REVIEW: The Doctor's Child by Daniel Hurst

The Doctor's Child (The Doctor's Wife #4) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 30th April 2024

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Amazon

Published: 1st May 2024

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

The doctor is dead. Now his daughter wants revenge…

‘I’ll always protect you.’ These are the words my mother whispered to me every time she kissed me goodnight. And whenever we ventured outside our windswept seaside village, she’d clutch my hand tightly and her face would be pinched and pale. I never understood why. But now I do.

Growing up, I’d heard the whispers and the rumours. My mother tried to keep the truth from me, but she failed. I understand exactly what happened eighteen years ago. I know I am the murdered doctor’s child.

Everything could have been so different if the doctor’s wife hadn’t ruined my mother’s life – and mine too. We could’ve been a proper family, living in a big house with a stunning sea view. Instead, I never got to know my dad and my mother is a shadow of the person she once was, always looking over her shoulder…

Glancing at my fair hair and bright blue eyes in the mirror, I realise I’m just like my father. And it’s up to me to right the wrongs of the past.

They say the doctor’s wife is clever and calculating. That she gets away with murder. But she hasn’t met me yet…

From the number one bestselling author of The Doctor’s Wife, this is a totally gripping and page-turning psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the final jaw-dropping twist. If you love Behind Closed Doors, Gone Girl and The Housemaid, you’ll be hooked on The Doctor’s Child.

MY THOUGHTS:

The past can't stay hidden forever...the truth will always come out...

He's back! This time with the fourth and final book in The Doctor's Wife series, concluding the tale that has spanned some two decades. When we left off in the previous book "The Doctor's Mistress", Alice had been hell-bent on seeing Fern behind bars once and for all whilst battling her post natal depression after Evelyn's birth. But that chapter ended somewhat surprisingly when Alice let Fern go after saving her little girl's life on a Cornwall clifftop. And now they are all back...and Evelyn and Cecilia are now on the cusp on adulthood. So how does it all end? 

It's been eighteen years since Alice and Fern were last face to face. Now their daughters have grown and life hasn't quite turned out the way they may have expected it to. For Fern, life on the run has been fraught with danger and looking over her shoulder but her life took a surprising turn when she fell in love with Pierre, a doctor no less, and the couple married in a small and private ceremony in the little French village in which they lived. Her life has been quiet and near perfect but she is forever keeping watch to ensure her secrets stay buried and that her husband and daughter never find out the truth. 

But now Cecilia is about to turn 18 and is moving to Paris with her best friend Antoinette where the girls will live their best lives. Fern worries her daughter may be tempted to travel further afield and venture back to England and seek out her roots but Fern must do everything to ensure she never does that for fear that the truth will out.

While life has been kind to her arch enemy since their face-off eighteen years before, Alice has not been so lucky. Her daughter Evelyn has grown up with constant bullying over being the infamous doctor's child as everyone in Arberness knows who they are and their roles in the most famous story to happen in the northern village. Alice never hid the truth from her daughter and now Evelyn is making her mother pay for letting Fern go all those years ago. She cannot understand why she did and has never forgiven her for it. In the meantime, the man at the centre of where it all began - Doctor Drew Devlin - has risen in status to practically sainthood in his daughter's eyes, though she never knew him. And for that she blames Fern and her mother for letting her get away with it.

Now at 18, Evelyn has plans to travel Europe and cut herself off from her mother and hopefully make some friends along the way. Because life has been incredibly lonely in Arberness with no friends at all, not with everyone knowing exactly who you are. And as the day she leaves arrives, her answers to her mother's questions are monosyllabic at best and her impatience to get away evident.

But Evelyn finds her travels aren't all what she expected to be. She makes no new friends as everyone in the hostels are travelling together and have no need for a third wheel and her desire to seek out new experiences and new friends falls flat. Until she arrives in Paris. There she makes two new friends - Cecilia and Antoinette. And it's only a matter of time before the fireworks begin...

OK so this one was a little more predictable than the previous three and yet it still holds the Hurst factor throughout. It was always going to end some way or another, it was just a matter of when and how. It's like two trains on a collision course. You know what's going to happen and you wait with baited breath to see it play out in slow motion as the two collide, unable to stop it happening. As the reader, we know the full story and we watch as the truth is revealed to the unsuspecting passengers in Cecilia and Evelyn.

It was interesting to see how the two women's lives had played out in the two decades since they last met. Fern was actually likeable now. She'd built a life for herself and Cecilia, which is what Alice told her to do. On the other hand, Alice has had to live with the choice she made in letting Fern go because she saved her little girl that day. But no matter how much she tried explaining it to Evelyn, her daughter refused to understand why. Evelyn looked at what Fern took away from her with rose tinted glasses in that she robbed her of her father, one that was a philandering womaniser who was not a very nice man and who I doubt would have had much interest in a child he'd fathered with his mistress. Evelyn's attitude grated on me throughout and she behaved like a spoilt child in some instances, blaming her mother who had done everything to protect her. Whilst Cecilia, on the other hand, lived a charmed life in France in total oblivion to her own mother's past crimes.

This tale is one of redemption as the story comes full circle with even something of a sad end in the case of one of the characters I had come to love in previous books. I do hope this is the last in the series as I believe the story has gone as far as it could go and really it has come full circle anyway.

THE DOCTOR'S CHILD can be read as a standalone but I do recommend that you read the series in order to appreciate the story in its entirety from the start.

1. The Doctor's Wife

2. The Doctor's Widow

3. The Doctor's Mistress

4. The Doctor's Child

Another stellar read from Daniel Hurst, unfolding through the various narratives and timelines to paint a fuller picture for the reader as only Hurst does.

I would like to thank #DanielHurst, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheDoctorsChild in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

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REVIEW: The Divorce Lawyer by Ellie Monago

The Divorce Lawyer by Ellie Monago

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 2nd May 2024

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Amazon

Published: 10th May 2024

★★ 2 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I am helping to destroy a woman’s life. I know my client is lying. But if I don’t play along, it will be my own life on the line…

I’ve worked so hard to be the lawyer I am today. Helping as many women as I can—including my sister—escape toxic marriages makes it all worth it.

But as I stand in the courtroom, listening to this poor woman break down sobbing, my stomach twists. I can’t look. Her husband says she can’t be trusted. Her child is about to be taken away from her. And it’s all my fault.

Because she is not my client. Her husband is.

Peter is everything I fought against for years: a rich and powerful man who will do anything to get what he wants. I would have never represented him. If I’d had a choice.

But what could I do after Peter knocked at my door, and said he knew everything about me? And how far will I have to go to protect my secrets and my family?

An unputdownable and completely addictive psychological thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists, that will keep you turning the pages until the very end! Fans of Freida McFadden, The Perfect Marriage, and Valerie Keogh will love this pulse-racing novel.

MY THOUGHTS:

We meet up with Esther Khan once again after the previous book "The Custody Battle" in which she was the main character's divorce lawyer. Esther has always prided herself on fighting for the rights of women who find themselves victims to men who are little more than bullies. But this time she is fighting for her life. This time she is blackmailed into representing the bully himself - Peter Tramboni. And she hates herself for who she's turning into as Tramboni's minion...because that's essentially what she's become.

Soon after winning his custody case in which he gained full custody of his four year old son Stride (who calls their child Stride?) and a party to top all parties to celebrate his illustrious win, Tramboni is then murdered...and Esther becomes prime suspect.

Added to th mix is Peter's protege Avery who coded and created new technology Sleight (as in sleight of hand "now you see it, now you don't") in which messages can be sent and disappear and where the messages can be read out loud even if the recipient doesn't have the app. The technology seems to be highly invasive and it isn't long before Avery herself falls victim to foul play. And once again, Esther becomes the suspect.

When the reveal does come, it's not as jaw-dropping as it is eye-rolling and head shaking as unfathomable bordering on ridiculous. I certainly didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book, which I found myself struggling with at times too. But this one was bogged down with a lot of tech talk, stupid decisions and unlikeable characters with a plot that just seemed to drone on from beginning to end. I liked Esther far more in the first book as Madeleine's divorce lawyer and thought we would get more of that...but no. This was a let down and a disappointing one at that.

I found this tale to be decidedly dark and depressing and not in an interesting or riveting way.

I would like to thank #EllieMonago, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheDivorceLawyer in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ellie Monago is the pen name of an acclaimed novelist and practicing therapist. She’s also a wife and mother, and when you add it all up, she doesn’t wind up with much time for hobbies. But she’s an avid tennis fan, a passionate reader of both fiction and nonfiction—especially memoir (nothing’s as juicy as the truth!)—and she relishes a good craft cocktail.

REVIEW: Lies Never Die by Mark Hurst

Lies Never Die (The Lies #2) by Mark Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 1st May 2024

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Amazon

Published: 2nd December 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

In the sequel to ‘The Lies’, Samantha and Blade continue playing the game of truth versus lie, reality against perception.

Dame Samantha Walsh, now a world icon, a person of respect, wealth and charity, flawless and untouchable in equal measure, continues to grow her empire on her terms. Her enormous wealth and reach bring about power and control never before contemplated, opening up new interests and outcomes for her, both inside and outside legal and moral boundaries.

Blade, recently released from prison, needing to re-integrate with society, has his path to follow to find the truth. He needs work, he needs income, and what better way to fund finding the truth than by taking paid work doing what he is good at, what he was trained to do?

The race is on to find out the truth of what happened to their loved ones. Who will find out first, who will win?

Fast paced and gripping, ‘Lies Never Die’ is the sequel to the bestselling debut book ‘The Lies’ from crime and psychological thriller author Mark Hurst.

MY THOUGHTS:

Truth versus lie...reality versus perception...

Having thoroughly enjoyed "The Lies" I was eager to dive into this sequel although it is a little more far fetched. It's still enjoyable and fast paced But I felt it lacked something the first one had...though I can't quite put my finger on it. Having said that, I did devour this book in one sitting and the climax was explosive!

Samantha is just as unlikeable as ever but this time round we follow a new predator in Blade as he seeks the truth about what happened to his friend David. As usual, this tale sweeps around the globe at lightning speed following Samantha and her various engagements. She has since been given the title of "Dame" but she is as manipulative and as brutal as ever. Nothing gets past her though I wish for once it would.

We spend a good deal of time in Australia once again, journeying from Cairns in far north Queensland to Darwin in the Northern Territory before jetsetting back to the UK once again.

There isn't a lot I can say about the plot without giving anything away and I think it is best experienced first hand. And while it suffices as a standalone I do recommend reading "The Lies" first to fully appreciate what is at play here.

My favourite scene would have to be the stand-off at Stirling Castle, as the players left standing wonder who to trust. And while the ending is a little loosely tied up, I think it wrapped things up nicely albeit ambiguously, though it is still clear who ended up with the upper hand. Nicely played and I think is best left there.

An enjoyable fast paced psychological thriller by newcomer Mark Hurst, father to prolific psychological thriller writer Daniel. But don't be fooled into thinking "like father, like son". Their writing styles are completely different.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in Bolton, UK, a true Lancastrian and a child of the sixties, Mark finally decided to pursue his passion for storytelling after a long and eventful career in a completely different industry, that sometimes involved more fiction than fact!

He entered construction at the age of 18 and has been involved with hundreds of large civil engineering projects for the last 40 years as a Civil Engineer and Surveyor, Estimator and Commercial Director, working in various far flung locations such as Hong Kong, Scandinavia and Wigan.

Mark has a passion for reading legal, crime and psychological thrillers; he often claims he can predict the end to a story … and when he gets it wrong, he’s pleasantly surprised. He also enjoys first hand accounts of military and espionage events and when he’s not reading and writing, he can be found watching the History Channel.

Married with two grown children and four grandchildren, his son Daniel convinced him it was time to start committing some of his own stories to print … and there are a few.  Drawing on his own life experiences, Mark weaves them into his stories but with a twist … it all could have happened.

Why Wooded Hill Books?

The origin of the surname Hurst – ancient Anglo-Saxon topographic name for someone who lived near a wooded hill or thicket.

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REVIEW: The Irish Key by Daisy O'Shea

The Irish Key (Emerald Isles #1) by Daisy O'Shea

Genre: Contemporary ficiton, Dual timeline

Read: 27th April 2024

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Amazon

Published; 24th April 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

‘Take the key, my pet. I can’t ever go back. The last letter I had from Ireland was clear about that. But one day you may need a safe haven, and it’s the one thing I can give you. Ireland is in your blood, it will keep you safe.’

When Grace arrives tired, tearful and rain-soaked in Roone Bay, the little Irish village where her grandmother Caitlin grew up, she is overwhelmed with longing for Caitlin’s safe, warm arms. The crumbling wreck of Caitlin’s once-beautiful childhood cottage – whose key Grace was given on her wedding day as a secret refuge if she ever needed it – is not the fresh start she’d hoped for. But with her young daughter Olivia to look after and a painful past to hide from, Grace has to stay strong.

Plucking up the courage to ask for help from her kind new neighbours – including quietly rugged carpenter Sean Murphy – Grace gets to work making the house habitable. Soon the view of the deep emerald sea has her captivated, Olivia is blossoming, and Sean makes her laugh in a way she’d forgotten she could…

As she learns more about her family history, with Sean by her side, Grace’s curiosity unearths only further mystery. What drove Caitlin away from Ireland, never to return? But when Grace uncovers a long-lost letter to Caitlin that reveals the heartbreaking truth, she is suddenly threatened by her own devastating secrets.

Grace may have finally found a home for her little family. But when faced with everything she ran from, will the past tear her apart once more? Or will Grace find the strength to stand up for her daughter, her love for Sean, and her new life in Ireland?

This utterly heartbreaking, completely life-affirming story of a family secret that echoes down the generations is perfect for fans of Susanne O’Leary and Tricia O’Malley.

MY THOUGHTS:

Her grandmother's key will unlock more than she'd ever imagined...

Contemporary women's fiction can be a bit hit or miss for me but I loved the sound of this tale in this little piece of Ireland. It's charming with a easy pace and a host of secrets.

On Grace's wedding day, her grandmother Caitlin gave her a big old iron key tied with a blue ribbon in a nod to the age old adage of something old and something blue. Puzzled by the gift, her grandmother whispered "just in case" she was ever in need of an escape one day. Swept up in the romance of her wedding day, Grace never expected or thought she would ever need it. Her husband Graham thought it a dirty old thing and told her to throw it away. But Grace held on to it. For this key held the secrets to the past and you never know...she may just wish to visit the place of her grandmother's birth one day.

Seven years later with her six year old daughter Olivia in tow, Grace is running from the stifling oppression of her unhappy marriage to a manipulative and controlling man who wanted nothing but a pliable obedient and decorative wife who did as she was told. But it was his blatant disregard for her wishes and the future he held in store for their daughter that was the final nail in the coffin of their already dead marriage. Making it seem like an adventure, Grace promised Olivia a visit to the seaside...a more permanent one than Olivia (in her childlike innocence) envisaged.

It took three long days, several trains, a ferry and a couple of buses for them to reach their destination. And when they did, she was disappointed. The beautiful quaint little cottage on the west coast of Cork in her grandparents' photograph resembled nothing of the draughty cold old pile of rubble standing before her now. Forget the key her grandmother gave her - this cottage no longer has a door! Tendrils of ivy and brambles grow up the walls and through the chimney, broken glass panes and a battered old door that lay on the ground. How can they live here? It's not fit for rodents, let alone people.

But time and tide is on her side it seems in the form of a kindly young man named Sean Murphy, who happens to be a builder and with her meagre savings which she had intended to live off for a while will have to be spent in renovating this sad old cottage. And restore it to its former glory. In the meantime, Grace and Olivia need a place to stay - at first with Mrs O'Hara's bed and breakfast for a few weeks until her paying guests come to stay. Then Grace gets herself a job typing up the memoirs of Rooney Bay's wealthy resident, returned from the Americas with his fortunes. At once, Noel O'Donovan invites them to stay in his big house while their cottage is being renovated. And it seems Noel has a few secrets of his own and he won't share them until he has gotten the measure of Grace and what exactly she's running from.

And despite being settled in Rooney House, Grace can't help but look over her shoulder, afraid that Graham will come looking for them and drag them back to England...and his way of life. But Grace has no idea what is in store for her in this quaint little Irish village...or where her heart will eventually lay.

I found this tale a little slow in places but then I am probably too used to the fast pace of thrillers that keep you turning the pages at the rate of knots. This is a more gentle read with a slower pace. But that's not to say it's boring or uneventful. It is intriguing it its own way with long held secrets buried for half a century. It was fairly easy to navigate and predict where the story was going, and that's OK. I found myself endeared to Sean and Noel as the loveable Irish rogues.

I guess my only real complaint is the timeline. When I began the story, I naturally assumed it was set in the present day but when the timeline shifts back to 1930 I thought that could not be possible. It would make the said character well over a hundred years old! Throughout the story, I came to estimate the present day timeline was set around the early 1980s although it is never stated. But given that they refer to it being fifty years I then assumed so. The other telling point being the introduction of a computer as if it were a foreign object. Today they are used everywhere but Grace had no knowledge or experience on one and its description was very basic to say the least. The fact that her husband owned a company that dealt in technology again lead me to believe the era was later. It was very confusing and I don't like confusion when reading. I like things to be stated clearly to avoid confusion and I don't recall anywhere in the story stating in what timeline the present day was set.

Again, that has to be my only complaint because the story was a delightful read that I really enjoyed. I note there is a second book to this series "The Irish Child" to be published in July. I look forward to rejoining Roone Bay once again and seeing how the first tale ties in with this second one.

I would like to thank #DaisyOShea, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheIrishKey in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sue Lewando (Daisy O'Shea)was a teacher for several years before migrating to the office environment, where she was PA to the Treasurer of Clarks Shoes, a multi-national company, then, briefly, PA to Susan George, the actress best known for Straw Dogs. 

Sue had many genre books published (M&B and Virgin), under pseudonyms, and self-publishes her crime thrillers. She was on the committee of the Romantic Novelists’ Association in England, for whom she assessed typescripts. She has been a fiction tutor for the London School of Journalism for twenty years. 

Sue has two grown-up children, a happy second marriage, and a bundle of cats and dogs. She moved to West Cork with her husband to undertake a farmhouse refurbishment project, foster their joint passion for playing Irish traditional music, and to invest time in their individual academic projects. 

She recently completed a Masters in Creative Writing at UCC, taking the opportunity to explore diverse writing genres. She works with the Jeremy Murphy Literary Consultancy in the capacity of typescript analyst, ghostwriter, editor, and online publishing advisor. She loves good commercial fiction, and is a devotee of the Oxford comma.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: The Baby by A.J. McDine

The Baby by A.J. McDine

Genre: Domestic thriller

Read: 20th April 2024

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Audio Links:

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Published: 23rd April 2024

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

There’s a baby in your house. It isn’t yours…

The day I was told I’d never be able to have a child, my world came crashing down. My husband says he still loves me but I lie awake at night, wishing we could have a family.

One morning, my husband’s side of the bed is cold and empty. I hear a noise and head downstairs.

In the middle of the rug in my living room is a wooden drawer. Swaddled inside, with perfect rosy cheeks and beautiful round blue eyes, a baby gazes up at me.

I shiver. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, but this baby is not mine…

An absolutely addictive page-turner with heart-pounding twists from beginning to end. Fans of The Woman in the Window, Freida McFadden and Lisa Jewell won’t be able to put this jaw-dropping psychological thriller down!

MY THOUGHTS:

There's a baby in her house...but she hasn't got a baby...

This is a deliciously devious domestic thriller that I devoured in one sitting! My first foray with Ms McDine, I was captivated from the very start despite its obvious predictability in part but that certainly didn't deter my enjoyment of this twisted thrill ride.

Lucy and Miles have been married for some ten years or so, him having rescued her from one man's over zealous attentions on a night out before sweeping her off her feet and up the aisle. Before she knows it, she is living the high life in Dubai where Miles has been seconded as an engineer on a oil rig. They make a life for themselves there before a decade later, Miles receives a transfer to a rig in the North Sea off the coast of Aberdeen. Coinciding with the sudden death of her grandfather, Lucy flies home to make the arrangements before Miles joins her. And together, they set up home in the sleepy village where her grandfather lived in the cottage he bequeathed Lucy.

One morning, with Miles offshore for four weeks, Lucy awakes from yet another blackout drunken stupor with the hangover from hell and a baby in her living room. A baby? But she doesn't have a baby!

What ensues is a whole lot of craziness that is a little far fetched but somehow makes perfect sense to Lucy. She scours the news sites, watches the news, anything to throw some light on what the hell is happening. But no one has come forward to claim their baby is missing. So where did he come from? Did she steal it from someone and not remember?

Lucy's to-ing and fro-ing over what to do for the best ties her up in all sorts of knots. All she has ever wanted was to be a mother but Miles made it perfectly clear that children were not in his plan...something he neglected to tell her before they were married, despite him saying he had done so. Lucy would never have married him had she known his aversion to becoming a father. So what does she do? It's clear the baby is cared for and has come from somewhere...but where? And where is his mother?

Lucy knows she should call the police...but something is stopping her. The all encompassing feeling of a little life trusting her, his eyes locked on hers as she feeds him, bathes him, changes him. After twenty four hours Lucy knows she can't give him up. This child needs her.

And then she has another problem. Miles. What to tell him. And how will he react? He's offshore for another few weeks so she has time, and by then she will have found the baby's mother. But then she hears the crunch of gravel on the drive...No, it can't be. Miles is home. How is she going to explain a baby?

This was such a fun and entertaining thriller from start to finish. It's obvious from the start that Lucy has a problem with alcohol but I detect an even bigger problem with Miles. How could she not see him for what he is? A manipulative, controlling man who could sulk for England if he doesn't get his way. Everything he did I could see through a much clearer lens than Lucy could and I did not like what I saw from the very first moment he opened his mouth. Every phone call, ever text, every conversation, every action...it is all about him and what he wants. So what does this mean for her now that there's a baby to consider? Nothing he does surprises me.

The story unfolds primarily through Lucy's eyes - sometimes vodka or wine induced while at other times, clear as day. There is the brief narrative from one other closer to the end as everything begins to fall into place.

It is very hard to say what I want to say without revealing any spoilers so needless to say, You'll just have to go out and check it out for yourself. You won't be sorry!

An almost 5 star read, there were a couple of things I felt could have been tied up/explained more to be clearer by the end though I guess I just made my own mind up as to how they played out...even if they were not explained in the end, I still have my suspicions.

A fantastic read! I'll be sure to check out her other thrillers.

I would like to thank #AJMcDine, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBaby in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

A J McDine was a journalist and police press officer until she realised writing fiction was much more fun.

She lives in Kent in the UK with her husband, fellow thriller writer A J Wills, their two sons and a pair of very demanding cats.

The author of dark, domestic thrillers, she loves to keep her readers guessing till the very last page.

When she’s not writing, playing tennis or attempting to run a 5k, she can generally be found gazing blankly out of the window as she dreams up conflict and tension for her poor characters.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: The Call by Kerry Wilkinson

The Call by Kerry Wilkinson

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 12th April 2024

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Amazon

Published: 17th April 2024

★★★ 3 stars 

DESCRIPTION:

Your fiancé calls. ‘A little girl needs help.’ Then they both disappear…

Melody gazes across the rippling lake to the trees on the shore, waiting for her fiancé Evan to arrive so their family holiday can begin. Here in this cabin in a small Canadian island town, there’s so much space for their son to play. It’s going to be perfect – just like the first time Melody visited as a child. But then a call from Evan shatters her world.

‘There’s someone in the road. I think it’s a little girl. She’s covered in mud. Or… is it blood?’ His voice becomes distant. ‘Are you OK? What’s your name?’ Then there’s a thud.

Evan never arrives to the holiday cabin. Melody, and her son, are terrified and desperate for answers. But with miles of endless, empty forest, and no reports of a missing girl, what hope is there of finding Evan?

The more questions Melody asks of the locals, the more she fears a terrible secret hides just out of sight. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she is in…

A totally gripping thriller that will have you racing through the pages until the final shocking twist. Perfect for fans of T.M. Logan and Rachel Abbott.

MY THOUGHTS:

Your fiancé calls....‘A little girl needs help’...Then they both disappear...

Something different from Kerry Wilkinson in the wilds of Canada rather than the cold climes of Britain. But honestly, it was not my cup of tea.

We meet Melody who has, along with her sister and brother-in-law and father as well as her son and fiance Evan, booked an AirBnb on a lake in Canada for a vacation for them all. Having spent a summer there as a child, Melody has only good memories of her time there. But as many are quick to point out to her, not everyone's memories were as happy as hers.

After arriving and installing themselves in the lake house, Evan was catching a later flight, renting a car and meeting them there. He calls her from the road. He has just exited the highway and is about fifteen minutes from them...when suddenly he stops. He tells Melody there is a little girl in the road and stops to ask if she's okay. There is a little background noise and then suddenly the line goes dead. Having consumed wine that evening, Melody enlists the help of her sober brother-in-law Thomas to drive her along the road that Evan had taken to see if they could find him. Instead what they find is the abandoned rental car and Evan's phone discarded on the road. The car's boot is empty. Evan's suitcase has gone...and so has Evan.

The police arrive some hours later and with it being dark and surrounded by trees and forests, there is little they can do till morning. But as the days pass Melody feels that the police aren't doing enough to find Evan. In the meantime, she tells their son Sam that his dad has been held up and trying to catch another flight. Sam accepts her explanation and goes on to enjoy camp.

While her sister Nina and hubby Thomas go about their vacation as per normal, of course Melody cannot do so. Her whole world has imploded with Evan's disappearance. Naturally she does some googling for information that she has come garnered by way of other parents or locals in the area which thus leads her to randomly following anyone she thinks may know something about Evan's disappearance.

The story is a fairly quick read even if it is somewhat unrealistic. The mystery behind what happened to Evan is what kept me turning the pages and then when it is revealed I'm left scratching my head. What just happened here? The motive behind the disappearance just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. 

I've been a fan of Kerry's thrillers for years. I love his dry wit and humour although this one lacked any of that trademark humour which I missed. And yet while the story as a whole didn't work for me, Kerry's writing is still enough to keep you engaged throughout...even if none of the characters were particularly likeable.

I do have mixed feelings of this one as I know what pageturning thrillers Kerry can deliver. And while I found it easy enough to read, it wasn't the riveting thriller that I have come to know that is of his calibre. I didn't hate it but I didn't enjoy it as much as his others. But having said that, I do look forward to whatever he brings us next!

I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheCall in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kerry Wilkinson has had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.

As well as his million-selling Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.

Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.

When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.

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REVIEW: The Darkest Water by Mark Edwards

The Darkest Water by Mark Edwards

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 13th April 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 16th April 2024

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

In this chilling thriller from the bestselling author of Keep Her Secret, if you don’t take your dark secrets to the grave, maybe they’ll take you there first…

Calvin finally owns the bakery of his dreams, in an idyllic village in the Lake District. After reluctantly following his wife Vicky’s advice to promote it on social media, he’s thrilled when a viral clip makes him a legend overnight. But then the creepy DMs start flooding in—all from a stranger who claims she’s his biggest fan.

Meanwhile, a local recluse is found on a nearby beach, buried to his neck and left to drown, and the community goes into shock. Why would anyone want him dead? And who exactly was he? Detective Imogen Evans, new to the Lake District, is under pressure to find out before the killer strikes again.

As the murder hunt gathers pace, Calvin’s obsessive admirer turns up right on cue after his assistant is injured in an accident, and to Vicky’s horror she’s here to stay. As events begin spiralling into darkness, is there anyone in this quiet backwater Calvin can trust—or have his mistakes already put him, and everyone he loves, in terrible danger?

MY THOUGHTS:

If you don’t take your dark secrets to the grave, maybe they’ll take you there first...

I've been a Mark Edwards fan since reading "Follow You Home" and "The Magpies" many moons ago and, while not all his books are my faves, this one is most definitely one of his more compelling and gripping psychological thrillers. I love how he has combined a bit police procedural with the thriller aspect making it a perfect blend of psychological crime fiction.

The prologue opens with a most gruesome discovery on Drigg beach. And if you have ever read a Mark Edwards thriller, you'll know he loves to shock, and this was no different. A somewhat different death to contend with as Detective Imogen Evans, from a couple of previous thrillers, returns to head up the investigation.

Meanwhile in Elderbridge, Calvin Matheson has dreams of owning a successful bakery/cafe. Preferably one to outdo the chain bakery Peggy's to which everyone flocks, leaving Calvin's empty. It was his wife Vicky's idea to go online with a few videos to help drum up business. Overnight, "Chef Calvin" goes viral and becomes a social media sensation, his cafe/bakery now centrestage to showcase all his delicious delights. Business becomes so busy he needs to take on an assistant after his current one breaks her wrist in a burglary. 

Enter Mel. Or should that be BlondieMel? She has been messaging Calvin for the past few days till Vicky put a stop to his naivete of "internet shoppers" and possible catfishing. But then Mel answers the ad that Calvin posts for an assistant and he is so desperate for help he doesn't stop to check references, asking her start immediately. But Vicky is not best pleased. Why has this Mel suddenly turned up when help was most needed?

But it's not long before the internet interest switches sides and suddenly Calvin finds himself the centre of a murder investigation, the disappearance of his wife and a sordid interest in young women! His business soon drops off and Calvin finds he must fight to clear his name.

All the while, the murder of the mysterious man who lived a hermit lifestyle surrounded by gloomy paintings of death and hell begins to grow colder by the day. The police are having difficulty identifying him and while his paintings are all signed Leo James, the man himself is a mystery. Is Leo James his real name? Is he hiding from something? Or someone? Locals have him down as someone in witness protection with his past having caught up with him. But who is he? And why was he murdered in such a slow and purposeful way?

This is a dark and gripping read that I devoured in a day. I love Mark Edwards' dry wit and dark humour which is peppered throughout. The story unfolds mainly around Calvin, set in two timelines both the present day and 1995. Throw in a stalker and a body on the beach and you have a gripping twisty thriller from one of the most devious minds and talented of writers. While there was a deluge of characters that all seemed to be thrown together, making the story seem a little far fetched, it strangely worked because what is fiction if not far fetched in some form or another? Especially if penned so cleverly as Edwards does.

Another gripping read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I would like to thank #MarkEdwards #Netgalley and #AmazonPub for an ARC of #TheDarkestWater in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers about ordinary people who encounter terrifying events. He has been described as ‘a can’t-miss king of psychological suspense’ by thriller author Brad Parks and ‘a natural born storyteller with the darkest of imaginations’ by crime writer Fiona Cummins.

He has sold more than three million copies of his books and topped the bestseller lists numerous times since his first solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013. 

His other novels are What You Wish For, Because She Loves Me, Follow You Home, The Devil’s Work, The Lucky Ones, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Here To Stay and The House Guest. He has also published two short sequels to The Magpies, A Murder of Magpies and Last of The Magpies, and six books co-authored with Louise Voss.

Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Estonian, Thai, Lithuanian, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish and Russian.

In 2019 Mark won The Cat and Mouse Award for Most Elusive Villain at the Dead Good Reader Awards for Last of the Magpies.

Mark loves hearing from his readers and encourages them to contact him. He regularly interacts with readers on his Facebook page, where he hosts book release launch parties and lots of giveaways.

You can follow Mark on Twitter, like his Facebook page or take a peek at his pics on Instagram.

Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children, three cats and a golden retriever.

 

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: The Godchild by Miranda Rijks

The Godchild by Miranda Rijks

Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic thriller

Read: 6th April 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 31st March 2024

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Everything was fine until Alicia arrived.

After her own mother mysteriously disappears, seventeen-year-old Alicia turns up on her godmother’s doorstep and asks if she can stay. Carina can’t say no to the godchild she hasn’t seen in over a decade.

And in a way, Alicia is the daughter she always wanted – she’s so smart and driven, definitely scholarship material. Carina is only too happy to help this brilliant young woman achieve her full potential.

But husband Don and children Tegan and Arthur aren’t so sure. There’s something about Alicia… Is she just too good to be true?

Then, out of the blue, sixteen-year-old Tegan is accused of a horrible crime and life for this ordinary family spirals down into chaos.

Does Alicia have anything to do with the terrible secrets that are only now being exposed? Has she set out to destroy this family? Before she can answer these questions, Carina will have to face her own troubled past, stepping out of the light and into a very, very dark place…

The Godchild -the shocking psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Visitors and Make Her Pay.

MY THOUGHTS:

Be careful who you let into your home...

Wowsers! This is so not what I was expecting. With a title such as this, I'm thinking something to do with a new baby (especially with that cover) and all that follows in such domestic thrillers. But no. The godchild is not a baby at all. Not even a child. But boy, she is something else!

Carina and her husband Don have been together since their university days and have three children - Tegan (16), Arthur (14) and baby Ethan (9 months). Carina is the head teacher at their local selective school at which her two children attend whilst hubby is a stay at home dad to Ethan working on his novel.

Then one day a knock at the door reveals Alicia, Carina's long lost godchild and daughter of her old uni friend Gina. After the scene she created at their wedding nearly two decades before, Carina has not set eyes on Gina since. And the news Alicia brings tells a familiar tale of woe that seems to follow Gina. Drugs, alcohol and who knows what or where Gina is now. 

But Alicia arrives with her bags in tow and nowhere else to go so Carina begrudgingly invites her to stay, if not as a nod to her old friend. Don is not best pleased and neither is Carina's teenage daughter who finds herself having to share her room with Alicia. 

And from there, everything seems to go downhill...especially for Tegan, who finds herself the subject of bullying. But it's not just that...mysterious things begin happening...and while the Ruff family's world begins to implode, Alicia is the only one who seems to be sitting pretty. But their bad luck just continues with the death of a student, bullying, drugs and secrets and lies in abundance.

Unfolding through the THEN and NOW format, this is another stellar read by Miranda that is indeed easily devoured in one sitting. Plenty of twists, plenty of red herrings and oh so many secrets, lies and deception. Despite some of its predictability, this is one compelling read that will still manage to shock you even if you can easily figure out much of what it going on.

I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #Netgalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #TheGodchild in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Miranda Rijks lives in West Sussex, England, with her husband, their musician daughter and black Labrador. ‘The Obituary’ was her first psychological thriller. She has also written a psychological thriller series featuring Dr Pippa Durrant, a psychologist and specialist in lie detection, who works alongside Sussex police getting embroiled in some scary stuff!

After a degree in Law, Miranda worked in marketing in London and Eastern Europe before setting up businesses in the horticultural, leisure and retail sectors. Along the way, she got a masters in writing and wrote the self-help book, ‘How Compatible Are You?’ and biography, ‘The Eccentric Entrepreneur’. In 2018, Miranda wrote ‘Don’t Call Me Brave’, a novel very loosely drawing upon her experiences of having a rare bone cancer.

She feels extremely lucky to be living the dream, writing psychological thrillers full time! 

Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

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REVIEW: My Husband's Affair by Ruth Heald

My Husband's Affair by Ruth Heald

Genre: Domestic thriller, Domestic suspense

Read: 4th April 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 10th April 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

We promised forever. But only one of us will leave this marriage alive…

I thought I had the perfect marriage. But as our beautiful children sleep soundly in the next room, I stare at the messages between my husband Rob and another woman, their promises to run away together bringing tears to my eyes. My heart stops when I see the latest one: ‘Leave my wife to me. I’ll get rid of her.’

My blood runs cold. I know this woman. I’ve let her into my home, where she’s bounced my rosy-cheeked baby on her knee. She could ruin my life in moments – she knows things about me even Rob doesn’t…

They think they can get rid of me so easily. They think they can just tear apart the perfect life we’ve built. But they've made a mistake underestimating me. He doesn't know I've uncovered his secrets. And now I know just enough to destroy him.

I can play the perfect wife for just a little longer. I’ll do anything to protect my children and my life. And he has no idea just how far I’ll go…

A completely gripping psychological thriller about unthinkable betrayal by those you love the most, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Claire McGowan and The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose.

MY THOUGHTS:

We promised forever...but only one of us will leave this marriage alive...

I've read all of Ruth Heald's books and she is one of my favourite authors...although I have to admit that this is not one of my favourite books of hers, it is still a thrilling read that keeps you guessing throughout. This one is about a wife's reaction to discovering her husband's affair...and the lengths she will go to save herself.

Jen lives a charmed life. Married to Rob, a high end estate agent in West London, with three children - Lottie, Jack and baby Ruby. And together they live in the penthouse suite of an exclusive apartment block for which Rob had the contract to sell from the developer. Although she would love to return to work, her life is filled with the children and making their house a home.

It all starts little by little. Discrepancies with their apartment that should have been safe but turns out are not. And then she smells an unfamiliar perfume on Rob's shirt...but writes it off as having been in contact with a client shrouded in the stuff. That has to be it.

But the late nights. The trips away. It's just client drinks and business, right? And then she discovers a burner phone, a passport, thousands in euros...and the messages. Rob is planning to leave them. But that's not the half of it. Rob has painted himself into a corner and thus delivers Jen an ultimatum completely out of left field. Think canoe man. But Jen has other ideas...

Another intriguing read by Ruth Heald that had me guessing throughout. The ending did let it down in the end as I'd expected something a little more jaw-dropping and unexpected. But it was still a thrilling read with a character you just love to hate!

I would like to thank #RuthHeald, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MyHusbandsAffair in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ruth Heald is a bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books include The Wedding, I Know Your Secret, The Mother's Mistake and The Woman Upstairs. 

Ruth grew up a suburban Buckinghamshire town. She studied Economics at Oxford and then worked in an eclectic mix of sectors from nuclear decommissioning to management consulting.

Seeking a more creative environment, she found a role at the BBC and worked there for nine years before leaving to write full time. Ruth is fascinated by psychology and finding out what drives people to violence, destruction and revenge. She’s married with one daughter and her novels explore our greatest fears in otherwise ordinary, domestic lives.

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