The Sinner

by Caroline England

Pub Date: 16 Jun 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 24 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

The Sinner is centred around the lives of 3 people, Dee, her sister Mari and friend/lover Cal in a domestic noir.  Dee married her older, Reverend husband after falling pregnant as a teen, her life is mundane and controlled by both her husband and mother in law.  Mari is a professional and her partner is about to have their baby.  Cal is a childhood friend with a secretive side and not all is as it seems.  Each persons has secrets and sins from their past which until now has remained private.  
A slow burn, but an enjoyable read.  Lots of twists and secrets to keep the intrigue levels high.

 

Fatal Witness

by Robert Bryndza

Pub Date: 7 Jul 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 22 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

Detective Erika Foster returns when a true crime podcaster, Vicky Clarke,  is found murdered.  Though her identity causes confusion initially.  Erika looks into the sexual predator case Vicky was investigated and wonders if there is any connection.  Though as the investigation deepens, not is all what it seems.
Another corker of a book by Robert Bryndza.  Full of great characters, details and twists that make an epic read.
Can be read as a standalone or part of the series.

 

The Ex-Husband

by Karen Hamilton

Pub Date: 19 Aug 2021

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 22 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

When Charlotte met Sam, he introduced her to the con-artist lifestyle.  They seek out targets while on a cruise ship.  As time goes by, Charlotte is uncomfortable with Sam’s tactics and they separate.  Then Sam goes missing and Charlotte receives threatening messages from someone that knows more than they should.  Who on board could know about Charlottes truth?
Told from Charlottes point of view in the present and when she first met Sam.  An interesting book, more suspense than thriller.  
Bit of a slow starts but picks up towards the end when you need to understand the who and why.

 

THE SKIN CODE

by Stephen Williams

Pub Date: 9 Jun 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 17 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

DI Mary Hume is and DC Echo are investigating the murder of a man with code carved into his torso.  Soon another body is found, with similar code also found carved into the victims body.  Then a third body.  They need to find the connection and find out who the killer is before they strike again.  Hume’s maverick friend and ex-colleague Raine is brought into as a contractor to help find the link.  Before long, DNA provides a link, not they just have to locate the perpetrator.
A new author for me and can easily see more of Hume and Raine in the future.  Likeable, complex characters, wanting to find the truth in all they do.

 

Daisy Darker

by Alice Feeney

Pub Date: 18 Aug 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 17 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

Another gem from Alice Feeney!  Daisy Darker tells the story of her eccentric Nana who has summoned all the family (Daisy’s 2 older sisters, mum and dad and niece) got her coastal house, accessible depending on the tide.  Once they are there, they have to wait for low tide to return back to the mainland.  They all clock in on Nana’s old fashioned factory card clock and notice she has cut off the phone landline.  They are told Nana will read her will while everyone is present.  On the eve of Nana’s birthday the family retire for the evening and tragedy strikes awaking the family.  They notice a poem written on the wall but each member of the family.  Tragedy continues to strike throughout the night and each time, a verse of the poem is crossed through.  The surviving family cannot call for help or escape to the mainland until the tide goes out.  You think you would be safe with family, but one of them is a killer.
An epic read, with an unpredictable twist.  Completely gripping.  I really enjoyed Daisy’s character and the flashbacks to Daisys childhood.  The quirky setting at Seaglass House is perfect for the context.  Daisy’s  dysfunctional family has been keeping a secret and is time Daisy knew the truth.

 

The House Across the Lake

by Riley Sager

Pub Date: 7 Jul 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 13 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

Casey Fletcher, a widowed actor with a liking for an alcoholic tipple is staying at her lakeside lodge.  She makes use of her late husbands binoculars and starts observing the lakeside neighbours activities.  Then one night she sees something unusual and her newly acquainted neighbour goes missing but the husband denies this.  Casey is determined to find out what has really happened and gets caught in a web of events.
I was loving this book until around 75% through when it took a very unusual, unbelievable twist.  It is worth persevering with this twist as the book remains entertaining although rather unrealistic.

 

THE WOODS AT DUSK

by Kate Watterson

Pub Date: 24 Feb 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 13 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

Detective Chris Bailey is investigating the triple homicide of a family by a 17 year old relative to the victims, Colin Simon.  Colin swears he didn’t commit a crime but won’t explain any further.  There is no weapon and no motive.  Detective Bailey works alongside prosecutor Stephanie St James and defence Lawyer Trey Austin to establish what really happened on that fateful night.
Each chapter builds up the suspense, 
This book can be read as a standalone, I have not read the first Detective Chris Bailey book and did not feel at a disadvantage.  Looking forward to reading the next instalment.

 

The Family Remains

by Lisa Jewell

Pub Date: 21 Jul 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 13 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

5 stars to Lisa Jewell for this much awaited sequel.  Rachel Rimmer is called during the night by the French police to notify her husband, Michael has been found murdered.  But Rachel already knows this and who the killer is.  
The story also focuses on Lucy Lamb and her 2 children, who need to find her brother, Henry after he disappears, desperate to find Phin from their childhood.  Their unusual childhood is brought back as police find bones in the Thames which they believe were linked to the house at Cheyne Walk. 
It would definitely be advised to read The Family Upstairs for this sequel to have the most benefit,
A true masterpiece, full of anticipation and intrigue.

 

Insomnia

by Sarah Pinborough

Pub Date: 31 Mar 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 13 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

Emma lives with her husband, Robert and her two children.  Emma is about to turn 40 and is full of apprehension.  Not for the normal reasons why people dreading this milestone.  When Emma, and her older sister, Phoebe were young and their mother turned 40, she had a mental breakdown and the girls were brought up in foster care.  Emma is paranoid the madness is inherited.  As her 40th birthday approaches, she wakes at the same time each night, suffers from insomnia and strange events are starting to happen.  
Another brilliant psychological thriller from Sarah Pinborough, with a twist that takes this read to another level.

 

The Lost Children

by Michael Wood

Pub Date: 30 Jun 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 13 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

In 1997, Reverend Peter Ogilvy notifies the Chief Constable of the police of a murder of a boy from the children’s home he runs.   The situation is never investigated.  Now, in 2020, just as covid is emerging, a wealthy property developer is found mutilated and murdered at his home.  The injuries imply a very personal motive.  DCI Matilda Darke and her team are led to Reverend Peter and the abuse which took place at the children’s home he ran in the 1990/2000s.  Reverend Peter hopes this time he will be listened to and justice will be upheld.
It is amazing to have DCI Darke back, although out of sequence from the last book.  Matilda and her team have such a established bond, which helps them through this raw and gritty case.  Desperate for book 10 already!

 

The Cabin in the Woods

by Sarah Alderson

Pub Date: 7 Jul 2022

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 10 Jun 2022

My Recommendation

 

5 stars to Sarah Anderson.  This really was a refreshing and gripping read.  Told from several points of view, it focuses on Rose, a socialite from New York who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances.  As the story unwinds, Rose and her sister Daisy had a turbulent childhood, Rose while waitressing meets her Prince Charming, Ryan.  They marry and have a family.  However, Ryan is not the Prince Charming he makes out and has a very dark side.  
You can really relate to Rose and you are slurring her on throughout the book, wishing for the happy ever ending she deserves. 
It is an original and suspenseful tale and will be adding Sarah Anderson to my favourite author list and look forward to more amazing reads.