Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges discussion

The Motif this month is:

"Thrill Me"

+ Read a thriller! Psychological thriller; action thriller; crime thriller; etc +

Share with us!

What book did you pick? Did you enjoy the book and would you recommend it?

I have selected Thriller: Stories to keep you up all night. It includes 30 stories created by top thriller writers specifically for this book. It is narrated by James Patterson.

I'll read The Exception by Christian Jungersen.
I have this book for years... So... I think it's the time to read.

Update!
I can't finish this book in March. And I'm thinking about the possibility to finish or give up. =/

Just finished Lone Wolf by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz - love this series!
Also completed The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill, Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner and last one One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

I read the new release, The Guest, by B.A. Paris. It was good and entertaining. Of course, when I finished it, I thought to myself no way she would have gotten away with all that in real life, lol.

Challenge complete!
Read The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. The Guest List was much better, I have to say.

CHALLENGE COMPLETE! I have been working my way through the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Book 3 - Three to Get Deadly - was a treat. It was suspenseful, laugh out loud funny in spots thanks to Lula, and had just enough romance to remind you that relationships are blooming. Looking at my TBR list, I notice several thrillers so it must be my thriller era ;-)

I read Cry for Help by Wendy Dranfield - it was an okay thriller, but not quite as pulse-pounding as I expected.

Challenge complete - All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby. Such a good crime thriller!

• Tender is the Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

*SPOILERS*

Oh, I loved this so much! I had fairly high expectations going into it, since the premise seemed right up my alley (I love 1984), and it didn’t disappoint. The depravity to which humanity has fallen in this dystopian future, is honestly scary in its probability as far as I’m concerned. Absolutely nothing would surprise me, given the atrocities humanity has shown itself capable of in the past.

The main character is portrayed as the disillusioned manager of a “special meat” processing plant - a man that is actually very good at what he does, but hates doing it. Readers are led to believe that he’s wrestling more and more with his conscience as the book progresses…then are slapped with the cold hard reality of what his end goal had been almost certainly from the moment (or a relatively short time thereafter) an FGP female is dropped into his lap. I was absolutely convinced that our MC had fallen into some warped version of love with the female, and that a catastrophic discovery by authorities was in the cards for both. But no. Only one of them was predestined to a catastrophic end.

I just finished Three Inch Teeth by C.J. Box for this month's challenge. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jennifer wrote: "• Tender is the Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica

*SPOILERS*

Oh, I loved this so much! I had fairly high expectations going into it, since the premise seeme..."

@Jennifer - this book is one I'll never forget! True depravity and the way the author describes everything makes it all seem so real!

I selected The Edge by David Baldacci. a sequel to the 6:20 Man. Travis Devine is sent to Maine to unravel the murder of a CIA Detective, Jenny. Jenny had returned to her hometown to confirm the suspicions she had regarding the rape and brutality to her sister years before, and was murdered. Under the cover of Homeland Security Travis Devine finds danger, more murders and abundant secrets. In addition to Travis, there are two likable characters Jenny and Alex...the rest of the town is under suspicion.

I have read The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz’. I really enjoyed it.

What We Harvest - Ann Fraistat
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

• Sublimely creepy and atmospheric.
• Characters you can root for, and the romantic element is just right, without tripping over into the sickly sweet YA puppy-love trope.
• A “villain” readers can somewhat empathize with.

Read Hostage by Claire Mackintosh. Wow! This one was really hard to put down, first time I stayed up till 3:30 AM to finish a book! Would have tried to go to bed earlier, but knew I wouldn’t sleep anyway, so plowed on till the end. After watching many Air Disaster shows, could relate to what was discussed regarding the plane procedures. And fair warning - the very final twists in the last pages were no less suspenseful, really threw me for a loop! A great suspense novel, what a wild ride!

Wilder Girls - Rory Power
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Um….EXCUSE ME??? There NEEDS to be a sequel to this book, but it appears as though the author doesn’t plan to? I mean, yeah, the book technically has an ending, but it’s definitely an open-ended ending that would allow for a continuation of the story. And dammit, I WANT MORE. This book is kinda like if Lord of the Flies, and The Chrysalids, had a gloriously fantastic mutant baby. And in case you couldn’t tell, I LOVED it. This just might be my favourite read so far this year.
Edit: Ope, I lied. I forgot about the 2 Marnie Baranuik short stories I read. But Wilder Girls is definitely a close 3rd.

Challenge complete: Mine by Robert R. McCammon

Maybe because there wasn’t any actual horror of the supernatural variety, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I have practically all of his books. I’m not a fan of suspense stories, so there was that, too. Too often the story moves forward because yet another bad thing has happened, standing in the way for our hero to triumph. Eventually, I can’t help but roll my eyes at the improbability of its all.

I couldn’t stand Mary, the mad 80’s radical, which I guess is the way I was supposed to feel. But I wasn’t all that crazy about Laura, the mother, either. I felt sympathy for what she was going through, but I never connected with the character.

The story is good enough that I was able to finish it, but not one of McCammon’s best in my opinion.

Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark

Good, fast read that takes place all on Christmas Eve. Found this book at the Veteran’s Affairs lending library that I never knew existed! Now I know where I will be donating my read books that I don’t want to keep.

One of my favorite genres are thrillers and especially in the Psychological or crime subgenre. Here are the books read in March that did "Thrill Me".⁠

Countdown by James Patterson 4 stars
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates 4 stars
Where He Can't Find Me by Darcy Coates (Darcy Coates does not disappoint) 4 stars
The Family Plot by Megan Collins 4 stars
The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie the queen of mysteries 4 stars
From Below by Darcy Coates 4 stars
The Fifth to Die by J.D. Barker 4 stars
Revenge by James Patterson 3 stars
Hunted by James Patterson 3 stars
Hunted by Darcy Coates 4 stars
Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister 3 stars
Dearly Beloved by Wendy Corsi Staub 3 stars
The Whole Truth by David Baldacci 3 stars
Riptide by Douglas and Child Preston 3 stars
Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris 3 stars
The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas 3 stars
A Time of Torment by John Connolly 3 stars
The Locked Door by Freida McFadden
The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman 4 stars
by Michael Palmer started this in March but finishing in April 4 stars

Read The Likeness by Tana French. This is the second book in the Dublin Murder Squad series and while it did not quite reach the heights of In the Woods, it was still very good.