Sheila Rawlings's Blog

Be careful who you trust

Growing up, Sadie Winters was told by her aunts, Lottie and Mia, that following the death of their brother, they had adopted her when she was two years old. Unfortunately, unbeknown to Sadie, the truth was very different.

Twenty-three years later, after the death of her aunt Lottie – a published author – Sadie comes across what appears to be the first few draft pages of a novel. Written by her aunt, they detail how two sisters find an abandoned child on a beach and decide to pretend she belongs to them. Having recently discovered that her aunts never actually had a brother, Sadie cannot help thinking she was the kidnapped child.

Frustrated by her aunt Mia’s reluctance to answer any of her questions, and desperate to find out who she and her parents really are, she therefore approaches Cristy Ward and Connor Church, who run a true crime podcast, in the hope they will help her find out the truth. Immediately intrigued by Sadie’s case, Cristy and Connor eagerly agree to investigate her story. However, they are unprepared for the level of Mia’s outrage at their involvement, nor her accusations of them lying to their listeners.

Convinced Mia is hiding something Cristy and Connor decide to dig even deeper into the mystery. Unfortunately, although their podcast is a success, their determination to uncover the truth results in tragic consequences.

‘Don’t Believe a Word’ is an intriguing novel that will have you gripped from the very start. Its cleverly scripted plot contains several twists and turns, leading to a dramatic and surprising ending.

As Cristy and Connor start to research Sadie’s past, the reader is brought up to date with their findings through a series of podcast transcripts, detailing conversations and interviews undertaken by Cristy and Connor, which also include extracts from the draft pages from a novel written by Sadie’s aunt Lottie. However, as their investigation progresses, they discover several facts that both challenge and bring into question the validity of the information they have been given. With conflicting evidence coming from all sides, it therefore soon becomes difficult to decide which of the characters to believe.

As with all good novels, I found this book engrossing and difficult to put down and can therefore thoroughly recommend it as a good read.

The stranger in your home

My latest book recommendation is ‘The Liar’ by Louise Jensen. It is an intense psychological thriller about lies, deceit and family betrayal.

The Abbott family – Mel and her two daughters Jen and Amy – have always considered Camilla and her four-year-old son Mason as part of their family. Therefore, when Camilla decides it is time to move out of their home into a place of her own, they all miss her.

Faced with a spare room and the need for some extra money, Mel decides to take in a lodger. Although her eldest daughter Jen is apprehensive about this decision, she reluctantly agrees. However, before the lodger arrives, Jen receives a text from her mother saying she needs a break and is going away for a few days, leaving Jen to deal with their new house guest, Luke.

At first, Luke seems pleasant enough, although Jen cannot help feeling uncomfortable with a stranger in the home while her mother is away. Her discomfort then turns to concern when he starts asking personal questions about them all, without disclosing any information about himself. However, alarm bells really begin to ring when she discovers that Luke has been prying into their personal effects while they are out.

With Mel still missing, Jen decides to search her mother’s office for any correspondence relating to Luke. Finding a letter of recommendation from Luke’s previous landlord, she then decides to visit him and find out more about their mysterious lodger. Unfortunately, far from being reassured about him, her suspicions are confirmed when she discovers he is not who he claims to be, and that he has been lying about his identity.

After confronting Luke and learning his real motive for pretending to be their new lodger, Jen begins to fear that her mother might be in danger and sets out to find her. However, the nearer she gets to the truth, the more it is revealed that Luke is not the only one who has been lying, and that her own life could now in be in danger.

Already a fan of Louise Jensen, I was quite keen to read her latest novel, ‘The Liar’. I was not disappointed. With the sole content of Chapter 1 being simply an anonymous threatening text, the tense mood of the story is set right from start. Doing what she does best, the author then gradually introduces several plot twists along the way, all of which throw suspicion on more than one possible perpetrator. Just when you think you know who the villain is the narrative changes, instantly disproving your theories. Together with the surprise ending, ‘The Liar’ is yet again a Louise Jenson masterclass in tension and suspense and I can thoroughly recommend it as well worth reading.

Lies and family secrets

12 years ago, Stephanie, her mother and her sister Aurelie were camping on the shores of Loch Ness when teenager Peter Ferguson was reported missing, presumed drowned in the loch. Although the family tell the police they were all together that night and know nothing of the incident, they each know they are lying – a decision that ultimately tears the family apart, to the extent that Stephanie and Aurelie no longer speak, and the truth remains buried in the mists of time.

Now Aurelie is getting married, and Stephanie has been invited. Initially not wanting to attend, Stephanie is about to decline the invitation when she realises, being together for the first time since the incident occurred, it would be a golden opportunity to discover what really happened that night.

As the wedding celebrations progress and the alcohol begins to flow, tongues start to loosen. Determined to finally uncover the truth, Stephanie confronts each suspicion and accusation she hears. However, she is unaware of the carnage about to be unleashed due to her ruthless questioning and that the truth is about to change all their lives forever.

Taking place over the course of a single day, ‘The Surfacing’ is a very clever crime mystery which keeps you guessing until the very end. With detailed descriptions of the venue and the wedding itself as it progresses throughout the day, the author skilfully invokes memories of weddings we have all attended at some point in our lives. It is therefore easy to feel like one of the guests, overhearing Stephanie’s vigorous attempts to unlock the secrets of that fatal night 12 years ago. As each revelation is revealed, it is aided by flashbacks of the past until all the gaps are filled in and the truth is at last revealed. Although some people might find the story a tad slow for their liking, given it takes place over a day, I found it moved at a realistic pace, exactly as it would have done in real life.

I really enjoyed ‘The Surfacing’ and can totally recommend it. The surprise ending is well worth the wait.

A question of technicality

Dr Benedict Prince is a psychologist and leading expert on sleep disorders at the Abbey Sleep Clinic, a private and exclusive clinic catering for celebrities, politicians and royalty alike – as well as anyone with the financial wherewithal to afford the high fees. As a sideline, the clinic also has a contract with the police to act as consultants on criminal cases. It is regarding this lucrative arrangement that Ben is suddenly called to the office late one evening by his boss, Professor Bloom, for a meeting with Stephen Donnelly, Deputy Legal Director at the Ministry of Justice.

After being told the meeting is of the utmost secrecy, Ben is then told his help is needed on a murder case where the suspect, Anna Ogilvy, has been in a trauma-induced sleep for the past four years after killing two people. As Ben had recently written an article claiming to have found a new diagnostic method of waking patients from resignation syndrome, the authorities are keen for him to work his magic on Anna, so they can bring her to trial.

Keen to prove his theories work, when Anna is transferred to the clinic’s special secure VIP room, Ben starts to investigate her past and the events leading up to her present state. However, the deeper he delves, and the closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous his involvement becomes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. ‘Anna O’ is a rollercoaster of events leading to a total surprise at the end. Nobody is above suspicion. Just as you think you know the truth, something else happens to dash your theories.

With each chapter focussed on individual characters, their back stories gradually begin to unfold. Heroes become villains at the drop of a hat and vice versa until it is difficult to know who to trust. ‘Anna O’ is both a crime mystery and a study in morals. I found it gripping and extremely enjoyable. It is certainly worth a read, and I can highly recommend it.

An intriguing murder mystery

While at a fair with her two friends Rose and Emily, 16-year-old Frances Adams is told by a fortune teller that one day she will be murdered. Believing the prophecy to be true, she then spends the next 60 years gathering information on everyone around her, just in case one of them is her potential killer. Unfortunately, none of her friends or family take her seriously ... until they find her dead.

Summoned to a meeting at the office of Frances’s solicitor, Annie Adams is surprised to discover she could well be the sole beneficiary of her great aunt’s estate, especially as everybody expected her mother to be the chosen one. However, even from the grave, Frances is still in charge of her own murder investigation. According to Frances’s will, whoever manages to find her killer will inherit her millions, which immediately involves Annie in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with her step cousin, Saxon, who believes he should be the one to inherit the estate.

To aid the investigation, Frances has left an eccentric library of her detective work accumulated over the last 60 years. All it takes is the right person to step in and use her findings to solve the murder.

Although ‘How to Solve Your Own Murder’ could be labelled as a cosy detective story, it is nevertheless totally engrossing as well as unusual, not least because the murder investigation has been partially done by the victim herself. All it needs is someone clever enough to interpret her notes and find the killer, and with each of the characters having their own agenda, there is no shortage of possible suspects to choose from.

The story is divided into two parts, the past and the present. As a young woman, Frances wrote a diary chronicling the important events of her life and the people she suspected. Extracts from it are then interspersed with the present day, which her niece Annie uses to aid her own investigation. However, the plot thickens when a second body is discovered, forcing Annie to consider the possibility of a second killer.

The loss of childhood innocence

Set in Yorkshire in the 1970s, the story centres around two young girls, Miv and Sharon. Although from two very different backgrounds, the girls have been firm friends since they were eleven-years old.

Miv’s family are disfunctional to say the least. Miv herself is plain and a loner, and her mother has not spoken for years, spending most of her time in her room. Her father works hard to support the family while Miv’s auntie Jean, does her best to keep house, ruling the place with a rod of iron. Sharon on the other hand comes from a normal, slightly wealthier family, is pretty with blonde hair and popular at school. Yet despite their differences, the two are inseparable.

When Miv’s father starts to talk about possibly moving south, Miv is sure it is because of all the murders carried out by the Yorkshire Ripper. Terrified of losing Sharon, she then convinces her friend they need to catch the Ripper to stop her father wanting to move. The two then decide to compile a list of suspects and the reasons why they are suspicious. However, as the two start their investigations, they soon discover that the world around them is not the cosy, idyllic place they believe it to be.

‘The List of Suspicious Things’ is a departure from my normal preference for crime and thriller novels, having been given it as a present. Not having chosen it myself, I was not sure if I would like it, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a touching story of two young girls whose youthful innocence is shattered when they come up against racism and other harsh realities of life, forcing Miv to finally examine more closely what is happening within her own family.

Inspired by the author’s own childhood, the novel paints a picture of Yorkshire in the 1970s, where the Ripper’s reign of terror is breathing fear into the community. As a naive eleven-year-old, Miv is unaware of the dangers surrounding her, although her friend Sharon seems to be more astute, especially after being confronted by the injustice of racism when her muslim friend Ishtiaq Bashir and his father Omar become victims of it.

‘The List of Suspicious Things’ is deservedly a Sunday Times’ bestseller, and I can thoroughly recommend it. The ending will leave you with a lump in your throat.

An unlikely alliance

Charlotte Miller has everything; a well-paid job, designer clothes and a handsome fiancé, Daniel Stockbridge, who she is about to marry. However, that is all about to change.

Totally wrapped up in her expensive wedding plans, Charlotte had been oblivious to the fact her future husband had more important things to worry about than their upcoming nuptials. The bank he worked for was under threat of liquidation, meaning he was about to lose his prestigious job and could no longer afford to pay for the grand wedding she had planned.

After breaking the bad news to Charlotte, Dan suggests they go out to a Jamaican club in Camden, which he thought sounded good. Still reeling from the shock, Charlotte is reluctant to go, but after seeing the stress in Dan’s eyes finally agrees to go. However, before they leave the flat, Dan produces some cocaine, which he persuades her to share with him, telling her it will relax them. Unfortunately, when they arrive at the club and Dan tries to buy a drink, his company credit card is declined. Fuelled by the cocaine, he becomes aggressive and starts shouting until the owner, Anthony Johnson, takes him into the office to sort things out. Woozy from the cocaine, Charlotte waits outside for Dan to return, thinking no more about the incident until the police turn up at their flat the following day and arrest Dan for the murder of Anthony Johnson.

Unable to remember much about that night, but convinced Dan is innocent, Charlotte is determined to prove her fiancé is not a murderer. However, because of a previous incident at work where a black colleague had left due to racial harassment, together with the fact Anthony Johnson was also black, Dan is further accused of being a racist.

Assumed guilty by association, Charlotte suddenly finds herself targeted by Anthony’s sister and her friends, who viciously attack her. Fortunately, the incident is witnessed by Keisha Collins – a mixed-race girl with problems of her own – who intervenes. A victim of domestic abuse, whose child had been taken into care until she could provide a safer environment for her, Keisha could not be more different from Charlotte. However, after realising her partner, Chris Dean, could possibly be mixed up in the murder, Keisha decides to join forces with Charlotte to find out the truth.

‘The Fall’ is one of the best crime thrillers I have read recently. Alternating between each of the main characters’ viewpoint, the author paints a vivid mental picture of the very different backgrounds inhabited by Keisha and Charlotte. Keisha is poor and domestically abused by her violent partner, for whom she dropped out of further education. Charlotte, by contrast, was brought up in an affluent family and educated at the best schools. However, despite their many differences, the two girls manage to form an unlikely alliance, which turns out to be beneficial to them both.

‘The Fall’ is brilliantly written with well-drawn characters. Their complicated relationships and tense interactions kept me hooked until the very end. I can thoroughly recommend it.

Think before you cheat

Vince Taylor is the high-flying CEO of KitzTech, a successful software development company which he built up from scratch. Now rich and firmly in the public eye, Vince lives in a large Mediterranean-style villa in Loch Harbor, which he shares with his beautiful and talented wife Nicole. However, there is one thing missing from Vince’s idyllic life. Despite several attempts at IVF, Nicole is unable to give him the child he so desperately craves.

Feeling under stress from so many disappointments, when a young and stunning new intern, Layla Bosch, steps into his office, Vince find himself infatuated by her charms and embarks on a passionate affair with her. Unfortunately, Layla is not who she seems, and it is not long before Vince realises he has made a mistake. Desperate to distance himself from Layla, he tries to end the affair, but Layla is not so easily discarded. Having threatened to blackmail him, he therefore agrees to meet her at their usual hotel to discuss a settlement. However, Layla fails to turn up.

Assuming she has simply accepted things are over between them, Vince gives a sigh of relief and continues as normal. Unfortunately, his troubles are only just beginning. Layla’s body has been found murdered in Central Park and he is now Detective Alison Barnes’s prime suspect.

‘The Guilty Husband’ is a thrilling and nail-biting story of betrayal and greed, the moral of which is that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Written from the alternating viewpoints of the main characters, it gradually reveals their secrets, while at the same time following Detective Alison Barnes’s attempts to unravel the truth. It is a cleverly written novel which maintains the suspense throughout. I particularly liked the ending which was not only a surprise but poetic justice.

Be careful who you confide in

Dr Myles Butler and his wife Lana live on a gorgeous new gated development just outside Wimbledon Village, supported by a mortgage that is just within their budget. Unfortunately, when one of Myles' investments fails, they suddenly find themselves about to lose everything. Then Gabriel and Holly Wright move in next door and an unexpected opportunity presents itself.

The Wrights are sophisticated, ambitious and apparently very wealthy. At an after-dinner drink with their new neighbours, Myles and Lana decide to share their worries and a solution is suggested between the couples ... life insurance fraud. For a cut of the pay out, the Wrights offer to help them pull it off.

At first, Giles does not take the offer seriously. Nor does he believe they would ever go through with their suggestion. He certainly does not expect it to involve murder. Then, one night, Lana fails to come home.

‘The End of Us’ is a dark and cleverly written thriller with several twists and turns. The characters are well defined and the storyline totally engrossing. Although it is difficult to empathise with such self-serving people, I found it hard not to feel sorry for Miles, as he gets himself deeper and deeper into trouble. However, no one is entirely honourable and as Miles endeavours to salvage what’s left of his reputation, his actions not only spiral out of control but set off a chain of events which expose everyone’s true colours. The chilling finale will leave you reeling.

An emotional road trip

When Georgie was in her early teens, her mother Nancy disappeared without a word, leaving her and her younger brother Dan to wonder what they had done wrong. Although their father attributed their mother’s absence to her need for a break, both Georgie and Dan knew she was not coming back.

Twenty years later, with all thoughts of her mother firmly expelled to the back of her mind, Georgie is about to become a mother herself. However, her newfound happiness is suddenly rocked to the core when she reads an article about a mystery woman in Scotland, who had managed to find a missing child and return her to her parents. Accompanying the article is a photo of the grateful parents and their child’s saviour. Although the woman looks dishevelled and is old and grey, Georgie immediately recognises her as her mother Nancy.

As all the trauma of her childhood rushes back, Georgie feels it is now time for some answers. Therefore, with her husband Wilf away on business, she decides to set off for Scotland and confront her mother. Unfortunately, having reached Paddington she learns that all trains to Scotland have been cancelled due to strike action. Finding herself stranded in London, she realises she has no option but to phone her brother Dan, who she has not spoken to for two years. However, after agreeing to pick her up from the station, Georgie is surprised when, instead of dropping her at a coach station, Dan heads towards Scotland instead.

At first, there is an uneasy atmosphere between the siblings but, as the journey continues, they gradually begin to talk about their chaotic childhood and the effect it had on each of them. However, they are not the only ones searching for the mystery woman, and when Georgie reads a news update on her phone about a journalist finding the woman’s cottage and discovering she had disappeared, it is immediately obvious that their own search is going to be harder than they had anticipated.

‘The Last Time I Saw You’ revolves around the theme of abandonment; in this case a mother’s desertion of her two young children, Georgie and Dan. Beginning with the moment Georgie returns from school to find the house empty and her mother Nancy gone, the story then fast forwards twenty years to Georgie’s discovery that her mother is alive and living on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. From then on, the story becomes a gripping and eventful road trip as the two siblings reunite in their desire to find out why their mother had abandoned them.

Told from the alternating point-of-view of Georgie and her mother Nancy, a picture gradually emerges of a woman’s desperation to escape not only a claustrophobic marriage but also other mitigating circumstances she believed were a threat to her children’s safety. It is then up to Georgie and Dan to decide whether to forget the past and accept Nancy’s explanation of events or expel her from their lives for good?

‘The Last Time I Saw You’ not only tugs at the heart strings but also provides a thrilling and engrossing storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can definitely recommend it as well worth a read.