R.I.P VIII Wrap Up

This year's R.I.P. Challenge, hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, went so well for me! Of the books listed on my original post, I read all but one. Below is the complete list of what I read and links to my reviews. This challenge is so much fun every year. I love reading mysteries, but I rarely devote a whole month to it. 

1) Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
2) Faithful Place by Tana French
3) The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
4) The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (still reading this one)
5) The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
6) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
7) American Gods by Neil Gaiman 
8) Misery by Stephen King 
9) A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore 
10) The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
11) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 
12) M is for Malice by Sue Grafton 

The Secret Keeper

The Secret Keeper

by Kate Morton

★★★★☆

Kate Morton has earned a reputation as an expert gothic mystery writer. If you pick up one of her fat novels you know what you’re in for. So far I have loved each of her novels, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours and The House at Riverton, but I thought Morton might disappoint me this time. I made it about ¾ of the way through this novel and still didn’t know if I liked it. Needless to say I judged it too soon, I shouldn’t have doubted her.

A famous actress, Laurel, returns home to visit her ailing mother, Dorothy. As she reconnects with her sisters and explores her childhood home she can’t help but reminisce about some strange details from her childhood, particularly a violent event that happened when she was a teen. She begins to learn more about her parents’ history as she researches their lives during World War II.

The book switches between multiple points of view, Laurel, Dorothy, Dorothy’s boyfriend Jimmy and her friend Vivien. I loved this aspect of the book because it gives the reader a chance to get to know each character and to question the honesty of the narrative. I really loved the pieces of the story set during WWII. Though the middle was a bit slow for me the end was well worth the wait.

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re a fan of Morton’s novels you can’t miss this one! If you’re new to her work I would check out The Forgotten Garden, my personal favorite. She’s a sure bet for anyone who loves a great gothic mystery.  

I read this for the R.I.P. Challenge hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings.

R.I.P. Challenge VIII

I look forward to this challenge each fall. I've participated for the last two years and it's such fun. Just pick any book that's a falls into one of the following categories:  Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Dark Fantasy/Gothic/Horror/Supernatural

Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting the challenge for the eighth year, so check out his site if you want to join in. There are lots of levels of participation, so check it out!

I'm going to do the following challenge...

Peril the First: Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (my very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature.  

I'm going to try and read at least 4 of the following books...

1) The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
2) Faithful Place by Tana French
3) The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith 
4) The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
5) The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
6) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn