My Old Blog

 

My old blog disappeared. However, you can still see old posts by clicking this link 

http://murdermysteryblogofjoie.blogspot.com/

To see more reviews check out the Blog Archives on your right.

Brain Damage by Frieda McFadden

 

This is probably the least of my favorites among Frieda McFadden's novels.It started out with a very successful dermatologist who was shot in the head but miraculously survived. While recuperating , she finds out she is married to a very good-looking lawyer who turns out to be a manipulative cheater. The chapters were very short and reminiscent of her usual style goes back and forth between before and after scenarios. It was obvious from the start that her husband had something to do with her accident but several red herrings keep on popping out between stories making you doubt your original suspicion.In between stories she meets another patient named Jamie who she strikes a close relationship with her. 

Anyway the gist of the story was that one of her patients who died has given her a 2.5 million inheritance. Along with her best friend , Brigid , she hired a detective to investigate her husband and a lawyer who helped her hide her inheritance in an offshore account. This is the reason why her husband was adamant to get her to sign a power of attorney so that he could get his hands on the cash. He hired someone to shoot her so that suspcion won't be laid on him. Unfortuantely the shooter got caught. As he was trying to kill her friend, Jamie, rescued her from her husband. He eventually was thrown in jail. She still refused to continue a relationship with Jamie because she thought he was getting back to his ex-wife.

A year later, after she was given surgery to restore her skull, she ends up celebrating with her best friend , Brigid , when they end up seeing Jamie again. Hence the story ended up with a romantic turn with a possibility for her to regain her pracice as a dermatologist.

Tim Curry and Marcia Hurwitz

This post is to honor the very talented and magnetic Mr. Tim Curry who has passed away last August 25, 2026 along with Dolly Parton. Though I'm very sure his family thought it was best that he was released from the crippling pain his medical condition gave him, they are just as devastated as the rest of the fans of his recent passing.
I remember enjoying watching his films along with my kids from the Muppet Movie Treasure Island, Annie and Home Alone along with all the cartoons he has voiced over. He was phenomenal in all of what he did. Before he passed I also enjoyed watching Clue at either Netflix or Amazon Prime.

People keep on wondering about his sexuality and his romantic partner. I think it is without saying that the one who loved him most was his manager and close friend (lover?),Marcia Hurwitz. 

Following his severe stroke in July 2012, Tim Curry was primarily cared for by a dedicated team of professional carers (caregivers) alongside the staunch support of his longtime manager and close friend, Marcia. His longtime manager acted as his primary public representative, protector of his privacy, and close personal confidante throughout his 14-year recovery journey. Marcia also used a fake name at the hospital where he has being treated at so that the media would not find out about the severe medical emergency he experienced. 

Now that is love and devotion to me! I hope she would find comfort with his immediate family while they all grieve together about this very sad loss.

Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden

 Freida is beginning to be one of my favorite authors. I initially dis not like reading it because it started with the murder immediately in the first chapter. I thought it would end up like a court drama wherein they would have to prove self defense. It was good that I persisted in reading the novel and was genuinely surprised how good it was.

It had several subplots with the subdivision of the characters are as follows:

1. Quinn and her husband Derek- Derek was a very abusive husband who got enraged when Quinn decided to come home early.It was because he was supposed to meet his mistress at home and Quinn's early arrival placed a dent on his plan. Hence he started choking her and accusing her for coming early because she was meeting her lover. In an act of self dense she stabs him. Realizing what she has done, she decise to run away.

2. Cassandra- Quinn's older sister who tries to look for her when she realized Quinn killed Derek.

3. Nick Baxter and his wife Rosalie-Nick owns the motel Quinn decided to hide in because the weather got worse. He has a wife in a wheelchair because she has Multiple Sclerosis (MS). She used to be attractive and vibrant until the disease took a toll on her looks. 2 years before Nick had an affair with Christina Marsh, one of those who rented one of the rooms of the motel. Apparently being his wife's full time caregiver and having to run the motel and do computer odd jobs to make ends meet made very easy to be lured by Christina Marsh's seductive charms. When confronted by his wife about his adultery he promises to end the affair. Fortunately someone stabs the whore Christina to death.Nick has remained a suspect for all these years.Nick eventually put up a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the room Christina stayed in.

4. Greta- the old lady who has rented one of the motel rooms since she retired. She professed to be a psychic.

What really happened:

1. Cassandra was actually the mistress who was supposed to meet Derek when Quinn was out. She was enraged and tracked down Quinn and stabbed Quinn and Greta. Fortunately both survived.

2. It was actually Greta who killed Nick's mistress because Christina confided to her how Nick was better off with her than with his wife. She wanted to save Nick and Rosalie's marriage.

I was actually more intrigued with nick and his wife Rosalie. There were varying opinions stating Nick as selfish and manipulaive and lied he was going to break up with Christina so that he would  have enough time to plan how to continue their affair.  Some AI claim that he fell out of love with Rosalie and if Greta would have not killed Christina he would have abandoned his wife willingly for his mistress. Others think he still had some feelings for his wife and stuck with her for another 2 years out of guilt and a little ounce of love left.

After stabbing Greta and Quinn she decided to kill Rosalie who she thought witnessed her stabbing Quinn. However Rosalie's adrenaline was so strong she lunged at Cassandra and managed to knock her down. Nick arives just in time and called the police.

2 years later Rosalie has agreed to start therapy and restart her restaurant business. It became successful and she and Nick have patched up their marriage and were expecting their first child. Nick also turned witness for Quinn, telling the court that she had marks on her neck justifying self defense on Quinn's part. Cassandra was thrown in jail for 2 counts of attempted murder.

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan are searching for the house of their dreams when they are introduced by their realtor to remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace years ago. 

They end up being stranded by a violent snow storm and are forced to stay in this old house until the weather clears.Minwhile Tricia starts going through the house and finds the psychiatrist's patient tapes. As she goes deeper into the files, the more she reads about the psychiatrist mysterious disappearance.

Typical of Freida McFadden this story has a lot of twists up to the end.Highly recommended. She is now becoming one of my favorite authors along with Shari Lapena and Heather Gudenkauf.

The Tenant by Freida McFadden

Blake Porter was doing very well until he was fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and was unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone he shares with his fiancée. Hence the only way to help make ends meet was to take in a new tenant

Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She's exactly what Blake thinks he is looking for.Then strange things happen.

This is written from a male's perspective and the writing is very good. In fact the whole novel is phenomenal ! It had a lot of twists and turns up to the end. Just when I thought everything was good and done with the ending makes an explosive exit.

Since evey twist had a storyline behind it I would end up with an extremely long review which I can no longer do.Let's just say this book is highly recommended and now Freia has joined my list of favorite writers.

The Wife by Alafair Burke

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From Amazon:

When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.

Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look—at both the man she married and the women she chose not to believe.

My Take:

I was very surprised by the outcome. Let's go through this outline style.

1. Angela meets Jason Powell and was extremely glad he proposed and brought her to Manhattan along with her son. Jason has proven to be an excellent step-father that people assumed he was the real dad.

2. Fast forward several years later. Jason becomes an accomplished best selling writer which has catapulted both their financial and social status. Unfortunately with fame and fortune draws the vultures to your lair. His assistant sues him for sexual misconduct and his mistress, Kelly Lynch, disappears.

What happend next:

Jason is aquitted and urges her to leave so that Charlie, the little boy, would be spared from the scandal. She does leave and goes incognito but for a different reason.

When she was a teen she was kidnapped by a pedophile. When she was getting older, they both decide to replace her with a younger woman. Lo and behold! Trish , a runaway teen ,from a very disfunctional and criminal family, is seen hitchhiking. They in turn kidnap her. Now she replaces Angela  and eventually gets pregnant and gives birth to a boy, Charlie. Then the pedophile brings Trish by the waters and shoots her. Angela escapes with the boy and finds her mother.

Kelly's disappearance:

Before Kelly's disappeance, Angela visits her to comisserate with her alleged plight. Instead of being sympathetic, Kelly ridicules her and starts spewing hate by saying Jason loves her and this was planned so that he can leave her(the wife) and take his son... The word "his son" darkened Angela's mind and filled it with unimaginable fury

After Kelly said this, an enraged Angela gets the glass egg and strikes her on the head. Fortunately (for me bcause I want her to experience pain and suffering) it only stuns her. Though hurt, she did not expect Angela to retaliate with such force. Angela was still full of rage so she pummels Kelly until she succumbs to her head injuries.

She then calls her mom to help her clean up the scene and get rid of his vile and evil woman's body. Her mom also makes sure Jason is suspected.

The Aftermath:

Though Angela seemingly escaped prosecution with the help of her friend, Corrine, the detective is not satisfied. She knows Angela's past. When asked if she will give up she adamantly replies "No Way".

My opinion: 

I believe Kelly deserves her violent fate. I pity Trish, who became Angela's friend. After the birth of Charlie they should have teamed up and leave the pedophile.