Tom Savage

Arden Court. Tom Savage. 2014. Apparently Savage is well known to readers of suspenseful romances. This one is similar to the other book I read by him. Laura is an up and coming pianist who has just married Eddie, a very wealthy New Yorker. He takes her to live in his posh townhome at Arden. It is almost too perfect. It doesn’t take long for Laura to get tired of the security men and to wonder how the neighbors seem to know all about her. This has tinges of Rosemary’Baby except the villains are white supremacists. It kept my interest on the treadmill.… (más)

Valentine was published in 1996. It is a novel of revenge and was made into a horror/slasher movie in 2001 with superstars Katherine Heigl and Denise Richards playing parts. Valentine is a tightly woven suspense story with a jaw dropping ending. I did not see this one coming and I cannot remember being this surprised by an ending before. In fact, I had to go back a few pages to confirm that the ending I read was correct. I just couldn't believe it.

The publisher's summary:

Jillian Talbot has it all: a beautiful home in New York's Greenwich Village, a string of bestselling suspense novels, and a handsome and adoring lover. She has something else too. A silent stalker. A secret admirer who sends her pink, heart shaped messages with an unmistakable threat in blood red letters. His motives are as cryptic as the name he goes by: Valentine. But his intentions are deadly clear. He has watched other women in the past, and he has killed them. Now he's ready to add Jillian to the list, to carry out the punishment he has chosen for her, retribution for a long-ago crime that only he remembers. For Valentine, vengeance will be complete. For Jill Talbot, the terror has just begun. Wherever she runs, he will find her. And soon she will meet him on his terrible day of judgment. His triumphant day. Her darkest day. Valentine's Day.
I was hooked on this story from the get go. The plot premise is about a nasty practical joke that went wrong and the long time repercussions of the joke. I would not say that the book is a horror/slasher novel as the movie turned out to be. It is a novel of terror, suspense and a psychological thriller all rolled into one glorious story. The chapters alternated the point of view from Jillian to the killer. It was impossible to figure out the identity of the killer until the author tells us his name late in the story. Not wanting to be a spoiler, I am refraining from telling you more about the plot. Just take note that Valentine is a must read.

I cannot imagine that any other book that I end up reading this year can top this one. 10 out of 5 stars!… (más)

Extraordinary! The roller coaster ride only stops as the last sentence is read. There is mystery, suspense, chills and thrills. I love mysteries! I love thrillers! To have it all in one novel is terrific reading.

I couldn't remember if I had read any novels by this author previously and in checking my GoodReads list I discovered I read "Scavenger" in 2014. So that answers the addition of "The Inheritance" on my wish-to-read list and receipt for Christmas 2019 as my husband and mother use my list for birthday and Christmas gifts. The author's short biographical sketch advises "he worked for many years at Murder Ink®, the world’s first mystery bookstore." It seems he honed his writing with complete absorption of all of the best novels within his purview. Well done, Tom Savage! Well done!… (más)