Escape Into Two Great Thrillers by Jacklyn Goldis

Book Reviews by Ariella Moon

The Main Character, by Jaclyn Goldis

 

In The Main Character, Jaclyn Goldis crafts a page-turning thriller with an unusual premise. Instead of mining her own life for inspiration, Ginevra, a mysterious reclusive author, pays people to be the main character in her novels. She extensively interviews and investigates them, digs up or creates mysteries, then fictionalizes their lives. Ginevra gifts her next main character, Rory, with a lavish, all-expenses-paid trip on the Orient Express.

 

The mere mention of the famed train ignites mystery readers’ suspicions, especially when Rory discovers Ginevra has also assembled onboard Rory’s brother Max, her close friend Caroline, and her former fiancé Nate. Soon, long held relationships slowly unravel.

 

Goldis skillfully weaves red herrings and other misdirects into the story. Will there be a murder and betrayals akin to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express?

Amazon

The Chateau, by Jaclyn Goldis

 

In The Chateau, Jaclyn Goldis creates a tense whodunit set in a grand Provence chateau, where the owner has invited her granddaughter Darcy and three of Darcy’s longtime friends for a visit.

 

Paranoia sets in when Grand-mère is brutally murdered, and each woman’s unique relationship with the victim is gradually revealed. When the police order the friends to remain at the chateau during the investigation, long-simmering grievances, jealousies, and possible motives bubble to the surface.

 

Goldis keeps readers engrossed and guessing as relationships fracture, the plot twists, and the chateau itself is exposed as a silent secret-keeper.

Amazon

Happy reading!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, book-filled New Year!

Ariella Moon

 

 

I Loved Simply the Best by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Need a mental health break? Head to the library or your favorite bookstore!

Simply the Best: A Chicago Stars Novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a fun read with a colorful cast of eccentric characters, delightful dialogue, and a murder mystery with well-crafted red herrings.

 

Rory Garrett is a broke chocolatier, and a rootless failure when compared to her overachieving football star half-brother. Despite their sibling rivalry, Rory still tries to protect Clint by setting a trap to expose his avaricious girlfriend, Rory’s neighbor, Ashley.

 

Brett River, Clint’s highly successful, hyper-focused sports agent, is wary about Ashley and warns Clint she is after his money. When Ashley breaks up with Clint, the heartbroken football player blames his agent. Brett, for whom failure isn’t an option, is afraid he will lose his high-value client, especially after Brett realizes the mystery woman he hooked up with is Clint’s sister.

 

On the surface, Simply the Best is an entertaining opposites-attract romance and whodunit murder mystery. But wait for it… Susan Elizabeth Phillips has a jaw-dropping surprise waiting below the surface. Once you get it, you will happily realize she did warn you. Well played, Ms. Phillips!

 

My Writing Progress

The third book in my Two Realms Trilogy is currently with my editor.

What to write next? I am torn between writing a spin-off novella for the Two Realms, a short story for The Teen Wytche Saga, or something new! Brain overload... I may need to head back to the library to clear my head.

Happy reading!

~Ariella Moon

A Great New Mystery Novel by Lucy Foley

My September Recommended Read

AMAZON 

Book, television, and movie protagonists are a lot like real people—if I don’t initially like them, I will walk away, no matter how highly acclaimed they may be. Just such acclaim drew me to New York Times Bestseller Lucy Foley’s newest novel, THE PARIS APARTMENT. But I doubted I would warm up to the main character, Jess.

 

Two things kept me reading.

 

Firstly, I remembered how some reviewers of my book, SPELL FIRE, said they were glad they stuck with the book despite their initial misgivings about the heroine, a teen desperately trying to hide her obsessive compulsive disorder and depression from her warring parents.

 

Secondly, I was raised on Agatha Christie novels and I can’t resist a challenge. (I was delighted to discover Foley had employed a subtle homage to one of Christie’s most controversial books!)

 

THE PARIS APARTMENT is not for readers who eschew stories told from multiple points of view. Though I felt the author did an excellent job creating distinct characters, an intriguing mystery, and delicious plot twists. Agatha Christie would have been proud.

 

“Mental illness has a stigma attached to it and having such a character was risky. I fell in love with her the first time she washed her hands, and the 100th. Because, like may young adult books, it was written from our Ainslie's point of view it was like peaking into someone’s diary, almost. I am all smushy inside I liked this book so much!” 

                                                                                                        ~Amazon Reviewer

AMAZON          BARNES AND NOBLE        RAKUTEN KOBO