Diana is not the kind of mother who wants her children to be happy. She would rather they faced real hardship and became wise and resilient. It’s an admirable philosophy, but maybe not so easy to admire if you happen to be one of her children, or their partners. Though financially well off, Diana refuses to […]
Thriller
Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare
Call Me Evie is generating a lot of buzz; for me it was a disappointing read. Kate is held in a house in New Zealand by a man. It’s not clear what her relationship is to the man who controls her movements. She is occasionally allowed out in public with him and told to call herself […]
The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy by B.M. Caroll
The writing in this book reminds me a great deal of Liane Moriarty; no wonder Liane provides a recommendation on the cover. Though the end of Sophie McCarthy is gripping, it’s less of a thriller and more an exploration of one devastating accident and its consequences, from several perspectives. Sounds a little Truly Madly Guilty, doesn’t it? But […]
Half Moon Lake by Kirsten Alexander
Half Moon Lake is an elegantly written, deeply unsettling and riveting read about two missing boys and the corruption of wealth. The story is apparently inspired by that of Bobby Dunbar, who was the subject of a podcast by This American Life. Louisiana, 1913; Sonny, a four year old boy from a family of means, disappears while playing […]
Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent
Why would a man beat his wife into a coma after nearly thirty years of apparently happy marriage? When Oliver unravels, he does it in spectacularly brutal fashion. Told from several different perspectives, all of them fascinating, it turns out Oliver’s childhood was one of extreme emotional deprivation. Nevertheless, as an adult he managed to […]
Ruin Beach by Kate Rhodes
Ruin Beach is an absorbing thriller set on the warm sandy beaches and beautiful dive sites of….England. Yes, England. I’d never heard of the palm tree lined beaches of the English Isles of Scilly but this novel places the fascinating islands front and centre, much like the Shetland Islands in Ann Cleeves’ novels, but with significantly more attractive weather. […]
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
Liz Nugent creates an impressively chilling monster in this sharply written thriller; a sociopath who specialises in tea and scones. She’s the kind of monster who can be entirely comfortable cooking in her kitchen while staring out the window at a flowery mound that hides the body of a young woman she murdered with her husband. […]
The Au Pair by Emma Rous
A decent little mystery if you’re willing to engage in quite a thorough suspension of disbelief at the end and have a tolerance for posh English people who refer to their houses by pretentious names (“Summerbourne” and ”Winterbourne”). Seraphine (pretentious names for the kids too) and her twin brother comes across a photo of their […]