Mareli Thalk ink ......

Title: Queen of Spades Author: Michael Shou-Yung Shum Published by:  Forest Avenue Press Publication date:  10 October 2017  Genre:  General Fiction, Suspense ISBN:  19424363319 Mareli's rating:  3.5 stars Recommend to:  If you have a gambling problem - stay clear. This book reveals the 'magic' of a casino and the luck of the card.  Description:  Queen of Spades  revamps the classic Pushkin fable of the same name, transplanted to a mysterious Seattle-area casino populated by a pit boss with six months to live, a dealer obsessing over the mysterious methods of an elderly customer known as the Countess, and a recovering gambler who finds herself trapped in a cultish twelve-step program. With a breathtaking climax that rivals the best Hong Kong gambling movies, Michael Shou-Yung Shum’s debut novel delivers the thrilling highs and lows that come when we cede control of our futures to the roll of t...

Title: The Memory of Water Author:  J.T. Lawrence Format: Audiobook (Audible) Read/listened:  August 4 - 9, 2017 Genre:  Thriller; Black Humor (is that a genre, or just preferred reading?) Mareli's rating: 3.5  Stars (loved the story, didn't care for the narration much) Recommend to:  If you find Jay Gatsby an intriguing character, you will have a field-day with Slade Harris Description:  Slade Harris will do anything for a story, including murdering the woman he loves.   Slade doesn’t think twice about jumping out of a plane or conducting disastrous love affairs to gather material for his work, but his self-indulgent life is catching up with him. Stumbling through his late thirties hopeless and a little drunk, Slade has a dazzling, dangerous idea which will change his life forever. It’s going to be Slade’s ultimate story ... and all he’s hoping for is to survive it.   Goodreads

Title:  Why You Were Taken Author: J.T. Lawrence Published by:  Pulp Books Publication date:  29 March 2015 Read:  April 25 - April 30, 2015 Genre:  Thriller; Science Fiction (Futuristic) Pages:  358 ISBN:   9780620655583 Mareli's rating: 3.5 stars Recommend to:  Sci-fi junkies who love the thrill of something "different". J.T. Lawrence's fan-club (this woman can write!) Description:  In tomorrow's world prowls a creative and ruthlessly efficient assassin who won't stop until Kirsten is killed. A troubled woman approaches Kirsten with a warning and a key and is later found dead. Was the woman just another victim of the Suicide Contagion or is there something more sinister at play? The key leads Kirsten to the Doomsday Vault and a hit list of seven people - and her barcode is on it. Edgy and original, Why You Were Taken is a dark cinematic thriller that will keep you guessing till the last page. Goodreads   Nah, that blurb...