Bibliomaniacer

Oh how I love Agatha Christie! She remains one of my favourite author of all time. This novel right here, I have read it at least eight times, at last count, and I continue to read it despite knowing the case inside out. The village of King’s Abbot is stunned when widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a confusing case that taxes Hercule Poirot’s 'little grey cells' before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career. Hercule Poirot is my favourite fictional Detective. I have read heaps of Crime thrillers with memorable detectives, but Monsieur Poirot is unmatched. The way his little grey cells work, it puts most of us to shame because we barely use even 10% of what's given to us. This novel reads extremely well. There are clues scattered in the details, but only one of Poirot's calibre can see them and make sense of them. It's a clas

This is the first book of Riley Sager's that I read. I remember distinctly that it was all the rage and most forums I follow, had an alternate post about this novel. The plot revolves around the Hope family, primarily, Lenora Hope, who allegedly killed her parents and sister. She continues to live in her childhood home, named Hope's End, though her years have now rendered her almost invalid. Now, 54 years later, Kit McDeere, a health care aide arrives at Hope's End to care for Lenora. She battles her own demons, but greater ones lurk at Hope's End. Will sanity prevail as the people and the house reveal their secrets and betrayals. Dizzy. That's how I felt when I finished reading this novel. The writing ebbs and flows, in the sense that around the 40% mark, I was a bit bored. There are surprises along the way and you know pretty much in advance that there are big reveals coming. Boy, do they take their time. The final 25% of the book will hit you like a f

The plot revolves around the Carroll family - Julia, the eldest daughter goes missing and it tears her family apart. Her parents split, her sisters drift apart and time goes on. Until one day, when another girl disappears and everyone is pulled back into the past. The focus of this story is on the two surviving sisters - Lydia and Claire, for whom danger is much closer at hand than they could ever imagine. This book was intense. There is extreme vi*lence, ab*use, se*ual vi*lence and heaps of triggering elements. I read it in one day because I wanted answers as much as the victim's father. This book is not for the faint hearted or someone dealing with loss. It's hard and very disturbing. I started reading Karin Slaughter's books when I was introduced to the Grant County series. I loved those books and devoured them until she killed off my favourite character and I gave up. I started reading the Will Trent series and got through 4 books, but had to take a break. T

I was after a bit of light reading this week after a pretty intense book and I found this novel in my TBR list. Cute. That was the first word that came to my mind when I started reading this book. The plot is pretty simple. Vera Wong owns a teahouse in Chinatown which has seen better days. She lives alone and has a very disciplined routine which she follows religiously. She is smart as a whip, set in her ways and considers herself to be knowledgeable about almost everything. Until one day, when her routine is interrupted because she finds a dead body in the middle of her teahouse. Thus begins Vera's quest to solve the murder because the cops don't do much and don't like her tea, therefore leading her to believe that they are pretty incompetent. Vera is smart. She purposely names her shop Vera Wang's world famous Teahouse because she wanted customers to make a connection to the famous dressmaker, be curious and visit her shop. Vera has many quirks. Some are e

I started reading this book because it takes place in an Australian setting. The novel reads from the POV of Ern, who is an aspiring novelist and wants to eliminate all cliches that a murder mystery novel, it's characters, the criminal and the detectives may display. This novel prominently displays an oath by some of the most prolific and unmatched crime authors to ensure that they avoid a few detective tropes and ensure that their books are exceptional. This is immediately followed by the ten commandments of murder, criminals and detectives. Each story told by Ern is in effect, related to these commandments. A murder takes place toward the conclusion of the novel; this is not a spoiler, it's told right at the beginning. Phew. This book took me a very long time to finish and I simultaneously started reading The Trials of Apollo because I got very bored. Turns out, I am not a fan of this style of writing, because it didn't keep me engaged. The story got a bit bor

I started reading this book over last weekend and finished it last night. So the riders are back, new and old. The second book of the Empyrean series revolves around Violet, who has survived her first year despite the attempts on her life and now she has been thrown into the deep end again to save the people she loves from an enemy, nobody believed existed. Long! That's what I can say about this book. If you haven't read the first one, then be warned, there's mild spoilers ahead. Violet and Xaden try to work on their relationship and it gets to a point where you want to smack them both upside the head and tell them to either be together or just break up. Many secrets are revealed, some shocking, some not so much. There is a lot of description of the land, the history, sometimes a bit repetitive and some very long paragraphs. I couldn't remember much and maybe that's not a good thing. It's good to see Dain understand the truth. My favourite characters

Not for nothing is Agatha Christie called the 'Queen of Crime'. My introduction to the world of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple was this book right here. Yes I know it has no mention of either, but when I finished reading this book, I couldn't wait to read more. Ten strangers are invited to a remote island under some pretext. They all hide dark secrets and they all die one by one. The entire plot is so brilliant, it could only emerge from the mind of Agatha Christie. The conclusion to this novel will shock you because you won't see it coming, at all! The novel tells of how the world is a small place, how your actions - small and big impact people around you, how the impact lasts a lifetime and how, sooner or later, you have to face the reckoning for your crimes. People from across all status of society are isolated on the island and the betrayals, the lies, the facades; all start collapsing as the death count rises. I fell in love with the writing style, the

I have mixed feelings about this book. The author notes that the novel is based loosely on the life of actress Elizabeth Taylor and falls in the genre of historical fiction. Briefly, the plot revolves around yesteryear actress Evelyn Hugo who has become a recluse and whom everyone wants to interview to know more about her very public and famous life. Until one day, when she personally selects a very specific reporter, Monique Grant to do said interview. Monique, for her part is shocked to say the least but she is mildly known for an article she wrote which had nothing remotely to do with showbiz. The novel, as the name suggests, tells of the seven husbands she married in her lifetime, her love, her hurt, the things she did to reach the pinnacle of success, her confusion, her enlightenment and finally, the truth. Evelyn is not a easy woman and she decides to tell her story at her own pace, many times ignoring Monique's requests. Her increasing confusion of why she was ch

I wanted to read something a bit different to the thrillers I was reading and therefore, I asked on a forum for suggestions. A kind lady suggested this series and I thought to give it a try. I am so glad I took a chance because this series became my new favourite! M.W.Craven has crafted characters that are incredible to say the least. Washington Poe, our main character, a cop brought back from suspension to deal with a case that literally has his name written over it. Tilly Bradshaw, the absolute genius and socially awkward young woman becomes Poe's friend and confidant. She's my favourite! Stephanie Flynn, the tough senior who fights for herself and her team. Estelle Doyle, the pathologist who is brilliant and completely at odds with her appearance. These characters bring alive a world that will keep you hooked until the end. The series follows different cases and we see personal relationships and pasts colliding in a few. At the heart of it all is the quest to fin

This book is a mixed bag. It starts off well and keeps you engaged enough for the concluding twist. Although, expert readers of the thriller genre may see that twist coming from a mile away. The plot revolves around two main characters - Alicia Berenson who, one evening as her husband Gabriel returns home, shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word; AND Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist who pretty much demands his way to treat Alicia and make her speak. The story reads from the POV of Theo and we see him as a character who struggles but wants to change things for the better. He wants to help Alicia, to understand why she shot her husband and the truth of what exactly happened that fateful day. He works hard to prove on his promise and we seem Alicia responding. She doesn't speak but her reactions, her expressions give enough hope to Theo and the facility holding her, to keep up their endeavour. As a reader, you want to understand why thin

This book is my introduction to Paranormal fiction. I have read one other after this and I think it may be a bit of time before I get back to this genre. The plot revolves around the crew of the reality series Fade to Black, who have much riding on its success. It's a motley crew who have their reasons to investigate paranormal happenings and visit the haunted places where such events take place. The holy grail of their current research is the Paranormal Research Foundation, the mansion which holds its own share of secrets. The mission - proof of afterlife. As the house begins to reveal its secrets, the characters unravel. Their fear, their false pretences and their facades fall away; but can they remain sane. Can they accomplish what they set out to or will they become victims of their own curiosity. I did take a long time to finish reading this book. I had to stop multiple times because I couldn't quite grasp the meaning of the research or the characters got annoy

Oh boy! This one made me tear up. Phew. Friends has been a show I have watched since my teens, I still watch it and I don't think I'm going to stop watching it even when I'm old and wrinkled. It's a show that actually taught me about friendship, about relationships and about the family we choose.  Matthew Perry's death hit me hard. I remember clearly, it was my husband who asked me if I read about Matthew Perry and my immediate reaction was repeatedly saying the word No. My husband looked at me and said I'm so sorry and I just broke down. If this doesn't show how deeply these 6 friends impacted me, I don't know what would. Matthew's memoir is honest. He lays down all his thoughts, his emotions, fears and insecurities bare and once again we are shown that Showbiz is not all glitter and gold. His addiction, his alcoholism and substance abuse was severe and in reading his book, you will be able to pinpoint the exact reasons why he started us