Zzzzzzzzz. A book about a guy turning 50 and freaking out; finding love and losing it; traveling the world to escape heartbreak.

A twisted ending - not a thriller so much, but still good. Lots of characters - a lot of intertwined lives. And, literally, nothing good EVER comes from secrets and lies.

Oh this one started off with a bang - followed through as a excellent commentary on the dangers of social media, wealth, and sexual assault - and ended with a cheesy bow tie. Ugh. The characters were all pretty bland, the story lines were unbelievable, and more than once a young woman choosing to have sex was called a slut (by herself!, or by someone else), while the young men choosing to have sex were played off as just “young men.” Gross.

Written from primarily 4 POVs, some of these are far more interesting than others. The book starts off with a jump and I couldn‘t put it down; then about halfway, it falls off and drags on too long. Also I was a bit dismayed with the role reversals: assuming that powerful women will act the exact same ways as powerful men. Somewhat disappointing - and totally unsure that I understood the last chapters.

Creepy, tragic and brutal. A twisted psychological detective story - I enjoyed the two lead investigators. Well done.

“All these words from the seller[s], and not one word from the sold. The Kings and Captains whose words moved ships. But not one word from the cargo.”

This book was brutal, heart-breaking, and required reading. Although far too short, it provides critical insight into African civilizations/interrelationships around the mid 1800s, Kossula‘s family/culture, and his experience of being sold by Africans to white men, and later his life post-slavery. It‘s a story that must be told-100 years too late for Kossula-but his is a critical voice. I did find the editorial afterward boring and not additive.

I absolutely loved this book - I could not put it down. Saint Teresa of Ávila is so fascinating-what a life! And the author did a masterful job of creating an engaging, immersive environment full of lifelong friendship, spiritual devotion, political intrigue and scandal, and a deep historical look at the founding of the Discalced Carmelite Order.

Good, but not great. Slow-burning; information reveal is plodding. At one point, one of the main characters reveals a possible motive, which she‘s held quiet all these years, but it seemed completely disjointed from the story. Some bits were problematic, ie my example above; other parts weren‘t clear... I think it was potentially better than her previous two books, but I still wouldn‘t put this in the category of a great thriller.