How much do I love the audio books of Andrea Mara's novels? THIS MUCH. Not only are the stories utterly compelling, the characters well rounded and reHow much do I love the audio books of Andrea Mara's novels? THIS MUCH. Not only are the stories utterly compelling, the characters well rounded and relatable and the twists plentiful but Jessica Regan, the Irish actress who narrates them, has the loveliest voice.
Someone in the Attic has a terrifying premise that grabs you from the off and doesn't let you go. The red herrings were brilliantly done and kept me guessing all the way through (it's a rare book where I don't guess who done it) Andrea Mara is the Queen of the Cliffhanger. I guarantee that you won't be able to put this book down.
Hugely looking forward to my Murder One event with Andrea and Sam Blake in Dublin, later this month. ...more
Addictive, escapist and utterly thrilling, One Perfect Couple is a blistering, breakneck page-turner that sizzles with menace. It left me breathless aAddictive, escapist and utterly thrilling, One Perfect Couple is a blistering, breakneck page-turner that sizzles with menace. It left me breathless as I frantically turned the pages. If you only take one thriller on holiday this summer pack this one. You won't be able to put it down. I absolutely loved it. ...more
Listened to the audio book after it was recommended by my sister-in-law. It spans one man's life from his teens and 20s to his 60s as he navigates relListened to the audio book after it was recommended by my sister-in-law. It spans one man's life from his teens and 20s to his 60s as he navigates relationships and friendships. It's a character study about regret, confusion, miscommunication, self- deception, rewriting history, philosophy, intelligence, ambition and comparison. I found it immersive and thought-provoking and I couldn't help but reflect on who I was as a teen or a young woman in my 20s and who I am now. I am full of admiration for Julian Barnes and I'm not surprised that it won the Booker prize....more
I am a huge Erin Kelly fan but came to The House of Mirrors having not read The Poison Tree, the book it's a sequel to. Not having read The Poison TreI am a huge Erin Kelly fan but came to The House of Mirrors having not read The Poison Tree, the book it's a sequel to. Not having read The Poison Tree didn't spoil my enjoyment of The House of Mirrors- there's enough backstory woven in that you don't feel lost or short-changed, it definitely works as a gripping and enchanting mystery all by itself.
There is so much to admire in The House of Mirrors, the elegant language, the claustrophobia of being part a screwed up family, the sickening weight of closely guarded secrets, and the rich, rounded and very real characters. Then there are the dresses - Kelly's love of vintage fashion shines out from Alice's chapters.
The House of Mirrors is a novel about passion and obsession, where some characters seek out the truth while others run from the shadow of the past. It's a book to lose yourself in, one that swallows you whole. Breathtaking, original and beautifully written, I absolutely loved it....more
Having been blown away by Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville last year (I read an advanced copy) I wanted to read more of his books and chose Here and Having been blown away by Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville last year (I read an advanced copy) I wanted to read more of his books and chose Here and Gone, under his pseudonym Haylen Beck. There are similarities between this book and Blood Like Mine - the main one being a woman on the run trying to protect her children but with one major difference (if you know, you know...)
In Here and Gone, like Blood Like Mine, Neville does an incredible job of portraying a mother's love for her children and creating a situation that threatens that. He's so good at tension and jeopardy, at making you care for his characters, at writing children, at making you read with your heart in your mouth. I am also in awe at how well he writes an American voice, setting and characters. I lived every moment of this book. Consider me a Stuart Neville/Haylen Beck fan....more
The Family Experiment by John Marrs is speculative fiction at its very best - original, dark and wickedly clever. I was utterly captivated by the way The Family Experiment by John Marrs is speculative fiction at its very best - original, dark and wickedly clever. I was utterly captivated by the way Marrs melded reality TV, AI and a terrifyingly plausible future.
11 contestants enter a reality TV show to nurture an AI child and win themselves the right to either keep the child, or swap it for the money to bring up a biological child of their own. The only issue is, each of the contestants is hiding a dark secret and, when the world is watching, there's nowhere to hide!
What I particularly loved about this book was the way Marrs incorporated issues that are very much an issue in the present day, and carefully twisted them to make them part of a speculative future. He's created a terrifyingly plausible world and I'm excited to read more of this books that inhabit that world.
The world building, the characters, the reveals and the twists are so well done that this book is crying out for a Netflix adaptation.
Watch out Black Mirror, John Marrs is coming for your crown!...more
Wow, what an ending! I just inhaled the last third. An intense, desperate, heartfelt and claustrophobic story about the lengths parents will go to forWow, what an ending! I just inhaled the last third. An intense, desperate, heartfelt and claustrophobic story about the lengths parents will go to for love. Some books have a gut punch at the end. In Finding Sophie you're emotionally winded, all the way through....more
The Wrong Sister is a triumph of masterful misdirection and intricate plotting. It keeps you guessing from the first page to the last and it's Claire The Wrong Sister is a triumph of masterful misdirection and intricate plotting. It keeps you guessing from the first page to the last and it's Claire Douglas's best book yet. If you love a Christie-esque mystery that keeps you guessing The Wrong Sister definitely won't disappoint. ...more
Another excellent audiobook, this time a missing child mystery from Irish author Andrea Mara. What I particularly loved about this book was the LondonAnother excellent audiobook, this time a missing child mystery from Irish author Andrea Mara. What I particularly loved about this book was the London setting and the terrifying premise - a mother tries to get into a Tube carriage with her three children, the crowd separates her from two of her children, they get into the tube alone, then the doors close and it moves off without her. Arrgh! As a mother myself my stomach lurched as I read that scene. A real nightmare scenario!
What follows is her tense, terrifying search to find her lost child, with alternate chapters detailing a reunion of her husband's friends that she attended several days earlier. The husband's a lawyer, defending some very dodgy people. Did they abduct her child? Or are her husband's friends keeping dark secrets?
As claustrophobic as the London Underground, 'No one Saw a Thing' has high stakes, everything to lose and it's packed full of twists and reveals. If you correctly guess whodunnit and why then you're sharper than me!...more
Wow, just WOW. I've waited a long time for a crime novel to do something different, to keep me guessing, to blow me away - this is that book. I suspecWow, just WOW. I've waited a long time for a crime novel to do something different, to keep me guessing, to blow me away - this is that book. I suspect that this is one of those books, like Behind Her Eyes, where it's best if you come to it with no preconceptions, so I'm not going to say too much. But if you think this is 'just another woman and daughter on the run novel' then you would be very, very wrong.
I lived and breathed every second and flew through the pages - desperate to keep reading but not wanting it to end. Wholly original and utterly compelling, this is an incredibly tense book that is also full of regret, guilt and love. Blood Like Mine will grip you from the first page and keep you prisoner until you turn the last page. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to see what Stuart Neville writes next (hopefully, a sequel to this).
Once in a blue moon I read an advance review copy of of a book and think, 'This book will be huge.' I thought that about The Couple Next Door, The Chalk Man, Eleanor Oliphant, Behind Her Eyes and I Let You Go - and I was right about all of them. If there's any justice in publishing this book will be a massive hit too.
PS. This would make the most amazing TV series. As I read it I could SEE the scenes play out in my mind. ...more
Just finished the audiobook of The End of Us - what an absolute triumph! I felt as though I was listening to a Hitchcock film. It was so clever and coJust finished the audiobook of The End of Us - what an absolute triumph! I felt as though I was listening to a Hitchcock film. It was so clever and compelling with a morally slippery main character and a beautifully twisting plot. It deserves to be a bestseller....more
Absolutely brilliant. Razor sharp, humorous, insightful and clever. Best book I've read this year. I will be recommending it to every author - and nonAbsolutely brilliant. Razor sharp, humorous, insightful and clever. Best book I've read this year. I will be recommending it to every author - and non author - I know....more
Without doubt the best memoir I've listened to this year. Whether you're autistic, or you're not, I guarantee that Fern will entertain, astonish and eWithout doubt the best memoir I've listened to this year. Whether you're autistic, or you're not, I guarantee that Fern will entertain, astonish and educate you. You'll laugh, you'll cringe, you'll feel desperately sorry for her, and you'll applaud her bravery. One hell of a listen. Buy it now. ...more
I am envious of the way Catherine Ryan Howard's brain works. Maybe not her obsession with Jurassic Park (and I doubt she'd want to swap it for my obseI am envious of the way Catherine Ryan Howard's brain works. Maybe not her obsession with Jurassic Park (and I doubt she'd want to swap it for my obsession with Survivor), but certainly the way she constructs her very clever plots. She seems to instinctively know how best to structure a plot to conceal the twist from the reader and she fools me EVERY TIME. I pride myself on being able to spot the twists in most books but Catherine is always one step ahead of me. Dark, creepy and very clever, The Trap will lure you in and keep you captive until the very last page. Catherine Ryan Howard is the Queen of the Unguessable Twist. ...more
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