Tag: suspense

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Recommends Squadpod Reviews

SQUADPOD REVIEWS: The Final Party by A.A. Chaudhuri

Published May 25th by Hera Books
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Thriller, Domestic Fiction, Urban Fiction, Travel Literature, Coming-of-Age Story

Today I’m delighted to be opening the Squadpod Spotlight tour for The Final Party. Thank you to Hera books for my gifted eBook.

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SYNOPSIS:

SIX FRIENDS.

In a luxury villa set high in the hills above the glamorous town of Sorrento, southern Italy, three couples gather for the perfect 40th birthday celebration.

ONE BODY.

Before the week is out, one of them is dead.

COUNTLESS LIES.

Their perfect reunion quickly becomes the holiday from hell when one of the group starts receiving anonymous messages, threatening to expose a dark secret from their university days.

As old friendships are tested to the limit, it’s clear that what happens in the dark past won’t stay buried…

A heart-racing psychological thriller that will hook you from the very first page, with twist after twist that will make your jaw drop. Fans of B.A. Paris, My Husband’s Killer and Lucy Foley won’t be able to put this down. If you were hooked by The White Lotus or The Watcher, you’ll love this.

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MY REIVEW:

“Six friends had started the week on seemingly good terms, here for a rest and the perfect birthday celebration. 
But the perfect week in paradise has turned into the holiday from hell. 
Because one of them is dead. 
One of them is a killer. 
But which one of them here is guilty?” 

A multiple point of view and dual timeline novel, The Final Party takes place in Sorrento, Italy in August 2019. Six friends have got together for the fortieth birthday of one of their group, but tensions are high as four of the friends battle with their conscience over secrets they have been keeping for eighteen years. Secrets surrounding the night that another one of their group was attacked and left forever changed by her inability to remember who attacked her or why. What is it her friends know about that night? And which one of the group will end up dead before their celebrations are over?

A.A. Chaudhuri just gets better with each book. Tense, twisty and totally thrilling, she has delivered a first-rate thriller that will knock your socks off! This is suspense writing at its best; a seven-layer cake of a thriller where each slice holds something unexpected. And I couldn’t get enough. From the start there is a sense of something dark and sinister. Of overwhelming dread, long-held secrets and deception. And you can tell that these secrets have the power to blow up their lives if revealed. Chaudhuri expertly drip-feeds the reader little pieces of the puzzle before whipping the rug away from under us every time I thought I’d got things figured out. The uncertainty only heightened the tension and I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. 

When a multi-narrative thriller is done right it is one of my favourite tropes, and this is sheer perfection. The characters are a group of fractured, flawed and relatable people who, quite frankly, are a train-wreck. But they are compelling and I couldn’t help but feel totally invested in their twisted web of friendship, secrets and lies. It was soon apparent that each one of them holds different pieces of this puzzle and no-one has the full picture, not even the ones who think they do. They are eaten up by guilt, regret and the fear of exposure; of one of the secrets being revealed and triggering a domino effect that would see their lives explode in a fiery blaze of betrayal. I really felt for Padma, who is still so eaten up by not knowing the truth about the night that changed her life. Knowing that those closest to her have held the keys to answering her questions all along yet chose to keep her in the dark only compounds the devastation. But even in my wildest theories I didn’t suspect the true horror that was waiting to be uncovered.

Unpredictable, intricate and suspenseful, The Final Party is a nerve-shredding thriller you won’t be able to put down. This is one any self-respecting thriller-lover HAS to have on their TBR.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

A.A. Chaudhuri is a former City lawyer, turned thriller writer, who lives in Surrey with her family.

Once a highly ranked British junior tennis player, competing in the national championships and a member of the national squad, she went on to tour the women’s professional satellite circuit as a teenager and achieved a world ranking of 650.

After returning to full-time education, she gained a BA Honours 2:1 in History at University College London, and a commendation in both the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at the London College of Law, before training as a solicitor at City firm Norton Rose and then practising as a commercial litigator at two other City firms, Kendall Freeman and Travers Smith.

She left law in 2008 to pursue her passion for writing and in 2010 passed the NCTJ fast-track newspaper journalism course, in respect of which she was awarded The Oxford University Press Public Affairs Award for the most outstanding public affairs central government paper.

In 2013 and 2014 she self-published two women’s fiction novels under the name Alexandra Sage: Love & Limoncello and the sequel Love & Loss. Love & Limoncello has sold more than ten thousand copies to date, reaching number 53 in the Amazon Kindle Bestsellers List in October 2014.

THE SCRIBE and THE ABDUCTION, published by LUME BOOKS in July and December 2019, are her first crime book series, plunging readers into London’s glamorous legal world and featuring series’ heroine, Maddy Kramer, fiction’s first female City lawyer amateur sleuth, who teams up with charismatic DCI Jake Carver to solve a gruesome series of murders and a puzzling abduction.

Both books have hit the bestsellers lists in the UK, Australia and Canada, with bestseller tags in Australia and Canada.

THE SCRIBE and THE ABDUCTION were published as audio books by Isis Audio on 1st  January and 1st March 2021, both read by David Thorpe.

She has also contributed an original short story THE ENCOUNTER to crime anthology GIVEN IN EVIDENCE published by LUME BOOKS in May 2020, has written many articles and short stories for The Crime Writers’ Association.

In February 2021, Alex signed a two-book contract for two standalone psychological thrillers with HERA BOOKS, the first entitled SHE’S MINE was published on 18th August 2021 in ebook and 26th August in paperback. THE LOYAL FRIEND was published by Hera Books on 23rd June 2022 in paperback and ebook and on 26th June in audio with Saga Egmont. In June 2022 Alex signed a deal with Hera Books for three more psychological thrillers. The first of these, THE FINAL PARTY, will be published on May 25th 2023.

Besides being an avid reader, she enjoys fitness, films, anything Italian and a good margarita!

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*All purhcase links are affiliate links

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023 Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Recommends Support Debuts

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

Published April 27th, 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton
Mystery, Thriller, Suspemse, Psychological Thriller

Welcome to my review of the deliciously dark debut, Death of a Bookseller, which was the Squadpod Book Club pick for April. Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for the gifted copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:
A BOOKSHOP. A TRUE CRIME CASE. A DEADLY FRIENDSHIP.

THE UNMISSABLE DEBUT THRILLER.

Roach – bookseller, loner and true crime obsessive – is not interested in making friends. She has all the company she needs in her serial killer books, murder podcasts and her pet snail, Bleep.

That is, until Laura joins the bookshop.

Smelling of roses, with her cute literary tote bags and beautiful poetry, she’s everyone’s new favourite bookseller. But beneath the shiny veneer, Roach senses a darkness within Laura, the same darkness Roach possesses.

As Roach’s curiosity blooms into morbid obsession, it becomes clear that she is prepared to infiltrate Laura’s life at any cost.

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MY REVIEW:

“The path to understanding the human condition was soaked in blood and guts, it was stalked by serial killers and sadists and mass shooters, and it was laced with upsetting stories of violence and death, of neglect and abuse. If we really wanted to better ourselves as a society, we had to be prepared to deal with the unsavoury parts as well as the nicey-nice parts.”

Deliciously dark, sinister, disturbing and addictive, Death of a Bookseller is one of those books that grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go. True crime, books, toxic female friendship, and obsession; this book had everything my dark heart loves and I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

I love a book with a complicated and unreliable protagonist, and this has two of them.  Roach and Laura are both unlikeable yet magnetic characters who seem to have little in common. Laura is a bubbly, outgoing, social butterfly who loves bookselling and writes found poetry to illuminate the lives of victims of violent crime, while Roach is a strange, macabre loner who is obsessed with true crime and views customers as a nuisance. Roach thinks the pair are destined to be friends, but Laura wants nothing to do with her. Determined to win Laura over, Roach foists herself upon her in a way that’s oppressive and deeply uncomfortable, her obsession becoming increasingly fanatical until it spirals out of control. But Roach’s obvious psychopathic tendencies, I couldn’t see her as the ‘bad guy’. Laura’s mean-girl antics rubbed me the wrong way and left me ultimately sympathising with Roach, even after we dig deeper and discover the fractured girl haunted by trauma that is hiding beneath Laura’s mask. Yet overall, there is no clear villain and no winner, just two very troubled young women.

“My life really started when I gave up trying to fit in, when I settled into myself, like an alligator sinking into a swamp.” 

Alice Slater is a debut author to watch. She knows how to sink her claws into her reader and not let go, making this one of those books you clear your schedule and lock out the world for. From the opening pages something sinister crackles in the air and the tension continues to build as you read, reaching a fever-pitch as we approach the finale; I can still feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins just thinking about it. Exquisitely written, astutely choreographed, and intricately crafted, Slater takes the reader to some unsettling places in her exploration of the dark underbelly of female friendship, toxic obsession, and the darkness that can lurk inside a twisted mind. She also exposes our infatuation with true crime and reminds us that these monstrous acts are not merely for our entertainment, but leave behind a ripple effect of grief, heartbreak and trauma that can last a lifetime. But don’t get it twisted, this isn’t a sombre novel, and to offset the darkness there are lots of cringey, awkward moments and ink-black humour that lightens the mood. And how can we forget Roach’s giant African land snail, Bleep, who slowly crawls along the bottom of the book’s pages in a brilliant creative detail. 

Quirky, compulsive, messy, chilling, and dark as night, Death of a Bookseller is one of those books that manages to be both relatable and off-the-wall insane. So, if like me you enjoy uncomfortable, creepy novels about dark things, then this is a book you have to read. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Alice is a writer, editor and ex-bookseller from London. She co-hosts the literary podcast What Page Are You On?, and edited Outsiders: A Short Story Anthology (3 of Cups Press). Her fiction has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and appeared in Dear Damsels, Cunning Folk, and On Anxiety (3 of Cups Press). She is working on her first novel. 

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

Signed Indie Edition – Goldsboro Books | The Feminist Bookshop

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*These purchase links are affiliate links

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2022

PAPERBACK BLOG TOUR: The Guilty Couple by C.L. Taylor

Published April 27th, 2023 by Harper Collins UK
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Ficiton, Psychological Fiction

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Welcome to my stop on the blog tour celebrating the paperback publication of The Guilty Couple. Thank you to Maddie at Avon Books for the invitation to take part and the gifted proof.

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SYNOPSIS:
‘Wow. Addictive. And what an ending!’ – Sunday Times bestselling author Claire Douglas

‘A red-hot, non-stop rollercoaster of a book’ – Sunday Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell

What would you do if your husband framed you for murder?

Five years ago, Olivia Sutherland was convicted of plotting to murder her husband.

Now she’s finally free, Olivia has three goals. Repair her relationship with her daughter. Clear her name. And bring down her husband – the man who framed her.

Just how far is she willing to go to get what she wants? And how far will her husband go to stop her?

Because his lies run deeper than Olivia could ever have imagined – and this time it’s not her freedom that’s in jeopardy, but her life…

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MY REVIEW:

Olivia Sutherland is on trial for plotting to murder her husband, Dominic, and is awaiting the jury’s verdict. Though she maintains her innocence, she is found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison. 

Five years later, Olivia is finally released. Her priority is rebuilding her relationship with her daughter, Grace, but she also has two other goals: prove her innocence and bring down the man who framed her – her husband. But Dominic’s lies run far deeper than Olivia ever imagined and this time she is at risk of losing more than her freedom…

I’m a big fan of C. L. Taylor but it’s been a minute since I read one of her books, so I was excited to start The Guilty Couple. And what a return to her books it was! Intriguing, compelling and suspenseful, I was hooked from the first pages and flew through it in under a day. It’s been a reminder of why I love her books so much and am now pushing some of her unread backlist higher up my TBR. 

Adultery, conspiracy to murder, false incriminations, injustice, betrayal, and even tween angst. This book has them all. It is a messy minefield that is ripe for conflict and suspicion, which the author skillfully explores to unearth as much tension, animosity, and distrust as possible. And as if all of that wasn’t enough, there is also the sense of something underlying; something sinister burrowed deeper underground than any of us can see which adds to the sense of foreboding (I’m looking at you, Dom).  The clues are drip-fed slowly to keep the reader guessing but as things spin further out of control there is a sense of urgency that makes your heart race. It was also hard to predict and I didn’t see the truth until it was right in front of me despite my many different theories and suspicions. 

This is multi-narrative storytelling at its best. Ms. Taylor uses the various narrators to increase the tension and keep the reader on the edge of their seats, creating that perfect balance between giving us more information than the characters and holding enough back to keep our attention. The characters are all complicated, flawed and conflicted, with some being more likeable and sympathetic than others, and the background characters are as richly drawn, captivating, and vital to the story as the narrators. Olivia is a great protagonist because she isn’t perfect. She also isn’t immune to making foolish or reckless decisions that made me want to jump into the book and shake her. But we can see that her bad decisions are driven by sheer desperation, wanting to clear her name, and to get vengeance for what was taken from her. It doesn’t make it right, but it does make it more understandable and she was easy to root for. I also loved her relationship with Smithy, her former cellmate. I had a real soft sport for this character despite her many flaws and loved the bond between the two women.

When it comes to deplorable characters, there is no one more abhorrent in this book than Dominic. God, I hated that man! Alarm bells rang quickly and I didn’t trust this slippery weasel of a man. Ruthless, cunning and vindictive, he made me so angry every time he was on the page and I couldn’t wait for him to get his comeuppance, especially because of how arrogant he was about everything he did. 

Intricately woven, enmeshed in drama, and nail-bitingly tense, The Guilty Couple is a riveting thriller you won’t be able to put down. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Cally Taylor, better known by her alias C. L. Taylor, is a Sunday Times Bestselling author whose pyschological thrillers have sold sold over a million copies in the UK alone, been translated into over twenty languages, and optioned for television. Her 2019 novel, Sleep, was a Richard and Judy pick.

Cally Taylor lives in Bristol with her partner and son.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

*Purchase links are affiliate links

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023

BLOG TOUR: Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

Published April 20th, 2023 by Viper Books
Mystery, Thriller, Gothic Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Horror Fiction

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Today I’m sharing my review for the mesmerising and haunting Looking Glass Sound. Apologies that this is a few days late due to illness. Thank you to Angie at Viper Books for the invitation to take part and the gifted proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:
Writers are monsters. We eat everything we see…

In a windswept cottage overlooking the sea, Wilder Harlow begins the last book he will ever write. It is the story of his childhood companions and the shadowy figure of the Daggerman, who stalked the New England town where they spent their summers. Of a horror that has followed Wilder through the decades. And of Sky, Wilder’s one-time friend, who stole his unfinished memoir and turned it into a lurid bestselling novel, The Sound and the Dagger.

This book will be Wilder’s revenge on Sky, who betrayed his trust and died without ever telling him why. But as he writes, Wilder begins to find notes written in Sky’s signature green ink, and events in his manuscript start to chime eerily with the present. Is Sky haunting him? And who is the dark-haired woman drowning in the cove, whom no one else can see?

No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder feels his grip on reality slipping. And he begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does.

Discover the new dark thriller from the bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street

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MY REIVEW:

“Writers are monsters, really. We eat everything we see.”

Take a bow, Catriona Ward, because once again you have knocked it out of the park! Looking Glass Sound is everything I hoped for, while also being nothing like I expected it to be. And like Ward’s sensational debut, The Last House on Needless Street, it left me wondering what the hell I’d just read but loving whatever it was. Haunting, twisty, forbidding and utterly remarkable, it reads like one of the eerie local folklore stories kids whisper to each other in the night or tell around the campfire. But what is real and what is in the imagination? That’s the question you’ll be trying to answer as you read this book. And with its ideal combination of making you feel like you never want it to end while also making you feel like you need to devour it whole, you won’t want to put it down. I would have inhaled this in one sitting if not for my eyelids betraying me and forcing me to tear myself away to go to bed in the early hours. 

Looking Glass Sound is a book best read almost blind. The less you know, the better it is. So I’m going to talk very little about the plot. What I will tell you is that the story follows a young man named Wilder Harlow, and the events at Whistler Bay that shook the small seaside town to its core. He writes a memoir about what happened only to have it stolen by someone he trusts, leaving Wilder plotting his revenge for decades. When he finally returns to Whistler Bay to take that vengeance, strange things begin to happen that make Wilder question what he sees and hears. Could there be something supernatural at play? Or is his grip on reality slipping away? Told in multiple timelines and filled with unreliable, shady characters who have ulterior motives, you will have no idea who or what you can trust in this inventive smoke and mirrors horror thriller. 

“It was just my mind, making pictures in the dark. Old fears, reaching long fingers up from the pit of the past. Did I really expect there would be no consequences, when I decided to open the coffin of the past and poke at its corpse?” 

Catriona Ward is without a doubt one of the most original voices in fiction today. Her books are instantly recognisable as her own unique brand of thriller; she lulls her reader into accepting the story as one thing while hiding another underneath it. After reading her first book I knew it was there; this secret, hidden part of the story that I wasn’t seeing. But it didn’t spoil anything for me. In fact, it only heightened the tension as I waited for the shoe to drop, desperately trying to predict the twists. But once again she blindsided me with her revelations, leaving me trying to pick up my jaw from the floor. Ward is also a master at blurring the lines between what is real and what is in the imagination – including just enough of a supernatural feeling to make you question what is really happening. She is a master storyteller, which is evident in the book through flawless plotting, perfect pacing, imaginative twists, and a constant tempo of nerve-shredding malevolence and foreboding that will keep you on the edge of your seat. And let’s not forget the scene-setting, which is so evocative that  it felt like the story came alive around me, something that was intensified by my proof copy having some sentences underlined and notes written in green ink, just like in Sky’s original manuscript. Some of the notes even addressed me by name, sending chills down my spine and covering me in goosebumps. A terrifying and unique addition to the story, it was a stroke of genius! Whoever came up with this idea deserves a raise!

Darkly atmospheric, unnerving, sinister and brilliantly bizarre, this mesmerising story will linger long after you close that final page. 

READ. IT. NOW.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

CATRIONA WARD was born in Washington, DC and grew up in the United States, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. She read English at St Edmund Hall, Oxford and is a graduate of the Creative Writing MA at the University of East Anglia.

‘The Last House on Needless Street’ (Viper Books, Tor Nightfire) was a Times Book of the Month, Observer Book of the Month, March Editor’s Pick on Open Book, a Between the Covers BBC2 book club selection, a Times bestseller, and is being developed for film by Andy Serkis’s production company, The Imaginarium.

‘Little Eve’ (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2018) won the 2019 Shirley Jackson Award and the August Derleth Prize for Best Horror Novel at the 2019 British Fantasy Awards, making her the only woman to have won the prize twice, and was a Guardian best book of 2018. Her debut Rawblood (W&N, 2015) won Best Horror Novel at the 2016 British Fantasy Awards, was shortlisted for the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award and a WHSmith Fresh Talent title. Her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. She lives in London and Devon.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

*Purchase links are affiliate links

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Readalong Tandem Readalong

READALONG REVIEW: The Favour by Nicci French

Published March 30th, 2023 by Simon & Schuster UK
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction

Welcome to my review of the brilliantly unpredicatable and twisty The Favour. Thank you to the Tandem Collective UK for the opportunity to take part in this readalong, and to The Likely Suspects and Simon and Schuster UK for the gifted copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:
BRINGING DANGER CLOSE TO HOME . . . DON’T MISS THE HEART-RACING NEW THRILLER FROM BESTSELLING AUTHOR NICCI FRENCH.

‘Excels at depicting an ordinary life swept away by horror’ Observer
‘Fantastic – a breathless drumbeat of dread and suspense’ Lee Child
‘Heart-thumping, head-scratching, nail-biting stuff: The Favour is classic Nicci French. I read it in one breathless sitting’ Erin Kelly
 
A good deed
Can turn deadly…
 
When Jude’s first love Liam turns up in her life after ten years of no contact, asking her for a favour, she just can’t say no. He will always be someone special to her.
But does she really know what she is getting herself into?

After she does the favour, Jude is contacted by the police. Liam has been found dead, and suddenly she is caught up in a murder investigation.
 
She realises this one decision could cost her everything – even her life…

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MY REVIEW:

“Suddenly, horribly, the confusion cleared and everything became sharply clear. Things slid into place, like a collection of blades, chains, cogs. Click click click, all the nasty parts locking together.” 

From the very first page The Favour had me in its thrall. Opening with narrator Jude telling the story of the car crash that changed her life when she was seventeen, it immediately holds your attention. It then jumps forward over a decade where we find Jude is now working as a doctor in a hospital and planning her wedding to her fiance, Nat. Then, one day her first love, Liam, turns up at her work out of the blue saying he wants her to do him a favour, though he’s vague about what this favour is. Caught up in her past memories and feelings of guilt and longing, Jude can’t say no. After agreeing to the favour Jude’s world is turned upside down and she finds herself caught up in a murder investigation. Can she prove her innocence?

Mysterious, tense, and forbidding, The Favour is an addictive thriller from veteran husband and wife writing team Nicci French. I’ve been a fan of their books for decades, though it’s been a few years since I last read one of them. I found that reading this was like coming back to old friends. The writing is sharp and suspenseful, the authors holding me in the palm of their hands as they wove their web of words around me. I was reading the book as part of a readalong with other bloggers organised by the Tandem Collective but found myself racing ahead as I was overtaken by a desperate need for answers. I couldn’t put the book down and loved the surprising twists and uncertainty that lingers throughout the book. I sped through it in just two sittings instead of the six days I was supposed to read it.

The book is filled with imperfect, unreliable and unlikeable characters who are compelling to read. You are never sure what to make of them which adds to the atmosphere of uneasy suspense. Narrator Jules is gullible, naive, and damaged by past trauma. She lurched from one stupid decision to another and I wanted to shake her most of the time. But over time I began to really feel for her. She truly didn’t know what she was getting into, and while I think she should have been smarter, you don’t expect someone to reappear in your life after a decade and get you mixed up in a murder investigation. As we unravelled the secrets of her past and the reasons for her decisions I found myself having greater empathy for her actions. The colourful background characters were also fun and frustrating to read and the story got curiouser and curiouser as time went on, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I read. 

The Favour is a brilliantly unpredictable and intriguing thriller that you don’t want to miss!

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHORS:

Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing partnership of journalists Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. The couple are married and live in Suffolk. The couple have written over twenty bestselling psychological thrillers together, including the Frieda Klein series.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*All purchase links are affiliate links

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Book Features book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2022

PAPERBACK PUBLICATION DAY REVIEW: Do No Harm by Jack Jordan

Published: March 30th, 2023
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Medical Thriller, Domestic Fiction, Political Thriller
Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover

Happy Paperback Publication Day to one of my favourite thrillers of 2023!

To celebrate, I’m sharing my review with you all again.

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SYNOPSIS:

‘Chilling and perfectly paced, one to put on the very top of your TBR!’ Sarah Pearse
‘Thriller fans will be in heaven’ Louise Candlish

MY CHILD HAS BEEN TAKEN.
AND I’VE BEEN GIVEN A CHOICE . . .
KILL A PATIENT ON THE OPERATING TABLE
OR LOSE MY SON FOREVER.

The man lies on the table in front of me.
As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.
As a mother, I know I must kill him.
You might think that I’m a monster.
But there really is only one choice.
I must get away with murder.
Or I will never see my son again.

I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.
WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?

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MY REVIEW:

“Either I abide by my oath, and kill my son. 
Or I save Zack, and kill an innocent man.” 

Renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Anna Jones is being forced to make a horrendous choice: the life of her patient or the life of her son.  Eight-year-old Zack has been abducted and the kidnappers will only give him back if she kills a prestigious patient on the operating table and gets away with it.  As parents we always say we’d do anything for our children.  But does that include murder?

“We are all so blind, thinking that we know who we truly are. It is only pain like this that reveals what we are really capable of.” 

Do No Harm is a book that just screams ‘read me’. I mean, look at that cover!  And this nerve-shredding thriller was everything I hoped and more.  The premise is every parent’s worst nightmare, blurring the lines of morality as the author examines the question of just how far a parent would go to save their child.  It is an impossible dilemma, where whatever you choose you will lose, and the paralysing suspense and outright dread is omnipresent, making you feel everything Anna does.  It is unbearably tense at times, particularly in the operating room, as you are kept on a knife-edge, waiting to see what Anna will do and if Zack can be saved.  

I have long been a fan of Jack Jordan and will automatically read and buy anything he writes.  His magnificent storytelling, perfect plotting and sizzling suspense always blow me away, and he is a must-read author for any thriller lover.  But with Do No Harm Jordan has taken things to another level, crafting a dynamic thriller that is now one of my favourites of all time. It would make a fantastic movie or TV show so I hope someone snaps it up soon.  The hype is real and this is going to be huge.

“I never used to think of myself as an angry person, but these men have clawed a rabid animal out of me. I want to kill them, slowly, painstakingly, until they are begging for their mothers.” 

One of my favourite things about this book is that it’s so intricate and multilayered.  As well as the moral dilemma there is a strong theme of motherhood woven into this book.  Through each of the three narrators we explore different stages of motherhood and opposing arguments to the dilemma, making you confront the many shades of grey and exposing the motivations and biases of each of the characters.  Each of them are deeply flawed and I liked that Jordan wasn’t scared to make even Anna unlikeable at times, instead focusing on making the characters complex, nuanced and layered.  And while they are all richly drawn and compelling, Anna is the one that stood out strongest to me.  I loved the dichotomy of her character: a Doctor who has taken the Hippocratic Oath and vowed to do no harm but also a mother who will do anything to keep her child safe.  It is the kind of agonising choice that you would never want to be faced with but is so fascinating to read.  

Nail-bitingly intense, and bingeable, Do No Harm is an absolute must-read.  Just make sure that when you pick it up you’ve got nothing else to do as it will hold you captive from the first page until the last. 

READ IT NOW. 

Rating: 💉💉💉💉💉

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Jack Jordan is the global number one bestselling author of Anything for Her (2015), My Girl (2016), A Woman Scorned (2018), Before Her Eyes (2018) and Night by Night (2019).

His latest thriller, Do No Harm, was an instant Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Most Recommended Book in the DeadGood Reader Awards. Coined the thriller of the summer for 2022, it was described as “relentlessly tense” by Sunday Times Bestseller Lesley Kara, and “Chilling and perfectly paced” by New York Times Bestseller Sarah Pearse.

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BOOK REVIEW: The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden

Published: March 30th, 2023
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Genre: Gothic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Historical Mystery
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook

Welcome to my review of this atmospheric, haunting and eerie gothic debut. Thank you to Michael Joseph for the gifted proof copy, which was the Squadpod Book Club pick for March.

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SYNOPSIS:

The mysterious and atmospheric debut novel perfect for fans of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Stacey Halls and Bridget Collins

‘I loved this fresh take on the gothic genre. Vivid, haunting, surprising’ STACEY HALLS, bestselling author of The Familiars

‘A full-blooded gothic mystery with bite, great characterisation and heaps of atmosphere’ EMMA STONEX, bestselling author of The Lamplighters

‘With echoes of Jane Eyre but with a heart of its own . . . A suspenseful and beautifully crafted novel filled with atmosphere, rich characters and plenty of layers to keep a reader hooked right to the end’ SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN, bestselling author of Pandora
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1852.

Margaret Lennox is offered a position as governess at Hartwood Hall. She quickly accepts, hoping this isolated country house will allow her to leave her past behind.

But Margaret soon starts to feel there’s something odd about her new home, despite her growing fondness for her bright, affectionate pupil, Louis.

Strange figures move through the dark.
Tensions rise between the servants.
The east wing sits eerily abandoned . . .

Even stranger is the local gossip surrounding Mrs Eversham, Louis’s widowed mother, who is deeply distrusted by the nearby village.

Margaret is certain that everyone has something to hide.

But as her own past threatens to catch up with her, she must learn to trust her instincts before it’s too late . . .

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MY REVIEW:

“Folks say it’s cursed, but I dare say a lady like yourself wouldn’t believe such talk.”

1852. Newly widowed Margaret Lennox is offered a position as governess at Hartwood Hall. She swiftly accepts, hoping that the isolated country house will be the new start she needs. But it isn’t long before Margaret feels that something isn’t quite right at her new home and begins to wonder if there are dark secrets being hidden at Hartwood Hall…

A Victorian gothic mystery with themes of shadows, darkness, secrets, grief and ghosts interwoven into the plot, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is a truly magnificent debut. Atmospheric, eerie and subtly tense, I was hooked from the first lines and sure this was going to be a book I loved reading. And it was. So much so that I had to force myself to put it down in the early hours after reading most of it in one sitting. I was so desperate to keep reading to the end that I even considered cancelling my plans the next morning. But the next day I found myself delaying picking it up as I was torn between wanting to know what happened and never wanting it to end. 

“When I think of Hartwood Hall, there are moments that come back to me again and again, moments that stain me, that cling like ink to my skin.”

Laden with vivid descriptions, a cast of secretivecharacters, and a gripping plot, Katie Lumsden has crafted a twist-filled mystery that lingers long after reading. She sets the atmosphere perfectly, giving me vibes of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca as the sense of dread deepens and the unrelenting darkness becomes more prominent. Yet, it never feels too heavy as Lumsden cleverly balances it out with slices of love, hope and joy interwoven into the narrative. The lines between reality and imagination are expertly blurred as Lumsden creates a chilling atmosphere with a supernatural undercurrent, making us question what’s really going on. Then, when she’s lulled you into thinking you’ve got things all figured out, she whips the rug from under you to reveal something else entirely. 

Without great characters and a compelling protagonist I don’t think you can really connect to a book. Thankfully, this has both of those in abundance. The narrator, Margaret, is an intelligent, fierce, curious and determined woman who also has a mystery surrounding her past that keeps the reader guessing. Very recently widowed and left with nothing, we know Margaret is looking for a fresh start after her miserable marriage but there is also the sense that she’s running from something, both literally and metaphorically. I loved her bond with her young charge, Louis, which features prominently in the story. A strange, isolated, sickly looking child, Louis is actually very sweet. His excitement about the little joys in life that others take for granted was infectious and I quickly developed a strong affection for him, just as Margaret did. 
Louis’ mother, Mrs Eversham is an elusive character and the history of her and her son is a mystery to both the villagers and the reader. I was never sure if I could trust Mrs. Eversham and got the sense that she was keeping secrets from the start. She also seemed strangely overprotective of her son and had some rules that seemed quite over the top. Like Margaret I was eager to know what it was she was hiding. Could it really be something sinister? 

“I supposed that hers had not been a happy marriage either, that she, too, had found both guilt and relief in widowhood. 
Well, we were both free now. A strange link to hold the two of us together.”

Exploring themes of women’s rights, the story is told in a time where women had few rights, were owned by their fathers or husbands, and a woman without a man was viewed with suspicion. We see this in Mrs. Eversham’s character and the talks of a curse that surround Hartwood Hall. These are rooted in the fact that she came to the village alone, leading villagers to surmise that she is clearly up to no good. But we know little about her past and it is through Margaret that we mostly see this topic explored. Margaret has found freedom from her bad marriage in widowhood, and is trying to find the parts of herself she lost during those years. As a woman who has the privilege of modern independence and rights and having been in an abusive marriage, the idea of the law supporting abusive husbands and giving them ownership of their wives and children fills me with horror. I am so grateful to have had the right to leave, get divorced and keep custody of my child. I enjoyed reading a story featuring women who are attempting to take control of their own destinies and assert their independence.

Claustrophobic, haunting and suspenseful, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is a sensational debut. Gothic and historical fiction fans will love this spine-chilling mystery, particularly those with a taste for Victoriana. Highly recommended. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Katie Lumsden read Jane Eyre at the age of thirteen and never looked back. She spent her teenage years devouring nineteenth century literature, reading every Dickens, Brontë, Gaskell, Austen and Hardy novel she could find. She has a degree in English literature and history from the University of Durham and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the London Short Story Prize and the Bridport Prize, and have been published in various literary magazines. Katie’s Youtube channel, Books and Things, has more than 25,000 subscribers. She lives in London and works in publishing.

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BLOG TOUR: The Ugly Truth by L.C. North

Published: March 16th, 2023
Publisher: Bantam Press
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Episoltary Novel
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook

Today is my stop on the blog tour for the darkly voyeuristic The Ugly Truth. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and Bantam press for the proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

‘A whip-smart and ingenious thriller that homes in on our toxic addiction to celebrity’ Lesley Kara, bestselling author of THE RUMOUR

Melanie Lange has disappeared.

Her father, Sir Peter Lange, says she is a danger to herself and has been admitted to a private mental health clinic.

Her ex-husband, Finn, and best friend, Nell, say she has been kidnapped.

The media will say whichever gets them the most views.

But whose side are you on?
#SaveMelanie
#HelpPeter

Told via interviews, transcripts and diary entries, The Ugly Truth is a shocking and addictive thriller about fame, power and the truth behind the headlines.

‘#FreeBritney meets The Appeal in this addictively unique thriller. Get ready to be utterly hooked’ Jack Jordan, author of Do No Harm

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MY REVIEW

“My father is keeping me prisoner. I don’t think I’ll ever be free again. ” 

Melanie Lange has not been seen in public since the day before her 33rd birthday. The next day, the influencer, businesswoman and former modeposted a video to her YouTube channel saying she was taking a break from public life. She hasn’t been seen since. 

Six months later videos surface of Melanie claiming she’s being kept prisoner by her father and begging for help. They spark an online movement to save her. But while many believe her claims, there are just as many others who believe her father, business tycoon Sir Peter Lange, who says she’s safe in a private mental health clinic.

It’s time to find out which team you are on.

#SaveMelanie or #HelpPeter

Addictive, unique and darkly voyeuristic, The Ugly Truth is a topical thriller exploring the toxic side of celebrity and social media. Soaked in salacious gossip, sensational headlines, it keeps you guessing right up until its metaphoric punch-to-the-gut finale. So buckle up and hold on tight, because you’re in for one hell of a ride!

I’d heard a lot of great things about L.C. North’s books, but this was my first time reading one. Now I’m wondering what took me so long?! Fast-paced, skillfully written and scalpel sharp,  this character-laden epistolary novel had me hooked from start to finish. North perfectly portrays the poisoned chalice of modern celebrity in this thought-provoking thriller; exploring our growing obsession with every facet of celebrities’ lives, our harsh judgement of their every move, and the toll of media harassment. She also explores topics such as trauma, grief, anxiety and depression, examining the toll the pressure of the spotlight puts on those illuminated by it. It really makes you wonder if the price of fame and fortune is too high. It feels part #FreeBritney and part ‘I Am Paris’, adding to the authentic and familiar vibe you get as you’re reading. 

The story is told from multiple points of view, seamlessly moving between the different voices, formats and timelines. This immerses you in the story and creates an atmosphere that makes the reader feel like you are part of the action, rather than just reading a book. The multiple narrators also help to add confusion about who is telling the truth, who you can trust, who the good guys are, and who are the villains. I found my thoughts on this vacillated throughout the book and I really enjoyed the tension this extra uncertainty brought to the story. The characters are all messy as hell, unsympathetic and not that likeable, but fun and compelling to read. And while Melanie is the centre of the storyline, she feels quite enigmatic, being seen mostly through the eyes of the other characters. There is no denying her glamour and allure, but she feels ‘other’, lost, and out of reach. Though I was desperate to know the truth of what had happened to her, I only found myself connecting and relating with her as she became more human than ‘celebrity’. I think there’s a lesson in that…

Jaw-dropping, original and totally bingeable, this cautionary tale is a must for every thriller lover’s TBR. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

L.C. North studied psychology at university before pursuing a career in Public Relations. Her first book club thriller – The Ugly Truth – combines her love of psychology and her fascination with the celebrities in the public eye. L.C. North is currently working on her second novel, and when she’s not writing, she co-hosts the crime thriller podcast, In Suspense. L.C. North lives on the Suffolk borders with her family. L.C. North is the pen name of Lauren North.

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the tour

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REVIEW: The Institution by Helen Fields

Published: March 2nd, 2023
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Hardboiled, Pscyhological Thriller
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this unflinching locked-room thriller. Thank you to Avon Books for the invitation to take part and the gifted copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

They’re locked up for your safety.
Now, you’re locked in with them.

Dr Connie Woolwine has five days to catch a killer.

On a locked ward in the world’s highest-security prison hospital, a scream shatters the night. The next morning, a nurse’s body is found and her daughter has been taken. A ransom must be paid, and the clock is ticking.

Forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine is renowned for her ability to get inside the mind of a murderer. Now, she must go deep undercover among the most deranged and dangerous men on earth and use her unique skills to find the girl – before it’s too late.

But as the walls close in around her, can Connie get the killer before The Institution gets her?

A claustrophobic, haunting crime thriller that will keep you up at night, perfect for those who couldn’t put down The Sanatorium and Amy McCulloch’s Breathless.

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MY REIVEW:

“The people inside these walls are broken. All of them. It’s bad enough being here against your will. Imagine having so little to live for that of all the places in the world, you would choose to spend the precious years allocated to you in this godforsaken place. “

She’s done it again! A crime fiction powerhouse, Helen Fields can always be relied upon to write sinister, never-shredding stories that leave you breathless. And with The Institution she has done exactly that. This chilling masterpiece certainly packs a punch. The prose is brutal poetry, every word gleaming with malice, and there’s an undercurrent of danger and foreboding running through the pages that made dread crawl up my spine as I read. I couldn’t put it down and devoured the story whole. The many twists, turns, and red herrings left me unable to catch my breath and, as I approached the finale, the threads began to tangle together at breakneck speed. And that ending! I did not see it coming. Bravo, Ms. Fields. Bravo. 

“She turned as she walked, looking around, uncharacteristically spooked. Not that it was ghosts she feared. The killers she was profiling were so much worse than the spectres of myths and legends. Ghosts were simple in comparison.” 

How do you find a killer when you’re surrounded by them? That’s the dilemma facing Dr Connie Woolwine in this dark, twisty and unnerving thriller. Dropped inside of a nightmare, Connie is sent to The Institute, a high-security prison, to investigate the death of Tara, one of the nurses who works there. Tara has been found brutally slain, her unborn daughter ripped from her womb in the attack, and there is a ransom demand for her safe return. With one life already extinguished and another whose clock is ticking down to death, the forensic profiler goes deep undercover to try and find the killer. 

A dark, forbidding and eerie fortress, The Institute houses the criminally insane. It is a cesspit of evil where the worst of society are sent to live out the rest of their days. The saying ‘humans are the scariest of monsters’ has never been more apt, and the humans inside these walls are truly terrifying.  Violent, disturbed, depraved, repugnant and mercurial, you would be crazy yourself if you weren’t scared of these men. And it is amongst them that Connie must live and work, going undercover to find a killer. But when a frightful storm cuts them off from the rest of the world, the only person who knows her real identity is stranded elsewhere, leaving Connie even more vulnerable. 

“Don’t believe anything they tell you. Remember; the truth can be witnessed, but it can never be told.” 

Helen Fields delves deep into the darkness that lurks inside the crevices of a twisted mind in this cast of richly drawn, compelling and completely unreliable characters. Even our protagonist can’t be trusted, the PTSD from her traumatic time in a psychiatric hospital giving her nightmares and making her see and hear things that even she isn’t sure are real. I was delighted to see Connie at the heart of another book after loving her character so much in The Shadow Man. Fierce, tenacious, intelligent and unorthodox, that quirky side is what has endeared her to me so much from the start. I enjoyed how we explored her intricately layered backstory more this time around, and how it intertwines to complicate the investigation in ways she hoped to avoid. Her trauma was powerfully and evocatively written, making my heart race as everything spiralled more and more out of control. I desperately hoped she was going to make it out of this okay and that we get to see more of her in the future.

Deliciously creepy, unflinching and addictive, The Institution gives you everything you could want from a first-class locked-room thriller. It’s Ms. Fields’ best book yet so make sure to add it to your TBR.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

An international and Amazon #1 best-selling author, Helen is a former criminal and family law barrister. Every book in the Callanach series has claimed an Amazon #1 bestseller flag. ‘Perfect Kill’ was longlisted for the Crime Writers Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger in 2020, and others have been longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize, Scottish crime novel of the year. Helen also writes as HS Chandler, and has released legal thriller ‘Degrees of Guilt’. In 2020 Perfect Remains was shortlisted for the Bronze Bat, Dutch debut crime novel of the year. In 2022, Helen was nominated for Best Crime Novel and Best Author in the Netherlands. Now translated into more than 20 languages, and also selling in the USA, Canada & Australasia, Helen’s books have won global recognition. She has written standalone novels, The Last Girl To Die, These Lost & Broken Things and The Shadow Man. Her first UK hardback, The Institution, comes out in March 2022. She regularly commutes between West Sussex, USA and Scotland. She lives with her husband and three children. 

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BOOK REVIEW: I’ll Never Tell by Philippa East

Published: January 5th, 2023
Publisher: HQ
Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Ficiton, Domestic Fiction
Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook

I’ll Never Tell was the Squadpod Book Club pick for January. Tense and twisty, this one had me on the edge of my seat! Thank you to HQ for the gifted proof and Philippa East for a great month of events.

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SYNOPSIS:
Gripping new suspense from the author of Little White Lies

‘A tense, cat and mouse tale . . . a compelling read’ Catherine Cooper, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Chateau

‘Had me gripped from start to finish. So original and clever’ Lesley Kara, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Apartment Upstairs

‘Wow! What a book! I couldn’t read it fast enough. The tension and pace were absolute magic’ Lauren North, author of All the Wicked Games

Keep your family close, and your secrets closer…

To the outside world, the Goodlights are perfect.

Julia is a lawyer, Paul a stay-at-home dad who has dedicated his life to helping their daughter Chrissie achieve her dreams as a talented violinist.

But on the night of a prestigious music competition, which has the power to change everything for Chrissie and her family, Chrissie goes missing.

She puts on the performance of a lifetime, then completely disappears. Suddenly every single crack, every single secret that the family is hiding risks being exposed.

Because the Goodlights aren’t perfect. Not even close.

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MY REVIEW:

“A sense of horror begins to creep through him, a sense of reality cracking apart. It feels as though the last forty-eight hours is unravelling backwards, all the dot-to-dot connections coming apart. He thought he had this; he thought he knew what he was doing… Now everything he’s assumed has been flipped on its head.”

To everyone they know, the Goodlights seem like the perfect, happy family. Julie is a lawyer, Paul is a stay-at-home dad who is committed to helping their daughter Christie, a talented violinist, achieve her dreams. But the truth is completely different and the Goodlights are each hiding secrets that could tear them apart. And when Christie goes missing, their secrets risk being revealed. Can they find their daughter while keeping their secrets safe? Or will their perfect facade finally be exposed?

I’ll Never Tell was the January pick for the Squadpod Book Club. And what an incredible way to start our 2023 reading! Tense, twisty and unexpected, I devoured this book. I loved Philippa East’s debut, Little White Lies, but this one surpassed my already high expectations. The fast-paced plot kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish and I loved that it was so hard to predict, my mind swimming with a multitude of questions and possibilities as the story unfolded.  And that ending! It came out of the blue and left my jaw on the floor. I did not see it coming. 

It’s no secret how much I love an unreliable narrator, and this book has two of them. Paul and Julie are not only hiding secrets from the police, but each other. Secrets that threaten to tear their happy family apart if discovered. The air is thick with suspicion and suspense, the lies they are trying to keep concealed threatening to choke them. They are flawed, shady and broken, but utterly compelling to read. And while I had my misgivings about them, I was hoping to be proven wrong and rooting for them to get their daughter back safely. And though Chrissie is at the centre of the story, we only really see her through the eyes of others, which I felt was a great decision by the author as it made her character even more cryptic and elusive, adding to the veil of mystery that surrounds her. The fact that we don’t know if she has been taken or run away also adds to the mystery, all coming together to create an awful, inescapable tension. 

Atmospheric, gripping and nerve-shatteringly tense, this is a thriller you need on your TBR.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Philippa East is a fiction writer with HQ/HarperCollins and she also works as a clinical psychologist.

Philippa grew up in Scotland before moving to Oxford and then London to complete her clinical psychology training. A few years ago, she left the NHS to set up her own part-time practice and dedicate more hours to writing. The result was her debut novel LITTLE WHITE LIES, which was longlisted for The Guardian’s Not-The-Booker Prize and shortlisted for the CWA “New Blood” Award 2020.

Released in 2021, Philippa’s second book SAFE AND SOUND is another twisty and compelling tale. For a fun preview, check out the video trailer on Philippa’s Amazon Author page (best with sound on!). Philippa’s brilliant third book, I’LL NEVER TELL, will release in January 2023 and is available to pre-order via Amazon now. You can hear more about the book via Philippa’s latest two Author Update videos on this page.

Philippa now lives in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside with her spouse and cat. She loves reading (of course!) and long country walks, and she also performs in a local folk duo called The Miracle Cure. Alongside her writing, Philippa continues to work as a psychologist and therapist.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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