Book Review: ILL WILL by Dan Chaon

Ill Will by Dan Chaon
Book Details
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group Bellantine Books, Kindle edition, 480 pages
Publish Date: March 7, 2017
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Source: NetGalley digital edition
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review

Ill Will by Dan Chaon is about a string of murders of young college-aged men and another murder that occurred in 1983. The 1983 murder is when the main character, Dustin Tillman’s parents and aunt/uncle die. Dustin’s adopted brother, Rusty, was accused of the murders and spent about 30 years in prison. Rusty was eventually released from prison through the help of the Innocence Project. Dustin and his cousin, Kate, had testified against Rusty and now that he is out they are worried. Dustin is now an adult with a family of his own…a wife and two grown boys. Dustin works as a psychologist and he has a strange ex-cop/patient/friend who wants Dustin to help him investigate the local murders of college-aged men.

Questions raised throughout the book that the reader try to figure out are who murdered Dustin’s parents if it wasn’t Rusty? What is Rusty going to do to those that testified against him now that he is out of prison? Who is responsible for the murders that are occurring present day?

The story is told in point of view of Dustin, the main character, Dustin’s son, Aaron, and Dustin’s adopted brother, Rusty. The setting alternates from 1983 and 2012-2014 in Nebraska, Ohio, and Illinois. The characters are well developed. Although I can’t say I particularly like any of them, I guess I feel sorry for Dustin’s boys, Aaron and Dennis.

The reason that this wasn’t a five star rating for me, was the fact the story kind of left me hanging at the end. There wasn’t a neat and tidy tie-up to the ending. The reader can and has to assume certain things have happened…or did they? I like to know exactly what happened to everyone and why. Overall the writing is great, the story is great. I just had too many unanswered questions at the end.

Thank you Dan Chaon, Random House Publishing Group Bellantine Books , and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

View all my reviews

Bookstagram: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My first attempt at a bookstagram. I love browsing Instagram and seeing all the cool pictures that people take of their books.

Book Review: The Fundamentals of Murder by William F. Love

The Fundamentals of Murder by William F. Love
Book Details
Publisher: Endeavour Press, Kindle edition, 327 pages
Publish Date: February 13, 2017
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Crime Thriller
Source: NetGalley digital edition
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Synopsis Auxiliary Bishop Francis X. Regan, a frustrated crime-solving paraplegic with an IQ of 220, and his special assistant Davey Goldman, a New York City cop-turned-private-eye, once more find themselves embroiled in a high-stakes case of murder and embezzlement. A serial killer, dubbed Strangler John by the media, has been terrorizing the streets for weeks. On four consecutive Friday nights, a woman has been murdered, her garroted body discovered the next day with a card reading REPENT! thrust into her mouth. Despite enormous amounts of public pressure, the police have no leads…at least until Jerry Fanning arrives in the Big Apple. A young fundamentalist preacher, Fanning arrives in New York City from Oklahoma, wife and baby son in town, convinced that the Lord has sent him to convert the entire city to Jesus. Unfortunately for him, he arrives two days before the first murder, and it doesn’t take long before the police uncover clues pointing to him as Strangler John. The evidence is circumstantial, but it’s enough for Fanning to suddenly find himself behind bars. Fortunately for him, he’d met Bishop Regan and Goldman during his short-lived mission to convert the citizens of the Big Apple to Jesus. Convinced that the police have the wrong man, the Bishop puts his razor-sharp mind to work, delving for clues among the victims themselves. Three of the victims were prostitutes; the fourth was a wealthy businesswoman who moved in high social circles. Determined to find the reason for this discrepancy, the Bishop turns to Goldman’s contacts, street smarts, and leg-work to find the answers they seek. Between the Bishop’s brain and Goldman’s brawn, they’re convinced it’s only a matter of time before Fanning will be exonerated… ~Goodreads

My Review

The book description sounded very intriguing to me and I wanted to like this book but I could never really get into it.

The story is told through the eyes of Davey Goldman, a private investigator and ex-homicide detective with NYPD. Davey also works part-time as a special assistant to a Catholic Bishop named Francis Regan. Bishop Regan is a very intelligent man who happens to be paraplegic due to a gunshot wound he suffered six years ago. Bishop Regan gets pretty cranky and Davey is witty and sarcastic which leads to a strange and rocky relationship. Despite their bickering and bantering they use the Bishop’s brains and the David’s investigative street-smarts to solve crimes together.

One day a man named Jerry Fanning shows up and asks to see Bishop Regan. He says he had a vision of Jesus telling him to go tell Bishop Regan about Him. Jerry had only arrived in New York a few weeks before from Oklahoma. Before leaving, Bishop and Jerry pray together and Bishop Regan tells Jerry to let him know if he ever needs anything.

Jerry Fanning ends up taking the Bishop up on the offer not long after when he is suspected of being the serial killer the media has dubbed “Strangler John”. The evidence against Jerry is circumstantial and after meeting with Jerry in jail, the Bishop is convinced of his innocence and agrees to help him.

The Fundamentals of Murder was not a bad story but it wasn’t a great story either in my opinion. I liked how the author used wit, humor, and sarcasm throughout the story. I found myself laughing out loud at times. The overall story just did not keep my attention so I give this one a 3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you William F. Love, Endeavour Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Blink by K.L. Slater

Blink by K.L. Slater
Book Details
Publisher: Bookouture, Kindle edition, 295 pages
Publish Date: February 16, 2017
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thriller
Source: NetGalley digital edition
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Blurb from Book Description on Goodreads: What if the person you love most in the world was in terrible danger … because of you?

Three years ago, Toni’s five-year-old daughter Evie disappeared after leaving school. The police have never been able to find her. There were no witnesses, no CCTV, no trace.

But Toni believes her daughter is alive. And as she begins to silently piece together her memories, the full story of the past begins to reveal itself, and a devastating truth.

Toni’s mind is trapped in a world of silence, her only chance to save herself is to manage the impossible. She must find a way to make herself heard. She must find her daughter.

My Review

Blink is K.L. Slater’s second psychological thriller and boy is it a good one! This story hooked me right from the beginning. This is one of those books that keeps the reader guessing throughout the story. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the author throws a twist and a turn and you are back to square one again.

The book is told from several points of view including Toni, Evie’s mother, Evie, and Evie’s teacher, Harriet Watson.

The story is mainly told through the eyes of Toni, the mother of little five year old Evie who disappears after school one day. Toni is a recent widow and is struggling to keep both her life and Evie’s together after her husband suddenly and tragically dies. Instead of turning to counseling and therapy to help her through the grieving process she turns to sedatives that had belonged to her husband. She tries to keep her addiction a secret but it begins to spiral out of control. That’s when Evie disappears. I felt bad for Toni, she just needed some help but instead she made one bad decision after another which eventually led to tragedy.

Another point of view the story is told in is that of Evie, the 5 year old who disappears. Evie tries to figure out what is wrong with her mommy and why sometimes she sleeps and can’t be woken up. She also misses her daddy and struggles with starting to attend a new school. The author did a good job telling this through the eyes and thought processes of a 5 year old.

The last point of view is that of the teacher, Harriet Watson. Harriet is a strange duck and pretty cruel and manipulative with those weaker than herself. Ms. Watson is not an easy character to like.

The story takes place in Nottinghamshire. It transitions from present day to three years ago when the disappearance of Evie occurred. The author did a wonderful job holding my interest throughout the book. I felt an impending sense of dread…you knew something was coming it was just a matter of when. This was well worth reading and I would highly recommend this book to everyone who likes a good “keep-you-guessing” psychological thriller. I am now a K.L. Slater fan!!

Thank you K.L. Slater, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

View all my reviews