When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrisey

 Black Harbour is definitely an interesting place to live and work.  I get the impression that it is so small town you know what everyone had for breakfast.  However small it is, bodies are dropping everywhere.  So, people just live in this purgatory where you are bound to die a murderous death?  How can you possibly want to live amongst a murderer?  Unless you are one of course.

Well, that is just one aspect of the book that did not make sense to me but added to the quality of the writing in When I'm Dead.  A medical examiner and police officer find themselves in the thick of the action when their daughter goes missing amidst a murder investigation of one of her classmates.  One body quickly turns in to two and then their daughter is shifted from being a victim to possible murder suspect.  What a whirlwind of emotions for the parents and the rest of the town.

When I'm Dead offers many red herrings by way of miscellaneous characters (i.e., the pumpkin lady and taxidermy teacher).  Definitely says something about the town that there is a taxidermy class available as an elective, which is also well attended!  You get a sense that maybe the town isn't that small if these characters exist.  I'll let you comment/be the judge.

Psychological Elements

One of the characters that was brought up was Rowan.  Many thought she was a bit narcissistic.  She managed to make everything about her.  Her daughter went missing because it was "Kharma" that she may have been involved in the death of another daughter in the distant past.  The pumpkin lady lost her child tragically, so all of a sudden Rowan gets that she has been an absent parent.  Libby is a possible suspect; oh no her mother is no longer going to want to be my friend.  I mean come on!

Other elements are the killer's delusions.  He talked to his dead sister and mother.  He believed Chloe was his sister and dressed her to play the part.  He essentially was living in a fantasy world of his own creation.  

Chloe in her own right developed a dissociative way to cope with the trauma.  Her "method acting" can be seen as a coping mechanism as well.  She embodies the character enough that she believes she is the character.  In this way, she can safely disassociate from the pain and suffering by convincing herself that it is happening to the character, not to her.  Bravo!

Tell me what you think!

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

 The title honestly says it all.  I didn't know what to believe in the end.  The main antagonist sends us through a whirlwind of feelings when she describes a past that didn't actually happen the way she explained it, but it did in a way (insert confused emoji here).  Then a new character, but not really (she is mentioned throughout the book), emerges and then sets the record straight (or does she?).  Well, if you didn't read it, I recommend you do to understand what the heck I'm talking about!

There is murder and mayhem in the end, so this is definitely in the thriller category.

Psychological Elements

One of my favorite characters is self-medicating throughout the book.  Going on drinking sprees and getting himself into loads of wicked trouble, but not the ones you would imagine as you read through.  However, we don't really dive into his skeletons or ghosts in the closet.  He is a character I would have loved to know more about.  His death seems imminent and necessary to the plot, but you don't really feel attached to him because he is painted in a bad light until the end.

Of course, there is the main antagonist's psychosis which, to me, can only be described as sociopathy.  She creates a world and past in her mind and basically forces everyone to believe it.  The apple doesn't seem to fall far from the tree when her daughter is introduced in the end.  

The idea of pedophilia is also discussed in this book and that is what I hated the most.  I despise the idea of pedophilia but understand that this is a very real topic.  I mean I am one of Law & Order: SVU's biggest fans after all!  I'm not too thrilled with how this topic played out.  I was utterly disgusted with this in the end.