See No Evil by David Fennell #bookreview #blogtour @DavyFennell @ZaffreBooks

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new novel by David Fennell, See No Evil. With thanks to Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me to take part.

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Two men are found dead in London’s Battersea Park. One of the bodies has been laid out like a crucifix – with his eyes removed and placed on his open palms.

Detective Inspector Grace Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, lead the investigation. But when more bodies turn up in a similar fashion, they find themselves in a race against time to find the sadistic killer.

The hunt leads them to Ladywell Playtower in Southeast London, the home to a religious commune lead by the enigmatic Aaron Cronin. Archer and Quinn suspect Cronin’s involvement but his alibis are watertight, and the truth seemingly buried. If Archer is to find the killer, she must first battle her way through religious fanatics, London gangsters – and her own demons . . .

MY THOUGHTS

If you enjoy fast paced, gripping police procedurals, then you need to read David Fennel’s Detective Grace Archer series. I loved the first book so I couldn’t wait to start reading the second book in the series, See No Evil. Grace Archer is such a fascinating character with a dark and mysterious past. This time around she and her team are on the hunt for another sadistic killer, following the discovery of two mutilated bodies of two men in Battersea Park. Do they have another serial killer on their hands?

The pace in David Fennell’s books is spot on and I’ve raced through both of his books. He knows how to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, and as Grace’s investigation into the brutal killings moves forward, I had to know who was behind them. Throughout the book I was constantly questioning the motives behind the killings, and I could never quite work out the real truth behind the motives. This was what made it such a tense and intriguing read and it kept me turning the pages. I really wanted to know why the victim’s had been killed, and if they’d done anything in their past, which meant that someone wanted to do this to them.

David Fennell explores some intriguing themes in this book, including religious cults, which adds to the depth and mystery of the case Grace is investigating. The sense of danger is there as Grace attempts to find out more behind one particular cult, which has links to a series of murders that took place several years earlier. David Fennell raises the stakes as the book progresses and we can see just how much danger Grace is putting herself in, especially with more revelations about her past are brought to light, which is very intriguing.

You know right from the very first pages that you are in for a nail biting read, and David Fennell does not disappoint. I thought the reveals which came towards the end were clever and they were very satisfactory. The final chapter in this book ends on such a chilling note. It has made me desperate to get my hands on the next book in the series as soon as possible.

See No Evil is an addictive and a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you love a good police procedural series then you need to give David Fennell’s books a go. I highly recommend them.

Publisher: Zaffre

Publication date: 28th April 2022

Print length: 400 pages

See No Evil is available to buy:

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The Shot by Sarah Sultoon #bookreview #blogtour @SultoonSarah @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new thriller by Sarah Sultoon, The Shot as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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Samira is an up-and-coming TV journalist, working the nightshift at a major news channel and yearning for greater things. So when she’s offered a trip to the Middle East, with Kris, the station’s brilliant but impetuous star photographer, she leaps at the chance

In the field together, Sami and Kris feel invincible, shining a light into the darkest of corners … except the newsroom, and the rest of the world, doesn’t seem to care as much as they do. Until Kris takes the photograph.

With a single image of young Sudanese mother, injured in a raid on her camp, Sami and the genocide in Darfur are catapulted into the limelight. But everything is not as it seems, and the shots taken by Kris reveal something deeper and much darker … something that puts not only their careers but their lives in mortal danger.

Sarah Sultoon brings all her experience as a CNN news executive to bear on this shocking, searingly authentic thriller, which asks immense questions about the world we live in. You’ll never look at a news report in the same way again…  

MY THOUGHTS

I really enjoyed Sarah Sultoon’s debut novel, The Source, so I was excited to read her next book The Shot. This time Sarah focuses on journalists covering a devastating war in the Middle East. It is a very powerful read and the action gets going from the first page and it never lets up.

I loved the sense of place that Sarah Sultoon created in this novel. She manages to re-create the horror of war in her writing, especially for the innocent, who are caught up in a crisis that is not of their making. It made me feel as though I was there in the moment, and I could see the scenery so clearly around me as I was reading. It makes for heart breaking reading in places, especially with what is going on in the world today, with the war happening in Ukraine. Her novel also highlights the dangers that journalists put themselves in to bring the truth to millions around the world, and we can see this clearly in news reports today.  

I really grew to like our main protagonist, Sami, who is just starting out in her career in journalism. You can see that she is determined to make her mark, and I could really see her empathy for the people who were caught up in the conflict she was reporting on. This isn’t just a job to her. She can see what people are going through every day of their life and the emotion comes through strongly on the page. She is also desperate to bring stories to the world, which has been given little air time, and she wants to make individual stories of people affected by these atrocities heard. But there is one story in particular that she wants to tell to the world, but it will end up having devastating consequences in ways she couldn’t have imagined.

We also meet Kris, who Sami has travelled to the Middle East with to report on the war. Kris has a lot more experience than Sami in the field of journalism, but I found him more difficult to like and a more perplexing character. I had more questions about him as I was reading the book. I thought he was a really interesting character to see develop. It does feel that he is running from something, and I felt sorry for his family who he is always leaving behind in the UK, in pursuit of following what he wants to do with his life. I wanted to find out more about him and what was making him make this decision. It did make me wonder why he wanted to keep returning war torn countries when he could be out of the danger zone with his family back home.

The Shot is an engaging, powerful and a very relevant thriller that I was utterly gripped by. I highly recommend it.

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 2nd April 2022

Print length: 290 pages

The Shot is available to buy:

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Little Sister by Gytha Lodge #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new novel in the DCI Jonah Sheens series by Gytha Lodge, Little Sister.

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A teenage girl wanders out of the woods.

She’s striking, with flame-red hair and a pale complexion. She’s also covered in blood.

Detective Jonah Sheens quickly discovers that Keely and her sister, Nina, disappeared from a children’s home a week ago. Now, Keely is here – but Nina’s still missing.

Keely knows where her sister is – but before she tells, she wants Jonah’s full attention . . .

Is she killer, witness, or victim?

And will Jonah find out what Keely’s hiding, in time to save Nina?

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a huge fan of Gytha Lodge’s Jonah Sheen series, and I think Little Sister is the best book in the series to date. If you love crime novels where you are heavily invested in the characters, then you need to pick up this book. The characters which Gytha Lodge focuses her new novel on are very complex, and you’ll have different opinions on them as the book progress, and this is what made it so intriguing. I wanted to follow their journey and I wanted to see how they’d become the people they are in the present.

Although Gytha’s novels are police procedurals, what I like about her books, is that she really delves deep into the characters that are at the centre of the crime being investigated. You can see just how much Gytha knows her characters and this comes through in her writing. Keely is such a fascinating person and a real puzzle to work out, and this is what made Little Sister all the more gripping. You get a sense that something dark has happened in her past, that has led up to this moment, when her sister Nina goes missing. But why isn’t Keely telling Jonah everything that happened? It is here that you get a real sense of what’s happened, and a real sense of darkness creeps through into the story.

I really liked the way how Gytha Lodge slowly revealed the truth behind what was happening in the present. It’s so difficult to discuss in any more detail without giving the plot away and I think it’s best to go into this book with as little information as possible.

Gytha Lodge also develops DCI Jonah Sheens’ character further in this book and we see a more emotional side to him, especially as he is dealing with issues in his personal life. You can see just how frustrated he is by Keely when he is interviewing her. Keely wants to make sure that he hears everything she has to say, but she appears to be talking in riddles, and does not give a straight answer to his questions. This is what really drives the tension in the book, as I never felt that I could entirely trust Keely, and you can see just how much she infuriates people.

I felt a real sense of justice as we got to the end of this book, and Gytha Lodge delivered it so, so well. There is a tough journey for Gytha’s characters to get to this point and I was desperate to know how things were going to pan out for them. It was so satisfactory and I thought Gytha Lodge wrapped everything up really well. If you haven’t yet started this series then you’re really missing out on some of the best crime fiction novels out there.

Publisher: Penguin

Publication date: 28th April 2022

Print length: 406 pages

Little Sister is available to buy:

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Hidden Depths by Araminta Hall #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the stunning new novel by Araminta Hall, Hidden Depths.

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Passenger…
Lily is pregnant, travelling onboard the Titanic to her beloved family in the United States, hoping she can get there before her mind and body give up.

For a long time now she’s known her husband is not the man he’s pretending to be and she’s not safe.

So, when she meets widower Lawrence she knows he’s her last chance for help.

Or Prisoner…
But Lawrence knows he hasn’t got time to save Lily.

Lawrence is the only person on board the unsinkable ship who knows he will not disembark in New York.

And the danger is much worse than either of them could imagine.

Can Lily and Lawrence help each other to safety before it’s too late?

MY THOUGHTS

The moment I heard that Araminta Hall was releasing a novel set on the Titanic, I knew I had to buy it, having been fascinated by the tragedy for years. Hidden Depths is an absorbing read, and Araminta Hall pulls you into the lives of her characters, Lawrence and Lily. I felt a lot of emotion in this book as I was reading, and the characters were utterly compelling, I had to know what was going to happen to them.

Lawrence and Lilly are two very different characters, both travelling on the Titanic for very different reasons. I felt desperately sad for Lawrence; you can feel the turmoil he is going through, following the loss of his beloved wife, Cissy. You can see that he is at the end of a tether. He has one purpose for this voyage and he is determined to see it through. Both Lily and Lawrence are travelling in Second Class, but Lily can’t quite work out why her husband has paid for a Second Class ticket, when they can easily afford First Class. You may think this might make her sound arrogant, but soon little things like this that Lily questions about her husband, build up a dark picture and Lily realises that she is in desperate danger.

Although the novel is set on the Titanic, the novel is more about the characters. Araminta Hall does capture the sense of grandeur of the ship, especially as the characters are boarding, and you can picture the Atlantic Ocean as the Titanic embarks on its maiden voyage to New York. We know what is going to happen to the Titanic, but I was desperate to know what was going to happen to Lawrence and Lily. How would what happens to the Titanic, change them, affect their lives, and if they would survive the tragedy at all?

One character who I particularly hated was Lily’s husband, Henry. As Lily began to suspect what he was up to, I wanted to know what his motives were, and I was rooting for Lily to get to the bottom of things. Araminta Hall paints a vivid picture of what life for women in this time in history was like.

I really enjoyed Hidden Depths and I finished it in just a couple of sittings. It is a stunning novel and I highly recommend it.

Publisher: Orion

Publication date: 31st March 2022

Print length: 354 pages

Hidden Depths is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones

The Dark Flood by Deon Meyer #bookreview #blogtour @MeyerDeon @HodderBooks

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by Deon Meyer, The Dark Flood.

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One last chance. Almost fired for insubordination, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido find themselves demoted, exiled from the elite Hawks unit and dispatched to the leafy streets of Stellenbosch. Working a missing persons report on student Callie de Bruin is not the level of work they are used to, but it’s all they get. And soon, it takes a dangerous, deeply disturbing turn.

One last chance. Stellenbosch is beautiful, but its economy has been ruined by one man. Jasper Boonstra and his gigantic corporate fraud have crashed the local property market, just when estate agent Sandra Steenberg desperately needs a big sale. Bringing up twins and supporting her academic husband, she is facing disaster. Then she gets a call. From Jasper Boonstra, fraudster, sexual predator and owner of a superb property worth millions, even now.

For Sandra, the stakes are high and about to get way higher.

For Benny Griessel, clinging to sobriety and the relationship that saved his life, the truth about Callie can only lead to more trouble.

MY THOUGHTS

The Dark Flood is the first novel I’ve read by Deon Meyer and I think I’ve definitely been missing out. Set in South Africa, it felt very different and fresh to the thrillers I usually read, and the setting really drew me into Detective Benny Griessel’s world. Deon Meyer is a master at capturing a real sense of place and this is what made this book all the more enjoyable for me.

Although this is book number eight in this series, I felt I could follow the story easy, without having read the previous books. Although it can be read as a standalone, I do think I would have benefited from reading the previous books in the series to understand some sections of the story, but mostly I could enjoy it without the previous background information. Deon Meyer is a writer who knows how to raise the stakes and the tension. The action gets going right on the first page and my attention was immediately captured. It felt as though I was watching an action film as I read the opening scenes.

Deon Meyer has weaved together a very complex plot and I thought it was brilliantly executed. There are a couple of different strands to this story. Benny and his work partner, Capt. Vaughan Cupido are tasked with investigating the disappearance of a university student, after almost facing the sack. We also meet Sandra Steenberg, a real estate agent, who is in dire need of a commission. It appears that she is willing to do anything to get what she needs for her failing company. The tension for both sets of characters is on the rise.

Deon Meyer is a writer who knows how to raise the stakes for his characters. You can see how Benny and his partner seem to be at the end of the line with their careers, particularly with what they have recently become caught up in. We also have the stakes rising for Sandra and you can see just how much pressure she is under and how it is affecting her personally.

It did make me wonder if there would be any connection at all between Sandra’s story and Benny and Vaughan’s, but you can see just how skilled Deon Meyer is at plotting, and how he pulls the different strands together. I thought it was very well done.

The characters are all very well developed and I could follow each of their stories easily as I was reading this book. I liked how Deon Meyer delved into their individual stories, which fleshed their characters out, and made them come to life on the page. I also loved how he brought the landscape to life as well, which was part of what made this book feel very fresh to me as well. I thought, especially the use of the Afrikaans words really made it feel authentic.

The Dark Flood is a very engaging read and I am keen to try out more of Deon Meyer’s work in the future.

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication date: 14th April 2022

Print length: 416 pages

The Dark Flood is available to buy:

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First Born by Will Dean #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the gripping new psychological thriller by Will Dean, First Born.

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HE LAST THING A TWIN EXPECTS IS TO BE ALONE …

Molly lives a quiet, contained life in London. Naturally risk averse, she gains comfort from security and structure. Every day the same.

Her identical twin Katie is her exact opposite: gregarious and spontaneous. They used to be inseparable, until Katie moved to New York a year ago. Molly still speaks to her daily without fail.

But when Molly learns that Katie has died suddenly in New York, she is thrown into unfamiliar territory. Katie is part of her DNA. As terrifying as it is, she must go there and find out what happened. As she tracks her twin’s last movements, cracks begin to emerge. Nothing is what it seems. And a web of deceit is closing around her.

MY THOUGHTS

I love Will Dean’s books, and I couldn’t wait to get started on First Born, and it is another utterly gripping read. There is a devastating opening when Molly learns of the death of her twin sister, Katie, who has been living in America for the past few months and studying over there. Molly gets the very next flight to New York to join her parents. But things take a dark turn for Molly and her family when the police reveal they believe Katie has been murdered.

Molly was a very perplexing character. Although she and Katie are identical twins their personalities are very different. Katie seemed to be someone who was very outgoing and who loved taking a risk, Molly on the other hand is much more reserved. She didn’t strike me as a particularly warm character as well as I was reading.

I thought Will Dean captured the American setting really well. I’ve only been to New York once but I could visualise the streets as I was reading it. Katie’s friends are also really interesting characters. I got the sense that I couldn’t quite trust them as I was reading this book and I felt that they might be hiding something, especially her friend, Violet. I wanted to find out more about them, and what their friendship with Katie was really like, and what sort of a person Katie was.

There’s a twist which comes around halfway through in this book that I thought was done really well, and it propelled the action forward. I raced through to get to the ending to see just how things would pan out, and it’s really hard not to talk anymore about what happens at this point, without giving parts of the plot away.

Will Dean creates a very dark atmosphere throughout this novel and it deepens and darkens with every page. There is a real sense of danger which he writes very well, I felt that the person, whoever had killed Katie was close by and that Molly was in danger.

First Born is a very twisty read and I really liked how Will Dean revealed the truth. There were definitely some mind blowing moments. You do not want to miss this book. I highly recommend it.

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication date: 14th April 2022

Print length: 306 pages

First Born is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones

Life Sentence by A.K. Turner #bookreview #blogtour @AnyaLipska @ZaffreBooks

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by A.K. Turner, Life Sentence. With thanks to Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers, for inviting me to take part.

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Mortuary technician Cassie Raven believes the last thoughts of the dead linger like static in the air…

Cassie has always had a strange affinity with death, ever since her parents were killed in a car crash when she was four. At least that’s what she grew up believing…

But that was a lie. Cassie’s father is alive. He was convicted of murdering her mother and spent years behind bars. Now he’s out – and he’s looking for her.

He swears he didn’t do it. And Cassie wants to believe him.

To find the truth, she must turn detective. As she seeks answers, help is to be found in inexplicable places – for the dead are ready to talk.

MY THOUGHTS

I loved the first book in A K Turner’s Cassie Raven series and I immediately liked Cassie when I read it. She is quite a different protagonist to what I have seen before in crime fiction. I like her quirkiness and how she attends to the dead in the mortuary she works in, believing that she can communicate with the dead. In the latest book in the series, Life Sentence, this time Cassie is very much in the spotlight as she tries to piece together what happened to her mother, who was killed by her father more than two decades earlier.

Life Sentence is very much Cassie’s story. A K Turner delves even more into her background in this book, and into the tragic event that happened in her past. You can see clearly how determined Cassie is to get answers, even though the police believe that her father was the man responsible for what happened to her mother. He has recently been released from prison and is determined to strike up a relationship with his daughter again after so long, and he continues to protest that he had nothing to do with her mother’s murder.

You get a real sense that there are secrets to be uncovered here, especially, I thought, with Cassie’s grandmother, who she is currently living with. I felt that her grandmother wasn’t telling her everything she ought to know about her parents, and I wondered what this would do to their relationship, if her grandmother was harbouring a big secret. I loved Cassie’s relationship with her grandmother in the first book and the same in this one, so I was worried about what Cassie’s pursuit for the truth, would mean for their relationship.

I liked how A K Turner weaved the plot together and there were definitely a few elements to the mystery, surrounding what happened to Cassie’s parents that surprised me. A K Turner continues to turn the tension up a notch as Cassie gets closer and closer to the real truth. I was flying through the pages as she begins to realise what actually happened. There are some very hard hitting truths that come to light, and I’m interested to see where A K Turner will take this series next from here.

Cassie Raven is a character who I will definitely keep coming back to. She is so fascinating, and A K Turner always writes gripping prose that pulls you into the story. I really enjoyed Life Sentence. If you haven’t discovered this series yet, you’re missing out!

Publisher: Zaffre

Publication date: 14th April 2022

Print length: 337 pages

Life Sentence is available to buy:

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Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the gripping debut novel by Laure Van Rensburg, Nobody But Us.

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Steven Harding is a handsome, well-respected professor.
Ellie Masterson is a wide-eyed young college student.

Together, they are driving south from New York, for their first holiday: three days in an isolated cabin, far from the city.

Ahead of them, the promise of long, dark nights – and the chance to explore one another’s bodies, away from disapproving eyes.

It should be a perfect, romantic trip for two.

EXCEPT THAT HE’S NOT WHO HE SAYS HE IS.

BUT THEN AGAIN, NEITHER IS SHE . . .

MY THOUGHTS

Nobody But Us is a tense, utterly compelling debut by Laure Van Rensburg. I really enjoyed this book. Right from the get go she creates an ominous tone and you know things aren’t going to go down well for the two lead characters. Laure Van Rensburg expertly keeps the tension turning up a notch and I couldn’t stop turning the pages.

We meet Ellie and Steven who are heading to a cabin deep within a forest for a romantic trip away. It should be a special weekend for them both. But instead it turns into something far darker. This really is a story where you don’t want to give too much of the plot away. From the outset I had the feeling that something terrible was going to happen to this couple. It starts off quite slow as we first get to know Ellie and Steven and then bang; Laure drops a massive bombshell which flips the novel on its head.

It becomes clear that something serious has gone on between Ellie and Steven. I had to get to the bottom of what that was and what had led to this weekend. The majority of the book takes place primarily in the house, where Ellie and Steven have gone to stay, and the house becomes a character in its own right. It gives the book a very claustrophobic feeling, almost as though the walls of the house are pressing in, crushing Ellie and Steven.

There is a very important storyline to this book which Laure delves into and I don’t want to go into too much detail about it here. I thought the flashback scenes were written very well and I could feel the emotion and the anger in Laure’s writing. There is a deep sense to get justice in this book which comes through very strongly and in a very powerful way. There are some devastating reveals and I had no idea how things were going to pan out for Ellie and Steven. As we get to learn more about them and their pasts, my opinions of them both shifted.

I’m sure that many people will be thinking about this couple long after turning the final page. This is a dramatic, tension driven book that will keep you engaged right the way through. I flew through this book. Psychological thriller lovers, this is definitely one to add to your TBR pile.

Publisher: Penguin

Publication date: 14th April 2022

Print length: 345 pages

Nobody But Us is available to buy:

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WWW Wednesday – 06/04/2022

Welcome to this week’s WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!

The three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What have you finished reading?
What will you read next?

What am I currently reading?

What would you do if your husband framed you for murder?

Five years ago, Olivia Sutherland was wrongfully convicted of plotting to murder.

Now she’s finally free, Olivia has three goals. Repair her relationship with her daughter. Clear her name. And bring down her husband – the man who framed her.

Just how far is she willing to go to get what she wants? And how far will her husband go to stop her?

Because his lies run deeper than Olivia could ever have imagined – and this time it’s not her freedom that’s in jeopardy, but her life…

What have I finished reading?

One last chance. Almost fired for insubordination, detectives Benny Griessel and Vaughn Cupido find themselves demoted, exiled from the elite Hawks unit and dispatched to the leafy streets of Stellenbosch. Working a missing persons report on student Callie de Bruin is not the level of work they are used to, but it’s all they get. And soon, it takes a dangerous, deeply disturbing turn.

One last chance. Stellenbosch is beautiful, but its economy has been ruined by one man. Jasper Boonstra and his gigantic corporate fraud have crashed the local property market, just when estate agent Sandra Steenberg desperately needs a big sale. Bringing up twins and supporting her academic husband, she is facing disaster. Then she gets a call. From Jasper Boonstra, fraudster, sexual predator and owner of a superb property worth millions, even now.

For Sandra, the stakes are high and about to get way higher.

For Benny Griessel, clinging to sobriety and the relationship that saved his life, the truth about Callie can only lead to more trouble.

What will I read next?

Passenger…
Lily is pregnant, travelling onboard the Titanic to her beloved family in the United States, hoping she can get there before her mind and body give up.

For a long time now she’s known her husband is not the man he’s pretending to be and she’s not safe.

So, when she meets widower Lawrence she knows he’s her last chance for help.

Or Prisoner…
But Lawrence knows he hasn’t got time to save Lily.

Lawrence is the only person on board the unsinkable ship who knows he will not disembark in New York.

And the danger is much worse than either of them could imagine.

Can Lily and Lawrence help each other to safety before it’s too late?

It Ends at Midnight by Harriet Tyce #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the gripping new thriller by Harriet Tyce, It Ends at Midnight.

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It’s New Year’s Eve and the stage is set for a lavish party in one of Edinburgh’s best postcodes. It’s a moment for old friends to set the past to rights – and move on.

The night sky is alive with fireworks and the champagne is flowing. But the celebration fails to materialise.

Because someone at this party is going to die tonight.

Midnight approaches and the countdown begins – but it seems one of the guests doesn’t want a resolution.

They want revenge.

MY THOUGHTS

It Ends at Midnight is an utterly gripping read by Harriet Tyce and it is so tense. We know very early on that two people will end up dead, their bodies impaled on railings after falling from a roof on New Year’s Eve, just as the clock strikes midnight. But who are these people? What has led up to this moment? I was desperate to find out.

I really engaged with the main characters in this book, and Harriet Tyce raises the stakes for both of them as the novel progresses. I felt I couldn’t trust either Tess or Sylvie, who have been best friends since childhood. Harriet Tyce gradually begins to reveal what happened in their past, and this is what makes the book so tense. I didn’t know how each character was going to react, especially Sylvie, I had the feeling that she was going to end up doing something terrible as I was reading. I wanted to know what secrets they were both keeping.

I thought the dialogue between the characters in this book was really well done, and I thought this was particularly the case between Sylvie and her new boyfriend, Gareth. I also really liked the courtroom scenes, which is what Harriet Tyce writes very well and they feel very authentic. I thought this, as well, when I read her debut Blood Orange a few years ago. I think this is what Harriet Tyce does really well in her books.

One of the intriguing parts of the book was Tess’s determination to return to a dark time in her past, following her cancer diagnoses. You can see that she is keen to make amends with one particular person, but Sylvie, isn’t all too keen on the idea. Tess even wants to recreate her wedding, and is desperate for everything to be exactly how it was on the big day. You get a sense of the emotions that she is experiencing, and Harriet Tyce wrote this into Tess’s dialogue very well. I was invested in both characters as I was reading, and I wanted to know what was really going on in the inner workings of their minds.

I thought It Ends at Midnight was very well plotted and it kept me entertained as was reading. I thought the characterisation was very well done and they kept me hooked as I as reading the book. If you’ve loved Harriet Tyce’s previous books, then you are going to love her latest.

Publisher: Wildfire

Publication date: 14th April 2022

Print length: 306 pages

It Ends at Midnight is available to buy:

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