Mini Reviews – June 2023 Part Two

It just wouldn’t be right without adding in some more mini reviews at the end of the month. I could have sworn I had another 4 days left in the month, but here we are, the 29th already.

Thanks to the mentioned publishers for any gifted copies reviewed below.

Mini Reviews – June 2023 Part Two

ZERO DAYS – Ruth Ware (Released June 20th, 2023 – Thanks to Gallery Books/Scout Press for the copy)

An adrenaline-fueled thriller that combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.

Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery.

Mini Review: 3.5/5 stars – I wanted to love this more than I did. I liked the story once the pace picked up and the action really started. Having said that, it took a while to get there. There were definitely a few times I debated setting it down and moving on, but there were so many great reviews that I decided to keep going. I did enjoy the ending, so it was definitely worth holding out. I just wish there was more in the beginning. I’m not mad that I finished it and would still recommend it, but it’s not my favorite from Ware.

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL – Rose Wilding (Released June 13th, 2023 – Thanks to Minotaur Books for the copy)

All of us knew him. One of us killed him…

Seven women stand in shock in a seedy hotel room; a man’s severed head sits in the centre of the floor. Each of the women – the wife, the teenager, the ex, the journalist, the colleague, the friend, and the woman who raised him – has a very good reason to have done it, yet each swears she did not. In order to protect each other, they must figure out who is responsible, all while staying one step ahead of the police.

Against the ticking clock of a murder investigation, each woman’s secret is brought to light as the connections between them converge to reveal a killer.

A dark and nuanced portrait of love, loyalty, and manipulation, Speak of the Devil explores the roles in which women are cast in the lives of terrible men…and the fallout when they refuse to stay silent for one moment longer.

Mini Review: 4/5 stars – Seven women in a hotel room and a severed head in the center. All of them know him, and they all have reason to want him dead. Who killed him? I gotta say, I wasn’t sure how it would go with having that many different suspects and backgrounds and secrets. This was written so well, and the pacing was perfect. I had a lot of fun with this and couldn’t wait to see how it was going to end. Definitely recommend it!

THE WOMAN INSIDE – M.T. Edvardsson (Released June 13th, 2023 – Thanks to Celadon Books for the copy)

A wealthy couple ends up murdered in the nicest part of town in this compulsively readable, page-turning thriller from M. T. Edvardsson, The Woman Inside.

Bill Olsson, recently widowed, is desperate to provide for his daughter, Sally. Struggling to pay rent, he welcomes a lodger into their home: Karla, a law student and aspiring judge, who works as a housekeeper to make ends meet. Her clients are the Rytters, an incredibly wealthy couple who hide behind closed doors. The wife is ill and hasn’t left the house in months. The husband is controlling and obsessive. Is he just a worried husband, concerned for his wife’s health? Or is there something more sinister at play?

As Bill’s situation becomes more dire, Karla is forced to make a difficult choice. And when the Rytters wind up dead, and Karla is pulled in for questioning, she’s made to defend some parts of her past she’d rather not revisit.

Every person in The Woman Inside is hiding something, but could any of them really have been driven to kill?

Mini Review: 4/5 stars – I always love a thriller with multiple POVs. This is a little on the slower side of the psychological thriller spectrum. As we alternate POVs, the readers are on their toes wondering which one was the killer. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I think if the pace was a little faster, then I wouldn’t have taken off a star on the rating. It was captivating, and the characters were unlikable, but I had a lull at one point. I’m glad I pushed through and would definitely try this author again!