All the Dangerous Things by Stacey Willingham

 Book Club Rating:  4 out of 5

Another one from Stacey Willingham.  The Club enjoyed The Flicker in the Dark, but did her latest live up to the same hype?  We believe so.  This psychological thriller has us guessing what happened during several timelines and story plots!

1. What happened to Isabel's sister?  Did Isabel kill her?  Did she sleep kill her?  Is that even a thing?
2. What happened to Ben's first wife?  Did she actually commit suicide, or did Ben do it?  Were Ben and her actually having problems, or did he want everyone to think they were?  
3. Who took Mason?  Was it Isabel?  Was it Ben?  Was it some stranger?  Where is he?

All of these are answered in due time, but not without some strategic twists and turns.  Once again Willingham is able to have us guessing with every chapter.  

Join us next month for The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

 Brief Summary

A young girl is stabbed in the woods while her friends witness the event.  A serial killer is convicted of the crime and later dies in prison.  The girls reunite after his death to discuss their secrets.  The body count rises as the story uncovers that this serial killer was not to blame for the original attack, but you would never guess who was.

The Goddess Game

Much of this book revolves around a make-believe child's game invented by one of the little girls.  The Thrill Seekers were unable to grasp the concept of this game and thought it was useless.  However, it was very much important to the plot.

Relationships

It's all about the relationships forged in the book.  This leads to identity crises, jealousy, and terrible mistakes (or were they?).  One thing we all agreed on, though - Cassidy was crazy.

3 out of 5 rating (from 3 Thrill Seekers)

Join us next month as we read:

All the Dangerous Things by Stacey Willingham

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

 Book Rating:  2.5 out of 5 (3 raters)

The Family Game was not a fan favorite for our thrill seekers.  The plot and many of the events were too unnerving to be believable and/or worthy of our attention and praise.

The book dives into the life and love of Harriet (Harry) and Edward, two individuals in an unexpected relationship.  The renowned author, Harry, falls in love with an estranged son of a billionaire, Edward, and relocates herself to the United States after a short romance.  Now they are engaged and expecting a child and Harry is yet to meet his rich and eccentric family.  In fact, Edward is reluctant for her to make an acquaintance.

Eventually, Harry is warmly welcomed into the Holbeck family, especially by the head of the household, Robert.  He entrusts her with his secret, which he has recorded on a tiny mini cassette.  Yes, the same type of mini cassette that basically becomes extinct in the 1990s.  On this tape is a confession to a string of murders.  Could Robert actually be that dumb to record his confession and let her listen to it?

The family's eccentrics is divulged further when we are introduced to some creepy family traditions that are way over the top (i.e., Krampusnacht).  Although the tradition is carried on by many families throughout the world, it seems the Holbecks have to be extra in their execution.  Not to mention the final Family Game that leads to more executions ...

Either way, the thrill seekers were shocked by the decisions made within this book's main and peripheral characters and gave it a low rating.  Will that turn us off to this author?  We'll see.  Stay tuned.

Join us for our next book club meeting on April 22, 2023.  

We will be reading What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall.

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