Book review #43 The Nanny's secret

The nanny's secret (A Locke industries novel)

Author - Kiersten Modglin

Language - English

Genre - Psychological thriller

Publisher - Kiersten Modglin

About the book:

Olivia Mendes has a secret.

With her new position as a nanny for the prestigious Locke family, she’s learning just how powerful secrets can be. 

Orrick and Iris Locke, owners of the billion-dollar security company known as Locke Industries, are beautiful, mysterious, and seemingly perfect. When she enters their home, Olivia quickly discovers everything is not what it seems. The Lockes’ elusive empire is built on dark and terrifying truths and with Olivia now a part of their lives, she has no choice but to play her role.

As she finds herself digging deeper into the Lockes’ web of lies, Olivia begins to question everything she’s learned. When the family’s insidious nature is revealed, her loyalties will be put to the ultimate test. 

About the author :

KIERSTEN MODGLIN is an Amazon Top 30 bestselling author of psychological thrillers, a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. Kiersten is a KDP Select All-Star, a recipient of ThrillerFix's Best Psychological Thriller Award and Suspense Magazine's Best Book of 2021 Award. Kiersten grew up in rural western Kentucky with dreams of someday publishing a book or two. With more than thirty books published to date, Kiersten now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and their two Boston Terriers: Cedric and Georgie. She is best known for her unpredictable psychological suspense. Kiersten's work is currently being translated into multiple languages and readers across the world refer to her as 'The Queen of Twists.' A Netflix addict, Shonda Rhimes superfan, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her nose in a book.

My take :

Olivia Mendes joins the Locke family as the nanny for their eight year old son John. Iris and Orrivk Locke are the super power couple who everyone is in awe of.

But as Olivia begins working for them, she starts realising what the deep dark secrets are that lay the foundation of the Locke's empire. 

Of course she too has secrets of her own, and the question is, how long will all the secrets stay hidden?

A beautifully crafted story, The nanny's secret is an amazing psychological thriller. The story shuttles between the POV's of Iris, Orrick and Olivia, and we get to understand the thought process of each of these characters, what thoughts lie behind their actions and what is it that each one is desperately trying to protect.

Layer by layer, each secret in the Locke family unfolds and the reader stays captivated as new twists and turns keep appearing.

The language is simple and flow of the story is easy. Just like her other books, Kiersten makes this book a comfortable read.

The cover is nice but could have been designed better. I would love to read other books in this series.

I rate it five stars.

Book review #42. Dead to them

Dead to them 

Author - Smita Bhattacharya

Language - English

Genre - Suspense Thriller

Publisher - Treeshade books

About the book

Moira Madhwa is a typical young, beautiful and successful urban woman—until the day she goes missing. Her friends start looking for her but quickly realise nothing is as it seems. Moira has kept devastating secrets that could wreck their lives, if revealed. As days roll by, one by one, skeletons tumble out of closets, and each of Moira's friends appear guilty. But did one among them hate her enough to do the worst?

A nail-biting, psychological suspense-thriller, Dead to Them weaves a web of deception, lies, and paranoia in the city of Mumbai, where every face hides a dark story, and uncovering it can lead to disastrous consequences.

About the author

SMITA BHATTACHARYA writes atmospheric cosy and psychological mystery fiction. She is also a management consultant, coffee lover, and gipsy-in-her-head. She lives in Mumbai but has solo travelled to 40+ countries and thus, her stories are heavily inspired by her travels and by those she meets.

Smita has six published books and counting. She has worked in a vineyard, in a newsroom, in a school, in a library, in a bank, in an audit firm. She has too many stories to tell and not enough time.

Smita thrives on crime and coffee. Though she prefers cafés, she occasionally also hangs as @smitabe on Twitter and Instagram. You can read her colourful travel and life stories at www.smitabhattacharya.com.

My take:

This is a mysterious story that keeps you intrigued right from the first chapter.

Moira, a beautiful, young independant woman goes missing one fine day. Everyone is worried, her colleagues, her boss, her friends. Each begins their search for her in their own ways.

But as the story progresses, we get to know that everything is not as simple as it looks. Each person is hiding a dark secret. And Moira's disappearance threatens to bring all secrets out in the open. 

The cliche is that this is not the first time that Moira is absconding. So people are skeptical whether this is the repeat of the last time, or if it's more serious than it seems.

Neither is Moira what she appears to be. As layers and layers of mysteries are uncovered the story keeps taking new turns.

The language is lucid and easy flowing. All characters are well formed and stay true to their self. We can empathise with each characters POV as we read the story.

The suspense is held on till the very end, and reader is kept guessing and double guessing till the very end.

The cover page is nicely designed and reaches out to the reader to pick it up.

I rate it five stars.

Book review #41 Do you remember?

Do you remember?

Author : Freida Macfadden

Language : English

Genre : Psychological thriller

Publisher : Hollywood Upstairs Press

About the book :

Tess Strebel can’t recognize her own face.

She can’t recognize her home. Her bedroom is unfamiliar. And she can’t remember the handsome stranger lying next to her in bed. A stranger who claims he’s her husband.

Tess reads a letter in her own handwriting, composed during a rare lucid day, explaining her life as it now exists: She was in a terrible car accident one year ago. Every morning, she wakes up unable to remember most of the last decade. Including her own wedding.

Tess has no choice but to accept her new life and hope her memory will return. After all, why should she doubt the letter she wrote to herself? Or the kind man from the wedding photos on her dresser who seems to genuinely care about her well-being?

And then Tess receives a text message on her phone. One that changes everything:

"Don’t trust the man who calls himself your husband."

About the author :

#1 Amazon bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and black cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

My take:

Tess wakes up every morning with the past seven years erased from her memory. The last memory she has is of herself at the age of twenty nine and just engaged to the love of her life, Harry. When she finds out every morning that she is now thirty six, married to a handsome man Graham, who runs her own super successful company My Home Spa, she is confused and disoriented. She daily reads the letter she has written to herself that the people around her care for her, and can be trusted. Still Graham, her supposed husband and the cleaning lady who seems more employed for keeping a watch on her than cleaning, feel like strangers. 

Tess tries to embrace whatever life offers everyday, but then she starts finding small clues she is leaving for herself, that tell her that Graham can't be trusted. Soon, she starts getting texts from an unknown person asking her to meet. What does Tess do?

The story is narrated from POV of Tess, and one can empathize with her situation. The once successful entrepreneur is now a prisoner in her own home, dependant on two strangers - a man who calls himself her husband and a cleaner - for every small thing. Her emotions and sense of loss have been beautifully captured. The way she keeps reminiscing about the memories she still has is heart touching.

The story revolves basically around just five characters in total - Tess, Graham, Camilla, Lucy and Tess's father. But the way it is narrated is extremely catching.

Till almost four-fifths of the book is over, the reader is left wondering what exactly happens next. The last chapter brings unexpected twists and leaves us surprised, or even, shocked. Though the ending wasn't what I was expecting, it was good.

As usual, I am in love with the way this author writes. The narration feels as if a movie is going on in front of our eyes. The language is simple and lucidly flowing. All characters are perfectly developed.

The cover page is catching but could have been made more mysterious looking.

Overall I rate it 4.5 stars.

Book Review #40 Anamika Khanna falls in love

Anamika Khanna falls in love

Author: Shraddha Sahi

Publisher : Locksley Hall Publishing

Genre : Romance, comedy

Language : English

About the book:

How far would you go in love? A few missed calls? Liking every post of his on FB? Landing in the hospital when you fall from a tree because you wanted to see into his room? Anamika Khanna is madly in love with Rahul… How can someone be so blind? Why can’t she see how much I love her? Will my confession jeopardise our friendship? Vikram Lobo, the bookworm has developed muscles and lost the soda bottle glasses. But he can’t stop his heart from skipping a beat when he sees Anamika. Rahul, the high society Adonis wants nothing to do with the gauche, middle class weirdo who’s following him around. Until she moves into his league… Laugh out loud at Anamika’s antics and follow her on the roller coaster that is her life!

About the author:

Move the pile of books aside and that's where she'll be! She loves reading and it was inevitable that she began to write. She began with poems and for a long time, that was enough. When her poems began to get longer and longer, it was time to move to stories and novels. She lives in Pune, India and is a typical Indian - deeply traditional & obsessively modern. Her idea of heaven is a cup of coffee and a romance novel on a rainy day!

My take:

'Anamika Khanna falls in love' is a quirky romantic comedy about Anamika, girl who stops at nothing to catch the attention of Rahul, her crush. She mistakes the infatuation for true love, and begins moving heaven and earth to get Rahul to notice her. Rahul on the other hand is out of her league and despises this middle-class girl who seems rather obsessed by her. Vikram, her true friend, who has now developed feelings for her tries to make Anamika see that Rahul is not the one for her. Will Anamika get over her obsession and finally reciprocate Vikram's feelings?

The story, though simple, is beautifully narrated. The quirky style of writing makes the reader laugh as we read the antics of Anamika and the heights she goes to to get Rahul to notice her. The simple feelings of love, friendship and dejection are nicely portrayed. Every character is lovable, especially Vikram. The maturity with which he handles the situation is nicely described.

The language is easy and lucid. The book may not be a suspense thriller but it does keep the reader hooked.

The cover page is beautifully designed and apt for the story.

I rate it five stars.