Tag: Psychological Thriller

This psych thriller had some good and bad points.

The good: some truly tense moments, great interspersed third-party perspectives, and a few unforeseen twists.

The bad: there were long passages where not a lot happened other than characters fretting about what was going on.

I suppose in hindsight, that’s not really a bad thing, but some of them seemed to be more inward based (ie a character worrying about something) and that did nothing to propel the plot.

I knew right from the start that something wasn’t right about the whole event that kicks off the book. I think that was the point.

The author did throw in enough red herrings that I found myself suspecting pretty much every character at one point or another. I like when an author can keep me guessing.

I thought that there was some unevenness with the way the story was told. For example, there were times that we got to see a text message that a character received and other times we were just told that one had been received.

I think it might have been more effective if every text message had been relayed in the same manner.

As far as the main characters, I felt most sympathetic towards Jill. She didn’t do a lot to help herself, but it seemed as if a lot of her actions were based in the grief of having lost her husband and being at loose ends.

I did think that a few of the things she did seemed out of character, even for what we knew of her, but given the ending, I understand why the author chose for them to happen.

I actually didn’t like Claire. I thought she was pretty self-centered. I mean, I know she was worried about her kid, but she really didn’t come across as if she would have been nice even before the events of the book.

And I certainly didn’t get the attraction of Ollie. Of the main characters, I think he was the least clear to me. This wasn’t great because apparently, he was quite the man (given how the book all wraps up).

I just didn’t see anything that showed me he was as amazing as he was made out to be.

All of that being said, the book did keep me guessing and the author smartly wrapped up all of the plot threads and red herrings in a believable manner. And there is a decent twist at the end. So, I would recommend this book.

Author Bio:
Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and Jess their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

This psych thriller had a few things going for it, but at times it almost seemed like there were two books in one.

The main thrust of the book was about Sarah and her son Ollie. Her ex, Steve, has a new girlfriend, Laura, who takes an inordinate interest in Ollie. Sarah may also have a new love interest in Joe, who has baggage of his own.

Does Laura have a past? Is she just crazy? Is there something else in play? Does Steve know everything or is she hiding things? What about Joe’s ex?

As there are more strange incidents, Sarah starts to question everything about Laura, but always with Ollie’s safety in mind.

That makes up the heart of the story, but in the middle of all of that Laura’s mom shows up. It’s pretty apparent (and not a spoiler) to say that all is not right between Laura and her mom.

But who is telling the truth?

For the most part, everything worked well together, and I was very invested in finding out where the twists were going to head next.

Each time Sarah had a new question, and she asked Steve or Laura about it, I felt her frustration when she wasn’t taken seriously and even blown off. It was hard to tell if she was being gaslighted or not. I liked that uncertainty.

What was less successful for me was the conflict between Laura and her mother. While it did keep me guessing I thought that it could have used a bit more depth and explanation. The resolution did not seem complete to me and the explanation fell short.

I felt the same about Joe’s baggage. I don’t want to say more about it, because there were a few good twists there as well, but it also suffered from lack of depth. There wasn’t enough info for me to believe all that went on.

In spite of these two things, I still thought the book was very good and it kept me engaged until the very last pages. I would certainly recommend it.

P.S. This book had a title change from The Whisper (which I thought was a pivotal aspect and it fit) to the current title. I’ll admit I’m a bit confused about it, because it seems to put the focus on a totally different aspect of the book.

I dunno…maybe I’m missing something there. Not a big deal, just thought I’d mention it.

Author Bio:

Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has also obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath. Sheryl’s latest psychological thriller MY HUSBAND’S GIRLFRIEND comes to you from BOOKOUTURE. Her previous works include the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series, along with contemporary fiction novels, The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love.

This was an interesting psychological thriller. It didn’t exactly have me on the edge of my seat, but it did keep me engaged and interested.

Usually, if something isn’t extremely compelling, I feel sort of “so-so” about it. But I enjoyed reading where the author was going throughout this entire story.

I’ll be honest and say that I guessed a major plot point fairly early on, but that was strictly through being the cynical person that I am.

I think maybe that is what made it unique for me. I had a strong feeling that I had figured it out, but I wanted to see how the author got there – and if I was right or not.

I wasn’t right about all of it.

I thought that Gemma was the strongest character in the book. She felt the most realistic to me. The author did a great job of illustrating both her distress and desperation.

Beth was a little less fleshed-out, which at first bothered me, as I thought she was the center of the story. That being said, I did think that Beth’s journey was well-done. Sometimes issues like those Beth was dealing with seem overdone and “too much.”

That wasn’t the case here. She was as bewildered as I think I would have been if I had begun experiencing what she did. Her reactions seemed natural.

I also found it interesting that the author threw in some red herrings. I can’t quite tell if they were intentional or not, though. There were a few that I expected more out of, as in they had more to do with the pivotal events.

In that regard, I was left wanting with a few of the mentions and involvements. I guess in simpler terms, I wasn’t sure what was important and what wasn’t.

But in thinking about it, maybe that was exactly what the author intended.

If this review seems a bit convoluted, I apologize. Upon reflection, I believe it’s indicative of how well the author wove the plot that I was never quite sure what was vital and what was a side-mention.

And that’s what kept me interested right up until the very end.

I will conclude with the wish that the bad guy had received a much worse punishment. There was a lot of build up and then it kind of went by the wayside. I wanted more for that person because they definitely deserved worse.

But still, would certainly recommend this one.

Author Bio:

Throughout Beverley’s many years spent working in advertising and PR, she had always wanted to write fiction. In 2015 a creative writing course inspired her debut novel, Seeking Eden, which was published in 2017. The sequel, Eden Interrupted, soon followed. Beverley’s third novel – her first with Bookouture – fulfils a long-time goal to publish a psychological thriller.

Born in Yorkshire, and raised in Kent, Beverley currently lives in West Sussex with her partner and their adorable terrier. When not writing, you’ll find her reading, walking the dog or listening to rock music.