After long years of being away from the A to Z Blogging Challenge, I’m going to write about thrillers of all stripes, mysteries, and crime novels for 26 days in April, based on the letters of the alphabet. All posts will be linked here.
Since I’m writing up thriller and crime novel recommendations, I’m also giving away a 50 USD Amazon Gift card, to support reading, and to help my next novel THE BLUE BAR along on its journey.
Entries involve:
GET CURATED PUBLISHING RESOURCES ADD ON GOODREADS FOLLOW ON BOOKBUB
After In The Woods by Tana French, I bring you Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone.
Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone: Book Description
A double life with a single purpose: revenge.
Jane’s days at a Midwest insurance company are perfectly ordinary. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. She’s just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes—meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. No one has any idea who Jane really is. Least of all Steven.
But plain Jane is hiding something. And Steven’s bringing out the worst in her.
Nothing can distract Jane from going straight for his heart: allowing herself to be seduced into Steven’s bed, to insinuate herself into his career and his family, and to expose all his dirty secrets. It’s time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. So she can take it all away.
Just as he did to her.
Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone: Excerpt
About the author, Victoria Helen Stone
Why pick up Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone
Jane Doe is an unapologetic revenge thriller–it is the sort of read that I’d recommend a girlfriend going through a break-up. I’m a fan of voices, as you know by now, and Jane Doe has a fab voice–a vengeful sociopath.
The pace never lets up, and you root straightaway for Jane–she’s loyal, and she is bent on avenging her best friend, possibly the only person she genuinely cared for–given that caring for others is not really her strong suit.
She is cunning, stealthy, promiscuous, and yet retains interest and even sympathy because her goal is not self-centred, and her brand of sarcasm can be entertaining. Being a genre thriller, the narrative does have plausibility issues, and perhaps some of the other characters could use a little more depth, but overall, this is a captivating, fast read, and one that pays off.
Pick it up if you like unusual characters, fascinating female leads, and are in the mood for revenge served very, very cold, but no less delicious for all that.
Have you read the book Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone? If yes, what did you think of it? What crime novels have you read lately ?
Through the month of April, to celebrate the challenge and get some support for THE BLUE BAR, I’m holding this giveaway:
Enter to WIN a 50 USD Amazon gift card for this
RAFFLECOPTER giveaway.
Entries are simple: click the RAFFLECOPTER link above, and follow the instructions. It calls for a Goodreads add, a subscription request, and a follow on Instagram.
If you enjoyed the post, click on any or all of the following to stay updated:
I always like to have a number of dark things on my TBR list, and I’ll be adding this one for sure.
It would be a dark but worthwhile addition, Deborah.
Sounds like my kind of book!
What a fun theme for A to Z! This sounds like a good one.
Sounds promising and might really check this one out for its intriguing phrase “unapologetic revenge thriller”.
I haven’t read any crime novels lately. This one does sound delicious, particuarly if one is in a vengeful mood.
Yes, I was vengeful due to I don’t know what during the covid waves, and it proved a good read. Thanks for stopping by, Liz.
You have introduced me to yet another that sounds interesting. My usual comment on this thread applies.
Sue, you and I have very similar tastes–I’m so glad you’re enjoying most of my picks.
You’re giving us a formidable list of thrillers Damyanti. I’ll have to be back during the road trip to make a list of reads for myself.
The list of books will all be here: https://www.damyantiwrites.com/tag/atozchallenge/
What a great phrase–“unapologetic revenge thriller”. There’s a lot of that going on these days as we ordinary folk feel disempowered. I’m intrigued by this book, Damyanti.
Yes, we see so much injustice around us and are perfectly powerless to prevent it (gah alliteration, sorry!)–so yep, a revenge thriller might hold an appeal.
I would love to read this book, especially since I have started liking “voices”, too. Inspired by you, of course! 🙂
Shilpa 🙂 …I hope you like this one. Though I suspect you might like the Tana French better–I wrote about In the Wood for I.