Author: Agatha Christie
Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine… Somehow, this was the first time I’d ever read an Agatha Christie book despite her being the most sold author of all time (behind the Bible). And Then There Were None is an intriguing murder mystery following ten complete strangers who are all invited/ maneuvered onto Soldier Island by a mysterious Mr. & Mrs. Owen. Once there, people start dying in strange manners, and it’s up to the guests to uncover why before it’s too late. Excellent writing & suspense, I loved weaving the characters’ backstories together, and didn't see the twist coming. One little soldier boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none…
Author: Seraphina Nova Glass
On a Quiet Street is a classic psychological thriller that starts off on a slow burn and continuously ratchets it up until the climax. In the sleepy, picturesque, gated community of Brighton Hills, Oregon, not everything is as it seems on the surface. The death of a son, unresolved a year later, an unconfirmed affair (or several), a lovely young mom who never leaves her home. The stories and threads of the Brighton Hills neighbors interweave in incredibly creative ways; there are many twists (I saw none of them coming), and by the end, my heart was pounding with stress and anxiety. Really enjoyed this one, and it was fun, fast, and flirty to read.
Author: Patrick Radden Keefe
Longtime readers will remember Patrick Radden Keefe from Say Nothing (one of my favorite books from 2020). This time, he’s turned his journalistic eye on the Sackler family, the mysterious philanthropist owners of Purdue Pharma, and one of the biggest contributors to the opioid epidemic that ravaged (and still continues) the United States. Keefe methodically brings the secretive family into the light, painting a very incriminating picture of their role in pushing the highly addictive OxyContin on an unsuspecting and unprepared country, and their subsequent lack of accountability for the fallout. Really well done, but unfortunately, this story doesn’t have a happy ending, and spoiler, the bad guys kinda get away with it. Money talks.
Author: Agatha Christie
Famed detective Hercule Poirot is traveling back to London from Aleppo on the Orient Express when the train is stuck in a snowstorm in the Balkans, and disaster strikes. A passenger murdered in the night; the murderer likely hiding amongst the other passengers. Can Poirot live up to his reputation and solve the crime before arriving in Italy? Compared to And Then There Were None, which I read immediately beforehand, this one started much slower, was a bit dry in the first half, and was very snooty in an old-school European sense. That being said, the story really came into its own in the back half, and while the mystery is a bit more predictable, I still appreciated the climax and ending. That being said, this one did feel somewhat like discount Sherlock Holmes, who will always be my GOAT, iykyk.
Author: Orson Scott Card
Okay, now this is more like it. Ender’s Game is the closest thing to Red Rising I’ve seen since finishing that series, and I loved it. Dystopian future where Earth has been attacked twice by alien insects (buggers), and the only hope of stopping our species’s demise in a third war rests on the shoulders of Ender Wiggins, a six-year-old genius who is sent to Battle School, in space, to train to become the saviour of the human race. I’m quite proud that I 200% nailed the twist at the end, but even so, the payout was gratifying. I’m docking it a star because there’s a weird side plot with Ender’s siblings (who are equally as smart), trying to take over the world back at Earth through online message board posting via pseudonyms, and I think the actual ending could have been cut, as it took away a little from the rest of the book. Still a great read.
Author: Agatha Christie