The Fall by Louise Jensen
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 23rd April 2023
Published: 27th July 2023
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
She promised not to tell. They made sure she couldn’t…
At her surprise 40th birthday party, Kate Granger feels like the luckiest woman in the world but just hours later her fifteen-year-old daughter, Caily, is found unconscious underneath a bridge when she should have been at school.
Now, Caily lies comatose in her hospital bed, and the police don’t believe it was an accident. As the investigation progresses, it soon becomes clear that not everyone in the family was where they claimed to be at the time of her fall.
Caily should be safe in hospital but not everyone wants her to wake up. Someone is desperate to protect the truth and it isn’t just Caily’s life that is in danger.
Because some secrets are worth killing for…
MY THOUGHTS:
She promised not to tell...they made sure she didn't...
It has been such a while since I've read a Louise Jensen thriller that I'd forgotten how well she can spin a tale. And that is why, despite only a few hours sleep, I have devoured THE FALL in under twenty-four hours. So many twists; so many secrets. I flipped through all 450 pages faster than I could read them. Short chapters kept the pace moving and multiple perspectives kept it interesting. who pushed Caily from the bridge? And why? And what secrets are they trying to keep from coming out? A family under pressure from all angles, nothing will prepare them for what is about to unfold.
Twins Kate and Beth have just turned forty and celebrated with a surprise party in a barn on the family farm. Throughout their entire lives they have been each other's half, always there when they need one another. But a day after their party, Kate's world comes crashing down when her 15 year old daughter Caily is found unconscious below a rickety bridge, having been pulled from the water. Her rescuer dialed 999 but was nowhere to be found once emergency services arrived. Rushed straight to hospital, Caily is in a coma having suffered a head injury and nearly drowning. But only time will tell when and if she comes out of the coma and how much she has been affected by the fall.
Kate gets the call and rushes to her daughter's bedside. What was Caily doing on the bridge? She should have been at school doing the final rehearsal for the opening night of "La La Land" in which Caily had the female lead. So why was she on the bridge and not rehearsing? And Caily's cousin Tegan came bursting into the house she shared with her mum Beth, Kate's twin sister, tears streaming down her face the moment Kate received the call about Caily. Did she have something to do with Caily's accident? Does Tegan know more than she's letting on?
Both fifteen, Caily and Tegan are more like siblings than cousins and they do everything together. Actually, interestingly enough I recently read that genetically, children of identical twins are more half-siblings than first cousins. Anyway, the girls are as inseparable as their mothers have always been with their own language - "I see you" countered with "I saw you first" - and their indivisible closeness. When Caily wins the female lead with Tegan as her understudy the girls are thrilled and can't wait to share the news with their family. But jealousy is rife and one Dani King can't help but make pig references to Caily with utterances of "oink oink" which only serves to chip away at Caily's already dwindling confidence. And that is only the beginning.
Add to this a nefarious character or two, some secret plotting while other secrets are exposed...with Caily uncovering one of them, did someone then serve to silence her for good before she could reveal what she discovered? Or was it the cyberbullying that lead to her fall? Caily's despair is felt throughout in the lead-up to her fall as is the despair of those around her. Everyone, it seems, has secrets to hide but who would want to silence a teenage girl to keep them hidden?
Louise Jensen is a masterful storyteller. Her settings are always atmospheric and Marsh Farm was the perfect backdrop for the unravelling of all their lives. There is a sense of claustrophobia, a tension that's palpable and a growing despair amongst the characters that just may be their downfall. There's a growing threat of danger as revelations emerge whilst a suspicion towards foul play over what happened to Caily is ever present. But who would push her and why? Everyone but everyone is under scrutiny that no one escapes suspicion.
THE FALL is a totally immersive and atmospheric psychological thriller in which twist after twist and secret after secret is unravelled. Prepare to be shocked because I was. I never suspected for a moment. But once it became clear, I just felt so so sad. In the end, it was a tragic tale. But without question, an addictive and compelling read from beginning to end.
I would like to thank #LouiseJensen, #Netgalley and #HQStories for an ARC of #TheFall in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Louise Jensen has sold over a million English language copies of her International No. 1 psychological thrillers The Sister, The Gift, The Surrogate, The Date and The Family. Her novels have also been translated into twenty-five languages, as well as featuring on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller’s List. Louise's sixth thriller, The Stolen Sisters will be published in Autumn by Harper Collins.
The Sister was nominated for the Goodreads Debut of 2016 Award. The Date was nominated for The Guardian's 'Not The Booker' Prize 2018. The Surrogate was nominated for the best Polish thriller of 2018. The Gift has been optioned for a TV film. The Family was a Fern Britton Book Club pick. Louise was also listed for two CWA Dagger Awards.
When Louise isn’t writing thrillers, she turns her hand to penning love stories under the name Amelia Henley. Her debut as Amelia Henley, The Life We Almost Had, is out now.
Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers.
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