-
REVIEW: The Marsh House by Zoë Somerville
The Marsh House seeps in atmospheric brilliance. It has the uncanny ability to remind you just how boring your life is. The novel tackles relationship breakdowns from multiple angles. A mother and daughter. A house in the country. Creepy diary entries. Personally, living in a cold, damp property in the middle of winter is a dead cert no for me but the protagonist had a story to unfold. It’s December 1963 and Malorie escapes to the country with her daughter, Franny. Her life is changing far quicker than she could have ever anticipated. Her relationship with Franny’s father, Tony has broken down. Partly due to his multiple infidelities and Malorie’s…
-
REVIEW: What His Wife Knew by Jo Jakeman
What would you do if everything you knew, everything you lived for was suddenly snatched away at the drop of a hat? What His Wife Knew is a novel portraying a Wife’s denial and grief at being told her husband has died by Suicide. The remnants of her and her children’s lives are now a scattered ruin. She doesn’t know how to parent them in a way that they need, she can’t face doing the things that gave her pleasure…she is left in a wasteland of pain. With all, why does her husband committing suicide feel so wrong? The situation in What His Wife Knew is one of my worst…
-
REVIEW: Malevolent Nevers by Tom Rimer
Malevolent Nevers packs a serious punch, cracked jaw, fractured skull, split orbital bone, bruised, battered, and beaten. The story feels like an old friend, an old friend who likes to live life on the edge, a friend that you can never tell if they want to help or hinder…a friend that has you walking across glass. A sense of familiarity, this is the kind of book you want to curl up with in front of a roaring fire and a nip of whisky. Pick up this book for its kick-ass cover and stay for the characterisation and penetrating gothic atmosphere. Malevolent Nevers starts from the ground up. You feel the…
-
REVIEW: Remember my Name by Sam Blake
I have a soft spot for Irish psychological thrillers. The atmosphere, threat, and gothic feel of its landscape has me like a moth to the flame. Remember my Name is no different. It quickly becomes clear that the reader is dealing with a giant sticky spider web of emotions and deceit. Just how much do we know the person we willingly give our hearts and souls to? Sam Blake weaves a web so delicate, so precise that the plots and subplots expertly fall into place in the exact moment they should. Trust in her craft, the clock Is ticking, and you can feel the wrought anxiety in the character’s reactions.…
-
REVIEW: Hide by Nell Pattison
Hide was a difficult book for me to rate. It didn’t work all that well for me. The cover is extremely enticing, and the plot sounded like one of my favourite thriller tropes – whiteout conditions. A lot of people think that the snow is this beautiful phenomenon that reminds them of Christmas time and sitting around an open fire. I, however, have always found it just a bit too scary. Imagine being caught in whiteout conditions, you can’t see anything, and someone or something could easily sneak up on you without your knowledge. Scary stuff! However, the plot was a bit flat for me. Imagine spending Christmas with those…
-
REVIEW: The Woman on the Pier by B.P. Walter
The Woman on the Pier…going, to be honest here, I felt like the title was the biggest spoiler. It’s not until you finish the book just how big a spoiler you have been dealt. The story dealt with difficult content and if you are triggered by child death and terrorist attacks, I would advise you to stay clear of this one. A mother and father grieving for their teenage daughter’s lost life and potential, Jessica. A marriage crumbling from the very seams. Secrets that could destroy everything. Jessica planned to visit her friend in Somerset so why on earth was she killed in a terrorist attack at Stratford train station?…
