S.E. Lynes

Truly potent mysteries are not the ones that confront us at the very beginning of a story but the ones that slowly take shape within both, a veil of vagueness and just enough specificity to keep us titillated and wondering which direction the plot will lead. Only very few writers manage that build-up well, let alone manage to make the revelation of the mystery itself an apotheosis. Be that as it may, that is exactly what S.E Lynes in The Women accomplishes. She keeps us entertained and intrigued with well-developed characters and eloquent prose until a series of innocuous, perhaps even trifling matters manifest as a high grade mystery to the expectant reader.
Even if you are like me and do not generally like domestic settings in your thriller mysteries, the brilliant plot and character interactions will convince you. College student Samantha Frayn and Professor of Art History Peter Bridges are some of the most well-rounded, intriguing, yet believable characters I have had the pleasure of having been introduced to in quite some time. Don’t pass up the chance to a great reading experience. 4 1/2 stars. Period… (meer)

The Split by S.E. Lynes follows a fractious break-up and the aftermath. It is a recommended, average domestic psychological thriller.

Jessica and Will are married and have two children. Jessica works long hours in London and is the main support for the family. Will is a life coach and the main care taker for the children. The morning after they celebrated their anniversary Jessica received pictures of Will, by all appearances, having an affair with another woman. When she confronts him, he says it's not what she thinks but he can't talk about it. She kicks him out of the house. This is the start of bigger problems than their inability to talk to or trust each other.

Admittedly, I was not a fan of The Split. The pluses are I read it to the end. The plot is interesting, but average. There are plenty of secrets and twists. The narrative moves at a fast pace. It gets all the points for escapism and a sense of dread and danger. The anger and frustration with each other seems realistic. The characters are unlikable and gullible. As I was reading, I predicted to myself early on what would happen and who would be responsible. I was correct, repeatedly. Many readers will likely enjoy this for the diversion. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/02/the-split.html… (meer)

The Baby Shower was such an intense read, I was thoroughly gripped from start to finish. It gave me all the emotions going, from happy to sad to anger to irate in places.
I really felt for Jane, not only because of her fertility problems but Wow! She went through a lot in this book. I did guess what had happened with her husband as soon as it happened, and I praise the author for this because we all need to be aware that this happens and is happening a lot more at the moment.
I felt that I was living Jane’s life and I had to release after reading for the evening by telling my husband what had happened.
The twists later on…OMG, I didn’t see them coming at all!
This was an awesome book, if you like psychological thrillers you will absolutely love The Baby Shower.… (meer)