The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey (Guest Review)

Title: The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes

Author: Marcus Sakey

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Format: Review Copy

Michelle's Two Cents:

I am a big fan of Marcus Sakey so when the opportunity came up to take a peak at his latest thriller, I said yes. However, I had already read The Amateurs by him for my Mystery Challenge. Not that I didn't or don't want to read this one, I really wanted to focus on reading different authors for my challenge before the year was up. That is where my good friend and fellow mystery lover, Cheryl, came in. I knew she would like him a lot so I asked if she would be willing to give it a shot and review. Luckily she said yes!!! So here you have it folks, Cheryl is back ready to tell us what she thought of this new thriller.

Description from book jacket:

A Man wakes naked and cold, half-drowned on an abandoned beach.

The only sign of life for miles is an empty BMW. Inside the expensive car he finds clothes that fit perfectly, shoes for his tattered feet, a Rolex, and an auto registration in the name of Daniel Hayes, resident of Malibu, California.

None of it is familiar.

How did he get here? Who is he? Who was he? While he searches for answers, the world searches for him-beginning with the cops that kick in the door of his dingy motel with guns drawn. Lost and alone, the man who might be Daniel Hayes flees into the night.

All he remembers is a woman's face, so he sets off for the only place he might find her. The fantasy of her becomes his home, his world, his hope. And maybe, just maybe, the way back to himself.

But that raises the most chilling questions of all: What will he find when he gets there?

Cheryl's review:

When Michelle asked me to review this book, I had no idea it was about one of my favorite premises-

someone with amnesia on the run.

LIke See Jane Run by Joy Fielding and Masquerade by Gail Lynds, The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes grips you from the beginning. I can't imagine what it would be like to awaken in a desperate situation without any idea of who you are.

After waking on the beach, the man who thinks himself to be Daniel Hayes goes on a desperate quest to find out who he really is and why he found himself not in Malibu but on a beach in Maine. He goes to a hotel room and somehow knows to turn on a television show where he is drawn to the main character, Emily Sweet. But how and why?

Without knowing who he is, he doesn't know who to trust. The police are after him, but so are others for reasons he does not know. Bit by bit, pieces of his memory return but as they do, more

questions are raised about who he is and what happened. Upon his return to California, he finds some things are in his memory-such as what route to take through Malibu - yet his complete life remains out of his grasp.

Is he really Daniel Hayes? Who is Emily Sweet and why does he obsess about her? And what happened to make him drive across the country? Most of all, what tragedy caused him to lose his memory in the first place?

Sakey weaves a good thriller. Though there were a few things I figured out before they happened, it mostly kept me guessing the whole time and the end had twists I did not see coming.

His writing style is similar to Harlan Coben and though he's not quite as refined as Coben, he will be.

He keeps the pace fast and when a question is answered, he continually adds unexpected layers to the story and characters to keep the story moving. I read the book in only a few days and it made me want to read his other books.

Thanks Cheryl!

Author Website:

Marcus Sakey

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon (review #127)

Title: Don't Breath a Word

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Publisher: Harper

Genre: Fiction

Format: Review Copy

"Are you one of the chosen?"

I was pretty jazzed about reading this new novel by Jennifer McMahon. Though I didn't love her last book Dismantled, I did sense she was a strong writer and was curious about a new twisted tale by her. Don't Breathe a Word is such a mixture of genres. It is written as a strong novel but you get the twists and turns of a thriller with a splash of metaphysical, that almost lands it in the magical realism box. Overall, it was unlike anything I've ever read and it kept me pushing on to see what would happen.

In Dismantled I had a huge issue with the characters. Honestly, I didn't give two you-know-whats about them. In Don't Breathe a Word, I cared a bit more about what happened to these characters, mainly because it went back and forth in time and portrayed

them as vulnerable children.

Here is a brief description from the publisher's website:

On a soft summer night in Vermont, twelve-year-old Lisa went into the woods behind her house and never came out again. Before she disappeared, she told her little brother, Sam, about a door that led to a magical place where she would meet the King of the Fairies and become his queen.

Fifteen years later, Phoebe is in love with Sam, a practical, sensible man who doesn’t fear the dark and doesn’t have bad dreams—who, in fact, helps Phoebe ignore her own. But suddenly the couple is faced with a series of eerie, unexplained occurrences that challenge Sam’s hardheaded, realistic view of the world. As they question their reality, a terrible promise Sam made years ago is revealed—a promise that could destroy them all.

I read this in mid May right before I left for NYC so the fine details are a bit hazy but I know that I found it to be a page turner. The back and forth in time between the characters was not jarring to me. It brought the present and past together quite nicely. I was a little bothered with the magical aspect a bit because I didn't quite know what was reality or not. I'm not opposed to a little metaphysical action but if I'm not prepared for it, it throws me off a bit.

Rating: 4/6

I would recommend this to fans of Carol Goodman or Donna Tartt. McMahon has an edge to her writing and obviously has a love for a good ghost story. Spooky and a bit dark, this would be a better read for a dark October night, rather than a beach read. I've heard excellent things about her older novels, Island of Lost Girls and Promise Not to Tell. I'm intrigued with her writing enough to continue reading her. Her story lines are fresh and different and I like that.

Author Website:

Jennifer McMahon

Twitter @jennifermcmahon

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Darling Jim by Christian Moerk (review #121)

Darling Jim by Christian Moerk

Publisher: Henry Holt

Genre: Fiction

Description from publisher's website:

Fiona Walsh thought her family’s secrets would follow her to her grave, but when her diary is found by a young postman, Niall, the truth about her untimely demise—and that of her sister and aunt—begins to see the light of day. It’s the most tragic love story he’s ever heard.

Niall soon becomes enveloped by the mystery surrounding Jim—an itinerant storyteller who traveled through Ireland enrapturing audiences and wooing women with his macabre mythic sagas—though a trail of murder followed him wherever he went. The Walsh sisters, fiercely loyal to each other, were not immune to “darling” Jim’s powers of seduction, but found themselves in harm’s way when they began to uncover his treacherous past. Niall must now continue his dangerous hunt for the truth—and for the vanished third sister—while there’s still time.

And in the woods, the wolves from Jim’s stories begin to gather.

What a treat this book was. Thank you to my friend Cheryl for recommending it to me and then sending me her copy to read! This book has been out for a few years now and is available in paperback in most stores. The cover sets the mood quite well. It is a dark and moody and psychologically thrilling novel.

This book starts off with a bang, a suspense built so well that I could not put it down. The postman find the Walsh sisters and their aunt dead in their home obviously showing signs of murder. You want to know why. Why were the sisters locked up, one in a room, one in the basement and another in the crawlspace? What was the Aunt's motivation?

Was she indeed the killer?

From there the book doesn't stop. Another postman from a nearby town finds Fiona's journal in his dropbox. Her story is written at the end of her life, held captive by her aunt. Desparate and frantic, she pleads with the reader to listen to her story. And boy what I story it is.

Fiona is a school teacher, older sister to twins, Roisin and Aloife. On a bike ride to work one morning she comes across a stranger on the side of the road fixing his bike. Immediately drawn to him in a way she has never been to another, "Darling" Jim enters their lives.

He is charismatic, handsome and easily seduces most of the women in town, including their Aunt Moira. But after his relations with her, Fiona discovers his truth. He is also a murderer, preying on women, seducing them while his partner steals from them.

I've tried to write this review a few times over the last week. I finished it over a week ago and I just can't put in words how much I liked it. It had just about everything I love about a literary thriller in it. It had a beginning that sucked you in and a suspense that pulsed throughout the whole book. Who was this Jim? Why were his powers over women so...powerful? Why did no one believe Fiona and her sisters in how awful he was? And what really happened to them?

Review: 6/6

I would give this my highest rating. Sorry it is a short review. I've been having a hard time concentrating these days and focusing on writing a review. It's starting to get nicer outside and I am gearing up for BEA. Not spending too much time reading and reviewing it seems :(

But, this one is highly recommened for fans of well written literary thrillers. Well plotted, character driven and full of suspense. I was guessing right up until the end.

Definitely an author to keep an eye on.

Author Website:

Christian Moerk

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child