Book Review · Books

Delusions – Amy Crandall [BOOK REVIEW]

Book Review - Title

★★★★

A must-have for all the lovers of psychological thrillers and mysteries – this is a book that will show you a twisted side of a human being so well, that you will not know what happened once you reach the end! A masterpiece of a thriller – a delight for all the murder solvers out there! 

Synopsis: 

A deadly game is being played. The question is . . . who will survive?

  ***

As she waits to give her statement in one of the interrogation rooms of Arcata Police Department, Abigale recites the same line over and over inside her head.

I did not kill anyone.

I did not kill anyone.

But there’s a trail of bodies, and it leads straight to her. The events that brought her to this very moment all point to one thing . . . her guilt.

She must convince Detective Collins of her innocence, but how can she explain her ties to the victims, and the evidence that has her name written all over it?

Then there’s the mysterious Facebook profile, DarkHeart434.

Who is DarkHeart434? And why does it seem like this person has all the answers, including the identity of the real murderer?

As pieces of the puzzle start to come together, everything about Abigale’s life begins to unravel–her past, her present . . . and even her self-proclaimed innocence.

Delusions - Amy Crandall - book review - books blog diary of difference - mystery - thriller - murder

”She remembered now. The deaths. They weren’t just delusions planted in her mind by others. They were real.”

This book starts in an interrogation room, where two detectives are questioning Abigale about the murders that happened – and she is the main suspect. As the interrogation happens in the present, we follow the story in the past from Abigale’s point of view, from the moment she moves into the new town.

The story and plot are so well set, and the past and present are so well connected that give you clues step by step, until you reach the grand ending, and nothing is as you expected. Even though I realised what is happening around the middle of the book, I still had to keep reading to find out whether it was true in the end.

This is, for certain, the best ending of a mystery book I have read so far!

The characters – some of them – are so twisted, and so psychologically unstable and scary, that it makes you wonder. Such possessiveness and anger, and twisted mind – Amy managed to perfectly such a rare condition. ( I am trying so hard here to stay away from all the spoilers.)

”Abigale wasn’t the outgoing type. She’d rather sit in her room with her nose buried in a book than socialise with anyone outside her inner circle of friends, which was small to begin with.”

I wish I could connect with Abigale’s character – but I just couldn’t. That was the only flaw I had with this book. I didn’t care enough for her, and for what was happening to her. The side characters were amazingly portrayed though – I enjoyed reading about Julia and Mike, and Damien – what an interesting character!

”There was something about him that made her feel alive and ready for anything, but there was another part that screamed danger. She wasn’t sure she liked either half.”

The ending, as I already mentioned, was the best one I have read – it was so unexpected and so amazing – I can’t explain that feeling of satisfaction when all the little pieces from the puzzle throughout the book finally come together – spectacular!

If you love mystery, psychological thrillers and good book that keeps you on your toes all the time – this is the book for you. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to the author, Amy Crandall, for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

And don’t forget – follow me on Instagram to get daily updates on what I am currently reading – @diaryofdifference

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Books · Down The TBR Hole Tag

Down The TBR Hole #1

down the tbr hole book books blog diary of difference

I saw an amazing post created by Lost In A Story! It is supposed to be productive and help you to narrow your TBR list down. This is my first time doing it, so hopefully you can also help me decide whether I have made the right choices!

How it works:

  •  Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.

  •  Order on ascending date added.

  •  Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.

  • Read the synopsis of the books.

  •  Decide: keep it or should it go

 

Books 1-10

TBR #1.jpgTBR #1.2.jpg

➥  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

This book has been on my shelf since 2014, and I have never read it. I even have the books. I really love the synopsis, it’s a bestseller and mostly all of my friends have loved it.

Verdict: KEEP  ☑

➥  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 

I have heard so many good things about this book. I love mysteries and psychological thrillers, and I really want to get to read this one. I don’t own it yet, but hopefully that will change soon.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

Deception Point by Dan Brown

I love Dan Brown and I have read most of his books. This book was the first on my list by him, but I read all the other ones before. I will give it a pass now, and hopefully will return to it some day.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

➥ The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank

I have actually read this book when I was in middle grade school – but I never analysed it the way I would now – that is why this is on my TBR list. I will keep it for now, and hopefully will borrow it from the library next month.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

This has been on my TBR since I was a teen – I have it at home and never managed to read it. However, these past few months I have been in a ”vampire books” mood, so I will keep it on my list for now.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

Safe Harbour by Danielle Steel

I have read many books from Danielle Steel, and I have enjoyed them all. At the moment, she has far more newer books than Safe Harbour, so I will pass it.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I enjoyed ”The Last Letter From Your Lover” so much, and I have seen the movie for Me Before You. I might not get to it straight away, but I have to read this book.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

Marley & Me by John Grogan

Probably you have all heard or read this book by now. I haven’t. I know, I know, I am horrible. I always manage to not read the most read books in the world. I am keen or reading it, but I am not sure whether I will actually get to it.

Verdict: KEEP ☑

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks is my favourite romance authors. I have read so many books from him, and keep reading them. The Rescue is one of the books I have always put away in the corner, you know, for later. I should definitely prioritise it!

Verdict: KEEP ☑

The Bourne Identity  by Robert Ludlum 

I have put this book on my list because it is widely popular. I have also tried watching the movie, but stopped it half-way through. I like the synopsis, but I never get to actually read it. Maybe some other time.

Verdict: REMOVE ✖

flower-divider-flower-dividers-clip-art-flowers-line-divider-stock-vector-illustration-of-elegant

Well, I managed to clear 3 out of 10 from my TBR List this time, so I suppose that’s not too bad. Let me know if you have read any of these, and if you want me to keep or remove any of these books from my list! I look forward to see what you think!

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Book Review · Books

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – Stuart Turton [BOOK REVIEW]

book review blog diary of difference books

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton book review books blog diary of difference

★★★★

Mind blowing and unputdownable, this is one of those mystery thrillers that will keep you up at night until you see how it ends!

How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?

The Hardcastle family is hosting a masquerade at their home, and their daughter Evelyn Hardcastle will die. She will die every day until Aiden Bishop is able identify her killer and break the cycle.

But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up each day in a different  body as one of the guests.

Aiden’s only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle’s murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend. But nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

Honestly, the first couple of pages, I didn’t know where this book was going and whether I am going to enjoy it at all. But as you go through the chapters and get familiar with the story, you realise how clever this book is, and you enjoy it like you have never enjoyed any other book before.

As a debut novel, Stuart Turton did an incredible job with this book. It starts slowly, and grows into a great story. We follow the main character Aiden through many bodies, day by day. The book is set into one place, one town, one house and its surroundings, and sometimes moves backwards and forwards in time.

If you love mysteries and closed escape room books, you will enjoy this book so much!

I have always admired Aiden. Even though all the bodies he was in tried to make him forget about who he really is, he would always fight so his character can flow on the surface! I loved the sacrifices he makes towards Anna, and their relationship.

The ending, the last 30 pages are so smart, amazing and perfectly wrapped up that I couldn’t believe I never noticed those clues.

I am giving it 4 stars out of 5, because, even though I really, really enjoyed it, it was extremely hard for me to follow the times and bodies, and I couldn’t get along with the stories and solve the mystery together with Aiden – I always felt like I was falling behind, that put me under stress.

If you haven’t had the chance to read it yet, please grab a copy as soon as you can. This is the escape room mystery that we have all been waiting for!

I want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me an advanced reader e-copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

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