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The Teacher's Secret by Lauren North
Published: 23rd February 2024

Wednesday 30 August 2017

REVIEW: Last Witness by Carys Jones


Last Witness (Wrong Number #2) by Carys Jones
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Read: 30th August 2017
Purchase: Amazon

★★★ 3 stars

This book is the sequel to the previous one called "Wrong Number" which needs to be read first in order for this one to make any sense. 

A good read although predictable as we knew where it was all heading anyway. Not edge of your seat like some I have read but a nice end to the story which began in "Wrong Number".

Saturday 26 August 2017

REVIEW: Wrong Number by Carys Jones


Wrong Number (Wrong Number #1) by Carys Jones
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Read: 26th August 2017
Purchase: Amazon


★★★ 3 stars

Not bad. I did enjoy it but I didn't like Will. While Amanda saw him as protective I thought he seemed too possessive. His whole disappearance had an air of secretiveness. But in any case Amanda was blind to his faults, as he was her knight in shining armour. But when you put someone on a pedestal the reality of their fallibility doesn't seem real. I liked Shane. He was the grounded persona in this tale.
There is a sequel to this book which I wondering whether to jump right in and read now or devour something else in between...

Friday 18 August 2017

REVIEW: Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines


Girl on a Train by A.J. Waines
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Read: 18th August 2017
Purchase: Amazon

★★★★ 4 stars

Unlike others, I didn't mistake it for "The Girl on the Train" recently made into a movie with Emily Blunt. I knew they were two different books and I've read them both. And enjoyed them both. Although they are both completely different.

I enjoyed the journey this book took me on. The little clues, puzzles and "code like" messages. I felt incredibly sorry for Elly with such an uncaring family that just cast her aside as an attention seeker. I found myself searching for her clues she left behind at a similar pace as Anna. I loved Stefan, Flora and Jamilla. I could see how Caroline might be hard work..lol. I didn't see the twist which hit Anna close to home until she found the photo...and then I began to wonder myself. I pieced that together just before she did.

In all, it was a great read, though incredibly sad in many ways for different people. I loved it.

Saturday 12 August 2017

REVIEW: Friend Request by Laura Marshall


Friend Request by Laura Marshall
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Read: 12th August 2017
Purchase: Amazon

★★★★ 4 stars

Where do I start? This book sounded intriguing from the moment I read it's description. The thought of receiving a friend requesf on Facebook from someone you knew who had died 25 years before made for chilling reading. The subsequent messages from the said friend that leaves you looking over your shoulder and with a feeling of being watched would kind of make you a little paranoid. Yes? This is what happens to Louise Williams, the narrator of the story, who along with her circle of friends bullied this young girl in their year as teenagers. 25 years later, Louise is a different person and lives with the knowledge of her part in the girl, Maria's, demise. She feels responsible; that she was to blame. But nothing prepares her for the truth when it comes out.

Did Maria really die 25 years ago? Or did she survive and has now returned to make them all pay for what they did to her?

The tables are turned when a body is found not far from where Maria was last seen...and the race is on to find the killer and the truth about that night 25 years ago before Louise becomes the next victim. 

Edge of your seat thriller. Brilliant debut.

Friday 11 August 2017

REVIEW: S is for Stranger by Louise Stone


S is for Stranger by Louise Stone
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Read: 11th August 2017
Purchase: Amazon

★★★★★ 5 stars

If you love psychological thrillers, then this book is bound to keep your attention from start to finish.

It is every mother's worst nightmare.

The story begins with mother Sophie on a Saturday visit with her daughter Amy, since her divorce from Paul, Amy's father. They play a game of "I spy", which Amy claims her mother is no good at but plays along anyway, giggling at her mother's answers. When it is Amy's turn she chooses "something beginning with S"..."S is for stranger, mummy. That woman has been watching us." Sophie looks and sees a familiar figure watching her and Amy, leaving her with a sense of unease. 

A month passes and it is Sophie's birthday and she is meeting Paul and Amy at the fairground. When Sophie takes Amy to get some candy floss (fairy floss here in Australia and cotton candy in the US), her mobile rings. She turns to answer it and hears a familiar voice say "Happy birthday...your turn!" When Sophie looks up, Amy has gone! 

And so begins the thrill ride which seriously messes with your mind. You don't know who to trust or what to believe, as Sophie delves into the past and the night her best friend was murdered 20 years ago on her birthday. No one else believes Sophie that Bethany was murdered. Her body was never found and it was assumed and then recorded as a suicide. But Sophie is certain. She has never trusted psychiatrists as none of them ever believed her, calling her delusional, but now she finds herself trusting a clinical psychiatrist, employed by the police, who tries helping her remember what happened 20 years ago...as she believes Amy's disappearance is linked to what happened the night Bethany died. I must admit I was more interested in finding out what happened to Bethany than the present day story arc. 

It's a psychological thrill ride as you try to work out what is true and what isn't. But as you go, every piece is a clue that helps you, and Sophie, unlock the truth. You just have to look for them. I began to question the truth partway through but it wasn't until the climax began that I saw the truth of it all. 

My only fault with this book, which was exceptionally written and certainly doesn't read like a debut, is the ending. While I think I know, I'm not entirely sure as there were no real details to give unequivocal closure. That is, closure that left no room for doubt. There are a few questions at the end which I felt were left unanswered...and could have been, without taking away from the impact of such an ending. I don't want to give anything away, but you have to read it to see what I mean...and see if you come to the same conclusions as I did.

However, the absence of clear closure and answered questions wasn't enough to subtract a star from my rating. It was still, by far, a 5 star thrill ride!

Monday 7 August 2017

REVIEW: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena


The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Read: 7th August 2017
Purchase: Amazon

★★★★ 4 stars

While the review on the cover stated that it was "a fast paced thriller", I can only agree on that score from about a third of the way in. Honestly, I struggled with this book at first as for the most part, for the first third of it anyway, nothing is set outside of Anne and Marco's house...with the exception of the opening dinner party next door, and didn't seem to be going anywhere. I didn't even like most of the characters, except Marco. I kind of felt sorry for him. And Detective Rasbach. He was a smart shrewd detective and nothing got by him. Everyone else was either pathetic or irritating. 

The book did begin to pick up about halfway through, though I still struggled to find anything likeable about the other characters. I couldn't stand Anne's step father and her mother gave the appearance of stoic strength but about as much warmth as a dead rat. Anne was basically pathetic, and though as her own story began to unfold, I did begin to feel sorry for her but then found myself wondering was it all an act?

In all, the story was pretty predictable with the events unfolding that none of it was a surprise to me. In fact I had guessed the identity of "whodunnit" and even why. It just became irritating when confronted with the truth more lies were thrown in because it was more than obvious it was really the truth and there was no point in denying it.

But despite this, I did enjoy the second half...if only to see the truly guilty get their comeuppance. Only the last chapter was a surprise. But the final lines left me wondering...was it just an act?

Enjoy the read and judge for yourself.

Tuesday 1 August 2017

REVIEW: Follow You Home by Mark Edwards


Follow You Home by Mark Edwards
Genre: Mystery, Psychological Thriller
Read: 1st August 2017
Purchase: Amazon


★★★★★ 5 stars

The fact I read this book within 24 hours probably gives it away how much I enjoyed it. I love psychological thrillers that make you and the narrator of the story think they're going slightly crazy...but you just know it will end with a perfectly logical explanation. And this one did not disappoint. It's only the second book by Mark Edwards I've read - the first being "The Magpies" and that was suitably psychological too.

For the most half of the book you are left wondering what really happened in the forest? In that creepy house that looked as if it was inhabited by the local witch? And throughout the story we are dropped little tidbits here and there as Dan begins to tell the story to, first, his therapist and then his best friend Jake. But never quite the whole story. Until finally he does. It's shocking yes, but not quite as shocking as how Laura sees it. And therein lies the real story...the real terror.

As the reader you find yourself trying to piece it all together, and wondering how it does all fit together. Honestly, I couldn't put it down till I found out. I loved how the story switches between the present and the past as more and more is revealed each time. And how each perspective changes - from Dan in the first person to each of the other players told in the third. It gave you a peak into each of their perspectives. But it was through Dan's eyes we saw the tale unfold. And then the twist at the end!! I must admit, I only saw that coming as the Epilogue unfolded...and it all made sense. But what a twist. Very Hitchcockian.

Brilliantly told. A definite must read. However, for me, there is no way Dan and Laura could ever be truly happy again. Not because of what happened, but because of what it did. Without giving away any spoilers that's all I'll say. Once you've read it, you'll know.