REVIEW: The Perfect Mother by Claire Allan

The Perfect Mother by Claire Allan

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 2nd February 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 5th February 2025

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

All I wanted was to help women become mothers. When I met Alice Monroe, we instantly connected. She was as passionate about motherhood as I was, and I couldn't wait to support her through this life-changing experience.

But the day that should have been Alice’s happiest, turned into a nightmare. And after Alice’s dreams were shattered, she blamed me. Even though there was nothing I could have done, she wanted to ruin me. I lost my business, my reputation. My world fell apart.

Then, I discovered I was pregnant. That’s why we moved hundreds of miles away to the remote Derry countryside. Now, with this beautiful baby, we can have a fresh start.

But then Alice sends me a message. She knows where we are. And I realise, it doesn’t matter how far we’ve moved, I am not safe from her. My baby is not safe.

She would have been the perfect mother. But if she can’t have her happy family, she's not going to let me have mine.

Don't miss the brand-new nail-biting thriller from Claire Allan! Perfect for fans of Valerie Keogh, Andrea Mara and Claire Douglas.

MY THOUGHTS:

The first thing I noticed in the opening pages of this book is that it is partially set in Carrickfergus, a town just out of Belfast I had not heard of before befriending a lovely Irish couple who emigrated here over 40 years ago (to Sydney not Melbourne as in the book) from which they also hail. It's not a place that is often mentioned but I did catch it referred to in the very first episode of "Grantchester" some years ago. I was quite chuffed to see it mentioned and find it peppered throughout the book that I can't wait to tell my friends when I see them next.

So...a year ago, Mel Davison had a thriving business as a doula who practiced hypnobirthing (I'm with Mel's mum on this one) which all came crashing down after the tragic loss of a child for which she was blamed. Mel had left her job as a teacher to follow her dream of becoming a doula and hypnobirthing after the traumatic birth of her daughter Tilly. She wanted to relieve other women of the trauma she'd endured. 

Alice Munroe approached Mel and hired her to be her doula as the two women formed a close friendship which was then threatened after Alice's labour went wrong and Mel was left without her friend and ultimately her business. What ensued was a hate campaign directed at Mel both in person and online. She became a shadow of her former self, jumping at shadows and scared to let Tilly out of her sight. When her daughter's safety is threatened once again, she and her husband Ed move a hundred miles to Derry where they undertake the mammoth task of renovating a period farmhouse whilst living in an onsite caravan in the interim.

But Mel is heavily pregnant again and she hopes much of the renovating will be complete for them to move into the farmhouse before the baby arrives. And then strange things start to happen again. A funeral wreath designed for the loss of a baby is delivered to her parent's door and a memorial is erected on their own gatepost, all designed to unsettle Mel. And it's working. Is Alice behind this new hate campaign? Or is it one of her many followers?

This book showed real promise and started off steady but then slowed down to a mud crawl. It picks up again but it's like being stuck behind a slow driver - pace picks up then slows then picks up then slows. And there is quite a bit of repetition. To be honest, I skimmed a lot of the repetition and wordiness, finding more answers in dialogue. I didn't warm to Mel at all and found it difficult to sympathise with her. She constantly complained about what was happening and yet continued to make things worse for herself. I did suspect who was behind it from early on but didn't work out the entire endgame until just before it happened.

At 291 pages, this is a relatively quick read, though slow in parts, making it a slow quick read...or a quick slow read? The premise was promising but I'm not sure it completely delivered though the ending was satisfactory. Not one of Allan's best but still OK.

I would like to thank #ClaireAllan, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #ThePerfectMother in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Claire Allan is a bestselling author from Derry.

A former journalist, she published eight contemporary women’s fiction titles with Poolbeg Press in Ireland, establishing herself as a multiple Irish Times Bestselling Author.

Her novel 'The First Time I Said Goodbye' - based on a true story of a love affair between a Derry girl and a US marine became a US Kindle Top Five bestseller.

However in 2016,  Claire decided to change genre and to write domestic noir  - this secured her her a book deal with Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins.

Her debut thriller Her Name Was Rose has sold more than a quarter of a million copies and has achieved bestseller status around the world.  

When not writing thrillers, she can be found penning romantic comedies under her alias of Freya Kennedy.

Claire is currently working on a TV adaptation of her 2020 novel ‘The Liar’s Daughter’ with Hat Trick productions, and as a story consultant for the new BBC cop drama ‘Blue Lights’.

Her sixth thriller ‘The Kindling’ is scheduled for publication in January 2022.

 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: In the Dark by Claire Allan

In the Dark by Claire Allan

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 25th January 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 19th January 2023

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I don't know what happened to my daughter. Only that she's missing – and I was the last person to see her…

My name is Nora Logue. You’ve probably heard of me – most people have.

I am the mother of Daisy Logue. Seven years ago, I took her for a walk in the woods. Only I came out.

I have no memory of what happened that day.

I have tried to rebuild my life. Met a man, had another child – Luca. But I can’t let go of Daisy, or give up hope of seeing her again.

And now, I have the chance to find out what happened to her.

But what if pursuing the truth about my daughter risks my son’s life?

A whiplash-inducing, unputdownable crime thriller from the author of The Nurse, perfect for fans of CLARE MACKINTOSH and LISA JEWELL.

MY THOUGHTS:

Ok...so a true crime documentary in the making I wondered which angle this tale would tell. I'm not a fan of journalists and the media frenzy that leeches off other people's misfortune all to get the biggest and best scoop. Sensationalism at its best. But IN THE DARK is different and not what I expected. I should have known...it's Claire Allan and nothing is ever what it seems under her pen.

Everyone knows Nora Logue. She was the mother of four year old Daisy who went into the woods one day and never came out. Nora, on the other hand, did. And to this day, seven years later, she has no recollection of what happened there or to that of her little girl who just simply vanished. But as with all cases such as this, everyone has an opinion and most have no problem airing them. And as a result, Nora has been plagued by hate and vitriol from the public at large because really, how could she not remember what happened in those woods? Or what happened to Daisy? Surely she knows exactly what happened and is playing at the whole disassociative amnesia thing.

Did she see where Daisy went? Did she kill her little girl and try to cover it up? But if that were the case, surely the police would have found her body by now? After all, where else would Daisy's body be but in those woods? Which was painstakingly searched at the time. So what happened to Daisy? And what, or did, Nora have to do with it?

Seven years later, Nora has married Brendan and has a little boy, Luca. Together they are trying to move forward but stil Nora cannot forget Daisy. And, until she knows what truly happened to her, she never will.

Now Nora is approached by true crime documentary filmmaker Izzy Devine, who wants to feature Daisy's case and speak to Nora about her recollections of that day. Together, can they uncover the truth of what happened that day? And reveal what really happened to Daisy? Or will Izzy discover what everyone already suspects - that Nora killed her little girl?

As soon as word gets out that a true crime documentary is being made about Daisy Logue, true crime fans jump on the case and begin to theorise their own ideas and hypotheses about the cold case. And then newcomers join the forum with their own ideas and begin to point the finger at Nora...with hate and malice. 

Until a photo surfaces that could change everything...

IN THE DARK is a deep dark psychological thriller that really keeps you in the dark right up to the final pages. Unless you are clever enough to piece the jigsaw together beforehand. The story is tightly plotted and keeps you guessing throughout. Just when you think one thing, along comes something to make you second guess your theory.

The story unfolds through Nora and Izzy's perspectives mainly. Though there are a couple of chapters narrated anonymously by "The Four". Nora is a completely unreliable narrator that we can't trust what she thinks or says as she borders upon delusional, so unhinged by not knowing what really happened in those woods seven years before. She certainly sounds like a candidate for the asylum with her dreamlike imaginings and trances, not to mention her behaviour. But then some of the other characters are unreliable also. I didn't trust either Tom or Brendan though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. I just didn't.

I love missing child thrillers, but IN THE DARK puts a completely different spin on it that it is somewhat unique and easily stands out from the rest. The true crime documentary angle was also an original aspect and interesting plot point.

Overall, a pageturning thriller that even the title will keep you guessing until the very end when you'll then appreciate its meaning.

I would like to thank #ClaireAllan, #Netgalley and #AvonBooksUK for an ARC of #InTheDark in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Claire Allan is a bestselling author from Derry.

A former journalist, she published eight contemporary women’s fiction titles with Poolbeg Press in Ireland, establishing herself as a multiple Irish Times Bestselling Author.

Her novel 'The First Time I Said Goodbye' - based on a true story of a love affair between a Derry girl and a US marine became a US Kindle Top Five bestseller.

However in 2016,  Claire decided to change genre and to write domestic noir  - this secured her her a book deal with Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins.

Her debut thriller Her Name Was Rose has sold more than a quarter of a million copies and has achieved bestseller status around the world.  

When not writing thrillers, she can be found penning romantic comedies under her alias of Freya Kennedy.

Claire is currently working on a TV adaptation of her 2020 novel ‘The Liar’s Daughter’ with Hat Trick productions, and as a story consultant for the new BBC cop drama ‘Blue Lights’.

Her sixth thriller ‘The Kindling’ is scheduled for publication in January 2022.

 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

REVIEW: The Nurse by Claire Allan

The Nurse by Claire Allan

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 27th March 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 17th March 2022

★★ 2.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Someone is watching her. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Nell Sweeney has led an ordinary life. Every day she walks to and from the hospital where she works as a nurse, believing that no harm can befall her.

Until one day she is taken.

Because someone out there has a secret. Someone out there has been watching Nell – and they’ve been watching others like her too.

Nell is the unlucky one – she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And if she isn’t found soon, someone will make sure that she isn’t the last woman to disappear…

A chilling, gripping read, perfect for fans of Clare Mackintosh and Gillian McAllister.

MY REVIEW:

I thoroughly enjoyed Claire Allan's previous thrillers "Forget Me Not" and "The Liar's Daughter", and have a couple of others on my TBR list also, and was excited to dive into her latest. But THE NURSE, for me, wasn't as absorbing and I found the endless monologuing from all main narrators to be long and drawn out. That being said, the story did pick up in the second half somewhat but still not to the author's usual standards and not enough to enthrall me. The concept was intriguing but the delivery failed for me particularly as I found Marian to be irritating, both in character and narrative. I was, however, eager to discover what really happened to Nell.

The story focuses on the disappearance of Marian Sweeney's 22 year old daughter Nell who is reported missing four days after when her housemate realised she hadn't seen Nell in that time. Clodagh, her friend, hadn't worried at first because as a nurse, Nell worked different shifts and the girls would often be ships passing and miss seeing each other. That, and Nell's recent propensity to live life in the fast lane with a new group of friends, with drugs and drink the order of their nights out. Had Nell fallen in with the wrong crowd thus getting her into trouble? Was she really missing or was she just hiding in shame for her stupidity?

Marian is feeling bereft at her daughter's disappearance. Like all mothers, she claims to know her daughter and that she was a good girl. If there was anything worrying her then she would know - Nell would have told her. But would she? When Clodagh reveals Nell's recent behaviour to her, Marian begins to wonder if she really knew her daughter at all. And in the background is Marian's non-existent marriage to husband Stephen, Nell's father. The two of them are clearly at odds with one another and while Stephen does show an element of concern for his wife, Marian is in her own world where only she and Nell exist. It's blindingly obvious that this marriage won't survive whatever is to come - whether Nell is found or not.

And then there is a group of men in an online community who call themselves "incels" (involuntary celibate). They meet in a chat forum on the dark web sharing their views and experiences with the women of today who they feel emasculate them as men. Desiring a romantic or sexual connection but are unable to do so, these men feel that women are taking away their rights whilst claiming their own. Blaming women for everything that is wrong in their lives, they feel slighted by those they see are "the weaker sex" who they feel should respect them as being superior. And while there are those who are merely keyboard warriors, using the anonymity of the dark web, to rant and rave about the wrongs these feministic women have brought into their lives, there are a select few who act on their warped beliefs. 

So one man, identified simply as "Him", who feels disrespected by women (both in his personal and professional life) and has the idea to follow lone women at night...to scare them...to see their fear and to feel it. When he shares his experiences online and encourages others to try it, there is one response that stands out to him calling him out as a liar. So then he decides to film his next target as proof, creating the hashtag #IHaveThePower which then goes viral. However, in his desire to share the power of his exploits, he soon discovers that things have gone too far when one of his followers takes things further, in a direction he is not comfortable with. He never intended anyone to get get hurt but he has started something he can no longer control. This part of the story was chilling, to say the least.

Then the remains of a woman are found and Marian fears, though doesn't want to believe, that it is her daughter. But what the incel who has Nell has something even more chilling planned...a live streamed grand finale in which he will take back the power.

The concept was invariably intriguing and even somewhat chilling. But I loathe constant monloguing without much dialogue to balance it out. This story is all in the narrator's heads and feels too one-sided in its delivery. Maybe that's the intention, but for me it bogged the whole story down and made it long and drawn out. This isn't the first book I have read featuring incels, a subculture movement of men on the dark web who desire romantic and sexual partners but are unable to get them thus declaring women to be feminists who emasculate men. It certainly is an interesting concept, a dangerous world that can be taken to the extreme.

Told from three perspectives - Marian, Nell and the incel - THE NURSE is an intensely dark read that had the potential to be a compelling thriller but it simply rambles a bit too much. I felt half the book could have been cut down, mostly Marian's constant incessant ramblings. I get that she's distraught, but her narrative was a snoozefest I ended up skimming for the most part. The rest of the tale drags a little too much. And the title? Not really essential to the plot, apart from the fact that Nell is a nurse. And...?

Personally, I feel the story could have been cut down with a far more exciting narration. 400 pages, mostly filled with Marian's ramblings, was just a bit too much. A shorter, pacier style would have been more compelling.

Overall, THE NURSE had an intriguing concept that failed to deliver in thrills and excitement. The story didn't particularly grab me when I tired of Marian's narrative so quickly and ended up skimming it for the most part. I know I'm in the minority here but this one just wasn't as thrilling as the author's other works.

I would like to thank #ClaireAllan, #Netgalley, #AvonBooks for an ARC of #TheNurse in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Claire Allan is a bestselling author from Derry.

A former journalist, she published eight contemporary women’s fiction titles with Poolbeg Press in Ireland, establishing herself as a multiple Irish Times Bestselling Author.

Her novel 'The First Time I Said Goodbye' - based on a true story of a love affair between a Derry girl and a US marine became a US Kindle Top Five bestseller.

However in 2016,  Claire decided to change genre and to write domestic noir  - this secured her her a book deal with Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins.

Her debut thriller Her Name Was Rose has sold more than a quarter of a million copies and has achieved bestseller status around the world.  

When not writing thrillers, she can be found penning romantic comedies under her alias of Freya Kennedy.

Claire is currently working on a TV adaptation of her 2020 novel ‘The Liar’s Daughter’ with Hat Trick productions, and as a story consultant for the new BBC cop drama ‘Blue Lights’.

Her sixth thriller ‘The Kindling’ is scheduled for publication in January 2022.

 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Liar's Daughter by Claire Allan (ARC)

The Liar's Daughter by Claire Allan

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 3rd April 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 23rd January 2020)

★★★★★ 5 stars

Wow! THE LIAR'S DAUGHTER is my second book by Claire Allan and what a page-turner it is! The premise was intriguing, the story even better and the ending was brilliant. It was such a dark, disturbing and twisted story filled with an atmosphere that left the reader questioning the sanity of the narrative.

Joe McKee is dying of lung cancer and has been taken home for his final months. The doctors have given him three to six months at most, but Joe doubts he will be around by Spring. When his time does come, grief is the last thing his daughter Ciara and step daughter Heidi feel. You see, they know what Joe was really like. He was not a good man as everyone seems to believe. He was rotten to the very core.

Twenty years ago, Joe left his wife Marie and their daughter Ciara for another woman - Natalie and her daughter Heidi. Whilst Marie has always loved her husband, Ciara has never forgiven him for leaving them. Then when Natalie becomes ill and dies of cancer, Ciara is horrified that Joe chooses to remain and raise Heidi rather than return to her and her mother. She had always been a daddy's girl but now he has chosen someone else's daughter over his own. Her anger and bitterness grow over the years and is reflected in her cruel behaviour towards Heidi, who was still grieving over the loss of her mother. As for her father, she hated him.

Heidi Lewis is now twenty eight years old, married to Alex and has 5 month old baby daughter, Lily. The house in which she had been happy with her mother before Joe had moved in is still occupied by her stepfather today. It is no longer a happy house. For while she has happy memories with her mother there, there are also those that came after that still haunt her and make her blood run cold.

Now, she has brought Joe home to live out his remaining days. And although she has nothing but hate for the man, she feels it is her duty to look after him until his dying breath. But she cannot do it alone. She must call Ciara and hope that she may share the load with her. The problem is, she and Ciara have never gotten along and despite her many efforts to do so, Ciara has never forgiven her for Joe leaving them for her mother and her.

Joe's death is expected so when it does come no one is surprised. In fact, everyone appears to be relieved. So when the family begin to prepare the house for the tradition Irish wake, the phone call they least expect is one of the police. It seems there are some "questions" surrounding Joe's death. Bruising on his chest, marks on his body and the telltale petechiae of suffocation. Suddenly, everyone is looking at the other wondering which of them is a murderer.

The tensions in that house with Ciara, Heidi and Joe's sister Kathleen are palpable. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the cause of all the tension and hate. But how far does it go back? It leaves the reader wondering what would we do given that situation? Could I care for a man that had failed to protect me? Or would I walk away and leave him to die a lonely death? It really has us questioning the very core of the moral ethics that we have been raised to respect.

I really felt for Heidi. I think because I identified a little with her, having been bullied as a child and teenager, and her quiet almost shy disposition. She understood and respected duty even though she was loathe to undertake it. She didn't want to have to care for Joe but knew she had to. And then to receive insult after insult from Ciara, who seriously was old enough to know better, just emphasised her fragility. Which then, of course, was enough for Ciara and Kathleen to call on her past behaviour as proof of her vulnerability and instability. Even I had to admit, Heidi sounded paranoid, though I know she wasn't.

And Joe. Upstanding pillar of the Derry community. He was especially unlikable. He was crafy, devious and manipulative...and only Heidi and Ciara knew the "real" him. As readers, we caught a glimpse of him before his demise...and that only served to make me hate him even more.

A dual narrative that switches between the dark past and Joe's imminent death in the present, the story weaves Heidi's and Ciara's perspectives in the "then" and "now" uncovering the dark secret at the core. The girls are so different in personality with the depth of their pain etched in their behaviour. Heidi turns her pain in on herself and into something she can control whereas Ciara's is reflected in her anger and hate. It's not until Ciara's partner, Stella, poses a question to her that Ciara begins to see things differently.

A compelling and uputdownable thriller, THE LIAR'S DAUGHTER is woven with malice, deviousness and deep-rooted secrecy and is, at times, not an easy story to read. The theme of child abuse, rape and paedophilia shines a light on how the lives and relationships of those involved are affected. It is dark and disturbing but is handled with sensitivity and is incredibly well written.

THE LIAR'S DAUGHTER is a dark an psychological read filled with secrets, hate, anger, paranoia and loaded with suspense. The tension in the penultimate chapters leading to its climatic end built to an almost unbearable level but has you turning the pages at the speed of knots.

Claire Allan delivers us a story that is expertly and cleverly written making her an author to watch out for. As uncomfortable as the subject matter is, the writing is addictive, the chapters are short and snappy (my favourite kind) and the story completely compelling. THE LIAR'S DAUGHTER is emotive, powerful and extremely evocative. But above all, it is brilliant!

My second by Claire Allan and definitely NOT my last, I highly recommend THE LIAR'S DAUGHTER to all psychological thriller fans who are not afraid of a dark and disturbing storyline.

I would like to thank #ClaireAllan, #NetGalley and #AvonBooksUK for an ARC of #TheLiarsDaughter in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Forget Me Not by Claire Allan (ARC)

Forget Me Not by Claire Allan

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Read: 8th May 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 30th May 2019)

★★★★ 4.5 stars

A tense psychological thriller that keeps you guessing, FORGET ME NOT by Claire Allan is the first I have read by this author - and it won't be my last. It is tight, it is twisted, it is heart-stopping! I would often fall asleep late into the night reading it, I didn't want to put it down!

Elizabeth O'Loughlin is on a morning walk with her dog Izzy (and throughout the whole book I hoped and prayed nothing untoward would happen to Izzy. Thank you Allan for not taking the story in that direction) when she discovers the lifeless body of a woman, barely alive, the victim of a vicious attack. A nurse in her former life, Elizabeth immediately springs into action, dialling 999 for emergency services, and then cradles the woman urging her to hang on. Her injuries however are too severe and she succumbs to them but not before whispering urgently in Elizabeth's ear the words "Warn them!"

Rachel Walker is a troubled woman. Dissatisfied with her marriage, her husband growing ever more distant, Rachel embarks on an affair of sorts  Michael, a student from her creative writing class. A schoolteacher, Rachel is in a class of students when best friend Julie rings her in tears, claiming "It's her, Rach! Clare's dead!" Best friends since school, now one third of their group/friendship was gone. But instead of going home, Rachel seeks the arms of Michael (her bit on the side) to soothe her pain. When she does venture home and tells her husband Paul, he is shocked but it is her teenage daughter Beth that is devastated by the news. Only their 3 year old is not privy to the news however little Molly is not completely oblivious. Kids know when something isn't right.

The loss of Clare is felt deeply by the two friends, Rachel and Julie, though both cope with it differently. When Rachel decides to visit the site of Clare's death, she notices a strange bouquet of flowers - forget me nots - tied with black ribbon and a very cryptic message. Then Julie receives a similar bouquet with an equally cryptic message as does Rachel. What does this mean? Both women are oblivious to the fact that on the gates of her isolated farmhouse, Elizabeth has also received a bouquet with its own message. But unlike the others, Elizabeth knows the significance of the flowers - FORGET ME NOTS. They were her daughter's favourite flower. 

After receiving similar bouquets of forget me nots, it is revealed that Rachel and Julie could now be in danger. Particularly when a photo of the trio is left at Rachel's house with Clare's face angrily scrubbed out and a circle around her own stating "You're next!" Turning the photo over the teenage scrawl identified Julie, Rachel, Clare and me. Me? Rachel turned the photo back over and looked closer. In the background on the periphery was a face from the past. A shadow of a smile on her face. Laura O'Loughlin.

Elizabeth's daughter Laura had taken her own life two years before after a lifetime of never fitting in. Laura grew up with no friends and lived a very lonely existence, belittled and laughed at by her peers. Cruel pranks were played on her - one of which resonated with me deeply as having had similar things happen to me as a teenager. One such occasion saw Laura excited at being asked by one of the popular girls, to accompany them to the school dance. She was over the moon and her family had never seen her so thrilled and bursting with excitement. But when Laura asked this girl should they go shopping together for a dress, she turned and laughed at her and said she must be joking and that they wouldn't be seen with the likes of her! Laura was devastated! As anyone in that situation would be. The girl who had taunted Laura...her name was Clare. 

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that there is a definite connection between Rachel, Clare and Elizabeth's daughter, Laura. The three best friends were at school with Laura though she wasn't part of their circle of friends, Rachel had vague recollections of a quiet girl on the periphery just listening, waiting and wanting to be a part of their group. We are given snippets of memories from both the perspectives of Rachel and Elizabeth of Laura during their school years. It paints a rather sad picture...one to which I can relate from my own "crool" years.

Throughout the story we are introduced to a cast of characters that aid the plot development. The police investigating Clare's death, DI Bradley and PC King; the media, including the devious Ingrid Devine (I think that was her name) who hounds poor Elizabeth until she gives in; Michael, Rachel's bit on the side, who begins as understanding only to end up giving ultimatums. I didn't like him. And Rachel was a fool to throw her marriage away without even trying to work things out on the selfish need to feel good. What about her children? Her marriage? Maybe I'm old school but I believe in marriage; you don't give up and toss it out just because things gets too hard. As one of the narrators, I guess it was this that made it difficult for me to connect with Rachel. I rather enjoyed Elizabeth's narration more who also had some secrets to hide.

Then someone approaches young Molly at nursery, who she refers to as "the bad man", reducing her to tears with the threat of taking her mammy away because she is bad. And when she can't reach Beth at home the police are dispatched, finding Beth locked in the bathroom in tears because someone had tried breaking in, Rachel knows she has become the killer's next target. A fact highlighted by the photo left on her doorstep stating "You're next!"

When Rachel disappears on a supermarket run, the race is on to find her before she becomes the killer's next victim.

FORGET ME NOT is a tense and twisted thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout. The story did take a little for me to get into (probably due to Rachel to-ing and fro-ing between Paul and Michael) but it soon became addictive as I watched the rest of the story unfold. I did guess who was really behind it all despite being given a misdirection that was incredibly clever, that I had to wonder was I wrong in my suspicions when being lead in that direction? 

I was saddened for Elizabeth who had no one left and had lost so much. Particularly after suffering the stroke on top of everything else. It just made me want to wrap her in a giant hug.

There are the occasional clumsy sentences and wording, with extra words thrown in to make no sense whatsoever. I put this down to being an advanced readers copy and hoping these will all be editted out in the final version.

FORGET ME NOT is clever, compelling and intriguing. An addictive read that I could not put down.

I would like to thank #ClaireAllan, #NetGalley and #AvonUK for an ARC of #ForgetMeNot in exchange for an honest review.