Happy book club day! This is an extra-special edition because it's October, meaning that I can go all in with my most crazy murderous faves without being looked at like a psychopath. Enjoy October's extra spooky selections!

​#1: Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane
This is my most recent completed book and I'm still thinking about it. The story has all the trappings for a quality, suspenseful story. A small town, a pattern of missing people, a seemingly picture-perfect marriage, and so many secrets. After a local high school teacher suddenly goes missing, suspicion immediately falls upon his wife, Lila. She's seen as the perfect wife to everyone in town but no one really knows her. Turns out, she's got a sinister secret but is she the only one who has things they need to hide? Pretty Little Wife is the debut novel of Darby Kane and I will definitely be picking up any of her future works after reading this.

#2: Watchers by Dean Knootz
I'm not going to lie. It took me awhile to get into this novel. I wasn't sure if I would end up finishing it but I did and I'm actually glad that I pushed through. While slow in the beginning, the plot really picks up in the middle of the book. By then you learn that the whole plot is centered around a government experiment gone awry. Even I was lost for a bit trying to figure out what was actually going on and how each character fit into the overall story. My only complaint is that the author switches which character perspective he's writing in, especially throughout the early chapters and it made things, in my opinion, more confusing than what was needed. I liked the suspense but he starts off by really wanting to build it and as a result, overwrites and ends things at odd spots. However, I ended up loving this book despite its initial put-offs. I think the plot developed nicely and I appreciated the character development, although some may feel that it was rushed once you actually read it. I encourage all of you to pick this one up because it is truly a diamond in the rough.  

#3: The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
There's nothing like a classic who 'dun it/missing person plot. I read this one in a single day and I suspect you will too. What's cool about this novel is that it runs in two timelines. The present and the past leading up to the disappearance. There's so many different characters and you get to hear from all of them in some way thanks to the alternating timelines. The setting is in England which I think adds some additional mystery and suspense to the story. While stories like this can have a predictable ending, The Night She Disappeared actually stumped me and I had no clue what actually happened until the author decided to weave it all together in the end. It's a totally twisted ending but also satisfying. Love! 

#4: 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
I'm not kidding when I say that no other book like this one exists at the present. This novel takes place during the pandemic and it was the first book I came across since this all started that incorporated what we're going through right now. It's pretty accurate excluding one small detail. Someone dies. Did you think any thing else would've happened? Murder in quarantine. Seems like it'd be pretty open and shut, right? You'd be wrong. Quarantine makes things nearly impossible to figure out because nobody's actually seen the murder victim in months and therefore anyone he was with leading up to the murder is a complete mystery. Though not to the reader because the perspective switch between our dearly departed and his super-secret girlfriend who may or may not be responsible for ushering the Grim Reaper to his door. This book is also atypical because it is actually effective in making you think about every possible scenario, letting you think you figured it out, and then completely turning the whole thing on its head. Totally mind-blowing and leaves it open to interpretation as to who the true hero and villain is. 

#5: Survive the Night by Riley Sager
Get ready for a blast from the past because Riley Sager's latest thriller takes readers back to the 1990s. A killer is terrorizing a college campus and the latest victim's best friend decides to leave. She accepts an offer from a stranger and literally embarks on the ride of her life. The ending completely blind-sided me but the epilogue ends everything on a fairly happy note. I liked the fast moving plot and the ever evolving characters. Once the killer is revealed, I guarantee you'll be rereading to find all the foreshadowing. 

​I hope these books peeked your interest and you find your next spine-tingling, pulse-racing thriller/mystery. Happy reading!

    It's officially spooky season and already over one week in, the 2021 season is one for the books. Shockingly, it's not because of a ravenous global pandemic that seems to have wiped rationality and common sense from the brains of many. Instead, the planetary alignment at the present time is to blame. Ladies and gentlemen, it's the final Mercury retrograde of 2021 and everything is screwed up. 
    If you're not into horoscopes or zodiac signs or anything like that, you're probably saying, "What is Mercury retrograde and why do I care?" Allow me a minute of your time to explain. Mercury retrograde occurs three times a year and during each period, there are more likely to be events like the following:

• Miscommunication
• Technological Failures
• Travel Issues
• Faulty News

    In case you live under a rock, nearly every social media platform, excluding Twitter, went dark for several hours last Monday. We can say thanks to Mercury for sowing the chaos. Certain cell phone providers also experienced the same outages so a number of people were just out of a phone entirely. This round of retrograde began on September 27th and doesn't end until October 18th. This means we are in a prime time for any number of insane, random occurrings so be prepared for absolutely anything. 
    Each Mercury retrograde is in a different sign and this time around, the lucky winner is the air sign Libra. What does this mean? The planet Venus rules Libra. Venus is the planet of art, money, and creation. As a result, you could experience a lower cashflow especially if your work is dependent on technology. Venus is also the planet of love if any of you are familiar with roman mythology. While the above can and most likely will happen, the main focus of this retrograde season is relationships and even the smallest interaction isn't safe from evaluation.
    Communication between these relationships will be at the forefront. You may find yourself thinking more about how you communicate with everyone in your life from family to friends to co-workers and how to make that communication better if need be. Not only will you be thinking about how you can potentially communicate better but your active communication will get interesting. You may end up speaking before thinking more times than not and your words may be viewed more as a weapon while mercury is in retrograde. 
      So how do you get through it? Take your time and double-check everything. Do. Not. Rush. Also, and please don't take offense to this, consider just shutting up for a little bit. After all, staying silent is a whole lot better than putting words out there you can't take back. Take this time and reflect so you can be ready for whatever the universe wants to throw out next.

You have all of my best wishes that you survive this trying time with your sanity intact. Happy haunting!