Review: The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

I've not read any books by Erin Kelly before but the beautiful cover and intriguing blurb caught my eye. In her foreword, the author explains that the inspiration for this story was one of her favourite childhood books: Masquerade by Kit Williams, which contained clues for a treasure hunt - the prize being a jewelled hare. In this book the prize is the tiny gold skeleton of a woman, broken into pieces and buried at locations around the UK. 

Fifty years ago, Frank Churcher had the idea to write and illustrate a folk tale about a poor farmer who has to find and reunite the bones of his lost love, Elinore. To accompany the story, Frank created a tiny gold skeleton, which he broke up, burying the various bones around the country, with the clues to their location hidden in the text of the book. This book, The Golden Bones, became a huge bestseller and made both his fortune and his name as an artist, but it ruined the life of his daughter Nell. For years she's been stalked by the fans of the book (who call themselves 'Bonehunters') who believe the story is real and that her father hid the last missing piece of the skeleton inside her body. She refuses to accept any of her father's money and now lives incognito on a narrow boat with her unofficially adopted daughter, Billie.

To celebrate the book's 50th anniversary, Frank is relaunching The Golden Bones with an app and a documentary, and is planning on finally revealing where that last piece is hidden. All his family will be there at his house, including Nell and Billie, along with a film crew. Meanwhile, outside the house (and in online forums) the Bonehunters are circling...

The Skeleton Key is a beautifully written psychological suspense/domestic thriller with larger-than-life characters, gothic overtones and a jaw-dropping finish. As well as Frank and his wife Cora, there is Frank's friend, the alcoholic but talented Lal (with whom he always seems to be in competition), plus Lal's wife Bridget, and their children and grandchildren. The story moves back and forth between 1971 and the present day, until we're all caught up with every family secret and every betrayal. You soon appreciate that Nell did exactly the right thing by distancing herself from these horrible people!

The past and present timelines are knitted seamlessly together, the treasure hunt was great fun, and the parts with the skeleton were inspired! And I shall never look at detergent in quite the same way again! Including the legend of Elinore at the end of the book was  a nice touch.

The Skeleton Key is a fabulous story, recommended for fans of Lisa Jewell and Alice Feeney.

Thank you to Erin Kelly and Hodder and Stoughton for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

I love Lisa Jewell. She's one of my favourite authors. When I read The Family Upstairs, I had thought nothing could top it - but I love this book even more. It has everything: strong characters, a claustrophobic mystery, a gothic house, creepy teenagers - and a cute dog! It's the kind of book you have to read faster and faster because you're really worried about how it's all going to end!

The Night She Disappeared is told over two timelines by multiple viewpoints. In 2017, Tallulah goes on a date with her boyfriend Zach, leaving her baby with her mother Kim. The next morning Tallulah still hasn't come home. Kim discovers that Tallulah and Zach were invited to the local big house, Dark Place (which already has a sinister reputation), but when Kim calls around the owner says that all the teenagers left after the party. Kim knows Tallulah would never willingly abandon her baby. So where is she? 

Then two years later, when everyone but Kim has moved on with their lives, a crime writer called Sophie spots a sign in the local woods that says 'Dig Here'...

The Night She Disappeared is a clever, twisty mystery that doesn't let up on the suspense or tension for a second. I particularly loved the character of Kim, who refuses to give up hope that her daughter will be found, even though all the evidence is to the contrary. Tallulah's friend, Scarlett, is an intriguing character, and I loved the spookiness and legends of Dark Place. Fans of Lisa Jewell will love it. One of my favourite reads this year.

Thanks to Lisa Jewell and Cornerstone/Century/Random House UK for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Related posts:

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Review: The Nesting by C.J. Cooke

The cover of The Nesting is absolutely gorgeous and the premise, a modern gothic, was right up my street. I was thrilled to receive an early copy.

The story is about Lexi, who is in desperate straits after both a failed relationship and a failed suicide attempt. She's soon homeless and out of a job too! When she sees an opportunity, she cons her way into a job as a nanny even though she has no experience of working with children. Her new employer, Tom Faraday, is an architect working on a new-build in a rural part of Norway. This is the second house he has built on the site. The first one collapsed under mysterious circumstances but he is determined to finish this new house as a tribute to his late wife, Aurelia, who drowned in the fjord.

The Nesting is a super-spooky, gothic suspense. The chills occur as soon as Lexi arrives in Norway, with both Lexi and one of the children seeing a ghostly figure dripping with water - Aurelia's body was fished out of the fjord.  Also running through the story are extracts from Aurelia's diary, which adds an element of mystery - did she kill herself or not?  And if so, who is to blame? (There are no shortage of suspects!) Adding an extra layer to the story are snippets of Norwegian folk tales.

The Nesting is an interesting blend of ghost story, gothic mystery and domestic suspense, which leaves the reader wondering if Lexi and Aurelia are imagining what they are seeing. (All is explained at the nail-biting finish!) The lush Norwegian landscape is incredibly atmospheric and makes an effective backdrop to the spooky events. It certainly frightened me! I thoroughly enjoyed The Nesting and have no hesitation in recommending it as the perfect chilling winter read. 

Thank you to C.J. Cooke and Harper Collins UK for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.  

Review: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

Lisa Jewell is one of my all-time favourite authors, so I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy of Invisible Girl.

Teenager Saffyre Maddox has been self-harming since a childhood trauma. Unable to confide in her therapist, Roan Fours, she becomes obsessed with him instead. She follows him around, learning where he lives and all about his life with his family, and he doesn't suspect a thing. She's become 'invisible'. Owen Pick lives in the house opposite Roan but feels as though no one ever really 'sees' him. He's drifting through life, feeling more out of step with the world every day, until he wakes up to find his face is splashed all over the newspapers and wishes he really was invisible.

Lisa Jewell is one of those authors you can always rely on to dish up a cracking good story. She even manages to make one of London's swishest places seem sinister with a fright around every dark corner. Her particular skill is to make us really care about her characters, from her most unlikely heroes to the villains (The Family Upstairs). I particularly loved hapless Owen, bumbling from crises to crises, mostly of his own making. I also felt for the middle-aged, middle-class Cate, who discovers her new life in Hampstead is not turning out to be as perfect as she assumed it would be. This is a theme running through the story: appearances are deceptive, be careful who you judge - and trust! Because, like the fox living in the wasteland opposite Cate's house, there are predators walking amongst us, always ready to strike.

Invisible Girl is one of my favourite reads this year. Lisa Jewell's fans will definitely not be disappointed!

Invisible Girl will be published on 6th August 2020.

Thanks to Lisa Jewell and Cornerstone/Century/Random House UK for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Related posts:

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Review: Just My Luck by Adele Parks

I was attracted to this book by the gorgeous cover and the intriguing story. Who hasn't wondered what they would do if they suddenly came into a lot of money?

Once a week for fifteen years three couples have been meeting up and playing the same lottery numbers. One night they have an argument about whether to continue and the following day six very familiar numbers come up. Lexi and Jake suddenly find themselves in possession of a winning lottery ticket...

Just My Luck is a clever domestic thriller/family drama. Three families, six supposed best friends, and the cracks that appear when one couple wins seventeen million pounds. As the story progresses we learn that each person has a secret, some characters are not quite as nice as they appear, and others will do anything to be in with a share of a fortune. There are little twists all the way through, but be prepared for a couple of massive ones that I certainly didn't see coming! 

Just My Luck shows how easy it is for someone's almost-perfect life to unravel when they come into a lot of money, despite their best intentions. We wouldn't make any of these mistakes, would we? Even Lexi, who is at first determined to keep everything 'normal' finds herself coerced into throwing a celebratory party that just gets bigger and bigger until it's completely out of control.

I loved Just My Luck (such a clever title!). It's the perfect summer read and would appeal to fans of authors such as Lianne Moriarty and Lisa Jewell.

Thank you to Adele Parks and HQ for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allan

I downloaded this one because everyone was raving about it and it sounded like the kind of thing I would enjoy. It certainly was - I read it over two days in three greedy gulps!

Our heroine is Emily, slowly getting her life back together after the break-up of a relationship, when she witnesses another woman die after a hit and run. Emily feels horribly guilty because she'd let the other woman exit the building first. So over the next few days Emily devours news reports about the accident, and checks the dead woman's social media account, and soon learns Rose was everything Emily wanted to be. Beautiful and kind-hearted, Rose had a handsome husband, a gorgeous baby, and friends who loved her. And now there is a Rose-sized hole in these people's lives. A hole that Emily could fill...

Oh, I did love this book! I read a lot of crime fiction so I knew where it was headed but the quality of writing was great, there were some fabulous twisty bits and the ending was very clever. I loved the character of Emily, despite her flaws, and was so involved in her story I was practically shouting at the book "No, don't do it!" every time I thought she was going to do something really stupid.

There wasn't anything I didn't like! Her Name Was Rose is now firmly on my 'favourites' list and I thoroughly recommend it!

Thank you to Claire Allan and Avon for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance review copy of Her Name Was Rose, which will be published in the UK on 28 June 2018.

Review: The Friend by Dorothy Koomson

I was attracted to The Friend due to the pretty cover (reflection of a girl walking along a beach) and because the blurb intrigued me. I've read Dorothy Koomson before (The Chocolate Run) but hadn't realised she wrote mysteries too. Anyway, I loved The Friend and completely devoured it, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books very soon!

The story is about Cece who has recently moved to Brighton with her husband and three children. Unfortunately, her husband fails to mention that a woman has been found with head injuries in the playground of the children's school. And it later transpires that Cece's new friends are high on a list of people the police are very interested in talking to. Each friend has a secret that would destroy her, but could one of them really be a potential murderer?

I love reading mysteries and usually try to guess the identity of the murderer and their motivation before the big reveal. However, The Friend is so well-written, and the characters so realistic, I became so engrossed in their story it hardly mattered who did what to whom. I particularly liked Cece, for the way she didn't stand any nonsense from her husband or her ex. I also liked Anaya, who had to suffer the mother-in-law from hell!

The strength of this book is definitely in the characters, all of whom have huge secrets in their past that could be motivation for murder. The victim was sympathetic at first but as I got to know her (through her actions towards her friends) my loyalties definitely changed. I think the only character I failed to relate to was Hazel, due to her appalling taste in men!

There are a lot of characters - four main ones, plus their partners and children, and a few exes, and I did get a little confused, particularly between Maxie and Hazel at first. I think the story would probably appeal more to readers who enjoy their commercial fiction with a bit of a mystery, rather than fans of pure crime fiction.

But I loved The Friend and thought it was utterly brilliant, and I have no hesitation in recommending it. I think it would particularly appeal to readers of Lisa Jewell (I Found You) and Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies).

Thank you to Dorothy Koomson, Cornerstone Digital, and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Review: I Found You by Lisa Jewell

I had not read any books by Lisa Jewell until last month when I read Then She Was Gone, which I loved, so I jumped at the opportunity to download this one. Both books are written in a similar style, with multiple viewpoints, and a clever plot that kept me guessing. Both books are five star reads but this one is definitely going on my list of all-time favourites, mainly because of the ending - which obviously I can't tell you about because of spoilers!

Lily is from the Ukraine, and met her English husband when he attended a course in Kiev. Madly in love, they've only been married for five weeks and she's not had the chance to meet any of his family and friends. When he fails to come home one night, or the night after that, she doesn't know what to do.

Alice lives in a tiny cottage by the sea with her three children and two mad dogs. She's too kind for her own good so, obviously, when she finds a strange man sitting in the rain on the beach, she invites him into her house take shelter. He says he's lost his memory but refuses to go to the police or seek medical help. Should she believe him?

I guessed the first twist fairly early on (I read a lot of books!) but there were a few more that took me by surprise, and I was on the edge of my seat for that ending! I loved the setting (faded seaside town), and the characters, particularly Alice and Frank, who I was really rooting for. All the characters were brilliantly drawn. Alice's teenagers will seem horribly realistic to anyone who has children the same age! I wasn't so keen on Lily, but that was kind of the point. I did warm to her by the end of the story, and really admired her tenacity in trying to find out what had happened to her husband when no one else seemed much interested.

This is a brilliant, superbly-written story, which had me completely emotionally engaged, reading faster and faster until I reached the end. So I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who loves psychological suspense, domestic thrillers and old mysteries. I loved it!

Thank you to Lisa Jewell, Cornerstone Digital and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Related Post:

Review: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Review: Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica

I have not read Mary Kubica before but I have heard good things about her books, and when I saw this one it sounded right up my street. Nick and Clara Solberg appear to have the perfect marriage. Nick has his own dental practice and Clara has just given birth to their second child, Felix. But Clara's life is shattered when Nick is killed in a car accident. Also in the car at the time was their young daughter, Maisie. When Maisie starts talking about a 'bad man', Clara wonders if the car crash wasn't an accident after all. But who would hate Nick enough to kill him?

The story is told from Clara's point of view, as she investigates the accident by talking to Nick's work colleagues and anyone who might have witnessed the crash, but we also have Nick's version of the events leading up to his death. It is a clever story and well-written. No one really has the 'perfect' life, and Nick and Clara are no exception. I enjoyed how each layer was peeled away to reveal the real people beneath, and I liked the character of Nick and how he felt his control over his life was slipping away from him. Clara's story, told in the present, was desperately sad, as she came to terms with the death of her husband.

While there was a lot about this book I enjoyed, it wasn't really me. It would suit someone who is more into family dramas and psychological suspense. I prefer stories with a little more humour (although it would have been inappropriate here!) and, while there was the mystery of Nick's death to solve, I did feel disappointed with the ending. I don't normally give star ratings to the reviews on my blog (I leave that for Amazon and Goodreads) but I would like to emphasise that I would give this book a solid four stars; anything less would be unfair, as it was well written and had engaging characters. I also enjoyed trying to guess who the murderer was - which I didn't get right - something else I always like!

So, recommended if you like your murder mysteries to be psychological and domestic, but perhaps not if you prefer them to be a little more traditional.

Thank you to Mary Kubica, HQ and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Everything but the Truth by Gillian McAllister

The cover and title attracted me to this book but, as it turned out, it was a different story to the one had I been expecting! I thoroughly enjoyed it though!

The story is about Rachel and Jack, who have been together for a very short time and who are expecting a baby together. Everything is going well until Rachel sees part of an email on Jack's iPad: 'Douglas's Atrocity Rears Its Head Again'. So who is Douglas and what did he do that was so terrible? This question begins to eat away at Rachel until it is all she can think about. It doesn't help that when she meets Jack's family and friends they seem to be hiding something from her, but the more she digs about in Jack's past, the more questions are raised.

And as we learn more about Jack, we also learn more about Rachel - that she split up with her last boyfriend because she didn't trust him, and that she has a huge secret in her own past ...  

I was expecting a psychological thriller, but it wasn't really. No one is murdered, there are only a few scenes when the heroine feels she is in jeopardy, there is no race against time to catch a killer. Instead we have a very cleverly written psychological suspense/domestic noir, with brilliantly drawn characters - I did love Jack! The clues are dripped in a little bit at a time and, although it is quite a leisurely read, I found myself reading faster and faster to find out what happens. Each time Rachel catches Jack out on a lie, the tension racks higher and higher, and at the same time we find out more about Rachel's own secret; it was like watching a car crash in slow motion and being unable to stop it.

So, Everything but the Truth is a gripping and compelling read, with a moral about being honest - and that if you're going to snoop around in someone's past, you really ought to be prepared for what horrors you might find. Recommended!


Thank you to Gillian McAllister, Michael Joseph and NetGalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.