Publication
18th April 2018 – Scabious Press
Date of Review
1st November 2018
Synopsis
Jude doesn’t like secrets, they breed poison, but she knows her husband is hiding something from her. To uncover the truth she flees with her three young children to stay with her mysterious mother-in-law, Audra. Through Audra, Jude believes she can uncover the truth that will heal them all. Only Audra has secrets of her own and will stop at nothing to keep them.
My Review
Written in third-person from the perspective of Jude, this debut psychological thriller pulled me in right from the first page. The well-drawn-out characters are utterly believable and the narrative is spiced with a wonderful imagery that sucks you right into Jude’s story. The story itself has a brilliantly original plot that will send shivers down your spine.
The beginning of the story is set in Bristol (I am a Bristolian born and bred so can personally vouch for just how well the author has brought this setting to life). Right from the start, we know Jude is up to something when we see her posting a mysterious letter. We also know that whatever it is she’s doing, her new husband isn’t going to like it. When Ben, Jude’s teenage son, starts to hang around with the wrong crowd, Spider (Jude’s new husband and Ben’s stepdad) takes Ben under his wing, working on an old bike engine in his workshop. But just as Jude thinks things are turning a corner – WHAM – Ben has a terrible accident and Spider is left traumatised. However, when Jude starts to think everything is beyond her control, she receives a reply from her mysterious letter which acts as the catalyst forcing Jude to confront whatever it is that’s destroying the relationship she has with Spider.
Jude herself is a feisty heroine, and it is this personality trait the both puts her whole family in danger as well as rescues them. In places I was too scared to put the book down. Jude has three children and when she has to abandon her eleven year old daughter in order to save her baby I felt I just had to read Jude out of the horrifying situation that faced her. This scene will have mothers everywhere clinging on the edge of their seats. Putting the book down at this point really is not an option!
I won’t say how the story ends, but for me it was a very satisfying one. Jo Ullah certainly knows how to tell a good story and I can’t wait to hear more from this author.
Under Literature Love’s rating scheme this book has been awarded
5 out of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down.
I recommend you stop what you’re doing and go and buy this book now!
Thank you to the author for a Review Copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
About the Author
Website: www.joullah.com
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-locksmith/jo-ullah/9781999906504
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