A Game in Yellow

A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper, 288 pages

Carmen and Blanca have been in a bit of a rut, sexually speaking, despite scraping the bottom of their vast barrel of kink-related twists. Blanca thinks she has the answer in a mysterious woman named Smoke, who introduces the couple to a play that is much more than it seems. Soon Carmen has been pulled under the play's influence, unable to tell what's real and what's not.

This is a very particular sort of erotic-meets-psychological horror, one that I'm sure has its fans. However, I am not one of them. This was a strange book, and while I did want to know where Carmen would end up, getting there was certainly a journey I don't want to take again. If anything about that first paragraph intrigues you, by all means, give this a read; otherwise, I have a boatload of other horror novels to recommend.

The Maidens

 

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (2021) 337 Pages

The mysterious ritualistic murder of a college woman piques the interest of Greek widow Mariana. Her surrogate daughter, who is actually her niece was good friends with the woman who died. Mariana travels to Cambridge to make sure her niece is okay, and begins take an interest in the mysterious death. As more murders of the same style begin to pile up, Mariana becomes more embroiled in finding out who is committing them. Her focal point is on Edward Fosca, an American professor at the University who specializes in Greek Tragedy. Mariana thinks he is the murderer because the women who are being murdered are in his special study group- The Maidens. Mariana keeps finding postcards of either ancient Greek or baroque style paintings with ancient Greek passages written on the back. Throughout her findings, she is running from her own tragic story, the sudden loss of her husband, who turns out to not be the man she thought he was. 

Overall I enjoyed this story, with the psychoanalysis expertise throughout in addition to the Greek classics, such as the story of Demeter and Persephone. Solid 3 out of 5 stars.

The Echo Wife

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey, 256 pages

Regan offered up an excellent plot summary in the post just before this one, so I won't rehash the plot here. However, I disagreed with her opinion of the novel, which was definitely dark, and didn't have many likeable characters (perhaps two? and that's a stretch). But I don't have problems reading books with unlikeable characters, and the complexity of PTSD and abuse and grooming and gender made this a thoroughly thought-provoking book. It made for a great Orcs & Aliens discussion too. I'd recommend it more for fans of domestic psychological thrillers than science fiction fans, though there definitely is crossover with the focus on cloning.

The Other Passenger

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish, 388 pages

It's December 27 and Jamie is on his way to work at a cafe when two police officers stop him. His friend Kit has been missing since the 23rd, and they suspect Jamie may have been involved. Told in alternating present day and "one year earlier" chapters, Jamie weaves a story of deception, drug addiction, infidelity, and anxiety that he swears proves his innocence...until it doesn't. There are so many twists and turns in this thriller that I'm still trying to process how Jamie got himself into this predicament, and how he ended up where he did. A propulsive story, perfect for fans of thrillers where all the characters are suspect.