The Edge of Nowhere- First in sereis by Elizabeth George

Becca King has a gift. Although, to her, it might not be a gift… Becca can her “whispers”, or other peoples thoughts. So when she hears the murderous thoughts of her Stepdad, Becca finds her self in more trouble than she could imagine. Her and her mom escape while they can but, so that they can stay away from the killer they thought was family, they have to split up. Now on her own, Becca is sent to live with a friend of her mom’s on a small  island. Once she shows up at her new guardian’s house, she discovers that the person who was supposed to help her is dead. Stuck on an island with nowhere to go, Becca has to figure out how to survive on her own and stay hidden from her Stepdad. She then meets Seth Darrow who directs him to a woman named Debbie. After meeting Seth and Debbie, Becca discovers that she might not be the only one keeping secrets.

 

My Opinion: Though I really enjoyed this book, it wasn’t one of my favorites. After awhile, the plot got kind of boring and I was tired of the overall story. The ending is great though, so I would recommend pulling through and making it to the end because it keeps you hanging!

 

Photo creds: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079784-the-edge-of-nowhere

Asylum- First in Asylum Series by Madeleine Roux

“The house was meant to keep them in. Once they came, they never left.” – Madeleine Roux, Asylum

Dan Crawford needs a break… and badly. So when he goes to a summer program at New Hampshire College Prep to take a few college classes and escape all the kids at his high school who don’t care about school, he doesn’t expect anything that goes on at this old Asylum-turned college full of dark secrets. As soon as he arrives, Dan is sucked into the whirlwind of dark secrets left behind with the closure of the old insane asylum that once resided on the campus grounds. With his new friends Abby and Jordan, Dan discovers an office full of old documents and pictures left behind from the asylum, all revealing the horrors that happened in the rooms below the dorms of the college. As Dan learns more and more about what went on behind the doors of the warden at the asylum, he starts to realize that he is dealing with much more than some spooky stories. The ghosts of the asylum warden Daniel Crawford and famous murderer The Sculptor, seem to have some unfinished business that they would like to take care of and Dan is the key to creating “peace” in this forgotten feud. Dan must act quickly if he doesn’t want anyone getting hurt or even killed due to the anger of the trapped souls who were never able to leave the asylum.

 

My Opinion: This book is amazing. It’s definitely not your typical mystery. The author does such a great job of incorporating real pictures from real insane asylums that every page brings a new tragedy along with it. It is a creepy book that still isn’t super scary and the plot is always throwing new twists out that keep the story interesting. I love this book and think it is a great book to read. You should look for it the next chance you get!

 

Photo Creds: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13597728-asylum

http://www.jennsbookshelves.com/2013/10/16/mx3-review-asylum-by-madeleine-roux/

 

Her Dark Curiosity- Second in The Madman’s Daughter trilogy by Megan Sheperd

“Sometimes you have to embrace the darkness to stop it.” – Megan Sheperd, Her Dark Curiosity

After learning the truth about her father, Juliet Moreau has returned to London to try to forget the horrors of the island her father used for his scientific experiments. She is back to living a first class lifestyle, but Juliet isn’t happy. Without either of her friends, Edward and Montgomery with her, Juliet struggles to find a cure for her illness. If she doesn’t do something soon, she will be in serious trouble. However, when a sudden string of suspicious murders are discovered in the city, Juliet feels like one of her father’s creatures has followed her to London, and it won’t stop killing until it finds her. Faced with the task of figuring out who the murderer is so that the rest of London can be safe, Juliet runs into an old friend from the island whom she thought to be dead. Together, they realize that this mystery is bigger than they expected. Something is going on with a group of upper class men in the city who knew Juliet’s father, and they might cause more harm than the creature on the loose. Will Juliet be able to stop both of these cold-blooded murderers before it’s too late?

 

My Opinion: I love this series! It’s a twisted set of mysteries that just keep getting better! I am always surprised and there is never a boring page in this book.  I also think it’s cool that the author uses history to tell the story of Juliet. It makes you wonder if things we have been taught about the past might not be true. This book is always a mystery, anything could happen. Her Dark Curiosity is a book that I can’t put down! I highly recommend that you read this series by Megan Sheperd.

 

Photo Creds: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16182304-her-dark-curiosity

The Body Finder- First in The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting

“There was something dead down there…” -Kimberly Derting, The Body Finder

Ever since she was little, Violet Ambrose knew that she was different. Instead of spending her time playing with fellow classmates, Violet often found herself walking through the woods looking for dead animals. Violet has a “sixth sense” and can sense when things have died. No one knows about it except her parents, her uncle who is a police officer, and her best friend since first grade, Jay. This sense of Violet’s usually isn’t a problem until a series of mysterious murders take place in her hometown. Violet has already found one of the dead girls and who knows when she will find the next. Besides the murders, Violet also has to deal with the roller-coaster relationship she and Jay have.  They used to be just best friends but now, things feel different between the two of them and Violet doesn’t know whether Jay wants to date her or not. As more girls are found missing, Violet’s uncle asks her to help him find the killer, putting Violet in danger. Jay soon realizes that he likes Violet and will do anything to protect her from the killer. But will this murder case become too much for both of them to handle?

My Opinion: Some of my favorite books are mysteries but they usually all end the same way. However, in The Body Finder, you have no idea what is going to happen. Every chapter brings another unexpected event leaving you wondering the whole time what will happen with the killer and what will happen between Violet and Jay. I highly recommend this book.

Photo Creds: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6261522-the-body-finder

The Madman’s Daughter- First in The Madman’s Daughter Trilogy by Megan Sheperd

“The last thing the justice system is, is just.” -Megan Sheperd, The Madman’s Daughter

Constantly searching for an answer about her father’s strange murder/disappearance that she believes is a lie, Juliet Monroe is always on edge. She spent most of her life living in first class London, thanks to her father’s profession as a doctor, until her father was murdered, leaving Juliet and her mother to figure out how to provide for themselves. But when her mother dies and Juliet is left on her own, she finds herself living in a boarding house working as a maid. She doesn’t mind though, because she works at the medical school and Juliet loves anything that involves the medical world. It fascinates her. Things start to change though when a professor working at the school tries to take advantage of her, forcing Juliet to flee. As she is leaving, she runs into her childhood friend Montgomery James who tells Juliet that her father is in fact alive. Together, she and Montgomery travel to her father’s island where, along the way, they meet Edward Prince. Juliet’s reunion with her father is anything but sweet because she soon learns about her father’s darkest secret involving some of his creations. Now, trapped on the island with a monster she once knew to be her father, Juliet starts to question herself. When she was little, her father performed a life-saving surgery on her, leaving a scar on her neck. Some of her father’s creations have the same scar, and she starts to wonder if maybe she isn’t really human. Juliet also begins to question her relationship with Montgomery and maybe, she realizes, it might be more than just a friendship. But with Edward Prince constantly on her mind, Juliet isn’t so sure who she likes. That all changes when one of her father’s creatures starts to attack and kill those living on the island and it is up to Juliet and Montgomery to figure out who or what is the cause of the deaths.

 

My Opinion: If you are looking to read a dark book, The Madman’s Daughter is the book for you. Full of demented secrets and mysterious events, you will not expect what’s going to happen next. This book is a mystery, historical fiction, and science fiction all in one and it is written very well. I personally really enjoyed this book and it’s sequel, Her Dark Curiosity. I strongly suggest that you read this book. It is a unique twist to some of the popular books that people are reading today.

Photo Creds: http://meganshepherd.com/the-madmans-daughter-trilogy/

Post Mortem- First in Kay Scarpetta Series by Patricia Cornwell

“The dead have never bothered me. It’s the living that I fear.” -Patricia Cornwell, Post Mortem

f you don’t like being scared, then this book probably isn’t for you. Post Mortem by Patricia Cornwell is a definite thriller. Doctor Kay Scarpeta is the chief medical examiner for Virginia. Her day exists of examining dead bodies and performing autopsies but, there can be the occasional homicide or crime scene investigation that might need a medical examiner. Things start to change for Dr. Scarpetta when the police think that a few homicides are linked together and she is called in to help. The alleged killer is raping and suffocating innocent women in their sleep. Kay, along with Chief police officer Pete Moreno and FBI agent Benton Wesley most solve the crimes and figure out who the murder is before he kills anyone else. On top of all that pressure, Kay must keep clear of the press before they found out anything that might harm her and her office and keep herself protected in case the killer finds a sudden interest in her. So, who is the killer, and will Dr. Kay Scarpetta save the city of Virginia from the crime of the year?

My Opinion: When I first read this book, I was a little concerned that it would be boring or not enjoyable to read. I was wrong. Post Mortem is one of the most thrilling books I have ever read. Patricia Cornwell does a great job of keeping you entertained throughout the whole book and you never know what is going to happen next. I will say that a lot of the murders tend to be a bit graphic but beside that, this book is fantastic!

Photo Creds: http://teacherwritebookaholicohmy.blogspot.com/2011/05/post-mortem-by-patricia-cornwell.html