I read Bonnie Kistler’s book, The Cage, a few years ago and loved it. It was one of those novels where you are glued to the pages and dont want to stop reading until the last page. Since then, I have eagerly gotten my hands on everything she’s written and I have not been disappointed!

Shell Games is her latest and I loved it.

Synopsis:

Julie’s mother Kate is a force of nature — a glamorous woman of seventy, a self-made real estate developer, a grande dame in Florida society, and a power broker in Florida politics. It wasn’t easy for Julie to grow up in the shadow of such a dynamo, but she loves her mother, and she and her husband Eric are thrilled when Kate marries her long-lost high school sweetheart, a salt-of-the-earth man named Charlie.

But their storybook romance ends abruptly. On their wedding night, Kate calls the police in hysterics to report that Charlie just confessed to a notorious unsolved crime from decades before.

Charlie says she imagined it. Eric says that Kate has dementia. And the FBI says that Charlie couldn’t possibly have committed that crime.

Julie doesn’t know what to believe. Is her brilliant mother losing her mind? Or is sweet, lovable Charlie gaslighting Kate to gain control of her fortune?

As Julie tries to navigate through this maze of paranoia and mind games, cracks start to develop in her own marriage as it seems that Eric is keeping secrets . . .

Set against a backdrop of rampant development and devastating climate change, Shell Games is a psychological thriller that will make your head spin and the pages turn as you wonder exactly who is doing what to whom.

Bonnie Kistler’s Shell Games delivers a gripping and intricately woven tale that keeps readers on edge with its unexpected twists and legal entanglements. The story follows Julie and her family as they navigate a series of harrowing events that touch on family dynamics, personal growth, and the complexities of control.

Julie’s character is deeply compelling—her journey from passivity to self-awareness is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Initially, Julie seems trapped in the motions of life, stifled by her mother’s overbearing nature and other individuals seeking to manipulate her. Yet, the unfolding events force her to confront these controlling influences and find her agency. This transformation is central to the narrative and resonates on a deeply human level.

What stands out most is how Kistler deftly balances the personal struggles of her characters with broader legal and social issues. The twists are not just surprising—they feel earned, with each revelation shedding new light on the characters and their circumstances. The narrative’s pacing is tight, ensuring that every development feels both shocking and inevitable.

Shell Games is more than a thriller; it’s a profound exploration of family, identity, and resilience. Kistler’s writing is sharp and evocative, making this a must-read for fans of character-driven suspense. For those who appreciate stories with heart and depth wrapped in a taut, thrilling package, this book is an excellent choice.

4.5 stars-
Shell Games is a very gripping and fast-paced thriller with so many twists and turns. This book is heavy on manipulation and gaslighting! So that can also be really triggering for those of us that have had a lot of experience with it.

I don't want to give anything away but I highly recommend and you will not want to put this down. I also want to research more into The Tylenol Murders now.

Only thing that bugged me, was that I couldn't get past how insecure the fmc was. I know it was relevant so it paints the picture for what gaslighting does to a person, but it went a little too far at times. I really didn't like how her husband wasn't just gaslighting her, but also emotionally and verbally abusing her as well. Overall, the author did a great job of gaslighting not only the characters, but the reader too.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to review, all opinions are my own.

I was excited to read Shell Games by Bonnie Kistler.
The storyline and characters were excellent. Kept me up and turning pages way past my bedtime.
The suspense and plot was very well thought out with lots of twists and turns that ensure you won’t put the book down.
It’s fast-paced with an intriguing plot. It is well written with compelling characters.
I was totally hooked from the first few pages it was very intriguing and hard to put down. 
The story was totally intense and intriguing.
 Her writing and storytelling held my attention, and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for gifting me a digital ARC of the new thriller by Bonnie Kistler. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

You need to go into this one as blind as possible for full enjoyment, so to break the storyline down into its vaguest form, Kate, an elderly real estate developer powerhouse, has reconnected with her childhood sweetheart, Charlie, and they are getting married. On their wedding night, Charlie makes a confession to Kate and everything changes.

This was such a fabulous, roller coaster thriller! I questioned everyone because it seemed that everyone had ulterior motives, was gaslighting everyone else, and you didn't know who you could believe or trust, if anyone. Because when money and power are involved, even with family, everything gets muddy. This one kept me engrossed with all its twists and turns until the final one on the last page - perfection! Definitely a must read, so don't miss it!

SHELL GAMES by Bonnie Kistler may make you wonder if you can ever trust the people you know best.

Real estate developer and billionaire, Kate has always been a force to be reckoned with. She’ has her finger in politics, social activism and finally love again at the age of 70. When son-in-law Eric brought a friend, Charlie, to a family dinner. Kate is shocked to reconnect with a long lost love and Kate and Charlie pick up where they left off, and decide to marry.

Their marriage is short lived however when Kate calls the police on their wedding night, to report that Charlie has just confessed to a notorious unsolved crime. Charlie says she misunderstood, Eric, a doctor is convinced she has dementia, and only child Julie, who has always been at her mother‘s beck and call doesn’t know who or what to believe. Kate is convinced that Charlie is attempting to have her declared incompetent and take controlof her billions. Julie is so confused. While trying to support her mother she begins to notice cracks in her own marriage but doesn’t know how to fix them. Eric seems to be keeping secrets. Does anyone really know where the truth lies? And now with a hurricane bearing down, the family is in a fight to survive dangers from outside and within.

I really enjoyed SHELL GAMES as each reveal became clear. The writing is clear and concise which led to an enjoyable read. The twist and turns came quickly and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, This is my first Bonnie Kistler novel but she is an author whose name I will remember.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting this book in exchange for my honest review.

I chose this book because I thought the cover looked enticing and the book was described as book you could read in one sitting,

I thought this book was not amazing but not horrible either. It was just Ok in my opinion. If anything it was a slight let down for me (as I was drawn in to the story, but found it a little hard to follow, and I thought the ending was slightly anti-climactic) and I am a little disappointed. With that being said, I am open to reading more by Bonnie Kistler in the future.

Overall, I would rate this book about 3.5 to 3.75 stars.

Cunning, edgy, and mysterious!

Shell Games is a fast-paced, menacing tale that takes you into the lives of a handful of people, including Julie Hoffman, a young woman whose life gets turned upside down when her mother is found dead, and it quickly becomes apparent that everyone around her seems to have something to hide.

The prose is brisk and tight. The characters are multilayered, wary, and secretive. And the plot is a simmering, ominous tale full of twists, turns, deception, manipulation, friendship, family, lies, tension, death, and unease.

Overall, Shell Games is a devious, intense, eerie tale by Kistler that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me entertained, satisfied, and extremely surprised.

I love Bonnie's books, they always have me hooked, this one was no different. I loved how fast paced it was with great twists and turns and a uneasiness that kept me guessing.

This one started out so strong and immediately hooked me. I couldn’t wait to see who was lying - was it gaslighting or demetia? Yet, the last twenty percent or so completely lost me. I would have liked it better if Kistler committed to the plot and picked a side. There is a good last minute reveal but by that point I was out of it. This is definitely a me thing though so I still think many will love this one.

Shell Games is a fast paced story filled with many surprises. I really enjoyed it and can definitely recommend buying a copy..

Many thanks for my gifted copy.

3.75/5

This one was wild! It’s gaslighting galore and as the reader you have no idea who to believe or what to think and I always enjoy that feeling when I’m reading a psychological thriller. The pacing was pretty fast and I read it in just a couple of sittings because I really wanted to know what would happen next. It’s definitely a huge guessing game with twists and turns, sometimes verging on outlandish but I had a lot of fun with it and some of the twists were really great. Julie is a bit of a frustrating character and hard to sympathize with at times but overall this was engaging and entertaining.

2.5 stars, rounded down
I wanted to like this more than I ended up liking it, mostly due to how much I hated Julie. For as smart as she was (an attorney at a major corporation for heaven's sake) she was so gullible and naïve about everything, especially relationships.

The general idea of this book was that Julie's mother Kate, who runs a very successful corporation, reconnects with and marries her high school sweetheart Charlie. On their wedding night, Charlie confesses that he committed some major crimes in the past and Kate calls the police. Charlie denies ever saying anything. This leads to Julie questioning everything and everyone, suspicious of their motives. Who can be trusted?

There are some really good parts of this book, and some very surprising twists. The very end truly elevated this for me. However those were completely shadowed for me by how long everything dragged out and how Julie kept believing every single thing Eric told her despite evidence to the contrary. I just wanted her to grow a backbone a LOT sooner than she did.

Again, I am in the minority with my rating for this book, so if you think this sounds good give it a try because the twists are decent.

I enjoyed that there were multiple storylines in this book. The characters were easy to follow and the book was very suspenseful. I didn’t really know what to believe when reading this, which made for an awesome book!

Gaslighting or Dimentia?

A strong story that can easilly be visualized.
Fast Read.
The two issues I had were with charcters being two dimensional and the unneccesary politics poisoning the undertone.

Concept/Plot 5 Stars
Characters 1 Star

As a fan of her other novels, I kind of felt the writing regressed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I enjoyed reading this one, the story about a mother and daughter and their relationship. The whole time, I had no clue on who to believe!! Lots of twists!

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

What an explosive book, start to finish, by Bonnie Kistler! This author has done it yet again in reeling you in, keeping you guessing, and ending with a punch.
A wealthy woman spends her wedding night hearing a shocking confession from her new husband. But what did he really say? It would have been impossible for him to commit the crime. Is she going mad? Her daughter struggles throughout the book to figure out the truth as she also wonders about the lies in her own marriage.
Sit down, and buckle up for a crazy ride!
Thank you to NetGalley for the early read!

What did I just read?!

This was BONKERS and wild and completely unpredictable I usually don't love a popcorn thriller only because it feels sort of lazy and full of things purely for shock value, but Shell Games was SO GOOD! This hooked me in with my coffee in the morning and I couldn't put it down until I finished it the same day!

Trust nobody. Questing absolutely everything. I absolutely was sucked into this story and loved the crazy ride it took us on!!

The relationship between a mother and her daughter can be a tricky thing. I loved reading about Julie and Kate. This book had some great twists and turns that took me by surprise. I found the ending very satisfying, however the very ending left me a tiny bit confused and I feel like the reader is left to make up their own mind about what happened.