Book Review: A Stranger in the House

Author: Shari Lapena

Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller

Type: Fiction

I picked this book as I liked the previous book 'The couple next door' by the same author. 

The plot is about a murder that drags a couple Tom and Karen into it. The wife Karen gets in an accident in a troublesome neighbourhood right around the same time when a murder takes place very close to accident spot. As a result of the injury, Karen doesn't remember anything from the day of the accident. Evidence makes the detectives suspect that Karen was at the murder scene. Adding fuel to the fire is the over-indulgent neighbour Brigid who has nothing but to watch the couple from across the street but seems to be the close friend of Karen. The couple become paranoid when the detectives start drilling with questions.The whole story revolves around who, what and how. Any further details would be a spoiler. So I am curtailing myself there.

The characters are very few. Karen is secretive, smart and is guarded in her thoughts and actions whereas Brigid is manipulative and nosy. I was a bit disappointed with Tom's character. For a person who's wife is in a grave circumstance of being charged for a murder, he is so indecisive and meek. I felt most of the time he was rolling in self-pity and was immature. The plot started off interestingly but after a few chapters the story fell flat. There was too much of redundant question of 'what happened that night' passing though everyone's mind. I felt a few pages could have been reduced to avoid the redundancy. The author maintains the 'whodunnit' suspense throughout which makes us keep going. 

I did not expect the double twist at the end. The hint of a subtle cliffhanger is good and maybe there could be a sequel. I The premise was promising but writing was not as good as I expected. In fact, a few places were predictable which is a bummer for mystery genre.

Verdict: I would recommend it as a one-time read if you don't want a serious or intelligent mystery story.

Book Review: The Murder at the Vicarage

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Type: Fiction

This is the first book on the famous fictional detective Miss Marple. Being an ardent fan of mystery and thriller plots, I cannot believe I haven’t read the Agatha Christie books ever. I chose this for the Popsugar prompt No. 30 - a book featuring an amateur detective

Colonel Protheroe is murdered at the Vicarage while waiting to meet the Vicar and almost everyone in the village is a suspect including the vicar. He is not a person loved by all in the quiet neighbourhood of St Mary Mead and everyone thinks the world is better place without him. The inquisitive old Miss Marple tries to find the missing pieces of the murder mystery.

With so many suspects on the list, the plot is engaging and we are not given any hints on who might be the killer. Most characters have a backstory. Entwined with the murder are 2 separate crimes which come to light as the story proceeds. The story is told from the Vicar’s point of view and though a central character we do not have heavy doses of Miss Marple’s appearance. And when she does appear, she just throws in simple statements and questions. The old lady is a relief from the conventional formula for detective characterisations.

When I started this book I noted down the characters, their movements during the murder. At one point I even stopped reading and reflected on who could be the murderer. But all in vain. I could never guess what happened. This is not a story where the answer was right there but we didn’t see it.  I don’t know if this is Agatha Christie’s style. So if you read this book, do not try to solve it by yourself.

Verdict: After reading this I am yearning to read more of Agatha Christie’s novels and this is a great read for all 'whodunnit' fans.

Book Review: Remember Me?

Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Romance, Chick-lit

Type: Fiction

I reread this book after 8 years and still love it as much as I did the first time. Thanks to POPsugar prompt 7 - A reread of a favourite book.

Sophie Kinsella is one of my regular authors and I find her works equivalent to a comfort food. If I am not in mood for any heavy book Sophie Kinsella is my go-to author.

The plot is simple.What sort of twisted position would it be if you wake up one day to find 3 years of your life is missing from your memory. The same happens to Lexie Smart where she wakes up in a hospital and remembers nothing of her past 3 years. She is perplexed at how rich, good looking and career driven she is. And she is married to a handsome real-estate businessman. She concludes that she has got a perfect life and tries to fit in. Slowly she realises her life is mechanical and she has lost her close friends in the journey up the career ladder. Then comes a blow in the form of an architect. So the plot swivels around if Lexie gets back her memory and returns to her new lifestyle or stays the old self and resolves her issues. 

This is one of the typical Sophie Kinsella templates where a young woman is struggling with personal life and career ends up in a mess. The writing is simple and I did not find it anywhere boring. I did find the Porsche element in the end a bit unconvincing. Eric the husband, Jon the architect, Lexie’s friends, her mom and sister share some space in the story. 

The plot is from Lexi’s point of view and there is humour and romance like all her books. I had loved it when I had read it for the first time. But when I started it again now I knew only the plot but the scenes seemed to be entirely new. I think along with Lexie even I got amnesia. So it was more of reading a new book rather than a re-read. I like how there aren’t many incidents in the book that projects Lexie reacting stupidly to crisis. The characters are a bit mature than what I have read in other chick-lit novels. Overall it was a good read for me.

Verdict: I recommend this for all the chick-lit fans and those who enjoy reading mild dose of romance and humour. This will always be in my reread list of books.