Welcome to As The Plot Thickens

This was a tough read for me, and it could have some serious triggers for people concerning child abuse, and child murder.  This book is tragic and explores the argument of nature vs nurture as you take a journey from present to past and explores how an unhinged young girl who commits murder struggles with being a first-time parent.  When Chrissie tells her story in her 8-year-old voice, it is eloquent in capturing her age.  It is very easy not to like Chrissie, and while she

I was hesitant to read this story when I first heard about it, after all everyone knows the “story” of the Donner party, and it’s quite depressing.  The book follows the Graves family, more specifically Sarah, as they travel from Illinois to California.  The first part of the book depicts just how “behind” the party was due to unforeseen weather and other circumstances.  Following Lansford Hastings’s book, The Emigrant’s Guide, the party sets out on a harrowing trip through t

This book follows a woman, Flora who is suffering after giving birth and taking care of a newborn after her husband is deployed.  This is a creepy book, and it does have triggers, so it may not work for all people.  Post partum depression, sleep deprivation, and loneliness are only some of the things that spark the appearance of a childhood invisible friend.  Reaching out to her mother appears to be the only answer, but upon her arrival things start to go even more array.  Fu

This book was a brutally graphic horror novel.  It is two days before Christmas and Jessica Kane only remembers going out for a jog and something hitting her.  As she wakes, she is in excruciating pain, a gash in her head, and blood running down her face.  As the ringing in her ears cleared, she realized she was stranded in a deserted town with five other strangers with similar stories to hers.  All the strangers share the same confusion and quickly realize that they need to

The Little Paris Bookshop  is one of those novels that sneaks up on you with its softness. It starts with a simple premise—a bookseller who believes books are medicine, prescribing them the way a doctor might prescribe pills—but it slowly blooms into a story about grief, forgiveness, and learning to live again. Jean Perdu, the “literary apothecary,” is such a gentle, wounded character. Watching him finally confront the heartbreak he’s been running from for decades feels tende

She Is Gone by Ben Cheetham.  I came across this book while searching for a different one by this author and I was pleasantly surprised.  This is a very fast paced book, and had a twist I did not see in the end.  Butterfly is the only survivor of the brutal murder of her entire family.  She manages to escape, but her family perishes, she is only a child.  Moving forward 10 years, Butterfly is now married to a cop, had her first child, but still cannot remember what happened t

Thief of Echoes by S.B. Wade is a slow, haunting sci-fi thriller about memory, identity, and the danger of forgetting who you are. Elara Vale restores broken memories for a living—until she uncovers one that shouldn’t exist. The deeper she digs, the more her own past starts to unravel. The story moves quietly but carries a steady pulse of dread. Wade’s writing is crisp and eerie, the kind that makes you question what’s real. The world feels sterile and dreamlike—perfect for a

North of Nowhere  is a fast, tense survival thriller set against the icy wilds of Montana. When Kristin and her younger brother Ryan go on the run from their father—a ruthless crime boss—their plane crashes in a snowstorm, and suddenly the danger shifts from guns to the wilderness itself. Brennan mixes family secrets, mob drama, and pure survival in a way that keeps the story moving. Kristin is a great lead—tough, smart, and way too young to be carrying this much fear. The al

Under Her Spell provides the right magic to read during this Halloween season.  This book is told in a dual timeline, then and now, high school and present.  I would say this book is an easy read, a gothic story with some background witchcraft to make the plot more enticing.  The story gripped me from the start and where a little off in the center, the last third of the book kept adding twists and turns.  The characters are well written, and the backstory really gives them pe

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig.  This is not a book I would normally read, but I enjoyed The Midnight Library so much, I wanted to give this a chance.  This book is filled with insights and the compelling journey of a retired math teacher (Grace) who looks for meaning in her life.  This book shows how second chances are always worth it, and age has no play in those chances.  Grace, whose son died in a tragic accident is riddled with guilt over all the things she failed at i

Not a Perfect Family is one of those thrillers that pulls you in right from the first page. From the outside, the Merton family looked perfect—wealthy, respected, and living in a pleasant neighborhood—but their murder caused everything to unravel fast. Each of the three adult children has something to hide, and as the police dig deeper, so do we. You realize that behind every calm face is a pile of secrets just waiting to spill out. The short, punchy chapters make it easy to

The River Know Your Name  is a beautifully written and deeply moving novel that lingers long after you finish it. The story follows Daniel, a young man navigating loss, family secrets, and the haunting pull of a past he can’t quite escape. What struck me most was the way the river itself becomes a living presence in the book—something both comforting and dangerous, a symbol of memory, grief, and rebirth. The writing is lyrical without ever feeling overdone, and the characters

"A Flower Travelled in My Blood" stands out with its beautiful language and deep themes. This book offers a touching look at identity, heritage, and the complexities of human feelings. The author crafts a narrative that feels both personal and relatable, inviting readers to ponder their own life experiences. The writing structure allows readers to connect deeply with the protagonist, making it captivating for anyone interested in exploring life's intricate challenges. The sto

Echoes by David Gearing is a haunting little thriller that blurs the line between ghost story and psychological unraveling. Shannon begins hearing the voice of Rebecca, her high-school best friend and first love, and at first it feels like a miracle. But Rebecca’s return comes with demands, and the more Shannon gives in, the more you question what’s real and what’s only in her mind. It’s atmospheric, emotional, and unsettling — the kind of book that lingers after you close it

Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife  is one of those rare fantasy stories that feels both warm and quietly profound. It follows Rottgor, an undead orc knight who’s spent centuries fighting battles and guarding tombs. When he’s finally “retired” from his duties, he’s left asking himself a question he’s never had to face: what now? The answer, unexpectedly, is cooking. Rottgor reopens a little restaurant in the necropolis, serving both the living and the dead. Through food, he

The Astrology House by Carinn Jade.  This book is a multi-pov thriller that is set at an astrological retreat.  This was a quick read, and where I didn’t feel the characters were all that likable, the secrets they all hid helped me get over that part of the book.  The lives of the guests and owner are deeply intertwined, but not apparent until the end.  The secrets of each of the guests are slowly revealed throughout the book, and the lines between relationships become very b

Magpie Murders  is one of those rare mysteries that feels both classic and completely fresh. Anthony Horowitz gives us a story within a story — an old-school whodunit tucked inside a modern publishing thriller — and somehow makes both impossible to put down. It starts with the manuscript of a traditional detective novel featuring Atticus Pünd, a brilliant but prickly sleuth in a quiet English village. But when the book ends abruptly, editor Susan Ryeland realizes something’s

A Fine and Private Place  – Book Review Peter S. Beagle’s A Fine and Private Place  is a hauntingly tender debut novel that drifts between life and death, loneliness and love. Written when Beagle was only nineteen, the book showcases both his lyrical gift for language and his sharp understanding of human frailty. The story unfolds in a Bronx cemetery, where Jonathan Rebeck, a former pharmacist turned recluse, has hidden himself away for nearly two decades. Rebeck survives on

This book took me only 2 days to read, and it only took that long because I did need to stop and eat.  The start of the book is a little slow…I wondered where the explanation of football coaches was going, but it tied in at the end (I think).  This book is a true story about a girl that was murdered years ago, the first murder trial in the state of Virginia that had a murder trial without the body.  When reading the story, one must remember that all the modern technology that

Only the Guilty Survive by K. Robards is an okay book.  It’s enough to keep you interested but like a lot of other plots.  Claire is the sole survivor of a cult known as the Flock, who committed mass suicide after a member goes missing and is found murdered.  Clair has no recollection of what happened the night Lollie was taken, but she seeks to find answers as a crime podcaster comes to town on the 10th anniversary of the event.  Lollie was her best friend in the cult, and o