‘The Privy Council doesn’t want the Scots to know we have a problem with witches.’
1589. Princess Anna of Denmark is betrothed to King James VI of Scotl‘The Privy Council doesn’t want the Scots to know we have a problem with witches.’
1589. Princess Anna of Denmark is betrothed to King James VI of Scotland. She must prove herself worthy of the title of Queen in a year long handfasting trial or be banished into exile. Her loyal maid Kirsten, travels with her to Scotland, she has motives of her own for the marriage to be a success. Jura, a young housemaid escapes her master for Edinburgh and gets caught up in witchcraft rumours gripping the country.
I loved Kate’s first book The Maiden and so was highly anticipating reading this novel. It is based on the women of the real life witch trials in Scotland in the sixteenth century. King James was judge in the North Berwick witch trials and inspired his book Daemonologie, endorsing witch hunts and severe penalties. He was a man obsessed with witches.
‘Witches are cunning and have hidden themselves in plain sight.’
I loved the perspectives of the three very different women in this book. Foster gives them clear voice, Anna, Kirsten and Jura together painting a vivid picture, so evocative of the time. There is so much detail in this story but it is the humanity that shines through.
‘Women whisper secrets to each other; it is how we survive.’
I connected with Anna and Jura the most. Anna’s naivety and fear, her belief that she is cursed by a witch. Jura’s unwavering belief in the charme’s of her Ma, that most people relied on and now with the fear of witchery makes her hunted.
‘We are bound together. Do you understand? This is not solely about you.’
I found this story utterly absorbing and compelling. I read in disbelief of the horror of what was done to women accused of witchcraft, it beggars belief. As the threads of the story and these 3 women’s lives come together, I could not put it down. Foster has woven a truly brilliant tale, remarkable, rooted in fact and one that will keep you gripped until the very end....more
‘When she was Queen, she vowed, she would do everything in her power to court that goodwill.’
Known to history as Bloody Mary, I was really intereste‘When she was Queen, she vowed, she would do everything in her power to court that goodwill.’
Known to history as Bloody Mary, I was really interested to read this latest book from Alison Weir, novelising the life of Mary Tudor. I really loved reading about her life from her own point of view and viewing histories events through her eyes. I felt quite sorry for her, in her early life, she was a victim of circumstances and her father Henry VIII. Her views are developed and a steely, piousness from her mother Katherine Of Aragon. I really hadn’t thought how they must have perceived the goings on with Anne Boleyn and how they must have been kept in the dark for such a long time, plus they were separated and Mary used as a bargaining instrument to try to force Katherine to capitulate her position. They had such strength to see things through and not give in! Mary is feisty and bold and stands up to Henry - brave girl!
‘I care not for your cruelties. Whatever you do, I will not be overcome. Remember that!’
She has a tumultuous and torrid time when Anne Boleyn is in the ascendancy. And we watch her mature through Henry’s reign and multitude of wives. Her religious zeal increases. Especially once her brother Edward is on the throne and the change feels smooth and all of a sudden Bloody Mary if before us! It is so cleverly written that you can’t see where young Mary ends and Bloody Mary begins!
‘I am ready to set myself up as a champion of the Catholic religion, whatever it costs me.’
She was single minded and determined and once Queen, everything seems to fall apart, her disastrous marriage, the loss of Calais and most of all the burnings made her hated. She actually signed the death warrants of these people herself to undergo an atrocious death and although I felt open and sympathetic to her at the beginning, by the end, I didn’t much like her. It’s no wonder she gained the reputation she did and that public revulsion for her has not diminished ever since
To be able to make you change your mind about someone really shows Weirs capability as a writer, history brought to life in a fantastic way!...more
The Maiden is a book inspired by true events. In Edinburgh, in 1679 Christian Nimmo is arrested for the murder of her lover James Forrester. The newspThe Maiden is a book inspired by true events. In Edinburgh, in 1679 Christian Nimmo is arrested for the murder of her lover James Forrester. The newspapers splash the story and soon everyone has little doubt: adulteress, whore, murderess.
Only the year before Lady Christian was living a different life of privilege and respectability. How did the affair happen? Is she guilty, she wasn’t the only woman in Forrester’s life or with a motive.
I love books which are rooted in fact and I did a bit of rabbit holing with this one as I read. I was interested to know if the narrative deviated from fact and how much. The authors note at the end gives a lot of this information.
‘You are sentenced to beheading. God have mercy on your soul. Prepare yourself in prayer.’
The first lines are just chilling and the scene is set. We know from these lines that she is found guilty and I was consumed by the book with these few words.
Foster paints a vivid picture of Christian’s life, we follow her story and the threads come together, turning full circle until we meet her awaiting execution at the hands of the titular Maiden, which was the guillotine used for executions in Scotland from 1564-1710. The women of the story are unexpected, sharp, bold and fabulous. This is a treat of a book, compelling, enthralling and utterly riveting.
I’m not surprised that it was long listed for the Women’sPrize....more
This is the sequel to The Coming Darkness and sees the return of previous hero Alexander Lamarque
‘He had known from the very first that what they shouThis is the sequel to The Coming Darkness and sees the return of previous hero Alexander Lamarque
‘He had known from the very first that what they should all fear was Darkness.’
Alex is hailed as a hero, the man who saved the world. We are in a broiling dystopian future, with Lamarque having promised to mop up the remnants of the conspiracy that ended in the coming darkness. Where others see success, he sees threat but with his new found celebrity, his life is leaking into the public domain and he wants to exile himself from that.
‘In the 2030’s the two degrees of average global temperature rise thought to be manageable are anything but that.’
This book makes you feel on edge throughout and I LOVED it! It’s not just the action, which twists and turns and ratchets up the tension as you read but it’s the climate aspect, set in 2037, it shows us a world I don’t recognise, not just the technology but the effects of climate change and this is the scariest part of the book.
‘Could the new web videos promising a ‘Coming Storm’ indicate that some kind of controlling intelligence persisted, more potent even than the dead traitor?’
As well as Alex, we also follow Mariam and Amaury who were with him in the first book. Each have their own story arc and part to play and Mosse threads their stories together with ease.
‘This was, perhaps, the last moment of quiet at the eye of the coming storm.’
I could feel my pulse rising as I read, as the full horror of what was unfolding I read faster and faster, all coming together in a chilling and thrilling climax! I cannot wait for the next book already!...more
Sisters Hannah, Rosa, and Eva are on a mission to sustain picturesque Heatherly Hall, in Yorkshire's Westenbury village. So when they hear the legend Sisters Hannah, Rosa, and Eva are on a mission to sustain picturesque Heatherly Hall, in Yorkshire's Westenbury village. So when they hear the legend of the Jet Set – a necklace with a rare diamond, commissioned by royalty and hidden in their hall – they plan a fundraiser: an Agatha-Christie style am-dram production and treasure hunt.
As if that weren't enough, music superstar Drew Livingston and Bollywood legend Aditi Sharma have chosen their hall for a wedding in just six weeks' time, and the pressure is mounting to pull off the wedding of the decade.
Staging the play, unravelling the mystery of the diamond, and meeting the demands of an A-list bride and groom without their lives unravelling seems impossible. But these three sisters know that with family by your side, anything can be overcome
The three sisters an are good mix, each a great foil for the other. I found all the relationships tricky to get to grips with at the start with this being the third in a series, but I figured it out and it works well as a stand alone. Each of the sisters brings something to the party, sensible Rosa, village vicar, struggling to conceive but full of kindness and strength. Eva, feisty and bolshie, wanting love and to be loved and turns the head of superstar Drew. Hannah, who has her heart set on keeping Heatherly going but confused in love, I really wanted to give her a good shake at times! Virginia, their elder sister is hilarious and really annoying in equal measure, but such a great character, I really wanted to slap her!
This is a heartwarming read, full of love, a bit of mystery and lots of glamour. I especially loved the Agatha-esque am-dram component - so much fun!...more
Molly Monroe wakes up with the mother of all hangovers, a strange man in her bed and no recollection of the night before. Pretty soon she is aware of Molly Monroe wakes up with the mother of all hangovers, a strange man in her bed and no recollection of the night before. Pretty soon she is aware of what she has done, as are thousands of others as she is plastered all over social media. It’s a nightmare and it’s gets worse. Her best friend Posey is dead, a tragic accident the police say. Molly knows different, she knows she was murdered and needs to find a killer.
OMG! This book is so so addictive, I started and just couldn’t look away. Wicked, twisty, funny and really surprising, I just loved it!
I felt so sorry for Molly, hideous having yourself plastered all over social media in a VERY compromising situation. Everyone’s worst nightmare and it doesn’t get any better either. She was a great character though, running through the whole gamut of emotions from super witty and funny to mortified. I didn’t trust Jack much, I mean, a strange bloke in your bed, who says he brought you home pissed…but did he?
‘Everything is on your shoulders when you’re a woman.’
There are so many twists and turns in this one, it was simply fabulous, an awesome read!...more
I found this book difficult to get into initially, it feels quirky and with a style I’m not used to. Perhaps because it’s translated fiction, I’m not I found this book difficult to get into initially, it feels quirky and with a style I’m not used to. Perhaps because it’s translated fiction, I’m not sure. I loved the descriptions of the run down little hairdressers Cindy Coiffure, I have seen places like these in sleepy French villages before and always wonder if they are open or how they survive. Not much happens to begin with, Clara is bored, unhappy with her boyfriend JB.
‘Her Flynn Rider, the mere mention of whom would once send shivers all the way down to her little toe, is now as tempting as a plate of cold meats after the Christmas turkey.’
Then a stranger arrives for a haircut, an actor, Clara thinks, without an appointment. Most of the men in this book are compared to the famous, Flynn Rider, Henry Cavill… he leaves behind a book.
‘A sentence has been underlined in blue ballpoint pen. You have a soul in you of rare quality, an artist’s nature; never let it starve for lack of what it needs.’
‘That same evening, Clara will pick the book up and put it in the bookcase in the corridor…. The book will stay there for precisely five months, twenty-nine days, two hours and forty-seven minutes.’
Clara is a bit of a dreamer imagining herself with a variety of different men, mainly actors and starts to read the Proust left behind. It’s impenetrable, she puts it down and then picks it up again determined not to be put off, no DNFing for this girl! She is doing it, she is reading In Search Of Lost Time. She annotates, underlines and marks places with little hearts - she could be a bookstagrammer!
It starts a journey for her, awakening memories, stirring feelings and allows her to work out who and what she wants to be
I don’t think you have to have read Proust to read this, but it might help. I did a bit of rabbit-holing to help me
‘So, at the beginning, Marcel – well, the hero of the book – is in bed, and he can’t sleep, and he starts thinking about his past. First, his childhood, when he would go to his great-aunt’s house in Combray. Well, she’s horrible; she spends her days in bed looking out of the window, but he doesn’t care, he mostly just goes for walks. So, he talks about everything he sees during his walks, the flowers, the landscapes, and he describes them in a super detailed way. At first, it’s really strange but you quickly realise that he’s giving you all this detail because he feels everything, he sees everything.’
She meets Claudie, a new friend who adores Proust and encourages her
‘I think you should read Proust….Read it to other people. Out loud.’
And so she decides to perform Proust, reading sections outloud, in an Edinburgh Fringe type festival. At first it is a damp squib but then takes off, you can feel the swell of joy within her as she reads aloud and it certainly makes you feel good as the reader. It changes things for her and I felt joy for her. This is not my usual read, it’s been challenging but it’s been enjoyable....more
Emily is invited to join the infamous Scarmado family on a five night voyage aboard their glamorous new ship. It's a chance to see her best friend, BeEmily is invited to join the infamous Scarmado family on a five night voyage aboard their glamorous new ship. It's a chance to see her best friend, Belle, newly married to Mattia Scarmado. She hasn’t seen her in years.
On the first night,the glamour envelopes her.
On the second night, she receives threatening notes.
On the third night, someone will die.
On the fourth night, she discovers that someone knows the truth of what she did.
On the last night, she is left for dead.
‘crewing on yachts in big oceans under the hot sun. Those images are sticky and bright, and I’d tried to wipe them away. To forget what I’d done. The whole thing.’
This book will just wrap you up in thrills, fear and glamour right from the start. You can feel the burning sun, the rolling waves and the tension ratchet up as we set sail on a fantastic locked ship thriller!
‘From love to death. I am already short on time. I had better tell my tale quickly.’
The Scarmado’s are an unpleasant lot it’s quite Succession vs The Sopranos with a big dollop of a locked mystery a la Christie. They are horrible, but I loved them, so well drawn in such a short amount of time. I was hooked and couldn’t trust anyone, one thing I’ve learned from reading Christie!
We learn what happened to Emily and Belle in their past and how it ties in with the first Mrs Scarmado. Emily is getting two sides of a story and doesn’t know who to believe.
Emily and Viola’s stories run in tandem and little snippets are trickle fed to us the reader. With everyone stuck on a ship together. It’s full of drama and really keeps you wanting more.
‘Let the ship sail, the holiday continues.’ ….. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.’
As we reached the end of the story, I was expecting one thing and thought I had the culprit - and I did ( in part - everyone loves a little win! ...more
Ash Carter returns to Israel on what should be a straightforward mission. However there is a mystery. Why did Alfred Duffy go AWOL from the British ArAsh Carter returns to Israel on what should be a straightforward mission. However there is a mystery. Why did Alfred Duffy go AWOL from the British Army, go to Israel and then hand himself in at Acre Prison? The mystery deepens further when Carter finds that Duffy escaped just as he arrived. As Carters hunt begins and as the mystery unravels, it becomes unclear who is the hunter and who the hunted.
This is an Ash Carter Near East Crime-Thriller and is set before the Singapore series of books. This is the fourth in the series, I think they read perfectly well as stand alone’s.
I really like Ash Carter, I feel I know him quite well now and can just pick up these books, like you do when chatting with an old friend. Bailey writes with an easy flowing style, they are packed with details and packed with action, the narrative is fast moving and keeps you on your toes, this is a proper thriller!
Clever and intricate the initial hunt for Duffy was great, lots of misdirection which I loved and it was a real page turner! It set Carter on the trail of Duffy and Hajjar and lead him into the gang underworld. It’s complicated and I’ve read more to try to understand the complexities of the region and educate myself. Really at its heart this is a solid action packed thriller that you won’t be able to put down!...more
When Adele and Jack, struggling influencers post a crowdfunding video on line, they are amazed when a mysterious benefactor offers to buy them an old When Adele and Jack, struggling influencers post a crowdfunding video on line, they are amazed when a mysterious benefactor offers to buy them an old French chateau. It’s the lifeline they need and the answer to Adele’s prayers. She can vlog their journey and her subscriber numbers rocket. When the posts stop suddenly, her sister Erin visits and discovers that the couple have simply disappeared without trace. The chateau holds dark secrets, and as the truth is unravelled it puts Erin in mortal danger.
There is a lot of tension in this read, with the POV changing between Adele and her sister, Erin. It gave me the ‘just one more chapter’ vibes and I raced through it, determined to find out the key to the mystery, it’s a real page turner!
Adele is a dreamer, head in the clouds, thinking she deserves her fairytale life, without let’s face it much effort! She is quite naive and it was interesting to see her descent unfold, that influencer life not quite as shiny as it seems. Although they were few characters I actually liked it added to the read as I wanted to know what was going to happen to who!
‘There was a tension about the place. The people. It feels like the town is closing ranks on me. As if they have a secret they’re hiding.’
This is a dark and twisted thriller, well paced and at times very disturbing and horrifying. There are a few epic shocks but I found it addictive and is a great follow up to The Villa. ...more
‘Sometimes, life unexpectedly shakes you to the core and other times, it sends you a gift.’
Holly Roberts is well-known among family and friends for de‘Sometimes, life unexpectedly shakes you to the core and other times, it sends you a gift.’
Holly Roberts is well-known among family and friends for despising the cold, so no one is more surprised than her when she agrees to pack her bags and move to the Swiss Alps. But after getting her heart broken, spending the winter season working as a sous-chef for wealthy twins Genevieve and gorgeous Luca, is exactly what the doctor ordered. Verbier is home to millionaires and Holly has never felt more out of place in the snow-capped wooden chalet. Thankfully new friends, chalet girl Liv and chef Xavier are there to be her guide in this new world of après-ski and fondue, and to teach her how to get off chair lifts! And then there is Luca... rich, handsome, but what is the catch?
I just loved loved loved this debut. It hits the right notes for a perfect read just in time for Christmas. I loved Holly straight away, and what a nightmare heartbreak she suffers, but she is actually quite ballsy and gets herself on an epic adventure in Verbier, working and playing hard. I really chuckled at her snowboarding attempts, I remember what it felt like constantly falling over when I learnt many years ago.
My mouth watered at all the amazing food, my tastebuds longed for the fabulous wine and my heart burst with the romantic vibes, the strong friendships and the SNOW! This is one that will keep you hooked, I mean, Xavier…… ...more
Rani wishes for another life, she views a house as someone else, the woman she wants to be, cashmere, heels and on the rich list. The truth is a tiny Rani wishes for another life, she views a house as someone else, the woman she wants to be, cashmere, heels and on the rich list. The truth is a tiny flat with two kids, no job and a husband.
Natalie has that life, perfect husband, perfect house, everything Rani wants to be. But underneath she is something else, secrets are kept and the consequences of getting sucked into someone else life are going to be apparent and devastating.
‘I know I need to be with them. But I also need my independence. Is it possible to have both or will I always feel this conflicted.’
This book certainly keeps you on your toes, it’s psychological and dark, twisting and turning and just so compelling! With short chapters, it keeps you turning the page, I was very much ‘just one more’ to satisfy my need to know what happens and it barrels along at a slick pace.
‘How can this be the same man as yesterday?…I must be living with two versions of the same person. My very own Jekyll and Hyde.’
Although the I t contains largely unlikeable characters for me, I wasn’t hugely sympathetic to them, certainly intially, but I LOVED it!
‘But I feel nothing. This is not me.’
It’s heart thumping as the tension ratchets up, it feels claustrophobic, Shah makes you feel the fear and danger that the characters experience and at times I didn’t know what I should believe. The gaslighting is subtle until the plot simply blindsides you and I was like whaaat?!
A deliciously good psychological thriller, it just goes to show you never know what goes on behind closed doors, this one will pull you in and keep you til the very end!
This is pretty punchy with a side of a bit dark and creepy to set your nerves jangling.
A couple disappear in the Australian outback with no trace and This is pretty punchy with a side of a bit dark and creepy to set your nerves jangling.
A couple disappear in the Australian outback with no trace and no one is talking. Veronika Pope is handed the cold case. From what she can see, the missing pair were the perfect couple, loving, happy, blissful. But this town is simmering with resentment, in the seedy hotel where they stayed no one is welcoming and as Veronika investigates, the heat building in the godforsaken town she could be in serious danger of getting burned.
This is a relatively short book that packs a punch, Willett makes you feel as at sea as the cold case detective with information limited and it feels like I am reading in real time, walking alongside the cold case team. You can feel the sense of isolation in this outback town and it gave me a prickling sense of unease and fear. This is a cracking police procedural, tightly plotted, addictive and well worth a read!...more
I’ve become a bit obsessed with these Karen Pirie books and cold cases, they are every bit as gripping as a ‘regular murder’ and this one being set inI’ve become a bit obsessed with these Karen Pirie books and cold cases, they are every bit as gripping as a ‘regular murder’ and this one being set in lockdown gives it an added tenseness. I really felt like I was back in a bubble reading this one, remembering the quietness of our surroundings, and although I worked through it myself and had to go in everyday, it was surreal to be on empty roads and see also to see the fear in peoples faces when you had to meet them face to face on a daily basis. McDermid has taken these feelings and squeezed and amped it up for this one and it is fantastic.
The cold case team are WFH and Karen is housesharing with Daisy her Sergeant, who we met in Still Life. An authors manuscript appears that is a blueprint for an actual crime, the disappearance of Lara Hardie. There are so many similarities, it’s creepy but the problem is, the author is dead and the manuscript is unfinished.
I loved being back with KP, she is so no nonsense it’s fantastic, I feel I could actually meet her IRL for a good chinwag putting the world to rights. I feel the world pisses her off somewhat but it does me too so we’d make good pals ...more
‘It’s easy, isn’t it, from the outside to think someone’s got it made. But my life is every bit as difficult as yours.’
Click buy: a French chateau. Co‘It’s easy, isn’t it, from the outside to think someone’s got it made. But my life is every bit as difficult as yours.’
Click buy: a French chateau. Condition: ‘may require improvement’… It seemed like a good idea. Selling everything we owned. Just Mark and me, swapping our tiny, little, terraced London home – and the heartbreak of not being able to start a family – for an entire chateau in the middle of France… It’s everyone’s dream. And now it’s coming true for us. As I use the rusty key to open the big, creaking wooden door of the tumbledown fairytale chateau that’s officially our new home, I wonder: what could possibly go wrong? Little do I know that the answer is going to be… ‘everything’. I don’t speak nearly as much French as I should yet, but I feel like there’s no mistaking the villagers’ hostility. Nor the look of shock on the builder’s face when he sees the roof. Can our marriage survive this adventure? With all the tumbling masonry, will we? As the French sun blazes overhead, one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be a year to remember…
Emma was one of those characters that I just couldn’t decide whether to shake or hug first of all! Having had health problems growing up, she has been wrapped in cotton wool by those around her but with the prospect of being alone in a massive chateau to renovate she steps up to the mark and it was great to see her develop and become stronger and more independent.
‘The woman in the mirror looked back at her, and she noticed that the despair was gone from her eyes, replaced with strength.’
Anxiety is broached in a sensitive manner as is trying for a baby. She has very little self belief and leans heavily on those around her but little by little she starts to spread her wings and finds that she can do things herself and begins to spread her wings.
‘And you can’t rescue another person,’ her sister said firmly. ‘Not completely. You can stand by their side. You can help them. But when it comes to it, they have to be ready to do it themselves.’
This was an unexpected story, not what I thought it would be and it became a lovely gem of a book, it engaged me and took me on a journey (awful phrase but true in this case!), I connected with Emma particularly and by the end was whooping with joy! ...more
When an English expat is brutally murdered, his charred corpse left on a Loire Valley hillside, the police turn to juge d’instruction Matthieu LombardWhen an English expat is brutally murdered, his charred corpse left on a Loire Valley hillside, the police turn to juge d’instruction Matthieu Lombard to find the killer. Instead, Lombard discovers a wealth of secrets, grudges and feuds in the idyllic town of Saint-Genèse-sur-Loire. He begins to suspect that the remaining members of the Comité des Fêtes know more about the death than they are letting on. But rather than leading towards an arrest, each clue he uncovers seems to point in one, unexpected direction: Joan of Arc. Is the answer to the murder hiding in the barroom gossip of the Lion d’Or? Or in another century altogether?
I loved this book, a new series is always a treat and this was no exception. It’s engrossing from the very start, with a cruel murder and then we meet Matthieu Lombard, the juge d’instruction, put upon by his French activist mother. Half English and not allowed to forget it, it’s a beautiful mix of French town life, lasseiz faire and sharp plotting.
I enjoyed the Joan of Arc references and the wry humour that everyone in France seems to claim her as their own ‘Joan woz ‘ere!’
Juge Lombard has a back story, as you would expect. But he is a fantastic character, I could really picture him and I’m looking forward to see how he develops in future books. I loved the back and forth battling with the proceurer and commissaire, it’s quite bickery which was great fun! The twists and turns and unravelling of the story was spot on and kept me glued to the pages, I whizzed through in a couple of days, so keen was I to find out who did it!
An engrossing and addictive new series, you are going to love this one!...more
‘No matter how large or small an illusion, there is one thing to remember: your audience is in front of you. Keep them there. —The Master of Manipulat‘No matter how large or small an illusion, there is one thing to remember: your audience is in front of you. Keep them there. —The Master of Manipulation, “Ruminations”
1938, London. Young lawyer Edmund Ibbs has a new client: a woman accused of shooting her husband in the already infamous 'Ferris Wheel Murder' case.
The case proves to be a web of conspiracy, and Ibbs himself is accused when a second suspicious death occurs, during a magic act at the crowded Pomegranate Theatre.
Also present at the theatre is Joseph Spector, illusionist turned highly respected sleuth. Spector begins to investigate the mystery, but when another body is discovered later that same night, all evidence points to Ibbs being guilty.
With time against him, and a host of hangers-on all having something to hide, can Spector uncover the guilty party, or will he and Inspector Flint of Scotland Yard conclude that Ibbs is the culprit after all?
‘The art of magic, he read, lies in the manipulation of perception. Most people will look exactly where you want them to; all you have to do is tell them. It is simply a matter of guiding their attention in the correct direction, so that they are never looking at the trick as it is being worked.’
This novel is locked room mystery perfection, it set my mind whirling with possibilities and I love a challenge!
‘It’s true that all the evidence is there, and in plain sight too. If there are any would-be sleuths amongst you, now is the time to make yourselves known.’
Well as the quote says the evidence is in plain sight, but could I see it? NO! It is so so clever, I was very much Ibbs in this, solid, picking a way at the clues but unable to unravel them. I am most definitely not Spector, whose neat description of the mystery at the end was worthy of Christie herself!
If you love golden age crime, you will adore this book and I highly recommend it, one to tax the little grey cells that is for sure and be spectacularly entertained along the way! ...more
When Callie rents a beach cottage in Whitstable, she doesn't expect for its owner to be glamorous influencer Vanessa Lowe. Vanessa has it all. A beauWhen Callie rents a beach cottage in Whitstable, she doesn't expect for its owner to be glamorous influencer Vanessa Lowe. Vanessa has it all. A beautiful home, a loyal husband, three perfect children, and a growing number of adoring online fans. Callie has long admired her world from afar. But when Vanessa invites her in, the closer Callie looks, the more she suspects that there's more to Vanessa than meets the eye. So when Vanessa's son disappears, Callie must question everything she knows. Is Vanessa a mother in despair? Or is she a woman who'll do whatever it takes to cover up the cracks . . .
This is one of those thrillers that keeps you just off kilter all the way through, enough to set your teeth on edge and not trust anyone but still keeps you totally entranced and unable to look away! It’s such a skill and in Taylor’s case, brilliantly deployed.
It felt a bit Broadchurchian in its scope, with quite a few characters who you trust and then you don’t. I kept reframing my perception as I read. My first impression of Vanessa Lowe, the instagram influencer was not good, she is too good to be true and I did not trust her at all, manipulative and with a perfect looking facade. I liked Callie much more and felt more on her side as the story unfolds. Rachel was difficult to pick, more aloof and I wasn’t certain of her either, so many seeds of doubt are sown, the truth tantalisingly out of reach!
‘She thought she already had a handle on Vanessa’s myriad grins, but she realises now that her new friend was only ever at half wattage before.’
Full of insta trickery, how do we know what is real and what’s not? It cleverly opens your eyes to social media, its effect on our mental health, the impact on children and should we be over sharing so much. It’s certainly made me think!
‘What we put online is only about 5% of the real picture. So why does she feel like she’s watching a lie being told in real time?’
And then just as you think, that’s it, WHAM! What a twist, so clever and unexpected and I did not see it coming. A fantastic thriller, darkly deceiving, you won’t be able to put it down!...more
onstance Fitzgerald may be approaching 70, but she's never been one for putting down roots. She's spent her life untethered and free, but when she finonstance Fitzgerald may be approaching 70, but she's never been one for putting down roots. She's spent her life untethered and free, but when she finds herself newly engaged and a soon-to-be grandmother, Constance is forced to accept it may be time – perhaps – to settle down. Until a chance encounter throws open a window to her past, and Constance decides to head to the Highlands to find an old friend...
This book is such a gem, I loved it. It has an easy style and is full of hope and joy. I was delighted by the little twists and turns of this book. I am quite good at getting sucked into a book and believing what I read, so when a little reveal comes it always makes me smile. Some people say I’m gullible, I prefer to say that I just believe and trust well!
Pensioners featuring in books are some of my favourites, they bring a laissez faire, gumption, strength and fun and much as IRL should simply not be ignored, we can get so much from them. It is the female characters that really drew me in, they are strong, show great determination and it is shown through the friendships and their love for each other, the men are bit parts which was great!! Connie is just a lovely character, she feels like an amalgamation of some of the older women in my family. Diana is a bit of a pain but does come good which I was pleased about. Also I loved Alex, a great foil for Connie.
Although it looks like a fluffy book, it’s not, it’s emotional and warm and full of heart but it has some strong themes and it brings a lump to your throat.
Also just as a last aside - William; I adored him!...more
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