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I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Kim Kingston — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 04:44:31 +0000

This disturbing little thriller will make you believe in ghosts again. Try not to be alone when you’re reading it at night. Seriously. It has all the best elements of Sigurdardottir’s writing; an isolated village in Iceland, a mystery with something deeply sinister at its core, and people being picked off one by one. Beautiful and creepy. Just read it and you’ll see what I mean.

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Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Kim Kingston — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 01:04:21 +0000

Wow, this one is so good and so relevant. Holly returns home to Liverpool in 1993 after a term at Oxford, where she was raped. She tells only one friend about the rape, and feels a failure “for being unable to communicate something so crucial-the fact she did not want her body to be invaded by another-adequately.” Twenty three years later, Holly’s rapist is a government minister accused of rape by a woman he was having an affair with, and she is the only one who knows how utterly capable of it he is. The subsequent trial highlights just how nigh impossible it is for a jury to believe a rape allegation in the context of a broken relationship and a charming defendant who has, and has always had, the establishment on his side. There is so much in this book about sexual politics, power, entitlement, messy relationships and the vulnerability and strength of women that rings true. Every woman will be able to relate to some aspect of it. It’s also an excellent courtroom drama. Put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and read it, now. Time’s up, people.

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He Said She Said by Erin Kelly

Kim Kingston — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 00:21:58 +0000

There’s so much contained within this beautifully written, slow burning thriller it’s hard to know where to begin. A young woman, Laura, and her partner stumble across a woman being raped at an eclipse festival. They testify as witnesses for the prosecution in the subsequent trial. Sixteen years later Laura and her partner are in hiding – not from the perpetrator of the rape, but from the victim. You need to read it to find out why. Laura’s voice, so full of intelligence, compassion and regret, is perfectly pitched to take you along for the whole harrowing journey. And as a bonus, you’ll also learn more about eclipses than you previously thought necessary. Every character in this book is fully drawn. And everybody, this book suggests, has secrets. It’s what we’re prepared to do to keep our secrets safe that separates us, one from another.

He Said She Said is such an intelligent read. It sets the bar high for other thriller writers and the vast majority don’t measure up. One of my Top Five thrillers.

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Kim Kingston — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 23:42:55 +0000

Gone Girl. The God of All Thrillers. If you’re one of the ten or so people on the planet who haven’t read it yet, or seen the excellent movie, you are in for a treat. Why do we love it so much? It’s intelligent, it’s riveting but the true genius of it lies in the strong female protagonist, Amy. What a beautiful, toxic creation. Sure, she’s manipulative, she’s diabolical but you gotta give her some respect. Most women, when faced with a disintegrating relationship and a cheating spouse, would have a bit of a spit then walk off nursing their heartbreak, their wounded pride. Not our Amy. She puts into place a tightly constructed and merciless plan, months in the making, to frame her hapless husband Nick for her disappearance and eventual murder. Whatever you think of her, you must take your hat off to her organisational abilities. And when the plan changes, she adapts, because she’s flexible and cool under pressure. What a woman. If only she wasn’t such a psychopath, utterly devoid of conscience. But she’s not totally without a sense of self-awareness: “I do know that framing your husband for your murder is beyond the pale of what an average woman might do. But it’s so very necessary…..I think this experience will make him a better person. Or at least a sorrier one. Fucker.”

Amy is such good company, and you’re breathless to know what happens next, whether she will get away with it. So much of her thinking about relationships resonates – how guys always want Cool Girl, and you can pretend to be Cool Girl for a while but really, Cool Girl doesn’t exist. How she and Nick start off laughing at other people’s relationships, casting the men as ‘dancing monkeys’, while slowly but surely their own relationship slides into bitter despair and cliche.

And the hapless husband Nick. Somehow it’s impossible to think of him without adding the word ‘hapless’ before ‘husband’. He’s a shambolic, porn-and-sports loving dude who gets by on his charm and is well aware he’s not half as smart as Amy. At first, she brings out the best in him but later he reverts to form and they disappoint one another incessantly. I love that the narration begins with his voice: we assume he’s a decent guy in a difficult relationship. When he reveals his affair with a young, clingy student there’s a palpable sense of our disappointment in him. Still, we’re like his awesome sister, Go – on his side as he is relentlessly battered by dire revelation after revelation, orchestrated by the Amazing Amy. We know he didn’t do it, but geez, it looks bad for him. And the ending – how I love the ending. No need to spoil it for you but, as the hapless husband Nick’s lawyer says- “You two are the most fucked-up people I have ever met, and I specialise in fucked-up people.”

So far, Gone Girl has no equal, despite a whole raft of pretenders marketed as the next Gone Girl. Pah! This one is the only perfect, infallible thriller.

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Defending Jacob by William Landay

Kim Kingston — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 22:41:14 +0000

This one is soooooo good. Part courtroom drama, part thriller, part classic Classic Moral Dilemma. It brings to mind a vision of book clubs everywhere, sitting around half empty wine glasses asking ‘But what would you do if it were your son?’ And indeed, what would you do if it were your son was suspected of killing a 14 year old classmate? And what if you found a knife in his room that fit the description of the murder weapon? And what if you were the District Attorney in charge of finding the killer?? Defending Jacob reminds me a lot of We Need To Talk About Kevin – which is one of my Top Five books- but this time it’s told from the perspective of a father who knows the legal system inside out. You’ll want to set aside your job/spouse/friends/children and get through it as fast as you can. Gripping, subtle and thought provoking. The ending has its own astonishing beauty. Love it.

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