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This strange psychological thriller is full of untrustworthy characters.

Recently released on September 1st, and just in time for the spookiest season of the year, you can dive right into this unsettling story where objects carry secrets and nothing, and no one, is quite what they seem.

This was one of those “I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this one” kind of reads. There is just so much you could either end up loving or hating here.

*If you like the weird ones.. this may be for you.
*If you like a bunch of characters you don’t really feel invested in, but are still pretty curious about, this might be for you.
*And if you like a good mystery with some slow building tension.. but not a lot of action, again, this could be for you.

Whether it fails to fascinate or succeeds at surprising..
You’ll have to read it and find out!

Shall we begin?

Every sweet hath its sour; every evil its good. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

These Toxic Things: A Thriller by Rachel Howzell Hall

Publication date: September 1, 2021
Pages: 415
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Standalone

First line: At that time of night, there was peace.

Mickie makes memories come alive.
Using your greatest treasures, photographs, and locations to create a unique, in-depth experience. Mickie’s personalized memory boxes will take you back in time, after all, who wouldn’t wish to relive their most special moments?

From the second she takes on her latest client, Nadia, who runs a small boutique filled with peculiar items, Mickie feels followed.. hunted. ‘Beautiful Things’ is easily one of the most unusual places she’s visited, ran by people just as strange as it’s content, Mickie finds a sort of charm in it all. Tasked with taking a series of Nadia’s hand-picked trinkets, some of which are rather.. odd, Mickie begins the process of creating an incredibly detailed journey through the past.

Until Nadia is found dead. Suicide. Or was it?

Suddenly Mickie’s in the middle of something much bigger than the preservation this woman’s cherished memories.

Does Nadia’s death have anything to do with the person stalking Mickie?
What is it about Nadia’s treasures that makes her so.. curious? One thing she knows for sure is that something is going on here and, with everything connecting back to her, Mickie needs to find answers soon.. or she may just become a memory.

With each new treasure and memory, Mickie’s suspicions only deepen.
Something about these keepsakes seems dark..

Four Stars!

Secrets and lies all accumulate into one hell of a story.

About the book:

Mickie loves her job.
Her creation, RoadTrip!, will allow you to follow the path of a persons keepsakes.. from where grandpa got Gran’s engagement ring, to your mother’s childhood dollhouse, Roadtrip! will take you there.
She’s made it possible to travel through a person’s history and bring it to life.

If working for her ex wasn’t complicated enough, her most recent client is found dead the day after their initial meeting, and that doesn’t look good for Mickie. And that’s not all. Many things are happening around her that don’t make sense.. creepy notes and phone calls that threaten, a feeling of being watched, and the deep sense of wrongness that has been weighing her down since she took this latest job.

Not only Mickie finds it hard to believe that Nadia would take her own life, everyone has their suspicions but.. with everyone looking (and acting) like a suspect, Mickie begins to get caught up in the mystery of it all.

Overall:

She was dumped. Her client winds up dead. She picks up a stalker. Her parents are hiding something.. This girl just has no luck and the author makes sure you know it.

Did I like Mickie? No. Did I like any of the characters.. Still No. Did that matter at all? Third time’s the charm! No, it did not.

The pace is great, it jumps in with both feet forward, right off the bat. The writing is intelligent and engaging, allowing you to easily stay immersed in the mystery of ‘who done it.’

The subtle hints at secrets and lies tug you along by the nose as the need for answers becomes more important than the characters flaws.

And although none of the people here are particularly interesting, well developed, or even likeable on their own.. together? They create a distracting web of deceit that encourages curiosity and demands answers.

The relationships between all of them are precarious and volatile and, while the many threats against Mickie make for (sometimes) interesting tension.. it can make it frustrating to become invested in anyone.

The author takes you back and forth following riddles in memories and, just as one one puzzle begins to form, another takes it’s place.

Chief complaint? Mickie lacked any real initiative (or personality.) So much was going on in connection to her that I expected more.. but, alas, I kept finding myself moderately disappointed. It felt like she should have been more determined to get answers, asked more questions, looked just a little more closely at things.
I know for damn sure that if dead people started piling up at my feet that I would be a tad more proactive about finding out who, what, and why.

Mysteries are a real thing for me.

The author did a great job.. and I know this because I can’t think of any one thing that actually stood out for me, still, I know I enjoyed the ride.

I would recommend this more as a psychological thriller than any kind of suspense or horror.. but I would recommend it!

Reading anything spooky this September?

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