The Staffymum's Book Nook: John Marrs

Showing posts with label John Marrs. Show all posts

Saturday, 28 June 2025

REVIEW: You Killed Me First by John Marrs

You Killed Me First by John Marrs

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 28th June 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 4th March 2025

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Three women. Three smouldering secrets. Who will make it out alive?

It’s 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare. Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire. As the smoke thickens, panic sets in – she’s moments away from being engulfed in flames. How did it come to this?

Rewind eleven months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-suffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv and her flawless family move into their street. The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret – and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polished exteriors.

As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites. Bonfire Night is approaching and someone is set to burn…But who will it be?

MY THOUGHTS:

Three women...three smouldering secrets...who will make it out alive?

Can John Marrs even write a bad thriller? This is (I think) my fifth read by him which I have devoured fervently without a sign of being "just an OK read". I just wish he published more so I would have more to enjoy! I've said before I love his dark style of compelling tales that leave you breathless. While the previous ones I've read have bordered on creepy, this one (whilst still having some creepy connotations) brings in dark humour (which I love) that not only peppers but jumps out of the pages in the form of out and out cattiness. Meeeeoooow!!

It's Bonfire night and Marrs delivers us a prologue that will blow your mind! A woman is bound and gagged and is trapped in a towering bonfire. How did she get here? And what has she done? As she screams why, she is answered with the chilling words - "you killed me first"...

Rewind eleven months...

Margot is curtain twitching when she sees the removalist van out front. A sure sign that her new neighbours are at last moving in, after several months of renovations. But when she spies Anna heading across the road armed with a container of cupcakes, Margot springs into action and douses herself in the most becoming outfit, her signature scent (Chanel Mademoiselle) and a bottle of red and greets Anna in the guise of welcoming their new neighbour.

When Liz surprises them from behind, dressed in her designer labels having just stepped out of her new Land Rover Defender, she is eager to befriend the two women. But the quips she delivers are equally barbed - to Margot, at any rate, who seems to draw attention to herself at every opportunity.

The three women strike up a friendship of sorts but how well do they really know each other?

Margot is a former teen pop star turned reality star turned stay at home stepmum (from hell). Not a role she chose for herself and she's somewhat bitter about the cards she's been dealt, but oh well and all that. She married Nicu eleven years ago, taking on his children as her own - a task she didn't initially sign up for when she first slept with the almost married Nicu. After the public backlash, she and Nicu moved to the quiet cul-de-sac to start afresh. But someone has been sending her threatening messages. A stalker maybe? And things keep disappearing from her house? What secret from her past has lead to this?

Anna is a shy, quiet and soft spoken young woman who makes jewellery as a sideline which she sells online. Her husband Drew is a borderline drunk with a chip on his shoulder who seems to spend most of his time brooding, drinking or slamming doors. She and Margot have been friends since she moved to the quiet street, despite the fact Margot seems to publicly demean her at every opportunity and taking pleasure from it. But appearances can often be deceptive, can they not?

Liv is the confident newcomer to the street. An ex-banker, married to Brandon with twins Ingrid and Rupert, she left the high life of London behind to bring up her children in the suburbs with plans of building and opening her own wellness clinic. Brandon is a personal trainer and will be put to good use in her new clinic, where she will teach yoga and pilates. Liv seems to have it all in spades which leaves Margot practically drooling upon entrance to her newly renovated home. And appearances are everything to Margot! But what is Liv hiding behind her carefully curated and very polished veneer that would shake up all those appearances?

Each of these women have a whole load of secrets they are hiding from everyone as well as each other. But can they uncover each other's secrets and unleash a whole load of mayhem in the process without killing each other?

So what happens next? Just your average everyday "Desperate Housewives" surburban chaos in the quiet cul-de-sac which could easily be mistaken for Wisteria Lane. Margot is a Gaby/Lynette; Anna is a Susan; whilst Liv is a Bree/Gaby. The gossip, cheating, the backstabbing, the trolling, the stalking, the self-harm, the murder, the lies, the secrets, the deception...these women have it all! Never mind what's buried on Wisteria Lane, Marrs has some dark and twisted secrets buried in these womens' lives!

Margot has to be one of the most despicable characters but oh my, I found myself rooting for her! And her very witty (even if inappropriate) barbs often had me laughing. I can well see how much fun Marrs must have had unleashing his inner bitch with Margot. But Liv was not blind to Margot's bitchiness and was equally catty with her, if not for payback for her passive aggressive treatment of Anna. Yes, she gave as good as she got and was an equal match for the bitchy Margot. And Anna? Was she really as quiet and drab as she appeared? Could she really not see Margot's taunts for what they really were? Or did she want to be accepted so much she put up with them?

Whatever the case, these women were so super catty - even alongside the inclusion of Cat Face 1.0 and 2.0...LOL Their bitchiness made my head spin. I really thought I was rewatching "Desperate Housewives" revamped. The entire first half of the book was pretty much reruns of the noughties show that I was wondering where Marrs was headed with this one. Nothing at all thriller-like was jumping out at me...just a bunch of women throwing bitchy barbs like fuel onto flames.

And then came Part Two...and it all began to fall into place. But even as the countdown continued to Bonfire night, you think you know what is going on but trust me, you haven't a clue. Marrs is a master at delivering shocking twists that will make your head spin! Even if you're expecting it! Seriously, this book was so different from his other creepy reads that I was all set to make this my first of his books to give less than a 5 star rating because where was the thrills? The shocks? The twists? For half the book we have the gossips of Wisteria Lane backstabbing each other behind closed doors - not a 5 star read. But then came the second half. And thensome.

Trust me, you will be shocked. You will be thrilled. You will be so pumped you will be left wanting more! So grab a copy and buckle up. You are in for one hell of a ride!

I would like to thank #JohnMarrs, #Netgalley and #AmazonPublishing for an ARC of #YouKilledMeFirst in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

John Marrs is a former journalist from Northamptonshire, England, who spent 25 years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines. He wrote for publications including The Guardian’s Guide and Guardian Online; OK! Magazine; Total Film; Empire; Q; GT; The Independent; Star; Reveal; Company; Daily Star and News of the World’s Sunday Magazine.

Now a psychological thriller writer, his debut book 'The Wronged Sons' (also titled 'When You Disappeared') released in 2014 is a tense psychological thriller with over 240 x 5 star reviews on Amazon. His second book 'Welcome To Wherever You Are' is a suspense thriller and an Amazon #1 best seller, 'The One' (previously 'A Thousand Small Explosions') was relaunched in January 2017, 'The Good Samaritan' published in 2018 with his latest 'What Lies Between Us' published in May 2020.

He recently gave up his job to write novels full time. His first car at the age of seventeen was a three-door, Ford Escort with a Batman sticker in the rear windscreen. He thought the sticker was cool at the time.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Sunday, 11 February 2024

REVIEW: The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs

The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 11th February 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 13th February 2024

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

A stranger has infiltrated your family…and now he’s taking over.

Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims—sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.

The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she’s built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he’s trying to push her out completely.

It’s her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she’s not the only one left wondering if she’s lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever—or has that been his plan all along?

MY THOUGHTS:

Oh, what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive...

My goodness. Another reviewer had it right. Every single one of these characters were awful and as readers we may have to suspend belief on more than one occasion throughout this whole sorry tale...but gosh, like her, I couldn't put it down! John Marrs has that inane knack for drawing you in and keeping you there, no matter how awful, how despicable his characters. More than once I wanted to hurl my kindle at the wall during Part One. It was so damn frustrating! But then he gives us cause to sit back and pause...

What if someone was slowly working their way into the life of your loved who was vulnerable and blind to their misdeeds? What would you do?

Connie has put her life on hold in the sunny climes of the Amalfi Coast of Italy to return to England and care for her mother Gwen who has dementia. She's rented a little cottage in the village and every morning she arrives at Gwen's modest home she had once shared with her beloved husband Bill to bathe and dress her before setting about her other duties for the day. Some days it's doctors appointments, others it's cleaning the house or maybe laundry or popping into one of the nearby villages via "the hopper" to run some errands for her mother.

And then one day as she arrives at her mother's house, Connie notices a van in the drive. Upon entering the house and exchanging a few confused words with Gwen, Connie discovers that the van belongs to Paul, a volunteer with a charity offering their services for free to those who may need it. But as soon as Connie meets Paul she sees the smirk on his face and the twinkle in his eye and feels sure he is laughing at her. And something about him raises alarm bells. But what, exactly?

On the surface, Paul is a genuine nice guy offering his free time to help those in need. A noble cause, I'm sure. And it isn't long before he has slowly inveigled his way into Gwen's life, cutting Connie out completely. First, it's the doctor's appointment she was meant to take Gwen to, then it's redecorating the house to day trips to the seaside without clearing it with her, supplying Gwen with a mobile phone and failing to give Connie the number to removing her authority completely. Connie feels sure he is up to something. But no matter what she does, Paul is always one step ahead of her and Gwen seems to have fallen completely under his spell.

“I was prepared for the dementia to take away a little bit more of her every day. But I didn’t expect another person to rob me of her.”

Wow. What a cat and mouse game this psychological thriller is! Paul and Connie are both about as despicable as each other could get and yet I still found myself feeling sorry for her. But wait! This is John Marrs and he hasn't finished with you yet! You're bound to get whiplash from all the twists. The cat and mouse game that ensues will have you questioning just who is using who?!

The plot itself is well written and skillfully done but if you're like me and have (or had) a loved one wit dementia then you are bound to find this very triggering, Part One especially, which is a tough read and more than once I wanted to hurl my kindle at the wall in frustration. But Marrs has handled the subject sensitively (as one can with such an awful disease) and if you go on to read his notes at the end, his purpose was to highlight the need for a change in UK legislation that still (in 2024) allows someone with dementia to marry when they have lost all ability to make those kind of lifechanging decisions. There were many instances in which I was shocked at what played out thinking surely no way would that happen under the circumstances. In my country (Australia) I doubt half of what took place would be considered legal which is why I found it so difficult to believe. But if the UK still allow such things to happen regardless of one's obviously ailing cognitive abilities, opening them up to exploitation. It's shocking!

As difficult as the first part is the plot takes an unexpected twist, so out of left field that I think I have whiplash, at the end of Part One. After that, the read gets easier to digest (if not stomach). The story plays out over three parts, all skillfully plotted, and unfolds primarily through Connie's perspective with various others peppered throughout. The final chapter was something of an eye-opening twist leaving the reader with no doubt as to who is checkmate. And then that final little twist thrown in right at the end. Genius.

A tough one for me to rate due to how triggering it was for me throughout on many levels, but another brilliantly twisted tale.

I love John Marrs' psychological thrillers which are always deliciously dark and ingeniously twisted.

I would like to thank #JohnMarrs, #Netgalley and #AmazonPub for an ARC of #TheStrangerInHerHouse in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Tuesday, 11 October 2022

REVIEW: Keep it in the Family by John Marrs

Keep it in the Family by John Marrs

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic noir, Suspense

Read: 10th October 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 18th October 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

In this chilling novel from bestselling author John Marrs, a young couple’s house hides terrible secrets—and not all of them are confined to the past.

Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a chilling message scored into a skirting board: I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC. Following the clue up into the eaves, the couple make a gruesome discovery: their dream home was once a house of horrors.

In the wake of their traumatic discovery, the baby arrives and Mia can’t shake her fixation with the monstrous crimes that happened right above them. Haunted by the terrible things she saw and desperate to find answers, her obsession pulls her ever further from her husband.

Secrecy shrouds the mystery of the attic, but when shards of a dark truth start to emerge, Mia realises the danger is terrifyingly present. She is prepared to do anything to protect her family—but is it already too late?

MY THOUGHTS:

"I will save them from the attic."

Wow! I'm speechless. Seriously speechless! Where do I begin to review a book like this? Ok, first think of Fred and Rosemary West combined with Ian Brady and Myra Hindley...and multiply them a couple of generations! Then you have John Marrs' latest and probably darkest thriller yet KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY.

So Marr's is known for some really dark psychological thrillers. I've read two previously - "The Good Samaritan" and "What Lies Between Us"- and loved them despite how dark and twisted they were. But this one takes things to a whole new level of disturbing. I think it's the type of victim in this story that makes it all the more chilling. Don't worry, it's not graphic. Just...chilling.

Mia and Finn have just bought the house of their dreams...or it will be, once they've finished renovating it. A gothic Victorian five bedroom detached house that has stood derelict for four decades. Finn's parents Dave and Debbie had originally intended to purchase the property, renovate it then flip it but Mia had her heart set on it. Renovating is going to be a tall order but Dave is a builder and Finn is a plumber so between them, and their contacts in the trade, the men intend doing most of the work themselves.

And no sooner has work begun, than Mia suddenly discovers she is pregnant. The couple can barely believe it. And Debbie is excited at the prospect of a grandchild, despite the fact she and Mia have never gotten along. So it's decided the renovation will be undertaken in stages with the first stage ready for completion by the time the baby is due.

Then one day as Mia is surveying what will be the nursery, she discovers seven words etched into the skirting in a childish scrawl.

"I will save them from the attic."

Save who? And from what? All at once Mia sends Finn into the attic with Dave to take a look to see what is hidden up there. In her impatience she climbs the loft ladder to see for herself...and wishes she hadn't. For laid out are seven suitcases and inside each one of them is the body of a child. Shocked by the discovery and at seven months pregnant, Mia falls from the ladder breaking several bones and inducing a labour that would have her son prematurely born by caesarian. It's a miracle they both survived. But not completely unscathed. Almost every waking moment, all Mia can see are those dead children and so instills an even greater fear that she must protect baby Sonny from at all costs.

Of course the media have lapped up this juicy news of the "Babes in the Attic" as the police tear down their newly renovated home in search of clues as to who these children are and how they got there in the first place. And instead of leaving it to the police, Mia decides to do some investigating of her own...which can only have dire consequences.

And THAT is only a tip of the iceberg that sunk this tale of Titanic proportions! To find out what happens and where it leads you're going to have to find out for yourself because in all honesty, that's really the only way to experience a thriller as dark, disturbing and as chilling as this. Hearing about it is not believing...only seeing for yourselves can you really believe what you are reading. And there is no truer title than the one given to this story.

I knew from the very beginning when I read the opening prologue that this was going to be a dark and twisted read. Penned by an anonymous narrator who pops up throughout the story tells of the part they played in the abhorrent and chilling murders, the story then begins with Mia and Finn's respective narratives, also interspersed with Debbie and Dave's. We are also given excerpts of transcripts, interviews, newspaper articles and reports throughout at just the right time before lunging deeper into the past under the guise of the anonymous narrator. It is eye-opening, insightful and at times heartbreaking. The entire story is dysfunctional, as is the family it portrays, but it's the ending that is just too sad.

The story itself is filled with twists and red herrings that will keep you guessing - is it or isn't it? - leaving you wondering if you are able to figure them out. I did work out who the anonymous narrator was through a few drip-fed clues and things that were left unsaid. But that wasn't the only twist to be revealed...there are plenty more to come!

KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY is a twisted and delicious dark unnerving read that is chilling to the core. It makes you wonder what goes on in the author's mind to be able to conjure up such macabre plots! He did say in his note at the end that this story was the result of a dream and that you wouldn't want to be inside his head at the best of times let alone at night!

This is one of the most disturbing, tense and completely unputdownable thrillers I have read. It is atmospheric and addictive and oh so chilling. Everything I love in a dark thriller...and Marrs excels in this genre. I'm not a fan of sci-fi so I don't read those of his but these dark and twisted thrillers are right up my alley! I thought "The Good Samaritan" was dark and then "What Lies Between Us" which had echoes of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", a very dark movie for its time...but this one? It knocks those out of the ballpark! The entire story was oh so twisted and the epilogue was chilling.

But oh! What a read!!

I would like to thank #JohnMarrs, #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishing for an ARC of #KeepItInTheFamily in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Saturday, 7 November 2020

REVIEW: What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 7th November 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 15th May 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.

They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.

MY REVIEW:

Every house has its secrets, except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

OMG! I have only read one other John Marrs book - "The Good Samaritan" - and that was more than a little twisted, but this one? This one is seriously twisted! WHAT LIES BETWEEN US is a dark and disturbing psychological thriller so twisted it will unsettle your concept of the mother and daughter relationship completely. It is a twisted tale of intense love and hatred and a deep dark obsession which immediately reminded me of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?". I don't even know where to start with this one...I am so blown away.

Thirty eight year old Nina lives a quiet life in the home she grew up in. She finds solace in the books she nurtures in her job as a librarian and the peacefulness of her workplace. But her life has not been a bed of roses. She longed to be a mother but the early onset of menopause when she was 19 put paid to that, aside from the fact she had inherited some faulty chromosomes from her father which would see any child she carried to term would be seriously deformed. Perhaps it is better this way. Or is it?

Sixty eight year old Maggie spends her days in her attic bedroom watching her neighbours go about their lives. The shuttered window gives her a limited view of the outside world but still she notices things that other people do not. She's the first to notice when Mr Steadman's curtains remain drawn and his mail starts piling up. She's the first to notice the bruises on the little girl across the road and when her mother hits her with such force she bounces off the wall.

But there is nothing she can do about it...or about anything. Because Maggie is bound to the lies she has told about the secrets she must keep to ensure the protection of the one person she loves most in this world. Her daughter Nina.

The two women are bound together in more ways than just the house they share, filled with its secrets from the attic to the basement to the garden beyond. For it is these secrets that keep them together just as much as the lies that have torn them apart.

For two years Maggie has been imprisoned in the attic, kept in place by the cuff around her ankle secured to the chain that keeps her in this room. It allows her access everything within her bedroom but not beyond. Every second evening it is exchanged for a longer chain that allows her down one flight of stairs for dinner with Nina. After that, she is accompanied back upstairs and allowed a quick bath before she is secured once again to her room.

Her daily meals are left by her door each morning consisting of breakfast, lunch and dinner....except for the one she shares with Nina every other day. The walls have been soundproofed, the windows triple glazed and a partitioned wall on the second floor is sealed by a door that remains locked at all times...the keys safely tucked in Nina's pocket. For Maggie, life beyond the attic room no longer exists.

So what terrible secrets lead Nina to imprison her mother in such a cruel way? What could be so shocking that Maggie must keep Nina from discovering the secrets of past at all costs?

There are times when Maggie questions her past actions...but she knows deep down that did what she had to do. To protect her daughter from ever finding out the truth. But what is the truth? What happened to make Maggie take such drastic action? And what were they that made Nina lock her mother up in her enforced ivory tower?

WOW! That was all I could say upon completing this book. John Marrs has created an intriguing and compulsive tale of a dark and warped relationship between a mother who will do anything for her child and a daughter who would do whatever it takes to make her pay. The terrifying situation Maggie finds herself in this co-existence with Nina that keeps them bound together through the secrets and lies and even the truths that they are both hiding. It is so cleverly written I found it hard to drag myself away and back into the real world.

The story unfolds through both Maggie and Nina's perspectives, both in the past and the present, as their respective narratives reveal their own unique stories and creating a palpable tension that kept me turning the pages. And with each side something new is revealed as bit by agonising bit, the secrets are slowly stripped away. Then, and only then, do we see the complete picture in all its technicolour detail.

So what makes WHAT LIES BETWEEN US the compulsive edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller that it is? Is it the 370 pages with only two main players, making it a clever yet claustrophobic read? Or is it the secrets and the lies that are slowly uncovered? Or is it the twisted nature of the intense love and hatred mixed with something darker?

Whatever it is, WHAT LIES BETWEEN US is a jaw-dropping and disturbing read that will shock you and possibly stay with you for some time to come, just as "The Good Samaritan" did...and still does.

A clever and compulsive read, WHAT LIES BETWEEN US is both chilling and addictive that will appeal to those who love their psychological thrillers dark and twisted. It is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

I would like to thank #JohnMarrs, #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishingUK for an ARC of #WhatLiesBetweenUs in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Saturday, 18 August 2018

REVIEW: The Good Samaritan by John Marrs

The Good Samaritan by John Marrs

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Read: 18th August 2018

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

★★★★★ 5 stars

This is the first book by John Marrs I have read and if this one is anything to go by it won't be my last. I loved it despite it's slow start. But at the same time I hated it. Why? Because of Laura, the main character and so-called 'good samaritan'. She is anything but and I hated everything about her. But it sure made for good reading. And I am not revealing any spoilers here because from the first moment you discover what she is like. It is only as the story develops do you discover just how deranged - and delusional - she is!

Laura is a wife and mother of three, feeling unfulfilled at home, wondering why her family never show up for meals she has cooked or why her husband sleeps in another bed. Then there is her work at a suicide helpline called End of the Line, where she feels needed and where she thrives. She is one of many volunteers who are supportive, non-judgemental and sympathetic. It is not their job to talk you out of suicide but to let you know you have options. But what happens when the kind sympathetic voice on the other end has ulterior motives? This is where Laura comes in. It is where she shines. But her defining moments come when she is on the end of the line as her callers take their last breath.

Then there is Ryan. He is devastated after his pregnant wife commits suicide with a stranger. Who was this man? And how did his wife know him? There is talk of her having an affair with him, but Ryan is not so sure. He endeavours to uncover the truth and find the answers he so desperately seeks. But at what cost?

The first part of the book is told solely from Laura's perspective and admittedly I found it a little slow and uneventful. We get flashes here and there about Laura and her past but Laura's story is somewhat of a mystery as you don't know how much is truth and how much is imagined. And then there is her home life. Where is her husband? Her family? They never seem to be around and they are never home to eat the meals she prepares. Her only saving 'anchor' is her son Henry who is in a care home, whom she visits often but her husband Tony never does. Laura's story almost feels claustrophobic as no one else seems to be play a part in it at all, except in her imagination. Then one day whilst on shift at End of the Line she answers a call from Steven. He is at such a low point in his life his only option was to call the helpline. One by one, he ticks off Laura's mental boxes to become one of her 'candidates'. But she must test him to ensure his seriousness in that final step. Until Steven makes an odd request which both frightens and exhilirates Laura.

The next part retells the story from Ryan's perspective, as he goes from loving husband to grieving widower. He goes from disbelief to denial to depression to anger...and there he stays. One day, whilst searching for answers, he comes across a hidden folder on his wife's laptop and when he gains access he is shocked to discover its contents. His anger fuels him as he searches for answers and the truth behind his wife's suicide. It takes months of calls to End of the Line before he finds her. And so he creates an elaborate end game to bring Laura down. But can he? Does he know just who he is up against? In his quest for answers and justice, Ryan finds himself in a cat and mouse game with a very experienced feline with years of experience. And in the end, at the great lengths he goes to to end Laura's game, he discovers he is no better than her.

The story switches between both Laura and Ryan's narratives with their own agendas, both just as devious. Laura exploits the vulnerable at the weakest time in their lives and manipulates everyone she comes into contact with. She is a sick and twisted person with no thought to anyone other than herself, and she will do anything to ensure everything in her life is just how she wants it. Ryan's was a sad story and one to which I could relate to. Losing a loved one is hard enough but to suicide - the fact they chose to end their life and not even 'you' were enough to keep them here - is horrendous. I felt his pain and the stages of grief he went through. But then he went off script and whilst I didn't agree or condone his methods or actions I could understand his reasoning. And that's what makes it so sad and tragic.

Who will be the last one standing? Can you guess??

THE GOOD SAMARITAN is dark, devious and seriously twisted but oh so good!! A dark book dealing with a heavy subject matter that will have you going through so many emotions. Suicide is a difficult issue and not an easy topic to read about. It may well be a trigger for some, and for this reason it may not be for everyone. Those who do enjoy twisted dark psychological books with plenty of twists, then you won't want to pass this one up.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN is a book that will definitely stand out in my memory for some time to come. I was a little disappointed with the ending but I still enjoyed it. I guess I just expected something different. It was still a well written and seriously twisted book that will stay with me for a while yet.