Tag: psychologicalthriller

COME A LITTLE CLOSER by Karen Perry

#psychologicalthriller #bookreview #literaturelove

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 28th Nov 2019 (paperback)

27th June 2019 (ebook)

Reviewed: 28th July 2019

Blurb

Leah is in love. It should be the happiest summer of her life, but she can’t help feeling lonely with Jake’s attention divided between her, his ex-wife and his young son. As insomnia sets in, the walls of their new basement flat feel as if they’re closing in around her. Until she meets her upstairs neighbour, Anton, who has recently moved back in after a long absence from the street. He’s a sympathetic ear when Jake can’t be, and even though others on the street seem strangely hostile towards him, Leah soon comes to rely on Anton and their secret conversations in the night.

Leah has no idea that nineteen years before, Anton was convicted of killing his wife. A wife who looked a little bit like Leah. He has always said he didn’t do it. Is Leah his redemption? Or is she befriending a killer intent on luring her closer and closer?

My Review

Written in third-person from the limited perspectives of Leah, Anton, and Hilary, Come A Little Closer is a spine tingling narrative that had me changing my mind and guessing right up to the very end. Although my first thought was the correct one, there were many times throughout the book where I thought the complete opposite. And there was a thought I had which I was certain would be the big twist but it turned out to be a red herring. I won’t say what that was in case other readers have this same thought!

Leah has a secret past of her own, a past that her boyfriend (Jake), knows nothing about, so when her new landlord (Anton) claims he is innocent of murdering his wife (Charlotte), a crime he has spent the last 19 years in prison for, she is quick to give him the benefit of the doubt. But with Leah being similar in appearance to Charlotte, he soon becomes infatuated with her; and with neighbour Hilary obsessed with Anton, Leah is in a very dangerous place within this creepy triangle.

Certain events are repeated, being told from the different points of view of one or more of the characters. I really liked this narrative form; how one character saw something another didn’t, or how another character was privy to something that another character knew nothing about. It is through this form of dramatic irony that the truth about Charlotte’s fate is gradually revealed. The narrative also includes quite a lot of internal monologue, especially from Hilary’s perspective, with certain events triggering past memories. This meant the narrative did jump around quite a lot from past to present within the same chapter, which was a little confusing in places but not overly so. The steady pacing throughout the first part of the story meant that actions of the characters were more believable: one small act, leading to another, building to terrifyingly disturbing scenes and a fast-paced climax.

I really enjoyed reading this book, even more so than Your Closest Friend, and would recommend this for fans of Ella Drummond or Shalini Boland.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley

for an Advance Review Copy of this book

in return for an honest and unbiased review.

About the Author

Karen Perry is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Your Closest Friend, Can You Keep a Secret?, Girl Unknown, Only We Know and The Boy That Never Was, which was selected for the Simon Mayo Radio 2 Book Club. She lives in Dublin with her family.

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/Come-Little-Closer-Karen-Perry/dp/1405936673/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1564259195&sr=8-2

https://www.waterstones.com/book/come-a-little-closer/karen-perry/9781405936675

THE DREAM HOUSE by Jess Ryder

# bookreview #psychologicalthriller #twisty

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Bookouture

Published: 21st June 2019

Reviewed: 10th July 2019

Blurb

When I first set eyes on Westhill House with its breath-taking views of the sea I knew it was the perfect place for a fresh start. The place may be falling apart, but it can be fixed with some tender loving care. And as Jack and I work to repair this beautiful building, maybe we can repair our relationship too. Maybe we can make Westhill House a refuge from all the tragedies that came before.

Lori has come to Westhill House for shelter too. She says it used to be a place where women went for safety. How can I turn her away, when violence waits for her outside these high walls?

But the longer Lori stays, the more time Jack spends away. And the more she helps me restore the house, the more secrets start to be revealed. Like the children’s drawings under the wallpaper in the back bedroom, and the hidden papers underneath the floorboards in the turret room. But why does Lori know so much about Westhill House, if she’s never been here before? What does she really need protection from?

And now I’ve invited her into my dream house, is there any escape for either of us?

My thoughts

Beginning with a prologue where a girl escapes to an isolated place to give birth, the story switches back and forth between the present-day/first-person perspective of Stella – and the past/third-person limited perspective of Kay.

A year ago Stella’s parents were killed in a hit and run, and still grieving, Stella has bought a huge neglected house with the inheritance her parents have left her. As foster carers, her parents worked tirelessly to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds, but it is clear Stella is hiding a secret from her past that has left her dredged in guilt. When a stranger (Lori) turns up on the doorstep covered in bruises and claiming to be a victim of domestic abuse, Stella sees this as an opportunity to redeem herself from whatever it is she has done, but with Stella’s boyfriend, Jack, believing Lori has a hidden agenda, Stella soon starts telling white lies to keep Lori hidden from him. True to the psychological thriller genre, these small lies soon escalate and before we know it there is a whole cast of unreliable characters. Jack might not trust Lori, but Lori doesn’t trust him either, and with Stella’s first-person narrative putting the reader right in her shoes, it is difficult to know exactly who she can trust. And then there’s the builder: a great bloke, salt of the earth, so why does he go missing as soon as the police start sniffing around?

The past timeline tells the story of Kay who got pregnant when she was fifteen. At first I thought this related to the prologue but we soon learn that fifteen-year-old Kay has supportive parents (well sort of) so it can’t be. Kay goes on to marry an abusive ‘man’ who everybody thinks is wonderful, unaware of what goes on behind closed doors. This part of the story deals with some dark and gritty issues and with such a slow build up, where Kay’s husband goes from being somebody who is over-attentive to somebody who is controlling and violent, this makes you consider relationships in the present timeline. Is Jack’s behaviour because he is genuinely concerned for Stella or because he is controlling? It also links to the present timeline theme of things not being as they appear to the outside world.

Ping-ponging between past and present, The Dream House made for one hell of a read. I’m usually pretty good at second guessing what happens but this was full of surprisingly clever plot twists. For most of the story, Lori’s identity is kept secret but once it is revealed, everything (including the prologue) all makes sense. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it for anybody who likes Lisa Jewell, Louise Jensen, or Jo Ullah.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an Advance Review Copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

About the Author

http://jessryder.co.uk/

How to buy this book

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-House-absolutely-gripping-psychological-ebook/dp/B07PY3XWW5/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+dream+house&qid=1563194564&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-dream-house/jess-ryder/9781786819710

THE WIFE’S SHADOW by Cath Weeks

#gripping #twisty #psychologicalthriller

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Little Brown, Piatkus

Published: 28th March 2019

Reviewed: 12th June 2019

Blurb

Everyone admires Suzy and her doll’s house life. She has a gorgeous family, a beautiful home and a successful business. But Suzy hasn’t always been in control. In her past lies a shadowy tale of fear and instability – a life that she once ran away from, and has hidden from ever since.

When Suzy starts being followed, she fears that her past may finally be catching up with her. And when she finds herself unable to do what to her is the most important thing – keep her loved ones safe – she has to decide how far she’d be willing to go to win everything back.

Even if it means sacrificing everything she knows and loves…

My Review

Now and again I come across a book that totally takes me by surprise. I knew The Wife’s Shadow had already received some pretty good reviews but I wasn’t prepared for just how good this book was. The narrative starts off from the first-person perspective of Suzy, where we see her going to some kind of therapy. On the surface, Suzy has it all, cute kids, loving husband, good friends, nice home, growing business – but there’s something from her past that she’s kept secret from her husband, and now juxtaposed to her perfect life there is an ex-boyfriend and a stalker thrown into the mix.

The story starts off at a good pace, intriguing enough to hook you in but not overly so. The writing is good: characterisation and dialogue is real; sentence structure is varied with a good balance of showing and telling which gives just the right amount of pacing. But with such a twisty plot wow those pages soon start turning, and before you know it everything has gone on hold because you just can’t put this book down!

The Wife’s Shadow has twists galore and Suzy’s perfect life is not as it first seems. I did have my suspicion over one of the characters but was genuinely surprised at most of the twists. As a book-blogger I get to read some pretty amazing books but this one is right at the top of the pile. Another one that, as a new writer, I have really been able to learn from.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an Advance Review Copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

About the Author

Cath Weeks was born and raised in Somerset. Her debut novel, Blind, was published in 2017 and she was named as an Author to Watch by Elle magazine. Cath lives in Bath with her husband and two sons.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wifes-Shadow-gripping-heartbreaking-turner-ebook/dp/B07BQBDW2Z/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+wife%27s+shadow&qid=1560261936&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-wifes-shadow/cath-weeks/9780349418698

WHAT SHE SAW by Wendy Clarke

#psychologicalthriller #twisty #bookreview

Publisher: Bookouture

Published: 29th April 2019

Reviewed: 10th June 2019

Blurb

She lied to her daughter to save her family. Everyone knows Leona would do anything for her daughter Beth: she moved to Church Langdon to send Beth to the best school, worked hard to build a successful business to support them and found them the perfect little cottage to call home. Leona and Beth hike together, shop together, share their hopes and fears with one another. People say they’re more like best friends than mother and daughter. It’s the relationship every mother dreams of. But their closeness means that Beth struggles to make friends. Her mother has kept her sheltered from the world. She’s more reliant on her mother’s love. More vulnerable. When Beth finds an envelope hidden under the floorboards of their home, the contents make her heart stop. Everything she thought she knew about her mother is a lie. And she realises there is no one she can turn to for help. What if you’ve been protected from strangers your whole life, but the one person you can’t trust is the person closest to home?

My Review

A labyrinth of lies, secrets, and red herrings, this twisty debut psychological thriller had me gripped right up to the very end. It’s clear from the outset that Leona is a flaky character with anxiety issues, but are her fears real or imagined? This is a question that keeps the pages turning. Just what is Leona hiding from and why?

Set in the idyllic Lake District, at first you can’t help but want to pack your bags and join Leona; letting all your problems wash away as you breathe in the clean fresh air. However, this seemingly beautiful backdrop soon morphs into an ugly spine-chilling setting, which the author’s skillful writing brings to life on both accounts.

But if there’s one thing more heart-stopping than being in danger yourself, it’s your own child being in danger. This is something the author has done a particularly good job with. Juxtaposed to Leona’s first-person point-of-view, is the third-person limited perspective from her daughter, Beth. With her own set of teenage problems to deal with, Beth’s character plays a central role in the story, and switching narrative perspective works really well. Not only does the third-person perspective add a layer of dramatic irony, it also leaves the reader in no doubt that Leona is the protagonist, and as such she is the one who needs to overcome her past to save her daughter.

Wendy Clarke is definitely an author to look out for and I can’t wait for her second novel We Were Sisters, out 8th August 2019.

I would recommend this author for anybody who likes Jane Corry, Louise Jensen, or Lisa Jewell.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley

for an Advance Review Copy of this book

in return for an honest and unbiased review.

About the Author

http://www.wendyclarke.uk/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-She-Saw-psychological-heart-pounding/dp/1786818183/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=