Caroline Mitchell

The Islanders by Caroline Mitchell

Darkly disturbing and filled with dysfunctional characters ~ thought provoking and not exactly what I was expecting. I came away wondering if any of the characters were or could ever be truly happy…I hoped at the end that perhaps some might find their way to being content, though, at some point in the future.

In some ways this reminded me of a gothic romance but without the romance. The setting was dark and filled with secrets that one by one were exposed only to reveal more disturbing issues from the past. More than one person was not what was implied, and many had behaved questionably and even criminally. The psychological issues being dealt with were more than a handful. I had trouble relating to any of the characters. At times I wanted to reach into the story and give more than one character a talking to, or warn them, or ask them how they could justify what they were doing.

This is a book I will think about and one that might revisit me unexpectedly, but it is not one I would be likely to reread. It is told by four people: the islander who feels that the island and its inhabitants must stay as it is and will do anything to keep it so; Mary who was the mother of three children and drowned with her husband and others in a storm twenty years before this book begins; Daniel who grew up on the island and is returning with his family though he dreads going back; and Claire who is dealing with issues that are deep and heavy and has not worked as a pediatrician for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (altro)

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Witness: A gripping psychological thriller with a surprising twist

I personally liked this book though I can see why some rated it rather low. From the opening line this book had me hooked and it was a page-turner for me. This is a story of physical and mental abuse to a young woman named Rebecca. Yes, at times I wanted to throttle Rebecca and wake her up but I thought her decisions were correct for the book. Solomon and Rebecca had me glued to the pages during their depraved little games. The story is twisty, warped and disturbing which makes for a good psychological thriller. Yes, it is fiction so I guess I gave some of it a bit of latitude. It was well written and kept my attention I can see myself reading more from this author just to see if the pace and reading style remains fast paced and well written. Four stars for sure.… (altro)

I really enjoyed this book. I have learned that kindle unlimited has a few thrillers that are really good. Where some people do not enjoy the chapters written from different character's perspective (and in this case time periods), I have read many books where this is the case. When not many characters are involved in the story line, I think this form of writing provides the reader with all the facts and perspectives of the story line from multiple characters' point-of-view.
In this story, the reader goes back and forth between the characters in their past and present predicaments, providing a fuller story of the characters' lives.
I read this story in a few days because I couldn't put it down. Where you sort of know the direction of the plot, you still are left wondering and hanging on. It was very well written and believable. This could and probably has happened to people in real life. There isn't once where you are thinking, "this would never happen like this.". Where most people might see spelling errors or wrong usage of words, the reader must realize it is written over in Europe. It does not take away from the story. Readers are not here to judge spelling errors but to be engrossed in the story. I don’t think the errors took away from the story at all.
It is very sad to think that this kind of crime happens with both male and female adults and students, and that lives can be turned upside down with lies and betrayal.
Again, this was a very good story that was well written and had believable characters and story line. I look forward to reading more books by this author. If you are looking for a thriller to give a new chance to this one is worth it.
… (altro)

Well, Caroline Mitchell did it again! After reading her first Jennifer Knight novel, Don't Turn Around (find my review here), I couldn't resist reading her second book. But still, I was slightly worried that it wouldn't quite live up to the first one. And I am happy to report that I worried for nothing. Time to Die was just as good as the first one, if not even more!

I LOVED the way the mystery was spun. I seriously thought I had it all figured out... until I realised I hadn't. I really enjoyed being in the mind of killer and seeing things from his point of view, even though a few elements in this bit of the story left me slightly confused at times. But the pace was so quick, I found myself wanting to read more and more, turning the pages non-stop simply because I had to know what would happen!

In this book I also felt a much deeper connection with Jennifer, which was a bit lacking in the previous book. She is a deeply complex woman, still battling the demons of her past. She knows life can be tough and she's still learning how to let go and be happy. And I love her for it! She's smart, driven and seriously badass, but at the same time she's vulnerable and scared and working her way through it. And her and Will are SO GOOD together! I seriously ship these two so much, words can't express this.

The secondary characters were also pretty enjoyable, even though I found them to have slightly less space than in the previous book. In particular, I was sorry to see so little of Jennifer's nephew, since their bond was one of my favourite things about Don't Turn Around. But I hope this will be explored more in the next books, there was definitely a basis for it!

Overall, I really enjoyed Time to Die. I will definitely be looking out for the next book in this series, and I can't wait to see what next adventures will be in store for Jennifer Knight!… (altro)