The Blame by Kerry Wilkinson
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 14th February 2021
Published: 19th February 2021
★★★ 3 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Paige, Richard and me. We thought we’d be friends forever. But everything changed the day we took the short cut home from school along the old railway line. I wish we’d gone the long way. I wish we hadn’t seen our classmate, pale and still in the undergrowth. And I wish we hadn’t promised to keep one, awful detail a secret just between us…
Twenty years later, I have a brand-new life, and try never to think about my old one. But I’m dragged back when Paige calls out of the blue. Richard has been accused of something terrible. Everyone back home is whispering about the body we found years ago, and saying Richard deserves to be locked up…
Before I know it, I’ve returned to the small town I thought I’d never see again. Paige is almost the same as I remember – jet-black hair, slender frame – but why does she seem so nervous?
Revealing the truth about what we saw that day twenty years ago could clear Richard’s name… but will the blame fall on me? And can I really trust that Paige is on my side – or is she hiding her own dark secret?
When we find a strange note in Richard’s flat, only one thing is for certain: someone else knows the truth too. All three of us are in danger…
A totally addictive read by bestselling author Kerry Wilkinson about how the secrets from our past will always come back to haunt us. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, I Am Watching You and The Girl on the Train.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Kerry Wilkinson's latest psychological thriller THE BLAME.
I've been a Kerry fan since "The Girl Who Came Back" and love his standalones (as I've not really followed the Jessica Daniels series to appreciate it fully), but throughout this book I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not. It certainly kept me engaged throughout and had that suspenseful undertone but I don't think it is one of his best. Having said that, it is still a relatively enjoyable read.
"People change. And then they change again."
No truer words spoken of real life that was most certainly manifested in the main characters in THE BLAME.
Paige, Richard and Harry were inseparable as teenagers growing up. Now twenty years later, Harry has been living in Canada whilst life went on in Mackleberry back in the UK for both Richard and Paige. Whilst standing in line with the hipsters for a Sunday breakfast, Harry receives a phone call from Paige telling him that Richard has been arrested for the murder of their former head-of-year, Mr Wilson. Twenty three hours later, Harry is back in Mackleberry for the first time in more than a decade.
Unsure of what he can do to help, he teams up with Paige as they endeavour to find out what really happened on the night Wilson was killed. But the more time he spends with Paige, the more he realises how much she has changed. He discovers she had married Richard's older brother Oliver and is now separated. And the more time they spend together, the more he finds Oliver keeps popping up. Is he there to keep them updated about Richard? Or is he keeping an eye on his estranged wife?
And then there is the gossip on the Mackleberry Facebook page. All anyone seems to be interested in is raking up the the discovery of the body of 15 year old Graham Boyes eighteen years ago. And they all seem intent on blaming Richard for the boy's death, insinuating that as he had found the body he surely must have killed him...and if he had killed Graham then it stands to reason he also killed Keith Wilson. But Harry knows that it was both he and Richard that found Graham's body on their way home from school, despite the fact the two boys were never named at the time. However, the community have it all wrapped up tidily...but what do the police think? They had merely arrested Richard and were holding him for questioning. But it's not until a piece of evidence that has been missing for eighteen years is found in Richard's flat, do the police then charge him for Graham's murder as well as Wilson's.
But Harry and Paige know Richard. He would never kill anyone. But after some digging into Richard's personal affairs, Harry uncovers some secrets that his friend has kept hidden from everyone. But do these secrets mean he is capable of murder?
Harry doesn't remember much about finding Graham's body all those years ago except the nightmares that followed. It all became something of a blur. But there is one thing he clearly remembers about the discovery. Something that the police insisted that he and Richard never disclose to anybody EVER! Something that only they, the police and the killer would know. Harry has never told a soul and neither has Richard. So what does this mean? Graham's murder was never solved...so is Wilson's murder linked to Graham's?
While Keith Wilson's murder is the current investigation the focus shifts more towards Graham's as the community continue to raise their concerns and share their opinions. Admittedly, I had my suspicions which turned out to be correct as I picked up on a subtle clue dropped in passing. Although there is an element of mystery, it seems to surround the past more than the present, as the pieces of the puzzle slowly fit together.
Narrated solely by Harry, THE BLAME is a slow burn that meanders through a web of secrets, lies and mystery with no more excitement than finding the missing mate of a pair of socks. Don't get me wrong, it is an engaging read but not a thrilling one and not overly exciting. I did, however, like the ending despite the sad nature it resulted in.
I don't think I really liked any of the characters. I certainly didn't warm to Paige and nobody else was much chop either. Harry seemed to just drift along and I really couldn't feel any of his personality come through. I felt as indifferent to him as his sister Evie did.
There are certainly better written books by Kerry than this one but it is still filled with suspense to keep you guessing right up to the end, and ironically, still a page turner. My favourite part was when Paige's mother, Harry and Evie's neighbour, when she helped Harry out of an aggressive situation which made me cackle as much as she did!
I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBlame 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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