The Running Bibliophile

Such A Clever Girl  by Darby Kane  opens with the friends and family of Xavier Tanner gathered for the reading of his will when his granddaughter, Aubrey (presumed dead for the last fifteen years), suddenly walks through the door. Her unexpected appearance reignites the rumor mill surrounding the mysterious disappearance of her family all those years ago. It also draws a teacher, a  café owner, and a psychologist back together for the first time since that day. What secrets have they been keeping, and how are they connected to the Tanner family disappearance ? Told mainly from the perspective of Stella, Marni, and Hannah, the author slowly weaves a hellacious story of secrets, lies, and things that aren't as they seem. As the reader navigates the story, they're presented with flashbacks and tidbits of information of what happened to the Tanner family that connect these three women together who otherwise wouldn't be connected. Add in an occasional bit of information from t...

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane opens with college friends meeting at a luxurious house on a private island in Maine to celebrate an engagement. Tensions arise when Emily's name is brought up and secrets about her death are about to be spilled. Will this friend group stay intact for the weekend? A big thank you goes out to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) that I received for free in exchange for my honest opinion. I was excited to read The Engagement Party by Darby Kane as I love "locked room" stories and always enjoy seeing if I can figure out who the culprit or culprits are before they're revealed. Darby Kane did a fantastic job with throwing suspicion across various characters making me second guess myself at times. The characters I suspected are as follows: Ruthie - the fiancé of Will Sierra - the protector, friend, and business partner of Mitch Cassie - attorney and wife of Alex, mother of Zara, friends with Mitch and Will Alex - atto...