On the Lighter Side

Four mini-mentions from the crime & psy.thriller library shelves.

The Crooked House by Christobel Kent

Alison has put her past behind her and lives a very quiet life which is exactly how she likes it. Until a wedding invitation takes her back to the coastal village where she once lived.
When her name was Esme.
Where she was left the only survivor of a terrible tragedy.
Now Alison must confront the past and seek the truth of what happened.
I loved The Crooked House. It has everything I like in a psychological thriller - an atmospheric, slightly spooky setting, a fast pace with a continuous escalation of tension and suspense. Hard to put down!


The Winter Foundlings by Kate Rhodes

Taking a break from her London life psychologist Alice Quentin has the opportunity to study treatment methods at Northwood high-security hospital. One of the inmates is child killer Louis Kinsella and when young girls begin going missing and are later found dead a link is suspected between him and the murders. Alice is once again called in to help the police.
This is the third in this series and having enjoyed the first two I was looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint. Well-written and suspenseful.

The Girl on the Train


Every morning Rachel takes the same train and every morning the train stops at the same signal and Rachel watches the same couple. She fantasizes about what she imagines their perfect life to be and compares it to her less than happy existence. 

I tend to avoid over-hyped books like this one but have to admit it was easy, and at times compulsive, reading but I also found it too repetitive and lacking in the surprise twists I expected. It wasn't that hard to see where it was going. Good but not great!

The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C.Kasasian

March Middleton is the ward of London's most famous personal detective, Sidney Grice and she is determined to help on his next case. He thinks women are too feeble for detective work but soon discovers how mistaken he is.
Set in Victorian London this new detective  series strikes a perfect balance between the relationship of a duo constantly at loggerheads and an interesting and complex criminal investigation . Original and very funny I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to bringing home the second book very soon