The Mirror Man by Lars Kepler

Good morning, readers! Today I'm super excited to be a stop on the Random Things tour for the latest in Lars Kepler's Joona Linna series, The Mirror Man. 

Jenny Lind disappeared five years ago and in all that time there's never been a hint of a trace of her. 

Everyone assumed she was dead. But that wasn't the case. Until now. 

When her body is found hanging in a playground, Joona Linna immediately recognizes the girl. But while everyone admits Linna is an amazing detective, his new boss has told him to step aside. Something he's unwilling to do. And it's Linna who draws a connection between the Lind murder and another, older case. 

When another girl goes missing, Linna is convinced they're dealing with a serial killer. But he doesn't know the whole story. He doesn't know what Jenny Lind lived through for five years. He doesn't know how meticulously she planned her escape. All he knows is that whoever killed her is going to do it again if they can't stop him. 

I do so love this series. It's equal parts dark and creepy—packed with atmosphere and truly disturbing plots. But also characters you want to continue following from book to book. And, admittedly, I've read them out of order, so do be aware that's possible :) However, if you're a true stickler for reading series IN ORDER, here's the full list:

The Hypnotist

The Nightmare

The Fire Witness

The Sandman

Stalker

The Rabbit Hunter

Lazarus

The Mirror Man

Having said that, I will say that The Mirror Man works fine as a bit of a standalone. There are mentions of past cases, which could prove to be somewhat spoiler-y if you go back to the beginning, but otherwise you can dive in with this installment as an easy introduction to the series. 

The plot revolves around sex trafficking, so that's something to know going in. If you're a longtime fan of the husband and wife team that make up Lars Kepler, you know they don't shy away from things. If you're new to them, however, you've been warned. 

It's hard to call this a fun read, given the subject matter. But I am a huge fan and I look forward to each new installment with great anticipation. Linna is brilliant and quirky. And the books follow suit. The writing is amazing—like any great cowriting team, it reads seamlessly, with no obvious indication there are two separate writers involved. And the plotting is always purposeful and intricate with unpredictable twists along the way. 

Like I said, I'm a huge fan! If you're looking for a fantastic blend of psychological thriller and police procedural, this series is one of the absolute best!

The Mirror Man is out now in both the UK and the US. 

One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for Lucy Clarke's latest, One of the Girls!

No one expected Lexi to ever get married. Least of all Lexi herself. But here she is, just weeks away from settling down with Ed. 

But first, her friends have planned an epic hen party to see her off!

Bella, the wild one, planned the whole thing. With the help of her girlfriend, Fen, whose aunt owns a fabulous villa in Greece! Robyn, a single mom, deserves a weekend away in paradise celebrating her best friend. Eleanor, who recently lost her own fiance, is there as Ed's sister, so that Lexi can get to know her better. And finally, Ana, the newest of the bunch, who met Lexi during yoga one day and became fast friends. 

It's to be a weekend of sun, fun, and drinks. Except they're all lying to one another. And at least one of them has ulterior motives in being there. And by the end of the weekend, someone will be dead. 

A beachy thriller that begins with the reader knowing something terrible is coming!

So six women, three of whom have been best friends since they were kids, convene in what is undeniably paradise to party and celebrate the Lexi's upcoming nuptials.  

Lexi, once a backup dancer for various acts—and a verifiable party girl, has traded in her wilder ways for a yoga studio and a steady relationship. And honestly, no one ever expected it. In fact, Lexi swore she'd never get married. Just goes to show what can happen when you meet the right person.

Bella isn't ready to give up her wild ways. In fact, she misses having Lexi along for the ride. And as the self-appointed maid of honor, she's vowed to give that Lexi one final weekend. 

Fen, isn't jazzed about returning to her aunt's villa. Her memories of the place are tainted in a way the even Bella, her own girlfriend, isn't aware of. But she knows that in spite of that, it is the perfect place for a hen weekend. If only it hadn't started out so very badly for her and Bella. 

Robyn hasn't had much time to spend with her old friends for quite a while. As a soon to be divorced single mom, all of her focus and energy has been on her infant son and her job. And having to move back in with her parents while trying to decide what comes next for her and her small family hasn't made things easier. She needs this weekend away. But she can't help feeling guilty. And things have been frosty between her and Bella for some time too. 

Eleanor and Ana are the outsiders. And they both feel it. Eleanor has never quite fit in and the loss of her fiance has made her even more uncomfortable at a hen party of all places. Plus, she can't help but feel that she's only there because Lexi feels obligated to invite her as Ed's sister. 

Ana, meanwhile, is also a single mom. And would never spend her hard earned and should be saved money on a trip to Greece under normal circumstances. But her sister has taken her sullen teen son for the weekend and Lexi really wanted her new friend to be there. 

Together, they all make a bit of an odd group. But they all have one thing in common. Lexi. Which is not to say that all of them are there for exactly the same reasons!

The book begins with the glaring fact that something has gone terribly wrong on this particular party weekend. And it's easy to guess what that something is. But the facts around it are teased and throughout the book as we go back to the beginning and the group's arrival on the fictional island. 

Points of view alternate between all of the women and a mysterious narrator who sprinkles in more clues about what's to come, giving the reader a chance to get to know each of the women and what motivates them as the plot progresses. 

One of the Girls was great fun! A perfect summer read with just the right amount of tension!

One of the Girls is out now in ebook and due out in paperback and hardcover (in the UK) and in hardcover (in the States) later this month. 

The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson

"Teacher wanted at the end of the world." It's exactly the kind of thing Una needs!

It’s 1985 and Una can barely make ends meet as a teacher. But the posting for a position in Skálar is perfect! Not only does it come with room and board included, the remote location means there’s nothing else to spend money on either. Una may finally be able to save enough for a deposit on a place of her own. 

Plus, the location means getting away from things Una has been trying to escape in her personal life. 

Unfortunately, Una doesn’t realize exactly what she’s in for until she arrives. She’s only got two students. In fact, the town is all but abandoned, with just ten residents total. And they aren’t exactly warm to outsiders. 

Una can deal with most of it. But the nightmares and the strange sounds she hears at night are too much for her to ignore. And when a villager dies suddenly, Una realizes that she can’t ignore what’s happening around her any longer. 

Ragnar Jónasson’s latest is a stand alone that combines a mystery inspired by the very real one with a ghost story set in one of the most remote areas of Iceland. It makes for a truly compelling and eerie read that I enjoyed immensely!

In 1974, two men disappeared in Iceland. Not only were they never found, questions still remain today regarding the two cases. There’s an entire documentary about the cases on Netflix right now. Of course the book is only inspired by those events. The setting for the story, the remote village of Skálar, was completely abandoned by 1985 and, as far as anyone knows, has no ties to the case at all. But it does make for a great premise and a perfect setting!

Una is desperate to escape her past. And Skálar might jus offer that. But the remote location plays havoc on her mental health, especially considering her access to alcohol. And the locals notice. Which is why, when she considers asking about the girl she sees in her dreams and the song she hears in her little apartment, she’s tries to hide her fears. 

And yet, the haunting melody and the little girl are too much to ignore. Especially after the town is struck by tragedy. 

Una isn’t treated badly, per se. But she is discouraged from asking too many questions about the townspeople and their past. It’s an insular community that keeps their secrets close and definitely doesn’t welcome nosy outsiders. Which is how Una is soon perceived. 

I really loved this latest from Jónasson. Una is carrying some really heavy weight when she arrives in town. It’s something that’s revealed as the story progresses. So really this is the kind of story that unfolds in a lot of different layers: Una’s story, the truth behind the “ghost,” the mysterious death that occurs, and how it all ties into the missing men (which comes out in part through an unnamed narrator). It makes for a somewhat slower pacing, but not a true slow burn. In fact, while there’s a lot of development, I was drawn in quite easily and found it to be a rather quick read simply because I was so sucked in! No doubt this is because of the perfect union of Jónasson’s writing and Victoria Cribb’s seamless translation!

The Girl Who Died is out now in paperback. 

Order a copy from your favorite indie via Bookshop!

A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon

Happy Tuesday, readers! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for Joanna Cannon's latest, A Tidy Ending!

Linda's life is fairly uneventful. She spends her days working part time and keeping house. She and her husband, Terry, have fallen into a life of routine...habit...boredom even. 

But that was before the murders. And the mail. 

The murders, two women the news say are connected, immediately get Linda's attention. Because she's noticed something. But she knows the police won't listen to her. They never do. The mail...well, that's Rebecca's. Mail that gets delivered to Linda's new home, addressed to the prior resident. Mail that suggested this Rebecca leads a much more interesting life than Linda. 

You could say that Linda becomes a bit obsessed. So much so, that when her husband starts spending more time at work, the distraction is welcome. But Linda's not quite what she seems. And that routine life isn't quite as routine as you might think. 

A Tidy Ending is, dare I say, quite a delight to read!

First, I'm a sucker for a quirky main character. And Linda is quirky indeed!

Second, I'm an even bigger sucker for books with unexpected (or, not quite unexpected in this case) twists that turn the beginning framework you expect on its head. 

And third, I do so love dark reads!

This is, if you haven't gathered, one that could very easily be spoiled. I will say, however, that it is great fun and I absolutely loved it!

A Tidy Ending is out now in the UK from The Borough Press. It'll release this summer in the States. Wherever you are, I highly recommend snagging a copy for your TBR!

The Attic child by Lola Jaye

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for Lola Jaye's The Attic Child. 

Two children separated by almost seven decades, share a similar trauma in this latest from Lola Jaye. 

Dikembe was just a boy when he was given over to Sir Richard. In truth, he couldn't have known his mother's fears for his future. And she was promised that he would gain an education and be brought up as an English gentleman. 

Torn from his home and everything he'd ever known, he was thrown into British society. Renamed Celestine, he served as Sir Richard's companion and was given every privilege befitting Sir Richard's place in society. 

But he always longed for home. Even when he was told his home and his family were gone. 

And then Sir Richard died. 

Lowra's early life was a happy one. But when her mother died and her father remarried, all of that changed. Her father disappeared, leaving her in the charge of her new stepmother, who made no bones about her feelings for the young girl. And the abuse she suffered at the woman's hands were unknown to everyone else in her life. 

She escaped when she was fifteen, living in group homes until she turned eighteen. 

Now, at thirty, she has just learned that her stepmother has died. And the house where she experienced the worst years of her life is hers. It's there that she once found evidence of another child. And now, so many years later, she's determined to find out what she can about the boy who lived in the attic before her. 

This is a hard read. The abuse both Dikembe and Lowra suffer truly made my heart ache as I read the book. But it's about a deeper trauma than that. A history of upper class society figures basically kidnapping children from what they viewed as lesser societies. 

These children, and there are a few mentioned in the book, were, as Dikembe is, part of a collection. Yet another piece or artifact showing off wealthy people's travels and allowing them to pat themselves on the back for their "good deeds."

In truth, Dikembe's slate is wiped clean as soon as he's handed over to Sir Richard. His name, his history, his culture, his family...all of it is lost to him. 

Lowra too experiences something of the same at the hands of her stepmother. All of the photographs of her family are gone. She knows nothing of her past or her family connections. Nothing of her own story. 

This is a heart wrenching book. But it's also one about holding on to the things that are important to you. Dikembe never forgets his family. Never forgets where he came from. And in searching for his story, Lowra learns more than she ever expected about a history she was completely unaware of. 

The Attic Child is a beautifully written story, even at it's most painful to read parts. 

The Last Guests by J. P. Pomare

Funds have been tight for Lina and Cain for some time. Cain, a former SAS soldier, has been trying to get a personal training business off the ground but it's Lina's job as a paramedic that keeps them afloat. 

And then their friends turn them onto WeStay, a site that would let Lina and Cain list Lina's grandparents' house for rent to guests. 

It's a nice house, just needs some sprucing up. And it's ideally situated on a lake. But Lina has reservations about opening it up to strangers. It's the house she grew up in. The one she wants to raise her own family in. 

But she goes along with it anyway. Until it turns into a nightmare that threatens to reveal her darkest secrets. 

Let's just call this book what it is, the one that make never want to stay in an AirBnB ever again!

Lina and Cain both have secrets. Cain had a bit of an issue with gambling, but it seems to have ended by the time the book begins. And yet, they still have money problems Lina can't quite figure out. 

The bigger problem is the fact that they've been told it will take a virtual miracle for them to conceive a child. Which is where Lina's big secret comes in. And both issues are what make her agree to list her grandparents' home on WeStay. 

And at first things are fine. The reservations start rolling in and they're getting good reviews. Easy money. 

Except anything that seems to good to be true...

The prologue for the book really does set the tone. An anonymous man is placing cameras in a rental home. And that definitely tells you where some of the plot is heading. But there's way more to the plot that just a twisted voyeur. 

This is a super creepy premise—maybe more for people like me who are already inclined to be uncomfortable with vacation rentals :)

I should note that I both read the physical book and listened to the audio over the weekend. Sarah Mollo-Christensen is the narrator on that edition and she does a fabulous job!

Pomare is a a new-to-me author I've been aware of but hadn't read yet. He's an award-winning author from New Zealand (where this title is set), currently living in Australia. 

I really enjoy both New Zealand and Australian crime fiction and I've been trying to read more of it of late. If it's a genre that interests you, I've been getting recs from Craig Sisterson's Southern Cross Crime. 

Order a copy from your favorite indie via Bookshop!

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson's The Agathas!

Apologies as this was supposed to post last Thursday. 

Alice Ogilvie has been on the outs with her best friend ever since she stole her boyfriend. In fact, when Alice and Steve broke up, she was so upset about the whole thing that she decided to teach everyone a lesson and disappear. Her hope was that they'd all be so worried about her, Steve in particular, that he'd beg for her to take him back. 

It didn't quite work out that way. And now Steve is dating Brooke. 

But when Brooke herself goes missing after the big Halloween party, Alice knows she has to do something. Even though she hated Brooke, she was still her best friend. Plus, Alice has an admittedly big admiration for everything Agatha Christie. 

Iris Adams is not an Agatha Christe fan. But she is Alice's new tutor. And, seemingly, Alice's only friend currently. So when Alice becomes determined to solve the mystery of Brooke's disappearance, Iris agrees to go along. 

It helps that Brooke's uber rich grandmother is offering a reward—money that would go a long way towards getting Iris out of town. 

Two teen detectives and a town with a history of missing girls...The Agathas is a fabulously fun read and an excellent homage to Agatha Christie!

Alice and Iris are seemingly as different as two girls can be. Alice is a "Main" or one of the popular kids. At least she was before she faked her own disappearance and got caught. Now she's on the outs with all of her old friends. 

Iris is a "Zoner" one of a group that doesn't really fit in with anyone. But Iris is also super smart, which is why she's tapped to tutor Alice once she returns to school after being on house arrest. 

It's the tutoring that throws them together but it's Brooke that forms the bond. See, Alice was involved in a bit of a tiff between Brooke and Steve on the night of Brooke's disappearance. And Iris...well, it seems she might have been the last person to see Brooke alive. 

Together, with some of Iris's buddies, they take on a case the cops believe is open and shut. Which of course turns out to be anything but!

The plotting is tight and the pacing follow suit. But it's definitely Iris and Alice (and Agatha Christie) that make this a great read! 

Alice has been knocked down several spots in high school popularity. She's actually become something of a pariah. Which is a shame because her parents are pretty much nonexistent in her life. Iris offers some stability, but she has her own issues and is desperate to get our of Castle Cove as soon as possible. Both of their stories are intertwined with that of Brooke and the mystery that makes up the bulk of the story, making it a rich and layered read—perfect for, dare I say, Christie fans!

I absolutely loved The Agathas! And I can't be sure, but I think we may see a return of Alice and Iris in future books. At least, that's what seems to be hinted at in the end. Castle Cove is a hotbed of mysteries, it seems, and I would definitely like to see them return in at least a few more titles!