Darcia Helle's Blog, page 4

Audiobook Review — THE WIDOWMAKER by Hannah Morrissey

A wealthy family shrouded in scandal; a detective tasked with solving an impossible cold case; and a woman with a dark past collide in Hannah Morrissey’s stunning Black Harbor mystery, The Widowmaker.

Ever since business mogul Clive Reynolds disappeared twenty years ago, the name “Reynolds” has become synonymous with “murder” and “mystery.” And now, lured by a cryptic note, down-on-her-luck photographer Morgan Mori returns home to Black Harbor and into the web of their family secrets and double lives. The same night she photographs the Reynolds holiday get-together, Morgan becomes witness to a homicide of a cop that triggers the discovery of a long-buried clue.

This could finally be the thing to crack open the chilling cold case, and Investigator Ryan Hudson has a chance to prove himself as lead detective. If only he could stop letting his need to solve his partner’s recent murder distract him. But as Morgan exposes her own dark demons, could her sordid history be the key to unlocking more than one mystery?

Published: December 6, 2022

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My Thoughts

Oof.

I’d like to leave it at that, but here are my thoughts for those interested:

I listened to The Widowmaker on audio, and I didn’t like either narrator. (Sorry!) Xe Sands, who did Morgan’s part, pitched her voice so low that it sounded strained, forced, unnatural. Neither Sands nor Adam Verner, who narrated Hudson’s part, fit well with the characters’ personalities. 

Story pacing is quite slow through the first half.

I didn’t connect with or care about either character. Despite personal histories that should’ve made me feel all sorts of emotions, I just didn’t.

Something happens between Morgan and Hudson at about the 60% point that made me cringe and immediately stop the audio. I considered not finishing because… ick.

Onward.

The story relied on shock factor and abuse details at the expense of a well structured, interesting plot.

Rather than complex, the plot became convoluted, with too many random coincidences that were implausible and bordered on ridiculous.

Then we have the true confessions ending, where characters recite all their bad deeds in order as a point of pride or some nonsense, which is clearly for the reader’s benefit.

But all this is just my opinion. Other readers have loved this one, and you might, as well.

*My thanks and apologies to Macmillan Audio for the free download!*

The post Audiobook Review — THE WIDOWMAKER by Hannah Morrissey appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.

A Riotous Adventure! THE SHADOW GLASS by Josh Winning

Jack Corman is failing at life.
 
Jobless, jaded and on the “wrong” side of thirty, he’s facing the threat of eviction from his London flat while reeling from the sudden death of his father, one-time film director Bob Corman. Back in the eighties, Bob poured his heart and soul into the creation of his 1986 puppet fantasy The Shadow Glass, a film Jack loved as a child, idolising its fox-like hero Dune.
 
But The Shadow Glass flopped on release, deemed too scary for kids and too weird for adults, and Bob became a laughing stock, losing himself to booze and self-pity. Now, the film represents everything Jack hated about his father, and he lives with the fear that he’ll end up a failure just like him.
 
In the wake of Bob’s death, Jack returns to his decaying home, a place creaking with movie memorabilia and painful memories. Then, during a freak thunderstorm, the puppets in the attic start talking. Tipped into a desperate real-world quest to save London from the more nefarious of his father’s creations, Jack teams up with excitable fanboy Toby and spiky studio executive Amelia to navigate the labyrinth of his father’s legacy while conjuring the hero within––and igniting a Shadow Glass resurgence that could, finally, do his father proud.

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My Thoughts

The Shadow Glass is a fun homage to ‘80s fantasy and light horror movies. 

Puppets from a cult classic film come to life and plan to take over the world. But maybe they’re not all evil, and maybe they’re not even puppets anymore.

This is a fast-paced story filled with action and adventure, well-timed comedic relief, some somber moments, and a heavy dose of creepy, freaky craziness.

I loved the world building, depth, and complexities. It’s the kind of story you can visualize and get lost in as you read.

*Thanks to Titan Books for the free copy!*

The post A Riotous Adventure! THE SHADOW GLASS by Josh Winning appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.

Nonstop Intensity! ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS by Stacy Willingham

Following up her instant New York Times bestseller, A Flicker in the Dark, Stacy Willingham delivers a totally gripping thriller about a desperate mother with a troubled past in All the Dangerous Things.

One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her―literally.

Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.

Isabelle’s entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster―but his interest in Isabelle’s past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust… including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.

Release Date: January 10, 2023

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My Thoughts

WOW! 

Read (or listen to) this book if you love thrillers, suspense, dark intensity, unexpected twists, complex characters, and plots that will keep you on edge throughout.

I loved the writing and the way the story unfolded. I felt wonderfully off balance throughout, not quite knowing who or what to believe.

I listened to this on audio. Karissa Vacker, our narrator, did an exceptional job embodying Isabelle’s character, as well as the mood and tone of the story. I was thoroughly immersed from beginning to end.

*Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the free download!*

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Review — COBALT RED: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara

An unflinching investigation reveals the human rights abuses behind the Congo’s cobalt mining operation—and the moral implications that affect us all.

Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves. Activist and researcher Siddharth Kara has traveled deep into cobalt territory to document the testimonies of the people living, working, and dying for cobalt. To uncover the truth about brutal mining practices, Kara investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pit to consumer-facing tech giants, and gathered shocking testimonies of people who endure immense suffering and even die mining cobalt.

Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75 percent of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. Billions of people in the world cannot conduct their daily lives without participating in a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo. In this stark and crucial book, Kara argues that we must all care about what is happening in the Congo—because we are all implicated.

Releases January 31, 2023

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My Thoughts

Cobalt Red is an interesting but challenging read.

Content is profoundly bleak. Siddharth Kara takes us through an industry responsible for horrifying human rights abuses, including severe long-term health repercussions, child labor, and deaths for which no one is held responsible.

We also see the absolute destruction of once-thriving environments.

All that was, of course, depressing and difficult to read, but it’s also important to know.

I struggled with the density of information. We’re given an immense amount of detail on what cobalt is, how it’s manufactured for use, and what it’s used for. We learn about the mining process from start to finish in several mines, and we learn about the companies’ roles in the processing. I understand why a lot of this was necessary, but it was a bit much for me personally. I found myself tuning out, my mind drifting away as I read.

I expected more of a human interest story. While we do have that type of content, it’s dispersed throughout and within a whole lot of industry, economic, and political information.

I’m glad I read this book, thought it left me feeling sad and helpless because none of this can be fixed unless the Congo’s corrupt government steps in to help its people, and the companies profiting opt to actually care about the people and the land.

*I received an eARC from St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley.*

The post Review — COBALT RED: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.

Deep, Complex, Perfection — THE NIGHT SHIP by Jess Kidd

Based on a true story, an epic historical novel from the award-winning author of Things in Jars that illuminates the lives of two characters: a girl shipwrecked on an island off Western Australia and, three hundred years later, a boy finding a home with his grandfather on the very same island.

1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the Batavia, one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. Curious and mischievous, Mayken spends the long journey going on misadventures above and below the deck, searching for a mythical monster. But the true monsters might be closer than she thinks.

1989: A lonely boy named Gil is sent to live off the coast of Western Australia among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck…

With her trademark “thrilling, mysterious, twisted, but more than anything, beautifully written” (Graham Norton, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling, Jess Kidd weaves “a true work of magic” (V.E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue) about friendship, sacrifice, brutality, and forgiveness.

Released: October 2022

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My Thoughts

Where are my words?

I pre-ordered The Night Ship without reading the synopsis, something I only do with a handful of authors whose gift with words leaves me without any of my own. I then read this book without knowing a thing about it, and I was lost, transported to another place, living it with each breath. Then I got to the end and read the author’s note, which reinforced my belief that Jess Kidd was born to give us stories.

This is historical fiction with two timelines 360 years apart. Both stand separately but blend seamlessly, reminding us how the past can reach into the present and affect us in unexpected ways.

The depth and complexities of both the plot and all the characters drew me in so close that the ending left me shattered and wrung out. I closed the book and simply sat. That’s the power of a writer with magic in her words.

The post Deep, Complex, Perfection — THE NIGHT SHIP by Jess Kidd appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.

Slow Burn Gothic Horror — THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE by Caitlin Starling

Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations, and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband, in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and occupied with meaningful work. Her first choice, the dashing but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence, agrees to her proposal with only one condition: that she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town.

Yet on their wedding night, an accident strands her at his door in a pitch-black rainstorm, and she finds him changed. Gone is the bold, courageous surgeon, and in his place is a terrified, paranoid man—one who cannot tell reality from nightmare, and fears Jane is an apparition, come to haunt him. By morning, Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows something is deeply wrong at Lindridge Hall, and with the man she has so hastily bound her safety to.

Set in a dark-mirror version of post-war England, Caitlin Starling crafts a new kind of gothic horror from the bones of the beloved canon. This Crimson Peak-inspired story assembles, then upends, every expectation set in place by Shirley Jackson and Rebecca, and will leave readers shaken, desperate to begin again as soon as they are finished.

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My Thoughts

Normally when I have a dissenting opinion, I’m on the wrong side of a book being praised. This time, I’m blown away by a book getting some pretty negative reviews.

I absolutely loved everything about The Death of Jane Lawrence.

Expect slow burn, psychological horror in a historical setting. Expect a second half that makes you ponder life and death and reality itself. Expect to question the characters’ sanity and your own.

Jane’s character is unique and complex, and I couldn’t help but empathize with her at every turn. She struck me as someone who’d probably be diagnosed as being on the spectrum in our current society, while at the time she’d have been simply considered odd. 

I loved the originality and weirdness of this story. No complaints at all.

I switched between reading this in print and listening to the audiobook on Scribd. The narrator does a fantastic job of embracing the characters and mood.

*Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the free copy!*

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Audiobook Review — THE WILDERWOMEN by Ruth Emmie Lang

Five years ago, Nora Wilder disappeared. The older of her two daughters, Zadie, should have seen it coming, because she can literally see things coming. But not even her psychic abilities were able to prevent their mother from vanishing one morning.

Zadie’s estranged younger sister, Finn, can’t see into the future, but she has an uncannily good memory, so good that she remembers not only her own memories, but the echoes of memories other people have left behind. On the afternoon of her graduation party, Finn is seized by an “echo” more powerful than anything she’s experienced before: a woman singing a song she recognizes, a song about a bird…

When Finn wakes up alone in an aviary with no idea of how she got there, she realizes who the memory belongs to: Nora.

Now, it’s up to Finn to convince her sister that not only is their mom still out there, but that she wants to be found. Against Zadie’s better judgement, she and Finn hit the highway, using Finn’s echoes to retrace Nora’s footsteps and uncover the answer to the question that has been haunting them for years: Why did she leave?

But the more time Finn spends in their mother’s past, the harder it is for her to return to the present, to return to herself. As Zadie feels her sister start to slip away, she will have to decide what lengths she is willing to go to find their mother, knowing that if she chooses wrong, she could lose them both for good.

Published: November 2022

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My Thoughts

The audio edition of Wilderwomen is extremely well done. Anna Caputo, our narrator, does an excellent job of conveying the personalities and moods of the characters. 

I felt like the story was more about the slow journey than the characters or any specific plot. I got a heavy allegory vibe, though I’m not sure whether there was an underlying moral to the story. The magical realism was too mystical and undefined, at least for my preference.

We have two sisters searching for their mother, and here’s what I can tell you about their characters:

Finn, the younger sister, was the star for me. Her personality was like a sparkler on a dark night. I was drawn to her.

Zadie, the older sister, had a heavy weight to her that acted like a barrier.

Nora’s character wasn’t well developed at all, so I didn’t get a good sense of her.

Then we got to the end, the place where this entire journey led, and I was disappointed. The ending is too quick and way too neat. Nora’s situation is left open to interpretation, and I like my endings to… well, end. I wanted a clear explanation.

So I read reviews, thinking maybe I missed something along the way, which I didn’t. Some reviewers have given Nora’s situation a commonly used trigger warning. I don’t agree with it because the entire vibe of her story is something else, and that explanation just doesn’t fit with the way things happened or ended. But maybe they’re right and I’m wrong. You’ll have to read the book and let me know.

*Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free download!*

The post Audiobook Review — THE WILDERWOMEN by Ruth Emmie Lang appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.

Book Review — GONE FOR GOUDA: A Cheese Shop Mystery by Korina Moss

Things are going from gouda to bad to ugly for cheesemonger Willa Bauer in Gone for Gouda.

Yarrow Glen’s newest cheese shop, Curds & Whey, has a lot on its plate, but cheesemonger Willa Bauer relishes a challenge. There’s a float to build for the fall festival, plus the French-inspired cheese shop is playing host to celebrity vegan chef Phoebe Winston. But when photos surface that prove this vegan influencer is, in fact, a carnivore, things crumble faster than any cheese on the market: Phoebe is murdered. Willa’s employee, the affable Archie, was the last one to see Phoebe alive and the first person the police suspect. To clear his name Willa must uncover who’s been up to no gouda…

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My Thoughts

Do you need a break from this thing called life?

Gone for Gouda is a cozy mystery that’ll make you hungry while you giggle.

The characters are all fun in that goofy way of cozies. Plus, there’s a dog involved, which always adds to a book’s charm for me.

The murder mystery is light but complex enough to keep you guessing.

We also have a budding romance, or maybe two, and recipes at the end to ease the hunger pains.

This is book 2 in the Cheese Shop Mysteries Series. I didn’t read the first book, and I had no problem jumping right in.

*I received an eARC copy from St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley.*

The post Book Review — GONE FOR GOUDA: A Cheese Shop Mystery by Korina Moss appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.

Review — Cults: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them by Max Cutler, with Kevin Conley

Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside them? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join them? Based on the hit podcast Cults, this is essential reading for any true crime fan.

Cults prey on the very attributes that make us human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, to live everyday with divine purpose. Their existence creates a sense that any one of us, at any time, could step off the cliff’s edge and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged dedication to a misplaced cause. Perhaps it’s this mindset that keeps us so utterly obsessed and desperate to learn more, or it’s that the stories are so bizarre and unsettling that we are simply in awe of the mechanics that make these infamous groups tick.

The premier storytelling podcast studio Parcast has been focusing on unearthing these mechanics—the cult leaders and followers, and the world and culture that gave birth to both. Parcast’s work in analyzing dozens of case studies has revealed patterns: distinct ways that cult leaders from different generations resemble one another. What links the ten notorious figures profiled in Cults are as disturbing as they are stunning—from Manson to Applewhite, Koresh to Raël, the stories woven here are both spellbinding and disturbing.

Cults is more than just a compilation of grisly biographies, however. In these pages, Parcast’s founder Max Cutler and national bestselling author Kevin Conley look closely at the lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and decency. Beyond that, it is a study of humanity, an unflinching look at what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind are manipulated and how the things we hold most sacred can be twisted into the lowest form of malevolence.

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My Thoughts

Cults fascinate me. I want to know about the people who become leaders, the people who follow and blindly obey, their beliefs, and all the hows and whys of each cult’s formation and (usually) spectacular destruction.

This book gave me all those things.

Ten cults are featured, with each given its own chapter. A few of the cults are well known, while others are relatively obscure. The assortment is an interesting variety from all over the world.

The authors track each eventual leader from childhood onward, providing a feel for their lives before their cult notoriety. We see what shapes their beliefs and what drives them onward despite the eventual danger to themselves. We’re also introduced to some of the cults’ followers, providing a bit of insight into the mindset of people who fall prey to their enigmatic leaders.

I liked the layout of the content, and I thought this was well written and informative.

The post Review — Cults: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them by Max Cutler, with Kevin Conley appeared first on Quiet Fury Books.

Book Review — FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT by Elle Cosimano

Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moment, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.

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My Thoughts

The opening scene had me laughing out loud. I could relate to this single mom of young children having an “everything that can go wrong, will go wrong” kind of morning.

But soon Finlay’s irresponsible behavior and dumb decisions began grating on me. She went out of her way to make things more difficult than they needed to be. Still, I was entertained.

Then from about midway onward, the story spiraled into implausible and ridiculous. Know going into this story that you can’t take it seriously.

I did love Vero, Finlay’s nanny. She’d be a fantastic friend to have on your side.

The ending wraps up nicely, providing you don’t read the epilogue. This short chapter is nothing more than a setup with a major cliffhanger, used to entice (extort) readers into buying the next book. So if you don’t want to read the next one or don’t plan to read it soon, skip the epilogue.

The audiobook is a fun listen. The narrator does an excellent job of inhabiting Finlay’s character.

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