The Good Son by You-jeong Jeong

The Good Son
by You-jeong Jeong
translated by Chi-Young Kim
narrated by Johnathan McClain, Elizabeth Liang

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Published: 2018
Publisher: Penguin Books
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, South Korea
Paperback: 309
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
The smell of blood woke me.

Who can you trust if you can't trust yourself?

Early one morning, twenty-six-year-old Yu-jin wakes up to a strange metallic smell, and a phone call from his brother asking if everything's all right at home - he missed a call from their mother in the middle of the night. Yu-jin soon discovers her murdered body, lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs of their stylish Seoul duplex. He can't remember much about the night before; having suffered from seizures for most of his life, Yu-jin often has trouble with his memory. All he has is a faint impression of his mother calling his name. But was she calling for help? Or begging for her life?

Thus begins Yu-jin's frantic three-day search to uncover what happened that night, and to finally learn the truth about himself and his family. A shocking and addictive psychological thriller, The Good Son explores the mysteries of mind and memory, and the twisted relationship between a mother and son, with incredible urgency.

My two-bits:

Felt like I was spinning and uncomfortable with this story. But, its thriller essence had a strong pull for this whydunnit.

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* Listened to audiobook version.

Crooked Little Lies by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Crooked Little Lies
by Barbara Taylor Sissel

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Just released: August 1, 2015
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Paperback: 385 pages
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
Lauren didn't know on that Friday in October, when she saw him walking alongside the road's edge, that he would soon vanish, or that in the wake of his disappearance, dozens of people would feel compelled to search for him.

The Friday morning before Halloween, 43-year-old wife and mother Lauren Wilder is driving towards a busy intersection in Hardy’s Walk, Texas, when she nearly crashes into Bo Laughlin. Stopping to make sure he’s okay, Lauren is not convinced that Bo is, indeed, fine, and her motherly instincts push her to call the sheriff’s office and report her unease. Four days later, Bo has vanished, and Lauren enters the investigation as a witness.

As the Wilder’s are pulled into the mystery of Bo’s disappearance, secrets are dug up and Lauren learns that she may not be a witness, but a victim. Then, as her husband’s facade crumbles and her history with addiction is revealed, Lauren watches her life break apart at the seams, because at the center of every crime, there’s a family.

My two-bits:

This story is told by an unreliable narrator. So at the start, you are in a state of questioning. Usually a good device for thriller novels. In this case it works alright. There were so many possibilities as to what the heck was going on.

As the story takes place in a small town, the local vibe and characters create a cozy setting. It was interesting to see how the characters intersect and find connections. Although, I really did not connect with any of them.

Touches on mental illness and mental health.

A bit sad to see the outcome of a couple of the story lines. But, my curiosity kept me reading to the end.

About the author:

Barbara Taylor Sissel is the critically acclaimed author of Evidence of Life and Safe Keeping.

She is an active member of the Indie Book Collective and World Literary Café, (previously known as the Women’s Literary Café) and the League of Extraordinary Authors.

A one-time editor for a small regional press, Barbara also writes and edits for the public relations field and a number of other clients, including best-selling authors.

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* review copy courtesy of BookSparks Fall Reading Challenge 2015 (details) @booksparks #FRC2015

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