Tag: psychological thriller

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Personal Assistant, Becki Willis

They say bad things come in threes, and for Lexi, that’s certainly true. After losing her phone, having her purse stolen, and getting fired, her life seems to be falling apart. But when she’s offered a lifeline – a job as a personal assistant to the millionaire businesswoman Mrs Lilian Sampson – things are looking up. However, it doesn’t take Lexi long to realise something isn’t quite right about Lilian or the company she inherited from her late husband. As the story unravels you’ll be kept on the edge of your seat.

The Personal Assistant is a fast paced psychological thriller, with suspense and intrigue. This was my first Becki Willis book, and I was hooked by her engaging writing style. The plot was innovative, with plenty going on, and I didn’t find it predictable at all. While I was initially taken aback by the secondary storyline (when you read it – you’ll know), it ended up adding another dimension the plot of which the psychology behind was intriguing.

The majority of the characters are well-developed, with Lexi standing out as a strong, likeable female protagonist. It’s easy to root for her as she navigates the twists which this book has to offer.  There were one or two secondary characters who I felt could have been fleshed out more to help us better understand them.

Overall, the twists throughout the novel keep you gripped, and the ending was completely unpredictable I didn’t see it coming and genuinely felt my jaw drop!  This is a perfect read for fans of psychological thrillers. 4/5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Personal Assistant is out on the 24th September 2024.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Perfect Sister, Zoe Miller

‘The Perfect Sister’ is told from the viewpoints of Alice and her sister, Holly. When Holly was born, Alice vowed to herself that she would look out for Holly enough to make up for their absent father who walked out before Holly was born. Alice lives up to her promise, however in recent years the two sisters, who were once very close, are driven apart by secrets and jealousy.

When a block of flats Holly used to live in is being demolished, she gets worried. She wants to talk to Alice about it.. but how can she? They are not that close anymore and Holly’s husband Luke barely gives her a second to herself when Alice is around.

Meanwhile Alice, gets a knock on the door with questions about Holly. Whilst Alice knows her sister is hiding something, there is no way that Alice believes Holly would have been involved in anything so sinister. Forced to dig through the past to uncover the truth- Alice uncovers years of Holly’s secrets and begins to doubt her innocence.

The Perfect Sister is a psychological thriller which keeps you on your toes guessing! The bond between the sisters was excellent and the book really showed that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, as both sister’s fought their own troubles. Zoe Miller, made it easy to relate to the emotions of the characters and the motives behind their actions. For example, Holly didn’t want to admit her debt to Alice, which led to a spiral of problems. Whilst it is easy to say ‘Well why didn’t you say so’, you can totally understand why she wouldn’t want to admit that and feel for her about how she got into the situation that she found herself in.

Overall, a really good read. Every time I thought I knew, something else came to light.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for an advanced copy.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

Shame On You, Amy Heydenrych

‘Shame On You’ tells the story of social media sensation, Holly who is an influencer, the face of clean eating, and a cancer survivor. One evening Holly meets a man in a coffee shop. Whilst he seems friendly at first, the evening ends when he brutally attacks Holly. He makes it clear he knows who she is, yet she doesn’t know him. Who is this man and why did he attack Holly?

As the investigation follows. Holly’s life begins to spiral out of control. This is a story of how one tiny lie can have a rippling effect on your entire life.

Having read ‘The Pact’ by Amy Heydenrych earlier this year, there was no question as to whether I was going to give ‘Shame on You’ a go and it for sure did not disappoint. What I loved about ‘The Pact’ was how niche and well researched it was and it came as no surprise that Amy is a ghost writer for tech companies. This is the same for ‘Shame on You’. The book surrounds itself around social media, the influencer culture and how we ‘trial people’ by social media.  I have not come across many thrillers which are as modern and relatable as this thriller was.

I feel like I had a complete love/hate relationship with the main character. I felt bad for her because she was bullied at school and had a difficult home life. Yet, I hated her because of what she did. The same went for the man who hurt her. He did bad, but he lost his mum when he was young, he wasn’t allowed to grieve, and it was obvious he needed help and support. It wasn’t as clear cut as good vs. bad and I think Amy got this across to us very well. There was one quote in particular which was about women fitting in on social media and how if they don’t fit in then it can be seen as an invitation to harassment. This quote literally blew me away as it was very relatable and describes perfectly what we are up against in the influencer world. Whilst what Holly had done can be argued as inexcusable, these words provided an explanation for why she felt so under pressure to do what it is she did.

Overall, great themes and it really offered food for thought in today’s social media obsessed society.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

A Stranger on the Beach, Michele Campbell

Caroline appears to have the perfect life. She is married, has a daughter, is very wealthy and has a luxurious beach house which most of us would only dream of. However, her world comes crashing down when she throws a party and her husband Jason turns up with another woman.

As her world begins to crumble Caroline goes to drink her sorrows in her local bar and in an act of desperation, she ends up having a one-night stand with mysterious bar tender Aiden. Whilst the fling means nothing to Caroline, it means everything to Aiden, and when Jason goes missing it is not long before we discover Aiden has secrets of his own.

Having recently read ‘It’s Always the Husband’ by Michele Campbell, I was excited to see how ‘A Stranger on the Beach’ would compare. I have nothing but praise for the way this book was written as the author switches between the two protagonists.  From early on you discover that Caroline and Aiden’s recollection of events are different meaning that you are left not knowing who to trust. This is carried well throughout the novel and every time I thought I had worked it out the plot spun in a completely different direction.

There are psychological thrillers and then there is A Stranger on the Beach.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

Haven’t They Grown, Sophie Hannah

The Leesons and the Braids were best friends. They did everything together but then their friendship came to a holt and they have not seen each other for 12 years.

One Sunday morning Beth Leeson takes her son to football. Upon realising she is near the former home of her old best friend Flora Braid she cannot resist to take a peak. Parked up opposite the house Beth is gobsmacked to see Flora and her two kids Thomas and Emily. Except Thomas and Emily look exactly the same as they did 12 years ago when they were five and three years old. But how can that be when they should be seventeen and fifteen now? Why haven’t they grown?

Determined to find out what is going on Beth goes back and tells her family. Her husband Dom comes on board as he starts to track down the Braids online but as Beth gets more and more obsessed with needing to know how and why this is possible, Dom takes a step back and encourages Beth to do the same. However, unwilling to drop the matter, and fearing Flora’s children could be in danger Beth continues her quest with the encouragement of her strong-minded daughter Zannah. Sophie Hannah takes us on a roller-coaster of a journey as Beth unlocks secrets and unravels the dark truth.

This was the first book I have ever read by Sophie Hannah and I enjoyed it very much! At first I wasn’t sure the imaginative plot was very believable but I thought the concept of the children not growing was very creative and something very different to other thrillers I have read before. Haven’t They Grown is definitely a page turner.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Pact, Amy Heydenrych

Freya has not had the easiest path to her success. Her mother gave her up when she was a baby, she was passed from family to family and she lived in her car because she couldn’t afford to rent when she first went to college. So, when Freya gets her dream job at high tech company Atypical, she is thrilled.

Freya discovers that Atypical headhunted her and she very quickly shows quite how skilled she is. She makes a great impression in her first few weeks, especially on her new colleague Jay.

Unfortunately, whilst all seems to be going well for Freya this is short lived as co-worker, and Jay’s ex, Nicole, begins to bully Freya. After weeks of being tormented, Freya snaps and Jay hatches a plan to get back at Nicole playing a prank. It was only supposed to be a joke, but no one is laughing when the next morning Nicole is found dead.

I really enjoyed this dark novel and Amy Heydenrych never left behind many clues as to what would happen next. Whilst exploring topics such as office bullying, sexual harassment and gender inequality, this compelling novel will have you guessing to the very end with twists and turns right to the very end. Told through the voices of Freya and a journalist Isla, the truth about what happened that night unfolds.