What ingredients do you need for a great psychological thriller?

Let’s go through some, shall we?

Begin with a core cast of characters whose very ordinariness makes them instantly relatable. Then toss in a situation or mystery that’s going to test these characters to their limits; take them inside their own heads, and in doing so take us, the reader, with them. Now mix through a series of twists and turns (both internal and external) that tap into the universal sense of human fear.

Novelist Sophie Hannah is no stranger to cooking up this kind of clever and compelling read. So it is of no surprise that for her 11th psychological thriller A Game For All The Family she has assembled all the right ingredients.

After escaping London and a career that nearly destroyed her, Justine plans to spend her days doing as little as possible in her beautiful new home in Devon. But soon after the move, her daughter Ellen starts to withdraw when her new best friend, George, is unfairly expelled from school. Justine begs the head teacher to reconsider, only to be told that nobody’s been expelled – there is, and was, no George. Then the anonymous calls start: a stranger, making threats that suggest she and Justine share a traumatic past and a guilty secret – yet Justine doesn’t recognise her voice. When the caller starts to talk about three graves – two big and one small, to fit a child – Justine fears for her family’s safety. The police prove useless so she decides she’ll have to eliminate the danger herself, but first she must work out who she’s supposed to be…

For two thirds of this novel I was riveted. Is Justine mad and everything she sees going on around her not really going on at all? Is the transfixing tale of the oh-so-odd Ingrey family, which is being delivered via installments from Ellen’s high school english essay, actually a spooky reality? And is the head mistress at Ellen’s school, despite the cookie-cutter family photo that sits framed on her office wall, a manipulative and crazy childhater? I turned each page fuelled by a desire to learn more; desperate to put all the intricate puzzle pieces together.

Then, as the picture finally began to appear, I wasn’t sure it was the one I really wanted to see. The direction I had thought – and hoped – the story was going in turned out to be wrong and where it was actually heading, disappointingly, failed to completely satisfy me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t suddenly lose all interest in the story, but that urgent want and that transfixion with the tale being told did slump a little.

Maybe this is where I should return to my cooking analogy. You know when you find a recipe that looks and sounds awesome? You gather the ingredients together and then you follow the recipe’s steps one by one, your mouth watering in anticipation the whole time. When it is finally ready and when you have carefully plated up this sure-to-be gastronomic triumph you take your first mouthful. Huh? It doesn’t taste how you’d imagined it would. You can’t quite put your finger on what it is, but something’s missing. Well, that’s kinda how I felt with this book.

Ok, I’ll stop with the cooking analogies now and simply suggest that you try this one out yourself.  It may well be just to your taste.

My youngest son turned 8 in November. Birthdays are, of course, the biggest of big deals when you’re that age. Like all our sons, Asher is obsessed with skateboarding, so we promised him a skateboarding themed party at home with all his friends skating our backyard half-pipe.

It didn’t quite work out that way…

As life would have it, his birthday fell on the same day as one of the year’s biggest skateboarding events here in Melbourne – the annual MOSS jam. MOSS (Melbourne Old School Skate Sessions) are a group of guys who were, in their heyday, the pioneers of skateboarding in Australia. These days, they catch up regularly for social bowlriding sessions and as an extra bonus they raise money for clean water systems in Swaziland. Their big event of the year is the bowl jam, this year held at the brand new Noble Park Skatepark, an amazing venue designed by legendary skater Johnny (Primate) McGrath.

There was never any doubt in my little grom’s mind – party at home or at the jam? He figured (correctly) that he’d have waaay more people to celebrate his birthday with him at Noble Park. And so, we did. But then came my own dilemma…what would I do about a cake?

Cupcakes to the rescue! I asked permission from Rob (Wedge) Francis, the president of the MOSS Foundation if we could bring along some cupcakes to share on the day, and decided to make them in a MOSS theme. He kindly sent me over a few jpegs of designs I could use. And then it dawned on me…there would be hundreds of people at the event from all over Australia.

I’d need at least TWO HUNDRED CUPCAKES!

Logistically, how was I going to make that many cupcakes, decorate and transport them to the event? I also knew there would be a few kids attending who have nut allergies, so that had to be taken into consideration too.

Here’s how I did it:

For the cupcakes themselves, I baked almost every day the week before and then nervously froze them in batches of a dozen. I used pre-packaged cake mixes, because in cases like this, cheating is allowed. Betty Crocker were the only nut-free brand I could find in Woolworths (not ALL their recipes are nut-free. Always check the allergy warnings on the box) I double checked ingredient lists with the mums of the kids who are anaphylactic. I made half of them chocolate, the other half vanilla, into which I mixed some frozen raspberries.

For decoration:

Armed with my jpeg designs, my local cake decorating suppliers printed off pages and pages of edible images for me. Usually, you’d have them printed directly onto fondant, but due to the allergy issues, we went with rice paper instead. I cut the designs out by hand, then attached them with fondant glue to a special nut-free fondant I’d pre-rolled and cut into shape with a cookie-cutter. As long as they were kept moisture-free, the designs could be made up a few days prior, which is what I did. I used two different designs, one for the chocolate, one for the vanilla and raspberry.

I defrosted the cakes the evening before the event. They were fine. Great, in fact. Still soft, fluffy and delicious. Phew! Thank you, Betty Crocker!

The morning of Asher’s birthday, I rose at stupid o’clock and, with help from my eleven year old son, got to work. For the frosting, I used another new product – RICH’S RICH N SMOOTH. Seriously, this stuff is AMAZING! It’s stored in the freezer, but won’t freeze. To use, you just whip it with an electric mixer for about ten minutes, and not only is it stable, ridiculously simple to work with, but also delicious. I piped – very quickly – a circle of frosting onto each, half in chocolate, half in vanilla. Mr Eleven years followed behind me, placing the rice paper/fondant designs on each. As each cupcake was completed, we placed them single layer into one of those plastic under-bed storage containers, the things we keep Lego in at our place. Each fit 110 cupcakes each. We did it!

The day was an enormous success. The sun shone, the vibe was electric, the skateboarding utterly spectacular, the venue and huge new bowl perfect. My little 8 year old was sung happy birthday to by a live rockabilly band and a few hundred of his closest friends, and all the cupcakes were polished off in a blink. But best of all, from that single day, a whole lot of money was raised, and now life-changing, permanent clean water schemes can be built for around 500 people.

A quick re-cap:
I used BETTY CROCKER cake mix, and RICH’S RICH N SMOOTH Frosting.
Use your local cake decorating shop. Pick their brains for advice on specialty products. Most will have the equipment to be able to print any design you choose on edible fondant or rice paper.
You can find the MOSS Foundation and more information about the amazing things they do on Facebook.

Top Reads

Darkest Part of the Forest – Holly Black

An isolated town, a boy asleep for centuries in a glass coffin, a monster that emerges at the reciting of a children’s rhyme. This is just perfection.

Icebreaker – Lian Tanner

I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Lian Tanner, and this was no exception. She takes the risks that other authors shy away from, and puts morals first in her writing without beating readers over the head with them.

Ash – Malinda Lo

One I’ve been meaning to read for far too long. Ash is sweet and enchanting. A much more innocent novel than I had expected.

A Thousand Nights – E.K. Johnston

This one was a bit of a surprise. A wonderful rep from Pan Macmillan gave me a copy, and I’m delighted she did. It’s a wonderful, lyrical recounting of an old tale, and I would never have picked it up myself.

Girl of Nightmares – Kendare Blake

It took a different turn to what I’d anticipated, but overall a wonderful conclusion to Anna Dressed in Blood.

Most Anticipated

Trial by Fire – Josephine Angelini

Sounds like a crossed-worlds situation and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.

Tell the Wind and Fire – Sarah Rees Brennan

Something that looks a bit different to the other things Brennan has written. None-the-less intriguing.

The Knife of Never Letting Go – Patrick Ness

This has been recommended to me so many times by people that I trust that I finally bought it. I haven’t even read the blurb. Am just going to throw myself in and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.

Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead

So behind on this one. Have seen the movie and still not read it. 2016 is the year!

Every Word – Ellie Marney

Again, so behind. I’ve read the first book in this series and enjoyed it. Am looking forward to the second and third.

Three students: dead.
Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace.

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, “the girl of nowhere.”

Kaitlyn’s diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn’t exist, and in a way, she doesn’t – because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson.

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It’s during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it.

Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video footage, and the discovered diary – and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about what happened that night unfolds.

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published September 15th 2015 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Carly and Kaitlyn share a body. When Carly disappears, Kaitlyn is lost on how to find her and get her back. Encompassing recordings with her psychiatrist, to friends, news, the media, and herself, this book is a stand out, engaging read.

Starting out as complex psychological thriller, this story will eventually lead into a paranormal suspense. The pacing of the novel is constant, and the different formats for relaying the story make it a very visually enjoyable novel as well. The story does not all take place at the same place either; it switches between the psychiatric hospital and the school (and inside Katilyn’s mind).

My favorite character is Naida who is Carly’s best friend. She was the most dependable, honest and admirable character I have read about in years. The lengths that she goes to find Carly was astonishing. There is a small group of people who become involved in the mystery of Carly’s disappearance and each play a role in the mystery; especially, the mystery of who is behind the killings that begin to take place. This throws us into a horror novel — great for late night reading (if your not big on sleeping that is!).

I was surprised at how raw and dark this story really gets. The writing is deep and true, and the reader has to feel honest emotion to truly understand Kaitlyn.  It is really a story about a girl who gets lost in her own head as the author delves into how a person can  find their selves within, when there only seems to be locked doors blocking the way.This is definitely a story that I’d recommend  to our readers.

Best of 2015 Teen Titles

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich-
includes several different forms of media to tell the story. It’s pretty dark and psychological.

Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
-come on, the man is a genius. Absolutely loved this story, dark, Gothic and scary

Fig by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
-the story of a young girl doing everything in her power to bring her mother back from her psychotic break.

Mindwalker by AJ Steiger-
 I loved the concept of being able to go inside memories and delete or change them.

The Secrets of Lake Road by Karen Katchur –
Small town, drowning of a child in the lake and it brings up a whole lot of town secrets from the past.

What I am looking forward to in 2016 Teen

Harmony House by Nic Sheff

“Harmony House is more than just a creepy old estate. It’s got a chilling past—and the more Jen discovers its secrets, the more the house awakens.”

Laila’s Flight by Laura Williams McCaffrey

“Sixteen-year-old Lyla lives in a bleak, controlling society where only the brightest and most favored students succeed. When she is caught buying cheats in an underground shadow market, she is tattooed-marked-as a criminal.”
The Keeper of the Mist by Rachel Neumeier

For fans of Shadow and Bone “Now the father she barely knew—the Lord of Nimmira—has died, and ancient magic has decreed that she will take his place as the new Lady.”

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
“It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments…Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.”

Night Study by Maria V Snyder

Because she is on my Auto-buy list. I love her books

Favorites of 2016 -Adult

The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

There is never a dull moment in the story, and the world building was amazingly detailed and hauntingly post-apocalyptic.

Blue Labyrinth by Douglas Preston

For me, this was one of those books that truly deserves the line “I couldn’t put it down.” I haven’t found myself so immersed into a story since The Da Vinci Code. This is a very well written suspense thriller that I enjoyed immensely and can see why these authors are so popular. Deservedly so.

Mythmaker by Marianne de Pierres

I highly enjoyed Mythmaker, it kept me hooked and constantly surprised with the twists. In Peacemaker I was introduced to Virgin Jackson, now in Mythmaker I never wanted to let her go. What a fun ride.

Lie in Wait by Eric Rickstad

The author weaves several storylines together, what’s described as a “quiet” Vermont town is currently in uproar over a court case that is ongoing. Politics, ethics, equal rights, community and strong religious views all take part in the plot to find the killer.

Three Days in April by Edward Ashton
A techno-thriller set in the near future with a focus on mixing of cyborgs, natural humans and those that had alterations done