The Librarian by Valerie Keogh
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 19th April 2023
Published: 21st April 2023
★★ 2 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Since that fateful night I have always kept myself to myself. Reserved.
Private. Alone.
Some people think I am too quiet. That life is passing me by. But I know there is safety in my own company. That no one can hurt me if I don’t let them get too close.
Until the day I meet him. A handsome, charming stranger. A chance for me to take a risk…finally?
Or a man who threatens everything I’ve worked so hard for?
You’ll be sorry…
And that’s when my whole life begins to fall apart….
Don't miss the brand new thriller by Valerie Keogh! Perfect for fans of Sue Watson, Shalini Boland and K.L. Slater.
MY THOUGHTS:
Shhh....silence is safer...but is it?
Ava Warrington is a quiet reserved young woman with her dream job as head librarian at the Tate Modern in London. After university many of her friends travelled or took up fancy jobs abroad but after a chance application, Ava found herself working at the Tate fresh out of university. And she loves her job. Every evening she comes home to the house her parents gifted her, kicks off her shoes and relaxes in the silence.
But lately that silence has become deafening. A reminder than not all is as it should be and that she doesn't truly deserve this. And that one day, it can all be snatched away in the blink of an eye.
And then it is.
It begins with a chance encounter at a bistro one afternoon. A lunch with best friend Poppy who is busy scouting for her next conquest, eyeing off two potentials...one of which she lands without effort and Ava leaves her friend in his capable hands and heads off home. But she is stopped by a dark eyed handsome stranger who insists on buying her a drink. Ava, who is forever told by her sister and Poppy that she doesn't know how to say no, thinks on the invitation before telling him just that - "No, thank you." But it seems he isn't listening and he bars her way, insisting on just one drink. But there is something in his eyes - something predatory - that makes her act on her original instinct. And she leaves him standing in the doorway shouting after her "You'll be sorry."
Words that come back to haunt her in her waking hours and her dreams. "You'll be sorry". When she finds a bloodied bird on her window but returns home to find no trace of it there. When she is suspended from the job she loves for ruining a valuable painting. When she's in the silence of her home. When she's lost to sleep and dreams of the past. When everything comes back to haunt her...she hears those words over and over and over. "You'll be sorry."
So much goes wrong for Ava where do I begin? Sadly, I almost missed it for fear of falling asleep the pace was so slow and the silence deafening. And don't get me started on Poppy. The woman is supposed to be her best friend but all she's interested in is sharing everything about the latest love of her life that she's "got a good feeling about this one", forgetting she's said the same about the last dozen of them. When Ava truly needed a friend, all Poppy could think about was herself. And then had the audacity to say she's such a drama queen. The one time Ava asked if she could come over after being suspended from her dream job, Poppy says "Oh I would but Noah (her latest conquest) is on his way over..." Ava would have dropped everything for Poppy if she needed her. This sounds all too familiar to me and I hate one-way friendships/relationships. I've been a doormat for people for most of my life and I will still gladly help them if they need me...yet can the same be said for them? Not one person rang me for my birthday so I guess that in itself is very telling. Like me, Ava is there for her friends and family should they need her but are they there for her? I really felt for Ava.
Overall, THE LIBRARIAN is a slow burn thriller that builds its pace with a palpable tension throughout. Sadly, it wasn't enough to hold my attention and I ended up skimming through most of it to find out how it all unravelled.
I would like to thank #ValerieKeogh, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheLibrarian in exchange for an honest review.
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