I decided to read Remarkably Bright Creatures because it features an octopus detective. Yes, you read that right. An octopus that is a detective. Remarkably Bright Creatures turned out to be an incredibly sweet story about friendship, family and hope, with an ending that made me feel both sad and happy. I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for a cozy read.
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Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women is a big eff you to society’s weird fixation with serial killers. It takes its inspiration from the victims of a certain American serial killer who has been the subject of numerous documentaries, films, podcasts and television series. The fictionalized version of this serial killer is never named in Knoll’s novel (he is referred to throughout as The Defendant), and for good reason, because his name is not worth knowing and he is not worthy of the attention he received in life and continues to receive in death. Bright Young Women turns the attention given to The Defendant back on the women that it should have been focused on in the first place. It is a well written, quietly devastating read that examines the issues that women face without railing against them.
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This is my first Riley Sager novel, and it may not be my last. I chose to read Home Before Dark first because it is a story about a supposedly haunted house, and I love haunted house stories. I found this novel to be deliciously spooky (so spooky, that I kept telling myself that I really should stop reading spooky stories before I go to bed), but I was disappointed with the ending.
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I have to say that I am impressed with Catriona Ward. Here is another novel (the first being The Last House on Needless Street) that she is written where she has managed to surprise me with one of the story’s twists. I was not expecting the ending at all, which is always a pleasant surprise for me. Overall, Looking Glass Sound is a bang-up psychological thriller that I highly recommend if you like having your mind messed with.
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The Last Garden in England is the perfect novel if you are looking for something low conflict, and where all the characters get a happy ending. If you are a fan of Kate Morton’s novels, then you will most likely enjoy this one. It kind of reminded me of Morton’s The Forgotten Garden, except Morton’s stories have a darker edge to them. The Last Garden in England has an okay story, but it really is not engaging due to its predictability and because the author only skims the surface of the issues the characters face.
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