I really thought I knew where this thriller was going but boy, was I wrong! After Chelsea survived a horrific attack when she was in college, she is still paranoid--worried that Ethan, the suspected attacker who killed 2 of her friends--is still out there stalking her. So when Ethan's friend, Boyd shows up unexpectedly should she be worried or is this the answer to her increasing loneliness? Chelsea's best friend, Elizabeth tries to warn her as she has become the girl's greatest protector. When detective Lang re-opens the case after Chelsea receives veiled threats similar to the one left at the crime scene, things begin to spiral out of control until the explosive conclusion. Definitely kept me on the edge of my seat! Now I will go back to read her other novels!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of DISTURBED in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, I am... Disturbed! Nice play on words, I know, but really, that is exactly how I felt after reading this book. It was suspenseful and troubling and a major page turner. I flew through this book. It was an easy read, allowing me to really focus on the story line and disappear into the book. I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it for any suspense seekers out there.

On Halloween night five years ago, Chelsea Dutton’s college roommates were viciously stabbed to death, and Chelsea was critically injured. She was found hiding in her apartment’s bathtub, barely clinging to life.

With only fragments of shattered memory, she’s been trying her best to move past the nightmares ever since. Now in Boston, she lives a somewhat reclusive life, working from home as a medical transcriptionist and bingeing on mindless television shows.

She can’t shake the fear that her attacker is out there, waiting to finish what he started, and Elizabeth, a nurse she met after the murders, is the only person she can trust.

When someone from her past reemerges, Chelsea starts receiving disturbing messages and worries that her every move is being watched. As the messages mount and her memories begin to return, she’s led to a very terrifying and lonely place. But she needn’t be afraid. She won’t be alone there for long.

Wow there is so much I want to say about this book, but dare not for fear of giving spoilers.

Well written, good characters and a brilliant plot. 5*

A great read, full of unexpected twists. Five years after Chelsea survived a massacre that killed her two roommates, she is still very unbalanced. The main suspect disappeared after the murders and Chelsea feels him watching her all the time. Then again, it could all be in her mind, as she has been suffering from blackouts and losing track of time. But someone has been leaving her creepy messages that no one but the killer could know. She only has her cat and her best friend for company. When someone from the past reemerges, things start spiraling out of control and her sanity, if not her life, may be in danger. The story reminded me a little of The Final Girls, but I found it more entertaining and the characters are more realistic and compelling. Every single character seems to have something to hide and the secrets revealed are very surprising. I especially liked the character of the cop who gets a second chance to investigate the murders that he never solved.

I received a free ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Halloween night three college roommates are viciously stabbed. Chelsea, the only survivor, is found cowering in the tub and barely alive. She manages to say "Oh, my God. Ethan" right before she drops into unconsciousness. A message in blood, "YOU MADE ME", is written on the bathroom mirror. Ethan, a rich playboy, is the prime suspect. His fingerprints are on the knife block and his DNA is found on one of the victims but he disappears before he can be detained.

It is five years later and Chelsea doesn't remember events of her life leading up to that night. She still has flashes and nightmares, certain smells make her sick, and sometimes she thinks she catches glimpses of Ethan. She is sure it's just her mind playing tricks on her until one morning on her run she spots Ethan watching her. This time it feels different and soon after Chelsea finds a note on her car that says "YOU MADE ME"...but that's something only the killer would know.

This is a page turning thriller that I could not put down. It had me guessing throughout and left me reeling with a surprise ending I never would have guessed. A must read for those who love surprise whodunits.

Review: DISTURBED by Jennifer Jaynes

DISTURBED, Jennifer Jaynes's fifth novel, is a finely tuned psychological suspense. At first I wondered if I had "gone off" this type of mystery after decades, since I found myself suspecting absolutely everybody. Really! But Ms. Jaynes's intriguing plotting and excellent character studies soon won me over. What's more, she elicited empathy for the real innocents, and she made the story eminently believable, too--which made DISTURBED a winner for me.

4 Stars - Five years ago, five friends decided to celebrate their friend’s birthday at the apartment, three girls and two boys. But at the end of the night the thing that police found was two girl’s bodies with multiple stab wounds, one of boys left the apartment sooner and the other one was disappeared into thin air! They found the third girl cowering in the corner of the tub with stab wounds, barely alive. And a message was written on the bathroom mirror:

YOU MADE ME

After these years, Chelsea still can’t remember who did this to them and who was the killer. She remembers the night of the attack but not the important parts. The police couldn’t get the killer. Now she receives some strange notes that indicated to that night and she thinks the killer’s coming for her to finish the job!

I really liked this one. It’s one of those psychological thrillers that you’ll enjoy it! It’s well-written and fast-paced. Told in multiple POV, 3rd person. It’s a stand-alone novel. It was truly enjoyable for me and hope you like it, too!

Thanks to Jennifer Jaynes, Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.

Disturbed

Gripping from the very first chapter. Chelsea and her college roommates are having a get together when they are viciously attacked leaving her two friends dead and Chelsea in a critical condition. Traumatised by what happened and only a few memories of the attack she spends her life as a bit of a recluse, working from home and only going out when she needs to. Her only friend, Elizabeth, who she met after the attacks. There’s a few twists and turns in this book. Highly recommended.

Do yourself a favor, stop what you are doing and get this book right now! The perfect creepy chilling book to read right around Halloween. Loved it. This book grabbed me from the very beginning and kept me flying through the pages to the very end. I started this yesterday mid day and have finished it a day later, unputdownable!. Jennifer Jaynes does it again! Another great, well written and suspenseful read! 5+ stars!

I really liked this book. It was a relatively short but very satisfying read. I had my suspicions about what was going on but it turned out I was very wrong. I didn't see that twist coming. The book had that creepy Halloween vibe about it and even though it is a holiday we don't celebrate here in The Netherlands, I totally felt the mood.

Chelsea Dutton survived a brutal attack that left her two roommates dead. Five years after the attack, Chelsea still cannot remember her past very well… and not just the night of the attack, but her earlier life too. She lives in constant fear because the accused attacker has never been caught. After running into someone from her past, she starts to be happier and relax a little. Unfortunately, it’s a short lived happiness, because she soon starts to receive messages only her attacker could know about.

The characters were great. Chelsea is the best developed since she’s the main character, but the other characters felt real too. There’s just enough info to feel like you know the character, but there’s a little bit missing too, so you draw some conclusions that may or may not prove to be true.

This book contains some twists and turns, and will have you guessing until the end. There are hints throughout the book as to how it will end, but it’s still a bit of a guess. I mean, I wasn’t 100% sure I had it figured out.

Also, I enjoyed the writing style. It had a great flow and was a quick read. I love a good thriller, and this one was an exciting read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Jennifer Jaynes, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

On Halloween night five years ago, Chelsea Dutton’s college roommates were viciously stabbed to death, and Chelsea was critically injured. She was found hiding in her apartment’s bathtub, barely clinging to life. With only fragments of shattered memory, she’s been trying her best to move past the nightmares ever since. Now in Boston, she lives a somewhat reclusive life, working from home as a medical transcriptionist and bingeing on mindless television shows. She can’t shake the fear that her attacker is out there, waiting to finish what he started, and Elizabeth, a nurse she met after the murders, is the only person she can trust. When someone from her past reemerges, Chelsea starts receiving disturbing messages and worries that her every move is being watched. As the messages mount and her memories begin to return, she’s led to a very terrifying and lonely place. But she needn’t be afraid. She won’t be alone there for long.

DISTURBED is a captivating psychological thriller with all the elements I look for in a good book: immersive plot, developed character, mystery elements, fast-paced, and a one-siting read. Both the plot and setting were creepy, terrifying, and all-consuming. Jaynes is a master at giving JUST the right amount of detail to keep you clinging to the pages of your book, while also peeking over your shoulder to make sure that ping in your gut that's telling you someone is watching you is just your imagination...

A terrific 5 star read!

I received a copy of Disturbed from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

You ever read a book that totally blows your mind, and leaves you wondering what the hell you just read? This is one such book. Seriously, Disturbed is the kind of book that dares you to figure out the who and the why, and even gives you some clues. Turns out, none of it matters! This is all about pacing, and creating characters that not only enhance the story, but keep the reader guessing until the very end. What happened to Chelsea that night? Why did she survive? Those are the recurring questions, and Jaynes even gives us a character from the past to enhance the mystery of it all. Disturbed slowly pulls you along slowly adding tension until the very end.

If you're looking for the perfect thriller that does everything right while staying original, without faltering, well this is one that I highly recommend. Everything about Disturbed is perfect. The plot, the pacing, and don't even get me started on the ending. This is a writer that knows how to create something unique, and yes, even a bit creepy. Once you start reading it, you simply can't stop. Once Jayne's has her hooks in you, you're in for the duration of the novel. With these novels, I always think I have everything figured out halfway through, but with this one? Totally wrong! Yeah, it was upsetting, but sometimes it's okay to be wrong. Especially when you're reading a book like this. What you should do is stop reading this review and pre-order yourself a copy https://www.amazon.com/Disturbed-Jennifer-Jaynes-ebook/dp/B06Y69D9KT/ref=nav_ya_signin?ie=UTF8&qid=1507470686&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Jennifer+Jay+Disturbed&

It’s been five years since Chelsea was brutally attacked in the apartment she shared with her two roommates. Amy and Christine were killed that Halloween night during a party with frat boy Ethan and his friend Boyd. The case has gone cold; the killer at large. No one has seen or heard from Ethan since. Chelsea has scraped together a meager existence in the time since, struggling with bouts of depression, working from home, spending time with her only friend: Elizabeth.

When Boyd re-enters her life seemingly out of nowhere, old demons return to Chelsea. But she has that funny feeling in her tummy whenever he’s around. After explaining his impending divorce to her, they start a relationship. But soon, Chelsea starts receiving ominous notes written in the same red marker as the note from the night of the killings. The message: You made me.

Detective Lang, who suffered a disabling injury just three days into his investigation of the Springfield Coed Killings, is back on the case with the new evidence that the killer may still be lurking about, watching Chelsea. Someone is afraid those memories she’s been missing since the attack may resurface. Can Lang get the answers he needs before Chelsea is silenced forever?

What seems like it should be a straight-laced plot is a murky lake of deceit. Sometimes the lies we tell ourselves can be the most damaging of all. Chelsea’s amnesia could hide a wealth of information, if only she could access it.

This was a quick read, very fast paced. However the writing was often so simplistic, straightforward, and to-the-point that it came off as unfeeling, with the tendency to tell rather than show. Further, what the author does show lacks subtlety in a way that is almost patronizing, beating the reader over the head with exposition of things the reader already picked up on. While the plot was interesting and engaging, I had guessed the killer and the twist just over a third of the way into the novel. What’s more is that the story has been done before. I can forgive a tired plotline if the characters are well-developed and the writing is engaging, but unfortunetely, I can’t quite say that about this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher Thomas & Mercer, and author Jennifer Jaynes for an ARC of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

2/5 stars. For an in-depth explanation of this review, including spoilers, please visit my blog: https://greykatreviews.wordpress.com/2017/10/05/discussion-disturbed/

What a story. Like all stories we try to figure out who is who or who did what. With this story you have no idea, even when you think you do, you don't. I loved the characters from the beginning. The plot keeps you reading all the way through. This is why Jaynes is a bestselling author. She is an iconic storyteller and I feel privilege to be able to read her work. Can't wait for the next installation of this series.

A psychological thriller....

A horrible Halloween massacre that left 2 dead and 1 clinging to life.

Five years later the only surviving victim starts getting notes with a message that only the killer would know .

The police detective that found the survivor is now retired but when it looks like the killer is back he dives into finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago. What he eventually discovers.......

If you like psychological thrillers with unconventional endings try this book.

Let me level with you from the start…I initially requested an advanced copy of <i>Disturbed</i> because I really liked the cover. Of course, I did subsequently read the description and it only reaffirmed my decision. A lone survivor of a brutal college massacre? On Halloween night? The killer was never caught? The girl (naturally) is still suffering from paranoia? Five years later she receives a mysterious note bearing the same message left behind at the original crime scene? Sign me up. See, sometimes you <i>can</i> judge a book by its cover!

Since this book has not yet been released, I’ll do my best to refrain from spoiling it for anyone who’s just looking for enough broad strokes and insight to determine whether it’s 238 pages well-spent. (Mini) Spoiler Alert: It is. But that’s not to say it’s not without its faults—one huge one, in particular.

There are some books that take a while to formulate an opinion about, and some that just hook—or repel—you from page one. The book opens on the night of the murders, from the perspective of Detective Lang, who’s on the scene. I was hooked from the second sentence:

<blockquote><i>“A slice of streetlight illuminated blood spatter on the cheap beige carpet and the motionless body of a teenage girl.”</i></blockquote>
A tad macabre? Sure. But I didn’t pick this book for a cheerful literary romp. Jaynes weaves her story fluidly and carefully, with an attention to detail that could come dangerously close to flimsy filler, but never does. Her use of imagery is poetic (<i>“…a crooked scarlet trail led into a darkened hallway.”</i>), but falls short of schmaltz. Even dialogue that could read as hackneyed (<i>“How come happiness is so fleeting, yet sorrow is not?”</i>) manages to illicit emotion.

This strong writing follows us throughout our victim’s (heroine’s?) misadventures. After scarcely avoiding death on that early November 1st, Chelsea is a veritable shut-in at 23. She still bears the vicious scars of her repeated stabbings. She holds a well-paying job that rarely requires her to leave home, where she lives with her furry friend Harry. Her only true connection to another person is her best friend Elizabeth, a slightly older nurse whom she met during her recovery period following the attack. Chelsea has recurring nightmares, conjures images of the murderous Ethan, suffers from inexplicable blackouts, and goes running in the final minutes of dawn with a knife wrapped in cheesecloth and hidden in her bra…so yea, she’s having the time of her life. Following the attacks, she suffered from a form of amnesia and remembers very little of her life before—a plot device that I initially scoffed at as cliché, before realizing that I don’t think I’ve ever actually read a book where the protagonist had amnesia, so I left that one out of the minus column.

It’s only when Chelsea has a chance encounter with Boyd, who narrowly escaped that murderous night himself when he fortuitously left the party early to go to work, that she rouses from her stupor and starts to experience life again. This metamorphosis is almost immediately overshadowed by the sudden appearance of a note on her windshield, saying only, <i>“You made me.”</i>…the exact same message that the killer left the night of the murders. This plot development necessitates the reappearance of Detective Lang, who was wounded on-duty just days after that fateful night. But this cold case has been gnawing at him for five years and he’s only too happy to pick up where he left off.

This is where I’ll leave the remainder of the plot to the author and share the Good and the Bad of <i>Disturbed</i>.

<b>The Good:</b>

-As previously mentioned, Jaynes knows how to turn a phrase and paint a picture in succinct, expressive, and realistic language.

-This may seem like a small thing, but there’s a line in the book when Chelsea and Elizabeth are talking and in-dialogue they refer to “the T,” which is explained to be the local subway system through off-dialogue exposition. I’m so sick of authors creating stilted, unrealistic dialogue where they have a character explain things to the reader, the awkwardness never fails to take me out of the scene, so this was refreshing.

-Jaynes attention to detail is pretty impressive and leaves little room for the reader to question their suspension of disbelief. Such as, <i>“…used toilet paper and quickly cleaned the blood from around the vent and flushed the bloody paper down the toilet.”</i>

-I wasn’t sure how she would write a satisfying ending to this story with the amount of real estate she had left toward the end of the book. The solution? It ends in a fashion that begs for a sequel. Typically I’m too impatient to read books that I know will not have a definite conclusion, but I do look forward to this follow-up.

<b>The Bad:</b>

-There’s no easy way to say this…the bad in this book was the “twist.” I found it to be clichéd beyond belief and disappointing of a writer whose work I was enjoying. But that’s not the worst part of it. The worst part was I guessed the twist roughly 20 percent in and was rewarded by chapter after chapter of “misdirection” that actually did nothing but confirm my guess. I don’t want to brag, but I’m not one to see M. Night Shyamalan’s twists a mile away, far from it. So the fact that I guessed this one so early is not a ringing endorsement. That’s not to say you can’t still enjoy this story knowing the twist early on, but it did cheapen the experience for me quite a bit.

-Every character in this book was much older than their age, and not in a “wise beyond their years” way. Chelsea and Boyd were supposed to be 23 years old, but you would swear they were 40 based on their dialogue, actions, and lifestyle. Boyd had already been married, given it the old college try, and gotten divorced. I know 23 year olds who still can’t do their own laundry. There’s mature for your age and there’s miswritten. I kept forgetting that Lang was actually only 43 because he was written as a grizzled 60+ retiree back “for one more case.” He looks at a woman in his life and muses, <i>“God, at the age of forty, she was still a stunner.”</i> The behavior of these characters was reminiscent of how I viewed adults when I was 10 and 23 was the height of maturity, while 43 was knocking on death’s door. It was increasingly distracting.

<b>TL;DR:
If you’re looking for a well-written mystery that will keep you saying, “Just one more chapter” and won’t mind if you spoil the twist for yourself early on, I would definitely give <i>Disturbed</i> a stab…get it?</b>

This book had me hooked from page one. The murders of two college girls and their friend found within inches of death on Halloween night was a great mystery...who did it? I loved how this story played out and the twists at the end made it even better. I do hope there is a second part as I was disappointed that there was no epilogue wrapping everything up with a nice little bow.

Wow, just wow. I've been trying to get my head round this amazing story. I absolutely loved it. Usually i can guess some twists but i didn't see the ending coming at all. It took me completely by surprise. I can't recommend this book enough.

Format: ebook via Netgalley
Tissue warning: no
HEA: not that type of story
Triggers: murder (not implicitly described), mental illness, suicide attempt, drug use mention (nothing hardcore)
Narrative: third person
My reviewer rating: 4.5 out of 5
Recommend read: Yes
Published: November 7, 2017

Thank you, Netgalley for this free e-copy of Disturbed in exchange for my honest-to-goodness review.

I usually don't read mystery/thrillers, but this one sounded intriguing and there were plenty of Jennifer Jaynes fans, so I gave this a shot. (especially since it said it moved quickly and was an easy read)

The characters in this are totally believable. I didn't have a difficult time accepting their behavior or speech patterns. I really felt for Boyd. His twitchiness and all was absolutely believable. Not that I'm saying that I liked him as a person, but he was a good read.

I can't review too much because I'll give this story away. I will say, though, that I did predict who the killer was by the early pages. Ms. Jaynes did a pretty good job of trying to sway the reader, but I got it. It takes a lot to surprise me or throw me off. Maybe I was a bloodhound in an earlier life. (ha! not likely)

I do recommend this because it was well written and, like everyone else says, it's quick and easy.