The Silent Man by David Fennell

💥💥💥 due to be published 31-Aug-2023 💥💥💥

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"A father is murdered in the dead of night in his London home, his head wrapped tightly in tape, a crude sad face penned over his facial features. But the victim's only child is left alive and unharmed at the scene.

Met Police detectives Grace Archer and Harry Quinn have more immediate concerns. Notorious gangster Frankie White has placed a target on Archer's back, and there's no one he won't harm to get to her.

Then a second family is murdered, leaving young Uma Whitmore as the only survivor. Once again the victim's face is found wrapped and inked.

With a serial killer at large, DI Archer and DS Quinn must stay alive long enough to find the connection between these seemingly random victims. Can they do it before another child is made an orphan?"

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I didn't realise this was the last book in a trilogy when I started reading it and whilst it is clear that I have missed the back story, it didn't affect my enjoyment of this book one little bit.  My only gripe is with myself, how did I miss the first 2 books in this series??

From the very first page, I was hooked and couldn't read it fast enough.  The characters are excellent and I loved the easy and natural relationship between Archer and Quinn.  The story is told from various points of view which give a rounded view of the two main plots and whilst this can sometimes cause confusion, not so here.  

Written at a fast pace with plenty of twists, turns and scenes of violence and peril, The Silent Man is a book that I can highly recommend to those of you who love a gritty and dark story with a serial killer who uses a unique way to both identify and despatch his victims.

I will definitely be looking out for more by David Fennell in the future and thanks must go to him, Bonnier Books, Zaffre and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Silent Man.

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The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville

Description from Goodreads:

"Sara Keane's husband, Damien, has uprooted them from England and moved them to his native Northern Ireland for a "fresh start" in the wake of her nervous breakdown. Sara, who knows no one in Northern Ireland, is jobless, carless, friendless—all but a prisoner in her own house. When a blood-soaked old woman beats on the door, insisting the house is hers before being bundled back to her care facility, Sara begins to understand the house has a terrible history her husband never intended for her to discover.

Through the counterpoint voices of two women—one modern Englishwoman, one Northern Irish farmgirl speaking from half a century earlier—Stuart Neville offers a chilling and gorgeous portrait of violence and resilience in this truly haunting narrative."

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I am ashamed to say that I haven't read anything by Stuart Neville for years ... I have no excuse other than I must have had my head stuck in the sand or developed short-term amnesia because I forgot how much I enjoyed reading his words.

This is a sad and tragic story told from the perspective of two women, Sara and Mary, and from two timelines, the present and sixty years ago, with all 'action' taking place on an isolated farm in Northern Ireland.

This is not a story full of joy or happiness but rather there is an overwhelming sense of darkness and sadness with a foreboding undertone from start to finish that is intense and certainly keeps you on edge.  Having said that, it is also a story of strength, survival and hope amidst a backdrop of abuse, control and gaslighting.

I admit this isn't a story for everyone and I can't say I enjoyed it given the nature of its content, however, it was an excellent read that had me hooked and took me through so many emotions that many books don't do nowadays that I can only recommend it to others who enjoy dark, psychological thrillers with a little of the supernatural thrown in to enhance the overall feel of the book.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Other books by Stuart Neville I have read and reviewed:

Those We Left Behind

The Captive by Deborah O'Connor

 

Description from Goodreads:

"Hannah knows the cage intimately. Small, the size of a shopping mall parking space. A bed, a basin, a table and chair. A hatch and metal drawer through which to exchange food and other items.

Then there's him. Always there on the edges of her vision, no matter how hard she tries to block him out.

Every day, the same thoughts run through Hannah's mind:

What if he speaks to me?

What if he hurts me?

What if he gets out?"

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With its unique and interesting plot, this is a book that I really enjoyed.

I haven't read anything by this author before but the blurb reeled me in.  I can't even imagine the horror of having to look after a person who has been convicted of a crime against you.  You have to look after that person in your own home - would I be able to do that?  This book certainly makes you think about it but this is the reality for the main character in this book, Hannah.

Her husband was murdered and Jem has been found guilty; he is now housed in a cell in her kitchen and Hannah is having to face this man every day whilst trying to come to terms with her loss and grief.  Hannah is desperate to keep the memories of her husband alive but as she discovers more, he doesn't appear to be the man she knew and loved and when Jem professes his innocence - well he would wouldn't he - more doubts creep in and Hannah finds herself in a very difficult position.

Written from the perspectives of Hannah and Jem, this is a story that just keeps giving.  There are some great twists and you never really know what's going to happen until the end.

This is an author I will definitely look out for in the future and my thanks go to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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The Nine by Gwen Strauss

 

Description from Goodreads:

"The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris.

The nine women were all under thirty when they joined the resistance. They smuggled arms through Europe, harbored parachuting agents, coordinated communications between regional sectors, trekked escape routes to Spain and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments. They were arrested by French police, interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo. They were subjected to a series of French prisons and deported to Germany. The group formed along the way, meeting at different points, in prison, in transit, and at Ravensbrück. By the time they were enslaved at the labor camp in Leipzig, they were a close-knit group of friends. During the final days of the war, forced onto a death march, the nine chose their moment and made a daring escape.

Drawing on incredible research, this powerful, heart-stopping narrative from Gwen Strauss is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times."

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Gosh, that was powerful.

This is the true story about nine young women brought together under the most heinous of situations but who, together, show the power of friendship amongst the shadow of human depravity and the light of the kindness of strangers.

The book follows each of the nine before, during and after the WWII and whilst this ensured a complete picture was formed it did jump a bit between different times, people and different places which made it difficult to follow and, I think, detracted from the flow somewhat.  Despite this, I got a real sense of the personalities and characters of each of the women and it was really interesting to read about the plight of political prisoners and captured resistance fighters during this time period.

By the very nature of this book and it's subject matter, it is not an easy read however the resilience, bravery and courage of these young women deserves to be told and should be told.  I also feel that, done sensitively, this could work well on the big screen which would bring this amazing story to the masses.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK /  Manilla Press and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.

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The Spiral by Iain Ryan

 

Description from Goodreads:

"Erma Bridges' life is far from perfect, but entirely ordinary. So when she is shot twice in a targetted attack by a colleague, her quiet existence is shattered in an instant.

With her would-be murderer dead, no one can give Erma the answers she needs to move on from her trauma. Why her? Why now?

So begins Erma's quest for the truth - and a dangerous, spiralling journey into the heart of darkness."

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If there is one thing I really don't like, it's not finishing a book.  Luckily, it doesn't happen very often but, unfortunately, I was unable to finish The Spiral.

Why?  Well, I read to escape; I have enough complication in my work life so I tend not to read anything that takes too many brain cells as there aren't that many left after a day at work but this book just had me totally bemused almost from the very beginning and I just didn't have the stamina to continue.  

I struggled to get into the story, develop any feelings for the characters either way and I just ended up being completed baffled by the whole thing so much so that I just had to give up in order to remain sane!

As I said, I don't like not finishing a book and I really try to keep going but I just couldn't with this and I therefore have to apologise to the author.  I am acutely aware that this book will definitely appeal to lots of people but it just wasn't for me.

I would like to thank Zaffre Books / Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

The Spiral is due to be published on 31st December 2020 and I wish it good luck.

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The House Share by Kate Helm

🌟🌟🌟 Out on 14th May 2020 🌟🌟🌟

Description from Goodreads:

"Immi thought she had found the perfect new home in central London: a shared warehouse with luxury accommodation, a rooftop terrace and daily yoga, all with a surprisingly affordable price tag. The Dye Factory is a 'co-living' community, designed to combat the loneliness of big city life.

But soon after she moves into her new haven, Immi realises that it's not quite as idyllic as it appears. No one seems to know who is behind this multi-million pound urban experiment. And her housemates may be hiding a dangerous secret . . .

Then, as a series of pranks escalates into something much darker, Immi is left questioning whether, in this group of strangers, she can ever really be safe.

And when you're sharing a house, you can't always lock the danger out."

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The blurb of this book completely enticed me and I was so looking forward to reading it however, and I'm sorry to say, it just didn't do it for me and I found myself becoming frustrated and annoyed with a feeling of disappointment when I had finished.

Now, don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, it just didn't have enough going on for me.  The characters, although not particularly likeable, were well developed, the story was unique and it did keep me guessing as to what was going on and what was going to happen but when the reveal/twist happened, it was a little disappointing - I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I imagined and left me a little flat if I'm honest and, like I said, disappointed.

I know a lot of people will enjoy this so please don't take my word for it and give it a go; we can't all like the same things otherwise it would be a very boring world as many 4 and 5 star reviews show.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK / Zaffre Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for this unbiased and unedited review.

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