Books Read:
Seducers in Ecuador and The Heir by Vita Sackville-West (1925 and 1922) 5/5 stars (my review here)
Audio Books Completed:
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (2021) 4/5 stars
This slow-but-steady thriller is generally well-written, mostly suspenseful, and quite intriguing. I did figure out part of the ending in advance, but Michaelides delivered a surprise that brought the book up from three to four stars. Overall, it was compelling and entertaining. (As a bonus, some characters from Michaelides' debut novel cross into this one, adding another level of enjoyment to The Maidens.)
Ladies' Bane by Patricia Wentworth (1952) 3/5 stars
While easily solved, this was an attention-keeping mystery, and though it followed the usual Miss Silver formula, it was still enjoyable.
The Au Pair by Emma Rous (2019) 2/5 stars
This is advertised as a mystery-suspense-thriller, but it wasn't. Most plot developments were completely expected, and nothing particularly imaginative. It wasn't terrible, though, until about the eighth hour of the audio book, when it got extremely silly. I kept thinking that it was going to take that particular turn, but also thought that it couldn't it surely couldn't get that ridiculous. By then, though, I only had two hours to go, so I thought I'd finish and see if the author could save the book. I hate to give a bad review, but in my opinion, there was no redemption. My recommendation is to just give this one a miss.
Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897) 5/5 stars (my review here)
Did Not Finish:
The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan
This domestic thriller was too predictable; it seemed that every plot development was expected. I also found the main character's motives to be unbelievable, so despite listening to 44 out of 80 chapters, I finally gave it up.
