Halloween Reads: ARC Review: The Killer Next Door & Friend Me

The Killer Next Door
Alex Marwood

• Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 28, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143126695
• ISBN-13: 978-0143126690
• Genre: Psychological Thriller
• Pre-Order it Here: Amazon | B & N

Synopsis: "Alex Marwood’s debut novel, The Wicked Girls, earned her lavish praise from the likes of Stephen King, Laura Lippman, and Erin Kelly, and won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original. Now Marwood’s back with a brilliant, tightly paced thriller that will keep you up at night and make you ask yourself: just how well do you know your neighbors?

Everyone who lives at 23 Beulah Grove has a secret. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be renting rooms in a dodgy old building for cash—no credit check, no lease. It’s the kind of place you end up when you you’ve run out of other options. The six residents mostly keep to themselves, but one unbearably hot summer night, a terrible accident pushes them into an uneasy alliance. What they don’t know is that one of them is a killer. He’s already chosen his next victim, and he’ll do anything to protect his secret."

M Y  T H O U G H T S

This is quite an uncomfortable read, it spooks you up and has creepy gory details. I'm usually used to reading those kind of details, but holy I didn't feel this creeped out when I read American Psycho, American Psycho was just plain disgusting with no story. The Killer Next Door is actually good thoug; a graphic novel, so beware.  The graphic section didn't creep me out as much as the killer's intimate thoughts did. Anyway, I liked this book. I liked the characters in this novel and their dark secrets and past. 

There are several characters that in a shared house. As the story progresses, you learn more about each tenant. Colette, Cher, Vesta, and the several men. Everyone is hiding deep secrets, but one's secret is the worst - she/he is the actual serial killer. I hated the landlord with passion, he was the most vile character in the novel. He reminded me of a dirty greaser waiting to pounce on you. At first, I automatically thought he was the killer - since of the way he was portrayed in the novel. He was super creepy .. enough to be a killer ? Let's see.

The Killer Next Door is a compelling novel, it's great for reading on Halloween - but be ready for massive creeps & goosebumps :) It's a good suspense novel mix with turns and plot twists. Everyone in this novel has a story, the author has a great eye for details, and you can clearly see it in the writing. You can picture and imagine the scenario that is going on.

It's a thriller that keeps you questioning until the end, it's fast paced and page turner. I'm not going to tell you if my initial thought of the landlord was right or wrong. You would have to find out for herself. This novel definitely gives you the creeps, but it actually is a good thriller. The ending was great though, I did not expect that!

This is a great read for Halloween - it's more gory than actual scary. It goes give you a sense of thrill though. I enjoyed reading this book, psychological thrillers are one of my favorite genres. It's a fast paced novel that is sure to not disappoint, it has quality and, it gradually builds up to the plot and then gives the final BOOM! :) I would rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Disclosure: The book The Killer Next Door was sent free of charge from Penguin Books in exchange for an honest review.

Friend Me

John Faubion

• Publisher: Howard Books 
• (February 4, 2014)
• ISBN-10: 1476738726
• ISBN-13: 978-1476738727
• Genre: Psychological Thriller
• Buy It here: Amazon | B & N
• Synopsis: “You’re afraid you are becoming unfaithful, aren’t you?” 

Scott and Rachel’s marriage is on the brink of disaster. Scott, a businessman with a high-pressure job, just wants Rachel to understand him and accept his flaws. Rachel is a lonely housewife, desperate for attention and friendship. So she decides to create a virtual friend online, unaware that Scott is doing the exact same thing. But neither realizes that there’s a much larger problem looming. . . . 

Behind both of their online creations is Melissa, a woman who is brilliant— and totally insane. Masquerading as both friend and lover, Melissa programmed a search parameter into the Virtual Friend Me software to find her perfect man, but along the way she forgot to specify his marriage status. And Scott is her ideal match. Now Melissa is determined to have it all—Scott, his family, and Rachel’s life.  As Melissa grows bolder and her online manipulations transition into the real world, Scott and Rachel figure out they are being played. Now it’s a race against time as Scott and Rachel fight to save their marriage, and their lives, before it’s too late."

M Y  T H O U G H T S 

This novel was recommend to me, and I had to purchase it after reading the synopsis. This is an amazing well-written novel - It has suspense, thrill, and even some psychological twist to it. Melissa is a cunning and vicious lady, she is not just obsessed but a psychopath as well. I enjoyed reading about her character, she was actually my favorite and it is clearly her story. The suspense in the novel was great! It had me over the edge of my seat the whole time, I had to finish this novel in one setting. I really enjoyed this novel, I can't believe it's a debut novel. 

This shows the downside of the virtual world, and how it can be creepy and evil. Not everyone you meet online is your friend. People think "Oh it's just online, it's not like I'm meeting them!" Actually, the virtual world talks serious trouble at times - they can easily find your I.P address and your location. They can hack into your computer, steal personal things and data. How do you now know they have been tracking you down this whole time? 

Let's say you mention you go with your friends to this cafe a lot, they can find out the nearest cafe close to you by your current location. BE AWARE.

I was quite disappointed with towards the end though - the plot and story had just actually had started to be great then .. BOOM! It goes downwards, and ta-da the end! The ending wasn't satisfying, I wish the ending could be re-written so I could have given it the five stars it could have deserves. For now, I would rate it 3.5 butterflies. It was an original concept, but I do believe the ending could have been executed well. I would have liked to see more of Scott's and Melissa's weird romance progress more and let things get deeper. 

Once again, this is a good novel for Halloween. It does not have any gory or horror details to it, but it does have a weird psychopath in it. It reminds me of the movie Obsessed, except with a more original concept. The ending could have been better, but the book itself was good though.  

Shukran for reading this! Leave your blog links in the comments & I'll be sure to check them out & follow :) Stay in tuned pretty creatures..

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” —Jorge Luis Borges 

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