Caroline's Book Club: Spine-Tingling Must-Reads

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!