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End of Story By A. J. Finn
Best-selling author of Woman in the Window, A.J. Finn returns with his new mystery, End of Story, with a gripping plot, delicious suspension and an unforgettable story. Sebastian Trapp is going to die in three months. A world-renowned mystery and crime author, his legacy was forever tainted when his first wife and son disappeared mysteriously 20 years ago. Though there was no evidence and no culprit was ever named, his life was changed forever because of the events. Now nearing the end, he invites Nicky Hunter into his home to retell his story and perhaps put the mystery to rest once and for all, though Trapp understands one thing she doesn’t: the past isn’t gone, it’s merely waiting.
A.J. Finn’s writing is full of vivid descriptions which flawlessly set an eerie and exciting atmosphere as the events of the mystery takes place. The characters are both lively and nuanced beings and the clues are so subtle, but make so much sense you’ll wonder how you missed them. Great for mystery fans who love a difficult, layered plot to try to unwind, End of Story has a conclusion you won’t soon be able to forget.
Reviewed by Juniper Elder
The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris By Daisy Wood
This novel took me on quite a journey of hope, heartbreak and what we are willing to sacrifice for our beliefs. It will stick with me for quite some time. A highly enjoyable read that highlighted the terrible injustice of war on civilians, but still left a sense of hope in humanity.
We follow two timelines in the same location of a little bookshop in Paris, France. I found myself equally immersed in both.
In 1940, Jacques and Mathilde marry as the news breaks that France is at war with Germany. Soon Mathilde’s ties to the French Resistance get her in trouble and the young couple must part to stay alive. We follow Jacques’ perilous journey through the war, as his humble bookshop becomes so much more for those on the wrong side of the Nazis.
In 2022, American Juliette discovers on a trip to visit her grandmother’s home city of Paris that her husband of 25 years has been less than faithful. With her children grown, Paris feels just the place to discover her French roots and figure out her way forward. When the lease for an empty, former bookshop comes up, it seems like kismet is at play.
Reviewed by Abbey Soffe
The Year of the Locust By Terry Hayes
This isn’t a book about a New Year symbol or a plague of locusts descending on an unsuspecting landscape. Although perhaps it is the latter, but in a scarier form. In this second novel by Hayes, a former screenwriter and journalist, he uses an eclectic mix of geographical, political and war knowledge to craft a clever and compelling thriller arguably based on a quote from civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King, “What will happen to the man if I don’t get involved.”
Early in the book we meet Ridley Kane, the son of a devout mother who unreservedly admired Dr King.
This underpins Kane’s single-minded desire to serve his country and try to prevent a worldwide disaster.
His adversary has a large locust tattooed on his back, a terrorist army and massive financial backing.
The Locust seems unstoppable, hidden in an inaccessible country, with an inhospitable environment.
Can the enemy be found; can they be stopped? Will it be in time? Read all 663 pages and you will find out. A compelling spy story where extreme violence lurks in every corne
Reviewed by Barbara Leslie
