Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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A good entry point, but less good continuation

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

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Hal Westaway is working as a tarot reader on the West Pier in Brighton Beach, doing what she can to scrape by. But just because it’s winter and off-season doesn’t mean the loan shark she borrowed a paltry sum from a few months ago stops sending notices. So when she gets a letter informing her of her grandmother’s death and her place in the will, Hal has a choice to make. Of course, she knows that her grandparents have been dead for years, and the […]

maybe THIS is what Quibi was supposed to be?

Snow Flakes by Ruth Ware

Treasure by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Slow Burner by Laura Lippman

Buried by Jeffrey Deaver

The Gift by Alison Gaylin

Let Her Be by Lisa Unger

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These little collections are great in a very specific way; the stories are quick, unique from each other, and can be accessed through both the Kindle and Audible. If I have just a few minutes to listen while doing chores, I can pop in and out without needed to re-immerse myself in something long and complicated! If I have a long line at the Post Office, I can stand and read the majority of a story while I wait. Low impact, low commitment, and decent […]

The Girl on the Boat

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

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I have been seeing this one all over the place but hadn’t really been interested as it seemed like a The Girl on the Train knockoff.  Although it has shades of Girl on the Train, I was pleasantly surprised. We meet our heroine, Lauren ‘Lo’ Blacklock, as she is being burgled in her London flat- she comes face to face with the thief who then locks her in her bedroom while he completes his crime and escapes.  Although she is thankful to have not been […]

Cannonball!

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

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I had an odd experience reading this book; the plot is just similar enough to Knives Out that I had a weird superimposition of the setting. Despite this being set in the United Kingdom, as soon as they set foot in Mrs. Westaway’s house, I just immediately pictured the home in Knives Out. I picked this because I wanted a light read, and apparently my brain just went on autopilot. Anyway, we find our heroine Harriet – called Hal (I like Ware well enough, but […]

Deja Vu

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

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Reading Ruth Ware’s debut novel, I had a creeping sensation of unease. Which, you know, makes sense in a whodunnit where we’re trying to establish who’s responsible for the murder committed on a weekend away in the woods. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the deja vu of realizing you’ve read something VERY similar.  I don’t think that Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party rises to the level of plagiarism, but there are some striking resemblances. Sure, any mystery is going to […]

3 Star Thrillers

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

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(3 stars) An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena This was probably two and a half stars, but I’m rounding up. The story was decent but pretty predictable. An Unwanted Guest takes place in a small family-run inn on a night when the weather is so bad that all the guests are trapped inside. They lose power and the roads are unpassable. Unfortunately, that’s right around when people start dying. First, the beautiful engaged woman falls down the stairs. Everyone suspects her fiance until an author […]



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