The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Description from Goodreads:

"What did she see?

It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.

Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.

But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?"

******************************

An interesting psychological thriller full of suspense that although I enjoyed, it took me quite a while in before I connected with the main character, Anna, for some reason; I've been wracking my brains trying to think why but I just can't come up with an explanation and because of this, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have which is a shame because it's a great story and not like anything I have read before.

The story is told completely from Anna's perspective but because of her fragile mental health and the wine and medication concoction, you question whether what she is saying is actually what is happening ... as she herself ends up doing.

I found it quite a sad book overall and I felt a lot of empathy for Anna and her situation but it was also a story of triumph over adversity with a gradual build up to the explosive ending which I found very satisfying.

Overall, a pretty good debut that is not full of the usual blood and violence ... it's definitely a slow burner that builds and builds to a satisfying conclusion.

I think this book would transfer really well to the big screen and I am pleased to note that it is in development as a major motion picture from Fox - it's just a shame that Alfred Hitchcock isn't alive to direct it!

Thanks to the publisher, HarperCollins UK HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

******************************

Author twitter:  AJFinnBooks

Publisher website:  HarperFiction

Life of Crime by Kimberley Chambers

Description taken from Goodreads:

"If you could get away with the perfect crime - would you?

HEAVEN HAS NO RAGE, LIKE LOVE TO HATRED TURNED.

NOR HELL A FURY, LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a saga!

What a story!

Fantastic characters, cracking and clever plot, excellent twists, perfect pace ... this had it in bucket loads and had me totally absorbed from the start.

The story follows the life of Jason Rampling and the various capers and general dodgy dealings he uses and gets involved in in order to get away from his and his daughter's crappy life living with his alcoholic mother on a dire council estate.

Jason is an Arthur Daley or Del Boy kind of a character - you could call him a bit of a rogue - but I really warmed to him; yes he's not the kind of man I would want my daughter to bring home but there was something about him that I was drawn to and although I certainly didn't agree with everything he did, I did find myself having some sympathy for him despite the scrapes he got into being mostly of his own doing.  Melissa, another of the main characters, is another story ... oh my goodness, she is one character that had me going round in circles ... do I like her or don't I? and don't even get me started on Tracey!!!!  There are several other characters that I could mention but I would be going on for ages such is the ability of the author to bring these people to life and make them feel authentic and memorable.

This is a compelling and gripping take on the consequences of living a life of crime and I would most definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a cracking read with not too much violence.

My thanks must go to the publisher, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, via Netgalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Website:  Kimberley Chambers Official Website

Author Twitter:  @kimbochambers

Author Facebook:  Kimberley Chambers

Publisher:  HarperCollins UK

While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt

Description:

“A pacy, chilling psychological thriller, set to reinvent the genre. It begins, they say, with a woman screaming...Don't shut your eyes...In an isolated corner of a remote Scottish island lies the McBride house, a place that has forever been shrouded in shadows and secrets. In Victorian times, a mother and son perished there, and just one year ago, a local boy went missing-a scream the only clue as to his fate. For Zoe Adams, though, the McBride house represents a much-needed escape from her life in America, and from the tragedy that has befallen her. All she wants is to be alone, to finally find peace. Only the calm Zoe so desperately craves eludes her. For as night falls, she is disturbed by unsettling dreams, the sinister notes of a woman singing, an indistinct face at the window...Someone, or something, wants Zoe gone, and will stop at nothing to rid the house of her presence.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Full of atmosphere and mystery helped by the excellent description of the remote Scottish island and the characters makes this an enthralling read.

In an attempt to escape a failing marriage, Zoe rents an isolated and recently renovated house with a chequered history. It doesn’t take long for creepy things to start happening which spurs Zoe on to finding out more about the house’s history but as the story develops, you start to question whether the happenings are real, paranormal or a figment of Zoe’s imagination.

There are many twists and turns in this book which keeps you guessing as to what is going on and although I found it a struggle at times due to the sheer amount of questions you ask yourself, While You Sleep is an eerie and atmospheric story that is quite unlike anything I have read before.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest review.

Date of publication:  08/03/2018

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Publisher website: HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction

Publisher twitter: @HarperCollinsUK

Author website: Stephanie Merritt

Author twitter: @thestephmerritt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~