The Lucky One: A Novel by Lori Rader-Day

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

“This might well be my favorite Rader-Day so far: a brilliant premise intriguingly developed, totally believable characters and a climax that took my breath away.”  — Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author of The Shetland and Vera Series  

From the author of the Edgar Award®-nominated Under A Dark Sky comes an unforgettable, chilling novel about a young woman who recognizes the man who kidnapped her as a child, setting off a search for justice, and into danger.

Most people who go missing are never found. But Alice was the lucky one…

As a child, Alice was stolen from her backyard in a tiny Indiana community, but against the odds, her policeman father tracked her down within twenty-four hours and rescued her from harm. In the aftermath of the crime, her family decided to move to Chicago and close the door on that horrible day.

Yet Alice hasn’t forgotten. She devotes her spare time volunteering for a website called The Doe Pages scrolling through pages upon pages of unidentified people, searching for clues that could help reunite families with their missing loved ones. When a face appears on Alice’s screen that she recognizes, she’s stunned to realize it’s the same man who kidnapped her decades ago. The post is deleted as quickly as it appeared, leaving Alice with more questions than answers.

Embarking on a search for the truth, she enlists the help of friends from The Doe Pages to connect the dots and find her kidnapper before he hurts someone else. Then Alice crosses paths with Merrily Cruz, another woman who’s been hunting for answers of her own. Together, they begin to unravel a dark, painful web of lies that will change what they thought they knew—and could cost them everything.

Twisting and compulsively readable, The Lucky One explores the lies we tell ourselves to feel safe.

my thoughts:

The Lucky One by Lori Rader-Day is a book that I should have loved. It has mystery, thrills, and so many little twists and turns. Its about Alice, a woman who was kidnapped as a kid and now spends her time on a website devoted to Unidentified Missing People. One day she finds a photo of her kidnapper and suddenly, she is on the hunt to uncover the truth about what happened to her.  Along the way, she meets Merrily, a young woman who is also looking for the same man. Except, Merrily is looking for  her pseudo-stepfather, not a kidnapper. The two women decide to join forces and search for this illusive man who has impacted both of their lives in such huge and different ways. Talk about a riveting premise, right? Well, its not. Or at least it wasn't for me.

I started the book with high hopes and quickly found myself disappointed. Yep, I DNFed The Lucky One. I had to. The book just didn't captivate me enough to keep me interested. I found Alice to be rather annoying and pathetic, while Merrily was cliche with a capital C. Both characters were underdeveloped and just didn't provide any emotional depth.  I just didn't care to find out about them, so I gave up reading their story. The writing was solid, but it just didn't propel me to want to keep reading. Of course, I didn't finish the whole story, so I can't really advise you not to read it.  All I can share is that it was not my cup of tea. I would suggest reading the rest of the reviews on the TLC Book Tour to find out what everyone else thinks - you never know, maybe they fell in LOVE with The Lucky One and are urging people to read it ASAP. I just know that it wasn't for me.

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Lucky One

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!

Under A Dark Sky: A Novel by Lori Rader-Day

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

“Fans of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None will be riveted by Rader-Day’s latest psychological thriller, which makes you question who you really know and trust and whether you should be afraid of the dark.”—Library Journal,Starred Review

“A brilliant concept, brilliantly told!” –Jeffery Deaver, New York Times Bestselling Author

Only in the dark can she find the truth . . .

Since her husband died, Eden Wallace’s life has diminished down to a tiny pinprick, like a far-off star in the night sky. She doesn’t work, has given up on her love of photography, and is so plagued by night terrors that she can’t sleep without the lights on. Everyone, including her family, has grown weary of her grief. So when she finds paperwork in her husband’s effects indicating that he reserved a week at a dark sky park, she goes. She’s ready to shed her fear and return to the living, even if it means facing her paralyzing phobia of the dark.

But when she arrives at the park, the guest suite she thought was a private retreat is teeming with a group of twenty-somethings, all stuck in the orbit of their old college friendships. Horrified that her get-away has been taken over, Eden decides to head home the next day. But then a scream wakes the house in the middle of the night. One of the friends has been murdered. Now everyone—including Eden—is a suspect.

Everyone is keeping secrets, but only one is a murderer. As mishaps continue to befall the group, Eden must make sense of the chaos and lies to evade a ruthless killer—and she’ll have to do it before dark falls…

my thoughts:

What a thrilling read! I just LOVED Lori Rader-Day's novel, Under A Dark Sky.  It was such a fun and exciting book to get lost in. There was plenty of drama and suspense with a beguiling mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. What a great story!!

Eden's husband has died and she is mired in grief.  She is also afraid of the dark and turning into a person she barely recognizes.  So, when she finds a reservation to a dark sky park that her husband made for their upcoming anniversary, she decides to face her fear head-on.  Except, once at the retreat house, she finds that she won't be alone (something she had been looking forward to).  It seems that a group of college friends have planned a reunion and are staying at the retreat.  Eden decides that she will just stay the night and leave in the morning.  However, one of the college friends is found dead - murdered in the night.  Seems like everyone in the house is now a suspect, including Eden.  Yikes! As the story unfolds and more drama occurs, Eden finds herself trying to figure out what is going on, all the while facing her fear of the dark.  Talk about a thrill ride!!

I would happily recommend Under A Dark Sky to fans of Lori Rader-Day's novels and anyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book!!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: Under A Dark Sky

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!