The Last Party by A. R. Torre

"It began with a Birthday party and ended in a blood bath. The Folcrum Party Massacre destroyed so many lives and the repercussions of that horrible night are still rippling and making waves, decades later. Though Leewood Folcrum never wavers in his story, that he is innocent, there are those who are determined to find out the truth, no matter the cost. This was an intensely dark, edge of your seat, riveting thriller and I couldn't put it down."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros: Torre’s pacing was great and all the big reveals were jaw dropping.

Cons: Though Perla was a terrifying character in her determination, she was also creepy in seeing her daughter as competition for her husband's affections.

Full Review

Leewood Folcrum is currently serving life in prison for a crime he claims he didn't commit. The Folcrum Party massacre which began as an innocent Birthday/Slumber party for Jennifer Folcrum ended in a blood bath. Leewood was found with his daughters' body in his arms and her two friends killed from multiple stab wounds.

He never took the stand, only gave one interview and any digging for information has been met with silence. That is, until a doctoral student, Timothy Valden, who's completing his dissertation starts to visit Leewood on a weekly basis. Valden's convinced that Leewood committed the crime and he wants to know why. He offers Leewod a chance to unburden himself of guilt and offer closure to the families of the victims.

One of the family members of the Folcrum massacre is Grant Wultz, the older brother of Jennifer's friend, Lucy. Lucy's death has haunted him but he's managed find happiness in his life. He has a beautiful, intelligent and charming daughter Sophie and his wife, Perla is a devoted, dedicated and fiercely determined woman. Frighteningly determined, actually, and the reader knows, right from the start, that there's something very off about Perla.

This was an edge of your seat, white-knuckled roller-coaster ride of a book and I couldn't put it down. Torre was a master at pacing and all the big reveals, some subtle, some not so much, were all equally mind blowing. This was a great read and Perla was one of the most terrifyingly determined characters I've ever come across in fiction.

Comments

Animal Farm by George Orwell

"A blithe and scathing commentary on equality, power, corruption and how everyone is created equal, but...some are more equal than others. Orwell hit the nail right on the head with this novel and it's no wonder it's a staple for most high school curriculums. " 3 Stars. Pros: Benjamin the Donkey is the smartest animal on the farm and it would have done all the others a world of good if they had listened to him in the first place. Cons: The fact that societies like this actually do exist is nauseating and terrible. It's not a con, per se, it's just a gut wrenching fact. Full Review: When the overworked and mistreated Animals on Manor Farm decide to rise up and overthrow their cruel master, they're successful. They rebel and now find themselves with an entire Farm to run. They rename it Animal Farm and are intent on creating a paradise, where work and play are equal, where productivity is key but relaxation is a must and all the lives of all the animal...

Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov

"When a scientist, Benes, who has integral and world changing information attempts to defect and join our Side, he's injured. A blood clot forms in his brain and the only way to save his life is to miniaturize the crew of the Proteus and inject them into Benes' body, so they can break up the blood clot from the inside. Of course, one thing after another goes wrong and every chapter is a new catastrophe but it was definitely a fantastic voyage. 2 Stars Pros: Grant is one dry character but he's a welcome bit of amusement in an otherwise serious and scientific novel. Cons: Grant is also SUCH a man that he spends most of the mission staring at saving the one woman board, Cora./Definitely ripe with anatomical lessons and what part of the body they were in. Since I've never been great at anatomy, a lot of it was lost on me and became burdensome near the end. Full Review: As in all things, there is a good side and a bad side. This book is very vague as...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

All the Books.

Search This Blog