Review: What Strange Creatures

What Strange Creatures

by Emily Arsenault

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  The Battle siblings are used to disappointment. Seven years, one marriage and divorce, three cats, and a dog later, Theresa still hasn’t finished her dissertation. Instead of a degree, she’s got a houseful of adoring pets and a dead-end copywriting job for a local candle company.

Jeff, her so-called genius older brother, doesn’t have it together, either. Creative, and loyal, he’s also aimless in work and love. But his new girlfriend, Kim, a pretty waitress in her twenties, appears smitten.

When Theresa agrees to dog-sit Kim’s puggle for a weekend, she has no idea that it is the beginning of a terrifying nightmare that will shatter her quiet world. Soon, Kim’s body will be found in the woods, and Jeff will become the prime suspect.

Though the evidence is overwhelming, Theresa knows that her brother is not a cold-blooded murderer. But to clear him she must find out more about Kim. Investigating the dead woman’s past, Theresa uncovers a treacherous secret involving politics, murder, and scandal—and becomes entangled in a potentially dangerous romance. But the deeper she falls into this troubling case, the more it becomes clear that, in trying to save her brother’s life, she may be sacrificing her own.


Kritters Thoughts:  Brothers and sisters have a unique sibling relationship as they are from the opposite sex, but still have the competition element that is alive in all sibling relationships!  I only have a sister, but I still enjoy reading books about other types of sibling relationships.  Although Theresa is the younger sibling for me she felt like the older as she was trying to help Jeff solve the mystery of his murdered girlfriend and she took the lead.  

The twists and turns and final result in this book were all fantastic.  There are many thrillers were someone stands accused and someone else knows they are guilty but the facts point to the accused, but the twist of siblings took this book to a different place that I liked.  I also loved that the life of the victim plays a role in the entire book - as Theresa must learn about this woman in her brother's life before she can find out who murdered the girl.  The family dynamics were great with parents who are quirky and no longer together and have no clue what is going on in their adult children's lives!  

If you are a fan of the genre, than add this one to your list.  If you don't typically read in the mystery/thriller genre, then you will love the addition of the family drama in this book! 


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.