Hello Friends and welcome back to the blog.  Today is Day #29 in the 31 Days of Halloween series, and I’m reviewing what I’ve read this month.

Today I’m (finally) doing a few book reviews for October.  I got really behind on my NetGalley list and just focused on my Good Reads list, which I’ve nearly completed.  After 2 years of falling short on my challenge goals … 2020 will be the year that I’ve read every book on my list with some wiggle room for one more.

So here are my reviews, current reads, and future reads. 

Completed … Mexican Gothic

Author| Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Pages| 320

Genre| YA, Fantasy

GR Rating | 4.15

Available on | Amazon, Albris, Library, Audiobooks, Kindle

Synopsis | After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

My Review | 3.5

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this Good Reads author. This was the one book that was highly anticipated, and I couldn’t wait to read it. It started off a little slow for me and then began to pick up. I tried to figure out where the story was going as I’ve read so many reviews about this book.

It tops Good Reads lists in the horror, Halloween, and everything scary. While I didn’t find the book scary it was quite intriguing. It didn’t really start for me until Chapter 17, and let’s just say there is a reason why the family has been around for generations.

This book is set in Mexico 1950 about Noemí a spoiled socialite used to the attention of young men, parties, and everything this lifestyle has afforded her … receives a letter from her sick cousin in need.

Upon entering the house, Noemí knew something was wrong. She begins to have strange, horrific dreams waking in the confusion of the night. Little by little you learn of the coldness and of the home of her cousin’s extended family and their strange family customs. Noemi wonders why they won’t let her tend to her cousin and still something was off. Was the house haunted? Does it have a soul … you’ll just have to read this one for yourself.

Completed … Halloween Party (A Hercule Poirot Mystery)

Author| Agatha Christie

Pages| 272

Genre| Mystery, Crime

GR Rating | 3.67

Available | Amazon, Albris, Library, Audiobook, Kindle

Synopsis | Joyce—a hostile thirteen-year-old—boasts that she once witnessed a murder, but no one believes her. Within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub. That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the ‘evil presence’. But first, he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer.

My Review | 4 stars

Ok so I’m biased when it comes to Poirot, but I love this classic mystery novel.  As you try to follow along with Poirot … challenging, and questioning who did what you really fall into this quick read.

Did Joyce really witness a murder or was she just trying to impress Ariadne Oliver who was a famous crime novel writer also attending the Halloween party?  Someone thought Joyce was telling the truth as she would be found later that evening drowned in a tub of apples.

I was completely wrong about who the murderer was but I was close, as more characters would succumb to the killer as he or she covers their tracks.  It all seems confusing as suspects don’t understand Poirot’s line of questioning, or why certain aspects of the case are important. But it’s also typical that Poirot asks questions that don’t seem to be important, but all have a purpose.

In classic Poirot fashion, he already suspects what’s happening and comes to the conclusion quickly gathering all the clues to reveal the killer.  I know this review is vague but there’s no way of telling more without giving the entire book away.  Now you’ll just have to read it. LOL.

Currently Reading … The Shadows, A Novel

Author| Alex North

Pages| 376

Genre| Horror, Thriller, Mystery

GR Rating | 3.67

Available | Amazon, Alibris, Library, Audiobook, Kindle, Googleplay

Synopsis | You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile–always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet–and inspired more than one copycat.

So Far…

I’m 50% in and … WOW! So far, the right amount of creep, the right amount of horror, and everything in between.  Mind you my horror meter is on 90% for about how much of it I can take it in print, but dreams play an important factor in what’s happening.  This review will be coming in November … stay tuned.

With that, I’ll end Day #29 in this series.  Check out Audiobooks and get your first month free with 2 book credits   Don’t forget to subscribe and like this post, thanks again for stopping by and …  — Happy Halloween —

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