3 Mini Reviews: Murder, Lies, & Missing Husbands

Since the start of the year I’ve only finished 4 books (at the time of writing this post) and that included 3 audiobooks. They’re all thriller/mystery so I thought I would just combine some short reviews for them into one post. Bonus, 2 of the books are part of the Audible Plus catalog which means if you are an Audible Member you can listen to them without spending a credit! Who doesn’t love a little freebie? Anyways, on with the short reviews. First up…

Lies She Told by Cate Holahan

⭐⭐⭐.5

Liza Cole, a once-successful novelist whose career has seen better days, has one month to write the thriller that could land her back on the bestseller list. Meanwhile, she’s struggling to start a family, but her husband is distracted by the disappearance of his best friend, Nick. As stresses weigh her down in her professional and personal lives, Liza escapes into writing the chilling exploits of her latest heroine, Beth. (Read more on  Goodreads)

*This book is included in the Audible Plus Catalog for Audible members

I definitely enjoyed this one. It’s a dual narrative in that one is Liza and the other is her fictional character, Beth. Every now and then I found myself confused which narrative I was listening to because the lives mirrored each other with very small differences, but I would usually quickly catch on. The ending left me guessing what actually happened to her husband’s friend, Nick – in a good way. It’s a pretty big who-dunnit that was spun into each “point-of-view” really well. If you want a quick mystery, I recommend it.

♥♥♥

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When You Find Me by P.J. Vernon

⭐⭐.5

Visiting her family’s South Carolina estate, socialite Gray Godfrey wakes from a night out to an empty bed. Her husband Paul is gone and a thrashing hangover has wiped her memory clean. At first, she’s relieved for the break from her tumultuous marriage; perhaps Paul just needed some space. But when his car is found abandoned on the highway, Gray must face the truth: Paul is gone. And Gray may not want him found. (Read more on Goodreads)

*This book is included in the Audible Plus Catalog for Audible members

This one had me in the beginning but I slowly lost interest as I was piecing it together. I was actually really disappointed with the twist at the end, which ruined the whole mystery for me. Also, I’m a bit sick of the “alcoholic doesn’t remember huge important chunks of their life” plots. It wasn’t terrible, though, it just wasn’t a mystery that I enjoyed the answer to. It did keep me intrigued through most of it, so there’s that.

♥♥♥

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Verity by Colleen Hoover

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. (Read more on Goodreads)

Alright, this one is a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the story, even though the twist is somewhat similar to another book I read (View Spoiler »The Companion by Katie Alender « Hide Spoiler). It is another dual narrative in which one is the main character, Lowen, and the other is Verity narrated through the manuscript Lowen is reading. It has an ending that leaves you questioning who and what to believe, which is something I enjoy with mysteries. However, some of this book was hard for me to listen to since it involved child abuse/child neglect. Also, the way the narrator did male voices was not…great (at least to me) and the sex scenes were pretty unnecessary, but its Hoover, so what did I expect? 😆

♥♥♥

Have you read any of these? Do you enjoy mysteries? If you have any favorites, especially audiobook versions, let me know in the comments!