I Read 3 Crime Thrillers in a Row

And now there's no murder I can't solve

Seriously, just hand over the badge. Why the murder mystery bender, you ask? Let’s just chalk it up to timing; a solid Book of the Month package and an early Libby delivery gifted to me all at the same time. But what really shocked me during this spur-of-the-moment read-a-thon of the same genre was that I was able to grab three books that couldn’t have been more different from each other.

First, an unfulfilling Young Adult selection (that has me seriously questioning the tastes of a few reviewers); second, a deliciously horrific page-turner; third, a frustrating (yet mildly exciting) mystery about a wedding gone wrong. So, how did my crime thriller book binge go?

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

This is a story about how one gets exactly what one asks for.

Looking for a young adult crime story with an easy-to-follow plot led by a 16-year-old wannabe detective and her quirky group of friends? Ask and you shall receive. But don’t expect Agatha Christie–level intrigue, despite what The New York Times says…and Kirkus Reviews… Yeah, a lot of the reviews highlighted on Johnson’s website are pretty generous, in my humble, non-published, has-no-right-to-judge opinion.

Proof?

Take, for instance, the words of John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars. He says Truly Devious is “an intricately plotted, compulsively readable novel.” This gives me pause. No, sir. Your novel is intricately plotted and compulsively readable. This one is pretty basic, and to be fair, that’s exactly what I expected. This was my breezy mystery pick, a quick read and entertaining despite the fact that I could guess a few of the twists and turns from a mile away—and that’s NOT because it’s YA. Many discount the genre as unchallenging or simply not up to par with normal writing standards. That’s bullshit. Truly Devious’s protagonist is an insecure teenager with a borderline unhealthy obsession with snooping. I expected to fly through it because I presumed I wouldn’t find the complexity of an adult crime story. It was fun, but I’m certainly not hyping it up as the next Sherlock.

Speaking of Sherlock…

My main issue with this book is that I’m about 98.5% sure I hated every character. The narrative is told through the eyes of Stevie, who is starting her first semester at a ritzy boarding school for special kids (“special” as in smart, not mutants). Her fellow classmates are made up of famous YouTubers, prodigy novelists, nosy journalists, tech whizzes, yada yada. That should be the setup for a colorful cast of interesting characters, but no one is fleshed out particularly well. However, I appreciated the no-holds-barred approach to Stevie’s experiences with anxiety. This is always something in the back of her mind and it was interesting to see how her fear of anxiety attacks drove her decisions.

What about this super-cool boarding school?

A really rich dude named Albert Ellingham opened up a school for talented youngsters in the ’30s. During that time a student was killed on campus, and Ellingham’s wife and child were kidnapped. All that was left behind was a riddle signed by the pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” I assumed this was a sinister dig at Ellingham because we learn early on that he is a big fan of games, but the theme of riddles and clues is barely present throughout the story. Overall, it sorely lacked in misdirects and suspicion for a thriller. (Imagine my confusion when reading the Chicago Tribune‘s blurb, “every passage seems rife with potential suspects and clues.” Listing students and waiting until the last couple of chapters to provide legitimate suspense isn’t good enough. Sorry.)

Any pros?

For sure. I enjoyed the flashbacks of Ellingham dealing with the kidnapping of his family. They offered different perspectives on two murders happening decades apart. It was a very cool idea, but the execution wasn’t there. I’m hoping the second book will hype up the action and sleuthing, especially since this first one ends with a fun little twist.

The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup

If you think reading a bloody novel doesn’t have the same effect as watching a bloody movie, try telling that to my nightmares—and gag reflex. After a tame YA mystery, I really amped up the thrills with this one. It was just what I needed to remind myself how exciting a well-done crime novel can be.

Was it scary?

I didn’t have to turn my nightlight on if that’s what you’re asking. I was more disturbed by how fucked up the murders/murderers were, as well as, the constant cases of sexual and domestic abuse. If those topics are triggers for you, don’t pick this one up.

Who is the Chestnut Man?

My lips are sealed. All I’ll say is that it’s the moniker for the twisted killer our main characters, Detectives Thulin and Hess, need to figure out. Thulin is young and super skilled, but she doesn’t feel challenged while working in Copenhagen’s Major Crimes Division. (Girl, just you wait.) Hess has been transferred from the Hague to the Netherlands, a move—which is made very clear from the beginning—that was not his choice. Despite their differing work ethics, the two have to learn how to work with each other in the midst of a killer’s rampage through their city. Their relationship was a fun one to follow, mostly because its progression from beginning to end was realistic and worked well with the plot. Søren Sveistrup is able to develop their partnership and eventual friendship in an organic way, even while they deal with some harrowing events.

How harrowing are we talking?

Mutilated bodies. Kidnappers. Child pornography. We’re dealing with some sick shit here. At every crime scene, the killer leaves behind a handmade chestnut doll. The first doll our two detectives find has the fingerprint of a girl who had gone missing over a year ago and has since been presumed dead. So now you have fresh bodies connected to a year-old murder, not to mention the family of the murdered who has to deal with the loss of their child all over again.

This doesn’t sound enjoyable.

Truthfully, you won’t have time to get depressed over the heavy subject matter because you’ll be too distracted by action, various POV changes, and exciting misdirects. Sveistrup really knows what he’s doing. Every time I thought I had a solid theory brewing, I was proved entirely wrong by the time I got to the next page. The short chapters also benefited the overall pacing. I felt like I was part of the investigation. And as for whodunnit? …Did not see that coming.

Plot twist!

The only thing more twisted than our serial killer was how this author spoke about women. I’m an understanding reader when it comes to unlikeable characters; I can live with a misogynistic prick with an interesting story arc, but not an asshole for the sake of being an asshole. Sveistrup must have been in the middle of one hell of a break-up during final revisions because the male-chauvinism meter blew through the roof by the time I reached the end.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

As a former maid of honor who recently helped her sister prepare for her wedding (and will resume her duties this summer for a second sibling wedding), this one spiked my anxiety. Thankfully, I don’t have to deal with destination weddings, or TV stars brother-in-laws, or guests who have attended a boarding school—all of which are key details that bring about utter disaster in Lucy Foley’s latest novel.

This was a fun, easy, and fast read. It’s about a wedding on a remote island in Ireland that ends with a murder—and almost everyone is a suspect. The killer and the killed are actually kept hidden until the very end of the book, but Foley does a good job building the mystery by using her chapters to swap between the night of the murder and the day before. Prepare for a lot of POV changes, but none are difficult to follow. It will definitely satisfy anyone’s cravings for revenge plots, satisfying comeuppances, and secrets.

Who’s got a secret?

More like who doesn’t have a secret? We follow a total of six different perspectives throughout the novel and each one of them is dealing with some serious shit. Jules, the bride with daddy’s-an-asshole issues. Olivia, half-sister to the bride who doesn’t deal with break-ups well. Johnno, Best Man to the groom haunted by a big childhood mistake. Will, the egotistical groom, and rising star. And Hannah, a mom looking for a weekend away from the kids, but instead gets to watch her husband clearly flirt with his best friend (the bride, of course). You will not get bored…

I sense a “but” coming…

…BUT, as fun as it is to follow one walking catastrophe after another, you’re going to hate them all. And no, not “love” to hate. Actual hate. You will not find a single redeeming quality in a single character. Foley’s writing style works well when building suspense, but her characters are one-note and surface level, which is no bueno when you’re dealing with a plot that is 90% character-driven. Also, everyone is straight-up mean to each other, so much so that it was actually distracting. The groomsmen displayed typical frat boy behavior during every conversation or exchange, so I basically just read them all as one character since there was barely any effort to differentiate them from one another. Jules is a successful magazine publisher and a badass. I should have loved her, but her entire personality was completely overshadowed by this overdone bitchy bridezilla attitude. Also, Hannah’s husband is just the worst. I can’t even explain further because he doesn’t deserve any more of my typing time.

Breathe… What does deserve your typing time?

A couple cool twists, I guess. A little more than halfway through a couple of storylines start to connect in unexpected ways. And once that tea is spilled, we get to know who these people really are. Honestly, that’s pretty much it. The pacing made it easy to get through, and the ending was creative, but overall this was just okay. There were too many missed opportunities to expand on certain narratives, and most of the misdirects were predictable.