What She Did by Carla Kovach
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 16th September 2021
Published: 20th September 2021
★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
Marissa lives alone in her tiny one-bed apartment. It’s quiet and safe; all she’s ever wanted. But when the police knock on her door with the news that her last remaining family member has died, she comes face to face with the family secret she has spent a lifetime running from.
A witness saw her car outside his house that day, but Marissa knows she’s innocent. She hasn’t seen her uncle in years and remembers going to bed in her own home that night. But she’s had blackouts before and can’t always trust her memory.
Days later, Marissa’s neighbour is found dead in his home, exactly like her uncle. It was no secret that Marissa didn’t get on with her neighbour, but she’d never want to see him hurt.
As you read, you’ll think you know where to draw the line between innocence and guilt. But blame is a dangerous thing, and nothing is ever what it seems…
Perfect for fans of C.L. Taylor, Teresa Driscoll and Lisa Jewell, What She Did is a dark and twisty crime thriller that will keep you up all night!
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Carla Kovach's standalone thriller WHAT SHE DID.
As a fan of the author's DI Gina Harte series, I was excited to read her standalone thriller WHAT SHE DID and yet I didn't know what to expect. But this book is so different it almost feels as if it were written by someone else. And the protagonist in this book is a far cry from that of the strong and assertive Gina Harte.
Marissa Baxter didn't have the best start in life. She was five years old when she witnessed her mother murdered from her hiding place under the bed before being sent off to her aunt and uncle who made no secret of the fact that they didn't really want her but welcomed the child benefits. At their hands she suffered abuse and neglect. Her aunt Caroline, her mother's sister, would lock her in the cellar for the slightest offence and her uncle Simon began sexually abusing her when she was about ten years old, not stopping until she was old enough to start crushing sleeping pills into his beer. Throughout her childhood her only friend was a cat called Riffy that she adored and who Simon used to threaten to harm should Marissa reveal that they were anything but a happy family to Social Services.
Today, Marissa is a 28 year old woman living alone in an apartment on an estate in Stratford-upon-Avon. Since leaving the farm and her uncle Simon behind ten years ago, she has worked her way up through financial services specialising in mortgage and insurance. And all the time her focus has been on one thing - to save enough money to purchase that little cottage by the river in which her mother and she lived as a child before they fled one night. That cottage epitomised safety and happiness for Marissa and the greatest of memories of her mother lived there...and one day Marissa vowed that she would again. In the meantime, she would visit the cottage and just watch it and dream of another time.
It is on one of her visits that she catches a glimpse of something from her nightmares at one of the windows. Simon. He is in her cottage. The one that was hers and her mother's. He knew how much it meant to her and he now he has come to steal those memories away by tarnishing it with his evil. Marissa was too late. He had bought the cottage before she had a chance to.
Putting thoughts of Simon from her mind, Marissa meets with a potential new client Ben Forge, recommended by her friend Justine, but the experience proves to be a disconcerting one as the man attempts to charm and woo a frightened Marissa with wine and a string of suggestive nuances. She flees the meeting telling herself she will never agree to lunch or dinner with the man again. And when she tries to question Justine about him, she gets a vague answer about being careful with him and not to let him too close. What did Justine mean? What is she not telling her?
And as if that wasn't enough, new neighbour Dan Pritchard moves into the apartment across from hers. And he is far from a welcoming person. He continues to play music at a loud volume, watches Marissa from the communal window and grins at her like the proverbial cheshire cat. Every encounter with him is distasteful and aggressive, adding to her already anxious state, as she shrivels further under the weight of worry. Home no longer feels like a safe haven which is only exacerbated by Dan's aggressive behaviour and the creepy notes that she begins to receive. Added to that, she gets the sense that she is being watched and catches glimpses of a hooded figure looming in the background outside her flat. But every time she tries to catch up with them, they disappear. She doesn't even know if it's a man or a woman, though she suspects it is someone to do with her past.
Then one day, there's a knock at her front door. It's the police. They have come to tell her what she already knows...what she saw on the news that morning. That her uncle Simon is dead. Stabbed. And something even more concerning...last night, the night of Simon's murder, she had been sleepwalking and had no recollection of where she had been or what she had done. But in her hand was a broken bauble that had been her mother's. That could only have come from Simon's house. What has she done?
In all her misery, there is a light shining in her corner. A neighbour across the estate, Glen, who heads up a neighbourhood committee to help better things on the estate for all residents. In him, she finds a friend. A soul mate of sorts. He is there when she needs him to be, on the other end of the phone when she feels she can't face another encounter with Dan. After all the misery in her life, Marissa needs someone she can count on because Justine seems to be avoiding her and Ben is creeping her out and Dan is just aggressive. But there are some secrets she must keep to herself. Glen cannot know about her past or Simon or her sleepwalking or anything like that. He would run a mile if he knew.
But someone knows. Someone has been following her. Someone knows her secrets. Someone knows about her mother's murder. They know something about her father. And they know what Marissa is trying to hide. But who are they? And what has she done?
WHAT SHE DID is a dark and disturbing tale that delves into the life and mind of a very damaged young woman. After all that she had endured, is it any wonder she's a bag of nerves? Marissa is not an easy character to connect with as some of her behaviour and her mindset is very odd and doesn't tally with the image she is trying to portray of herself. But it is easy to sympathise with her after all she has been through. And yet she is such an unreliable narrator you begin to question if she is really telling the truth? As for the other characters, none of them have many redeeming qualities at all, except for a couple of fleeting faces who tragically don't seem to remain in her life, sadly.
The story unfolds in the present day with the past peppered in the odd alternate chapter throughout as we are given a rare glimpse into Marissa's past, the successful young woman she grew into before the nervous wreck she became. It is narrated solely by Marissa in the first person.
The pace is steady but does drop off at times, mostly due to the repetition of Marissa's nervous thinking and behaviour. I had to wonder what she was doing at times and why. She is a very troubled and troubling character, to say the least, which leaves the reader questioning her behaviour and motives. WHAT SHE DID is quite unsettling in places and while there are no graphic scenes, the nuances as to what takes place as to the sexual abuse is very clear and quite disturbing to read.
While for much of the book I was as clueless as Marissa appeared to be, I did manage to work out who was behind the mysterious occurrences. But it was the final twist at the very end that was one that leaves you wondering that was a brilliant touch.
I would like to thank #CarlaKovach, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #WhatSheDid in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Since then she has written & produced several stage plays, has four self-published books, has acted in several independent films and is currently in the final stages of production of her feature horror film, Penny for the Guy.
She now writes full time as well as co-owning a film, photography & video production company located in the heart of Redditch town centre.
Social Media links:
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