REVIEW: Between the Lines by S.J. Butler

Between the Lines by S.J. Butler

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 10th January 2022

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Published: 6th August 2020

★ 1 star

DESCRIPTION:

The closer you are, the less you see . . .

When Kev's girlfriend is killed in a hit-and-run, he thinks he's suffered the worst.

Haunted by his past, Kev attempts to put his life back together, throwing himself into his new relationship with Stella and his job as a literary agent.

Then a book lands on his desk that changes everything. And he quickly realises his nightmare has only just begun.

Between the Lines is a darkly gripping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Teresa Driscoll, K.L Slater and Shalini Bolland.

MY REVIEW:

I must be in the minority here because although I really wanted to enjoy S.J. Butler's debut thriller BETWEEN THE LINES, I didn't. In fact I found it incredibly difficult to follow. The story seemed to jump around with the writing somewhat convoluted that I found myself thoroughly confused at times. In fact there were times I wasn't sure what was happening as the narrative appeared to be outlining something completely different and off the wall...before returning back to the actual present. And I was left with...what the hell just happened?

I admit I was drawn to the book for it's tagline "a darkly gripping psychological thriller...perfect for fans of Teresa Driscoll, K.L. Slater and Shalini Boland". Sadly, in my opinion, this book doesn't even touch the even outer echelons of these other more well known and prolific writers.

I can't even say I liked the characters. I couldn't connect with Kev as he seemed to be daydreaming most of the time, stuck in a realm I've no idea where, with bursts of dialogue to reiterate that he was still in the land of the living.

Unfortunately, BETWEEN THE LINES wasn't for me but that isn't to say that it isn't for everyone...as other reviews show that many people loved it. And sadly, one cannot like every book they read just as not everyone will like the same books as everyone else. After all, reading is subjective and tastes differ.

So while I was intrigued by the premise of this book that was to cross his desk at some point and whether the hit and run driver was ever found, I wasn't enough so to continue reading to find out what it was and what it meant. Had I done so, the book may have improved. But for me, if 20 or 30% in and it hasn't garnered my interest by then, I move on. Life's too short for books I don't enjoy.

I would like to thank #SJButler, #Netgalley and #HeadlineAccent for an ARC of #BetweenTheLines in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sean Butler was born in London but lives in County Mayo in the west of Ireland where he works as an English teacher. He attended Queen Mary & Westfield college, University of London 1993-96. He worked for a magazine called ‘Police Review’ in the circulation department which is the magazine for all the police forces in the UK. Their offices were at Canary Wharf, blown up by the IRA before he joined. 

Upon meeting his Irish wife in London, Sean returned to Ireland in 1999 where he gained a job as an English and Literacy teacher in Castlerea prison in County Roscommon. The job brought him into contact with all kinds of people where he saw a darker side to life. Upon hearing stories about peoples' lives, split second decisions and mistakes that threw their lives off course which thus inspired his writing of psychological thrillers.

Sean's debut novel 'Between the Lines' was published in August 2020 by Accent/Headline with his second novel 'Deadly Lesson' released in July 2021.

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