received a digital copy of this novel for free from InMotion Capitol via NetGalley - at my request - and I provided this review voluntarily."
"It was a fine winter day that eighth of February
when I decided to kill my husband."
Sounds cold. Calculating. Yet... the reader comes to realize that the reason she wants to kill her husband is that he has put a 'hit' out on her! A man with a foreign accent calls her on the phone telling her so - and that she has 14 days to die.
Sarah Johnson is the mother of two young children, a devoted mother and housewife. Her husband Mike, an Air Force firefighter, is having an affair. This is the reward she gets for following him around the world for his career, neglecting her career that she coveted.
The setting is Temecula, Southern California. A suburban community where things look fine to the unwary observer.
"If my husband thinks badly enough of me to hire someone to kill me,
maybe I am bad. I can be bad - that I know. I will show him just how bad."
The book is told in countdown fashion. 14 days to die, 13 days to die, etc. This is interspersed with police interviews 'after an event'. This event is not apparent to the reader until later on in the book.
Also, the reader is given hints as to something in Sarah's past that would make her a less than reliable narrator.
"I need my old friend madness, if I want to execute such an unforgivable sin, or I will fail."
You know how, when you are REALLY angry, you are filled with adrenaline? I felt that way while reading this novel. Frenzied almost. And I never really knew who Sarah was. Was she mentally unstable? a victim to be pitied? a scheming manipulator? or... a sociopath? Other aspects of her personality were unlikable, her husband Mike was unlikable, yet... I kept rapidly turning pages. I akin it to the fascination one feels when glued to the television after a disaster has taken place. You can't watch it, yet you can't NOT watch it.
"The past always catches up with us.
There are no unsettled scores or unpaid bills in life."
Meanwhile, Sarah is losing weight. Her throat is bothering her a lot and her voice is getting hoarse. No wonder, all the stress she has been under lately...
Mike has pretty much always been emotionally abusive.
"Maybe subconsciously I married him because he offered me the punishment I believed I deserved..."
It is no surprise then, that Sarah, severely stressed and with little to no support system, turns to a handsome neighbor. Bruce is a wealthy, unmarried, casino manager. They share an unquenchable lust.
Oh, and did I mention that Sarah is a book blogger? Funny, I think she is the first book blogging protagonist that I've ever read.
The ending of the novel felt rushed, yet it did contain some jaw-dropping twists. The hitman's character seemed more than a tad unbelievable, yet still I read on. Although I could spot several weak points in the plot, they didn't stop me from reading this compelling work of suspense fiction. It is for that reason that I give this book 4 stars.
"I received a digital copy of this novel for free from InMotion Capitol via NetGalley - at my request - and I provided this review voluntarily."
January 29, 2022
Sarah Johnson was like the three monkeys – hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.
How long can someone live like that? How long before they say, enough is enough. How far will someone go for their own desires? Does anyone know what really goes on in someone’s mind…even when standing face to face, eye to eye?
Uh oh, he’s a Gemini, a two faced manipulator. I’m a Gemini too, but I feel a kinship with her, not him. She blogs, like us. She doesn’t make a lot of money. It is a labor of love.
Do we all have the capacity to kill buried in our snake brain?
I flip from humor to outrage, from smiles and laughs to spitting fire. My blood was boiling throughout the entire book. It didn’t matter if I had any idea where we were going or how it would end. I’ll find out when I get there.
I can relate to her frustration and see how she got ‘there’. Sooner or later, we make a decision, or it is made for us. I laugh with her, instead of pitying her.
Tension, tension, tension…
I challenge you to figure this you.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of 14 Days To Die by A B Whelan.
See more at fundinmental
How long can someone live like that? How long before they say, enough is enough. How far will someone go for their own desires? Does anyone know what really goes on in someone’s mind…even when standing face to face, eye to eye?
Uh oh, he’s a Gemini, a two faced manipulator. I’m a Gemini too, but I feel a kinship with her, not him. She blogs, like us. She doesn’t make a lot of money. It is a labor of love.
Do we all have the capacity to kill buried in our snake brain?
I flip from humor to outrage, from smiles and laughs to spitting fire. My blood was boiling throughout the entire book. It didn’t matter if I had any idea where we were going or how it would end. I’ll find out when I get there.
I can relate to her frustration and see how she got ‘there’. Sooner or later, we make a decision, or it is made for us. I laugh with her, instead of pitying her.
Tension, tension, tension…
I challenge you to figure this you.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of 14 Days To Die by A B Whelan.
See more at fundinmental
February 5, 2016
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
You can see more of my reviews on my blog, Carlene Inspired.
Sarah's life looks perfect from the outside; just returning to the states from living in Italy, her handsome husband and her have 2 children, a beautiful home, and live in a nice neighborhood. The inside isn't as pretty as everyone thinks, while Sarah's husband is driving around in a Porsche, he's tearing her to shreds for spending any money and not having a job. The one day she gets a phone call, her husband is planning to have her killed, but the killer is willing to let her kill him off at an even higher price. In just 14 days Sarah must find the money and in the process, evaluate her past life, figure out her husband's side life, and find a way out of this nightmare.
Sarah is likable, except for every time she says she isn't a killer while she's watching CSI to get ideas. She's like the women you see who have given up on themselves, even though she's probably a freaking tiger underneath all the slop. She doesn't know how to handle people feeling for her, as her husband has zero skills with emotions and ignores her most of the time. There were definitely some twists that I was not expecting whatsoever, especially as Sarah started to find herself again. 14 days is just not enough time! I really could have enjoyed several more days with Sarah once she got some willpower to do something about her life. Her interactions, or lack thereof, with the secondary characters really brings to life how separated she was from the outside world. In general, I liked the plot line, I liked the mystery of this man on the phone and how much he knows about Sarah, and I definitely enjoyed watching her find this scary side of herself as she realizes her life really is in danger and the clock is ticking.
The author did a really awesome thing by inserting witness conversations between chapters. We don't get to see the detective's questions, but we get to read the responses and I really loved that. They give you a clue that something had happened, but not what and that left me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. I think it was a really creative way to involve the readers in the mystery, but only give you just enough to keep you turning the pages.
There are some parts of 14 Days to Die that are just slow, the pace drags on and some random scenes are kind of tossed in there. I loved, yes loved, the relationship Sarah found herself having with Bruce, but it felt so random at times. Then there's this great plot line of Sarah's husband with a women from Italy, but we get nothing from it. Both of these characters and their tie in to the couple just felt rushed and didn't give or take from the story for me, they just kind of happen. None of the characters have really solid histories, who the hell were these people in the past? Then there's the ending... I HATED THE ENDING. HATED! I know that's a really strong word and I had a good idea that it was going to happen that way from about halfway, but it doesn't mean I liked it. Yes, it made for a great thriller novel ending, but it just isn't my own personal cup of tea. It would have been 4 stars without the ending, so don't let my personal dislike keep you from giving this book a fair shot.
You can see more of my reviews on my blog, Carlene Inspired.
Sarah's life looks perfect from the outside; just returning to the states from living in Italy, her handsome husband and her have 2 children, a beautiful home, and live in a nice neighborhood. The inside isn't as pretty as everyone thinks, while Sarah's husband is driving around in a Porsche, he's tearing her to shreds for spending any money and not having a job. The one day she gets a phone call, her husband is planning to have her killed, but the killer is willing to let her kill him off at an even higher price. In just 14 days Sarah must find the money and in the process, evaluate her past life, figure out her husband's side life, and find a way out of this nightmare.
Sarah is likable, except for every time she says she isn't a killer while she's watching CSI to get ideas. She's like the women you see who have given up on themselves, even though she's probably a freaking tiger underneath all the slop. She doesn't know how to handle people feeling for her, as her husband has zero skills with emotions and ignores her most of the time. There were definitely some twists that I was not expecting whatsoever, especially as Sarah started to find herself again. 14 days is just not enough time! I really could have enjoyed several more days with Sarah once she got some willpower to do something about her life. Her interactions, or lack thereof, with the secondary characters really brings to life how separated she was from the outside world. In general, I liked the plot line, I liked the mystery of this man on the phone and how much he knows about Sarah, and I definitely enjoyed watching her find this scary side of herself as she realizes her life really is in danger and the clock is ticking.
The author did a really awesome thing by inserting witness conversations between chapters. We don't get to see the detective's questions, but we get to read the responses and I really loved that. They give you a clue that something had happened, but not what and that left me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. I think it was a really creative way to involve the readers in the mystery, but only give you just enough to keep you turning the pages.
There are some parts of 14 Days to Die that are just slow, the pace drags on and some random scenes are kind of tossed in there. I loved, yes loved, the relationship Sarah found herself having with Bruce, but it felt so random at times. Then there's this great plot line of Sarah's husband with a women from Italy, but we get nothing from it. Both of these characters and their tie in to the couple just felt rushed and didn't give or take from the story for me, they just kind of happen. None of the characters have really solid histories, who the hell were these people in the past? Then there's the ending... I HATED THE ENDING. HATED! I know that's a really strong word and I had a good idea that it was going to happen that way from about halfway, but it doesn't mean I liked it. Yes, it made for a great thriller novel ending, but it just isn't my own personal cup of tea. It would have been 4 stars without the ending, so don't let my personal dislike keep you from giving this book a fair shot.
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