This book was slightly underwhelming for me. I liked a lot of aspects of it but other aspects fell short. I really enjoyed the wealthy family drama and the secrets. However, some of the twists/secrets I figured out pretty early.  There was one secret that I really didn't see coming. I didn't feel particularly strongly about any of the characters except for one. I always feel like a mark of good writing is having the characters make you feel something, and as I said only one did and only in one scene. Overall the book wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but I am glad I read it. I also would recommend the book to others.


Rounded my 3.5 star rating up to 4 for goodreads

I seas drawn to this book based on the synopsis. Parts of hand me gripping the end of my seat , too bad the characters themselves did not bring much to the table in the form of personality.  I really wanted to like this book.

I want to say that I like this book I really do because there were parts that had me at the edge of my seat and wanting more and then so many other parts that drug the story on for too long and did not feel necessary to the story.

Sadly this one wasn't for me. It felt just far too predictable and samey to a million other family drama type thrillers I've read before. Its character driven but at the same time, the characters kist aren't interesting or special so i just didn't really care. Everyone lies  everyone has secrets, you can pretty much guess what's going to happen and it just really fell flat for me. On a positive side, it is character driven so if you like that or books about dark family dynamics then this may be for you. To be fair, all stories have been written before to some extent so I'd say it's worth a try and to give it a god if you do enjoy that genre. It's not for those who like action led books

Summary

A family estate is to die for in a gripping novel of psychological suspense by the author of Into the Sound.

Nothing brings the four Fox siblings together like their detestable father’s heart attack—and a hefty inheritance to be divided equally. At his deathbed is his oldest daughter, Valerie; her irresponsible sister, Lucy; and their two embattled brothers, Christian and Jeremy. Even the former housekeeper, Marisol, who’s been with the family for forty years, is on watch. All Valerie hopes for is an amicable reunion, despite the damages of the past.

By punishing means, Stefan Fox raised his children to be competitors. The cruel lessons now serve them well in a game of life and death. When it comes to the family fortune, the rules are simple: fewer siblings means a bigger share.

After a suspicious accident, Valerie knows the worst is yet to come—and confiding in the wrong person could be the most dangerous thing she’s ever done.

Mini-review
There’s nothing quite like a family drama full of tension and angst – mix in a little murder, greed and some truly despicable characters and you’ve got a serious murder mystery! 

I enjoyed this one for all the interwoven character driven themes. Each character had a secret or two, driven by a competitiveness that fostered an unhealthy relationship, each of the siblings and side characters is flawed and the sarcastic banter is often hilarious. 

Tigthly plotted with a great twisty ending, I think this is a great book for any fan of the genre.

I love twisty, family dramas. I wanted to love this, but I didn't. I did not enjoy the legal aspect in this novel. The characters were interesting, but I never connected with any of them. Sorry to say this one was a miss for me. 3 stars.

I love a good family psychological thriller. But, this one fell flat for me.  The plot twists were a little too predictable and expected.  It was a quick read, tho, which got me through.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Cara Reinard for the advanced copy of The Den in exchange for my honest review.

I was about 80 pages into this book when it occurred to me I wasn't really feeling it and was *just* interested enough to want to know how it ended, so I skipped to the last few chapters. For that reason, I don't feel it's fair of me to review this book outside of NetGalley, so I will not be cross-posting my review to Goodreads, Amazon, etc.

The big reveal did end up being pretty impressive, and what a tangled web! I personally felt the book was just  too long and it didn't really keep my attention. I would, however, enjoy seeing this as a limited series!

The Den will be on US bookshelves December 13!

I didn’t love this book, let alone like it. There was really nothing gripping about it; it’s marketed as a domestic suspense but the plot twists are predictable, not unexpected. It definitely wasn’t a page turner; the book crawled along at a snail’s pace. I correctly guessed all of the suspects. The dialogue was super awkward; nobody talked like a regular human, especially Christian and Aja. They felt like caricatures. Valerie was insufferable, Lucy was the problem child, Jeremy was the overlooked sibling with a complex. This book didn’t add anything to the field; there’s nothing notable about rich people problems and daddy issues in a thriller. I’m giving this book one star because, contrary to the genre it belongs to, I found nothing about it thrilling.

Okay so this one gave me definite Knives Out vibes, but ya know what, I didn’t finish that movie. It just wasn’t for me. This book did hold my attention better than the movie, sorry Chris Evans, but it still wasn’t my favorite. 

Rich dad promises to not give his kids his fortune, then he dies mysteriously, kids find out they inherit it all…then kids start dying. Last standing sibling is the prime suspect, but did they really do it?

That about sums it up. This was a fast read and held my attention. The whole rich dad leaves us no money in his will because we’re spoiled so its going to charity always makes me laugh. I know people kill for money, and in these cases its always some astronomical amount. I’m not really close with some of my siblings, but I still wouldn’t kill them – even if it were for billions. This book was humorous, but it was really predictable and held true to the stereotype that it was pulled from. 

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for my advanced e-arc of this laugh out loud book. Check this one out soon – Dec 13th! Pick this one up if you want a fast read you don’t have to think for 😊

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Thomas&Mercer for this arc. 

The overall story was keeping me on my toes. The ending was surprising. Maybe a more advanced mystery reader would’ve been able to find out sooner but to me the conclusion came as a surprise. 

The characters were all unlikable. We have the arrogant first-born, Christian, who is just an overall asshole. There’s his younger brother Jeremy, the good for nothing drug addict who’s not even worth being a spare. Valerie is the prissy miss goody two shoes who thinks what she does is right for everybody but her sense of righteousness only gets others in trouble. And then there’s the youngest, Lucinda who made her older sibling jealous with all the love and attention she got - but it wasn’t enough and she developed an exhibitionism problem. Oh, and she’s one of  two LGBTQ+ characters in this book. Gotta fulfill this quota. *sigh*
Again, none of the characters were likeable. The children were all assholes, the parents as well, the housekeeper, don’t get me started on her (there’s a reason you shouldn’t fraternise with the hired help). 

Still I enjoyed reading this book and if I come across another one of Cara Reinard‘s books I’ll probably read it.

The entire Fox family is gathered for an event honouring their mother when the patriarch collapses. This kick starts the unraveling of the Fox's estate and everything each sibling thought they knew about themselves, their parents and their inheritance. We watch the four siblings (Lucy, Valerie, Christian and Jeremy) turn against each other when they learn about "The Den". Each strives to keep their financial struggles secret whilst trying to ensure they get the millions owed to them from "The Den". 

This book gave me very strong Succession vibes. Not a single character is likeable, the siblings all have major distrust and hatred towards each other and the Father seems like a royal jerk. There is a suspicious housekeeper, an Alzheimer riddled mother and a host of questionable characters who pop along the way. BUT it keeps you reading. I had my suspicions of who was responsible for the deaths that occurred/trying to steal the fortune from the siblings from the beginning, but you do get caught up in the suspicion and questioning minds of the siblings as they realize somebody is out to get them. 

I recommend this book for anybody looking for a fast paced suspense novel. You might figure out the villain early on but it is a fun and wild ride. Can't wait to check out some of Cara's other books after reading this one.

When the patriarch of the Fox family mysteriously suffers a heart attack his four estranged children learn that a trust has been set up worth millions of dollars to be split evenly between them upon his death. Immediately the siblings are under investigation for poisoning their father and suddenly another accident in the family occurs. Is the family being targeted for their money or is the family targeting each other for a larger share? 

This book was such a fun read. It had “Succession” and an adult version of “The Inheritance Games” vibes, which I loved. It was one of those books that you just want to read in one sitting and not put down! 

The characters were all very different and interesting in their own way. The plot was one we’ve heard many times before, yet it still felt new and fresh. And although I pretty much figured out the mystery/twist fairly early on, I still wanted to keep reading and was surprised by some fun little twist and turns along the way. 

The only complaint I really have about this book is that I found the ending kind of cheesy. 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense/thriller/mystery novels and am looking forward to reading more of Cara Reinard’s books.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

I loved the beginning of this story thats what drew me into it. but the story ended up moving so slow. i had to skim the chapters to the end which was very lackluster. there are way better thrillers out there than this.

Valerie and her siblings have always been very competitive with each other. Their father fostered their competitive nature throughout their lives. When their father has a heart attack, the siblings return home for their inheritance, they find that once again their father is pitting the siblings against each other. But, this time the competition might be deadlier. An exciting thriller with an unique plot and plenty of suspense to keep the reader engaged. 


Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I wanted to love this book so very much. I really did.

I don't know what it really was about this book. It was lacking personality. It lacked a connection to its reader. I just couldn't keep myself engaged and caring about what was happening in this book.

The characters in this book are all vapid, greedy, self indulged, and entitled. I disliked every last one of them. I rarely find myself liking books with these kinds of characters. They always seem to take away from my enjoyment of reading. 

The mysteries in this story weren't hard to flesh out. They were just the way the story was heading without much guessing, if I'm being honest. 

Overall, this book lost me at times but then found a way to draw me back in. The back and forth of the train wreck that is the family in this book kept me reading to the end. It was an okay read.

This was a real page turner with a terrific twist at the end. What kept this from being a five star review for me was the inconsistency of the characters—many were portrayed negatively then positively and then negatively again—I felt that I was unconvincingly and arbitrarily being jerked around by the author. Nevertheless yhis was a very enjoyable read and very reco!

In Cara Reinard’s The Den, this gripping domestic suspense thriller is twisted, dark, and keeps you guessing straight toward the end. It all started for Lucinda Fox, who came home to Pittsburgh to attend a benefit to honor her mother. But when her father suffered a stroke, it caused a ripple effect for her sister Valerie, her two brothers Christian and Jeremy, and even for their former nanny, Marian Vega. While they waited to hear their father’s prognosis, they learned about the Den, a special trust fund set up by their father Stefan Fox, in case anything should happen to their father. Meanwhile it caused sparks and other concerns between them. Christian wants to contest it, while the others don’t. But when he winds up in the fatal car accident, things change. Someone began to target them, one by one, until they were wiped out to claim the money. It’s up to Lucinda and Valerie to get down to the bottom of it before it’s too late for them. In a life-and-death battle, the surprising twist will leave you speechless and spine-tingling at the climax. 

This compelling domestic suspense is dark and twisted with a gripping storyline premise. I cared for Lucinda, who was the unwanted child, and wanted so much to please the people who cared about her. I also cared for Valerie, who wanted to protect her daughter Isla, and give her a better future. The location of Pittsburgh painted the scenes well for the settings. The dual themes of the story is no one’s perfect, and greed is an evil sin when it comes to money and revenge.

This dark domestic suspense will keep you at the edge of your seat and make your head spin. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no reason.   If you love dark domestic thrillers with family issues, non-stop action, heart-stopping drama, and plenty of suspense,  you'll love The Den. It's recommended for fans who love Gone Girl and Hannah Mary McKinnon.

Stefan Fox has a heart attack one night during an event. Results come in that it was some how connected to mercury poisoning and all the Fox children and even Marisol the the housekeeper are under investigation. The children see the family lawyer and find out that about the huge inheritance they will get if Stefan dies. Valerie, Christian, Lucinda, and Jeremy all have issues and they are very competitive. One by one things begin to happen to each of them. Someone wants that money badly, but who is it and will they win and take it all?

This was the first book I have read by Cara Reinard. THE DEN is full of mystery and suspense. I was not sure what was going on and it was quite a wild ride, I loved the alternating points of view and all the secrets these characters were hiding. I really did enjoy figuring out the mystery and would recommend this book to one to my friends. I always like to read the acknowledgements at the end of a book and will read the author's other novels she suggested to try next. 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared on my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

With family like the Foxes, who needs enemies!? This wealthy family has a lifetime history of emotional abuse, rivalry, and greed. It all comes to a head when their father has health problems and they learn of provisions to his Will. A great read filled with lots of complex characters!