I let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Description from Goodreads:

"A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . ."

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I am little late, to put it mildly, with reading this book but better late than never I always say!

What a good read and one I'm pleased I didn't miss.  Full of twists and turns, excellent characters, gripping story and a great writing style this is a great debut and one I would recommend to the few people out there who, like me, are a bit late joining the party!

Thanks go to Little, Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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The Doorkeepers by Graham Masterton

Description from Goodreads:

"As far as her family knows, Julia Winward, a young American woman, has been missing in England for nearly a year. When her mutilated body is found floating in the Thames, her brother, Josh, is determined to find out what happened to his sister for all that time, and exactly who - or what - killed her.

But nothing Josh discovers makes any sense. Julia has been working for a company that went out of business sixty years ago, and living at an address that hasn't existed since World War II. The only one who might have been able to help Josh is Ella, a strange young woman with psychic abilities. But the doors she can open are far better left closed. For behind these doors lie secrets that should never be revealed - secrets too horrible to imagine."

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I am a fan of Mr Masterton's books and have been for many, many years and I have always found his books gripping but, alas, this book just didn't do it for me at all and I am quite upset about that!

The premise of the book is interesting and the action starts almost immediately and there are plenty of moments that make you hold your breath or make you feel squeamish but, for some reason, I quickly lost interest.  This may have been because I found it hard to get attached to the characters and I wasn't really that bothered what happened to them or maybe it's because the mystery element of what was behind the door was revealed early on ... I don't know but it just didn't grab me like his other books have done and this makes me feel quite sad.

This book has however received a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews so my suggestion is you don't take my word for it and give it a go ... let's face it, if we all liked the same thing, the world would be a very boring place indeed.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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Come A Little Closer by Karen Perry

Description from Goodreads:

"The new gripping psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Girl Unknown and Your Closest Friend

Leah is in love. It should be the happiest summer of her life, but she can't help feeling lonely with Jake's attention divided between her, his ex-wife and his young son. As insomnia sets in, the walls of their new basement flat feel as if they're closing in around her.

Until she meets her upstairs neighbour, Anton, who has recently moved back in after a long absence from the street. He's a sympathetic ear when Jake can't be, and even though others on the street seem strangely hostile towards him, Leah soon comes to rely on Anton and their secret conversations in the night.

Leah has no idea that nineteen years before, Anton was convicted of killing his wife. A wife who looked a little bit like Leah. He has always said he didn't do it.

Is Leah his redemption? Or is she befriending a killer intent on luring her closer and closer?"

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Nope ... not for me ... hard to feel anything for any of the characters and hard to get into - sorry but I found it pretty boring and I can't bring myself to recommend it although there are plenty of very positive and 4 and 5 star reviews out there so obviously it appeals to others so don't take my word for it ... try it for yourself.

Thank you to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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Seven Days by Alex Lake

Description from Goodreads:

"The twisty new psychological thriller from the USA Today bestselling author

A race against time to save her child…

In seven days, Maggie’s son, Seb, turns three. But she’s not planning a party or buying presents or updating his baby book. She’s dreading it. Because in her world, third birthdays are the days on which the unthinkable happens… she loses her child.

For the last twelve years Maggie has been imprisoned in a basement. Abducted aged fifteen, she gave birth to two sons before Seb, and on their third birthdays her captor came and took them from her.

She cannot let it happen again. But she has no idea how to stop it. And the clock is ticking…"

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Oh my goodness ... you have got to read this book!!!

Harrowing, hopeful, heart wrenching, gripping, thrilling and full of tension, this is one of those books that you won't forget in a hurry.  It's absolutely gripping from the very first paragraphs and takes you through all manner of emotions from anger, disgust and hatred to love, sympathy and hopefulness.  Although a very difficult subject-matter, it is dealt with carefully and without sensationalism; it felt authentic and believable and, unfortunately, is only too real.

You quickly become invested in the plight of Maggie and her son, Max; the strength of her human spirit and the will she has to keep her son safe whatever the cost oozes from the pages.  It doesn't stop there though, oh no, her family are as big a part in this book as Maggie and Max and they embark on their own roller coaster ride in which you are a but a passenger. 

Written from different perspectives and covering different timelines, you might think that this would be confusing ... it is anything but.  With short chapters, great pace and easy writing, this book is a gem of a read and, cliché I know, hard to put down. I couldn't read it fast enough and thank goodness I was coming towards the end on a Saturday evening so it didn't matter if I slept in the next day!

This is most definitely a 5 star read for me and highly recommended.

Eternal thanks go to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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Safe House by Jo Jakeman

***Out on 31st October 2019***

Description from NetGalley:

"NOT EVERYONE DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE.

The morning after a terrible storm, a woman turns up in a remote Cornish village. She calls herself Charlie, but it's a name she's only had for a few days. She keeps herself to herself, reluctant to integrate with the locals. Because Charlie has a secret.

Charlie was in prison for providing a false alibi for a murderer. But Lee Fisher wasn't a murderer to her; he was the man she loved. Convinced of his innocence, Charlie said she was with him the night a young woman was killed. This sacrifice cost her everything.

And now she has a chance to start again. But someone is watching her, waiting for her, wondering if she's really paid the price for what she did."

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This is the second novel I have read by this author, the first being Sticks and Stones, and I have enjoyed them both.

Charlie is trying to re-build her life after having spent time in prison; she buys a run down cottage in a small Cornish village and although she tries to keep herself to herself whilst renovating, she starts to become involved in village life and developing friendships amongst the residents but she soon begins to feel uneasy and things start to happen.

With a plausible story line, complex, well developed and interesting characters, a great setting culminating in a thrilling conclusion, this is an enjoyable read.

My thanks go to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Description from Goodreads:

"In a large house in London’s fashionable Chelsea, a baby is awake in her cot. Well-fed and cared for, she is happily waiting for someone to pick her up.

In the kitchen lie three decomposing corpses. Close to them is a hastily scrawled note. 

They’ve been dead for several days.

Who has been looking after the baby? 

And where did they go?

Two entangled families.

A house with the darkest of secrets."

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A compelling, creepy and riveting read from start to finish.

When Libby hits her 25th birthday, she inherits a house in Chelsea with a very dark past.  Gradually, you begin to learn of that past with the use of different time periods and different character viewpoints.  I admit that at first this took a while to get my head around but it does fall into place and works extremely well.

The story is gripping and dark; the characters are well developed, interesting and authentically flawed; the writing is easy to read and set at a good pace and the mystery elements are perfectly formed.

I would most definitely recommend this to people who love a good psychological thriller and want to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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Savage (Ravaged World Trilogy #3) by Iain Rob Wright

Description from Goodreads:

"SOMETIMES BEING ALONE IS BETTER…

The world has crumbled and the dead walk the earth, but all is not lost, yet. A group of survivors seek salvation at an abandoned pier where the dead can’t get them.

But the dead are not the only threat.

The people on the pier are not the only group of survivors. There are others out there: bigger, nastier groups. And one just turned up right on the doorstep…

The world may have changed, but people haven’t."

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This is the third book in the trilogy with Sea Sick and Ravage being the first two; although a trilogy, you don't need to read them all as they work equally well as standalone stories.

Savage is more than your typical zombie apocalypse story, it doesn't focus on the zombies and the usual eating-fest that accompanies such stories, it is more about the survivors and their quest to remain human both literally and figuratively.

I have to say that I enjoyed this trilogy and found Savage neatly finishes the series with satisfaction although not without some losses on the way! There aren't many books that make my eyes leak and I certainly didn't expect a horror/zombie book to do this but Savage did!  I think it's because the author creates characters so well you get attached to them and when one of them is killed, it affects you ... well it did me anyway when one particular character met their end.

Well written, excellent characters, perfect setting, great pace and plenty of tension makes this a great read.

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