DNF. This book was dragging too much for me to continue on with. I got about halfway through it and then gave up, as it didn't seem like the story was going to move along.

A really good, scary, creepy book will make me hear the creepy music while reading. This one had the full chorus ringing. The family camp becomes one of the characters in this book, along with the set of knives. The knives are inherited, their ability to disappear from locked cabinets, drawers or boxes means something is not quite right with this cast of characters. There are a couple of hidden clues, watch for them, but you'll probably only see them after the fact, like I did. While this may not be a mystery/ horror book that will be remembered throughout history, I'm pretty sure my circle of reading fellows will love it!!!!

This is a fascinating look at so many things! Nora is grieving her husband's death but is attracted to Paul, their contractor who likes her as well. But things get oh-so dicey when they journey to his aging parents' place where Paul's brother, Gabe, his wife and their young children reside, along with many knives and ghosts. Don't even try to make sense of this book until you are deeply involved in it as it's creepy, ominous, and chilling...unlike anything I've ever read before! But just try to stop reading...because you can't!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

BOOK OF KNIVES is a creepy and strange slow-burn mystery and a ghost story with some supernatural elements by Lise Haines.

Nora is a documentary filmmaker and comes with her new husband to The Hidden Lake Camp —which needs work. She lost her husband and is still grieving when she falls for her late hubby’s best friend and marries him.

Hidden Lake is Paul's family resort, which has been closed for many years. Paul promised it would just be a few months to repair the camp, ready it for sale, and get it on the market. However, when they arrive, it is worst than expected.

Nora inherits a family. Her sister-in-law, but weird and unlikable. All she seems to care about is her collections of knives, and, when they go missing, everting starts unraveling.

There is a murder, in the past, and possible ghosts lingering.

As a collection of knives disappear from the camp one by one, other unsettling things start to happen, and Nora begins to suspect a ghostly presence is haunting the lake and cabins.

A lot is going on with a mix of blended families with different personalities, a need for a child, a partner's loss, letting go of a parent, and a few ghosts and spirits.

The audiobook narration by Eve Passeltiner was pleasant and enjoyed her range of voices as why the 3-star rating. Otherwise, it would be less. I found myself fast-forwarding to get to the end.

This story moved slowly as Nora tries to put together the pieces of what happened in the past in hopes of finding answers in the present.

This book is not what I expected at all. If so, would not have requested it. I am not into the paranormal, ghosts, or supernatural, so I did not enjoy this one. I thought it was weird and quite bizarre. A lot of dysfunctional characters, and I was not invested in any of them. I am sure other readers out there may enjoy it. Unfortunately, this one does not live up to the description or my expectations.

Thank you to #DreamscapeMedia for ALC and #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for an e-ARC for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

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My Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 4, 2022

Lisa Haines, you little devil you!

Book of Knives, has just slipped on in to my favorite book of the year!

The suspense that looms over every page will have you begging to hold your mama's hand. I guess I should have known when you have a title like "Book of Knives" that you will be in for a wild ride. The entire time I was reading I had my hand in my mouth, gnawing away at my fingernails.

The characters were complex, had multiple layers, and felt as real as the person sitting next to you. In no way, shape or form, does this book drag or get dull. There are no chapters that will give you a break from the anxiety you are experiencing while reading. The chapters were so vivid, I felt as though I was right there in the book myself.

The way Haines was able to get her words to dance across the page has left me utterly speechless.

Sneak a peek at the teaser below!

Teaser :

When Nora agrees to help her new husband, Paul, and his family fix up Hidden Lake Camp, she didn't expect it to be in such a state of ruin. The dock full of rotten boards, smashed windows, cabins falling apart—it's all a past he'd just as soon bury. Only a few months, he said. They'd drive north to get Paul's elderly parents settled while he and his brother make enough repairs to sell the property.

The summer camp, however, and its deep lake have other plans.

On the first night, Nora stumbles through a first meal with his difficult family. Her sister-in-law shows off a prized collection of handmade knives, thirteen in all.Long summer days stretch before them and one by one the knives begin to disappear.

By the time the fourth and fifth vanish from behind locked doors and out from under watchful eyes, Nora can barely sleep. There's talk of ghosts, secret rooms and someone at the summer camp found dead in the tall grass.

I promise you, this is not a book you want to miss !

Five Stars!

I really really wanted to like this book, but it was just so bizarre and the characters at times made me want to strangle them. Nora was particularly way too obsessed with her past which diverted her focus from the present (and the whole storyline, in my opinion). I don't know, maybe it was just more horror genre than thriller genre, which I wasn't expecting and could be way I just wasn't entertained or pulled into the plot.

Nora finds love again and finds herself in a bit of an awkward situation with her new in-laws when they have to go and help out at home.

I find it hard to concentrate on slow burners. This book only picked up its pace around the last few chapters. Nora came across as such a weird character, her inner monologue with her first deceased husband was a bit too much. The characters were well built and strong but I am disappointed that I didn't like this one more.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

While I enjoyed the book, I have to say this one didn’t completely click with me. The setup is solid enough, the whole dysfunctional family dynamics, and location of the rundown camp is wonderfully atmospheric, but the problem is I never totally connected with any of the characters. I’m also not sure I would categorize this as a thriller so much as a slow burn mystery with some supernatural elements. I might have enjoyed it more had the chapters been a bit shorter and had the story moved at a quicker pace, as I thought it dragged a bit at times. If it clicks with you, there is definitely a story here to be enjoyed, but for me it just made me ‘work’ too hard for it. If that makes any sense. 3.5 stars. I’d like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Book of Knives.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R549XNERSX4E2/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

4 Stars 🌟

The story starts with Nora, who is a documentary filmmaker and editor. Her husband Takeo, unfortunately passes but he always said if he were to go first she should consider getting with his best friend, Paul. Therefore, she marries Paul, a contractor and father of one who was renting the loft above Takeo’s studio. The story begins with Paul, Nora, and Leon, Paul’s eighteen-year-old son, traveling to Paul’s family campground. Paul is estranged from his family and seems rather anxious about returning home. However, Paul must return due to the poor health of his parents. We also meet Paul’s younger brother Gabe and his wife, Salish and their four children. Salish shows everyone her collection of novelty knives she inherited from her father. Soon these knives start disappearing one by one. Nora plans to document as much as possible on video, and ultimately embarks on an investigation behind these strange occurrences. And don’t worry this book isn’t just about disappearing cutlery, it also contains spooky apparitions, tension between characters, hidden doors, and so much more!

Book of Knives by Lise Haines was a great way to kick off spooky season. It is an incredible suspense thriller that will hook you from page one. This book contains intriguing characters and a plot that will keep you guessing. Overall this was a fun and interesting read. Many thanks to NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed here are my

Book of Knives was a bit different than I expected. I wouldn't necessarily call this a thriller, more of a psychological mystery/suspense. There was a lot that I enjoyed about it, but some areas where it fell short for me as well.

This book was a slow burn. For a while it seems like there is nothing truly significant happening, but Haines does a good job in character development. Throughout the buildup we get a sense of Nora's grief over her late husband Takeo, her relationship with her new husband Paul, and the tension between the other characters as more time passes at Hidden Lake Camp. The mystery of the disappearing knives and the family's history kept me curious enough to want to press on. The atmosphere was also set pretty well too, it was an unsettling sense of tension and ruin.

Most of the characters were unlikable to me, there were only maybe a couple that I cared about. While the slow burn works well for the majority of the novel, I felt that the ending was lackluster and the buildup didn't really pay off and I was left with more questions than answers.

This was a very peculiar book. Based on the synopsis I was expecting something a lot more sinister. The pacing was strange and the book as a whole felt like a mesh of genres. I’m not really sure why there was so much about Nora’s previous husband included, as it didn’t fit with the present day camp storyline. Overall, the whole thing fell flat for me.

Book Review:

The Book of Knives by Lise Haines

I hope I do a good job explaining this book because I really did enjoy it.

Two brothers and their families come together at their family home (which just happens to be an abandoned camp) to take care of their ailing parents and ready the home to sell. They begin with 13 knives and slowly they begin to disappear. As Nora begins to solve the mystery she finds out a lot more than expected. Everyone begins to go a little insane...and chaos ensues.

This book is just anticipation. The entire time I read it I was continuously waiting for something to jump out at me, but something creepier would happen instead.

If you are looking for something weird and twisty this spooky season look no further. the Book of Knives released 10/4!

Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this advanced reader 🔪

#BookReview #Bookstagram #LiseHaines #BookOfKnives #PoisonedPenPress #BookishLife #Reading #Bibliophile #BookPhotography #BookRecommendations #InstaBooks #BookNerd #ThrillerBooks #HorrorBooks

After the death of her husband, Nora finds a bit of comfort with the couple's good friend, Paul. As time passes, Nora and Paul's relationship continues to blossom. Nora never expected to find love again, but she has and she isn't going to let it slip from her grasp. Thus, she and Paul decide to get married.

The new couple lead a quiet, uneventful life together, until the day Paul gets a call from his estranged brother, Gabe. Paul doesn't speak much about his early life, but Nora knows it wasn't good.

Now it seems Paul's elderly parents are in poor health and failing fast. Paul needs to go back to the family home, Hidden Lake Camp, a place he fled literally decades before, in order to help his brother out caring for their parents and refurbishing the property. Nora, of course, agrees to go along with Paul and his teen-aged son, Leon, to the camp. It will be an adventure.

Unfortunately, as soon as they arrive, things get weird. Paul's brother, his wife and their kids are already well established at the property and they are strange; really strange, especially the wife.

Gabe's wife, Salish, has a collection of 13-knives passed down to her from her father. She's slightly obsessed with the things, so as they start to mysteriously disappear one-by-one, it puts her in an absolute tail-spin. Nora spends the majority of her time just trying to figure out Salish. Her wacky mood is beginning to have a negative impact on Nora's own mental health. That's when things really start feeling claustrophobic.

There's a mystery afoot, or is there?

I'm sad to report that this super-slow burn, Adult Fiction story just wasn't for me. I know there is an audience for it, but I shouldn't have been part of it. Frankly, I should have walked out of the theater about a quarter of the way through. I am a huge fan of weird and quirky stories, but they have to have some semblance of sense. I also need to actually care either about at least one of the characters, or about the general outcome.

Without putting too fine a point on it, I didn't. I know there are plenty of Readers out there that will enjoy this story. It just absolutely was not for me.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital review copy.

I liked the premise of the story but for me it fell a bit flat. My favourite scenes were when Nora and Jones were together looking and discussing clues. However when the scenes flash-backed to her ex husband, it took me out of the story and I felt like it didn’t add anything. I have mixed feelings on the ending

I’m just going to go ahead and put myself in the camp (ha, ha) that just didn’t like this book. The first half was a STRUGGLE, then it finally started to improve slightly. For a bit, I thought I might even give it three stars, but the ending dispelled that idea.

Nora lost her husband, Takeo, and soon after, married their handyman, Paul. Paul’s parents are sick and they have come with his brother’s family to take care of the ailing couple, while renovating the family camp, Hidden Lake. Nora feels totally left out, as she doesn’t know Paul’s family and feels weird being there at such a rough and intimate time. She had no idea what weird was though…

Salish is Nora’s new sister-in-law. She has 13 knives, and they keep disappearing - some reappearing later, but always making their mark. Literally. While her husband is renovating some of the buildings in the camp, Nora, who is a documentary filmmaker, starts recording strange things and looking into the death of a handyman who used to live on the property. Because, otherwise there wouldn’t be a book? 🤷🏼‍♀️

That’s about it, really. There are knives, then there aren’t knives. There’s (maybe?) a ghost and a secret room, but everyone knows and accepts it as normal. There are old people with secrets that never make sense because their minds are gone. Salish is batshit crazy and birds randomly die, but we have no real reason why.

“Why” is the big question of the book; after I finished it, all I could think was WHY? What was this all supposed to be? Haunted house and ghost books can be that way, which is why I rarely choose to read them (I didn’t realize this was a ghost story from the synopsis). What was all of this for? Why was it written? Why am I feeling zero shock, zero care for the flat characters, zero interest? Just … why?

Maybe it’s over my head. Maybe it’s really as pointless as it seems. Maybe you’ll like this book better, but for me, it was a no. The writing was mediocre, the plot was so loose it felt held together with paper clips, and the story just didn’t entertain me. An unfortunate 2.5 stars for this one, rounded down because I really want my time back.

(Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, Lise Haines, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Book of Knives by Lise Haines is a well-written slow-burn suspense thriller. Haines’s writing is elegant, descriptive as well as immersive. I was impressed with the author’s characterizations- the adults, teenagers, and the children- all the characters, even the immensely unlikable ones are well-developed. The mystery behind the disappearing knives (a few of which reappear under mysterious circumstances), other sinister and paranormal occurrences, hidden rooms, strained interactions between Gabe and Paul, fluctuating tempers, tension and suspicion among the adults, the suffocating atmosphere of the camp, and a decades-old murder mystery make for an engaging read. Yes, there are ghostly apparitions and sinister occurrences, but not enough to scare you silly! (for which I am thankful; otherwise, a scaredy-cat like me would be hiding under the bed instead of writing this review!). The author leaves a few questions unanswered or leaves it to the reader to ponder, but that’s okay.

Book of Knives was a very slow paced, paranormal/mystery thriller that sounded good initially, but ultimately fell flat for me. The chapters were long and drawn out, story lines incomplete and little action. The story often jumped from one place to another without any warning, which threw me off of what was happening and I found myself re-reading paragraphs because of it. I had high hopes for this creepy sounding book, but it didn't live up to it. Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!

Book of Knives by Lise Haines was a thrilling, exciting, pulse-pounding story.
The writing in this is superb, let alone the story line.
The group dynamic and camp vibe is enthralling and the author cleverly layered it extremely well.
Fantastic book that grabbed me at page one and didn’t let go until the very last word.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Poisoned Pen Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

I really wanted to like this book and I have gone back and forth if I should give it a 2 or a 3. I finally decided on a 2 because so much was never explained, and some story lines just hung there with nowhere to go. I thought the writing was engaging enough but some things the characters said, or their ideas took me out of the book for moments and those only increased as the book went on. I thought the plot though engaging was never truly explored and at the end I found myself scratching my head wondering if I missed something I don't think I did though I just think this was a story that didn't know where it was going itself so that's why it was as confusing and disjointed as it was.

Nora having lost her first husband has recently remarried Paul a friend of her and her late husband. Paul has always been a little cagey about his past and his distant family that is until his estranged parents become ill and him and his brother Gabe are asked to go back and help settle the old campground they grew up on and figure out what is to become of their parents. Nora agrees to go and film everything as a documentary film maker she thinks the area could make a good source of entertained for her. What starts out as a 1 month stay soon turns into 6 months. Slowly things start to go missing including knives. Who is doing this? And why and will it end in a big joke or in blood.

Slow burn is one thing but glacial burn is another entirely... I am not a fan of the very slow build. I appreciate building tension but you need some hook early on - it doesn't have to be full-blown action, but there needs to be something more than a fabulous cover to draw me into the book. Characters, writing, intrigue - something has to catch my attention early on or I just don't find myself compelled to keep reading. It's possible I miss out on some fabulous stories this way, but it's definite that I miss out on the frustration of a read that doesn't interest me also so it's a trade-off I'm willing to make.

This one, for me, didn't resonate. I didn't particularly like the characters. The writing was fine but nothing grabbed my attention and held on for dear life - and with a marvelous and evocative cover like this, I was rather expecting it to. This one wasn't for me.