This Weekend Doesn't End Well For Anyone by Catherine Mack

Description from Goodreads:

"Eleanor Dash can never catch a break. Not only has she had to solve two real-life murder plots in the past year, but both times it was when she was meant to be on vacation. Now she’s finally got a ticket to a relaxing weekend—an all-inclusive resort at the Bahamas where she’s speaking at a conference for murder mystery writers—but she arrives to find a body on the floor of her hotel room. Because of course she does.

With plenty of familiar faces at the resort, any one of them could have been the intended target or the culprit behind it all. Was it Oliver Forrest, Eleanor’s dashing boyfriend who’s in danger of getting dropped by his publisher because his sales are dwindling? Or Connor Smith, Eleanor’s infuriating ex-lover-turned-bestselling-rom-com-author with a sordid past of his own? Or her sister Harper, whose own stilted writing career has been a sore point for years as Eleanor’s has soared? Perhaps it’s one of the other writers also in attendance, as friends, frenemies and foes from Eleanor’s past all seem to be invited to the island.

Surrounded by mystery writers who know all too well the many ways to craft the perfect crime, Eleanor is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and do whatever it takes to get out of this weekend alive."

📚📚📚📚📚📚

A resort mystery that didn't quite work for me in either format

After listening to the audio version of this book, I really hoped that sitting down with the physical copy would give me a different experience, but unfortunately it still didn't quite work for me.

The story takes place at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas where Eleanor Dash, a mystery author, is attending a writers' conference. Things quickly go downhill when a dead body appears right on her hotel room floor. I usually love a good locked-island setup, but the execution here just felt a bit too chaotic.

There is a huge cast of characters to keep track of, and because this is the third book in a series, I felt like I was constantly playing catch-up with the history. On top of that, the plot got so convoluted towards the end with all the red herrings that it lost me a bit.

When I tried the audiobook, I found the constant, quirky footnotes where the main character talks directly to the reader quite disruptive to the flow. Having the physical book in front of me definitely made those footnotes easier to navigate on the page, but the formatting still broke up the tension of the actual investigation.

It is a light, snappy beach read if you enjoy a lot of drama and modern slang, but it just had a few too many niggles to be a standout for me. It does what it says on the tin, but it stays firmly in the neutral zone.

Thank you to the author, Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this book.

📚📚📚📚📚📚

False Dawn (Mackenzie Reynolds #1) by D.V. Berkom

✴✴✴ Expected publication 7 August 2026 ✴✴✴

Description from Goodreads:

"She thought the mission was about protecting a defector.

She was wrong.

When a high-value defection goes violently wrong off the coast of Costa Rica, close protection operator Mackenzie “Mac” Reynolds is the only one left standing. Her client, a Chinese military colonel, vanishes. Her team is dead. Determined to uncover who betrayed them, Mac begins a global hunt for the truth."

📚📚📚📚📚📚

A cracking start to a new series

I've been a huge fan of DV Berkom for years – her Leine Basso books are always a must-read for me – so I was incredibly excited to hear she's starting a brand new series. 

This story introduces us to a brand new character, Mackenzie Reynolds, and she is an absolute powerhouse. Honestly, the whole way through reading I just kept thinking about how much I need Mackenzie and Leine to meet up at some point. They would either become instant friends or completely level whatever city they happened to be in together, and I would 100% pay to see that! 😜

The story kicks off quickly and doesn't really let up. Mackenzie proves she is more than capable of handling herself. She is tough, clever and has that perfectly gritty edge that this author writes so well.  The plot has plenty of twists to keep you guessing and the pacing is spot on. 

The settings themselves are atmospheric and vivid that they almost become characters in their own right, adding a layer of tension to the plot you can practically feel the sweat and dust on the page as things unfold.

If you like fast-paced thrillers with strong, no-nonsense female leads then you're going to love this one. It doesn't officially come out until August but it's definitely one to add to your pre-order list. I'm already impatient for the next book to see what Mackenzie gets up to next.

Once again, thank you to D.V for accepting me as a member her ARTeam and for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of False Dawn and my hungry eyes can't wait to read the next!

📚📚📚📚📚📚

The Girls in the Dark by Avery Bishop [Audiobook]

🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Brittany Pressley🎙🎙🎙

Description from Goodreads:

"Twenty years ago, my twin sister and I were abducted. Only I survived. Or so I thought…

The night I escaped from our abductor was the last time I saw my sister. I’ve never forgiven myself for the fact that I made it out and she didn’t. By the time the police found where we were held, there was no sign of her. Or the man that took us.

I’ve spent decades trying to forget that I couldn’t save my own sister. But on the anniversary of our abduction, I find a black rose on my car. There’s no one in the parking lot, but I know it’s a warning. My stomach churns to think it could be from the monster who held us captive all those years ago, wanting to take back what he believes is his.

But as I stare at it, I wonder if someone else may have left my sister. I always thought she died in that room, but what if she escaped? And if it’s her, and the truth of what happened the night I got out comes to light, will it destroy everything?"

🎧📚🎧📚🎧📚🎧

A dark, disturbing and twisty thriller 

I have been a fan of psychological thrillers for years so when I saw this audiobook I jumped at the chance to listen to it. 

The story follows Megan who managed to escape a serial killer twenty years ago while her twin sister Allison was left behind. Now on the twentieth anniversary, a black rose appears on her car and other troubling events occur and suddenly all the secrets Megan has been hiding about that night are threatened to be exposed - could Allison have survived and what really happened on the night Megan escaped?

Before diving in further I think it is important to include a quick trigger warning for this one. The core of the plot revolves around two young girls being kidnapped and abused by their captor so please bear that in mind if those themes are difficult for you to read about.

The plot weaves back and forth between the terrifying past in captivity and the increasingly tense present day. It creates a really claustrophobic atmosphere that kept me entirely hooked. I thought I had guessed exactly where the plot was going but the final twist took me a bit by surprise.

Brittany Pressley narrated the audiobook and she was absolutely fantastic. She managed to capture all the raw emotion, anxiety and mounting panic perfectly and her voice for the abuser was perfectly creepy.

The pacing of the story was good for me as an audiobook particularly as I listen to it in the car.  There were even times, especially towards the end, when I wanted to come across a traffic jam just so I could carry on listening!

Overall it is a dark and unsettling story about trauma and survival guilt that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this quite gripping book.

🎧📚🎧📚🎧📚🎧

This Weekend Doesn't End Well for Anyone by Catherine Mack [Audiobook]

Description from Goodreads:

"Eleanor Dash can never catch a break. Not only has she had to solve two real-life murder plots in the past year, but both times it was when she was meant to be on vacation. Now she’s finally got a ticket to a relaxing weekend—an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas where she’s speaking at a conference for murder mystery writers—but she arrives to find a body on the floor of her hotel room. Because of course she does.

With plenty of familiar faces at the resort, any one of them could have been the intended target or the culprit behind it all. Was it Oliver Forrest, Eleanor’s dashing boyfriend who’s in danger of getting dropped by his publisher because his sales are dwindling? Or Connor Smith, Eleanor’s infuriating ex-lover-turned-bestselling-rom-com-author with a sordid past of his own? Or her sister Harper, whose own stilted writing career has been a sore point for years as Eleanor’s has soared? Perhaps it’s one of the other writers also in attendance, as friends, frenemies and foes from Eleanor’s past all seem to be invited to the island.

Surrounded by mystery writers who know all too well the many ways to craft the perfect crime, Eleanor is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and do whatever it takes to get out of this weekend alive."

📚📚📚📚📚📚

A resort mystery that got a bit too chaotic for me

I jumped into this audiobook expecting a fun, locked-island style mystery with plenty of twists. While it definitely kept me guessing, it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

The story follows Eleanor Dash, an author who finds herself at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas for a murder mystery writers' conference. Instead of a relaxing weekend, she arrives to find a dead body right on her hotel room floor. It's a classic setup that I usually love, but the execution felt a bit messy here.

There were so many characters to keep track of, and unfortunately, I didn't find many of them particularly easy to root for. The pacing felt quite disjointed too and the plot got so convoluted towards the end with all the red herrings that it felt a bit far-fetched, even for a light thriller.

To be fair, I didn't realise until after I started that this is actually the third book in a series. That definitely might have affected how I felt about the story, as I felt like I was missing some of the background history between the recurring characters.

On the plus side, the narrator did a good job. She managed to give everyone distinct voices which helped me follow who was speaking during the chaotic group scenes, and she handled the quirky little footnotes where the main character pops in to talk directly to the reader really well.

I actually have the physical copy of the book to read as well. The story features a huge amount of those footnotes and modern slang, which felt a bit disruptive in audio format, so maybe I will prefer reading the physical version instead – I'm not entirely sure yet but I will give it a go.

Many thanks to the author, Macmillan and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts.

📚📚📚📚📚📚

The Killer in Room Five by Sam Holland

Description from Goodreads:

"A terrible confession

In an isolated room in Hollowpines, an infamous psychiatric hospital, Joe Sinclair is confessing to a violent murder.

An impossible crime

Locked away, Joe couldn't possibly have killed the man, so how does he know so many of the horrifying details?

A detective at her limits

Suspended after a colleague was stabbed on her watch, DC Abby Fox has only just returned to work. But at Hollowpines, she must find out what really happened and how exactly Joe is involved.

Is he to blame, or the only one who can stop the killer?"

📚📚📚📚📚📚

A masterclass in tension

I have read some of Sam's previous books and they have all been excellent, so I was incredibly excited to get my hands on this one. I can happily report that this is no exception. From the very first page, it grabs you by the throat and just does not let go.

While this one is a standalone and not part of a series, if you've read her previous books, you will know exactly how twisted her mind can be. The story sets up an incredible premise based in Hollowpines, an infamous psychiatric hospital. A patient named Joe Sinclair is locked away in an isolated room confessing to a brutal murder, yet it's seemingly an impossible crime because there's no way he could have physically done it. The mystery of how he knows such explicit, horrifying details is what sets off a dark, intensely clever plot that keeps you guessing.  

The hospital setting is brilliantly atmospheric - it feels incredibly heavy and claustrophobic – and the pacing is spot on. I found myself racing through the chapters late into the night because I just had to know how everything was going to unravel.

What I love most about Sam Holland's writing is the ability to create flawed, deeply human characters. DC Abby Fox is a fantastic protagonist – she is returning to work after a tough suspension and is riddled with self-doubt but fiercely determined to prove her worth. The psychological element of how easily human memory can be influenced or warped by suggestion adds an extra layer of intrigue that kept me constantly second-guessing who to trust.  

If you are a fan of psychological thrillers that are fast-paced, clever and a little bit gruesome, you definitely need to add this to your reading list. It's easily one of the best books I have read this year so far.

Huge thanks to the author, Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction, Hemlock Press and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of another excellent book from Sam Holland.

📚📚📚📚📚📚