Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard

Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

PLAY
Andrew, the manager of Shanamore Holiday Cottages, watches his only guest via a hidden camera in her room. One night the unthinkable happens: a shadowy figure emerges onscreen, kills her and destroys the camera. But who is the murderer? How did they know about the camera? And how will Andrew live with himself?

PAUSE
Natalie wishes she'd stayed at home as soon as she arrives in the wintry isolation of Shanamore. There's something creepy about the manager. She wants to leave, but she can't - not until she's found what she's looking for...

REWIND
This is an explosive story about a murder caught on camera. You've already missed the start. To get the full picture you must rewind the tape and play it through to the end, no matter how shocking...

A twisty clever thriller set in Ireland with creepy characters and remote isolated places this book really had it all.

Told through multiple timelines it did however become a bit disjointed and difficult to follow. Reading a little and returning later it was hard to remember what had gone on and I had to re-read the chapter before to refresh myself.

I did work out early on who had committed the murder but I wanted to know the motive and when it was revealed I felt it just was a bit weak and let down what otherwise could have been a five star rating.

It is a good read, I think that as such a prolific reader I probably am harder to please so go and buy it you won’t be disappointed. A solid 4 stars from me

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

The Liar's Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard

The Liar's Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Her first love confessed to five murders. But the truth was so much worse.

Dublin's notorious Canal Killer, Will Hurley, is ten years into his life sentence when the body of a young woman is fished out of the Grand Canal. Though detectives suspect they are dealing with a copycat, they turn to Will for help. He claims he has the information the police need, but will only give it to one person - the girl he was dating when he committed his horrific crimes.

Alison Smith has spent the last decade abroad, putting her shattered life in Ireland far behind her. But when she gets a request from Dublin imploring her to help prevent another senseless murder, she is pulled back to face the past - and the man - she's worked so hard to forget.

Good story line about college students, their life and loves and a series of murders that occur by the canal that runs through the town.

Ali strikes up a romantic relationship with fellow student Will which ultimately effects her long standing friendship with Liz her school girlfriend and college mate. Ali learns a lot about her friendship with the unpredictable moods of Liz and when the murders start their friendship becomes strained. Unable to foresee Liz’s outbursts Ali has a blazing row with her the night Liz is murdered leaving her consumed with guilt.

Liz is the last of 4 killings and when the college students are interviewed Will is pulled into the station and later charged for all the murders. He’s promptly institutionalised in a mental facility.

Wind 10 years forward and Ali is contacted by the police as more ‘copy cat’ killings have started again at the university and they want to interview Will again but he’ll only speak to Ali.

Ali (through the police officer Monroe) agreed to meet him and she is then drawn into the investigation once again as Monroe believes Will might be innocent.

Nice short chapters kept up the pace throughout the book with red herrings and a climax at the end.

Read this in two days and enjoyed the ride. 4 stars for this one, recommended.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.