Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

By
Three foster sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, are forced to confront their traumatic past when a body is discovered beneath their former foster home. As the investigation unfolds, they must confront the dark secrets that have haunted them for years. A slightly overdeveloped psychological drama, which confronts physical and emotional abuse and the varying long-term impacts thereof on different survivors. The murder mystery could have been a bit more engaging and less breadcrumbed , but the novel would likely have lost some of its gravitas, if the murder became the focus. 4/5

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Becoming Sherlock: The Red Circle by Anthony Horowitz and Sarah J Naughton

By
Image
The first novel in a murder mystery trilogy set in a dystopian future London. The story centers around a disoriented man with amnesia, named Sherlock Holmes by a stranger who fished him out of the Thames rive, ie Watson.Together they try to solve the mystery of Holmes' identity while also being entangled in another puzzling case which started with an airliner crash over London. Very clever writing, with true to Connor Doyle atmosphere, which works very well in the dystopian future London. The mystery in this novel focuses around Holmes more than any murder and thus creates the setting for the series which will follow. 4/5
Read more

The House On Cold Hill by Peter James

By
Image
The Harcourt family,  drawn by the allure of a country lifestyle,  moves into a secluded Georgian mansion and soon realize that their dream home, apart from being a money pit, harbours a dark secret. As strange occurrences and unsettling visions begin to plague them, the Harcourts must uncover the chilling truth behind Cold Hill's haunted past.  Unfortunately I read this first novel after the sequel and effectively rated the sequel higher than it actually deserved. The sequel is somewhat of a carbon copy of this novel but set in a slightly later time period featuring different families with different occupations, but the storyline remains exactly the same. The wiring style is however unique interesting and engaging. 
Read more

Close To Death by Anthony Horowitz

By
Image
Set eight years earlier in an unusual location of a seemingly idyllic gated community. The peace is however shattered when a new resident, widely disliked by all his neighbours for his brash personality and utter lack of neighbourliness , he is soon found murdered. With a closed pool of suspects, i.e., the residents, Hawthorne is called in to investigate a case where everyone seems to have a motive. The story explores the secrets and dark sides that lurk beneath the surface. Eight years later Horthorne hands the story to Annoy to write. Anothony however ends up with a story without and ending and Howthone missing. This leads to Anthony investigating both the murder and Howthorne's past; possibly with disasterous consequences. A slightly darker novel with the usually complex denouement. But there is also a dark suprise, with trump's the summon gathering. 4/5
Read more