Switch by Grant McKenzie

Switch by Grant McKenzie (Published July 2nd 2009)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I must say, crime thrillers used to be my kind of genre but somehow lost the consistency to follow such stories in recent years until a friend of mine rekindled the interest again. ^^

Brief synopsis:
The main character, Sam White, is a middle-aged security guard who has lost his golden opportunity in life to seek fame as an actor and resigned to his contented life with his wife and daughter back at his high school hometown in Portland city. He was on his way back home after work one day and found his home being exploded to the ground with this family inside. He later realized that the bodies in the house may not be of his wife and daughter and began his "adventure" to save his family from the sadistic murderer who had "switched" the fate of another guy's family for his. He was approached by Zack Parker, a cosmetic surgeon, whose family was supposedly in Sam's torched house, who offered to help him find the mastermind in return for his own revenge. Hot on their heels were 2 detectives who managed to find out the truth with scattered evidences (and real luck).

Luckily, "Switch" is quite an easy read and the author has managed to keep your interest going. Though frankly, I didn't quite understand the logic and psychological mindset of the crime mastermind, the overall story flow does make sense or it will definitely be tossed within the first 100 pages. And I must say, the ending didn't give me much surprise which is slightly disappointing. ;P This is the first book I've read by Grant McKenzie and I'm glad he had paced the plot pretty well to keep me going till the end. ;)

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Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon

Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon (Published May 17th 2011)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Read from June 02 to 11, 2011

"If you are holding this book in your hand, you are one of the chosen."

This is the first book I've read by Jennifer McMahon and frankly, I was attracted to the book by its pretty cover... and intriguing title ;P I used to love fantasy and fairy tales and I guess that part of me faded as adulthood slowly take over living reality. This book actually brought back the familiar love for the genre all over again. I personally feel that there are many gaps and the story flow could be written smoother. The novel is written in parts alternating between a character in the past, Lisa, fifteen years ago when she was just 12, of her own account of her belief in the mystical fairies leading to own her disappearance and a character in the present day, Pheobe who had a deprived and suffered childhood, currently 35 years of age and the girlfriend of Lisa’s brother, Sam, of her account of uncovering the mystery of Lisa’s disappearance. When Lisa seemed to reappear 15 years later, it brought back the ghosts of the past and revealed the skeleton in the cupboard for everyone involved. The story only captivate my large interest from the second half to the end as the mystery and plot peaked and thickened with a disturbing (yet somewhat unbelievable) twist in the end. It seems like the author wants you to believe in the dark side and yet still tries to have the story in the logical sense, which results in a questioning and puzzling closure (I usually don't like it when they leave you hanging and guessing). Nonetheless, it was a good read if you like mystery and suspense that will keep you going. ^v^

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