Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis

From Amazon:

The perfect family. The perfect house. The perfect life. All gone now.

What could cause a man, when all the stars of fortune are shining upon him, to suddenly snap and destroy everything he has built? This is the question that haunts Sergeant Ryan DeMarco after the wife and children of beloved college professor and bestselling author Thomas Huston are found slaughtered in their home. Huston himself has disappeared and so is immediately cast as the prime suspect.

DeMarco knows―or thinks he knows―that Huston couldn’t have been capable of murdering his family. But if Huston is innocent, why is he on the run? And does the half-finished manuscript he left behind contain clues to the mystery of his family’s killer?

A masterful new thriller by acclaimed author Randall Silvis, Two Days Gone is a taut, suspenseful story that will will break your heart as much as it will haunt your dreams.

My Take:

Hey all, hope everyone had a great holiday!! Sorry for being all non-posty and stuff but this book took me forever to finish and it wasn’t necessarily that it wasn’t good, because I did look forward to when I could sit down and read it but as most of you can probably relate, this time of year is so full-on packed with things to do, Christmas concerts, holiday parties, shopping for presents, getting tangled in wrapping paper and tape, etc., etc.

So back to the book, the first thing I should say is that it was a hard read based on the format on my Kindle, as it was all over the place format wise. But I’m hopeful that it is only because it was a pre-copy and I assume it won’t be like that regularly. As for the story itself, it was ok. I can’t say great because it just didn’t engage me as much as previous books I’ve reviewed but perhaps I’m not being fair due to all the other stuff that kept my mind occupied. It was a pretty dark storyline though, which is right up my alley (weird, because I’m like, the most peaceful person in real life unless you count road rage!) so it called to me for that reason. I must admit, as a parent, some of this was really hard to think about but it wasn’t so intense as to keep me from reading. I generally shy away from any book where something happens to kids, and animals if I’m being truthful, lol.

I didn’t really understand why Sergeant DeMarco was so captivated by Huston, the man accused of killing his own family. He seemed to think he knew him far better than someone who only hung out with him a few times should. It was little things like that which bugged me a bit but overall, I thought the storyline was ok, and subplots like DeMarco’s wife and his history were included but didn’t do much to enhance the story. But did it keep me wondering who actually did it? For sure! Did I enjoy reading it? Not really. Did I look forward to finishing it to move on to another story? Yes. So from that, you can reach your own conclusion!

**Full disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Because She Loves Me by Mark Edwards

From Amazon:

A gripping tale of jealousy, obsession and murder, from the No.1 Bestselling author of The Magpies.

When Andrew Sumner meets beautiful, edgy Charlie, he is certain his run of bad luck has finally come to an end.

But as the two of them embark on an intense affair, Andrew wonders if his grasp on reality is slipping. Items go missing in his apartment. Somebody appears to be following him. And as misfortune and tragedy strike his friends and loved ones, Andrew is forced to confront the frightening truth…

Is Charlie really the girl of his dreams – or the woman of his nightmares?

My Take:

I just finished this as, weirdly, I fell asleep last night with like, two pages left. But don’t let that fool you, this book was anything but boring!! In fact, it was a super read, full of drama, suspense, and a twist at the end that I honestly didn’t see coming.  There were times in the book that I would roll my eyes at the absurdity of Andrew’s thought processes (case in point: “She had, I believed, committed murder. But, in a way, my crime against her was even worse. I’d betrayed her behind her back.” Whaaaat?? Please!) but for entertainment value, you know why the author made him that way. He was the perfect candidate for a psycho stalker and to be honest, it was a bit maddening that he didn’t catch on sooner but who am I to say when I wasn’t expecting it to end the way it did?

I’d like to give away more but don’t want to spoil it so if you’ve read it I’d love to hear your take!

**Full disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.