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Olivia feels compelled to help Bonnie, who also survived the car crash that killed her mother and sister, when Bonnie is arrest for killing her children, This is a story of past secrets and lies. Olivia has repressed her memories but there's something really wrong in Finney, Kansas. Luckily, she meets Will, a journalist who helps with the confusion and challenges, There's a big twist- no spoilers. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, A good read,
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Thank you to Anne Frasier, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Okay, so, I requested this book after reading the book and it sounded so good. But by 25% I was done, I could not read it anymore. Olivia had zero personality. She was boring, she was almost robotic. She was not a good PI at all.
The story just did not hold my attention.
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Private investigator Olivia survived a train wreck as a child but a phone call from someone else involved in the accident has her travelling back to her childhood home in Kansas to try to solve a murder.
The author has created an interesting story with plenty of twists and turns. The plot moves at a good pace which kept my interest. I felt that some of the characters lacked depth and there were times when the author shifted to a different narrator or threw in a flashback to give a different perspective on the story.
The subject matter could have become quite heavy but the approach of the two main characters gave it a more lighthearted feel, and I still can’t decide whether that was appropriate or not. Having said that, I enjoyed the story.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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4-4.25⭐️
Having heard rave reviews for other books by this author I leapt at the chance to read this one.
What I found very irritating was having to scroll past page after page of praise for other books before I could get to the. Start of the book.
Private investigator Olivia Wells is drawn back to Kansas by Bonnie who she has known since a child she is accused of killing her children. Olivia is pulled into the case as the two women share a history. En route she meets up with reporter Will LaFever who is after a Pulitzer prize winning story. He thinks these children’s deaths could be the story that makes him.
Here we have our two protagonists, very different to each other, and both with their oddities. I must say I immediately liked both of them, although Will’s motives weren’t immediately obvious, just making him appear even stranger. They are both outsiders in a very clicky small rural town, and needed to stick together.
I enjoyed their relationship as it developed, as well as her assistant Ezra back at the office, needless to say he has his own ongoing issues.
As this is the first in what I believe is a series a fair bit of time is spent developing each of their histories and back stories, giving the characters good depth but initially slowing the pace.
The relationship between the three was my favourite part of the story.
I loved most of the book, wasn’t so sure about the ending for me. Although it’s fast paced once it gets going and kept my interest well. It’s well worth a read. I’ll be checking out others by this author for sure, and look forward to the next one in this series as I like the protagonists.
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This is a first time read by this author and I was impressed. Not only did it keep this reader guessing but I appreciated the twist and turns with no romantic involvement between characters.My suggestion to others would be to give this story a try, you will not be disappointed.
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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Night I Died by Anne Frazier that I read and reviewed.
I figured out one of the twist in this book pretty quickly and as for the rest most of the characters in the book were a bit crazy and I really didn’t know what to think about any of them.
I am not a huge fan of books told from so many different perspectives because there is just so much going on you get lost in what everyone is thinking you don’t know what what.
Overall, this book was pretty good. I enjoyed it. But like I said everyone was a bit nuts.
I am giving The Night I Died four out of five stars.
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Wow! Complex and gripping, with intriguing characters. This one kept me guessing. I was completely invested in Olivia. The mystery is full of twists. I was glued to this one and didn't want it to end.
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Olivia Welles has not been back to her home town in Finney County, Kansas since the night she first died. Involved in an accident when she was young, she was pronounced dead at the scene but later started to wake up in the morgue and was rushed to hospital. During the reconstructive surgery needed to put her back together she died several more times but was resuscitated and eventually grew up to become a homicide detective in the LAPD and now works as a private detective in LA.
Olivia’s mother and her best friend Mazie died in the accident while Mazie’s little sister Bonnie and her mother managed to walk away from the wreck. When Olivia receives a call from Bonnie saying she needs help because she’s been accused of the murder of her young son, she decides to return to her home town for her first time since the accident. Two of Bonnie’s children have previously died in what were ruled as accidents by the coroner, but for a third child to die is definitely suspicious.
This is a very entertaining tale of murder and madness. Journalist Will LaFever is a quirky character, a Truman Capote wannabe writing about true crime. He travels to Finney County on the same flight as Olivia and recognising her, uses an unconventional ruse to get Olivia to get her to notice him. Although she is initially set against aiding him in any way, the two will eventually help each other and become good friends. Olivia will also solve the mystery of the dead children and find answers to her own questions about her past and her relationship with her father. Not hugely suspenseful, but the plot is fun and engaging, building gradually to a crazy climax with some unexpected twists.
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Anne Frasier has become one of comfort authors despite the almost macabre storyline her books have. The Night I Died is her latest still with her hallmark macabre past for her heroine. This time though her main female lead seems to have a lighter aura than her past books. The writing is still on point, sharp, with a plot whose twist you might guess but won’t be really sure if you got right. This is more a psychological thriller/mystery you won’t be able to put down.
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This book is a fast paced quick little mystery that was full of drama and will keep you guessing. I enjoyed the author’s writing, it made this book an easy read. The ending was super drawn out and took away from the overall fast pacing of the book, but overall I enjoyed it.
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I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.
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5/5 stars: Frasier has been a favorite author for years and this newest stand-alone novel doesn't disappoint. With plenty of twists and turns, Frasier writes a gripping tale about a private detective returns home to help a woman, who's been accused of killing her children, allies with a journalist who unearths secrets from the past. I really love how Frasier deftly wove together Olivia's past and the current case. I've never been to Kansas but Frasier's descriptions of the landscape and small town life drew me in and painted an evocative setting for Olivia's return home. Additionally, I love Frasier's ability to create such incredibly complex characters who may be damaged but are strong and relatable. This book touches on some very sensitive topics; take care, check the CWs.
I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.
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Thank you Netgalley, publisher and the author for the advanced reader's copy of this publication.
Loved it! Its one of my favorites this year so far. Exciting storyline, characters and writing. I love when a book can make you feel like you are in the story. No mistaking the feeling. The author did an excellent job keeping the storyline moving and involved.
Wonderful! Easy read.
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Filled with twists I didn't see coming! I could not put this one down. The Night I Died follows the main character Olivia, a former detective turned private investigator, as she travels back to her hometown in Kansas at the request of someone she used to know. Olivia is troubled mentally and physically from a traumatic incident in her past, and doesn't expect to stay long. She ends up getting much more than she bargained for, learning some interesting things about herself and her past. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this novel for review.
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When Olivia travels to a small town to get information about multiple children dying in one family, she has a lot of apprehension. Traveling to this town might just stir some childhood memories. Teaming up with a strange, new character in her life, she is determined to find answers to this ever-changing mystery! This was a good, twisty mystery!
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Former homicide detective Olivia Welles grew up in Kansas and as a young girl was involved in an accident with a train. This is the first time she died. It was discovered at the morgue that she was alive.
Now working as a private private investigator, she is asked to come back to her home town by a fellow survivor, Bonnie Ray, who has been accused of killing several of her children in different circumstances.
“Do you ever think you’re a ghost?” she asked. “Ghost?”
“Yeah. Like we both should’ve died that day. There’s no reason we survived. And you did die.”
She teams up with Will LaFever
a reporter who is covering the story for his own reasons. He is an odd character. What a crazy pair they make! Yet they come to each others aid a number of times. At times cheesy, yet also bizarre and disjointed.
The townspeople had a mob mentality and it was so strange.
At first I was drawn into the story, but the farther in I went, I just kept shaking my head. There is a big twist near the end. All in all, it was an okay read for me.
I picked this up as a ‘read now’ book on Netgalley. I thought it would be a good fall, spooky season book. I found I had to suspend belief a little too much for my liking. It’s listed as a thriller but I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as such.
3/5 stars
CW: Death of a child (not descriptive)
*Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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You think you have it figured out, but you don’t. Suspense, twists and turns keep you engaged as you move through the story. You may figure out one twist, but the rest will keep you guessing. I also like that you weren’t quite sure who the “bad” people are or who has a hidden agenda. Enjoyable, thrilling read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Anne Frasier for the eARC.
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@annefrasisr does it again in The Night I died. Back of the book synopsis reads “Private detective hasn’t been to her hometown since her childhood, not since the night she died.” This psychological thriller was a one sitting read for me as most AF books are. Full of twists and turns, this book had me up until midnight needing to see how all the characters played out. AF is one of my top auto buy authors that I can depend on for a dark and twisted comfort read.
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I think the ‘how many times the main character died’ sort of vibe didn’t make a great deal of sense really.
However that being said, the actual storyline was brilliant. Twists and turns I 100% didn’t see coming. Likeable characters. Kept you turning the page.
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The book starts off with our main character Olivia welles who gets a phone call from her dead bestfriend sister who happens to be in jail being accused of killing her child. Olivia being a private investigater is curious about the situation but also has a guilt feeling of having to help her.
In the process of going to Kansas she meets a man name will who happens to be a journalist also going to Kansas to research for his crime book he wishes to write. Will being who he is actually knows Olivia and her back story and finds a way to become friends with her.
They both fly to Kansas and travel to the same town and stay at the same motel helping each other along the way trying to solve the murders of the three children and why the town is so evil. Many things happen during there stay in the small town in Kansas. Someone is killed and many believe is will but with the help of Olivia things change.
Olivia finds out the truth of who she really is as well as her past and why she probably hates apple pie. Given that the town they are visiting is where she was born and where the huge train wrecked happen. Little by little she uncovers the truth about her past and if the train wreck was actually a accident.
I Rate the book a 5/5⭐️. First book I've ever read by Anna and I can definitely say I really enjoy her writing. The book was so entertaining and I couldn't put the book down. The ending was satisfying and definitely glad Olivia was told the truth.