Book ~ "Final Call" (2023) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ She won’t forgive. She won’t forget. You won’t survive.

Heading home after a conference, the senior leadership of a global food corporation relax on their private jet ahead of their Christmas break.

But their peace is shattered when they realise their jet isn’t taking them home. Instead, it’s heading east - out over the Atlantic Ocean.

And things go from bad to worse when their pilot tells them she is going to crash into the ocean if one of them doesn’t confess to murder.

The senior leadership team of a food corporation were heading home on the company's private jet from a meeting, just in time for Christmas. They had all made this trip many times so realized the plane had suddenly veered off into a different direction. Puzzled they asked the pilot what was going on. The pilot informed them there was a murderer onboard and she was going to continue to fly out over the Atlantic Ocean until one of them confessed. Once that happened, she would turn the jet around and get back on track. Eventually the plane will run out of fuel so somebody better speak up before they all perished.

This book is written in third person perspective in various voices (the leadership team, the pilot, etc.) and the chapters are labeled. All the members of the leadership team are flawed in some way and we get to know them better when it's their voices. The story jumps back and forth in time from 2018 when three children mysteriously died to today and we eventually find out why the pilot is on her mission. I was enjoying the story even after I found out who the pilot was. I did find it farfetched, though, that the pilot was able to survivor and manipulate people as she did. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Ready or Not" (2021) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ A happy family ... Alice and Tom Sark seem to have it all - a wonderful marriage, a gorgeous baby, a beautiful home. And now Alice, a journalist, starts investigating a story which could make her career - a serial killer in their town.

A murderer lurking in the shadows ... Very quickly though, the murder case takes its toll. Alice and Tom begin fighting all the time. Their baby daughter just won’t stop crying. And sometimes it feels almost as if they’re being followed.

Not everyone will live to tell the tale ... The killer has found a new family to target. And the clock is ticking for Alice and Tom to stop their worlds being destroyed forever.

Alice and Tom have been married for a few years and have a baby named Joanna. Their lives are stressful because they are still getting used to being new parents and Joanna doesn't like to sleep at night so neither parent is getting much sleep. During a routine check-up, the doctor notices bruises on Joanna which makes Alice and Tom wonder how they got there and question anyone they have contact with.

In the meantime, there is a serial killer loose in their town. As a reporter, this becomes Alice's story with helpful hints from her friend, a police officer. When taunting letters from the killer start arriving at Alice's house, rather than run and hide, Alice ramps up her coverage of the killer, which doesn't make Tom, who is a very protective dad, happy.

Up until this point, though I had figured out who the killer was and what was going on, it was an interesting story with great build-up. Then it got ridiculous and far fetched very quickly, which is too bad.

This book is written in third person perspective in various voices (Alice, Tom, the killer, the police, etc.) depending on where the action was. The story jumps back and forth in time from so we get to know Alice and how she and Tom met (the chapters are labeled). I thought having the details of how the abuser was hurting Joanna was disturbing ... all I needed to know was that Joanna was suddenly getting mysterious bruises. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "The Choice" (2020) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ A kidnap ... Matt Westbrook only turned his back for a moment. But when he looks around, his car - with his three young children inside -  has vanished.

A ransom ... Panicked, Matt assumes a car thief has got more than he bargained for, but then he starts to receive text messages: This is a kidnap. If you want to see your children again, you will exchange them for your wife.

A choice ... Matt and his wife Annabelle are horrified. They can’t involve the police, or their children will be killed. Which means they have to choose: Annabelle, or their children. Either option is unthinkable. But one is inevitable. And they have only hours to make their decision.

Matt had stopped at a store to pick up a few things and left his three kids in the car as he assumes he'll be in and out quickly. When he came out, his car was gone along with his kids. He soon got texts that his kids had been kidnapped and his wife, Annabelle, was the ransom ... if he wanted his kids back, they can't call the police and Annabelle had to trade herself for them 24 hours later. She agreed but they put a plan in place that will get theirs kids back and save Annabelle.

Up until this point, it was an interesting story. Then it went downhill very fast.

When the "whodunnit" was revealed, it was ridiculous ... and the "why" was even more ridiculous. My thought at this point was "REALLY??!!". The last 20% or so of the story was mostly the interaction between the kidnapper and Annabelle and was so absurd and unbelievable and didn't fit with the first part of the book.

This book is written in third person perspective in various voices (Annabelle, Matt, the kidnapper, the police, etc.) depending on where the action was. The story jumps back and forth in time from when Annabelle and Matt met, through their courtship, marriage and having children (the chapters are labeled). Though there could have been a few people who kidnapped the kids to swap for Annabelle, it became clear who the "who" was but the "why" was so farfetched. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "The Last Lie" (2018) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ For Claire Daniels, life is good. She has everything she’s ever wanted - a career she loves, friends she can rely on and a husband who dotes on her. All she needs is to start a family of her own and things will be even better than good.

They’ll be perfect.

For Alfie, it couldn’t be more different. His life with Claire is built on a lie. A lot of lies. And she can never find out.

Because Alfie has plans for her. Plans which must never come to light. But lies have a way of taking on a life of their own and when his do, the consequences threaten to destroy everything.

For him and Claire.

Claire and Alfie have been married for a couple years and she been trying to get pregnant. For Claire, this will make their life complete. For Alfie, it's the last thing he wants and he knows there is no way it's going to happen. 

When they met, Alfie was filling in with a band playing at a wedding Claire was attending. As soon as he spied her, he saw a way of getting out of his hand-to-mouth existence and moving up into a life where he'd never have to worry about money because Claire's daddy pays for everything. But as the years have gone on, though Alfie loves his lifestyle, he despises Claire and the role of perfect husband he has to play and decides to do something about it. As his plan is about to come into action, someone else comes in and initiates the same plan.

I've read a few of this author's books and I thought this one was the best one I've read by them.  It is written in third person perspective in various voices (Claire, Alfie, etc.) depending on where the action was. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on but it was interesting to read how the author got us there. Though Alfie was a despicable person, he was a fun character to follow, especially when he was losing control of the situation. As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Book ~ "Killing Kate" (2016) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ Kate returns from a post break-up holiday with her girlfriends to news of a serial killer in her home town - and his victims all look like her.

It could, of course, be a simple coincidence. Or maybe not.

She becomes convinced she is being watched, followed even. Is she next? And could her mild-mannered ex-boyfriend really be a deranged murderer?

Or is the truth something far more sinister?

Kate had just broken up with Phil, her long-time boyfriend, and went on vacation with her two best friends. When she got back, she found out about a serial killer and she realized that the victims all look similar to her. She started to get paranoid and she feels like she's being stalked. The police are investigating and start paying special attention to Phil, especially since he is having a hard time getting over the break-up.

I've read a few of this author's books and I thought this one was okay.  It is written in third person perspective in Kate's voice. Though there are a variety of people who could have been the serial killer, I didn't find it hard to figure out whodunnit but I thought the reason and strategy was clever. The finale was dragged out and was a bit farfetched, though. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "After Anna" (2015) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ The real nightmare starts when her daughter is returned ...

A girl is missing. Five years old, taken from outside her school. She has vanished, traceless. The police are at a loss; her parents are beyond grief. Their daughter is lost forever, perhaps dead, perhaps enslaved. But the biggest mystery is yet to come: one week after she was abducted, their daughter is returned. She has no memory of where she has been. And this, for her mother, is just the beginning of the nightmare.

Julia and Brian have been married for a few years and have a five year old daughter, Anna. Julia has fallen out of love with Brian and tells him she wants to divorce. He doesn't take it well which makes things stressful at home. 

One day Julia is tied up in a meeting and is late picking up Anna after school ... when she finally arrives, Anna isn't there and the police are called. Needless to say, this adds more stress at home because Brian and his mother blame Julia and she is attacked on social media for being a bad mother. When Anna is suddenly returned a week later and has no idea what had happened, Julia hopes that everything goes back to "normal" but things actually get worse.

It's been a few years since I've read one of this author's books and I thought this one was just okay. The writing could have been tighter as it seemed to drag at times. Plus for example, Julia takes her keys out of her purse and puts them on the counter ... and then picks them up twice in the same paragraph. It is written in third person perspective in Julia's voice and first person perspective in the kidnapper's voice. I didn't find it hard to figure out whodunnit, which was revealed towards the end. Considering a child is missing, the police didn't seem overly concerned or when Anna was returned. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

Book ~ "Seven Days" (2019) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ In seven days, Maggie’s son, Max, turns three. But she’s not planning a party or buying presents or updating his baby book. She’s dreading it. Because in her world, third birthdays are the days on which the unthinkable happens ... she loses her child.

For the last twelve years Maggie has been imprisoned in a basement. Abducted aged fifteen, she gave birth to two sons before Max and on their third birthdays, her captor came and took them from her.

She cannot let it happen again. But she has no idea how to stop it. And the clock is ticking.

Maggie is 15 years old when she's abducted in 2006 while walking to her cousin's house.  She spends the next twelve years living in a windowless room with no means to escape.  "The man" brings her food twice a day, rapes her often and punishes her when she gets out of line.  She makes a rough calendar to keep track of time.  She becomes pregnant with Seb.  Despite how he was conceived, Maggie loves him more than she thought could be possible.  On Seb's third birthday, "the man" takes him away and she never sees him again.  She gets pregnant again with Leo and the same thing happens on his third birthday.  She gets pregnant a third time with Max.  She knows now what will happen to Max on his third birthday (in seven days) and gets more panicked as the day approaches.

In the meantime, Maggie's family has no idea what has happened to her.  Has she run away?  Has she been murdered?  Has she been sold as a sex slave for porn movies and/or prostitution?  As the years go by and there is no sign of her, they try to move on with their lives.

Given the storyline, I found this book a bit disturbing to read ... but I kept going hoping Maggie would be able to escape somehow and "the man" (we find out who it is about halfway through the book) would be brought to justice.

I liked the writing style.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is ... Maggie, her mother, her brother, her father and the investigating police officer.  The timeline jumps back and from from 2006 to 2018 and is labeled at the beginning of the chapters when the time changes.  As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Book ~ "Copycat" (2017) Alex Lake

From Goodreads ~ Sarah Havenant discovers – when an old friend points it out – that there are two Facebook profiles in her name.

One, she recognizes: it is hers. The other, she has never seen. But everything in it is accurate. Recent photos of her and her friends, her and her husband, her and her kids. Even of her new kitchen. A photo taken inside her house.

She is bemused, angry, and worried. Who was able to do this? Any why?

But this, it soon turns out, is just the beginning. It is only now – almost as though someone has been watching, waiting for her to find the profile – that her problems really start.

Sarah is a doctor and her husband, Ben, is a lawyer.  They are happily married with three children.  Sarah discovers one day that she has two Facebook profiles, one is hers and one is a fake.  The fake one looks so real as it has pictures of her and her family and friends and true updates.  After Sarah discovers the Facebook profile, strange things start to happen to her that makes her family and friends start to question her sanity.  Is Sarah going crazy or is someone out to get her and if so, why?

I thought this story was just okay ... it started out well but then fell flat for me towards the end.  When the "whodunnit" was revealed, I wasn't surprised at the "who" but I thought the "why" was ridiculous and wasn't buying it.  I thought the "who" and "why" could have been so much better and believable.  The story wrapped up very quickly with someone suddenly figuring out the "whodunnit" within seconds.

The writing is in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.  Though the story is set in the U.S., it was obvious the author is English because of their use of terms for things ... a North American wouldn't refer to sleeping in as a "lie-in" and wouldn't say "erm" instead of "um.  As such, it could have been edited better for a North American market considering Sarah is supposed to be an American.  Plus there was a point where the author got her characters mixed up ... Sarah was having a conversation with someone but the wrong name was written.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I'll check out other books he's written.