Now You See Her by Heidi Perks

Description from Goodreads:

"SHE WAS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. AND NOW SHE'S MISSING.

NOW YOU SEE HER

She’s playing at the school fete with your children. You pull out your phone, scroll through Facebook, and look up again.

NOW YOU DON'T

Charlotte is looking after her best friend’s daughter the day she disappears. She thought the little girl was playing with her own children. She swears she only took her eyes off them for a second.

Now, Charlotte must do the unthinkable, tell her best friend Harriet that her only child is missing. The child she was meant to be watching.

Devastated, Harriet can no longer bear to see Charlotte. No one could expect her to trust her friend again.

Only now she needs to. Because two weeks later Harriet and Charlotte are both being questioned separately by the police. And secrets are about to surface.

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO PUT THINGS RIGHT?"

📚📚📚📚📚📚

Every parent's worst nightmare

I can't believe this book has been sitting on my to-be-read pile since 2018! I've finally got round to it and I'm honestly kicking myself for leaving it so long. It's such a gripping read that pulls you in from the very first page.

The story starts with a scenario that would make any parent's blood run cold. Charlotte is looking after her best friend Harriet's daughter, Alice, at a school fete. She looks away for just a second - checking her phone as we all do - and when she looks back, Alice is gone. It's a simple but terrifying premise that feels so real because it could happen to anyone.

I really liked how the story is told from both Charlotte and Harriet's perspectives. It makes it so hard to know who to trust or even who to feel sorry for. One minute I was heartbroken for Harriet, and the next I was feeling for Charlotte as the school community and social media started to turn on her. It's a very clever look at how quickly people are ready to judge others.

There are plenty of twists and turns that I didn't see coming at all. Just when I thought I had it figured out, something else would happen to change my mind. The tension builds up brilliantly and it definitely kept me turning the pages late into the night.

It is a very good book that I'm happy with, but it had a tiny niggle for me where I had to suspend my disbelief slightly towards the end. However, it is high quality, well-written and I'd still definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller.

I'd like to say a thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for enabling me to read and, finally, share my thoughts of this book.

📚📚📚📚📚📚

The Exes by Leodora Darlington

Description from Goodreads:

"Natalie’s in tears in her bedroom. She’s had a huge argument with her husband. Slowly, she realises she’s already holding a knife.

She’s telling herself she doesn’t want to do it. Not again.

Because Natalie has an awful secret. Sometimes, on her worst nights, she blacks out. She loses control.

What do you do when there’s a killer in your house, and you think it might be you?"

📚📚📚📚📚📚

A bit of a mixed bag

I was really intrigued by the premise of this one. The idea of a woman whose exes have a habit of ending up dead—and she can't quite remember if she was responsible because of blackouts—is such a great hook for a thriller. It starts off with quite a bang, with Natalie and her husband James having a massive row while a party is going on downstairs. The tension right at the start definitely made me want to keep reading to find out what on earth was going on.

The story jumps between the present day and flashbacks to Natalie's past relationships with Marc, Luca and George. I found the "then" chapters quite gripping, as you see the toxic dynamics and the trauma Natalie has dealt with. However, I did find the pacing a bit up and down. Some parts felt like they were really moving along, but then it would slow down again. Natalie is a very complicated character and while I didn't always like her, I could see why she was so guarded given everything she'd been through.

To be honest, even though I've only just finished it, the actual resolution hasn't really stuck in my mind. It was an okay read and it definitely kept me guessing for a while, but it didn't quite have that lasting impact I was looking for. It's a solid debut and worth a look if you like psychological thrillers with plenty of secrets, but it just wasn't a "must-read" for me. 

A big thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts.

📚📚📚📚📚📚

The Katharina Code (William Wisting #12) by Jørn Lier Horst

Description from Goodreads:

"Twenty-four years ago Katharina Haugen went missing.

All she left behind was her husband Martin and a mysterious string of numbers scribbled on a piece of paper.

Every year on October 9th Chief Inspector William Wisting takes out the files to the case he was never able to solve. Stares at the code he was never able to crack. And visits the husband he was never able to help.

But now Martin Haugen is missing too.

As Wisting prepares to investigate another missing person's case he's visited by a detective from Oslo. Adrian Stiller is convinced Martin's involved in another disappearance of a young woman and asks Wisting to close the net around Martin.

But is Wisting playing cat and mouse with a dangerous killer or a grief-stricken husband who cannot lay the past to rest?"

📚📚📚📚📚📚

A bit of a slow burner

I’ve had this one sitting on the dusty virtual shelf of my Kindle since 2018, so it was definitely time to finally see what the fuss was about! This was actually my first time reading anything by Jørn Lier Horst and while I can see why he’s a big name in Scandi noir, I’m left feeling a little bit middle of the road about it all. 

The story follows William Wisting as he revisits a cold case from twenty-four years ago involving a woman named Katharina who went missing, leaving behind a mysterious code. I really liked the premise and Wisting himself is a refreshing character - he’s a decent, stable man without the usual messy personal life or dark secrets you often get with fictional detectives. The procedural side of things felt very authentic too, which makes sense given the author’s background as a police officer.

However, I did struggle a bit with the pacing. It felt quite slow to get going and there were times when the level of detail about Norwegian street names or every single mundane door knock felt a bit like a slog. It’s definitely more of a "thinking person's" mystery than a fast-paced thriller. While the atmosphere was spot on, the "code" itself didn't feel as central to the solution as I'd hoped and the ending didn't quite have the emotional punch I was looking for.

It's a solid, well-written police procedural that kept me curious enough to finish, but it didn't completely blow me away. If you enjoy a very methodical, slow-burning mystery, you’ll likely enjoy this more than I did.

Many thanks to the author, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for enabling me to read and, eventually, share my thoughts of this book.

📚📚📚📚📚📚

The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware

Description from Goodreads:

"On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.

Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it."

📚📚📚📚📚📚

I finally got around to picking up The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware after it spent years buried on my to-be-read pile. It feels like I am slowly conquering the mountain of books I have ignored for far too long and this was a great one to finally tick off the list as it was a really atmospheric read.

The story follows Hal who is a tarot reader struggling to make ends meet when she receives a mysterious letter claiming she has inherited a substantial estate from her grandmother. Hal knows it must be a mistake but she decides to use her skills to try and claim the money anyway. It’s a great setup and it quickly turns into a classic gothic mystery when she arrives at the creepy and dilapidated Trepassen House for the funeral.

What I really enjoyed about this one was the sense of dread and the setting. The house itself feels like a character and it’s full of secrets and cold rooms which kept the tension high. It definitely has a slow burn feel to it and while some parts felt a little drawn out I found the mystery behind the Westaway family quite compelling. The details about tarot reading were an interesting touch and added a bit of a different flavour to the usual thriller format.

Overall it’s a very well written and moody mystery that kept me guessing until the final reveal. Even though it took me a long time to get around to it I’m glad I did as it’s a solid read if you like a story with a lot of atmosphere and family secrets.

Many thanks to the author, Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for the chance to read and share my thoughts on this one.

📚📚📚📚📚📚

Adrift by Will Dean

🔥🔥🔥 Due out 19 February 2026 🔥🔥🔥

Description from Goodreads:

"Three of them adrift on the narrowboat.

Mother, son, and wickedness.

Peggy Jenkins and her teenage son, Samson, live on a remote stretch of canal in the Midlands. She is a writer and he is a schoolboy. Together, they battle against the hardness and manipulation of the man they live with. To the outside world he is a husband and father. To them, he is a captor.

Their lives are tightly controlled; if any perceived threat appears, their mooring is moved further down the canal, further away from civilisation. Until the day when the power suddenly shifts, and nothing can be the same again."

📚📚📚📚📚📚

One of the most claustrophobic and tense books I've read in a long time

I've been a huge fan of Will Dean for a while now, having previously read The Chamber, First Born and the absolutely harrowing The Last Thing To Burn. He really is the master when it comes to building a thick atmosphere and that slow, creeping sense of dread that just gets under your skin. Adrift is no exception and it honestly had me on pins almost as much as Peggy was.

The story follows Peggy and her son Samson as they find themselves in an unthinkable situation. What makes this book so powerful is how Dean handles the emotional weight of their journey. I found the scenes involving the horrendous bullying Samson faces at school particularly tough to get through. They're genuinely heartbreaking and felt very real, which only added to the protective instinct you feel for them as a reader.

It isn't an easy read by any means, but it's incredibly well written. The way the tension ramps up is just brilliant and I couldn't put it down even when things got really dark. If you've read his previous work you'll know he doesn't pull any punches, and this definitely feels like another masterclass in suspense. It's a gripping, emotional rollercoaster that stayed with me long after I finished the last page.

Thanks to the author, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for enabling me to read this difficult but powerful book.

📚📚📚📚📚📚