Category: crime fiction

Categories
crime fiction Fiction

She Had It Coming, Carys Jones

In the middle of a school cross country run a girl goes missing. It’s Pippa’s best friend, Heather. Heather is pretty, popular, and your stereotypical ‘mean girl’.

Most people think Heather ran away for the attention… Others say girls like her always get what’s coming to them.

Firstly, to set expectations She Had It Coming isn’t an exhilarating thriller – more a slow burning crime journey. It’s not full of twists and turns but instead has a predictable storyline. However, aside from something at the end which I cannot understand, the plot is easy to follow and addictive.

The characters were so well written – I could almost feel myself sitting back at school myself. The typical popular/mean girls, the girls who always come top of everything, the gossiping mums at the gates- stereotypical but so realistic! Not only was the day-to-day portrayal of the teenage girls written exceptionally (which is reinforced through the letter writing) but I also loved the dynamics between the characters, particularly that of the two best friends- I am sure many of us have had a ‘toxic’ friendship in our life and can relate to the love/hate relationship.

Key themes in the book include how far people are willing to go for their children, which I found particularly intriguing, as well as female friendships and the ugliness which can hide under the complexities of them.

Overall, four stars.

Categories
crime fiction Fiction

Trick or Treat, Katerina Diamond

It’s the morning of Halloween when six year old Marcus Carlyle is taken from outside his house. The only witness is a teenage boy who is up to no good and torn between doing the right thing and wanting to keep his wrongdoings a secret.

Following an anonymous tip off, Detective Imogen Grey is called to the street, where the abduction took place. However, when she visits Marcus Carlyle’s parents they claim everything is fine. But where is Marcus? Is there more than meets the eye? And if so, how much more?

Trick or Treat is the seventh book in the Detective Imogen Grey series. I have read one or two books from the series, and whilst I would love to go back and read the ones I have missed, I have to say that I did not find that having not read them all put me at a hindrance when reading this novel.

The thing which made me most enjoy Trick or Treat is the fact that Katerina Diamond is a remarkable storyteller. The book is complex; there are lots of characters within the book and lots of different story threads. Whilst sometimes this can be messy, Katerina Diamond has a way of developing all these leads enough to intrigue you, and pulls them together to shock and surprise you.

This book is dark and traumatic. It is certainly not for the light-hearted but it is compelling, full of twists and perfect for crime mystery lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for giving me an ARC of Trick or Treat in exchange for an honest review. Trick or Treat will be published on 14th October 2021.

Categories
crime fiction Fiction Thriller

The Anniversary, Laura Marshall

On 15th June 1994 Travis Green walked through the streets of Hartstead and killed eleven of his neighbours. The final victim was four-year-old Cassie Colman’s father.

With the twenty-fifth anniversary approaching, the Hartstead shooting is brought back into the limelight and, like many, Cassie would rather forget the past. That is, until she discovers something which suggests that those murders did not happen quite like everyone said. However, unlike Cassie, not everyone is so keen for her to dig up the past.

The Anniversary is quite possibly the best crime fiction book I have read in a very, very long time. Having read one of Laura Marshall’s books before and remembering how much I enjoyed it, I was keen to read The Anniversary, and wow, it lived up to my expectations and more! I was thoroughly hooked the entire way through.

Some crime fiction books are predictable but this one was not in the slightest. The entire way through I was kept in suspense, and I truly did not expect any of the twists and turns.

Themes in the book included violence (including domestic violence), becoming a first time parent, single parenting, questioning morals and dementia. I thought the themes were handled sensitively and I actually really enjoyed how the author explored the idea of new parenting and how other parents make it look easy. Whilst I am not a parent myself, I enjoyed the whole façade vs. reality, and how the author dared to go down the route of a character who doesn’t make motherhood look like a breeze. I am sure a lot of parents will appreciate this.

I was sad to get to the end of this book and cannot wait for the next release by Laura Marshall.  All in all The Anniversary was a compelling read, full of twists and turns, and worthy of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Anniversary will published on the 5th August.