The Crime Writers’ Association (@The_CWA) Twisted Dagger Award longlist titles.

My favorites…

The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs

When handyman Paul begins to insinuate himself into the life of her widowed mother, Connie suspects he is up to no good. In time, she and Paul will clash, vying for the trust and affection of the elderly Gwen in a rivalry that will result in murder.

I don’t want to say too much about this one at the risk of giving anything away, but suffice it to say it pleasantly surprised me with its late first act twist.  A lot of fun.

The Neighbour’s Secret by Sharon Bolton

After moving to the village of St. Abel’s Chapel, Anna Brown begins to suspect there’s something going on beneath the surface of this seemingly idyllic community.

Missing girls, strange local traditions, and multiple surprising twists and turns made this one an utter delight.

The rest…

Look in the Mirror: What starts off as a creepy and incredibly compelling mystery turns into a cheesy Squid Game-ish riff.

The Trials of Marjorie Crowe: Suspect logic and an annoyingly unreliable narrator mar this one for me.

Nigthwatching: The pointless flashbacks ruin the tension.

The Perfect Couple: Tries to follow in Gone Girl’s footsteps and fails miserably.  Character logic is out the window in this one.

Playdate: After the opening incident, it’s a huge stage weight flashback until the third act.  And then they kill a dog.

Emma, Disappeared: Pretty engaging until the final twist that hinges on a disconnected murder.  What a letdown.

DNF: The Search Party, Five Bad Deeds, Beautiful People, Missing White Woman.

Tomorrow, we move on to twelve more books in the Gold Dagger category!