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Havoc
Havoc | Christopher Bollen
5 posts | 6 read | 12 to read
In the vein of The Bad Seed comes a twisty, atmospheric psychological suspense about a meddlesome elderly guest at a decadent luxury hotel who believes she has left her problematic past behind, until she decides to interfere in the lives of a young mother and her eight-year-old son, and finally meets her wicked match.The war between age and youth has never been so vicious.Eighty-one-year-old widow Maggie Burkhardt came to the Royal Karnak to escape. But not in quite the same way as most other guests who are relaxing at this threadbare luxury hotel on the banks of the Nile. Maggie, a compulsive fixer of other people's lives, may have found herself in hot water at her last hotel in Switzerland and just might have needed to get out of there fast... But here at the Royal Karnak, under the hot Saharan sun, she has a comfortable suite, a loyal confidante in the hotel manager, Ahmed, and a handful of sympathetic friends, similar "long-termers" who understand her still-vivid grief for her late husband, Peter. Here, she is merely the sweet old lady in Room 309.One morning, however, Maggie notices a new arrival at check-in: a mournful-looking young mother named Tess and her impish eight-year-old, Otto. Eager to help, Maggie invites them into her world. But it isn't long before Maggie realizes that in her longing to be a part of their family, she has let in an enemy much stronger than she bargained for. In scrawny, homely Otto, Maggie Burkhardt has finally met her match.A propulsive, addictively-readable breakout from the critically acclaimed author of A Beautiful Crime and The Lost Americans, Havoc is brilliant, twisty psychological suspense that will get under your skin like the most unforgettable Hitchcock classics.
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review
BarbaraBB
Havoc | Christopher Bollen
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Panpan

“Highsmithian” says a blurb about this book. But that‘s way too much praise. Characters were caricatures in this book, no comparison to Patricia Highsmith‘s.

A woman in her 80s and a boy of 8 years old trying to destroy each other in a luxury hotel in Egypt during the pandemic. Too far fetched to my taste. The ending was far fetched too but I liked that twist the best.

#14Books14Weeks book 4

squirrelbrain Books called Havoc are clearly not all they‘re cracked up to be! 🤣 5d
BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain Haha indeed! We‘re both disappointed 😀 5d
Itchyfeetreader I have so been enjoying your photos and reviews. My husband has just finished his day skipper course and is threatening me with a sailing holiday next year. That you are reading and sailing is selling it me a little more ! 5d
See All 11 Comments
BarbaraBB @Itchyfeetreader Like you I am not a sailor myself, my husband is, just like yours. But it‘s really cool to be on a boat and be able to read and visit different islands. I‘d give it a try if I were you! 5d
RaeLovesToRead I LOVED THIS BOOK 🤣🤣🤣🤣 5d
Itchyfeetreader @BarbaraBB I love the idea of being near the water which I find so relaxing but not quite got over feeling wish when actually at sea! However I am assured it passes so we shall see what next summer holds once he has more solo hours in! 5d
TheKidUpstairs I'm so glad to see this review 😂 I was so intrigued by the premise of this one, but I could not get into it at all. Thank you for confirming that I don't need to return to it! 5d
Tamra Anxious to read it! I heard an interview with the author as I was taking the Xmas tree down and put it on my TBR. It‘s been that long. 😆 5d
sarahbarnes Another one off the pile at least! 📚 5d
BarbaraBB @RaeLovesToRead I know and I was surprised 😀, we mostly agree on our books! But there are more people who really liked it so it might be grumpy me who didn‘t appreciate what Bollen was doing. 5d
RaeLovesToRead I do love books set in hotels haha. And this one was eerie! You do have to suspend disbelief a bit, but I enjoyed it enough to not mind 😊 5d
76 likes11 comments
review
AudiobookingWithLeah
Havoc | Christopher Bollen
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Pickpick

3.5⭐Light Pick
•An engagingly diabolical story where you‘re left trying to figure out who was the unreliable one. Unfortunately, I did have a few issues. 1. I‘m pretty sure the covid stuff was a turn-off for me. I lived through it, don‘t want to read about it. 2. The MC's meddling ways were overly annoying, & 3, I saw the end coming, although I didn't see that extreme, because wow, it was unhinged.
•Maggi Meg-Reed brought her A-game with this one.

review
BeeMagical
Havoc | Christopher Bollen
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Pickpick

Book 20📚 3.6⭐️

What a twist! Definitely wasn‘t expecting that!👵🏼

An old woman and a young boy face off at a hotel where a cover might get blown…

Tamra I‘m anxious to get to this one! 3mo
BeeMagical @Tamra it‘s an odd one! But it comes together at the end lol 2mo
32 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
staci.reads
Havoc | Christopher Bollen
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Pickpick

What a twisted story! I had no idea what I was getting into. The premise sounded like a fun mystery, and a battle between youth and age, but this sucker was messed up. I'm pretty sure I audibly gasped more than once 😂. It's a wild ride, and if you are looking for dark and irreverent, this one's for you! This was hand-sold to me in one of my favorite book stores, recommended by the owner.

RaeLovesToRead I also loved this one!!!! 3mo
69 likes4 stack adds1 comment
review
RaeLovesToRead
Havoc | Christopher Bollen
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Pickpick

This was brilliant.

A creepy suspense novel set in a hotel in Luxor. Starts innocent enough and then gets dark really fast, approaching psychological horror.

The protagonist is a woman in her 80s who has been hotel hopping and meddling in others' beeswax since the death of her husband. SHE IS ABOUT TO MEET HER NEMESIS.

Highsmithian was right. This was right up my street.

eclectic-reader Love a Highsmith comp. Adding to my tbr 4mo
RaeLovesToRead @eclectic-reader I loved it! Let me know what you think! 4mo
64 likes3 stack adds2 comments