Okay, folks. It’s time for a book review. A SHORT one.

I finished reading Christopher Greyson’s suspense thriller, The Girl Who Lived, last week.

Just an FYI, suspense thrillers aren’t genres I read on a regular basis, but they are in my reading mix, along with women’s fiction, classics, and at times, historical fiction.

From the few suspense thrillers I’ve read recently, Greyson’s novel is a big winner and eclipses the last one I read called Wave of Terror. Only once throughout that novel did I feel a bit of tension/thrill.

So, why was Greyson’s novel a winner? Because…

• His story drew me in, in the first line, paragraph, and page of his novel.
• His writing style is solid, good.
• Whoever edits and proofreads his manuscripts is a stellar human being. I don’t recall seeing any typos or errors of any kind.
• I could barely put the book down. I forced myself to set the book aside so that I had the majority of the book to read on my vacation. And I did finish it while sitting out on our cabin’s porch in Estes Park, enjoying the absolutely perfect weather.
• He wrote so well, his suspenseful scenes, quite a few, had me tensing and on the edge of my seat, so to speak, and one scene actually gave me the chills. Now THAT’S what I call a true THRILLER. 🙂
• He kept me guessing with many twists and turns up until practically the end, on who was involved in Faith’s family and friends’ murders.
• Lastly, a great bonus. His writing is quite clean with regards to language and sex. The violence is somewhat graphic, but not enough that I’d need to skip over parts. They were just enough to get the point across. Clean, gritty, realistic, and sharp storyline, plot, and good fleshed-out characters.
• I had a moment of a pinch of disappointment in who was behind the murders, as I had people in mind, but at the same time, all info explaining why that person and how was plausible and believable enough that in the end, I was satisfied.

Here’s the blurb on The Girl Who Lived:

Ten years ago, four people were brutally murdered. One girl lived.

No one believes her story.
The police think she’s crazy.
Her therapist thinks she’s suicidal.
Everyone else thinks she’s a dangerous drunk.
They’re all right–but did she see the killer?

As the anniversary of the murders approaches, Faith Winters is released from the psychiatric hospital and yanked back to the last spot on earth she wants to be–her hometown where the slayings took place. Wracked by the lingering echoes of survivor’s guilt, Faith spirals into a black hole of alcoholism and wanton self-destruction. Finding no solace at the bottom of a bottle, Faith decides to track down her sister’s killer–and then discovers that she’s the one being hunted.

I have found a new author I really, really like and will be reading more of his books in the near future. If you like gripping thrillers, check out Greyson’s The Girl Who Lived.

 

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