Tag Archive | Harper Collins

The Other Couple by Diane Jeffrey

Jun22

Entertaining & Gripping

The Other Couple by Diane Jeffrey is a simply marvellous contemporary psychological suspense that had me mesmerized from the start.

Diane Jeffrey is masterful at her craft as she draws the reader in, leading us with our emotional responses to her characters. We cling on to the narrative for dear life.

The story is told in the first and third person from two alternating points of view. As such, we become intimately acquainted with the characters.

We witness the total desolation that comes with loss. “I have nothing left to lose. I’ve already lost everything.” Desperation takes over as a character relentlessly searches for answers, employing tactics that she never realized lay within.

The weather mirrors the action as Diane Jeffrey employs the literary device of pathetic fallacy. As the storm clouds gather, they mirror a character’s inner turmoil.

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The Price by Darren O’Sullivan

Jun8

Totally Gripping

The Price by Darren O’Sullivan is a fabulous contemporary crime thriller that I just could not put down. It consumed my every moment.

Darren O’Sullivan has created an exciting, well thought out and executed plotline. As the action heated up, so my pulse rate rose… and just when I thought the action couldn’t get any more tense… it did!

The story is written from alternating points of view and in the first person and as such, we appreciate and experience the action from different viewpoints. I identified with the female lead. I could sense her desperation and desolation at times, as well as the hope she held on to. “Amongst the grief and the worry was hope.” If hope dies, it is an awful wasteland to inhabit.

We follow parents through a terrible diagnosis for their child. The support group sessions are as vital as breathing. “There were no words to help, but having people to listen meant everything.” We all need people to listen when we feel alone. It helps to hear positive words, giving us something to cling to. Conversely if we hear negative situations and words, our hope shrivels.

A mother’s love is fiercely protective. There is nothing a mother will not do in order to help her child – no matter how young or old they are.

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Slaughterhouse Farm by T Orr Munroe

May25

Gripping

Slaughterhouse Farm by T Orr Munroe is an absolutely gripping contemporary crime novel that I just could not put down. It is the second book in the CSI Ally Dymond series but can be read as a stand-alone. I cannot wait to read more books in this outstanding series.

The action is set in Devon. Whilst the countryside can be beautiful, there are some gruesome discoveries that are at odds with the natural beauty.

Trauma can be hard to heal from. It may last a lifetime. A life has been blighted since a teen, being fed lies by those who should know better.

Mothers protect their offspring – and not always in the way we expect.

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The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick

May11

Coming Home

The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick is an absolutely marvellous historical tale. It will educate you as you read as the novel is grounded in fact.

Liz Fenwick has woven an epic tale with true life figures from World War II. Readers will instantly recognize the name Ian Flemming but many other characters were real too.

The tale is spun around Merry, a skilled cartographer who is remarkable at her craft. Special operatives relied on her eye for detail to make sorties into occupied France.

We see how difficult life was for women, having to choose between love or career. Women had opportunities in war to excel but were returned to the lesser positions in peacetime.

Life was difficult for homosexuals. We follow a couple of ladies who have to behave very differently outside their home. They have to deny who they really are.

The women in the novel are incredibly brave and very clever. They have huge hearts that help others in need.

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