REVIEW: Trust Me by Gemma Metcalfe

Trust Me by Gemma Metcalfe

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Read: 31st July 2018

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★★★★★ 5 stars

OMG! This was a fantastic psychological thriller that I can't believe it was a debut! I finished it almost a week ago but I have been too busy to sit down and give the review the attention it deserves until now. I read it in two sittings, though I quite easily could have done it in one - bar for the fact I started it just before midnight and found myself dozing the first night that my Kindle hit my head a few times...hence why it took two sittings. But hey, don't let sleep get in the way of a good book! lol

The story begins with Lana, a single mum to six year old Amber, living in the sunny climes of Tenerife. With an overbearing boss breathing over her shoulder every few minutes - "why haven't you made a sale yet, Lana?" - she is a telemarketer desperately needing to sell a holiday or she will lose her job. With only hours left to make a sale, Lana didn't think her day could get any worse...until Liam answers the phone.

Hundreds of miles away in Manchester, Liam never intended to answer his phone - he was too busy thinking of the quickest and easiest way to kill himself. But he does. As Lana tries to make her pitch he absently tells Lana he won't be needing one of her holidays because in a few minutes he will be dead...then hangs up on her. Feeling that she needs to stop him, and without a thought or care for what her pigheaded boss thinks, Lana immediately calls him back. And while Liam believes she cannot possibly understand, he begins to think that by telling Lana his story then there will be someone left to retell it for him. So Liam begins his story...

Lana also has a secret that she hasn't told anyone. Running from Manchester about six months before from a terrible mistake she made, she finds herself a confidant in Liam. Hoping that by telling him her story he will begin to see that she does understand and that all is not lost; that there is hope. As time ticks away, with her boss still keeping tabs on her and how long she has been on her call ("This had better be a sale, Lana!"), Lana fights to keep Liam alive as they are drawn to each other and their secrets.

This enthralling and riveting thriller is narrated in the first person by both Lana and Liam as they retell their stories from the beginning, switching from the present day and the past. Each chapter is timestamped as each hour and minute counts down to Liam's deadline - to when "she" will be home. With each minute Lana struggles to convince Liam not to take his life, and with time running out Lana lays it all on the line to keep him alive - not caring who in her office can hear her. The entire book switches between Lana and Liam's stories, both past and present, and you feel like you are watching each of them play out. Both stories, equally heartbreaking, touch your heart as you devour every word, every page and live within those moments. I found Liam's story the most heartbreaking; the most cruel; the most intriging. Lana's was just as sad but on a different level, due to her circumstances. Liam's was something else entirely - engineered to hit where it hurts.

A well written poignant story, TRUST ME was edge of your seat from start to finish. It is incredibly easy to follow despite the different stories and timelines, and will have you gripped from the beginning. I found myself saying "Just one more chapter" after every chapter...that in the end I read until the early hours of the morning till I finished. And I was left...WOW! The Epilogue - brilliant. I love how it ended. It was like it had come full circle.

My only complaint was in Lana's story. She made mention a couple of times about one of her neighbours with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and it was immediately made clear that it was dangerous, foaming at the mouth and the fact that it was called Princess was a "piss-take". I would have marked it down a star for that alone as a staffordshire lover and owner for years I know the breed is anything BUT the way it was portrayed in this book just as it is in the media, and it has more to do with the owners than the breed/dog itself. The other thing I didn't like was the killing of Lana and Amber's Jack Russell (a more aggressive dog than a Staffordshire, actually), though I understand why. And I saw that coming long before it actually happened. At least I was prepared...but I still found myself saying "No..no..no!" I hate it when dogs die in books or movies.

This thriller is so surprisingly good I can't believe it is a debut. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. Totally recommend!

REVIEW: Lay Me To Rest by E.A. Clark

Lay Me To Rest by E.A. Clark

Genre: Paranormal/Psychological Mystery

Read: 29th July 2018

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Purchase: Amazon

★★★ 3 stars

I wasn't sure what lead me to choose to read LAY ME TO REST as I don't really go for paranormal stories, though I have read two previously - "The Amityville Horror" (the horror being in that it is so poorly written and edited even worse) and "The Secret of Crickley Hall" (which I did quite enjoy). In the end, I did actually enjoy this book BUT....I will come to the "but" later.

LAY ME TO REST is a psychological mystery with a difference. It's about grief, ghosts and secrets. It begins with Annie Phillips, recently widowed and pregnant with her first child. In trying to come to terms with both her pregnancy and the prospect of motherhood on her own as well as dealing with the loss of her husband Graham, she finds herself in somewhat of an emotional mess. So on the recommendation of her sister's work colleague Peter, she travels to a remote cottage in Anglesey, North Wales run by a charming couple reaching their twilight years who live in the larger farmhouse a few 100 metres up from the cottage. The couple, Will and Gwen Parry, are lifelong friends of Peter's who spent childhood summers there and many more when he was older. Upon arrival, Will stirs everyone up with a "ghost story" said to be true, occurring some hundred years before when his great grandparents ran the farm. Despite being a little shocked, Annie remained passive to the story with no belief that it had actually happened. But upon returning to the cottage after dinner that night, she found she wasn't alone there. Something sinister inhabited the walls and almost at once she didn't feel safe. 

What ensues is an intriguing mystery with a supernatural flair, as Annie tries to uncover the secrets that lay buried with the help of some locals with a knowledge of the paranormal. They make some progress but that doesn't eliminate the problem - for it soon becomes apparent that there is more than one ghost occupying the remote cottage. And to top it off, it seems that no matter where Annie goes, the ghost is sure to follow. 

Without wanting to spoil the story, let's just say it is very atmospheric and and enjoyable easy read. At times creepy yet thrilling and intriguing. You won't want to put it down...

...However - and here comes that BUT I mentioned at the beginning - I think the book would have been best left at the end of this particular story. The reader seems to be lulled into some kind of limbo between the end of the actual story and the beginning the next. I feel the last couple of chapters could have been left out altogether, just ending with the park, the handsome stranger and then the shadow of a girl emerging as he left - leaving THAT as an Epilogue. All the rest which was dragged out into a couple of final chapters just seemed like a whole new story that would have been best left for another book. Let the shadow of the girl Annie saw emerge from the bushes be the ending. That would have been enough to pave the way for a new book and a new story which the last couple of chapters could have been incorporated into. To me, it just felt a little disjointed and superfluous to end such an intriguing story. It only needed the promise of something more in the Epilogue - not a whole emerging story. Those last chapters ruined the book for me, sadly. For apart from that, it was an intriguing tale. 

LAY ME TO REST is not really a story I would have picked to read, and again I'm not sure why I did, but I'm glad I did because although it is not my usual genre, it was still enjoyable.

REVIEW: Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey

Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey

Genre: Mystery, General Fiction

Read: 26th July 2018

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Purchase: Amazon

★★★★★ 5 stars

ELIZABETH IS MISSING is a mystery of a different kind. It's focus is of Maud, who is now 82 years old and living with dementia and, convinced that her best friend Elizabeth is missing and that no one wants to know or help, endeavours to find the answers...just as long as she can remember the questions. 

But at the heart of the story is a 70 year old mystery of Maud's missing older sister, Sukey. The two stories run side by side throughout, each intermingling with Maud's own memories of the past and confusing them with the present.

A bittersweet novel, ELIZABETH IS MISSING is both humourous and poignant as we witness Maud's obsession with finding Elizabeth - and dementia sufferers do obsess over some things as they try to hold on to some normalcy in their declining world - and deterioration as her dementia worsens. I think Emma Healey has done a wonderful job in exploring the fragility of memory and one's identity through the eyes of someone with dementia, and the combining of the two mysteries will keep you glued to this book.

The opening Prologue is a conversation between Maud and Elizabeth, in Elizabeth's garden, where Maud unearths a long forgotten piece of her past. In the first instance, it seems an innocuous find despite Maud's fixation on it before the story develops into the search for Elizabeth. Maud calls Elizabeth, even repeatedly visiting her house and trying to gain access in an attempt to find out what has become of her friend. Her investigation is relentless as is her determination that something has happened to her. Maud's daughter Helen visits daily, to find numerous cups of tea lined up on the mantlepiece, a growing number of tins of peaches in the cupboards and her mother demanding that Elizabeth is missing and "why won't anyone believe me?" or do anything about it. Maud recognises her declining memory and begins jotting herself notes which she carries with her everywhere - to the point of having a pocketful of scraps of colourful paper with random notes and messages on that soon, because of the vagueness of each note, even Maud isn't sure how they relative they are. Though the story is written solely from Maud's perspective in the first person, you can see Helen's constant exasperation at the same questions her mother asks day after day after day. "What is the best time to grow marrows?" is the most common as well as her obsession that "Elizabeth is missing". Both comments relate to the story that is locked within Maud's memories of the past though she can't grasp the relevance or its importance. Most people around her just pass her obsessions off as somewhat senile, and their impatience at having to constantly repeat the same thing over and over to her but never seeming to get through. 

Sadly, this is an all too real concept with sufferer's and those with loved ones with dementia. It IS incredibly frustrating to others at having to constantly repeat oneself, at their insistence that they were never told or they didn't know, at their obsessions with certain things - it is very frustrating for the caregiver and loved ones of the sufferer. However, what is unique about this story is that it is told from the perspective of someone with dementia and it is cleverly done so in a way that helps give you an insight into the constant confusion the sufferer must feel in their daily battle with the insidious disease. While some sentences and thought processes disclosed by Maud in her monologuing may not seem to make much sense to us, it does show how one with dementia might think and how their thought process might be and how it may wander into various avenues of confusion.

Back to Maud and her investigation into Elizabeth's disappearance, Maud then finds herself reflecting on another time she was in a similar situation 70 years ago when her sister Sukey (Susan) went missing just after the war. Both stories run parallel to each other as the reader sees the similarities and how Maud begins to confuse both events. As the story develops and time goes on, you begin to see Maud's obvious decline when her confusion becomes entwined and her comments make absolutely no sense to anyone, but to the reader we can see where she has drawn the parallels from 70 years ago to now. To anyone else, Maud's comments about someone named Frank or Douglas would mean nothing to her daughter Helen or grand daughter Katy, but the reader can see something in the meaning of Maud's reference, and her confusion just only reiterates her obvious deterioration. But still she insists that Elizabeth is missing whilst revisiting the disappearance of her sister 70 years before, and the events that followed. And soon, Maud remembers less and less about the present and begins to remember more and more about the past, leading to a penultimate climax where the story inevitably began.

ELIZABETH IS MISSING is very hard to review a book like this without giving too much away. You really do need to read it and make the journey of discovery along with Maud to fully appreciate it. You will laugh, you will cry, and by the end you won't want to let Maud go long after you have read the last page and unravelled both mysteries.

REVIEW: The Lost Children by Theresa Talbot

The Lost Children (Oonagh O'Neil #1) by Theresa Talbot

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction

Read: 17th July 2018

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★★★★★ 5 stars

(Previously published under the title PENANCE (UK)

THE LOST CHILDREN is a stunning read! Complex, emotional and ultimately gripping, I read this in a day! I didn't want to put it down, despite promising myself "just one more chapter". The topic is a harrowing one, dealing with the Magdalene institutions in Scotland and Ireland in the 1950s and the forcible adoptions, baby selling and cruelty to young teenage girls who found themselves in this situation and shunned from society. Whilst not a true account (as stated in the Author's Note), Theresa Talbot used the Magdalene as a basis for her brilliant debut.

Set predominantly in the year 2000 in Glasgow, the story unfolds between the years 1956, 1958 and 2000 from Galway, Ireland to Glasgow, Scotland. Oonagh O'Neil is an investigative journalist delving into and uncovering the secrets of the Magdalene institutions in the then present day whilst we also alternately follow the story of young Irene Connolly from 1956 in Galway.

It begins with a Prologue of a young girl Sally seemingly wrapping dead babies in cloth and securing them into little boxes of makeshift coffins...and then she hears the little cries from within one of the sealed boxes. Now I have to say, this was an exciting prelude to the story but sadly I was disappointed to find there was nothing mentioned relating to burying the baby heard crying alive - or whose it was - later in the book once the whole story came out. So I did kind of feel what was the point of mentioning it?

So when Father Kennedy dies suddenly in the middle of Mass, questions are raised as to just what his involvement in the Magdelenes was and to what extent. Then a post mortem reveals a substance in his system he was highly allergic to. So was it an accident? Suicide? Or was he murdered? The fact he had an appointment scheduled with Oonagh for that day leads her to think something is amiss. Did Father Kennedy know too much that would put the Church at risk? Was he silenced to prevent him from talking to her?

Oonagh calls in friend DI Davies to look into the priest's death. But while this is an investigative story delving into the past and its secrets, we don't see as much as the DI as Oonagh herself. This is from her perspective as a journalist uncovering the truth rather than from a police perspective. I wasn't sure I would like it but it was written in such a way that it just drew you into its secrets and you wanted to stay to discover the truth yourself.

Despite this, I didn't like Oonagh as much as I have another protagonists. She seemed a little spoilt at times, particularly in the confrontation with her mother after discovering she has a boyfriend. Oonagh feels she should still be grieving for her father who passed away 2 years before, as Oonagh adored her father and still feels his loss deeply. That bit of selfishness aside, it did make her a dogged investigator and good at her job. I didn't NOT like her. I'm sure she will grow on me as the series and her character develops.

Then there is Father Tom Findlay. He worked alongside Father Kennedy at St Patricks before his demise. I liked him, despite his faults. But was he all that he appeared to be? He has secrets too.

I really enjoyed reading the developing story of Irene Connolly, which began in 1956 in Galway. It was sad, horrific and traumatic to say the least. As if the church and Father Kennedy weren't bad enough, what her parents did was despicable! They are supposed to love and cherish her. Instead she was systematically raped by her father, bearing not one but TWO babies, and all she got was "Irene, why are you doing this to us?" and shipped off the the Magdalene institutions. Absolutely disgraceful. She was then given ECT and declared sexually deranged and insane. Her babies were ripped from her and never seen again. But she was just one of thousands. Seeing her story develop, I knew she had a part to play in the current storyline and began to suspect just who she was now.

There are many other characters equally horrible that pepper the story and, in a sense, complete it. They are just not worth mentioning until you meet them.

I love books that switch between the past and present, as I find it helps strengthen the plot as a whole as the two timelines merge into one. And it is done in such way that is easy to follow and not confusing.

THE LOST CHILDREN is a gripping and thrilling read with so many secrets to uncover. Perfect for fans of this genre.

REVIEW: Another Mother by Amanda James

Another Mother by Amanda James

Genre: Psychological Suspense

Read: 16th July 2018

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Purchase: Amazon

★★★ 3.5 stars

ANOTHER MOTHER is a slow burning psychological thriller with a bit of a difference. In fact, the first half of the book didn't feel much like a thriller at all. But don't let that fool you...because about halfway through it turns ending in a fast paced thrill ride with one twist and then another twist you don't see coming! Not even I (who normally does) saw it coming!

Lucinda, or Lu as she is known as, has always known she was adopted but has always felt loved and secure with her adoptive parents. Although growing up she was bullied at school for being adopted with the cruelest things like "No wonder your mother got rid of you, who would want you?" Kids can be so cruel, and having been on the receiving end of schoolyard bullying I know just how damaging and lasting the effects of bullying can have on a child. This left Lu lacking in confidence and self worth. But she had a wonderful life with her parents whom she both adored.

Then one day, after walking out of her job, she arrives home to find the police there delivering the unbelievable news that her mum had been killed in a traffic accident. Although Lu adores her father she decides to seek her biological mother out, hoping to discover where she came from and why she was adopted. So she re-engages an investigator she asked to find her a few years before, and before long receives a letter from her birth mother, Mellyn. With her father's blessing, she travels to Cornwall to meet her. But once she does she finds that everything is not as it seems and becomes confused and unsettled by Mellyn's behaviour. She begins to doubt everything she knows and even herself as she becomes wrapped up in Mellyn's challenging and conflicting behaviour, gushing with love and platitudes one minute and darkened "meltdowns" the next. Lu finds herself feeling somewhat protective towards Mellyn, wanting to help her so she decides to extend her stay in Cornwall indefinitely.

Whilst in Cornwall, Lu meets and finds a friend in Rosie who works at the B&B she stays in, and ultimately gets work in alongside Rosie when deciding to extend her stay. They become close friends, laughing and enjoying a similar humour as the other. One day, Rosie discloses that thinks she remembers her mum being friends with Mellyn at some stage, so questions her mum about it when she calls, but her mum goes quiet and dismisses her queries. When Lu brings up Rosie's mum with Mellyn, she denies knowing her at all and that she must be mistaken. But is everything as it seems? Or not?

Initially after the death of her adoptive mother, Lu had found solace in a neighbour Adelaide and who was now taking care of her father in her absence. It was in her quiet moments now when becoming unsettled by Mellyn's strange behaviour Lu found herself longing for Adelaide's wise words and confided in her during their phone conversations. So when Adelaide decided an impromptu visit to Cornwall with her sister Evelyn, Lu was delighted. But was it a good idea?

All this created a slow build up as a premise of what was to come. It was almost like slowly trudging up a huge hill (most probably in Cornwall...lol) and once you made it to the top - the halfway point - you suddenly found yourself barreling down the other side so fast you could hardly keep up, as everything began to unravel. That was what reading this book was like.

Now I loved the setting for this book. Being British at heart, I long for the picturesque beauty of places like Cornwall, and the quaint little seaside village was both atmospheric and idyllic. The sleepiness of the surroundings made for that real sense of foreboding, almost claustrophobic in some ways. After all, it is much easier to hide in a city than in a village.

I really enjoyed Lu's character. I'm not a fan of overly strong women with a bitchy attitude, but Lu was nothing like that. She was someone I could relate to having been bullied when I was younger too, leaving me with that lack of self worth and confidence also. Her ability to be speak her mind with Mellyn is something I could never do. I would be too afraid of the consequences. The fact that Lu's part of the story is written in first person really made it feel like I was her, living her life. Lu was someone I could really connect with, though I often found myself saying to her "No, don't do it, Lu! Don't do it!" or "Just walk away". But as I'm not adopted I can't really relate to how difficult it would be to just walk away from your birth mother just as soon as you had found her, no matter how strange or conflicting her behaviour was.

I liked Rosie as well. I sense early on about her, but at the same time I sometimes questioned "was this a trap?" This book makes you question who to trust even when it is obvious who you can't. I did find myself wondering about Rosie at times, but on the whole, I did like her. I enjoyed her friendship with Lu, but to me, that's all it should be.

Adelaide? I loved her. She was very wise and Lu's descriptions of her were rather amusing - the pencilled eyebrows...lol Whilst in the beginning I thought she may be a meddling busybody, in the end I found her to be one of the strongest characters in the entire book. She was kind, loving, amusing and very engaging. Her relationship with Lu is almost a surrogate mother/daughter one which I found to be rather special and something to be treasured.

And then there was Mellyn...who was dramatic to say the least. In a nutshell, I did not like her. From the first moment in the book I didn't like her. I was suspicious of her from the beginning - her overt gushes of love and self adulation just didn't ring genuine to me. But Lu, desperately searching for where she came from and the truth of her adoption, put it down as nerves and unsure herself. But no matter what happened between Mellyn and Lu I could not like her one bit. I didn't trust her one bit. Every time her face darkened and she went into what Lu calls "one of her meltdowns" I screamed at Lu to go pack her bags and get out! I knew this would not end well for either of them. Mellyn was, in a nutshell, a nutcase. She played loosely with truth and fiction, telling Lu little "bits" just enough to feel sorry for her and to keep Lu on, what I saw as, a bit of a leash. Plainly put, the woman was mental. And Lu was right on one score - Mellyn needed help. She was dangerous and volatile, and as the pages turn you could see her begin to unravel...sending you into that wild ride to the end.

Overall, ANOTHER MOTHER is a well written story with that slow burn to start, lulling you in to that false sense of security before sending you on a rollercoaster ride of your life till the end. I read this in two sittings. 20% the first night, and then the next 80% the following night, unable to put it down once I found myself on that thrill ride...I needed to find out what happened. And then, just when you thought it was over, there was one final twist that had me thinking "what the...?" as it began to play out. And then it all made perfect sense.

When I started, I didn't think I would stick it out or enjoy it very much but how wrong I was. Incredibly psychological with a difference, ANOTHER MOTHER is definitely for lovers of that real drawn out suspense.

REVIEW: The Girl Who Came Back by Kerry Wilkinson

The Girl Who Came Back by Kerry Wilkinson

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Read: 14th July 2018

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Purchase: Amazon

★★★★★ 5 stars

Thirteen years ago, Olivia Adams went missing. Now she's back...or is she?

THE GIRL WHO CAME BACK had me gripped from the first pages! Not even a Prologue to whet my appetite, it went straight in and had me hooked.

THE GIRL WHO CAME BACK is set in a little English village where everyone knows everyone and everyone knows everyone's business. You've heard of Chinese whispers - well, this is a case of Stoneridge whispers. Take an event such as little 6 year old Olivia Adam's disappearance from her back garden 13 years ago, and rumours are rife. Her father was quickly blamed with everyone assuming, as well as spreading the tale, that he was inside watching the football instead of his daughter in the back garden. And of course there's the cliche that parents just can't survive the disappearance or the death of a child and ultimately divorce.

Thirteen years later, Olivia returns to the village of Stoneridge seeking out her family. Her mother Sarah, now remarried with a toddler, quickly accepts her declaring that she "knows her own child". But the close-knit village is quick to judge with their own opinions and once Olivia's identity is out the knowledge causes a huge stir among the residents. She gains two new friends - Nattie and Rhys - who champion her cause. Nattie was Olivia's best friend when they were younger though Olivia doesn't remember her, given she was only young when she disappeared. Rhys was a little older than her but he remembers the story well. In fact, she becomes something of "cautionary tale" with parents keeping their kids in line with - "you don't want to end up like Olivia, do you?"

But there are those who don't want Olivia found. There are those who are skeptical of her return and that she is who she says she is. 

Thirteen years later and Olivia returns? With a vague story about gypsies, no real details and not wanting to pursue legal action - it all seems a bit far-fetched. Her mother's new husband Max and his brother Ashley don't believe her story from the start. But Sarah looks into Olivia's eyes and just KNOWS it's her daughter. She has the same eyes. Even her father Dan says she has the "same way" about her as her mother - the way she talks and carries herself. She is certainly Sarah's child. But other's just aren't convinced.

Running alongside the main story - Olivia's story - is one of Lily throughout the years beginning from 2004 when she was 11 and her mother had just died. Lily's story is a sad one with just her and her dad after the death of her mother. Just how do these two stories entwine is the question we all ask...

Written in the first person from Olivia's perspective - and Lily's within her story -THE GIRL WHO CAME BACK is a very enjoyable read. It almost felt a little claustrophobic at times, being stuck within the confines of a very small English village, wondering just who to trust. I admit I figured out the connection early on but that didn't ruin the story for me at all. I still enjoyed the twists that came my way as I eagerly read into the night. It did end differently that I had anticipated, leaving you feeling a little sad for Olivia.

This is my first Kerry Wilkinson read and it certainly won't be my last. He writes cleverly and skillfully with just enough intrigue to keep us both entertained and absorbed to the last page. I definitely recommend!!

REVIEW: The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald

 

The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Read: 10th July 2018

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★★★★ 4.5 stars

THE CRY is a dark psychological thriller with a gripping moral dilemma at its heart and characters who will keep you guessing on every page. It is a dark, disturbing tale of guilt, of innocence, of truth and lies.

A thrilling psychological drama, THE CRY delves into a parent's worse nightmare. Joanna and Alistair have travelled from Scotland to Australia to fight for custody of Alistair's 14 year old daughter from his ex-wife. Then the unthinkable happens - their 9 week old baby Noah is suddenly gone and Joanna finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew. Was she being punished? For her affair with Alistair while he was still married? For her impatient and seemingly irrational behaviour on the plane trying to cope with Noah's incessant crying? For being "a bad mother"? But no matter "why" or whatever the circumstance, Joanna blames herself.

Then the lies, rumours and the guilt slowly eat away and snowball, causing Joanna and Alistair to turn on each other. The story captivates the media creating a feeding frenzy at their front door with Alistair thriving on the attention and Joanna wanting to disappear, only serving to drive a wedge further between the couple. Joanna begins to hallucinate, thinking she is hearing baby Noah talking to her from a Lilly Pilly tree across the road.

The story is told primarily in the third person surrounding Joanna. Some chapters are in the first person from ex-wife Alexandra's perspective, and some in the third person again around 14 year old Chloe. Then we switch to some months later in the Melbourne Supreme Court where Joanna is on trial. We think we know why, as it appears blatantly obvious, but hang on as there is more to come.

As the reader, WE think we know what happened but as the story progresses we discover different dimensions to each character and find ourselves questioning everyone. With deeply flawed and complex characters, the facades behind which each of them hides begins to crack and secrets are revealed.

What really DID happen to baby Noah?

THE CRY is not the kind of psychological thriller you would expect from this genre. Though it is still a psychological thriller. It keeps you guessing. It makes you question everything. It leaves you wondering...why?

I gave this book 4 and a half stars because I could not stand Alistair. He was shallow and completely unlikeable. A narcissistic psychopath who only looks out for himself.

THE CRY has been made into a 4 part drama for BBC which aired just last month in the UK. Keep an eye out for it on streaming networks!

REVIEW: Silent Child by Sarah A. Denzil

Silent Child by Sarah A. Denzil

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Read: 6th July 2018

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Purchase: Amazon

★★★★★ 5 stars

SILENT CHILD is a dark, gripping and rather an original novel about a subject which is just as dark and harrowing. The disappearance of a child is harrowing; the murder of a child is harrowing; the kidnap and systematic abuse of a child is a dark place many do not want to go. But this book isn't about that. It's about a little boy's disappearance and subsequent reappearance ten years later, and his mother's heartbreaking story of coming to terms with it and then having her life turned upside down again.

Emma was a young mother of 18 when she gave birth to Aiden. Six years later, during one of the worst floods in a hundred years, Aiden vanishes from school, feared drowned in the gushing river Ouse. The only thing found was his red coat and Aiden was presumed dead. Emma was consumed with grief, especially after the sudden death of her parents in a car crash. Seven years after, Emma had him legally declared dead. She moved on, got married and was pregnant with her second child. She is at peace. Then the unthinkable happened...

Ten years after his disappearance, Aiden was discovered wandering in a daze near the forest wearing only pants. He was taken to the hospital, DNA tests run and a match returned the result that he was Aiden. But something's wrong. Aiden is silent. He won't speak. He won't respond to anything or anyone. Just stares unseeingly at a TV screen or at nothing. Yet his body tells the story of abuse. Her life now turned upside down three weeks before her baby is due, Emma tries to reconnect with her teenage son but is met with blank stares and flinched at being touched. Together with Aiden's father Rob, Emma's husband Jake, Rob's parents Peter and Sonja, and Emma's best friend Josie, Emma tries to make sense of what has happened to her son in his missing years and if he would ever be able to tell her.

This book opens with Emma reliving Aiden's disappearance and as the story unfolds it is narrated by a grief-stricken Emma, grieving for the son she lost and the missing years she lost when he returns. The journey she takes us on is a painful one - from reliving the pain of his disappearance, the heartbreak at losing her parents, the emptiness of her life that becomes a living breathing nightmare she endures every day...until she decides she no longer can. It was her husband Jake who saved her from rock bottom and gave her life meaning again.

SILENT CHILD is a dark, unsettling but wild ride. It is fast paced and thrilling, and keeps you guessing just which way the story will unfold. Who could you trust? Who told the truth? Who lied? Whose lives were just a mask hiding who they really were? It had me second guessing everyone! At one point I even suspected something was amiss with her best friend when Emma couldn't get her on the phone...and I began to suspect Josie. Amidst all the red herrings, twists and turns only two people I completely trusted not to be behind it - Emma and Rob. But even that could have been a red herring as I have read some books where nothing is as it seemed and the "victim" was actually NOT! But throughout the unfolding of Emma's (and Aiden's) story, while I questioned everyone, one person stood out...even if just a little. And I kept coming back to that constant niggle that something wasn't right... I wasn't sure, but I felt that it made sense that this person had something to do with Aiden's disappearance.

This book is written from Emma's perspective in the first person throughout, though one chapter near the end is from Aiden's, which was poignant. To finally hear his voice and to hear his story was agonising.

While I did figure out who it was, I don't feel this book was predictable at all. Maybe in some ways as psychological thrillers do tend to follow a kind of silent narrative but it still had enough mystery and suspense to surprise and shock the reader. I read ALOT of psychological thrillers and I mean ALOT. But mostly they are just another book I read and enjoy in that moment...but this one is one that stays with you and haunts you.

What impressed really impressed me was to discover SILENT CHILD was a self published novel. This hauntingly harrowing story bypassed the usual avenues of publishing and Sarah Denzil did it all herself. Well done. This was the first book I have read by this author and I doubt it will be my last.

A dark, disturbing yet brilliant psychological thriller. A must for fans of this genre!

REVIEW: Before I Left by Daisy White

Before I Left (Ruby Baker #1) by Daisy White

Genre: Mystery

Read: 5th July 2018

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

★★★★ 4 stars

BEFORE I LEFT is a new series featuring Ruby Baker and her friends, set in Brighton in the 1960s - although I didn't find a lot of reference to the era, except for a couple of songs of the time. Although with so few people on the phone and without the immediate contact via mobile or social media, it did resonate an earlier era. Apart from that it could have been set in any time.

Nineteen year old Ruby and her pregnant best friend Mary are on the run. They hitch from London to Brighton (something that certainly wouldn't be safe to do these days) escaping abusive lifestyles - Ruby, her step father and Mary, her husband - as well as a dark secret. Their hope is to stay with Ruby's cousin Pearl, a student nurse (in nursing digs), in Brighton until they can get on their feet.

They soon obtain jobs at a local hairdressing salon owned by Johnnie, a friend of Pearl's, and together they join the party scene with Pearl and her friends, who then become their close-knit circle of friends. And soon Ruby and Mary are enjoying their new found freedom and their friends....until....

....Ruby finds someone watching her. Pearl's bedsit is broken into. Ruby's stepfather's bloodied signet ring. Who is watching her? Mary is afraid it's her abusive husband. Ruby is afraid it's her equally abusive stepfather. So who is it? And do they know her secret?

The story is slow going for almost half with the only mystery being that of "the watcher" as dubbed by Ruby. It is not until 40% in that a murder occurs, with Ruby stumbling on the body whilst out searching for her clutch bag she lost the night before. What is even more shocking that the victim is someone close to them and Ruby begins to fear for both her's and Mary's safety. Is "the watcher" a murder? Is Ruby or Mary his next target?

Soon after the first murder, another occurs and then Mary goes missing just days before she is due to give birth. Setting up an impromptu investigation bureau in Johnnie's salon, Ruby, Johnnie, staff members and even locals gather every day in the race to solve the murders and Mary's disappearance. All sorts of rumours begin to surface about disgruntled exes, housing developments, witchcraft and human sacrifices. As days pass with Mary still missing, Ruby begins to suspect the murderer is waiting for Mary to give birth, needing her baby for his/her ritual.

Can Ruby solve the mystery and save Mary in time?

BEFORE I LEFT is a well written and interesting read. A little different than the usual style of thriller or mystery but still quite enjoyable. The "watcher" story arc didn't seem to be completed and maybe it will resurface again in future books in the series, though their identity is revealed and why they were watching Ruby but there was no real reason behind why they taunted her (except a loose one). I honestly did not guess the murderer, though I did suspect them at one point but quickly dismissed it. So it was a revealing climax. There are a few twists and turns in the plot and a few red herrings, before a final conclusion emerges.

More of a mystery than a thriller, BEFORE I GO is a well written and enjoyable read.

REVIEW: The Gathering Murders by Keith Moray

The Gathering Murders (Inspector Torquil McKinnon) by Keith Moray

Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Noir

Read: 3rd July 2018

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

★★★★ 4 stars

I would actually give the book 4.5 stars! I loved it but for the lack of dialogue to begin with and mostly description. To me it makes a book too "heavy" like I am reading a text book. When I began, I actually pondered whether to continue and if I would enjoy it. So glad I did though.

Keith Moray takes us deep into the landscape of the Hebrides as he recounts this highland Scottish murder mystery with all the local overtones from the community to the harmonious Gaelic dialect. "The Gathering Murders" is the first in a new series featuring Inspector Torquil McKinnon on the Hebridean isles of West Uist. He heads up the West Uist Constabulary, a small quiet force of three, and enjoys long quiet rides on his Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle along the Hebridean coastlines and deep into its landscape. He is also the locally dubbed "Piper" for his penchant and talent for the bagpipes, which he intends to play at The Gathering for the coveted Silver Quaich that eludes him every year. McKinnon is aided by Constable Ewan McPhee, a lovable giant, and single mum Sergeant Morag Driscoll, as well as his uncle, Reverand Lachlan McKinnon, who is both loved and knowledgeable about all things West Uist, if not Hebridean, and who raised Torquil from a youngster after his parents were tragically killed.

The book opens with a prologue set in Glasgow and a death which at first glance is not suspicious - with only the perpetrator knowing the truth - before surrounding us with the picturesque beauty of the Hebrides. The small town of Kyleshiffin on West Uist goes from small community to bursting at the seams with thousands of visitors coming to attend The Gathering (Highland Games I would think) and the Literary Festival, which boasts various writers including Kyleshiffin's own Fiona Cullen, dubbed Scottish Queen of Crime, returning to the town with her own agenda. Soon there is murder (at first deemed accidental death) then another, and before long the small close-knit community find themselves at the forefront of national news with the police under fire from the locals and the top brass for not getting a quicker result.

There are some amusing moments with former school teacher, who commands the same presence now and when she taught Torquil and all the Kyleshiffin locals, when no one dared answer her back. There are some shifty characters you will find yourself questioning at every turn as well as some lovable ones. The most surprising I think is who the murderer is. Even I, who usually has some inkling somewhere through a story, did not guess who it was! It was interesting just how many people on a small island can have so many different motives - all at the same time! But the reveal was a definite surprise, at the same time the story continuing at a steady pace to keep the reader interested and guessing!

I love how Moray incorporates the use of Gaelic and yet translates it to English for the reader, as there is nothing worse than reading a book which uses a dialect one doesn't understand and therefore has no idea what is going on in those conversations. I also love that the story is set in the warmer summery months as opposed to the usual dark bleak Scottish weather of rain and misery which is often found in those set in Glasgow and Aberdeen.

In summary, this is a wonderful whodunnit of a different style, in Gaelic noir, with plenty of murders, plenty of suspects and beautiful scenery! I look forward to learning about Torquil further into the series and enjoying the gorgeous Hebrides once more!