The Room by the Lake by Emma Dibdin @HoZ_Books

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Author : Emma Dibdin
Title : The Room by the Lake
Pages : 368
Publisher : Head of Zeus
Publication date : August 10, 2017

aboutthebook

When Caitlin moved from London to New York, she thought she had left her problems behind: her alcoholic father, her dead mother, the pressure to succeed. But now, down to her last dollar in a foreign city, she is desperately lonely.

Then she meets Jake. Handsome, smart, slightly damaged Jake. He lives off-grid, in a lakeside commune whose members practise regular exercise and frequent group therapy. Before long, Caitlin has settled into her idyllic new home.

It looks like she has found the fresh start she longed for. But, as the commune tightens its grip on her freedom and her sanity, Caitlin realizes too late that she might become lost forever.

mythoughts

There will probably never be a time when cults stop being utterly fascinating. How do they work? What drives people to join them? How are they manipulated into staying? What happens if they decide they’d like to leave? These are all questions that make an excellent premise for a thriller.

Caitlin is lost. She’s left her homeland, England, without a clear plan and has ended up in New York. She is lonely, has no job, no goals and barely any money. Then she meets Jake and there’s an instant attraction so when he says he’d like to introduce her to his family, Caitlin agrees. But Jake’s family isn’t your typical set-up and before she realises it, Caitlin finds herself in a truly dangerous situation.

Caitlin’s mother was a schizophrenic and Caitlin constantly worries she may suffer the same fate. Practically stranded in this big and busy city with nobody to turn to, she seems to make the perfect “victim” for cult members to zero in on. Caitlin seems quite vulnerable and maybe slightly naive at times, but she’s actually a lot stronger than she realises. The story truly shows how easily someone can be “broken” when you deprive them of the bare necessities like decent food and sleep. How things that at one point sound rather innocent, can suddenly come across as incredibly threatening. In that respect, this tale is quite scary and thought-provoking.

I found this book to be quite slow for the most part until the final chapters, where the pace picked up considerably. I think I would have preferred something a tad more thrilling and gripping. I needed some more tension to truly keep me hooked. But the author does succeed in adding a threatening vibe throughout and even managed to make me wonder if Caitlin was a reliable narrator or not. Overall, I enjoyed this one and it’s a great debut by Emma Dibdin, whose writing was almost as mesmerising as the cult members themselves.

Many thanks to Head of Zeus for my copy, which I received via Netgalley and chose to review honestly!

The Room by the Lake is available now!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan @noexitpress

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Author : Ausma Zehanat Khan
Title : The Unquiet Dead
Series : Rachel Getty and Esa Khattak #1
Pages : 352
Publisher : No Exit Press
Publication date : July 19, 2017

aboutthebook

Scarborough Bluffs, Toronto.

The body of Christopher Drayton is found at the foot of the cliffs. Muslim Detective Esa Khattak, head of the Community Policing Unit, and his partner, Rachel Getty, are called in to investigate. As the secrets of Drayton’s role in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide of Bosnian Muslims surface, the harrowing significance of his death makes it difficult to remain objective.

In a community haunted by the atrocities of war, anyone could be a suspect. And when the victim is a man with so many deaths to his name, could it be that justice has at long last been served?

mythoughts

Well, I honestly don’t quite know where to start with this review as I can’t find the words to describe how much it has left me reeling. I don’t normally take breaks while reading a book but in this case, I often felt the need to go off and google fun and fluffy things in an attempt to get rid of the humongous lump in my throat.

Christopher Drayton’s body is found at the foot of the cliffs. Accident or suicide? It soon becomes apparent Drayton wasn’t who he claimed to be so is there a more sinister motive to be found for his death? It’s up to Detective Khattak and his colleague Getty to investigate and figure out the truth.

At its core, the story is a crime fiction one with detectives looking for a potential killer. Their search isn’t easy as anyone could be a suspect. It also comes with much needed diversity and multi-cultural references as Detective Khattak is Muslim. Yet, it is so much more than that as it evolves into something quite thought-provoking that will haunt me for many years to come. Try to imagine coming face to face with a war criminal who’s responsible for the deaths of your entire family. What would you do? Seek justice? Or revenge?

The Unquiet Dead has its roots firmly fixed into an incredibly dark piece of European history that is rarely talked about anymore these days, namely the war in the former republic of Yugoslavia and the genocide in Srebrenica. While I was aware of these atrocities, which happened in the early 90’s, it made for some truly uncomfortable reading.

Some chapters are massively brutal, describing events that are sadly all too prevalent in war. They brought tears to my eyes, rendered me speechless and hit even harder when I got to reading the notes at the end of the book. The storyline is often harrowing, dark and disturbing. It had me gripped from start to finish and I would highly recommend it!

Huge thanks to Maddy at No Exit Press for my advanced electronic copy, which I chose to review honestly!

The Unquiet Dead was published on July 19th.

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads

Dead to Me by Stephen Edger @bookouture #blitztour #extract

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Welcome to my stop on the blog blitz for Stephen Edger’s Dead To Me! I’ll be sharing an extract from chapter one with you. On the last day of the tour, make sure to head on over to Chapter In My Life to read part two. Or if you can’t wait that long, you should just buy the book. 😉 Many thanks to Noelle Holten and Bookouture for the opportunity to join the tour and for providing the extract!

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Author : Stephen Edger
Title : Dead to Me
Series : Detective Kate Matthews #1
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : August 17, 2017

aboutthebook

When a body is found hanging in the remains of a dock-side warehouse, Detective Kate Matthews is called to the scene. Recently transferred following the death of a colleague, Kate is yet to see a successful prosecution over the line. But this won’t be an easy win.

Someone is watching her: leaving her clues in her home, taunting her to throw the case and threatening the life of her little girl.

As more bodies begin to surface and Kate’s stalker closes in, her instincts tell her that there is a link hidden among the victims’ missing pieces. This is a killer with a message and Kate must race against the clock to solve his twisted riddle.

But at the end of this impossible puzzle lies an impossible choice.

extract

CHAPTER ONE – PART ONE

DI Kate Matthews slammed her hand down on the rim of the steering wheel as the minutes on the dashboard clock ticked past. ‘No, no, no, no!’ An accident on the A33 had caused delays across Southampton, and the slow crawl to the station was now being impeded further by a set of temporary traffic lights at the top of Shirley High Street. She could see the police headquarters building from where she was sitting and was tempted to abandon her car, hightailing it on foot. The supe would be pacing in his office by now. She should have phoned in sick or embellished on her ailing mother’s condition, but then she’d have felt guilty all day. She couldn’t understand why her alarm hadn’t gone off at six, as usual. She’d definitely set it when she’d gone to bed.

Could she really have switched it off during the night?
The lights turned green and, rather than waiting for the old woman two cars in front to finally figure out where first gear was, Kate pulled out and shot past, narrowly missing the offside wing of a stationary car at the opposite set of lights. At the bottom of the road she swung across the roundabout into her parking space, then hurried into the station.

Racing up the stairs, she arrived, panting, at the third floor, and caught her reflection in the glass panel of the office door. She’d never been one for worrying about her appearance, but she stopped to quickly smooth her top, straighten her jacket, and fish in her handbag for a hair tie to pull her chocolate-brown hair back from her face. Brushing a few toast crumbs from the edge of her lips she forced a smile, revealing two slight dimples in each cheek. It would do.

Kate stepped into the open-plan office, nodding to DS Samir Patel, who didn’t hide his irritation as he checked his watch and shook his head. She could have pulled him up for that, but there wasn’t the time. She was sure he was still frustrated that her arrival in the department had robbed him of his shot of a promotion. She threw her bag onto the desk and unlocked her workstation. She didn’t envy the supe having a tiny office shut away from the world: she liked being around the team; she enjoyed the banter. Not that many of them had attempted to engage with her recently.

It was almost as if they saw her losing streak as a form of leprosy;  they’d do anything to avoid becoming infected.

‘Morning, ma’am,’ DC Trotter offered cheerily, placing a mug of coffee on the desk in front of Kate, her blonde hair bobbing as she skipped back to her own desk.

‘Morning, Laura. Give me five minutes to get myself straight and then we can have a look at—’

‘The supe wants to see you first,’ Patel interrupted without looking up. He was cleaning out the coffee machine again; his daily ritual.

Locking her computer, Kate smiled at Laura across the room, as if it was nothing. ‘You’d better give me ten minutes instead.

I’ll grab you when I’m ready.’

She tried to act casual as she strolled back along the corridor to the supe’s office, a cold dread swirling inside her. Taking a deep breath, she knocked twice and entered.

***

Don’t forget to keep an eye out on Sharon’s blog at Chapter In My Life for part two!

Dead To Me is out today!

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Stephen is the author of 11 novels and 5 short stories. He has independently published Integration, Remorse, Redemption, Snatched, Shadow Line, Trespass, Double Cross, Fragments, and Downfall. Stephen’s novels Crosshairs and Complicit are published by Endeavour Press.

Stephen is a fully-fledged member of the International Thriller Writers’ (ITW) Association.

***

Dead to me Blog Tour

The Good Sister by Jess Ryder @jessryderauthor @bookouture #blogblitz

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Author : Jess Ryder
Title : The Good Sister
Pages : 230
Publisher .: Bookouture
Publication date : August 16, 2017

aboutthebook

Two sisters. One secret. A lie that could destroy them both.

When her father dies, Josie is devastated to uncover he led a secret life: another house, another family and a half-sister called Valentina.

Both with red hair and icy blue eyes, Josie and Valentina could be mistaken for twins. But the similarities end there.

Josie – Sweet, reserved, jealous, thief.
Valentina – Care-free, confident, dangerous, liar.

Two sisters. One survivor.

mythoughts

You know how you’ve been on this massive rollercoaster ride and you get off and your legs are all wobbly and the world is spinning and you need to sit down? Yeah, that.

When Josie’s much beloved father dies while riding his motorcycle late at night, she’s left devastated. But things soon get even worse when she discovers her father has been leading a double life for years and has another woman and daughter stashed away. Josie and her half-sister Valentina look so much alike that they could be twins. But they are very different from one another and their lives have taken quite different paths as well.

Josie’s father was obsessed with all things relating to the Vikings and I have to say that I absolutely loved how each chapter began with some Viking knowledge. These aren’t just random facts and tidbits. They truly add to the atmosphere and make for one cohesive theme. The chapters and points of view alternate between the two half-sisters but it’s not always obvious from the start which sister is talking so Jess Ryder keeps you guessing for a while, especially when we get nearer the end of the story, when the lines become a bit blurred and you’re having a hard time keeping them apart. Fabulously done!

I felt the characters were all realistic and believable, even if I rolled my eyes at their stupidity and lack of judgment at certain points along the way. Josie particularly seemed a tad too naive sometimes. However, it did add to the whole “holy cow, who can you even trust anymore?” vibe that flowed through the story.

The Good Sister is so incredibly dark and twisty! The twists and turns had me reeling. This story has one heck of a devilish plot and is brilliantly suspenseful and tense. There was only ever going to be one conclusion that made sense, as the book description mentions “one survivor”, but the journey to get there was a nail-biting one. I found this psychological thriller to be utterly gripping and engrossing. A true and exciting page-turner!

Many thanks to Kim Nash and Bookouture for the opportunity to join the tour and my advanced copy, which I chose to review honestly!

The Good Sister is published today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

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photo The Good Sister - Blog Tour.jpeg

Death Makes a Prophet by John Bude

~ noveldeelights ~ 19 Comments

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Author : John Bude
Title : Death Makes a Prophet
Pages : 288
Publisher : The British Library
Publication date : July 10, 2017 (first published in 1947)

aboutthebook

‘Small hostilities were growing; vague jealousies were gaining strength; and far off, wasn’t there a nebulous hint of approaching tragedy in the air?’

Welworth Garden City in the 1940s is a forward-thinking town where free spirits find a home – vegetarians, socialists, and an array of exotic religious groups. Chief among these are the Children of Osiris, led by the eccentric High Prophet, Eustace K. Mildmann. The cult is a seething hotbed of petty resentment, jealousy and dark secrets – which eventually lead to murder.

The stage is set for one of Inspector Meredith’s most bizarre and exacting cases.

mythoughts

There’s no getting away from this series lately. It seems quite a lot of people are talking about it and I’m not immune to a bit of FOMO. On top of that, these covers are so pretty that they’ll look magnificent on any bookshelf so yes, the cover love won big time in this case and I bought five of these in one go. I’m not sorry. The lovely Emma at Emma’s Bookish Corner suggested I start with Death Makes a Prophet and so my journey through the British Library Crime Classics began.

Set in the town of Welworth Garden City, the shenanigans of the residents were reminiscent of an episode of Midsomer Murders, which I absolutely adore. Chief among these are the members of the Children of Osiris, a cult also known as Coo. But life in the cult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There’s an abundance of jealousy and rivalry, secrets and people pretending to be someone they’re not. And then there’s a murder.

Considering this story was first published in 1947, it has stood the test of time remarkably well. While I was worried I might find it a tad too old-fashioned, I actually found the change of pace incredibly refreshing and the setting absolutely delightful. It took me a while to get used to the writing style but I soon found myself completely engrossed.

It takes a while for the murder to happen and for Inspector Meredith to arrive on the scene but that didn’t bother me one bit. I thoroughly enjoyed the time the author spent on getting the reader acquainted with the cast of quirky and eccentric, yet quite realistic characters. The investigation into the murder is complex and highly interesting, with some twists I didn’t see coming. Every time I thought I had the whole thing figured out, the author very deftly guided me towards a dead end and I ended up suspecting everyone.

I thoroughly enjoyed this foray into the British Crime Classics and I very much look forward to my next read in this collection.

Death Makes a Prophet was published in July.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Goodreads

Deadly Spirits by E. Michael Helms @EMichaelHelms

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Author : E. Michael Helms
Title : Deadly Spirits
Series : Mac McClellan Mystery #4
Pages : 266
Publisher : Camel Press
Publication date : January 15, 2017

aboutthebook

When PI Mac McClellan’s girlfriend convinces him to join the Palmetto Paranormal Society, he becomes embroiled in a case of whodunnit. The society president, while investigating an old hotel, is found dead at the foot of the stairwell, his neck broken. The man’s secretary and current squeeze stands horrified beside his body. Authorities rule the death an accident. Mac has doubts—no one heard the man tumbling down the stairs. Then the secretary dies in an apparent suicide. Two deaths in two paranormal investigations, and not a peep out of either victim. Mac suspects there’s more going on than a vengeful spirit.

mythoughts

Private Investigator Mac McClellan’s girlfriend Kate convinces him to join a paranormal society with her. Mac doesn’t believe in spirits, unless they’re of the alcoholic variety so he’s quite sceptical about the whole thing. While the society investigates an old hotel, the society president is found dead at the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck. The police rule the death an accident, saying the poor man obviously fell down the stairs, but Mac isn’t convinced. Then another member of the society is found dead and Mac sets out to investigate, which soon puts him in danger.

Deadly Spirits is the fourth book in the McClellan Mystery series but if, like me, you’ve not read the previous ones, there’s no need to worry as this can perfectly be read as a stand-alone. If paranormal isn’t your thing, that shouldn’t put you off this book either. At its heart, it’s a good old-fashioned mystery and whodunnit. There are quite a few characters to keep track off and each and every single one of them seems to have a secret, making the list of potential suspects quite long. Mac definitely has his work cut out trying to unravel the various threads.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive

Mac is a highly likeable character. As a former marine, he displays quite the tough exterior but on the inside, he’s a big softie. He’s intelligent and perceptive and has a wonderful sense of humour. As a dog lover, I particularly enjoyed his interactions with his dog.

Overall, I found this to be a quite enjoyable and entertaining read with an interesting and complicated plot and some wonderful twists and turns.

Many thanks to the author for the electronic copy, which I chose to review honestly!

Deadly Spirits was published in January.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

 

Weekly Wrap-Up (August 13)

~ noveldeelights ~ 23 Comments

weekly-wrap-up

Summer doesn’t seem to have any intention of heading my way this year and it’s been another dark, dreary and wet week. On top of that, I’m also still stuck in twitter jail.

All of this means that I managed to read 8 books this week.

Books I read this week :

 

Books I bought this week :

Hm. Well. You know, I’m beginning to think I’ve actually been buying more books since my self-imposed book buying ban. 😂

 

ARC’s received via Netgalley :

None! I did request one but didn’t get it. I have one book left on my shelf which I will be reading soon. I’m determined to have an empty shelf before I leave on holiday. I currently have a 96% rating and also got my 50 reviews badge. I’m feeling quite accomplished. 😄

Bookpost that arrived this week :

I received Between Sister from the publisher and Final Girls via a book swap group.

On the blog this past week :

Monday : Shared my review for Pocketful of Dreams

Tuesday : Hosted a stop on the blog tour for Hit

Wednesday : Reviewed The Good Daughter

Thursday : Shared my thoughts on Dead Girls Can’t Lie

Friday : Reviewed A Killer Harvest

Saturday : Shared my review for Another Woman’s Husband

Sunday : Weekly Wrap-Up


Next week on noveldeelights :

Next week, Bookouture is keeping me busy with three blog and blitz tours, for The Good Sister, Dead To Me and Buried Secrets. I’ll also be sharing my review for the incredibly harrowing The Unquiet Dead.

In other news, I’ll obviously be a bit more quiet on twitter. I know I said I was going to spend less time there anyway but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind. I don’t know what’s going on, nor do I know how to fix it. I have a support ticket in but twitter is notorious for not getting back to you, no matter how you try to contact them. In the meantime, I’m trying to figure out how to avoid this in future. I’m fairly sure it’ll involve sharing less of your awesome blog posts which makes me angry. On top of that, it means having to pick and choose and I have no idea how to go about that. I have however decided that I will not be tweeting blog links for tag/award posts anymore and I’m making a conscious attempt to leave comments more often on blogs that I follow.

So naturally, in light of all of this, the Question of the Week  is : how do you handle twitter and sharing blog posts?

That’s it for another week. Have a great one and happy reading! xx

Another Woman’s Husband by Gill Paul @GillPaulAUTHOR @headlinepg

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Author : Gill Paul
Title : Another Woman’s Husband
Pages : 464
Publisher : Headline Books
Publication date : August 17, 2017

aboutthebook

Two women, divided by time, bound by a secret…

1911. Aged just fifteen, Mary Kirk and Wallis Warfield meet at summer camp. Their friendship will survive heartbreaks, continents, and the demands of the English crown, until it is shattered by one unforgivable betrayal.

1997. Kendall’s romantic break in Paris with her fiance is interrupted when the taxi in front crashes suddenly. The news soon follows: Princess Diana is dead. Trying to forget what she has witnessed, Rachel returns home, where the discovery of a long-forgotten link to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, will lead her to the truth of a scandal which shook the world.

mythoughts

Gill Paul’s The Secret Wife was one of my top 5 books last year so when the opportunity to read and review Another Woman’s Husband came my way, I may have done a little jig around my living room. When I finally settled down to read, I immediately knew I was in for another treat.

August 31st, 1997. For many of us, this date is probably burnt into our brains. This day is how the story starts when Rachel and her fiancé, Alex, find themselves in a taxi right behind the car accident that claims the life of Princess Diana. Alex is a tv producer and is quickly lost in a cloud of obsession in an attempt to figure out the events of that night. As interesting as those chapters were, touching on the various conspiracy theories, for me the true strength of the novel lies in the chapters about Wallis.

1911. Mary Kirk meets Wallis Simpson at a summer camp. Their friendship will endure many ups and downs until one final act of betrayal.

Of course, I’d heard of Wallis Simpson and her place in history. But I didn’t know anything else about her. Her story is told through Mary’s eyes and it’s just so incredibly fascinating to read about as we follow Wallis from her teenage years all the way to her marriage to the King who abdicated the throne for her.

Rich in atmosphere and history, this story had me hooked until the very last word on the very last page and while I was quite sad to see it end, I was also utterly delighted to have had the chance to read this absolute gem of a novel. Fact and fiction flow together seamlessly, intertwined with a nice dose of intrigue that had me wondering throughout how on earth these two iconic women could possibly be connected. The author has such a wonderful writing style, full of fabulously vivid descriptions that I found myself completely immersed and could almost hear the music or the clinking of cocktail glasses.

This is historical fiction at its finest and would make a truly fabulous movie. If Gill Paul hadn’t already been on my list of go-to authors, she most definitely would be now. I absolutely loved this and I feel that even if you aren’t necessarily a lover of historical fiction, you too will greatly enjoy this novel! I can’t possibly describe how excited I am about the author’s next offering.

I can’t thank author Gill Paul and Phoebe at Headline Books enough for my advanced copy, which I received via Netgalley and chose to review honestly!

Another Woman’s Husband will be published on August 17th.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

 

A Killer Harvest by Paul Cleave @AtriaBooks

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Author : Paul Cleave
Title : A Killer Harvest
Pages : 400
Publisher : Atria Books
Publication date : August 1, 2017

aboutthebook

Joshua is convinced there is a family curse. It’s taken away his biological parents, robbed him of his eyesight, and is the reason his father Logan, the detective who raised him, is killed while investigating the homicide of a young woman. The suspect, Simon Bowers, is killed by Logan’s partner Ben, whose intentions are murkier than expected.

After this tragedy Joshua is handed an opportunity he can’t refuse: a new pair of eyes. But a mishap during the surgery leads to Joshua unknowingly getting one eye from his father, and the other from Simon. As Joshua navigates a world of sight, he gets glimpses of what his eyes might have witnessed in their previous life. Memories, truths, and lies Joshua discovers a world darker than the one he has emerged from. What else has he failed to see?

Meanwhile, Simon’s accomplice Vincent is bent on revenge, going after the loved ones of those involved in Simon’s death and Vincent is drawing closer and closer to Joshua.

mythoughts

Let me just start by saying right off the bat : if you’ve never read a Paul Cleave book, you are seriously missing out! It seems to me like not enough people are talking about him and they should be as he’s a fantastic voice in the thriller genre! I was introduced to him a few years ago by my dear friend Dom and I’ve not looked back since. I always expect some level of uniqueness from this author and once again, he absolutely delivers.

Joshua was born blind and is convinced he’s been cursed from birth. But when the man who was raising him, a police officer, is killed along with the murder suspect he was chasing, things will start to look very differently. In more ways than one. Joshua gets a new pair of eyes but due to a bit of an incident, he ends up with one eye from the police officer and one eye from the killer.

This is the sort of premise only a genius like Paul Cleave can come up with. A Killer Harvest has such a complicated and intricate plot, yet it’s executed brilliantly. There’s quite a large cast of characters but it never gets confusing. While the storyline is rather dark and disturbing at times, you can always count on the author to somehow add a dash of humour along the way. There were moments where I surprisingly snorted with laughter while being simultaneously utterly grossed out.

This is one of those books you just can’t put down, perfect for binge-reading. Well-paced, suspenseful and with a spine-chilling conclusion, it held my attention from start to finish. Yet it’s also quite thought-provoking at times as some murkier intentions come to the fore. Absolutely phenomenal! This is a must-read and I highly recommend you pick this one up and also check out Cleave’s other work. He deserves to be on everyone’s list of go-to authors and I absolutely can’t wait for whatever Paul Cleave comes up with next!

A Killer Harvest is available now!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Dead Girls Can’t Lie by Carys Jones @Aria_Fiction

~ noveldeelights ~ 4 Comments

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Author : Carys Jones
Title : Dead Girls Can’t Lie
Pages : 330
Publisher : Aria
Publication date : August 15, 2017

aboutthebook

Best friends tell each other the truth – don’t they?

When North Stone’s best friend Kelly Orton is found hanging lifeless in a tree, North knows for certain it wasn’t suicide. Kelly had everything to live for – a loving boyfriend, a happy life, and most importantly of all, Kelly would never leave North all by herself.

The girls have been friends since childhood, devoted to each other, soul sisters, or at least that’s what North has always believed. But did Kelly feel the same way, or was she keeping secrets from her ‘best friend’ – deadly secrets…

When the police refuse to take North’s suspicions seriously, she sets out to investigate for herself. But her search soon takes her to a glamorous world with a seedy underbelly, and before long North is out of her depth and getting ever closer to danger. Determined to find the truth, she soon wishes that dead girls could lie, because the truth is too painful to believe.

mythoughts

When North’s best friend Kelly is found hanging from a tree on a well-known jogging route, the police are quick to rule the incident a suicide. But North doesn’t believe her friend took her own life. Kelly had no business being on that route as she didn’t jog, she had everything to live for and most importantly North is convinced her friend would never leave her alone. Best friends since the age of two, they did everything together but how well did North know Kelly? And is lack of sleep making her paranoid?

North hasn’t had an easy life. She lost her parents quite early on and Kelly has always been a constant in her life. The two girls are very different. Kelly is adventurous and up for anything, wanting to live life to the fullest. North is a planner and takes her courage from Kelly, who regularly drags her out of her comfort zone. So when Kelly is found dead, North feels incredibly lost.

She was the captain directing the ship that was North’s life. Only instead of going down with the ship, the captain had jumped overboard, surrendered herself to the sea, leaving the ship rudderless and lost in the darkness.

There’s a solid plot as North not only tries to figure out what truly happened to Kelly but also finds strength within herself to stand on her own two feet. Through flashbacks, we get a great insight into this wonderful friendship which really brings home why North’s loss cuts so deep. Overall, I feel this needed a bit more depth and a lot more tension to really hit the mark as a psychological thriller but Dead Girls Can’t Lie was an enjoyable read that held my interest until the end.

Many thanks to the publisher for my advanced copy, which I received via Netgalley and chose to review honestly!

Dead Girls Can’t Lie is published on August 15th.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads