LCChaosandhome

Tag: psychological-thriller

  • Book Review: The Family Friend by Claire Douglas — 4/5

    Book Review: The Family Friend by Claire Douglas — 4/5


    Great concept, but it missed the mark — and ultimately didn’t live up to its promise.


    A gripping start
    I’m a long-time Claire Douglas fan, so this went straight to the top of my holiday reading pile, and for the first half it absolutely earned its place there. Douglas is brilliant at that slow creep of unease: a new friendship that feels a little too convenient, a family with more going on beneath the surface than they’d like to admit, and that constant nagging sense that someone isn’t being honest. The short, punchy chapters made it almost impossible to put down. “Bodies can be buried. But secrets never can.” — the tagline sets the tone perfectly, and early on the book delivers on it.
    Where it lost me
    Somewhere past the halfway mark, the plot started stretching credibility. The twists kept coming, but the more they piled up, the harder it became to believe the characters would realistically behave the way they do. A few decisions had me raising an eyebrow rather than gasping, and by the final act I felt like something was missing — more emotional depth, or maybe just tighter plotting. The premise was genuinely clever; the execution just didn’t quite get there.
    The ending
    No spoilers, but the resolution didn’t land for me. It felt rushed, with a couple of threads tied off too neatly and others left oddly unsatisfying. After such a strong build-up, I wanted a much bigger payoff.
    Final verdict — 4 out of 5
    Still a solid, very readable thriller, and I’d happily recommend it for a holiday or a rainy weekend. Douglas writes tension better than most, and even a weaker outing from her is more entertaining than plenty of others in the genre. Just don’t go in expecting the ending to be the best part.
    Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
    Have you read The Family Friend? I’d love to know if the ending worked better for you than it did for me — let me know in the comments.

    You can buy the book here https://link.amazon/B05TqPXyy

  • Book Review: Some of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins

    Book Review: Some of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins

    Rating: 4.5 / 5

    Some thrillers grip you with pace. This one grips you with people — and then pulls the floor out from under them.

    What it’s about (no spoilers)

    Jen Miller leaves her youngest child in the care of her two sisters while the family gathers at superstar Winter Kellaway’s beachside estate for a wedding celebration. The champagne is on ice, the decorations are flawless — and one split-second lapse turns the happiest day of the year into a tragedy the family will never recover from. What follows is grief, blame, an explosive court case, and a long-buried secret that refuses to stay buried. DC Saul Anguish is brought in to investigate.

    What I loved

    The twists. Plural. Every time I thought I had it worked out, Cummins shifted the ground and I was wrong again — and not in a cheap, out-of-nowhere way. The clues are there; you just don’t see them until she wants you to.

    The sisters are the real engine of the book. Winter, Jen and Alyssa are so believably written that the fallout hurts, and the shifting timelines and viewpoints mean you’re constantly re-weighing who deserves your sympathy. That’s the clever bit: your loyalties keep moving.

    It’s also genuinely emotional. This isn’t just a puzzle to solve — it’s about guilt, forgiveness and how far people will go to protect the ones they love. I read most of it in two sittings because I simply couldn’t leave it alone.

    What didn’t quite work

    My one real gripe is the subplot involving Saul. I never felt it earned its place. Every time the story cut back to him I found myself wanting to get back to the sisters, and I don’t think losing those sections would have cost the book anything — if anything the central story would have hit even harder. It’s not badly written, it just sits slightly apart from everything that makes the novel so compelling. Half a star off for that.

    The verdict

    A dark, twisty, surprisingly moving thriller with characters you’ll be arguing about long after the last page. If you like Lisa Jewell or Claire Douglas, or you enjoy a courtroom thread running through your crime fiction, you’ll fly through this one. It was also shortlisted for the CWA Twisted Dagger 2026.

    4.5 out of 5 — highly recommended.

    You can buy the book here

    https://link.amazon/B07Y7qejX

    Have you read it? Did you guess the twist? Tell me in the comments — and let me know if you agree with me about Saul.

  • Book Review- The Passengers by John Marr

    Book Review- The Passengers by John Marr

    I actually picked up The Passengers by John Marrs from a little book share while I was on holiday in Mexico, and it turned out to be one of those lucky finds you just can’t put down. You know when you grab a book on a whim and it completely pulls you in? That was this for me. A solid 5/5.


    The whole idea of the book is honestly a bit terrifying because it doesn’t feel that far off reality. It’s set in a world where driverless cars have taken over, and everything is meant to be safer and controlled. But then eight people find themselves trapped inside hacked cars, with no way of escaping, and they’re all being driven towards a deadly crash.
    What really got me hooked is that it’s not just about what’s happening in the cars. The public is actually watching it unfold and has to vote on who should live and who should die. It sounds intense, and it really is. I found myself constantly changing my mind about who I was rooting for as more and more secrets came out.
    And that’s the clever bit — none of the characters are perfect. The more you learn about them, the more you question everything. Just when I thought I had someone figured out, another twist would come in and completely change my opinion.
    I also loved how easy it was to read. The chapters are quite short, which made it perfect for dipping in and out while I was lying by the pool… although in reality, I ended up reading way more than I planned because I kept saying “just one more chapter”.
    It’s one of those books that really makes you think as well. Not in a heavy way, but enough to make you wonder what you would actually do in that situation. Would you trust the system? Would you vote? Could you even make that kind of decision?
    For me, it had the perfect mix of thriller, drama, and just enough sci-fi to make it feel modern and believable. Definitely one I’ll be recommending, and I still can’t believe I just found it sitting on a random book shelf on holiday.
    If you like fast-paced, twisty reads that keep you guessing, this is 100% worth picking up.
    5/5 from me.
    Have you read it, or would you trust a driverless car?

    You can buy the book here

  • Book review I found you by Lisa Jewell

    Book review I found you by Lisa Jewell

    Lisa Jewell’s I Found You is a masterclass in suspense, delivering the kind of twisty, character-driven storytelling that keeps you hooked from the very first page to the final reveal.


    Set across dual timelines, the novel introduces us to Alice, a single mother who discovers a mysterious man on the beach outside her home. He has no memory of who he is or how he got there. At the same time, in London, newlywed Lily is thrown into panic when her husband Carl disappears without a trace—just days after their wedding. What follows is a cleverly woven narrative that slowly draws these two seemingly separate stories together.
    Jewell excels at building tension through small, unsettling details rather than dramatic shocks. The pacing is steady but gripping, allowing the suspense to simmer as each piece of the puzzle falls into place. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, another twist pulls you in a different direction.
    The strength of I Found You lies in its characters. They feel real, flawed, and deeply human, which makes the mystery all the more compelling. Alice, in particular, is a standout—warm, intuitive, and determined to help a stranger, even when it puts her at risk.
    As with all of Lisa Jewell’s novels, the real magic is in how everything connects. The ending is both satisfying and surprising, tying together the threads in a way that makes you want to go back and spot the clues you missed.
    If you enjoy psychological thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end, I Found You is a must-read. It’s a perfect choice for anyone who loves layered storytelling, emotional depth, and a plot full of unexpected turns.
    Rating: 4.5/5 – A gripping, cleverly plotted thriller that keeps you guessing.