I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.

First up, I’d like to talk about I Died on a Tuesday by Jane Corry. Thank you to Viking Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Publication Date: 20th June

TW: murder, death, grief, car accident, drugs, blackmail, manipulation, gaslighting, coercion

Goodreads | Waterstones

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My Thoughts:

I  Died on a Tuesday epitomises the types of crime stories that lures you in and then devour you whole. You will be obsessed with this twisty thriller that takes you down into the rabbit hole. 

Corry has masterfully executed this with stunning craftsmanship over pacing, tension and characterisation. We hop between different characters and hear their flawed life stories, interspersed with details of what really happened all those years ago. It’s a lot of elements to juggle but Corry pulls it off with style. I love when I start to spot how things will overlap and guess at the myriad of secrets buried within the plot. This is a book that delights in surprises but always keeps it gritty and grounded. The 

characters all have distinctive voices that feel true to life and leap off the page. It adds context and humanity to a complex case that attracts attention partially due to the love of fame turned infamy and the tragedy of a young life irrevocably changed. 

We all see all sides of justice presented here and there are some gnarly lies to be uncovered throughout. Truth itself is on trial here, with several different narratives presented and ultimately the question of justice is left in the reader’s hands. Who here is guilty and who here is innocent? 

This makes for intoxicating and morally murky reading, making me fly through the pages. It is also a book that does not back down from bloodshed. We go to some truly dark places and touch on many important topics. A central question is that of family and how far we may go to protect our loved ones. It’s something that is universally relatable and adds believable motivations behind the actions of some of our characters. I appreciated how Corry laced every movement with intent and gave it far reaching ripples. Right up until the final paragraph of the final page, your view keeps shifting as new information is presented. 

I Died on a Tuesday deserves to be on your summer crime list if you enjoy compulsively readable and complex narratives.

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Next up, I’d like to talk about The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd. Thank you to Pan Macmillan for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Publication Date: 20th June

TW: murder, death, fire, arson, manipulation, classism, grief, abuse, stalking, PTSD, trauma

Goodreads | Waterstones

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My Thoughts:

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby was described to me as The Secret History meets Saltburn, which is a pretty heady mix that sets expectations of interrogating the class system, elitism and a bit of bloodshed. This hits all of those points in a dark peek behind the facade of glamour and privilege. 

This was a great historical mystery that peeked into the world of the elite and exposed the darkness hidden within. It really goes to some unexpected and horrifying places, particularly in terms of how privilege can be weaponised to obfuscate the truth. In sharp contrast to this, art is presented as subjective but ultimately a method of which to bring the darkness to light and reveal the truth once and for all. Truth is a fable here that people will die for, but also that they’d kill for. It is inherently bound up in questions of wealth and inheritance – pushing the lengths to which people may go to climb up the ladder and also to hold their status there. It is grubby behind the disguise of glossy beauty and glamorous dresses. 

All three timelines pull into this and the sort of non linear format of the narratives makes you the detective as well, piecing together scraps from across the timelines to form the larger picture. In this way, it is somewhat of a love letter to art history and the tireless work done to recognise those otherwise ignored or removed from the narrative. These kind of stories are always such a draw to me and I really enjoyed learning more about this through the narrative. It is playful with the reader, leading you often on a merry dance. 

In terms of the mystery, it is well executed. There are three but they all sort of tie into the large central mystery – at the same time, they are messily entangled with all sorts of people and relationships and dynamics. The book thrives in moments of character exploration, digging beneath the surface into the troubled waters of humanity lurking beneath. It pulls apart the subject and wants to get to the truth within. It is fairly meta in that question of artistic integrity, truth and what makes us tick as people. I also have to mention the explosive and incredible final act, which had me glued to the pages.

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Finally, I’d like to delve into Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron. Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Publication Date: 25th June

TW: death, murder, injury detail, body horror, gore, violence, grief

Goodreads | Waterstones

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My Thoughts:

With Sleep Like Death, Bayron has done it again. This is another fairytale reimagining that smashes it out of the park. It is a fantastical concoction of blood, bile and bitter pursuit of vengeance. 

Kalynn Bayron’s writing just has this bite to it that I cannot get enough of. They are not afraid to embrace the darkness of the original fairytale stories and transport that essence to these new, exicitng and original reimaginings. Sleep Like Death is set in the same world as Cinderella is Dead, but could also work as a standalone – you’d just have a richer understanding of this world and its history. 

Eve was a fantastic protagonist with fascinating gifts, which allowed for an interesting magic system to develop. She is formidable and very single minded – she is almost entirely driven by her quest to defeat the Knight and has been preparing since birth. That comes from a deep wrong committed against her family and forever destroying their happiness, so she is ready to wreck her wrath. What develops is a more complex tale about all consuming anger and vengeance – there is a beautiful throughline about grief and trauma that Bayron handles with care and sensitivity. We have a parallel storyline through the family Eve encounters that adds depth and even more emotional intensity to Eve’s quest. 

We also have a monster for the records with the Knight. Bayron again cleverly twists your expectations from the traditional tales and creates something original to haunt your dreams. The whole concept of twisting your wishes into something nightmarish is a fallacy we’re all aware of, but it is taken to monstrous new heights here. Our first sequence encountering The Knight is straight out of a classic horror film, with expert, tension, pacing and a fair bit of bloodshed. It is terrifying and sets the stakes clearly for the rest of the book. 

Sleep Like Death again undermines your expectations with an original and darkly entrancing narrative that prioritises character development and delving into the darkness.