One of my favorite genres is the thriller. There's something about the weirdness that embodies the story line that reminds me that my life is more normal than I often think it is. While it sometimes makes me a bit paranoid while I run, it's a wonderful escape from the day-to-day chaos of teaching, running, and fundraising. My all-time favorite thriller is Gillian Flynn's masterpiece Gone Girl. Seriously, I have read it three times and seen the movie in the theater (a rare treat in the Doop house), and it still amazes and perplexes me every time. There's something about the "whodunnit" feel plus the he said / she said element that continues to blow my mind.
Another recent thriller that has seen much critical success is Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train, in which no one is really sure until the final 30 pages who is guilty. The "twist" at the end is truly remarkable. If thrillers are your thing and you haven't given it a shot, please do me a favor and go to the library today and get added to the request list that will undoubtedly have at least 70 names ahead of you for 3 copies in the whole county. But I digress. If you liked TGOTT, you will love this read.
I recently stumbled upon The First Wife, a new thriller by Erica Spindler, while perusing the covers at the library (confession - a pretty cover draws me in every single time and I am a bit of a cover art snob; this cover was just interesting enough to draw me to the jacket summary). TFW begins with our heroine Bailey waking up in a hospital room, the events of the previous days very hazy in her brain. We are then taken back a few months prior to the Caribbean where she meets Logan; they fall in love hard and fast and get married before returning to his family farm in Louisiana. To say that Logan's family is surprised and angry is an understatement. The least-thrilled individual is his sister Raine; since both of their parents are dead, they are as thick as thieves and she is shocked to have another new woman in her brother's life. It turns out, Logan has been married before to True, who "disappeared" shortly before the book began. The police chief Billy Ray still believes Logan to be responsible for the disappearance / murder as well as several other mysterious disappearances in the area. Billy Ray makes Logan his personal mission because of previous feelings for True, and now Bailey is caught in the middle. Does she trust her husband whom she loves but barely knows, or does she listen to her head and what everyone - and the evidence around her - is telling her? As more disappearances and murders take place, Bailey is in an accident and suffers temporary amnesia, making her recollection of what she knows about the killer foggy and gray. The plot thickens until the killer is finally revealed, and you won't believe who is guilty. Spindler does a wonderful job of immersing the reader in the bayou culture and keeps you guessing until the final turn of the page. I found myself gasping often, as I was truly shocked about the events that unfolded.
3.5 (of 4) dusty book jackets.
No comments:
Post a Comment