Tag Archive | HQ

Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah

Jan19

Wow – Top Notch

Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah is a totally gripping contemporary crime drama that consumed me from the start.

Kia Abdullah is a marvelous author whose novels are always top notch. She writes gritty fiction that is always heart breaking.

In Those People Next Door we witness, with horror, the lengths that some people will go to in order to destroy others. Instead of offering olive branches, it is bitter barbs. These barbs sink in, destroying characters from the inside out as we see the damage that hurt and bitterness can do. Characters lose their morality incredibly quickly.

Once more Kia Abdullah introduces the reader to an urban neighbourhood. It is supposed to be a safe haven but proves more deadly than the estates the family left behind.

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Just The Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

Jan19

Wow – Jaw Dropping!

Just The Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica is a marvellous psychological suspense that totally consumed me.

The action is set in suburbia and seen through two different points of view, one on either side of the situation.

The reader is completely immersed in the action. We believe what we are being told but as time goes on, we start to question as events seem more and more unbelievable.

There is a search for the truth by both the reader and characters. The deeper into the novel we go, the deeper the truth seems to be buried. This is mirrored by the location of Langley Woods – the deeper you walk in, the darker the atmosphere.

How well do we really know someone? Characters hide their true selves even from their nearest and dearest. We think we really know a person, only to be blown out of the water, with jaw-dropping revelations.

Suburbia – safe, secure, uneventful. Let go of all your pre-conceived ideas as you enter the world of Mary Kubica’s Just The Nicest Couple.

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The German Messenger by M J Hollows

Jan13

Rising From The Ruins

The German Messenger by M J Hollows is a mesmerizing historical novel that gripped me from the start.

The story is set in Liverpool 1940-1941 at the height of the blitz. M J Hollows writes of the horrors facing the brave people of the city. As the city burns, we witness brave firefighters running towards the flames. Comprehensive descriptions bring the landscape to life as we see a landscape right out of Dante’s inferno.

Ordinary citizens with German roots were viewed with suspicion. Some were interred in camps. It is heartbreaking to see the elderly wrenched from their homes to spend their last days incarcerated simply because of their roots.

There is a question of trust. Some, surprisingly, placed their loyalty with Hitler. These evil characters would prey on the vulnerable, using leverage to get classified information.

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I’ll Never Tell by Philippa East

Jan5

Wow – Engrossing!

I’ll Never Tell by Philippa East is a totally engrossing contemporary psychological thriller that grabbed me from the start.

The tale is cleverly constructed as we hear two different distinct voices and there are two alternating time periods as we move backwards and forwards in time.

We follow a rather rich suburban family with a gifted daughter. On the surface they have it all together but underneath, cracks are appearing. Stiff upper lips begin to wobble. Once the cracks appear, the dam is in danger of bursting.

There is the theme of trust. We should be able to trust our nearest and dearest but everyone seems to be holding onto secrets. Secrets imprison lives in grand isolation.

We see the damage that parental pressure exerts on a young life. Living life under a magnifying glass is sure to take its toll. Perfection comes at a cost that is just too high to pay. Sometimes we need to just sit back and let our children take the driving seat of their lives. If they crash, we need to be there to pick up the pieces.

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