Great psychological thriller that had me exclaiming and gasping out loud
599147
I chose this book from a Kindle list on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. Not only did it weave a wonderful story, skipping around from the past to present and between characters, it kept me wanting more. I read it in two days actually, and the second day I took it with me to work so I could read on my lunch hour because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The story really touches on feelings and emotions and even turbulent relationships most women have had with men, or their mothers, or themselves. Although I did think the main characters eating disorder was important to the story, to convey her fragile emotional state, there were parts where I felt it was focused on too strongly and was at times distracting from the story. I found myself thinking "oh right, this is what's happening" when the subject would finally depart from a bout of emotional eating. This in no way makes me like this book any less, it was just an observation. I was talking to my patients at work about it all day, and I rarely do that with books. A few of them even bought it right there. I look forward to reading more of Caroline's books.
952117
I really enjoyed this psychological thriller.  I couldn't put it down and couldn't guess the endings.  It also makes me more conscious of how someone can steal someone's identity.  I couldn't put it down!
888369
I love a good, psychological thriller and Carey Baldwin has become one of my favorite authors when it comes to delivering the chills I look for in that genre.  Add a perfect balance of romance to suspense and she comes up with a winner called Judgement.

Caitlin Cassidy and Atticus "Spense" Spenser are the complex and intriguing  heroine and hero. I kept turning the pages wanting to know more about them and their budding romance. I was emotionally invested in their story and rooting for them to solve, and survive, the man in the maze mystery.  The "villain" was multi layered and, ultimately, shocking in the ego driven crimes that left this reader worried about the real world possibilities.

It just doesn't get much better than Judgement when it comes to edge of your seat reading. The highest praise I can give a book? I sat down with Judgement and didn't stop turning pages until the end. I needed to know what happened with every turn of the page. And, I'm impatiently waiting for the next installment of Cassidy and Spenser. I want more of this couple and I want it to be delivered in Ms. Baldwin's brilliant, nail biting, thrilling way.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
4670294
There was a real sense of nervousness at the beginning of this book. The blurb mentioned an attack during the aftermath of an eclipse so I assumed it had something to do with that. It was clear that the story started off after that particular event and this meant that I would have to piece together all the details. At this point I had a million questions racing through my mind!

The mystery of why Laura and Kit were so nervous hung over the storyline and forced me to keep turning the pages. It became a need - I needed to know why this couple were being targeted when all they had done was help someone.

The author's words created a 'just one more page' atmosphere (all you bookish people out there know all about that one, am I right?). I couldn't figure out how this one event could have possibly affected the rest of their lives so drastically.

I enjoyed the scenes from the year 2000 but I equally enjoyed the scenes set in 2015. Sometimes I find it difficult to keep track when a book jumps from one time line to another but this one worked perfectly and allowed me to gradually fill in the gaps between the two.

On the cover of the book were the words 'Who do you believe?' and I have to say that I just wasn't sure. My opinion changed several times until the truth started to seep through and then I had chills. I admit I was surprised. I think the realness of this story is what made it so good, I could actually imagine it all happening, what a freaky thought!

Secrets and lies all tangle together in this heart-poundingly good psychological thriller.
2934820
This was a type of story I had not read before and I do believe it fits the bill for a psychological thriller.  For me, it oozed with suspense.  I wanted to know what was going on, why she allowed herself to be taken over by this man, what had he done to her, why did he even want her in the first place?  I felt like the book was an onion that I was culling and I was enamored with the result.  As you get further into the book and you realize what's going on, you're heartbroken and terrified of what might be coming next.  And after I finished, it stuck with me a long time.  The last two words spoken still ring in my head today.  I just loved this book.  Couldn't put it down.  Felt like the characters were fleshed out well, although I'll admit I would like to know more about how the husband became the way he is but otherwise, I felt the author did a great job.  I have recommended this book to all my friends and I encourage you to give it a try.
319229
I really enjoyed this book a lot.  it starts off being edgy, with the need to get the psychological needs of the characters across , which the author does quite well.  Once you get past the first part, the story hooks the reader, and you become attached to the characters.  I found myself unable to put the book down.  I am really looking forward to the next book in the series to see what is going to happen next.  This is a real psychological thriller!!  Amara picked a very difficult subject that few have written about, a woman falling in love with a serial killer.  This happens in real life and there is a name for it, which is covered in the book.  I also enjoyed that the story takes place in the Pacific Northwest.  I applaud Amara Draska for her ability to turn this controversial subject into a real page turner!!  Hurry up with that next book...I am waiting in anticipation!!
4123005
"I Kill Me" by Tracy Tucker was a fascinating read that I pretty much devoured this past Sunday as I had a difficult time putting it down. The story is one we've seen before - a wife is surprised by her husband's sudden decision to leave her and has to pick up the pieces of her newly single life while still trying to keep it together for her children and at work. The main character, Christine, though made all the difference. She had the expected range of emotions - anger, pain, loss etc but when you add in her hypochondria then things get nutty. I can't lie - this both endeared her to me & made me grind my teeth in frustration with her, something her friends were she real would no doubt be doing as well. I don't know anyone who has this issue to such an extreme but I empathized with how it had to rule her life and her absolute panic when she thought she'd contracted some crazy kind of disease. My absolute frustration with this side of her only made me cheer even more as she began to understand and conquer her condition. I even fist-pumped at the end of the story, so happy to see Chris managing to deal so well and finally getting her own back against her ex and no longer allowing her anger or her hypochondria to control her. All in all, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a new story that isn't just fluff or zany antics - the character and her situation were very real to me & I can promise, I'll never look at a pimple/mole the same way again (among other things)!
2440873
WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi sounded like a fascinating psychological thriller and I hoped that it would be worth a read but nothing prepared me for this shocking story that was completely unexpected, clever, and sharp.

When Anna is savagely beaten and left in a coma, this small community in Sweden is shocked that something like this could happen to such a lovely woman. A brilliant teacher, Anna takes her job seriously and really wants to make a difference in her student's lives and in her personal life she is married to Erik and a dedicated mother to her two adorable little boys. But as her husband and the police begin their investigation, confusing secrets begin to turn up and as the list of suspects starts to grow, will Anna wake up in time to name her attacker?

WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi is told from different points of view and at different times ranging from a few months before the attack to after it has happened, and this really worked in holding my attention. There are plenty of characters, most of which are unlikeable and highly suspicious, which had me questioning the attacker's identity numerous times. There are a lot of sexual scenes throughout this book which may seem unusual for this genre but like everything this author writes, there are reasons for this too. WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi is absorbing, dark, and refreshingly different and I highly recommend it.

*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
2121949
Ive read some really great psychological thrillers this year, including this one. I will admit I had no knowledge of the real life ties to this book before I picked it up, so the story was completely new to me. I did a small (very small) but of research before starting it just to know what I was getting into, but that was it. Its important to remember that this isn't an author trying to rewrite something that really happened. He used it only as inspiration to jumpstart the storyline. I was riveted and read the bulk of it in two sittings.  I couldn't figure out who to trust or how it would end. Phenomenal storytelling.
2661602
This was a gripping and enjoyable read. I loved trying to figure out not only the mystery of what happened to Severine but why Kate was continuing to be haunted - it made me question her sanity and reliability as a narrator the whole way. The characters were richly layered and I enjoyed getting to the bottom of them even if they weren't so likeable. Overall, this was a really good psychological thriller that I would not hesitate to recommend. I really enjoyed it!
954117
5 "Born & Raised in Captivity by a Kidnapper Killer" Stars for the story and the narration!

If you love psychological thrillers, boy have I got a summer listen for you! The blurb of The Marsh King's Daughter hooked me and the story grabbed a hold of me from the first minute and entranced me throughout! I listened to this little gem in just one day--it is that addictive. If you've ever wondered about the psychological influence of a narcissist, kidnapper, and killer over the tender and malleable frame of mind of a young child--his child--then look no further. Moreover, the narration by Emily Rankin is simply divine making this title a must-listen!

The story is told in the first person from both the past and the present. As we open up the book, we meet Helena, the protagonist. Today she is married with two children and lives a relatively normal life. No one, not even her husband, know just how different her life began. But that is all about to change as her father has just escaped from prison.

Helena, was born and raised in captivity in a cabin with no electricity or any modern conveniences to a child abductor and his teenage captive. Helena only knows her parents for many years. Her sole connection to the outside world are copies of 1950s National Geographics. Needless to say everything she knows is shaped by her psychopath father and her broken mother.

Interestingly, in her early years she bonds with her father and identifies more with him then her mother who she can't seem to make a connection with. Thus she learns how to hunt and plays endless games with her father. But as she gets older these games turn into competitions, and the more skilled she becomes, the more dangerous these games get culminating in the game to end all games when her father finds her again following his prison escape.

Emily Rankin delivers a spellbinding narration. Ms. Rankin's facility with multiple, completely distinguishable and character appropriate voices makes her a natural audiobook narrator. I loved the voice that she gave Helena which was both appealing and calculating as you would expect her character to have. Moreover, Ms. Rankin is able to create such disparate voices as that of a young child's to sound completely age appropriate and which is the perfect complement to Helena's earlier years.

Additionally, you can feel the story from just the feeling that Ms. Rankin imparts in her rendition. I loved that you truly get the sense that you are experiencing the world through the eyes of a child and later a person who has been raised in isolation. The curiosity and lack of comprehension with respect to things that many of us would consider routine, vibrated from Ms. Rankin's voice. This attention to detail gave the narration a genuine and magical feel.

So many existential questions raised: nature vs. nurture, what makes psychopaths different, how do psychopaths endear themselves to the people who ultimately become their victims, and can you ever completely transform yourself and defeat your genetics? This book had me contemplating questions for hours after finishing it. I truly enjoyed its creative and well-thought out plot. It's not really high on suspense or mystery--it's really more of a compelling psychological dissection of the drivers that make us the people who we are--giving this book a unique feel that is sure to thrill the curious mind. Moreover, the narration was spot-on, making a perfect title to enjoy in audio format.

Source: Review copy provided for review purposes.
1336490
Tension throbs through this thriller like a jaw clenches through nightmare fear. I enjoyed the crisscrossing of interior and interpersonal conflicts in this novel. Peter Robertson's anxiety weaves into the story -- virtually a character in and of itself. A moment of primal brutality sets a strange stage and plenty of uneasy feelings about this protagonist as the stakes rise. While I would reserve five-star ratings for what I would consider literary masterworks, I relished this read and I look forward to Corbin's next book.
3126738
This story is well crafted, intriguing, and I had to wrestle with my compulsion to finish it in one night. This psychological thriller is part heart-wrenching and part affirming at the same time.  There are insights into the worst and the best hiding inside people.  To say much more would be giving it away. I'm quite pleased to say that I was NOT distracted by the rampant grammatical and spelling errors I've encountered in other recent reads.
1584186
In this intense, fast paced psychological thriller told by three of the characters, we watch Eva's "perfect marriage" quickly degrade into a nightmare as her husband Mitchell totally loses it and tries to frame her as the insane one.  Their 8 year old son, Jack, also tells his side of the story.  Mitchell is overly controlling and manipulative and it is a bit surprising that Ava, who was a school counselor until her husband made her quit working, did not see how abusive he was any earlier.  The psychological and other abuse is realistic and chilling and I have known people who were in similar relationships and it rings quite true.  I found the book to be well-written and hard to put down.  I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I highly recommend it.
3453736
The Blow Up Man is a really great psychological thriller, with plenty of twists and turns, most of which you will not see coming. The prose flowed really well and the characters really developed throughout the book, especially with Annette. We meet her as the victim of an uncaring and selfish ex-husband, and you can't help but empathise with her. But as with many things, all is not as it seems, perhaps Annette is not as innocent and hard done by as she makes out. And perhaps her ex-husband's new squeeze Faye, should be very worried indeed.

Without giving too much away, I will say that some women will stop at nothing to get what they want, and some women will have to suffer because of it.
3254136
I believe in the power of words and how they can reach out to a reader and draw them in, evoking feeling and reactions that are so strong they're undeniable. This is definitely the reason that Wintergirls has been challenged so much, at least to me. Laurie Halse Anderson has taken a few issues, mainly anorexia and bulimia, and spun them into this disturbing, but profoundly powerful story.

Wintergirls is one heck of an emotional roller coaster ride for a reader. Despite never having experienced Lia's particular condition, I was totally absorbed in her story. It was this strong pull on my emotions - resulting in various states of hurt, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, confusion - that really made a mark on me. I'm a big fan of books that can genuinely draw you in, even when the story is about something you're not intimately familiar with or even comfortable with - and this book certainly did that for me.

What we read is the story of a broken girl, who's in the process of completely falling apart. I was certainly concerned as I read about Lia, especially as we get further evidence of how badly she's fallen into the trap of avoiding any and all food even if she really wants to eat. Though the instances where she faked eating or even forced herself to eat just enough calories were definitely scary, I think what made me even more worried for her was the specificity of her calorie counts of food and her attempts to get her weight lower and lower. There's a method to her particular process, and it made me sad, worried and disturbed that things like that are actually happening in real life.

What Wintergirls does brilliantly is show the reality of the brutal conditions that teens afflicted with eating disorders may be experiencing. It's not just a physical thing, where they drop weight, torture their own bodies with deprivation, starvation and constant purging in order to look a certain way. It's also psychological, with the incredible amount of mind games that are played. There are the taunting voices that say you're fat, ugly, stupid, fat, ugly, stupid, or the friendly votes of encouragement from other people with disorders that say I did it and I look great and don't worry, you'll look great if you do it too, or even the low self-esteem that says you'll never be good enough if you're not small enough. More than anything, these thoughts and their constancy in Lia's mind were what truly disturbed me. They made me realize how difficult it is to really step away from any eating disorder, simply because it would involve trying to reorder your thoughts and to fight hard against the voices that would try to trick you into walking down the same path all over again.

This was a powerful read to me, as someone who has no personal experience of an eating disorder or with anyone close to me who had one. Laurie Halse Anderson was brutal, but realistic in her portrayal of eating disorders, alongside depression and low self-esteem. Though reading this book certainly made me feel uncomfortable and disturbed, I am glad I read it.

To me, despite the many difficult situations that occur, the book ends on a hopeful note. The situation is certainly not a perfect one, but the possibility of a better future is indicated - and I love that it ended on a bit of positivity. It is possible to overcome these things, the book seems to say, and I really appreciated that.

Wintergirls is no walk in the park to read. In fact, if I'm being perfectly honest, it's like knowing that a car's about to crash and that you can't do anything to stop it and so you're just standing there and watching it happen - repeatedly. It was a hard book to read - but it was well worth my effort. With a powerful story filled with potent emotions and a subject matter that would normally be taboo, Wintergirls certainly shed some light on this sensitive topic with a story that packed a punch to the gut.
2451934
Note: Any and all quotes need to be checked against the final copy as they are subject to change before publication. I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

<<<<<My synopsis (Actual Review Follows)<<<<<
When a serial killer makes his presence known he strikes fear into the masses. When he's captured or stopped, everyone breathes a sigh of relief because his or her reign of terror is finally over. For the survivors, however, it never really ends, it just gets easier to persevere on. For the past 10 years that is exactly what Sasha Keeton has been doing. Taking life one day at a time, one step at a time, trying to put the nightmare behind her. Held by a madman the press nicknamed "The Groom", she's finally going home to the very place where her ordeal began. Her dream had once been to take over her family's Inn and she's decided she won't let the madman identified as Vernon Joan take that away from her too. Taking back her life at this point should be easy, but almost from the moment she steps foot back in town, someone seems bent on making her feel unwelcome...

'I hit the cobblestone roundabout and made a beeline for the car I'd Parked outside the carriage house, grateful none of the guests were early risers. Thinking I would have just enough time to help Mom do the continental breakfast, I stopped in front of my car.

My mouth dropped open. "Oh my God."

I blinked, because I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but my eyesight was just fine. Stomach twisting and turning sour, I took a step toward the car. Glass crunched under my feet.

Glass that belonged on my car and not on the ground.

Every single window of my car had been shattered. Every one.'

Broken windows, however, are only the beginning, Bigger and much worse things have yet to come...

<<<<<My Review: <<<<<
This was a very suspenseful roller coaster thriller of a ride with a gernerous slice of romance to go with it. This one had me scratching my head as to who was causing all the chaos, although it was pretty clear from the first page that the person had ties to the original killer. The big question was who, and how entangled were they in everything that happened ten years ago. A trail of breadcrumbs exists, but the path to the killer wasn't obvious to me until the big reveal. Then of course I did a huge head smack. lol

Cole, Sasha's love interest, was a bit too much of an eager beaver for my tastes. His seeking her out and wanting to date her so soon after finding out she was home, didn't sit well with me. The two had been dating when she was abducted all those years ago, and he's never gotten over her or what happened. Luckily, I soon got over my discomfort with him as I quickly ruled him out as being the bad guy. When bad things start happening, he's right there to help her in a way he couldn't years ago. You see Cole now works for the FBI and he uses his connections to make sure nothing that happens to Sasha is dismissed as being insignificant.

Sasha is a strong woman who is ready to conquer her fears. Unfortunately someone is not going to make that easy for her. She has supportive friends and her mom to help her face the past, but when things turn deadly, I'm not sure how Sasha managed to keep her cool or her head. If it was me, I'd have turned tail and run--fast.

Overall, I gave this one 4 1/2 roses out of 5 roses. There was plenty of suspense. drama, romance, and mystery. I enjoyed all the red herrings, twists and turns in this fast-paced novel. It was one of those books that you pick up and don't want to put down until you finish. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. This one is definitely a nail bitter with some disturbing violence geared towards women. I definitely recommend this one.