#HiddenPictures – Rosepoint Publishing

Still continuing with wet and wild weather, currently in a cool to cold pattern. We always get this setback going into Spring, but it’s annoying when you want to start the gardens. As if I didn’t already have enough, I’ve started a small water garden—really just a 26” bowl—should be deeper but couldn’t find one. At 26” though, I should be able to have a couple water lilies and an iris or two along with the free floaters. Preparing the water takes more time than expected. Once again, a big learning curve! I mentioned last month we were taking down the old tree in front of the kitchen window. This will fill in that void. (Too cold for the plants.)

water bowl with a couple baby plants

Still going to our YMCA three times a week for exercise and to mark our insurance calendar. The Y continues to invent activities for us seniors—gotta keep us busy, I guess, but the cooking class was fun and now supplies me with fresh veggies once a month for several months, Bingo, a painting class for the CE, and my book club, of course. Hard to get our reading done, though, there are many opportunities for listening!

The CE and I read or listened to a total of fourteen books in April. As always, the major source of our books is the library (audiobooks and ebooks). (We still obtain ARCs from NetGalley (though not as often) and author and publisher requests.) The links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase information.

Iron Curtain by Russ Stone (CE review)
Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood
Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan
Fool by Mary Lawrence (5*)
Midnight Patriots by Paul Levine (CE review-NG-5*)
And Now, Back to You by B K Borison

Audiobooks

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams
The Last Word by Taylor Adams
Free Ride by Noraly Schoemaker
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Favorite Book of the Month

Both the CE and I each had one five-star read in April, but I happen to know he felt a bit of slowing in the middle of his book. Therefore, the favorite book for April and my only five-star review is:

Favorite for April – Fool by Mary Lawrence

My Reading Challenges page…I keep hoping to catch up. My Goodreads count is still off, and the landing page shows 53 of a challenge of 175 with one book owing a review from April and four books behind schedule. Oops.

To all my dear readers and fellow bloggers, thank you so much for taking the time to check out my posts and reviews. I’m trying to up my bloghopping and hope to see yours soon.

overloaded desk

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Winner for Readers’ Favorite Horror (2022)

Book Blurb:

2022 Goodreads Choice Awards, Winner
2022 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, Long-listed
2022 Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, Long-listed
2022 Chapters Indigo Best of the Year, Long-listed

Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.

Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

My Review:

Ah, gee, this is one of those books that start out whiz-bang and then halfway to two-thirds in goes off the rail.

Mallory isn’t long out of rehab when she lands a nanny job for a five-year-old. For her a dream job; her own little space, freedom, and she bonds with the boy, Teddy, no prob.

The parents were extremely specific on rules, and they had rules for everything, but it worked until Teddy started drawing details of a murder well beyond the ability of his years.

Gleaning the house history from new friends in the area, she begins to put together a lot of pieces that spell a story that’s hard to believe. When she broaches the subject to the parents, they dispute everything, deny everything, and intentionally misdirect her.

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak — Hidden Pictures – UK cover

Mallory isn’t stupid (or maybe she is?), but there are so many problems with the idea that a nanny wouldn’t know the child better than she did to be surprised by the big twist. And the parents are further out than I thought—though something was off from the beginning—but Mallory was luxuriating in her circumstances and didn’t really think about the big picture for a while.

It just starts getting nutsy after that. Twists. Twists that add confusion. Twists that are just added to add twists(?).

It’s a fast-paced narrative, but after a while with one outrageous scene heaped on the last, it just gets too far over the top; only so much suspending of disbelief. Also, not a fan of a long-winded denouement.

This one starts out as a mild thriller then dissolves into a wild babblethon. If you enjoy reading this author and a suspense that goes awry, you may find this one compelling. I just couldn’t get past a few of the suppositions.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Paranormal Suspense, Murder Thrillers, Horror Literature & Fiction
Publisher:
Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Suzy Jackson
Release Date: May 10, 2022

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jason Rekulak is the author of HIDDEN PICTURES (winner of a Goodreads Choice Award), THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTRESS (an Edgar Award finalist) and THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING (winner of the ITW Award for Best Thriller). His new suspense novel LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN pounces into bookstores on October 13, 2026. His novels have been translated into 40+ languages. He lives with his family in Philadelphia.