REVIEW: Deny Me by Karen Cole

 

Deny Me by Karen Cole
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense
Read: 29th August 2020
Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 30th April 2020

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

From the bestselling author of Deliver Me comes a gripping new thriller with a twist you'll never see coming!

Thirty-two-year-old Jessica is newly divorced and has returned home to live with her parents whilst she puts the pieces of her life back together. But Jessica isn't the only one with problems, as her mother, Jean, has recently been diagnosed with dementia.

Shortly after Jessica's arrival, one of the neighbours falls to her death, in what appears to be a terrible accident. However, Jean claims that the woman was murdered by her husband and that she witnessed the whole thing.

With Jean's memory rapidly deteriorating, her family dismiss her story, believing Jean is confused. But when Jessica learns that the couple next door's marriage may have been in trouble, she begins to wonder if her mother did see something after all.

Jessica is determined to discover the truth, but soon uncovers much more than she bargained for...

MY REVIEW:

Having enjoyed Karen Cole's previous book "Deceive Me" I was looking forward to sinking my teeth into DENY ME. And I have to say, I think I loved this one even more!

He said it was an accident.

She said it was murder.

How far would YOU go to discover the truth?

Jessica Delaney has recently returned to England after her life fell apart in Spain. Leaving her controlling partner Matteo behind and a job she loved teaching, she returned home after spiraling into anxiety and depression after a mental health episode. But upon her arrival she discovered her mother, Jean, is suffering from Alzheimer's and her condition is gradually deteriorating.

One night after learning their neighbour's wife had fallen to her death from a window in recent weeks, Jean declares the woman was pushed and that she saw it happen. But given her gradual decline with dementia, how much of what Jean says can be believed? Is she confused? Or is she a witness to murder? 

Jess believes her mother knows something but her father Brian and her brother Howie dismiss her claims as the dementia talking. But Jess is not so sure. Is her mother's claim just fantasy mingled with reality? Or are her memories confused with the present? Whatever the case may be, Jean appears to be truly frightened of something or someone.

Then when Jess receives a call that her mother has taken an overdose of her medication, Jess rushes to the hospital only to arrive too late. Her father is devastated but Jess can't help but feel something is wrong. Her father always doled out her mother's medication for her - how could she overdose on it intentionally or accidentally? Unless... Jess has a horrible feeling that her mother's fears weren't completely unfounded. 

Just days before, Jean had started to tell Jess something that she had kept secret for years, whispering fearfully that "he wants me dead" and "I know too much". But her father walked in, ending their conversation. What was her mother about to tell her that was obviously so important? Jess thought she would get another opportunity to find out but sadly her mother died before she could ask her about it. But before she did, Jean had given Jess her jewellery box claiming that a lot of memories were stored in there. Was her mother trying to tell her something?

Knowing her previous mental health breakdown will preclude anyone from accepting her belief that her mother knew something, Jess decides to investigate but will she get more than she bargained for? As her quest for answers takes her back to the past Jess wants to know the truth, but she can't possibly prepare herself for what she'll uncover...

Told solely in Jess' narrative, DENY ME is a fast paced quick read that will have you turning the pages at the speed of light. Jess battles her own demons whilst on a journey for the truth with a number of events that not only affect her but also her family and friends. 

The topics of mental health and dementia are dealt with sensitively and accurately and, as I am no stranger to either, I found myself in tears as I drew parallels to my own experiences. Watching Jean's confusion mingled with her moments of lucidity were both accurate and heartbreaking. As the dementia adds another dimension to the story, like Jess, we also question how much of one's memories real or imagined or mingled with reality? And did that make her mother's claims all the more real or a figment of her imagination?

Filled with family drama and secrets, DENY ME is a compelling and captivating thriller that will have you questioning everyone and everything. I hovered between two characters as the guilty party but still had it figured out before the shocking reveal came. It was clever and well written and I enjoyed every moment of the ride. 

My only flaw I found with it was...how on earth did Jess get a passport without ever seeing her birth certificate? Because if she had...? Just a slight unanswered question that is a little fuzzy. And as such, the Spanish back story may have been better to have been left out altogether in that case. The same could have still taken place in England without the need for a passport, leaving the validity of that question dangling.

But nevertheless, DENY ME is an engaging and twisty psychological thriller that is addictive throughout. Right up to that shocking end. Packed with enough twists to give you whiplash and whether you see what is coming or not, that Epilogue will leave you breathless!

Definitely recommend!

I would like to thank #KarenCole, #NetGalley and #Quercus for an ARC of #DenyMe in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Karen Cole grew up in the Cotswolds and got a degree in psychology at Newcastle University. She spent several years teaching English around the world before settling in Cyprus with her husband and two sons, where she works at a British army base as a primary school teacher. She recently completed the Curtis Brown writing course where she found her love of writing psychological thrillers.

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads