Bogormen

Title: The Forgotten Room
Author: Lincoln Child
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 290
Date read: May 2023

Professor Jeremy Logan (the quirky and charismatic “enigmalogist” who specializes in solving problems of the strange or seemingly supernatural variety) receives an urgent summons from the director of Lux, one of the oldest and most respected think tanks in America. An unexplainable tragedy has taken place in the sprawling compound located on the coastline of Newport, Rhode Island. One of Lux’s most distinguished doctors, overcome by erratic behavior, violently attacked his assistant before meeting with a gruesome self-inflicted end. Deeply shaken by the incident and the bizarre evidence left behind from the doctor’s final project—as well as recent troubling behavior among several of the think tank’s other scientists—Lux fears there is something more sinister occurring within its walls and looks to Jeremy Logan to investigate.

Logan quickly makes a surprising discovery. In a long-dormant wing of the estate, he uncovers an ingeniously hidden secret room, unknown and untouched for decades. The room is essentially a time capsule, filled with eerie machinery and obscure references to a top-secret experiment known as “Project S.” As Logan attempts to unravel its meaning, he begins to discern what transpired in that room—and why the frightening project was suddenly abandoned and sealed off many years before. As his work draws him ever deeper into harm’s way, Logan soon unleashes a series of catastrophic events upon the rest of Lux . . . and himself.


Fairly boilerplate suspense novel, but enjoyable enough. It's listed as the fourth book in a series, but absolutely works as a stand-alone novel as well. I never even noticed it wasn't a stand-alone novel until I came to goodreads to register it, and saw how it was listed.

It'll probably turn out to be one of those books that you read and then forget all about, as there's nothing that really stands out about it, but I enjoyed it while I was reading it, and found the plot engaging and the suspense believable, so a good read - even if possibly not one I'm likely to read again.

Title: You'll Be the Death of Me
Author: Karen M. McManus
Genre: YA, Suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 326
Date read: May 2023

Ivy, Mateo, and Cal used to be close. Back in middle school they were best friends. So, when Cal pulls into campus late for class, and runs into Ivy and Mateo, it seems like the perfect opportunity to turn a bad day around. They'll ditch school and go into the city. Just the three of them, like old times. Why did they stop hanging out, anyway?

As soon as they pull out of the parking lot Cal knows why. Ivy's already freaking out about missing class, and heartthrob Mateo is asleep in the backseat, too cool to even pretend like he wants to be there. The truth is they have nothing in common anymore.

At least they don't until they run into the fourth student ditching school that day. Brian "Boney" Mahoney is supposed to be accepting his newly won office of class president. Which is why Ivy follows him into an empty building, only to walk into the middle of a murder scene. Cal, Ivy, and Mateo all know the person lying on the ground of that building, and now they need to come clean. They're all hiding something. And maybe their chance reconnection wasn't by chance after all.


Most of the plot of this book took place over the course of a day, which I thought was an interesting change from the other books I've read by Karen M. McManus. I did find it highly unrealistic in places, but it stayed reasonably true to its own universe, so it didn't bother me as much as it would have otherwise.

I liked how the relationships between Ivy, Mateo and Cal evolved and changed through the day, and appreciated how realistic they felt. Sometimes people do rotten things - sometimes those things can be forgiven.

Title: The Single Mums' Book Club
Author: Victoria Cooke
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 3.5
# pages: 304
Date read: May 2023

It’s 8:30am and I’m already utterly exhausted. My son has lost his football boots, my daughter is ready for school dressed only in her vest and knickers, and of course, my 1-year-old has filled his nappy for what feels like the tenth time this morning.

As for my husband? He’s decided marriage doesn’t suit him, and well… buggered off.

All hope of ‘me time’ has but dwindled to sipping half a glass of wine whilst shouting after the kids. But everything is about to change.

I’m taking control of my life! I’ve joined… a book club.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Wow… live a little.’ But my fellow book clubbers, Amanda and Janey, are my lifelines. They understand the daily struggle because they’re mothers too.

And in between the prosecco, Doritos and googling everything about Mr Darcy on SparkNotes, they’ve convinced me to go on a date with my boss.

A single mum of three looking for romance… what could possibly go wrong?


Chick-lit for an older audience. It doesn't have anything I haven't seen done before in other books, but I appreciated that it focused just as much on making friends as an adult, handling co-parenting in a sensible way and handling how to introduce children to a new partner as on the romantic aspect... in fact, in some ways the romance seemed almost like an afterthought!

I did occasionally put down the book in frustration over some of Stephanie's less intelligent decisions, but they were always made with the best intentions at heart, and she did quickly get over herself, so in the end it did actually come across more as a realistic depiction of dating with kids than Angst!(TM), and even the "third act breakup" was handled a lot better than I often see.

It never turned into a page-turner, which is why I rounded down rather than up on goodreads, but it was an enjoyable read all the same.