REVIEW: The First Husband by Elisabeth Carpenter

The First Husband by Elisabeth Carpenter

Genre: Domestic thriller

Read: 2nd February 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 4th February 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I thought my first husband was dead. But when I get a letter with his name on it just days before my wedding, it will tear my perfect new life apart…

As we drive up to the gorgeous house by the lake with its red and yellow roses round the door, I breathe in the pure air and count my blessings. In two days’ time I’m getting married to Matt, my soulmate and the father of my beautiful boy. After all the pain of my past, my life now is perfect.

But later that night I hear a knocking outside. I find the back door swinging open and a card lying on the floor, addressed to me in familiar handwriting…

I can’t wait to see you. I’ve missed you so much. All my love, Callum.

Callum was my first husband. Eight years ago, when we were staying at this exact same place for my birthday, he disappeared.

All the people who were with me that terrible night are here for the wedding. My brother. His wife. My new partner Matt: Callum’s best friend. We all had reasons to hate Callum then. We all have reasons to lie now.

The police are sure Callum is dead. But as I look around at my loved ones, I wonder…

Does someone know what really happened that night?

Does someone know what I did?

And if Callum is back, is he the dangerous one… or is it one of us?

An utterly page-turning, gripping psychological thriller, full of twists and gasp-out-loud moments. Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, Shari Lapena and Claire Douglas.

MY THOUGHTS:

I thought he was dead...I thought I was safe...was I wrong...?

I have loved every book I've devoured by Elisabeth Carpenter so I jumped at the chance of reading this one too. I was hooked from the first page though its pace was somewhat slower and I tried to unscramble the pieces of the puzzle put before me. By the tale's end, I felt a little deflated but happy still that everything was tied up satisfactorily.

After two decades of friendship, Leah and Matt are getting married. They already have a son together, three year old Noah, and it seemed only natural that they should make their union official. But this is not Leah's first rodeo. 

Eight years ago, she was married to Matt's best friend Callum when he disappeared from her birthday weekend at the very same cottage they are now to be married in. It was thought he had drowned in Lake Windemere, just a stone's throw away from the cottage that Matt's parents owned and insisted they marry there. It's strange being back in the place where Callum mysteriously disappeared from all those years ago it's almost creepy. It serves as a constant reminder of that fateful weekend that Leah can't quite escape. But she's determined that nothing and no one will stop her from marrying Matt.

When the card arrives depicting a black heart and claiming to be from Callum, Leah is shocked, frightened and then passes it off as a cruel prank. Then each of the group who were there eight years before all get the same text threatening to reveal what they know about Callum's disappearance, also claiming to be from Callum. But it's not until a note is delivered the day before their wedding threatening little Noah that Leah and Matt realise they must revisit that night eight years ago to unravel what really happened if they are to keep their little boy safe.

But it seems the rest of the weekend is not without its problems. The caterers have not turned up and cannot be contacted and there are highly salacious text messages that throw the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons. Leah now wishes she and Matt had eloped in a registry office. Being back at the cottage and the lake was a bad idea.

The story unfolds through the past and the present - from the days and hours leading up to Callum's disappearance and the days and hours leading up to Leah and Matt's wedding. Being set in the same location for both adds an air of eeriness with the black waters of Lake Windemere also adding a chilling effect. 

I did find it difficult that Leah and Matt would marry in the same place from which Callum disappeared and the reasoning didn't really suffice in my opinion. I certainly wouldn't want to relive a most terrifying event on what is meant to be a happy occasion. And then there was Callum's sudden change in personality. It wasn't sufficiently explained, I felt. I didn't really understand why in the end because while he wasn't really completely likeable anyway, his personality seemed to change dramatically that weekend and no real explanation was given.

However, the story was riveting with a steady pace throughout that kept me turning the pages with each twist building intrigue and suspense with each turn. It was an emotional and unsettling tale with creepy undertones, a reflection of the hidden depths of Windemere's black waters.

A gripping read overall with complex emotions that was entirely entertaining.

I would like to thank #ElisabethCarpenter, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheFirstHusband in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Elisabeth Carpenter lives in Preston with her family. She completed a BA in English Literature and Language with the Open University in 2008.

Elisabeth was awarded a Northern Writers’ New Fiction award, and was longlisted for Yeovil Literary Prize (2015 and 2016) and the MsLexia Women’s Novel award (2015). She loves living in the north of England and sets most of her stories in the area, including the novel she is writing at the moment.

Social media links:

Wesbite | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter SignUp | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Girl on the News by Elisabeth Carpenter

The Girl on the News by Elisabeth Carpenter

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense, Mystery

Read: 23rd January 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 29th January 2024

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

My heart pounds as I take in the headline: ‘Missing girl believed kidnapped’. Underneath is a photo of my beautiful daughter Mia, her gap-toothed grin unmistakable. But Mia is safe beside me, snuggled up on the sofa. Why would someone pretend my child has been taken?

I thought my husband Mark and I had built a perfect new life with our precious daughter Mia. She is everything to us. I thought we were finally safe from my past. But I know Mia’s picture on the news means someone has uncovered who I really am…

They must know about the terrible accusations I faced. Those other missing little girls. I was only a child myself but no-one believed I was innocent. Not even my own family. It still haunts me, every day.

Then my worst nightmares come true. Mia is taken, snatched from the playground, and my world collapses.

My sweet daughter is in danger. Because whoever took those children years ago must still be out there. Why are they trying to destroy my life again? And if they knew where to find me, how to take my daughter – does that mean they are someone close to home?

I can’t trust anyone. But it’s not like last time. I’m not a child any longer. And I will do anything to get Mia back, before it’s too late…

An utterly shocking and page-turning psychological thriller perfect for fans of Shari Lapena, The Housemaid and All Her Fault.

MY THOUGHTS:

Missing girl...believed kidnapped...

My first book I ever read by Elisabeth Carpenter was her debut, also about a missing girl called "99 Red Balloons". That book was phenomenal! I somehow missed her next few but since she has signed with Bookouture I was lucky enough to read "The Family on Smith Street", also five stars. This book is no different. Three out of three five start reads, I think I'm going to have to find some time to devour her earlier ones. I think Carpenter was one of the first authors I read with multiple narratives and timelines, and this has since become one of my favourite formats, with just enough information being drip-fed to the reader with each unfolding chapter.

Rosie McShane is a name that is synonomous with child killers when at 12 years old she was convicted of murdering her best friend Lauren Jones. Rosie had always pleaded her innocence but the police, the jury and everyone involved thought her to be unremorseful, cold and calculating. She was sentenced to seven years in a secure unit for very young offenders, and upon her release was given a whole new identity. But the people of Clayton of Greater Manchester have never forgotten.

For all intents and purposes, Jessie Donovan has the perfect life. The perfect husband, the cute little daughter and a beautiful home. But no one knows the trauma she has suffered or what it has taken to get her where she is today. When her mother calls babbling about news reports online saying that her 4 year old daughter Mia has been kidnapped, Jessie is beside herself with worry.  Who would post such allegations that were clearly untrue? Nevertheless, Jessie is determined not to let Mia out of her sight.

When her husband Mark reveals his business is in trouble and he has taken out a dodgy loan to cover expenses of which they are now demanding payment, Jessie is furious with him for being so careless as to put their lives in danger. She decides then that the best thing for her is to spend a few days with her mum but surely returning to the area in which she grew up is tempting fate. 

Almost from the moment she arrives, Jessie finds herself jumping at shadows. Her mother is acting strangely and her friend back home is sending her weird texts that she dismisses as annoying. But when Liza tells her that she is at her place and hasn't been able to raise Mark's attention, Jessie begins to worry. Where is Mark and why is not answering the door, her text messages or phone calls?

Things get even stranger when faces from the past threaten to throw Jessie's life into turmoil with even more social media posts about her daughter being missing. 

And then Mia really does goes missing.

What is going on and why has Mia been taken? Is someone seeking retribution for a past crime? Or are they just trying to even the odds? Jessie is going out of her mind with worry when she still can't raise Mark on the phone. But is she prepared for what's about to come?

This was a quick and easy read that I started in the wee hours of the night and picked up again as soon as I woke to finish. The suspense kept me turning the pages throughout from start to finish. My only complaint was that the ending was a little ambiguous. Who was the real guilty party? I do prefer my endings to be a little more cut and dried rather than ambiguous, leaving me guessing a little. 

One part I did find a little unbelievable was the fact that after Rosie was given a new identity, no one thought it strange that she continued to associate with faces from her past such as a childhood friend and her family. In these cases, the person is given a new identity and a new life away from the old one so as to protect their new identity. Aren't they? And there is the fact that Rosie was convicted on such little evidence when there was clear evidence refuting that which they convicted her on. Why did they ignore it?

Either way, this is still an absorbing, thrilling and entertaining read as you turn the pages looking for the clues from the past in the interviews transcribed and actions in the present. Who took Mia Donovan? And why did they take her?

Despite my misgivings, they weren't enough to overshadow my enjoyment of this addictive read...although one does have to suspend belief at times, as one is wont to do in the case of an entertaining and addictive story such as this one.

I would like to thank #ElisabethCarpenter, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGirlOnTheNews in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Elisabeth Carpenter lives in Preston with her family. She completed a BA in English Literature and Language with the Open University in 2008.

Elisabeth was awarded a Northern Writers’ New Fiction award, and was longlisted for Yeovil Literary Prize (2015 and 2016) and the MsLexia Women’s Novel award (2015). She loves living in the north of England and sets most of her stories in the area, including the novel she is writing at the moment.

Social media links:

Wesbite | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter SignUp | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Family on Smith Street by Elisabeth Carpenter

The Family on Smith Street by Elisabeth Carpenter

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 10th August 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 14th August 2023

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

A happy family. A picture-perfect street. A secret someone would kill for.

My husband James and I love living on Smith Street, with its neat houses and friendly family barbecues. Our daughter Scarlett grew up playing outside with the other local kids – it’s somewhere nothing bad could ever happen. Or so I thought…

Because when I wake terrified, head pounding, in a cramped windowless room, I realise I was entirely wrong. As my eyes adjust to the dark, I see creased pictures of missing local people I vaguely recognise from the news covering the walls. Then my skin turns ice-cold when I notice the newest pictures are of me, of James, of Scarlett…

A terrified sob catches in my throat. It seems there’s been a killer hiding in our neighbourhood for years. And I’m their next victim.

I stare at the photos in horror. Because if they’ve got me, they could also have James or, worst of all, my precious daughter Scarlett... In that moment, I know I’ll do anything, everything, to save my family. Especially because, deep down, I know this is all my fault…

A completely compelling and page-turning psychological thriller perfect for fans of My Lovely Wife, The Serial Killer’s Wife and The Housemaid.

MY THOUGHTS:

How well do you really know them...?

How has it been so long since I've read Elisabeth Carpenter? When her debut "99 Red Balloons" was published, I devoured it it was THAT good! (Although my review of it is pretty crap - it was written in my early review days). And when a debut is THAT good, the bar is set that much higher and it is hard to beat. And this one comes close...very close.

Told through three different narratives, the story begins with Joanna who disappears on her way home one night after having a few too many drinks. She's clever enough to pretend to be walking up to her door when approached by a strange car but she's not quick enough to avoid a quick-thinking kidnapper from snatching her from the street. She awakes in a strange room that is eerily decorated much like her own at home...only it isn't. And she's tied up with a gag across her mouth. But why did they take her? What do they want from her? Surely, they have the wrong person. And the longer they hold her, the more she's convinced they have made a mistake. Nothing they tell her makes any kind of sense. She doesn't know these people. They have made a mistake.

Scarlett wakes the following morning surprised that her mum hasn't already beaten her to it, as she usually does. She gets herself ready for college and heads downstairs. The curtains are still drawn in the living room. Strange. And then she sees her dad still sprawled with his head on the table. Has he not been to bed yet? Wait...is he even breathing? Is he dead? Scarlett can almost taste the relief when she sees her dad slowly blink his eyes open. She asks him where mum is. Did she not come home? He assures her all is fine but Scarlett isn't stupid. Her dad may be saying all the right things but there's something he's not telling her. Does he know where her mum is? 

Rewind back nearly forty years to 1985 and we meet ten year old Alexander, a young boy whose mother is an alcoholic and whose father may as well not even be there. By the time he's 14, his father has been arrested for his mother's murder and he is is shipped off to his maternal grandparents in Yorkshire. Life hasn't been kind to Alex but maybe now it will be. Because now he has grandparents who love him...like his mother never did.

As the story unfolds through the three perspectives, we are lead on a merry chase trying to figure out exactly why Joanna has been kidnapped and by who? And how do the two timelines intersect? It's clear as the past timeline starts to catch up that Alex is a very troubled individual. In fact, being inside his head was creepy but oh it was such fun!

We are fed snippets along the way - some red herrings, some real clues - but how to decipher the fact from fiction? There are many threads weaved around each other, cleverly crafted and deftly driven to give you just enough without giving too much away. And then twist after twist came, blowing everything out of the water. What I thought was true wasn't and then it was and then what the...? How did that happen? And when?

Elisabeth Carpenter has expertly maneovured each thread into an expertly woven tapestry. As you stand back, just look at the picture and I just think - WOW. She's done it again. 

I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish which is the most important factor in a book. If I'm entertained, I'm happy. And happy I was. And thoroughly entertained. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, even though I was falling asleep. I just wanted to keep reading.

Another absolute winner for me. Now I really have to find time to go back and read all the others in between her debut to now. Until then, I can't wait to see what she delivers us next!

I would like to thank #ElisabethCarpenter, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheFamilyOnSmithStreet in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Elisabeth Carpenter lives in Preston with her family. She completed a BA in English Literature and Language with the Open University in 2008.

Elisabeth was awarded a Northern Writers’ New Fiction award, and was longlisted for Yeovil Literary Prize (2015 and 2016) and the MsLexia Women’s Novel award (2015). She loves living in the north of England and sets most of her stories in the area, including the novel she is writing at the moment.

Social media links:

Wesbite | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter SignUp | Goodreads

REVIEW: 99 Red Balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter

99 Red Balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Read: 2 September 2017

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

★★★★★ 5 stars

** spoiler alert **

I recently read a negative review about this book and upon reading it myself in just two days, I wondered if they had been reading the same book! Their biggest issue was the various perspectives each chapter was told from, finding it disjointed and the characters without substance. But I have to disagree. I have recently come to love and appreciate books written with various perspectives dedicated to every other chapter. It tells the various stories within the story of each character. And you find yourself enthralled within each story that ultimately leads to the bigger picture/story.

This book begins with a little girl outside a sweet shop talking to a man, and despite the dangers she has been warned about, even stating such to the man, she goes with him. The ensuing chapters are then narrated respectively from Stephanie's and Maggie's perspective. The untitled chapters are then from the little girl and the mystery man...blending past into present. And therein those untitled chapters lies a twist within itself....when you find out they are not two perspectives, but four! This maybe where the negative reviewer got herself lost...it's easy to if you don't notice the little differences and see the twist. As the book does tell of the disappearance of two girls decades apart, you find within those chapters you are hearing from both girls respectively. Yes, it may seem confusing, but believe me it all falls into place with a twist that leaves you on the edge of your seat! 

I loved this book! The fact it is a debut for this autbor did not deter me, as the description was enough to get me interested. I can't wait for more thrilling tales from Elisabeth Carpenter.