The Woman In the Window by A.J.Finn

                I am not sure whether I can really call this post as a review. Infact, I don't intend this to be read as one either. A lot has already been written about this book and it has already become some sort of a global best seller by now. Frankly speaking, more than the merit of this work, it has become what it is now as a result of smart marketing and aggressive media push.
               The book falls in the same zone of 'The Woman In Cabin Number 10';(Ruth Ware)  'The Girl on the Train'(Paula Hawkins) and 'Her Every Fear' (Peter Swanson).Anna Fox suffers from agarophobia and she lives alone in an apartment somewhere in Newyork. She has just parted with her family and spends her time drinking too much of alcohol and binge watching on old English Films. Her only connection with the external world are the website/on-line community where fellow people with agarophobia share their experiences and the window in her room which overlooks to the next apartment.One Night, she sees something bizarre through her window and the shocking secrets which follow take the story forward.
                 Now, I will come to the issues which I have with this book. It took it's own sweet time to establish the characters(there aren't many either!) and the principal character Anna turns out to be a really annoying and irritating female.The suspense about her family was easily predictable and for the first 200 pages or so, nothing really happens(except for whatever already revealed in the book blurb) and our heroine simply wastes (our) time trying to remind us of all those classic films(which she loves), chatting in that online community of her's and making us convince how 'twisted' her mind has become.The book picks up pace only towards the final forty pages or so, thanks to the 'un-expected' villain(thankfully, I never saw that 'twist' coming!)

On the whole, this one is a really over-hyped thriller. It's an okay work at best. Nothing less, Nothing more! 

-nikhimenon

#BookReview: Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr

Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

About the Book:

When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down.
A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase.
Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture.
Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine.

Review: The book is not just a thriller but it actually packs a lot of observation about American society and highlights a lot of issues that have no resolution currently but need understanding from everyone. The story actually starts once the cops are gunned down because that is the true polarising event for everyone. The author has not gone into defending any action but through a brilliant set of characters, he has shown how such events impact everyone.

The writing is really good and the book is fast-paced without losing the focus on people and their emotions. I had not expected to read a detailed discussion of the jurors but it surely works for the best as it engages the reader too to dissect all evidence and statements by all parties called in court.

Tessa is a strong lady with her heart and head at right places and too much reference to her past without much clues was intriguing. But I also felt that she was also too judgemental and suspicious of even her best friend and colleague.

The courtroom scenes were amazingly crafted, so much that I laughed loud two or three times reading that section. The combination of Nat Bodine and his daughter iis brilliantly executed in the scenes. I would want to read more stories that involve this pair and not just Tessa alone.

Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon

  

Winner of Three Awards:
2019 American Fiction Award

National Indie Excellency Award - Best Legal Thriller of 2019
Silver Medal Winner 2019 - Readers' Favorites Awards
Chosen by Wiki.ezvid.com among their list of 10 Gripping and Intelligent Legal Thrillers

About the Author:

N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. In 1997, while visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.
His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.
His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.
Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

View all my reviews

QBR: Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris

 For those of you, who are too lazy to go through 'long, boring' book reviews, ALOP hereby presenting the new Quick Book Review (QBR) series (if James Patterson can bring out BOOKSHOTS, why can't we?☺)

                         Behind Closed Doors By B A Paris

                                      RT Rating: 3/5

                            293 Pages, St Martin's Press (2016)

                                    Psychological Thriller

           The Verdict: A fairly good read built on an intriguing premise!

Synopsis: Jack and Grace are the perfect couple and everyone adores them, But are they living a perfect lie?

The Good: The Premise is fresh , Grace's characterisation, emotional nature of the read, focused narration

The Bad: The climax was not entirely convincing!

Recommendations: Borrow it!

-nikhimenon
                      

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

My views : After a long time I read something which was so intriguing and psychologically fascinating. I always find human behavior amusing to the point that there is always something that shocks you. In life , we meet so many people who bring out different reactions out of you but there are very few who make you compete and play their game 'cause there is no other option. It doesn't matter if you win or lose as long as you play by their rules. Nick and Amy are one such couple who are playing a dangerous game. They make you laugh , sympathize , entertain you with a charming life and make you feel the cracks in the life. But their game is far from being normal. It is engaging , creatively wicked and weirdly CREEPY ! Yes, that's one book whose characters spooked me a bit and I loved it.  I cant wait to read other book by this author.

Rating : 5/5

Shutter Island- Dennis Lehane

“She was afraid of all that and so much more, but what terrified her most was inside of her, an insect of unnatural intelligence who’d been living in her brain her entire life, playing with it, clicking across it, wrenching loose its cables on a whim.” 

'The year is 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck Aule, have come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Multiple murderess Rachel Solando is loose somewhere on this remote and barren island, despite having been kept in a locked cell under constant surveillance. As a killer hurricane bears relentlessly down on them, a strange case takes on even darker, more sinister shades- with hints of radical experimentation, horrifying surgeries, and lethal counter-moves made in the cause of a covert shadow war. No one is going to escape Shutter Island unscathed, because nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems. But then neither is Teddy Daniels.' 

Shutter Island was 1st published in 2003.

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Number of Pages: 369

ISBN: 978-0-380-73186-2

Price: Rs. 275/- (Flipkart)

I was sent this book by the ALOP team, via Homeshop 18.

About the author: A native of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Dennis Lehane lives in the Boston area. His book 'A Drink Before the War' won the Shamus Award for Best First Novel. 


                                                 

              
He is the author of New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was made into a film in 2003, directed by Clint Eastwood; it starred Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon. The novel itself was a finalist for the PEN/Winship Award and won the Anthony Award and the Barry Award for Best Novel, the Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction, and France's Prix Mystère de la Critique. 

Quotes from Shutter Island:

“This world can only give me reminders of what I don't have, can never have, didn't have for long enough.” 

 “I loved this woman the way you love ... well, nothing," he said, a note of surprise in his voice. "You can’t compare that kind of love to anything, can you? It’s its own unique gift.” 

“The brain controls pain. It controls fear. Sleep. Empathy. Hunger. Everything we associate with the heart or the soul or the nervous system is actually controlled by the brain. Everything. What if you could control it?” 

Arpita Speaks:

The thin line between dreams and reality becomes negligible, when you can barely tell them apart. They say depression is so easy to fall into. Madness is even more alluring.

How can you be sure that what you are seeing is real? Everyone has their own version of the truth, depending upon what they choose to believe in. And the mind can play funny games.  

If you let it happen, this book can make you question your own notion of truth and reality. This is one of those stories that are so awe-inspiring that no matter how well you try to express yourself, you’ll always fall short of words.

The novel is set in a span of four days, each more sinister and haunting than the last. The dreams, the action, the setting- each will leave your gut clenching with dread. The chilling images can get stuck to your eyelids like a nightmare that would not go away.

I finished this book in a very short period of time and it’s been on my mind for days. I knew the truth about the protagonist before I read the book- but the labyrinthine plot and mind-boggling twists left me thoroughly perplexed towards the end, and completely unsure about what to believe. If you ask me, that’s what sets an author apart: his ability to rope you in so well that you’ll enjoy reading the book even if you know the story.

If it’s supernatural, you can still convince yourself it’s not real and probably won’t ever happen. But science can scare you in a way nothing else can. I suggest you read this book only if you can handle it. 

Rating: 5/5 

The girl who loved Tom Gordon - Stephen King

THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON

GENRE: Psychological horror

SYNOPSIS: 

Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland strays from the path while she and her recently divorced mother and brother take a hike along a branch of the Appalachian Trail. Lost for days, wandering farther and farther astray, Trisha has only her portable radio for comfort. A huge fan of Tom Gordon, a Boston Red Sox relief pitcher, she listens to baseball games and fantasizes that her hero will save her. Nature isn't her only adversary, though - something dangerous may be tracking Trisha through the dark wood

EXCERPT:

Trisha went down a mild slope, her sneakers slipping a little in a carpet of last year's dead leaves, and when she got to the bottom she couldn't see the Kezar Notch path anymore. Good. From the other direction, straight ahead through the woods, she heard a man's voice and a girl's answering laughter -- hikers on the main trail, and not far away, by the sound. As Trisha unsnapped her jeans it occurred to her that if her mother and brother paused in their oh-so-interesting argument, looking behind them to see how sis was doing, and saw a strange man and woman instead, they might be worried about her.

Good! Give them something else to think about for a few minutes. Something besides themselves.

Chandana speaks: I'll be honest. This book made my stomach churn. I skipped a few paragraphs because I couldn't bring myself to read his macabre descriptions. Putting a 9year old girl through that torture, even if its just a book, is completely heartless. I wouldn't have minded much if it was an adult. But then this is a Stephen King book and he is the master of horror and macabre, and that is exactly what you'll get. So let's move on to the story.

The story starts with a family hiking trip, Trisha, her brother Pete and her mother. To avoid listening to her brother and mother squabbling over her parent's divorce, Trisha falls back and wanders off the trail for a bathroom break. She tries to catch up by taking a short cut but slips and falls down a steep embankment and ends up hopelessly lost. All she has with her is a bottle of water, her walkman and some food. She listens to her Walkman to keep her mood up, either to learn of news of the search for her, or to listen to the baseball game featuring her favorite player, and "heartthrob," Tom Gordon.

Her mother and brother return to the car, call the police and start a search. Meanwhile Trisha decides to follow a creek (which turns out to be a swamp like river) because she read somewhere that all water bodies eventually lead to civilization. As the cops stop searching for the night, Trisha huddles under a tree to rest. A combination of fear, hunger and thirst makes her start hallucinating. She imagines several people from her life, as well as her hero Tom Gordon appearing before her. 

Hours and soon days begin to pass, with Trisha wandering further into the woods. Eventually she begins to believe that she is headed for a confrontation with the God of the Lost, a wasp-faced, evil entity who is hunting her down. Her trial becomes a test of a 9 year old girl's ability to maintain sanity in the face of seemingly certain death. Racked with pneumonia and near death, she comes upon a road, but just as she discovers signs of civilization, she is confronted by a bear, which she interprets as the God of the Lost in disguise. In imitation of Tom Gordon, she takes a pitcher's stance and throws her Walkman like a baseball, hitting the bear in the face, and startling it enough to make it back away.

 A hunter who has come upon the confrontation between girl and beast frightens the bear away and takes Trisha to safety, but Trisha knows that she earned her rescue. Trisha wakes up in a hospital to find her divorced parents and older brother waiting near her bedside. A nurse tells the girl's family that they must leave because "Her numbers are up and we don't want that." Her father is the last to leave. Before he does Trisha asks him to hand her her Red Sox hat (autographed by Tom Gordon) and she points towards the sky, just as Tom Gordon does when he closes a game.

PAGES: 224

RATING: 4/5

Tell Me Your Dreams - Sidney Sheldon

Image Courtesy: www.fantasticfiction.co.uk

TELL ME YOUR DREAMS: Psychological Thriller, Fiction Novel

AUTHOR: Sidney Sheldon

BEST SELLERS: The Other Side of Me, Stranger in the Mirror, Rage of the Angels, Are you Afraid of Dark and many others.

SYNOPSIS (From the Back Cover):
Ashley - elegant yet haunted...Toni, sultry as well as vivacious...Alette, lovely and totally without conceit...three beautiful young women suspected of committing a series of horrifying murders. One of the most bizarre murder trials of the century is about to begin - and reveal an astounding, startling piece of medical evidence almost impossible to believe. Sweeping from London to Rome, from Quebec to San Franciso, this latest tale from the world's reigning master storyteller is so much more than a mystery: It is a searching, riveting and finally triumphant foray into the dark, wild depths of human heart.

EXCERPT:

Ashley Patterson: Someone was following her. She had read about stalkers, but they belonged in a different, violent world ... as Ashley turned the car onto Silverado Street, she had the uneasy feeling that he was behind her, following her. But who? And why? She looked into her rearview mirror. Everything seemed normal. She turned on the windshield wipers. They began to sweep across the window, hissing, "He's gonna get you...gonna get you...gonna get you", Hastily, Ashley turned them off. Two minutes later, she was heading for her apartment. She reached the front door, put the key in the lock, opened the door and froze. Every light in the apartment had been turned on...


Toni Prescott:

"All around the mulberry bush,

The monkey chased the weasel.

The monkey thought 'twas all in fun,

Pop! goes the weasel."

Toni Prescott knew exactly why she liked to sing that silly song. Her mum had hated it. "Stop singing that stupid song. Do you hear me? You have no voice, anyway." "Yes, Mother." And Toni would sing it again and again...the memory of defying her mother still gave her a glow. She was twenty-two years old, impish, vivacious, and daring. Toni thought about how much her mother would have hated the Internet. But then her mother had hated everything. Toni could never please her. "Can't you ever do anything right, you stupid child?" Toni thought about the terrible accident in which her mother had died. Toni could still hear her screams for help. The memory of it made Toni smile...


Alette Peters: Alette Peters could have been a successful artist. As far back as she could remember, her senses were tuned to the nuances of color. She could see colors, smell colors and hear colors... She was shy and soft-spoken. "Why are you interested in that stuff?" Toni Prescott would ask her. "Come on to P.J. Mulligans with me and have some fun." "Don't you care about art?" Toni laughed. "Sure. What's his last name?" There was only one cloud hanging over Alette Peters' life. She was manic-depressive. Her mood swings always caught her unaware, and in an instant, she could go from a blissful euphoria to a desperate misery. She had no control over her emotions. Toni was the only one with whom Alette would discuss her problems. Toni had a solution for everything, and it was usually: "Let's go and have some fun!"

MSM Speaks: This was my first Sidney Sheldon book, 6 years ago. I remember being curious, thrilled to the core with every turning page. That is how Sidney hooks his readers. Like his many works, women play a crucial role in this one too. Ashley Patterson is a computer genius but has off late, been feeling very anxious that someone is following her. She even has evidences...her undergarments drawer has been gone through, all the lights of her apartment are on, when she had double locked-everything. She was sure, someone was stalking her. May be it was Dennis Tibble, the guy who had been trying to hit on her...Ashley was confused and terrified. All men wanted only one thing. Toni Prescott hated Ashley. She thought Ashley was no fun. She was from London and loved parties, wearing short dresses and heavy makeup. She also loved the Internet...new people...everything used to be fun...but then, they would ask the same question, "Where baby?" and she would sign out. All men wanted only one thing. Alette Peters was a shy, pretty girl of 20 years. She loved painting and colors and was from Rome. She always used to be coy and was involved in charity. An old woman once said to her, "Dear, if I had a daughter, I'd want her to be exactly like you. " And Alette's inner voice would say, "If you had a daughter, she'd look like a pig like you." Alette would be  horrified of her thoughts.

These three women work at Global Computers, with Toni and Alette together, who would make fun of Ashley as Miss Goody-Two-Shoes until a serial killer was let loose. 5 murders have taken place, all men, Stabbed to death and castrated. And all the places have evidences that lead to a bizarre connection these three women have. They realize a freak connection between themselves. Trial starts after the Suspects are arrested and the most weirdest medical theory crops up. Now it is on the Defense Lawyer David Singer, a Corporate lawyer who has no practice in Criminal Law but is under a serious obligation, to prove whether such medical situation could be a basis to let someone free.

Now this is what I call a Thriller. It drops subtle hints but you can never figure out the real thing (Unless of course you ain't reading for the first time). The moment I thought I am getting the story right, something unpredictable pops up. Loved it! I finished it in few hours. And then I felt like I wanted more. To know more. Sidney knows what he writes. Additional Note at the end of the book shows that. MSM Recommends this.

My rating: 5/5 (Because dreams can be dangerous...)

Tell Me Your Dreams (Paperback)@ Harpercollins Publishers (1998)
ISBN 978-8172234904
Pages: 352
flipkart Price: 175/- INR
e-book link ----->Here<------