GONE GIRL

by Gillian Flynn

What an amazing ride... twists, turns, surprises, revenge, thrilling, it's got the lot. An interesting psychological thriller that had me right into the night. The first half is told through the two characters, Nick & Amy, who are about to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary. Nick returns home to find Amy missing. There are signs of a struggle and blood has been spilt and cleaned up... all the evidence is pointing to Nick.

This thriller is told in alternating voices between the two... Nicks from the day Amy goes missing, Amy's from her diary entries from 2005 onwards. The two have very conflicting views of their marriage and this builds the suspense.

The second part reveals more and more and is certainly more graphic, using a lot of bad language and graphic details, which I found was over the top and unnecessary, although it was probably portraying the change in personality. The final chapters had me 'oohing' and 'ahhing' as the final twists in the plot came together. When I shut the book... I was exhausted!

GIRL STOLEN

by April Henry

(I know ... the cover is similar to Extremely loud and incredibly close)

This was a really exciting read. Cheyenne is a young 16 yr old girl who is suffering from pneumonia and waiting in the back seat of her step mother's car, when it is stolen. Situation bad enough.... worse when you are blind!

Cheyenne must try to stay calm and use all her senses to help her gain valuable information and clues to aid her escape. Although Griffin, the man who stole the car, didn't know she was there when he broke into the car and drove off, he did have opportunity to return her to where he found her, but his fear of his father's ridicule of not being able to even steal a car properly, causes Griffin to panic. Once they find out Cheyenne's father is a wealthy business man they decide to blackmail him for a ransom for his daughter's safe return.

This is a book that will have you on edge of your seat. You feel for Cheyenne and wonder how she will break free of their grip. She is very clever and extremely brave throughout the story. A great read.

DARK EYES

by William Richter


Fabulous book, great story, fast paced, a few twists and something a little different for a YA fiction.


Wally was adopted from a Russian orphanage as a young girl by a wealthy American family however during her teenage years she rebels and we find her living on the streets after a fall out with her mother. 


Wally has so many questions about her real mother and father and the reason she was living in an orphanage.  When she is unexpectantly handed a parcel which contains some of her Russian mother's personal items and a letter for Wally, she sets out to find her mother if she is still alive. 


When one of her friends is murdered mysteriously, her life becomes very complicated.  Her Russian father, Klesko, starts following her and her friends and soon they become hunted by this trained killer, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Great story that will keep you guessing right to the end.

DIVINE JUSTICE

by David Baldacci


Baldacci is always an exciting read. A real page turner with sleepless nights to get to the end. John Carr (alias Oliver Stone) who was once a decorated soldier and member of 'the Camel Club'  has killed two very important people and is wanted by the US government. This of course leads to a massive manhunt, ending in a coal mining town of Divine, Virginia.


John Knox who is leading the chase for Stone soon learns there are hidden agendas within the hierarchy of the government and maybe the hunted may not be as bad as his superiors make out.


With lots of twists and turns, murders, explosions... the works! This book will keep you reading... chapter, after chapter, after chapter (there's usually around 100 of them)!!!

THE INDUSTRY

by Rose Foster

This was a great read and something a bit different... no vampires in sight! The story starts with Kirra Hayward a 16yr old student who is smart and excels in Maths & Science. Unfortunately she doesn't have any real friends. 


She is given a task in her maths class to create a puzzle and when she goes online she discovers an unusual decrypting puzzle. She doesn't know who has put it there or what it means but when the numbers jump out at ther clearly, she decides to fill in the code and press send.


That is when her life changes forever. Shortly after completing the code she feels she is being watched and then she is kidnapped and taken from her family half way across the world. She finds out her ability to solve the puzzle has landed her in this bizarre situation where she is tortured and put in a freezing cell and made to solve other codes. She learns she is one of only three others in the world that can break these important security codes.

Kirra has no idea if she will ever see her family again and doesn't know who she can trust. The plot thickens when another prisoner, a boy named Milo, is thrown into her cell and he seems to be able to break codes like her.

This is a fantastic story, the first in a trilogy by this young debut author who grew up in Melb. and studies creative writing at RMIT. 

THE KITE IDENTITY 3: Everyone Lies

by Harry Edge

Even though I hadn't read the first two books in this series I caught on quickly to the story and the characters. I liked this story even though it was aimed at Young Adults. It was fast paced, exciting and full of suspense right until the end.  As the characters travelled from country to country you were kept in touch with what was happening in each place and with each character, which built the suspense. 


Luke believes his father is still alive, although he has been reported to have died in a helicopter crash, and he and his sister are now sole heirs to their father's fortune and company, Kite Industries. Is Luke's Uncle a villain and a murderer? Has he sent an assassin to kill his sister? I tell you there is romance, suspense, murder and deceit in this book. You'll want to read the whole series I'm sure.