Category Archives: Carol Goodman

July 9, 2021 · 12:02 am

Review: The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman

Title: The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier and Shari Lapena, comes the newest mystery thriller from New York Times bestselling author Carol Goodman—a twisty, chilling story set in a former Magdalen Laundry in Manhattan that explores today’s #MeToo complexities.

You’re never really alone

Journalist Joan Lurie has written a seething article exposing a notorious newspaper tycoon as a sexual predator. But the night it goes live, she is brutally attacked. Traumatized and suffering the effects of a concussion, she moves into a highly secure apartment in Manhattan called the Refuge, which was at one time a Magdalen Laundry. Joan should be safe here, so how can she explain the cryptic incidents that are happening?

Lillian Day is Joan’s new 96-year-old neighbor at the Refuge. In 1941, Lillian witnessed a mysterious murder that sent her into hiding at the Magdalen Laundry, and she hasn’t come out since. As she relates to Joan her harrowing story, Joan sees striking similarities to her own past.

Melissa Osgood, newly widowed and revengeful, has burning questions about her husband’s recent death. When she discovers a suspicious paper trail that he left behind, she realizes how little she knew about her marriage. But it seems Joan Lurie might be the one who has the answers.

As these three lives intersect, each woman must stay one step ahead of those who are desperate to make sure the truth is never uncovered.

Review:

The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman is a mesmerizing mystery that is quite engrossing.

Twenty-nine-year-old Joan Lurie is a style writer who is also secretly working an expose of newspaper owner, Caspar “Cass” Osgood.  When the explosive story hits the stands, Joan’s life takes an immediate turn. She is attacked in her home and  leaves her fearful of leaving her apartment. She is also experiencing lingering and sometimes debilitating aftereffects of the head injury she suffered in during the attack.

With the advance from an extremely lucrative book deal, Joan moves into the Refuge, a historic building which was at one time a Magdalen Laundry.  Feeling safe within the walls of her new apartment, she attempts to begin working on her book.  Still unable to leave her home, Joan begins exploring one of the unsubstantiated claims she learned during her investigation of Cass. Will Joan uncover the truth about this incident?

Unbeknownst to Joan, Melissa Osgood is determined to prove the allegations about her husband are not true. She is not exactly a kind woman and she is very derisive of Joan both as a person and a journalist. Melissa takes many unexpected steps in her quest for revenge but will she find the proof she is searching for?

Joan is not making much progress with her novel, so she is delighted when her elderly neighbor Lillian begins dropping by to visit. Joan is enthralled by Lillian’s stories of her life in the forties. Lillian’s life took a downward turn after her mother’s death and her brothers became involved with the local mobsters in the area. Joan strives to remain far away from the criminal enterprise but while helping her best friend, she inadvertently finds herself in an increasingly dangerous situation.

The Stranger Behind You is an absolutely captivating mystery with chapters that alternate between two distinct perspectives. The storyline is multi-layered and shines a much-needed light on high-powered men sexually preying on women in the workplace. After her assault, Joan’s fears affect her judgment and ability to make sound decisions. Lillian’s stories are positively spellbinding and very fascinating. Melissa is a snob and she is hypercritical of those she deems beneath her. The mystery surrounding who attacked Joan and why is intriguing and not easy to figure out. With unexpected twists and breathtaking turns, Carol Goodman brings this suspenseful mystery to an edge of the seat conclusion.

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Filed under Carol Goodman, Contemporary, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, The Stranger Behind You, William Morrow Paperbacks

March 1, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman

Title: The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 315 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, Shari Lapena, and Michelle Richmond comes a new thriller from the bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages—a twisty, harrowing story set at a prestigious prep school in which one woman’s carefully hidden past might destroy her future.

Tess has worked hard to keep her past buried, where it belongs. Now she’s the wife to a respected professor at an elite boarding school, where she also teaches. Her seventeen-year-old son, Rudy, whose dark moods and complicated behavior she’s long worried about, seems to be thriving: he has a lead role in the school play and a smart and ambitious girlfriend. Tess tries not to think about the mistakes she made eighteen years ago, and mostly, she succeeds.

And then one more morning she gets a text at 2:50 AM: it’s Rudy, asking for help. When Tess picks him up she finds him drenched and shivering, with a dark stain on his sweatshirt. Four hours later, Tess gets a phone call from the Haywood school headmistress: Lila Zeller, Rudy’s girlfriend, has been found dead on the beach, not far from where Tess found Rudy just hours before.

As the investigation into Lila’s death escalates, Tess finds her family attacked on all sides. What first seemed like a tragic accidental death is turning into something far more sinister, and not only is Tess’s son a suspect but her husband is a person of interest too. But Lila’s death isn’t the first blemish on Haywood’s record, and the more Tess learns about Haywood’s fabled history, the more she realizes that not all skeletons will stay safely locked in the closet.

Review:

The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman is a compelling mystery which takes place at a prep school along the Maine Coast.

Tess Henshaw is an alumni at the school where she is now an English teacher. She left the school right after graduating only to return several years later with her five year old son Rudy. With the help of headmistress Jean Shire, Tess goes to college and after graduation becomes a faculty member.  During college, she dates then marries her former professor Harmon.  While she loves her husband, there is tension between them because she is so protective of her now seventeen year old son.  Tess is also keeping some very deep and dark secrets about her past. When Rudy’s girlfriend Lila Zeller’s body is found on the beach, how far will Tess go to protect her son?

Tess has a very complicated history that she hopes no one ever unearths.  She knows she made several mistakes and unfortunately, some of her misjudgments directly affect Rudy. Feeling guilty about how deeply her past decisions have affected her son, Tess is determined to do anything and everything to protect him.  This attitude causes friction between her and Harmon and even though Rudy is staying at the school, the couple’s relationship is still distant.

Rudy is not close to his mom and he maintains an emotional distance from her.  He has few friends and he has been the victim of bullying. Rudy has a bit of a troubled past since he is prone to angry outbursts. But to Tess’s delight, Rudy’s relationship with Lila has wrought many positive changes in his life. Needless to say, Tess is quite distressed when he texts her in the middle of the night to pick him up from his “safe place”.

Rudy is co-operative throughout the investigation but Tess holds back information she believes will harm her son. She is so worried about Rudy that Officer Kevin Bantree’s questioning of Harmon takes her completely off guard. Tess has complete faith in her husband’s innocence but will she sacrifice Harmon in order to protect Rudy?

The Sea of Lost Girls is a fast-paced and engrossing mystery with a clever, topical storyline. Tess is a helicopter parent who is desperate to keep damaging details about her past from coming to light.  The school is quite elite now but is it also has a dark history that plays an integral role in the unfolding story.  Carol Goodman brings this atmospheric mystery to a twist-filled, shocking conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this absorbing mystery to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Carol Goodman, Contemporary, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, The Sea of Lost Girls, William Morrow Paperbacks

March 25, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman

Title: The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, Supernatural Elements
Length: 316 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

The latest thriller from the internationally bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages and The Other Mother, a story of mistaken identities and missed chances, forgiveness, and vengeance.

“Carol Goodman is, simply put, a stellar writer.”—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter

ALICE gets off a bus in the middle of a snowstorm in Delphi, NY. She is fleeing an abusive relationship and desperate to protect…

OREN, ten years old, a major Star Wars fan and wise beyond his years. Though Alice is wary, Oren bonds nearly instantly with…

MATTIE, a social worker in her fifties who lives in an enormous run-down house in the middle of the woods. Mattie lives alone and is always available, and so she is the person the hotline always calls when they need a late-night pickup. And although according to protocol Mattie should take Alice and Oren to a local shelter, instead she brings them home for the night. She has plenty of room, she says. What she doesn’t say is that Oren reminds her of her little brother, who died thirty years ago at the age of ten.

But Mattie isn’t the only one withholding elements of the truth. Alice is keeping her own secrets. And as the snowstorm worsens around them, each woman’s past will prove itself unburied, stirring up threats both within and without.

Review:

The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman is a spine-tingling mystery with slight supernatural elements.

Alice and ten year old Oren are desperate to escape from an abusive relationship.  Their bus journey takes them a small town where social worker Mattie Lane meets them in the middle of the night and takes them to her dilapidated home in the country. In the morning, Mattie learns unexpected information about Alice but she does not let this stop her from offering the pair her help. Unable to secure them safe accommodations until the following day,  Mattie brings them back to her house for another night. With a blizzard raging outside, Alice has reason to believe her past might have caught up with her. Will she and Mattie save themselves and Oren from an increasingly dangerous situation?

Alice is no stranger to social workers so she is reluctant to accept Mattie’s help.  But fearing Oren will end up in foster care, she agrees to wait another day for a secure place for them to stay.  Snooping around her hostess’s home, Alice is perplexed by some of the things she discovers.  She is also worried about Oren whose somewhat peculiar behavior is becoming concerning. Unsure what is going on with the ten year old boy, she nonetheless hunkers down with Mattie as they wait out the blizzard.

Oren rather easily adapts to their new situation. He is a smart boy whose fascination  with Greek lore is rivaled by his love of Star Wars. Oren is surprisingly intuitive and he has knowledge that is shockingly accurate.  It is not until Oren, Mattie and Alice are trapped during the blizzard that the source of this information becomes startling clear.

Mattie  has never married and she lives in the family home she inherited after her parents’ and brother Caleb’s deaths. There is nothing she won’t do for the women and children who are escaping from domestic violence but she is fully aware she is crossing a line taking Alice and Oren into her home.  Mattie is drawn to young Oren who eerily reminds her of her deceased brother, Caleb. She is suspicious of Alice but Mattie knows she has to do whatever she can to protect her and Oren.

The Night Visitors is a suspense-laden mystery that is quite riveting.  Alice and Oren are sympathetic characters, but Alice is clearly hiding something. Oren is a charming little boy but his premonitions are a little unnerving. Mattie is dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence but she is keeping dark secrets of her own. The setting is quite atmospheric and the ramshackle house becomes even more eerie and isolated during the blizzard and power outage. With some very shocking twists, jaw-dropping turns and a ghostly presence, Carol Goodman brings this spell-binding mystery to an adrenaline-laced conclusion.  Highly recommend this fantastic novel to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Carol Goodman, Contemporary, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, The Night Visitors, William Morrow Paperbacks

March 26, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Other Mother by Carol Goodman


Title: <The Other Mother by Carol Goodman
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

From the author of the internationally bestselling The Lake of Dead Languages comes a gripping novel about madness, motherhood, love, and trust.

When Daphne Marist and her infant daughter, Chloe, pull up the gravel drive to the home of Daphne’s new employer, it feels like they’ve entered a whole new world. Tucked in the Catskills, the stone mansion looks like something out of a fairy tale, its lush landscaping hiding the view of the mental asylum just beyond its border. Daphne secured the live-in position using an assumed name and fake credentials, telling no one that she’s on the run from a controlling husband who has threatened to take her daughter away.

Daphne’s new life is a far cry from the one she had in Westchester where, just months before, she and her husband welcomed little Chloe. From the start, Daphne tries to be a good mother, but she’s plagued by dark moods and intrusive thoughts that convince her she’s capable of harming her own daughter. When Daphne is diagnosed with Post Partum Mood Disorder, her downward spiral feels unstoppable—until she meets Laurel Hobbes.

Laurel, who also has a daughter named Chloe, is everything Daphne isn’t: charismatic, sophisticated, fearless. They immediately form an intense friendship, revealing secrets to one another they thought they’d never share. Soon, they start to look alike, dress alike, and talk alike, their lives mirroring one another in strange and disturbing ways. But Daphne realizes only too late that being friends with Laurel will come at a very shocking price—one that will ultimately lead her to that towering mansion in the Catskills where terrifying, long-hidden truths will finally be revealed….

Review:

In The Other Mother, Carol Goodman skillfully utilizes the unreliable narrator plot device which results in an engrossing, twist-filled mystery.

Daphne Marist and Laurel Hobbes meet at a support group meeting for new mothers who are struggling with postpartum disorders. Their daughters are both named Chloe and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Daphne is a former school librarian whose older husband manages a small hedge fund. Laurel is also married to a much older man but she is wealthy and attended exclusive schools in Europe. They quickly become inseparable and Laurel helps transform Daphne into her own image. Daphne eventually takes a job as an archivist for her favorite author Schuyler “Sky” Bennett and moves with Chloe to Sky’s estate in the Catskills which is next to the Crantham Psychiatric Center. Daphne becomes quite curious about former mental patient Edith Sharp and she finds herself in an shocking situation that she might not be able to escape.

Despite her sympathetic plight, Daphne is not an easy character to like at first. She is a bit of a doormat and does not really stand up for herself. Peter rules the roost and she easily gives in to him. She loves Chloe but she is overwhelmed by obsessive thoughts and fears. Her friendship with Laurel is not exactly healthy since, just like her marriage, Daphne follows wherever Laurel leads.

For the first half of the novel, Daphne is an incredibly unreliable narrator whose grasp on reality seems rather tenuous. She has trouble differentiating between fact and fantasy. She is also unsure whether her memories can be trusted.

Is Daphne just using Laurel’s identity to escape from Peter? Or does Daphne believe she is, in fact, Laurel? Well, that question is answered when her situation takes a shocking turn and Daphne finds herself in an increasingly precarious position. Will Daphne be able to convince anyone that she is telling the truth?

The Other Mother is an intriguing mystery where nothing or no one is quite as it first appears. Carol Goodman slowly parcels the truth through diary entries written by various characters. Although a couple of the plot twists are slightly implausible, the novel comes a stunning conclusion that is quite satisfying.

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Filed under Carol Goodman, Contemporary, Mystery, Rated B, Review, The Other Mother, William Morrow Paperbacks

January 18, 2016 · 11:56 pm

Review: River Road by Carol Goodman

river roadTitle: River Road by Carol Goodman
Publisher: Touchstone
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From the award-winning author of The Lake of Dead Languages comes a chilling new psychological thriller about a professor accused of killing her favorite student in a hit-and-run accident.

Nan Lewis—a creative writing professor at a state university in upstate New York—is driving home from a faculty holiday party after finding out she’s been denied tenure. On her way, she hits a deer, but when she gets out of her car to look for it, the deer is nowhere to be found. Eager to get home and out of the oncoming snowstorm, Nan is forced to leave her car at the bottom of her snowy driveway to wait out the longest night of the year—and the lowest point of her life…

The next morning, Nan is woken up by a police officer at her door with terrible news—one of her students, Leia Dawson, was killed in a hit-and-run on River Road the night before. And because of the damage to her car, Nan is a suspect. In the days following the accident, Nan finds herself shunned by the same community that rallied around her when her own daughter was killed in an eerily similar accident six years prior. When Nan begins finding disturbing tokens that recall the death of Nan’s own daughter, Nan suspects that the two accidents are connected.

As she begins to dig further, she discovers that everyone around her, including Leia, is hiding secrets. But can she uncover them, clear her name, and figure out who really killed Leia before her reputation is destroyed for good?

Review:

River Road by Carol Goodman is a suspense-laden mystery about a college professor who is a suspect in the hit and run death of her student.

Nan Lewis is on her way home from a faculty party when she hits a deer on the same stretch of road where a drunk driver killed her young daughter six years earlier. Distraught over learning she was denied tenure and a little foggy from the wine she consumed at the party, she leaves her car to search for the injured deer but finding no trace of it, she drives home.  The next morning, she learns Leia Dawson, one of her brightest students, was killed by a hit and run driver in the same spot where she hit the deer. Despite advice to the contrary, Nan cannot resist trying to find the person responsible for Leia’s death.

Nan is a bit of an unreliable narrator for a good part of the novel. Although she won’t (or cannot) admit it, she is a functioning alcoholic who numbs her pain by throwing back a few bourbons every night. Although convinced she hit a deer, her memory of the night Leia died is a confusing jumble of a vivid dream and actual events that possibly occurred after she fell asleep (or passed out?) in the woods while searching for the injured deer. Equally bewildering are objects left at the scene of the accident that seem to point to Hannah Mulder, the drunk driver who killed Nan’s daughter. Determined to clear her name, Nan ignores police advice to stay out of the case and begins her own willy-nilly investigation which unwittingly puts her in danger.

One of the first people Nan turns to for answers is her ex-lover and colleague Ross Ballantine. Ross hosted the faculty party she attended and while her memory of the night is a little muddled, she clearly remembers that Leia appeared upset when Nan saw her in the kitchen with Ross. Although she finds it difficult to believe that Ross is capable of murder, he has a reputation of being a little too involved with his students. New evidence leads the police to his door but is Ross Leia’s killer?

Another name that keeps popping up in connection with Leia is another one of Nan’s students, Troy Van Donk. Troy is not exactly an upstanding citizen but he is not a mastermind criminal either. However she cannot ignore the possibility he might be involved in Leia’s death once her memories become a little clearer and she realizes she saw Leia and Troy together at the party. As she begins delving deeper into his more unsavory activities at the college, she begins to believe there is a real possibility that Troy killed Leia and then tried to frame Nan for the murder.

In the middle of trying to figure out what happened to Leia, Nan is forced to confront her drinking problem and her unresolved grief and guilt over her daughter’s death. She also must face the uncomfortable truth about her role in the demise of her marriage. Equally eye opening is the realization that her apathy at work and inattention to the details of her student’s lives may have indirectly played a role in Leia’s death. As she finally indulges in some long overdue soul searching, Nan’s insight into her own behavior becomes the impetus she needs to make positive changes in her life. But when faced with adversity, will she revert to old habits?

Although a bit of a slow starter, River Road by Carol Goodman is an engrossing mystery. The characters are sympathetic and likable despite their all too human frailties and flaws. The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns and the liberal use of red herrings successfully obscures the perpetrator’s identity for a good part of the novel. A fascinating whodunit that I highly recommend to readers of the genre.

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Filed under Carol Goodman, Contemporary, Mystery, Rated B, Review, River Road, Touchstone