Cut Off from Sky and Earth: a suspenseful psychological thriller and the strength to carry on from a painful memory

Cut Off from Sky and Earth by Melissa F. Miller is a psychological thriller where feminist fairytale retelling becomes a real-life nightmare. Emily Rose is staying at a remote cabin in order to finish her book, a retelling of a fairytale about a princess and her lady-in-waiting imprisoned in a tower with a modern feminist twist. She has spent years dealing with the trauma from the night she found her roommate brutally murdered. When her husband, Tristan, suggests a writing retreat at an isolated property, she jumps at the chance. When she arrives, Emily meets Alex, a woman with her own secrets, and the two become trapped by a sudden and fierce storm. A series of frightening events begin to happen, Emily and Alex realize someone is watching them and they must work together in order to survive from a very real and dangerous individual hiding in the shadows. 

Interspersed with passages of Emily’s work-in-progress, Cut Off from Sky and Earth is described as “a chilling exploration of the weight of memory, the burden of trauma and the courage it takes to break free,” It is an intense psychological thriller as I rooted for Emily as she is dealing with a very damaging memory and wanted to see her become stronger and grow. The psychological suspense was intense and kept me guessing, while there was some information that was easily “figured out” which I believe was by design as the author is teasing readers like a cat with a piece of string. The work in progress interjected in the action was a bit distracting but I saw the pattern with the fairytale and the events of the story. Overall, I enjoyed this story and I enjoyed the ending. I recommend Cut Off from Sky and Earth.

Cut Off from Sky and Earth is available in paperback, eBook and hardcover 

on September 2, 2025

The Housemaid: one never knows what goes on behind closed doors

The Housemaid is the first book in The Housemaid series by Freida McFadden. Millie Calloway has a past and she is looking to move on with her life; however, she needs a job. She couldn’t believe her luck when she was hired by Nina Winchester as a maid which included a living space. As she cleans their beautiful house from top to bottom, does their laundry, runs their errands and even cooks their meals, Millie realizes that the Winchesters have dark secrets of their own. When Nina begins to act erratically, Millie tries to ignore it; but she notices that Andrew, Nina’s husband, seems to be more and more saddened and broken by his wife’s behavior. One day, she realizes that the lock on her attic bedroom only locks from the outside, she realizes she has walked into a sinister trap. However, the Winchesters don’t know who she really is and what she is capable of. Can she escape before it is too late? 

Freida McFadden has been all over BookTok and social media for years with some readers avidly raving about her books and others not so much. I read one of her newest titles, Never Lie last year and I wasn’t really impressed. However, I decided to give The Housemaid a chance as it is her most talked about book. The story starts off slow as Millie enters the Winchester home and finds her footing. However, once Nina starts to act peculiar, the story gets on the fast track. There were a lot of twists and turns that I never guessed the true motives and even the end events were shocking! It is definitely a story where readers don’t really know who they can trust and will leave jaws on the floor as the twists are revealed. The Housemaid was definitely a better read than Never Lie and I may give her books a try in the future. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, you may enjoy The Housemaid. 

The Housemaid is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Lies We Tell Ourselves: a psychological thriller where all may not be as it appears

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Steena Holmes is a psychological thriller where all may not be as it appears. Lies twist, taunt and tear apart lives. Paige Fischer hates lies and how destructive they are, at least on the surface. Deep inside, she is living the biggest lie of them all and she can feel it all falling away. Twelve years ago, Jessica, her identical twin sister, disappeared and Paige is to blame. As an adult, Paige is working to right the wrongs as best as she can and she can’t really move forward with her life. There is a dangerous cat and mouse game being played by someone close to Paige. Every step now needs to be taken carefully as one lie, one phone call, one twisted truth and lives could be in danger. 

I have read Ms Holmes’s books in the past and they have been compelling and intriguing. The book opens with an unidentified woman, badly beaten in the hospital, and takes readers into the past. Back and forth between Paige’s point of view and the woman in the hospital, readers are presented with the mystery as to her identity. Who is she? Paige presents the circumstances around Jessica’s disappearance and the present day events. Unfortunately, the story is not as gripping as I had hoped. The woman in the hospital was easy to figure out after a few chapters. There also were way too many minor characters in and out of the story and the “who did it” was anticlimactic. The ending felt rushed. Overall, I did not enjoy Lies We Tell Ourselves and I do not recommend it. 

Lies We Tell Ourselves is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

A Familiar Stranger: a mystery, psychological thriller with many twists and turns

A Familiar Stranger by AR Torre is a mystery, psychological thriller. Lillian Smith leads an ordinary life. She writes obituaries, posts tweets about mysterious deaths and deals with her inattentive husband and a disconnected son. When she meets David, a handsome stranger, in a coffee shop, she can’t help but invent a new persona and lures herself into an affair. With no strings and with the excitement she is missing and craves. She has never felt so reckless and wanted but as her affair intensifies, she begins to ignore everything else in her life. When her affair finds its way to her son’s social media, everything she has worked for is at risk. With lie after lie, her world spins out of control. What she doesn’t realize is she isn’t the only one leading a double life. 

A Familiar Stranger is an interesting mystery with a few twists and turns that lead to an unexpected culprit. Every character is hiding behind walls of lies and deceit. And no character being worthy of redemption with their comeuppance waiting in the wings, there were many moving parts and secrets at play. The timeline follows before, during and after a death, it is a slow burn at first until the victim and the suspects spin at high speed to cover their tracks. Who is the victim? Why were they killed?  Who is the killer? Will they be discovered or will they get away with the murder? The ending was surprising. Overall, I enjoyed this story and look forward to other works by Ms. Torre. If you enjoy mystery, psychological thrillers, I recommend A Familiar Stranger. 

A Familiar Stranger is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook. 

The Perfect Marriage: a disappointing psychological thriller

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose is a domestic psychological thriller of whodunit? Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington DC. She has been named a partner at her firm at 33 years old and life is going exactly as she planned. However, her husband, Adam, has been a struggling writer with only one successful book to his name. Tired of being second to Sarah’s career, out in the secluded woods of their second home, Adam has a passionate affair with Kelly Summers. But when Kelly is found murdered in the cabin, Adam is arrested for her murder, the image of Sarah’s perfect life comes crumbling down. She finds herself defending Adam against murder charges. She asks herself is he guilty or innocent? Should she even be defending him in the first place? Who killed Kelly Summers? 

I was excited to read this book as I repeatedly saw it on social media. So when the chance came up to read it, I grabbed it. Sadly, it did not live up to the hype. From the opening chapters to the very unsatisfying ending, I could not believe what I just read. There were no likable or relatable characters. I felt insulted and demeaned at every turn by Sarah and her friends. There were so many holes in the entire case that any lawyer worth his or her salt would see. Throughout the story, I had a nagging feeling that the story felt familiar. When I got to the end, I realized why, (I won’t reveal it as it is a spoiler). It was disappointing, especially as the book is advertised as a “completely gripping psychological suspense.” I do not recommend The Perfect Marriage. 

The Perfect Marriage is available in paperback and eBook

The Guest: a psychological thriller with so much going on

The Guest is the newest psychological thriller by B.A. Paris. Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all. A beautiful home, a successful daughter and good friends with Laure and Pierre from Paris. It all starts to come tumbling down with one tragic accident when a young man dies in a nearby quarry. Gabriel found him and called for help and heard the young man’s final words, leaving Gabriel with a heavy burden. Soon after, their friend, Laure, becomes their guest. Laure seems to make herself a little too comfortable as she begins to wear Iris’s clothes, following her every movie and asking questions. Then a new couple moves into the neighborhood with their gardener with a checkered past. 

Psychological thrillers by B.A. Paris are intense. However, The Guest had so much going on that it was confusing and boring. The story just dragged from the opening prologue. I failed to see the connections, despite the epilogue that wrapped everything up, I was confused and had no sympathy for any of the characters especially after finishing the epilogue. Like what?!?!?. The new neighbors didn’t seem to fit into the story and their gardener? Confusing. I also did not like that the story told what happened. Overall, I usually love B.A. Paris and her psychological thrillers, unfortunately, The Guest did not live up to its premise. 

The Guest is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

The Prisoner: a psychological thriller of survival

The Prisoner by BA Paris is a story of survival. Amelie Lamont is a survivor. She has been on her own since the death of her father. She makes her way to London, finds a job and enters the glamorous lifestyle of those around her. She meets the billionaire Ned Hawthorne and enters into a marriage of convenience. She doesn’t realize until it's too late that lies and deceit are the name of the game. A chain of events begins, tumbling like dominoes until she finds herself in a dark room, kidnapped with no hope of getting out. Lies, deception and She has no idea where she is, who her captors are or what their intentions could be; however, one thing she knows for certain, she’s not going down without a fight. 

The Prisoner is an interesting psychological thriller told in two parts. Part One opens in the present as Amelie wakes up in a dark room, recounting the events of the previous day. Back and forth between past and present, the series of events are revealed as how she got kidnapped and possibly why. Part Two is the aftermath as the investigation into the kidnapping begins. Who is to be believed? And who is hiding a deadly secret? The Prisoner is filled with twists and turns that will leave you guessing who to trust and who is behind the kidnapping and what their motives are. I enjoyed The Prisoner. It kept me guessing until the very end. I recommend The Prisoner. 

The Prisoner is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

The Ex Between Us: what if your best friend turns on you?

The Ex Between Us by Nicola Marsh is a psychological thriller of two best friends with the deadliest secrets. Abi and Jo have been best friends since junior high school, ever since Abi came to Jo’s rescue from a bully. They went through everything together. They’ve hit their rough spots especially when Abi committed a terrible mistake and betrayed Jo. But she found a way to forgive Abi and they became closer than ever. After Abi’s son goes off to college and Abi tries to find a new life as an empty-nester, a strange series of events start to unravel. Abi and Jo begin to experience terrifying events that lead them to believe someone is out to harm them. And they seem to be escalating. From property destruction to threatening messages, who could be behind it all? Is it someone watching from the shadows? Or is it someone a little closer to home? 

The Ex Between Us is a slow burn thriller that turns into a fiery inferno toward the end. The story will leave the reader guessing with characters who aren’t what they seem. With no shortage of suspects from high school frenemies back in town to the exes that never seem to let go. At one point, Abi has a new man in her life and Jo is not pleased. But is he who he says he is? Like the moving pieces on a chessboard, no one knows who’s playing who. Both Abi and Jo were likable and unlikable at times as the reader tries to figure out who was after who and who was only acting as a friend. The characters’ motives and secrets kept me guessing and I wasn’t sure who was after who until the last third of the book. A great mystery with building suspense and tension. I highly recommend The Ex Between Us. 

The Ex Between Us is available in paperback and eBook

Stay Awake: a murder suspect with no memory of the crime

Stay Awake  by Megan Goldin is a psychological thriller as Liv Reese wakes up in the back of a taxi with no clue how she got there or where she was. When she is dropped off at her New York City brownstone, a stranger answers and informs her she no longer lives there. As she leaves, she realizes she doesn’t have her phone and her hands are covered in black ink. Messages scribbled like graffiti telling her to STAY  AWAKE.  Her last memory is from two years ago when she was living with her best friend, Dr. Amy Decker, dating a new man, Marco, and has a thriving career as a successful writer for a trendy magazine. Now she’s lost, disoriented and unsure where to turn and who to trust. At the same time, police detectives are investigating the brutal murder of an unknown man and their lone clue is the fuzzy security camera image of a woman leaving the building. Is Liv connected to the murder? Is there someone who is trying to make sure she doesn't remember anything? 

After reading Ms. Goldin’s The Night Swim (2020), I was excited at the chance to read Stay Awake. Right away, Stay Awake reminded me of Christopher Nolan’s cult classic movie, Memento (2000) and the memory loss of 50 First Dates (2004). Told between the present and the events from two years ago, the reader is taken on a roller coaster of twists and turns. It was a fast paced story as Liv is an unreliable narrator as she can’t remember anything from the last two years and she is afraid to fall asleep. I enjoyed Detective Darcy Halliday who wasn't ready to make snap judgments. She knows there’s something about the evidence that doesn’t make sense. Stay Awake wasn’t as thought provoking as The Night Swim but it was as attention gripping. About two-thirds into the story, I had a feeling about who the killer was and even though I had a clue, the reveal was thrilling. Overall, I enjoyed Stay Awake and look forward to future books by Megan Goldin. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, I recommend Stay Awake. 

Stay Awake is available August 9, 2022 in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

My Wife is Missing: a psychological thriller that asks who can you trust and what is even real?

My Wife is Missing by DJ Palmer is a psychological thriller when a woman disappears with her two children and her husband desperate to find them will do everything he can- even reveal the secrets he’s been hiding. A family vacation to New York City turns into a nightmare when Michael Hart discovers his wife, Natalie and their two children, Addie and Bryce, missing from their hotel room. Fearing they’ve been kidnapped, he frantically searches the hotel and calls the police. When security footage reveals that Natalie left willingly, the question becomes why? Natalie thinks she has Michael figured out and has hatched a plan to escape him. But her insomnia makes it difficult to trust what she knows and even what she sees. Are her fears and concerns valid? Will she escape Michael? Or is there an even greater danger she doesn’t consider? 

WOW! DJ Palmer has done it again! He has become a master of the psychological thriller. Stories that will keep the readers on their toes! With a man keeping secrets and a woman who suffers from hallucinations due to a lack of sleep, Michael and Natalie become characters readers won’t be sure who to trust and even ask what is real? Every character who crosses their paths may have agendas of their own but can they be trusted? My wife is Missing is a story that will keep readers guessing and even when you think you have it all figured out, DJ Palmer pulls the rug and reveals another twist. The beginning was a bit slow and reminded me of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl (2012) but Mr. Palmer has a much exciting story to tell. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, I highly recommend My Wife is Missing! 

My Wife is Missing is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook. 

The Scandal: a twisted tale of what happens behind the perfect façade

The Scandal by Nicola Marsh is a psychological thriller where appearances are deceiving. Marisa Thurston has been searching to fill the missing pieces of her life since her twin girls left home for college. Her sprawling mansion used to be home to laughter and the chaos of childhood but not any more and she is desperate to fill the silence. Coffee with her best friends is one thing she looks forward to. Claire, Elly and Marisa are as different as they can be. Each with their own secrets, secrets they are desperate to keep from seeing the light of day. When Jodi, a pregnant girl, turns up at Marisa’s doorstep, Marisa is quick to come to her aid. But Jodi’s arrival seems to push everyone’s secrets and lies to the surface. The father of Jodi’s baby is someone the women know very well. What lengths will someone go to protect their secret? 

Nicola Marsh has made a name for herself as a master of the psychological thriller. When you read one of her thrillers, you can expect twists, turns and red herrings that will keep you guessing and on your toes until the very end. The Scandal is one of her first psychological thrillers with a final twist that left me gasping! I didn’t particularly care for any of the women. These women are friends by association only as they are reluctant to share anything deep with each other. Marisa is the perfect wife for her executive husband but she’s a bit of a prude. At one point, in an internal monologue, she is disgusted that her husband can be ready for sex day or night. I read that like okay? What man isn't? Seriously? Overall, I enjoyed the story. I’ve learned, as I’ve read Ms. Marsh’s other thrillers, that appearances are very deceiving and she will keep you guessing until the very end. I recommend The Scandal! 

The Scandal is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook.

The Liar Next Door: a psychological thriller you won't want to put down

The Liar Next Door by Nicola Marsh is a psychological thriller with a web of lies that threatens to tear apart a seemingly close-knit community. Thirty houses surround a square garden that is the perfect playground for the kids. They gather there for holidays and community parties. It is there that Frankie Forbes meets Celeste. Little did she know that Celeste would tear apart their family piece by piece. There were signs and gut feelings that told Frankie that something was wrong from the beginning. She was too nice, too eager to join in and she seemed to know the things Frankie’s daughter liked and disliked. But why couldn’t she trust another mother? Meanwhile, Saylor, newlywed and pregnant, has a secret of her own and she must act quickly as someone is threatening to expose her and ruin her and her family. Secrets have a way of being discovered no matter how hard they are buried and hidden. How does this woman seem to know Frankie’s? Will Saylor be able to protect her secret? 

Who is the liar next door? Nicola Marsh can always be counted on for a great psychological thriller! I read and reviewed My Sister’s Husband last year and loved it. So when the opportunity to read The Liar Next Door came up, I had to read it! Told from the point of views of the three women, the reader is taken on a journey of twists and turns, ups and downs, as the web of lies is slowly untangled. As the story unfolds, there were a few clues that I was able to figure out but when the final stretch of the story begins and the secrets are revealed, there were shockers! From the beginning, Frankie, Celeste and Saylor are women you don’t know if you can trust as they present their point of view. Like a slow burning fuse, the story starts off slowly and gains speed as the women begin to interact until the powder keg explodes, the secrets are revealed and the masks are pulled off. I highly recommend The Liar Next Door. 

The Liar Next Door is available August 23 in eBook and audiobook. 

The Therapist: a psychological thriller that blurs the lines of who you can trust

The Therapist by BA Paris is a psychological thriller and one woman’s determination to find the truth. Alice Dawson moved in with her boyfriend, Leo, into a newly renovated house in The Circle, an exclusive gated community in London, it was everything they’ve dreamed of. But the perfect house holds a terrible secret. As Alice gets to know her neighbors, she discovers the devastating secret and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before. Alice soon becomes obsessed with trying to discover what happened in the house and to Nina, but no one will talk about it. She also discovers that someone is playing a sick game with her, can she discover who it is before it’s too late? Will she ever truly find out what happened to Nina? 

The Therapist is my first book by BA Paris and I wasn’t sure what to expect as I read. At first, I didn’t care for Alice. I thought she was a bit whinny, always going on about her late sister who just happens to share the same name as the house’s former resident. But as I read and the clues about what happened became clearer, I found myself scared for her. I read late into the night, desperate to find out what happened to Nina and if Alice would escape the nightmare her dream house had become. Overall, I enjoyed the story. It has all the elements of a psychological thriller: misdirected clues, the secretive neighbors and a boyfriend who may not be who he says he is. I recommend The Therapist. Once you read, you will want to discover the truth. 

The Therapist will be available tomorrow, July 13, 2021, in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook. 

Little Secrets: a great psychological thriller

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier is a story of heartache, revenge, and betrayal. Marin Machado has a great life. A loving husband, a beautiful son, and a successful business, she could not ask for more. Until one dark December day, her son is taken from her side and her whole world shatters. Fast forward 18 months and there has been no sign of her son and Marin is barely living as she tries to find herself in her new world. Her life consists now of work, therapy sessions and a support group. She and her husband, Derek, seem to be hanging on by a thread. Her world is about to shatter again as a private investigator, she hired to find her, finds some startling news. As Marin fills with rage and seeks to find her revenge, she learns who she can trust and who has truly betrayed her. Will she find her revenge? Will Marin ever find out what happened with her son?

What a story! Little Secrets starts with every parent’s worst nightmare and launches the reader into the aftermath as Marin tries to find answers and closure. Throughout the book, I was not sure if I liked Marin or any of the characters as they all had their own secrets and ulterior motives behind their actions. However, Ms. Hillier takes the reader on a roller coaster of a journey as the twists and turns keeps one guessing. The characters feel very relatable with real emotions and flaws. This is the type of story that the reader will not figure out, so do not even try. Just go along for the ride and watch as little clues reveal big secrets. I highly recommend Little Secrets!

Little Secrets

is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

The New Husband: a thrilling psychological roller coaster!

The New Husband by DJ Palmer is a psychological thriller which leads the reader on road of twists and turns as the story unravels to reveal the truth. Seventeen months prior, Nina Garrity’s husband, Glen, mysteriously disappeared while fishing. Presuming her husband to be dead, Nina has moved on. A new house and a new “husband.” Although she and Simon Fitch are married, they aren’t even engaged yet, they seemed to be on that path. While her 16-year-old son, Connor, welcomes the new relationship and the new changes, her 13-year-old daughter, Maggie, doesn’t. Still believing her father is alive, Maggie fights Simon’s intrusion at every turn and tries to get Nina to see what she sees but Nina just thinks Maggie is being a dramatic teenager. But soon things begin to happen that leads Nina to question everything she thought she knew about her husband’s disappearance and Simon’s past. What really happened to Glen? Was Simon involved? Will Nina find out the truth before it’s too late?

The New Husband is an exciting book which will keep you guessing. At first, I didn’t like the fact that the narrator would occasionally change as a new chapter begins; however, it soon became apparent why the author doesn’t give a warning. My suggestion is when you read the book, as a chapter opens, pay close attention to who is speaking. It is a very suspenseful and fast-moving book. Despite having 63 chapters, I was able to finish the book in a day. It held my attention that I did not want to put it down unless I absolutely had to! I didn’t care for Nina, first, because I felt she was moving on too quickly into a new relationship despite what she thought she knew about her husband’s disappearance. She should have waited a bit more before moving in with Simon. As I read, I wanted Nina to open her eyes and really listen to Maggie. I enjoyed Maggie’s side of the story more. Maggie was more than just a teenager who didn’t like the man who replaced her father in her mother’s life, he was a man she didn’t trust. I really enjoyed The New Husband and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys a thriller that will keep you guessing and on your toes until the end.

The New Husband

is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

A Hundred Suns: an unexpected thriller

A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe is a story of suspense, revenge and power. The story opens in November 1933 as American Jessie Lesage is heading to the train station in Hanoi, Indochina with her husband, Victor Lesage, heir to the Michelin fortune, and their daughter, Lucie. Events quickly led to Jessie to doubt her own memories, but she knew “I wasn’t unwell. I wasn’t forgetting anything. My family had disappeared.” Rewind to September 1933 as the Lesages arrive in Hanoi from Paris as Victor is taking over management of the Michelin families rubber plantations in the French colony. Their first night in Hanoi, they take the customary trip to a club where she meets Marcelle de Fabry, the wife of the president of the chamber of commerce, Arnaud de Fabry. The two women quickly strike up a friendship. As Jessie begins to learn the area and adjust to life in the colony, strange things begin to happen, events that Jessie remembers but others claim never did. What is going on? Is Jessie slowly losing her mind? Or is someone playing a cruel trick on her?

A Hundred Suns is the type of book that you think you have figured out and with a turn of a page, you discover you had it all wrong. Ms. Tanabe slowly sets the scene and goes into great deal for the description of the locations as well as the political and social attitudes of the time. And just as you get a feel for the type of story it will be, the real action starts and once you’re on that train, its nonstop until the last page and you let out a breath! What a story! It was very intense with no clear character to cheer for or who to vilify as everyone has their reasons and arguments to justify their actions. There is so much more I wish I could discuss about book, but it would give away too many plot points. I highly recommend A Hundred Suns!

A Hundred Suns

is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook