Hope to Die by David Jackson

Hope to Die by David Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

CROSS YOUR HEART AND . . . HOPE TO DIE
There was a hate in this killer. A thirst for obliteration rather than a mere desire to end a life . . .

A brutal murder takes place in the grounds of a Liverpool cathedral. A killer is on the loose, driven by a chilling rage. The victim: the last person you'd expect to be subjected to such terrible violence. Can DS Nathan Cody crack the case before another innocent is chosen?


My first novel by this author and my first introduction to DC Nathan Cody. Having missed the first novel in this sequence of DC Cody books I thought it might be difficult to understand the character but Jackson made it easy to get the back story.

All the characters were filled in nicely so missing the first book in the series didn’t spoil the enjoyment.

Psychological thriller with good tension and nit overly long chapters kept the pace going nicely but the concept wasn’t entirely new. There were a couple of surprises but not enough to make the story really stand out. Having said this it’s an excellent read and Jackson even managed to create empathy for the killer who had been mercilessly mentally abused by his mother. Reading parts where he is only 6 having wet the bed and all the punishment that incurred were very moving.

Well deserved 4 stars from me.

Caught by Harlan Coben

Caught by Harlan Coben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

17 year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst.

Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined.


I’m a fan of this writer who consistently turns out novels of the highest quality - Caught is not a disappointment.

Pacy dialogue and short meaningful chapters has this book moving at speed to keep the reader engaged. Harlen Coben is such a good story writer, characters that are so identfyible and convincing with just enough suspense and twists to give his novels staying power.

I won’t retell the story or give spoilers you need to read this and enjoy it as it was intended, no hype, no tricks, just a great read. Obviously for me a five star book.

The Stranger by Harlan Coben

The Stranger by Harlan Coben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world.

Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life.

Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne’s deception, and realizes that if he doesn’t make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.


I’m a huge fan of Harlan Coben and no matter what he writes he never disappoints.

This is a clever story and written so well. Adam Price’s world is blown apart one night when a total stranger approaches him in a bar and tells him a secret about his wife Corinne. Corinne then disappears, Adam, confused and desperate to find out the truth, finds himself drawn deeper into something dark and dangerous.

Adam discovers this stranger is revealing other people’s secrets that are destroying their lives. He knows he has to find out who the stranger is and stop him but also he believes he is the key to his wife’s disappearance.

Well formed characters with good pace and suspense has this novel racing you towards the end.

Another success for this prolific writer. Easily a five star read.

Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna

Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four Women. Four Confessions. One Murder.

Something has gone terribly wrong at the Banks wedding. A man is dead. Four different women rush to offer confessions, each insisting that they committed the crime -- alone.

Ginger is holding her family together by a thread, and this wedding weekend is not the fabulous getaway she anticipated.

Kate has enough money to buy her way out of anything. Well, almost anything.

Emily can't shake her reputation or her memories, and she's planning to drown this whole vacation in a bottle.

Lulu's got ex-husbands to spare, and another on the way -- as soon as she figures out what the devil the current husband is up to behind her back.

Why would they confess to the same murder? Only they know -- and they're not telling. This page-turning novel explores the depths of friendship and the truths we love to ignore.


Three ex college friends meet up at an exclusive luxury hotel for the wedding of a mutual friend Kate, Ginger and Emily are friends of the bride, Lulu who becomes friends to the other three is related to the groom through marriage to Pierce her husband. Lulu is much older than the others and on her forth marriage.

All the friends have secrets and (Lulu apart) having had no contact with each other for five years, they have no idea what each of them has gone through.

We open with a murder and each of the friends confess to the killing. While the confused and exasperated detective tries to unpick the mystery we learn the stories of these friends and what leads each to confess to the murder.

Despite its hefty 319 pages it is a surprisingly quick read, nicely written with interesting flawed characters. There was a little twist at the end, not completely surprising but it rounds things off. Nothing too heavy with his novel, recommended read - four stars.

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

The Lie Of You by Jane Lythell

The Lie Of You by Jane Lythell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Can you hide your deepest fear?

To the outside world, Kathy is the very picture of a happy and fulfilled modern woman. She has a beautiful baby boy, a clever, handsome husband and a glamorous, high-powered job.

But not everybody is fooled. Her employee, Heja, knows the truth: the cracks in Kathy's marriage, her self-doubt, her fear of failure at work. Heja is perfectly placed to destroy Kathy's life. And if she succeeds, she can claim the one thing she wants most...

As psychological thrillers go this wasn’t the best I’ve read not the worse. Centred around three main characters this is a somewhat tragic tale about love, loss, obsession and jealousy.

Told through two viewpoints, Kathy married to Marcus is a first time new mum juggling a pressurised job at a magazine and new baby who doesn’t really know her husband of two years either. Insecurities at the start mean the foundation of her marriage are not secure and knowing nothing about Marcus and his refusal to talk about his past means that she becomes paranoid at times.

Marcus is a cold fish, he appears to be very closed, even his speech appears to be guarded and stilted. Perhaps this was intentional by the writer to highlight he is Finnish but it was irritating. Similarly the character of Heja was treated to the same traits and both these characters suffered because of it being unlikeable and one dimensional.

The idea was good but I just didn’t feel we ever really got to know the characters which made it a bit hollow for me. I didn’t connect with any of them and although the reasons behind behaviour of characters came from deeper traumas as a reader I didn’t get that emotional pull.

Not a bad read but not a great read, would give this one a three star rating as missed opportunities and lack of depth in characterisation let this down.

The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent

The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Atmospheric psychological thriller that journeys through the effects of love and trust. Fran comes to live in the Fens with her husband and children leaving London and her friends, family and job behind her. She’s entirely reliant on her husband where trust is paramount.

Often left alone with her daughter Emme and Ben the new baby, Fran has placed her life in husband Nathan’s hands, cut off from all she knows.

Tragically one night she discovers him dead on their farm and her life starts to unravel. How well did she know Nathan, who was she married to?

Cleverly woven sub plots come together and the murderer is exposed but not before several red herrings have been discarded. It was a decent story but let down by hollow characters and Frans ‘secret’ being a bit weak - having said that it was an enjoyable read and worth 4 stars

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

The Rival by Charlotte Duckworth

The Rival by Charlotte Duckworth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

NOW
Helena is a career woman with no job and a mother without a baby. She blames Ashley for destroying her life. But is what happened really Ashley's fault?

THEN
When Helena hires Ashley to work for her, she's startled but impressed by her fierce ambition. They form a dream team and Helena is proud - maybe this is the protégée she's always wanted to have. But soon Helena realizes that nothing will stand in the way of Ashley's drive to get to the top. And when Helena becomes pregnant, everything she has worked so hard for is suddenly threatened, with devastating consequences...

Billed as a Crime Thriller this is more like woman’s fiction and as such my expectations were to be reading a crime/psychological thriller.

It was a mix of gossip and bitchy office rivalry that culminates in tragic consequences. It was well written but lacked pace and depth. I didn’t jell with any of the characters and because of this I felt indifferent to the outcome.

The ending had a twist of sorts but it was a very ordinary lack lustre read for me and therefore I can only give this 3 stars. Sorry just didn’t keep me interested

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

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.

Seven Days by Alex Lake

Seven Days by Alex Lake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A race against time to save her child?

In seven days, Maggie's son, Max, turns three. But she's not planning a party or buying presents or updating his baby book. She's dreading it. Because in her world, third birthdays are the days on which the unthinkable happens? she loses her child.

For the last twelve years Maggie has been imprisoned in a basement. Abducted aged fifteen, she gave birth to two sons before Max, and on their third birthdays her captor came and took them from her.

She cannot let it happen again. But she has no idea how to stop it. And the clock is ticking?

A compulsive and addictive read from the first to the last page. Told through multiple viewpoints the story of a fifteen year old girl who is abducted while on her way to see a friend. She is imprisoned in a cellar beneath the abductors garage and remains there for 12 years. During this time she is raped and punished and has 3 sons. Each son is taken from her on their 3rd birthday and she never sees them again. Determined this won’t happen to her third son Max, Maggie resolves to get him out of his prison before his third birthday in seven days. In addition to her story we see how her disappearance affects her family and how they slowly fall apart particularly her younger brother James.

Short chapters give this story a pacey and urgent feel and time hopping fills in blanks through the story.

Good strong characters and an urgency to free Max kept this hurtling forward to the end. The ending was just as thrilling with the horrible thought that although it looked like it would be alright you were never completely sure and had to read to the end.

Highly recommended read, full of sadness that made me want to cry for Maggie and Max in parts. Couldn’t fault this one at all, it hits all the right spots - five stars.

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

The Night You Left by Emma Curtis

The Night You Left by Emma Curtis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



IT ONLY TAKES A MOMENT TO UNRAVEL A PERFECT LIFE . . .

When Grace’s fiancé vanishes without a trace the night after proposing, her life is turned upside down. But has Nick walked out on her, or is he in danger?

As Grace desperately searches for answers, it soon becomes clear that Nick wasn’t the uncomplicated man she thought she knew. And when she uncovers a hidden tragedy from his childhood, she realises an awful truth: that you can run from your past – but your secrets will always catch up with you . . .

When Grace’s finance Nick disappears the night after proposing her life begins to unravel. Refusing to believe he’s simply left her she is convinced something bad has happened to him. What follows is a race to find the truth and a discovery of secrets and lies that threaten to destroy her and her daughters life. So far so good. Then it fizzled out.

It was a slow burner in the respect that it took so long for something significant to happen. The pace did build up but there just wasn’t enough twists to keep the momentum going. I felt the characters were not as developed as they could have been and some scenarios not realistic enough. Where was the adrenaline rush to find Nick or to create tension when Grace was in danger of getting too close to the truth? There wasn’t enough excitement or energy for me and the ending was predictable.

Such a shame Emma Curtis didn’t wring out every ounce of drama in this tale- it could have been so much better.

An average read for me with an average 3 stars, enjoyable but not memorable 😟

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

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
We can’t choose the strangers we meet.

As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchell’s Inn, they’re all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance.

Usually we can avoid the people who make us nervous, make us afraid.

With a violent storm raging, the group finds itself completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody can get in – or out. And then the first body is found . . . and the horrifying truth comes to light. There’s a killer among them – and nowhere to run.

Until we find ourselves in a situation we can’t escape. Trapped


I loved The Couple Next Door and was equally impressed by this cleaver who dunnit in An Unwanted Guest. So typically Agatha Christie in the way the story is woven from the atmospheric setting of an isolated hotel cut off in a snow storm to the complex clever characterisation of the colourful and secretive guests. And as guests start dying the suspense builds as it hurtles the reader at breakneck speed like a runaway train to the end.

I loved the plot and pace of this novel, each guest hiding secrets that provide so many red herrings that it’s almost impossible to unravel the truth until Shari Lapena wants to reveal it to the reader.


Full of suspense this psychological thriller takes the reader on a roller coaster of a ride from start to finish - a great read truly a stand out novel and has to get a five star rating. Highly recommended.

The Guilty Party by Mel McGrath

The Guilty Party by Mel McGrath
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

On a night out, four friends witness a stranger in trouble. They decide to do nothing to help.

Later, a body washes up on the banks of the Thames – and the group realises that ignoring the woman has left blood on their hands.

But why did each of them refuse to step in? Why did none of them want to be noticed that night? Who is really responsible?

This promised to be a great read but sadly I was disappointed in this novel by Mel McGrath

Four friends witness a rape in an alleyway and do nothing to help. A body is washed up in the Thames which turns out to be the attacked woman. All four friends turn a blind eye not wanting to get involved although they are in some way connected to the woman.

I thought this would be a really good read but it just didn’t have any substance for me. The characters were shallow and self obsessed, there was no pace and it all seemed to drag on and on. By halfway through I was just so fed up with it that I skim read to the end. It perked up a bit but really overly long and lack lustre.

I really can only give this a 2 star rating- with so many books out there time invested has to be worth it - sorry this wasn’t 😟

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

The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan

The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Seven-year-old Jocelyn loves her nanny more than her own mother.
When her nanny disappears one night, Jo never gets over the loss.
How could she vanish without saying goodbye?

Thirty years on, Jo is forced to return to her family home and confront her troubled relationship with her mother. When human remains are discovered in the grounds of the house, Jo begins to question everything.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks at the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again as, one by one, she discovers her childhood memories aren’t what they seemed.

What secrets was her nanny hiding – and what was she running away from? And can Jo trust what her mother tells her?

Sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie.



A tense and tightly woven psychological thriller that pulls the reader in from the start.

After leaving the family ancestral home, Jo finds herself having to return with her daughter Ruby after a family tragedy and reluctantly move back home with her estranged mother. Jo is determined that her relationship with her daughter will be close unlike her own with her mother Virginia was. She resents the fact that Ruby and her mother seem to get along so well and this rankles Jo. When Ruby accidentally uncovers a skull in the lake in the grounds of the Manor House Jo believes it might be her Nanny Hannah who disappeared when Jo was only seven.

A twisty tale of secrets and lies follows as the pace and tension builds to a conclusion that has to result in the elimination of someone. I did guess what was going on but really the pieces didn’t start to fall together until late in the book exactly what I assume Gillian Macmillan intended. It keeps you guessing who the remains belong to and more importantly who the killer/s was - which is not as straightforward as you might think. A good satisfying read - recommended for all psychological thriller fans and worth 4 stars

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

The Passengers by John Marrs

The Passengers by John Marrs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When someone hacks into the systems of eight self-drive cars, their passengers are set on a fatal collision course. 

The passengers are: a TV star, a pregnant young woman, a disabled war hero, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife - and parents of two - who are travelling in separate vehicles and a suicidal man. Now the public have to judge who should survive but are the passengers all that they first seem?



What a high octane ride of a book -I couldn’t put it down. Such a scarily believable story so much so that I will never own an automated car.

8 people seemingly picked at random find themselves trapped passengers in their automated cars as a hacker takes control of their cars and their lives.

Their fate is broadcast over social media and soon the voting begins to choose who lives and who dies based on selected information shared with the media about the passengers.

So bang up to date with information technology that it is frighteningly plausible and completely addictive. I read this book in a day it was compulsive and shockingly compelling. I have not read John Marrs before this book but I will definitely be seeking him out in future.

Original and cleverly written with a pace as fast as the cars hurtling towards each other in a nail biting octane fuelled ride - brilliantly executed and worth 5 stars - I shall be looking out for the Netflix series.

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

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared without trace. Then a letter from her father arrives - 'I need to talk to you. That girl. I saw that girl.' Has her father's dementia worsened, or has he really seen Corinne? Returning home, Nicolette must finally face what happened on that terrible night all those years ago.

Then, another young woman goes missing, almost to the day of the anniversary of when Corinne vanished. And like ten years ago, the whole town is a suspect.

Told backwards - Day 15 to Day 1 - Nicolette works to unravel the truth, revealing shocking secrets about her friends, her family, and what really happened to Corinne.

Like nothing you've ever read before, All the Missing Girls is a brilliantly plotted debut thriller that will leave you breathless.

Not an easy flowing read, an interesting concept to tell the story from the end backwards but so confusing which spoilt the whole pace and flow of the novel. I was constantly having to go back and re-read to make sense of it.

Let’s face it, it’s a hefty book 368 pages of a book larger than the usual paperback size so this was a great investment in time for the reader. There seemed to be little in the way of exciting big reveals and the characters were predictable as was the ending.

The title says All the missing girls of which there were just two- again a bit of a let down for any reader expecting others to go missing once the first two have been revealed.

So much potential in this novel but I felt it didn’t live up to expectations. I give this one a 3 stars - disappointing.

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

Twisted by Steve Cavanagh

Twisted by Steve Cavanagh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THREE THINGS:

1. The police are looking to charge me with murder.
2. No one knows who I am. Or how I did it.
3. If you think you've found me. I'm coming for you next.

After you've read this book, you'll know: the truth is far more twisted...

What a gifted writer Steve Cavanagh is he is brilliant at weaving intricate plots and pulling the reader in. Deeply twisted this novel will have you question everything and then some. Right from the very first chapter this addictive psychological thriller will have you galloping along unable to turn the pages quickly enough.

Just when you think you’ve worked it all out along comes another curve ball to knock your theory out of the park.

Good characters, believable storylines and enough tension and twisted inventiveness to keep you guessing until the end.

Brilliant, I think Steve Cavanagh has now joined my list of best psychological thriller writers. Recommended reading and for me a 5 star novel.

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

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On an island off the coast of Maine, a man is found dead. There’s no identification on the body. Only the dogged work of a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in forensics turns up any clues, and it’s more than a year before the man is identified. And that’s just the beginning of the mystery. Because the more they learn about the man and the baffling circumstances of his death, the less they understand. Was it an impossible crime? Or something stranger still...? No one but Stephen King could tell this story about the darkness at the heart of the unknown and our compulsion to investigate the unexplained. With echoes of Dashiell Hammett’s THE MALTESE FALCON and the work of Graham Greene, one of the world’s great storytellers presents a moving and surprising tale whose subject is nothing less than the nature of mystery itself...


This is not a new Stephen King book but re released illustrated edition part of the Hard Case Crime series.

As with most King books the reader should not be expecting the norm but have to inhabit the tale go get the most out of it.

Not a book with a conclusion or happy neat ending but one that makes the reader think and if a book can do that then, for me, it’s done a good job.

When two teenagers find the body of a man on the beach it begins a mystery that remains unsolved for many years. Over a cup of coffee two veterans of the local newspaper The Weekly Islander (Dave Bowie 65 managing editor and Vincent Teague the 92 year old founder of the paper) tell Stephanie McCann (22 who is on an internship at the paper) about the unsolved case.

Eventually the identity of the dead man is revealed but the reasons that lead him to the island of Moose-Lookit remain a mystery.

I enjoyed the engaging prose and characterisation of all the ‘players’ and felt it sat nicely in the era. Brave of any writer to leave a book the same way it started, as a mystery, yet for all that it was a clever and intriguing tale.

Life does not neatly package up answers for everything and I think that this is the message here. Some things we will never know for sure but it doesn’t prevent us from trying. This is not a book for anyone looking for a solution to the tale which might frustrate some readers but for me maybe that was its resolution in that not everything in life is so tidy and neat. Some things simply can’t be explained.

Thought provoking and a good 4 star read. I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

Watching You by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You’re back home after four years working abroad, new husband in tow.

You’re keen to find a place of your own. But for now you’re crashing in your big brother’s spare room.

That’s when you meet the man next door.

He’s the head teacher at the local school. Twice your age. Extraordinarily attractive. You find yourself watching him.

All the time.

But you never dreamed that your innocent crush might become a deadly obsession.

Or that someone is watching you.



Well constructed and intricately plotted novel with a creepy voyeristic flavour that keeps you going until the end. Nosey neighbours, bored housewives, slightly biopila resident all come together in this clever story of tragedy, lust, paranoia and revenge.

It opens up (as so many of this genre do) with the body of a woman murdered in her kitchen with a very convenient clue to the possible murderer at the scene. It’s all too clean to be the real murderer and so the story begins to unfold and lead the reader on many red herrings to throw the reader off the scent.

I did guess who the murderer was but not the reasons behind until almost the end so Lisa Jewell did well to keep the secret almost to the end.

Enjoyable read, lively short chapters that kept the pace moving forward well. Just enough information on the characters to keep the story alive and believable. A recommended read - 4 stars

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

Never overstay your welcome...

Littleport, Maine is like two separate towns: a vacation paradise for wealthy holidaymakers and a simple harbour community for the residents who serve them. Friendships between locals and visitors are unheard of - but that's just what happened with Avery Greer and Sadie Loman.

Each summer for a decade the girls are inseparable - until Sadie is found dead. When the police rule the death a suicide, Avery can't help but feel there are those in the community, including a local detective and Sadie's brother Parker, who blame her. Someone knows more than they're saying, and Avery is intent on clearing her name before she's branded a killer.


I really enjoyed Megan Miranda’s The Perfect Strange and so was eager to read this one but I’m afraid for me it just wasn’t a patch on ATMG.

It was told over two time lines which was fine but it was just so slow and uneventful for almost half the book that I found myself almost putting it down and not bothering. It was predictable and bland with no real surprises for the reader. Megan Miranda worked so hard to make the reader suspect one character that it was obviously someone else and not that hard to guess who.

I didn’t particularly like or connect with any of the characters so found myself not really caring in the end what happened to any of them.

Such a shame after ATMG novel but maybe my expectations were unrealistically high after reading this.

Really can only give this one a 3 star rating - sorry

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

The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson

The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brighton Beach, 1993

Teenagers Nell and Jude find the body of a young woman and when no one comes to claim her, she becomes known as the Brighton Mermaid. Nell is still struggling to move on when, three weeks later, Jude disappears.

Twenty-five years on, Nell is forced to quit her job to find out who the Brighton Mermaid really was – and what happened to her best friend that summer.

But as Nell edges closer to the truth, dangerous things start to happen. Someone seems to be watching her every move, and soon she starts to wonder who in her life she can actually trust…


Surprisingly I’ve not read anything from this author before although I do read and review a lot of novels and psychological thrillers are a particular favourite. Having read many novels in this genre it gets harder to review them as my expectations rise. I wasn’t disappointed with this one, it had good pace and the tension was built chapter on chapter.

The characters were likeable even though they are flawed and enough twists and turns means you’re never quite sure which of the suspects are guilty.

A good whodunit novel that is gripping with multifaceted characters and a multi layered plot that will hurtle you towards the end. Plenty of suspense, drama and intrigue with a little twist at the end that I didn’t guess.

Good recommended read and worth 4 stars - I will look out for Dorothy Koomson novels in the future.

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