Book Review: The Letters Of A Stranger, By: Cathy J. Hopkins

 

The Letters Of A Stranger grabbed me with the it's blurb, and I knew I needed to read this book.  Good story with lots of twists and turns.  The author did a great job of building suspense and dragging the mystery out till the right moment.  There was an immense amount of paranoia of looming danger that really kept me hooked.  The main character was strong, very independent, and believable—some of her actions seemed a little unreasonable, but it also made her interesting.

I have a few qualms though, and some of this is just personal preference.  First, the style of writing seemed a little awkward to me.  It didn’t feel personal enough—though we were following the main character the whole time, I didn’t feel like I understood her thoughts much more than anyone else in the cast might have.  Secondly, and I’m not in law enforcement at all, so perhaps my understanding of the boundaries of law enforcement are skewed by what I’ve read and seen on TV, but I really feel like the police in the story dropped the ball.  To me, there appeared to be plenty of evidence near the beginning of the story for the police to act on something, but it seemed like all they did was just throw their hands up and say they couldn’t do anything.  However, maybe the police were working behind the scenes all along, and we just weren't made aware of it.

All said and done, this was an enjoyable debut thriller for the author.  Maybe it could use some brushing up here and there, but the plot kept me reading.

Letters Of A Stranger is available on Amazon, and it is enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program, so if you're a member, you can read it for free!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Deceit, By R. S. Yeager

Okay, let me say this right off the bat, if you are any bit squeamish to the sight of blood, dead bodies, or are susceptible to nightmares, Deceit may not be the thriller murder mystery book for you.  I believe this book is capable of bending even the toughest of stomachs.

I honestly did not know what I was in for when I started reading this book.  I like a good thriller, and I’m always willing to show support to a fellow independent author, especially a fellow Hoosier.  I was only a few pages into Deceit when I realized I would be spending the rest of this reading experience living inside the mind of a serial killer.  The thoughts of the characters are very deep and very raw which really amplified their individual nature.  The author did an amazing job of bringing the characters to life in such a far-out story as well as setting a tone for each scene.

Gore, and pure evil thoughts aside, I won’t lie, I was gripped.  I just could not put it down.  For a bit, I didn’t really understand what was going on—you may find yourself in that same boat while reading, but just press through.  It’s worth it.  I did not expect a supernatural twist, but that was the least of the surprises.  There are several twists and turns to the plot, and a ton of suspenseful situations, so get ready to clench those book covers tight.

Awesome book.  Obviously not for everyone, but if you’re feeling a little experimental, or if this is just your thing, I highly recommend picking up Deceit. 

Deceit is enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited Program, so if you have a subscription you can read it for free!  It's also available in paperback (my preference)!  Check it out HERE!