The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

I have to confess, I am behind on reviews.  I try not to post too many a month, not to pester you.  How many times do you want to read these before I make your teeth itch or you roll your eyes at what I'm saying for the gazillionth time? (My mother would say not to do that or they'll stay that way.) The issue is that I've read so many books lately. Thrillers are making me very happy.  It seems for the longest time we've had lots of domestic thrillers, you know, wife is secretly someone else, hubby is a serial killer, or the kindly next door neighbor has fifteen bodies planted in his garden hoping they'll fertilize his roses.  Aah you say, but April you love those. I do indeed! However, all of the sudden there are a batch of books out that take my thriller addiction out of the neighborhood and into interesting locations or have a smidge of supernatural thrown in...something different.  Honestly, I'm reading them faster than I am reviewing them as I'm basically having thriller-paloosa here. Still I'll try not to slap gobs of reviews up but sometimes I can't help myself.

I recently read The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon.  This book features two time lines, the current day and 1929. Both time periods have a story that surrounds a natural spring.  Supposedly you can talk to this water, tell it what you want, basically make a wish and it comes true.  But the water gives at a price.  

In the current day there are two sisters Lexie and Jax.  Lexie has been written off by Jax, who believes her sister is having mental issues and has stopped taking her medication. In fact, Jax is receiving multiple calls from Lexie that are gibberish, so they go ignored.  Sadly, shortly after, Jax discovers that Lexie has died, drowned in the pool on the family's estate she now owns. When returning home for the funeral, Jax is flooded with memories of her sister and the beloved pool, remembering what a strong swimmer she was.  Things are complicated when Jax finds the estate house a disaster, things are everywhere, dirty dishes, belongings, and tons of paper.  It seems that before she died Lexie was researching the estate and her own family.  Did that play a part in her mental break or death?

In 1929, Will and Ethel are newly weds and very much want to have a baby.  Unfortunately Ethel hopes each month that she is pregnant only to be disappointed.  Will decides to ease the stress by taking them away to a beautiful resort.  Ethel discovers that the waters of the resort are supposed to heal, cure and may even be able to grant wishes.

Clear your schedule for this one.  Opening the book will have you instantly hooked and you'll ignore your loved ones until it's over.  Loved this, hope you do too.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Hello everyone.

Have you ever really looked at your house? Really looked?  Several years ago we had a house built. It was a wonderful, but stressful experience. Once completed, we discovered a few feet "missing" from the interior. We finally decided that the missing space was an area that heat and air ducts ran from the first floor, through the second, to the attic.

Our current house is an early 1900's craftsman, a Sears house. Shortly after moving in, the previous owner came to the door and wanted to know if we found the secret room and met the ghost. Having lived in a haunted house I can tell you this house has no ghosts. The owner swears his wife was constantly losing her keys saying a ghost was moving them. Frankly, I think she just forgot where she put her keys. When your house is haunted, you know it. Someday I'll tell you about it. What the old owner was talking about was that there is stained glass in several places on our house. On the second floor there are two stained glass windows on the outside but only one on the inside. One window is in a walk-in closet in a guest room, the other in the master bedroom. Only the master has no such window. For some unknown reason it was long ago walled in on the interior. I'm guessing because it was difficult to decorate around. Our bedroom has double divided glass pocket doors, five windows, a fireplace, a radiator, and closet along with the entry door. Not many good places to put any furniture. I imagine putting a wall over the stained glass was done to have a section of plain wall. Old buildings were built differently, they seem to have a lot more nooks and crannies. Now that you want an English muffin, let's talk about a book.

I recently read Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. I finished this book in one day, something I (the admitted slow reader) have never done before, and we are talking 360+ pages. This is the story of a young woman who lost her boyfriend, job and place to live all at once. She has found a great offer that helps with her situation, apartment sitting. Not only does she now have somewhere to live for the next three months but a great paycheck as well. In addition, this apartment is in an old building in NYC that she has been interested in for years and is the pinnacle of plushness. Because of the noteable people living in the building, the job comes with several rules like no visitors, no discussing the building on social media, and you must spend every night in the apartment. A bit odd, but not that unreasonable for rich people that want their privacy.

This book is a thriller through and through. It starts calmly, gaining the reader's curiosity, but as strange things begin happening it quickly builds to a page flipping frenzy. While the story progresses we are presented with several possible explanations for the events at the old privileged apartment building. Racing from one solution to the next until finally the reader is given a satisfying ending you'll never see coming.

This was my first Riley Sager, but certainly not my last. As soon as my eyes recover and my hands stop shaking I'll have to purchase his other two books. Now I know to clear my schedule and get the economy size eye drops!