Wednesday, August 19, 2009

A Cry In The Night, by Mary Higgins Clark

Jenny is a divorced mother of two young girls, working at an art gallery in New York. She meets artist Erich Krueger at a gallery showing of his work, where everyone notices that Jenny looks just like the painting of Erich's deceased mother, Caroline. Erich & Jenny begin dating & become engaged within a few weeks. When Jenny marries Erich less than a month after they meet, she & the girls move to Erich's large home in Minnesota. Jenny soon realizes disturbing things about Erich, especially his obsession with his late mother. Erich becomes more & more possessive & controlling, and Jenny plans an escape back to New York with her girls, but instead, Erich takes the girls away with him and leaves Jenny in the house alone, not knowing where he has taken them or when they'll be back. A scandal involving Erich's artwork erupts, and when Erich is returning home, Jenny realizes that he is far more disturbed than even she realized. She is worried for her children's safety. Jenny's life is threatened when Erich returns home, but with help from her neighbors, her terror comes to an end.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goolrick

In 1907 Wisconsin, wealthy businessman Ralph Truitt advertises for "a reliable wife". A Few months later, he marries Catherine Land, who has secret plans of her own for him and his money. In the end, the reader is surprised to discover that things don't turn out quite the way the story builds them to expect.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn

Libby Day's mother & 2 sisters were murdered at their home when she was 7 years old. Libby ran into the freezing snow and hid in a nearby field, lost some fingers and toes to frostbite, but survived. Her 15 year old brother, Ben, is blamed for the murders, and Libby's testimony helps put him behind bars for life. Now, 24 years later, after meeting a group that is trying to get Ben set free, Libby investigates what really happened that night, by interviewing people who were close to Ben, and even her estranged father. The club pays her for all her research into the case, which takes her all over Kansas & Missouri, as well visitations to Ben, who she hadn't seen since that tragic night. It turns out that Ben is innocent, but he is protecting someone else. The story keeps the reader guessing all the way through, and is almost impossible to put down for a break.