What Rachael Reads

Book Details Title:   The Silent Patient Author:  Alex Michaelides Genre:  Psychological Thriller Publisher:  Orion Publication Date:  5th February 2019 Page Count:  340 Series:  No Blurb Alicia Berenson lived a seemingly perfect life until one day six years ago. When she shot her husband in the head five times. Since then she hasn't spoken a single word. It's time to find out why. My Thoughts I can definitely see why The Silent Patient became such a talked-about thriller, and having only read this in late 2025, I was definitely a little late to the party. This was my first read from Alex Michaelides , and it absolutely won’t be my last. The story follows Alicia Berenson, a famous painter who seemingly has the perfect life, until she shoots her husband and then never speaks another word. Ever. What follows is a mix of psychological exploration, obsession, and unraveling secrets as Theo, a criminal psychotherapist, becomes determined to uncover the tru...

Book Details Title:   Nine Missing Girls Author:  Steena Holmes Genre:  Psychological Thriller Publisher:  Joffe Books Publication Date:  19th March 2026 Page Count:  261 Series:  No Blurb Nine missing girls. Nine cases the world wants to forget. One detective who never will. Each file is someone’s daughter. Someone’s sister. And if Meri Amber can’t bring them home, she’ll make sure their stories end with justice. As the FBI’s leading child abduction specialist, Meri has spent her career chasing the vanished – from Minnesota to Montana, from abandoned barns to dark cellars that still echo with screams. But every case cuts deeper than the last. “I’m Detective Meri Amber. I’ve been searching for my sister for twenty years. Every missing girl is a mirror. Every scream behind a wall could be hers. I’ll never stop looking. These are the stories of the girls I’ve found, the truths I’ve uncovered, and the cracks in my own past I can’t seem to seal.” From the ...

Book Details Title:  Don't Answer The Phone Author: Miranda Rijks Genre:  Psychological Thriller Publisher:  Inkubator Books Publication Date:  8th March 2026 Page Count: 276 Series: No Blurb She’s the woman of his dreams. He’s the monster from her nightmares. When Daniella rescues elderly Peggy from a mugger on a Boston street, she expects nothing in return. But then she meets Peggy’s son, Lucas—devastatingly handsome and utterly captivating. Unlike her distant husband Grant, Lucas sees her. Wants her. Daniella can’t resist and they spend one reckless night together which she immediately regrets. Too late, because Lucas doesn’t just want Daniella. He needs her. And he’s willing to destroy everything—and everyone—standing in his way. Lucas plays the long game, worming his way into Daniella’s life—befriending Grant, charming her twin daughters, inveigling his way into her family. Every time she turns around, he seems to be there. As the depths of his obsession becom...

Book Details Title:  His & Hers Author:  Alice Feeney Genre:  Psychological Thriller Publisher:  HQ Publication Date:  28th May 2020 Pages: 304 Blurb   If there are two sides to every story, someone is always lying… Jack: Three words to describe my wife: Beautiful. Ambitious. Unforgiving. Anna: I only need one word to describe my husband: Liar. When a woman is murdered in Blackdown village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Anna’s ex-husband, DCI Jack Harper, is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation. Someone is lying, and some secrets are worth killing to keep. My Thoughts I’ve been a big fan of Alice Feeney since reading  Beautiful Ugly , so picking up His & Hers  was an easy decision. After recently meeting Alice at the launch of her new book My Husband's Wife , I was even more excited to dive into one of her earlier thrillers, and it definitely didn’t disappoint....

Book Details Title:  Taken From Her Family Author: C.J. Grayson Genre:  Crime Thriller Publisher:  Joffe Books Publication Date:  10th March 2026 Blurb It’s every parent’s worst nightmare . . . Tracy Marley is driving to collect her husband after hours from the gym, the children bickering in the backseat, when a text arrives: Why not come in, try and find me. You know the code for the front door. Hint: I’m in the office x It’s late. Tracy’s exhausted. But the kids are excited, and she gives in. She’s made a fatal mistake. Instead of finding her husband in the maze of dark, empty corridors, Tracy walks straight into three masked men stuffing cash into a black bin bag — and she won’t leave the building alive. A murdered mother. A missing daughter. A traumatised son. Detective April Fisher catches the case, and quickly realises time is her enemy. Because the thieves didn’t just kill Tracy before they fled with the money —  they abducted her ten-year-old daugh...

Matchmaker by S.E. Lynes My rating: 4 of 5 stars Matchmaker by S.E. Lynes is a psychological thriller, based in the north of England. Told through multiple POV’s, we meet Cat and Megan. Cat is a young woman with a troubled history, and she deliberately seeks out Megan to chase a link from her own past. Megan, a married mum of two, has an agenda of her own for Cat - a ploy to out her husband as a cheat. Little do they both know, not everyone is who they say they are. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. A bit of a slow burner to start with, but really picks up the pace towards the end and leaves you wanting to keep turning the pages! A couple of clever twists and great character development. I’ve read a couple from this author now, and would definitely recommend. My rating: Genre: Psychological Thriller Publisher: Bookouture Publication date: 13th March 2026 Pages: 364 Buy on Amazon    View all my reviews

The Last Page Cafe by Kate Storey My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Last Page Cafe is a beautiful tale of friendship, community, and new beginnings. Erin McRae is a middle-aged business owner, who single-handedly raised her son, Jack, who has just returned from university. Erin inherited The Bookmark Cafe from her late mother, and makes ends meet by providing a welcoming space for locals to come and relax with a coffee and a book. She runs a small book club, and struggles with change, but when a letter arrives that puts the future of the cafe in jeopardy, Erin needs all the help she can get to save it. Beautifully written and heartwarming, I will definitely be picking up more from this author. My rating: Publication date: 12th March 2026 Page count: 349 Buy on Amazon | Buy on Kobo View all my reviews

Today it's my turn to host the tour for The Patients , written by Charlotte Stevenson . Published in the UK by Bloodhound Books on 9th March 2026, this psychological thriller will have you hooked! Blurb... They came seeking help. But not everyone can be saved.  When strangers Tess and Leah arrive at the private practice of renowned psychiatrist Dr Jenna O'Hara , both are desperate for support. But behind the calm of the consulting room, something far darker is taking shape. Leah, now in her forties, is haunted by a childhood trauma she's never escaped. Whereas Tess, a successful social media influencer , insists she's simply burned out.  But not everyone is as they seem, and the next session is more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.  Soon, Tess and Leah are caught in something they don't understand — a labyrinth of revenge where past wounds and hidden motives collide. Someone is lying. Someone is dangerous. And someone is about to p...

Happy 1st December! The festive season is already well and truly underway at our house. Tree and lights are up, advent calendars are opened, and the naughty little elf has already made its appearance! I'm usually one to stick to tradition and start decorating around 12 days before the big event, but (and as I've heard so many say already) it's 2020! Why not? I think we all need a little Christmas joy right now. As you may know, I've been rereading the David Raker series by the incredible Tim Weaver. I'm currently up to book number 4: Never Coming Back. As always, I am thoroughly enjoying it and can't wait to get to the remaining 6 books in the series. I'm hoping to squeeze all of them in before the Christmas madness really gets going! I have a few others on my 'TBR' pile that I'm really looking forward to reading, so let's hope I stay organised and on track to get around to them before 2020 is out! What are you reading? Share with us in the ...

The Dead Tracks by Tim Weaver My rating: 5 of 5 stars Read this for the second time four years later. Increased my rating from 4 to 5 stars. Fantastic book and I love the series. David Raker is an incredible character - a bit like a Smartie; hard as nails on the outside but incredibly soft on the inside, driven by emotion and the events of his past. The Dead Tracks is gripping, thrilling and creepy. Weaver has transformed modern London into a Victorian dystopia here, in a Jack the Ripper style mystery, meshed with more contemporary crimes. The Dead Tracks setting really gives you a feeling of wanting to satisfy curiosity, but also stay away from the danger. You can almost feel the tension through the pages, and I was genuinely both saddened and impressed to discover that the location described as The Dead Tracks, doesn't exist in real life. Tim has expertly brought it to life and created the perfect setting for the grisly storyline. 5 stars and on to the next in the series. 😊 ...

 Just a short update this Monday evening to remind any of you lovely readers that the blog is back! (And very much still under construction!) I am using my non-reading, non-reviewing, non-working, non-parenting time to learn a few skills, including web design; so watch this space!  In the meantime, I am currently re-reading the David Raker series by Tim Weaver. I first came across the series around 4 years ago, and there may (or may not) be a previous blog post about it because I loved it! I saw a post on Twitter last week advertising the latest release in the series and having just finished the Kate Marshall series by Robert Bryndza, I thought it's probably a great time to start the Raker series all over again to really dig deep into the character. When you read (or binge watch) a series consecutively, I feel like you really get to know the characters on a deeper level and you don't have that time lapse in between where you can forget some of their quirks and flaws. I raced t...

Hello fellow readers. It's been a while. Over two months now, in fact. I have dearly missed blogging and reading some of the lovely feedback I get from my readers. Fear not, I am still lurking in the community and I am still reading, perhaps less ferociously than before, but reading nonetheless. A family of 5, life sometimes gets in the way! I would like to share with you some of what I have read over the last few months, which, as you will notice, is mostly non-fiction, a genre I haven't really blogged about much before. Sometimes I think non-fiction requires a certain frame of mind, or headspace. I have read lots of non-fiction over the years, particularly in the self-help and business sections and I very rarely encounter a book that I don't like. I cannot tell you how I came to read this first novel. I am a massive fan of Queen and grew up in the late eighties and early nineties so Freddie Mercury & Co. featured heavily in my childhood. I read a news piece a whil...