Mary Kubica writes stories that get not only let you crawl inside the psyche of her characters but into the psyche of yourself.

This wasn't my favorite of her books. I loved her others better. But thank you for letting me read it.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book and thank you to the publisher. I always enjoy a book by Mary Kubica. Thank you for letting me review “When the lights go out.” I recommend this book but I am a fan of the Author. I hope you will give it a read. I give no spoilers. It was a fast paced thriller and those are my favorite types of books. Looking forward to reading more books by the author. #WhenthelightsGoOut

I loved Mary Kubica’s previous books, but this one was very infuriating. I absolutely hated the ending.

Reading this book was a struggle. The first half was tedious and largely detailed the physical and mental manifestations of sleep deprivation/insomnia. The story, which flips back and forth in time with the mother and daughter, takes you convincingly (and ploddingly) a path of how Jessie Sloan’s became Jessie Sloan. The ending, which is probably intended to be a twist, is confusing and a complete let-down. A truly disappointing read.

I really love Mary Kubica and her writing! This was another great, fast paced thriller, with an twist ending I did not see coming! Great book!

Well that was an interesting read. I have to admit, it wasn't my favorite from Kubica. I absolutely loved the first half of this novel, but Kubica slowly started to lose me a little more and more as the chapters went on. I thought the beginning of the novel was great and really intriguing how it would go back and forth between past and present, but the story really lost its steam around the halfway point.

Honestly, this book was pretty entertaining, I was just disappointed by the ending. I thought it seemed like Kubica put so much work into the story and then got tired at the end and just threw something together for the ending. It just didn't feel right for the novel and I hate that such a great story had such a weak finish. I hate to admit it, but I probably wouldn't recommend this read to friends. Thank you to NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 2/5

Perfect suspense. Mary Kubica is a master of plotting. I am always in awe of the way she spins a story perfectly and wraps up all the loose ends. You can never go wrong with one of her books.

Mary Kubrick does a great job of drawing the reader into the stories of Eden and Jessie. The story was a complicated one including the death of a mother, another mother who is infertile and a child who wants to know who she is. I really loved the story of Eden and her quest to have a child, but her desperation ultimately became her downfall and also stretched the imagination. The tale of Jessie, who was unable to sleep and just counting the days until she felt she would just go ahead and die from lack of sleep, elicited sympathy. I didn’t really relate to either character, but I did like how the author slowly interweaved their stories and had so many twists, especially with Jessie’s landlady. I found the plot slow to develop but at the same time mesmerizing because I wanted to find out what happened to Jessie. Readers of psychological thrillers will enjoy this new book by Mary Kubica and will delight in figuring out the meaning of the title.

This was not my favorite Mary Kubica book, but I did enjoy it. I just didn't stay as engaged with the characters or mystery in this one. I liked Jessie, and I was rooting for her, but I found myself not as invested in the ending. I really liked the take on insomnia, and this book had a little Nightmare on Elm Street vibe which I enjoyed. I think that if you are a fan of Mary Kubica, definitely give this one a go.

Just when she thinks she's going to be able to start her life over, starting college and getting her own apartment, Jessica finds out that her dreams of beginning college aren't going to pan out. Her social security number has been flagged, she can't enroll. In When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica, split second decisions may ruin the lives of more people than could have been imagined.

Jessica is grieving the loss of her mother, and you can feel that grief hard through out this novel. She took most of her life caring for her mother, and now she has time to do the things that she wants, but she feels guilty at the same time. As the story progresses, we get to see the life of Jessie's mom pan out, as Eden, her mother, is narrating several chapters. 

We get to learn about some things in Eden's past that may have an affect on Jessica to this day, and it's interesting to see how someone can make a rash decision, only for it to ruin a life twenty years in the future. This book has a lot of twists, but they weren't that surprising to me.

I really do like Mary Kubica, but I felt like this was a run of the mill type of thriller. If you would even consider it a thriller. It's interesting, and it's a good book, but nothing super exciting happened. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get into this title. It just wasn't a good fit for me. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this title. I will not be posting a review online, in order not to skew the ratings.

Mary Konica is one of the best writers of our generation and I can never say no to one of her books! I am forever waiting for her next masterpiece and this book definitely will go down as a masterpiece.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book. It was really well written and it just had you trying to solve the mystery. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

When the Lights Go Out tells the story of Jesse Sloane living life after her mother's death from cancer. She realizes that she may not be who she thought she was and starts searching for who she really is. Kubica has a way of telling a story inching the reader along with little bread crumbs until the big reveal. This story was lacking believability/interest for me, because how could you be so clueless about not ever using or seeing your governmental documentation. Jesse is an adult and she has never thought about taxes, passports, drivers licenses, having a bank account, etc.... The idea of this story is good even the ending redeemed the story somewhat, but it is hard to get to the end.

I loved the premise of this story and was excited to read Mary Kubica’s latest. I thoroughly enjoyed her novel “Every Last Lie”. This current storyline fell flat for me and definitely was not one of her best.

I have enjoyed Ms Kubica’s other books but this one just missed the mark with me. Jesse is a young woman whose mother just died. She is grieving and suffering from insomnia but refuses to get any help other than talking to a guy she met in the hospital. She did not instill sympathy in me. I wanted to tell her to grow up and see a doctor. The twist about the missing social security number and birth certificate could have been suspenseful but it fell flat for me. I kept reading to discover the meaning of it but the ending was disappointing. I gave it 2 stars because the style of writing, switching from mother Eden to Daughter Jesse, was interesting. I liked Eden’s storyline better than Jesse’s. The lesson here was- don’t keep a secret from your family that will come back to haunt them after you are gone. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this. I will give Ms Kubica’s works another chance.

When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica is going to be one of those absolutely love it to I don't get it kind of books. But there is one thing that is for sure. It will stay with you. It will disturb you and on some levels, it may even soothe you. But it will not be easily forgotten.

Jessie Sloane's mother is dying. The cancer taking her away bit by bit. Jessie has been caring for her for years and now that the time is so close, she is not sure how she is going to move on with her own life. She rents a new apartment and applies for college. But her life begins to unravel when the college informs her that her social security number has raised a red flag. It seems that it belongs to someone else.

"...It's the strangest thing,' she says. 'There was a death certificate on file for a Jessica Sloane, from seventeen years ago. With your birth date and your social security number. By the looks of this Ms. Sloane,' she says, and I amend Jessie, because Ms. Sloane is Mom. 'By the looks of this, Jessie,' she says, and the words that follow punch me so hard in the gut they make it almost impossible to breathe. 'By the looks of this, you're already dead.'
And then she laughs as if somehow or other this is funny..."

Still trying to process the grief she feels, Jessie does not know what to make of all of this. She doesn't even know where her birth certificate is and she has never gotten a driver's license. There simply was no need for one. She hasn't been sleeping and the insomnia is beginning to play tricks with her mind. She is seeing and hearing things that are not there. The thin veil between reality and dreams has begun to unravel in her mind.

"...It's just most little girls call their mother Mom or Mommy.'
She leaves it at that and so I ask, 'And I didn't?' thinking suddenly that Eleanor is mistaken. That she's wrong. Time has altered these memories of hers, or she's mistaken Mom and me for some other cleaning lady and child. Another child with dimples like mine. Because in all my life, she's only ever been one thing to me-Mom-or so I think.
Eleanor shakes her head and at the same time I see my hands before me, gripping the edges of the countertop, also shaking.
'You didn't,' she says. 'You called her by her given name.'
Eleanor tells me that Mom would put up with it to a certain extent but then every now and again she'd get down and whisper in my ear, We've talked about this, Jessie. Remember? Same as she said about my own name. You're to call me mom.
'For a short while, you'd remember. You'd remember to call your mother, Mom. But before too long, you'd forget and go back to calling her by her Christian name, Eden..."

Twenty years earlier and two hundred and fifty miles away, Eden is moving into her beautiful new home with her husband. Only one thing would make her life perfect. A baby. A precious baby girl to call her own.

Mary Kubica is one of those female writers who everyone was quick to compare to Gillian Flynn when Gone Girl exploded across the literary marketplace. But now Kubica has carved out her own spot on the landscape and When The Lights Go Out is a terrific addition to her brand of creepy mystery novels.

When The Lights Go Out is not your typical mystery and it is hard to go into this without giving away too much of the story and I would hate to do that. It is a emotional and mental trip through a sense of lost identity. Who are you really if you are not who you grew up believing you were. Where do you turn? Who do you trust?

The grief Jessie goes through is palpable and the angst as well. The desperation that fuels Eden is tense and frightening. When the Lights Go Out is a tour de force by a writer well into her craft.

A terrific and disturbing tale.

I didn’t like this novel. It was very disjointed and dragged. Not what I usually expect from this author. Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel.

The Best Mystery & Suspense Novels of 2018
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The suspense market is so glutted right now that is easy to find amazing books to fill your shelves. It is equally easy to find books which sound intriguing but wind up being deeply disappointing. To help you separate the gold from the dross, Shannon and I have compiled a Best Of List sure to be of use to even the most finicky of readers.

Best Price Point Novel
Maggie: No doubt about it, suspense is a hot market right now and publishers are taking advantage of that by putting some of these books in a high price range – many of my favorites for the year ranged from $12.00 to $15.00 in Kindle. I’m glad some of my favorite authors continue to publish at a slightly lower cost. Easily my favorite books in the lower price range were Lisa Clark O’Neill’s Shiver, which costs just $4.99, The Thinnest Air by Minka Kent for $5.99 and Loreth Anne White’s The Girl in the Moss which is $5.99. Both Shiver and The Girl in the Moss are part of a series, but you don’t have to have read the previous books to thoroughly enjoy the above.

Shannon: I completely agree with you about The Girl In the Moss. I actually loved that entire trilogy, but the third one was my absolute favorite. C.J. Cooke’s I Know My Name is another fantastic thriller that won’t break the bank. It sells for $7.99.

Best Gothic Novel
Maggie: When looking over the mysteries I read in 2018, I was surprised to see that I read several books that I would consider gothics. The English Wife by Lauren Willig had a definite gothic feel to it. The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware was assuredly a gothic and much to my surprise, A Forgotten Place by Charles Todd was as well. That is not the usual style for the author, but it really, really worked in that novel. Simone St. James is the queen of gothics in my opinion and her latest novel, The Broken Girls, was good if not spectacular. Of those books, my favorite was the Todd, although I’m not sure that could be enjoyed by someone who hasn’t read the rest of the series. My favorite standalones were The Death of Mrs. Westaway and The English Wife.

Shannon: I read a lot of gothic novels when I was in high school and early college, but I don’t find myself picking them up nearly as often these days. Having said that, I loved everything about The Death of Mrs. Westaway, which is often compared to the classic Rebecca. Rachel Rhys’s Fatal Inheritance had a decidedly gothic feel to it as well. Reading and loving these two makes me want to seek out more gothic mysteries in 2019.

Best Detective Story
Maggie: There were two novels I thought were absolutely excellent in this sub-genre. The best was Look for Me by Lisa Gardner. The tale of a missing teen and the extraordinary lengths D.D. Warren and a friend have to go through to find her, Look for Me is an absolute page turner. Jacqueline Winspear’s To Die but Once is a WWII historical mystery involving another missing teen and a group of people willing to profit from the ongoing horror of the war. It was a wonderful, engrossing read.

Shannon: I’m a huge fan of Angela Marsons’ D.I. Kim Stone series, and the eighth installment entitled Dying Truth is one of the best. It’s a difficult read, but I absolutely could not put it down. It’s not a book you can enjoy as a standalone though, so do pick up Silent Scream if you haven’t already. Force of Nature by Jane Harper was another one that really sucked me in. I loved the Australian setting, and the brilliantly flawed lead detective who would not allow himself to rest until he uncovered the grizzly truth.

Biggest Twist
Maggie: Lisa Jewell delivered big twists for me in both her novels, Then She was Gone and Watching You. Ms. Jewell is a fantastic writer and neither of these novels are to be missed. My runner up for this position is J.T. Ellison’s Tear Me Apart. Just when I thought that villain couldn’t get any more evil, they surprised me. In the end, I didn’t even truly believe the sad back story. I wouldn’t have been stunned to find they had lied about that, too.

Shannon: Tear Me Apart is hands down my favorite thriller of 2018, followed closely by Alice Feeny’s Sometimes I Lie. Both contained mind-blowing twists. I read a ton of thrillers, so it takes a lot to take me completely by surprise, but both of these managed to do that. I also have to give credit to Mary Kubica’s When the Lights Go Out, as the ending was something I was not expecting at all.

Intriguing Gimmick
Maggie: I was not expecting the ending of When the Lights Go Out either. I’ve seen that particular writing affectation used before but Kubica did an excellent job of really making that trope work in this novel. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen used an unusual style/trope also, to create an added layer of intrigue to their novel The Wife Between Us. I loved that novel. Under My Skin by Lisa Unger used the trope du jour of 2018 by giving the heroine an addiction to deal with.

Shannon: Authors are trying hard to find ways to set their thrillers apart from the crowd, and some of them have found really clever ways to do that. My personal favorite is Emily Elgar’s If You Knew Her which takes place largely in a hospital ward.

Best Romantic Suspense
Maggie: I read a lot of good romances and some great mysteries but romantic suspense felt scarce on the ground to me this year. Jayne Anne Krentz’s Promise Not to Tell was easily the best of the few I read. A charming love story, great characters and interesting mystery made this a top read for me.

Shannon: I actually read quite a bit of great romantic suspense this year. Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts is at the top of my list. The killer was incredibly dynamic, and the romance made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I also found myself quite fond of Liar, Liar by Lisa Jackson, although some readers may find the romance might be a little lacking. I was completely taken by surprise by J.R. Ward’s first romantic suspense novel. It’s called Consumed, and it’s every bit as fantastic as the paranormal romances that have made her famous, but in a totally different way of course. I also have to mention Jennifer Hillier’s Jar of Hearts. It was my first book by this author, but I bought her entire back list as soon as I finished this one. Both the romance and the suspense were phenomenal.

Favorites Not Listed Above
Maggie: I recommend all those listed above, and other favorites I would still strongly urge readers to pick up are Our House by Louise Candlish and Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin. These two novels are easily my favorite suspense books of 2018. I also loved Stiletto Justice by Camryn King for its excellent examination of social justice issues.

Shannon: I loved so many mysteries and thrillers this year, but I’ll do my best to narrow the list down. Rena Olsen’s With You Always chilled me to the bone, as did Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall. Karin Slaughter’s Pieces of Her is very much worth reading, but I’ll freely admit that it’s not quite as stellar as 2017’s The Good Daughter. No list would be complete without mentioning Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent. I had no idea what to expect when I first picked this one up, and it was an extremely wild ride.

So those are mine and Shannon’s favorites for last year. What were YOUR favorite suspense/mystery novels of 2018?

~ Maggie Boyd