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Alex Devlin #2
Kalte Strömung
Die 17-jährige Elena, Tochter der prominenten Politikerin Cat Devonshire, wird in Norfolk tot am Fuß einer Klippe aufgefunden – Selbstmord laut Polizei. Cat plagen Gewissensbisse, da sie und ihr neuer Ehemann Elena in ein Internat abgeschoben hatten, um ihr junges Eheglück ungestört genießen zu können. Verzweifelt bittet sie die Journalistin Alex, die Hintergründe zu Elenas Tod herauszufinden. Bei ihren Recherchen stößt Alex jedoch auf großes Misstrauen, die Mitarbeiter und Schüler feinden sie an und bedrohen sie. Bald wird klar, dass sich hinter der Fassade des Elite-Internats tiefe Abgründe verbergen ...
384 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2016
28 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
About the author
Mary-Jane Riley
7 books46 followersMary-Jane wrote her first story on her newly acquired blue Petite typewriter. She was eight. It was about a gang of children who had adventures on mysterious islands, but she soon realised Enid Blyton had cornered that particular market. So she wrote about the Wild West instead. When she grew up she had to earn a living, and became a BBC radio talk show presenter and journalist. She has covered many life-affirming stories, but also some of the darkest events of the past two decades.
Then, in true journalistic style, she decided not to let the facts get in the way of a good story and got creative. She wrote for women’s magazines and small presses. She formed WriteOutLoud with two writer friends to help charities get their message across using their life stories. Now she is writing psychological suspense, drawing on her experiences in journalism. She has three grown-up children and lives in Suffolk with a golden retriever and her television journalist husband.
Then, in true journalistic style, she decided not to let the facts get in the way of a good story and got creative. She wrote for women’s magazines and small presses. She formed WriteOutLoud with two writer friends to help charities get their message across using their life stories. Now she is writing psychological suspense, drawing on her experiences in journalism. She has three grown-up children and lives in Suffolk with a golden retriever and her television journalist husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 7, 2016
My sincere thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK (Killer Reads) and Mary-Jane Riley for an advanced review copy of 'After She Fell' in exchange for an honest review.
What a fantastic prologue and opening chapter this book has. It grabbed a hold of me and ensured I got very little sleep last night; I could not put this book down.
MEP Catriona is left devastated following the alleged suicide of her teenage daughter, who was attending a prestigious boarding school at the time of her death. She refuses to believe her daughter Elena took her own life, despite having been plagued with depression and eating disorders in her past. She enlists the help of her closest friend Alex, to investigate Elena's death and to uncover what she believes to be the truth - that her death was no suicide.
'After She Fell' is one of those books in which everyone is a suspect. Almost everyone surrounding Elena has an air of suspicion surrounding them and just when I thought I had everything worked out, up would pop another suspect. Brilliant stuff.
I enjoyed the characters, even if some of them were rather unsavoury. The author did a wonderful job of bringing them alive and giving them their individual personalities and quirks. Sometimes characters can appear 'wooden' and unrealistic; I'm pleased to say that with 'After She Fell' this wasn't the case.
This was a fast read for me. Chapters were occasionally interspersed with diary like entries from Elena in the months leading up to her death and it was advantageous to be able to see things from her point of view. It added to the intrigue and mystery.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves their mysteries and thrillers, anyone who loves trying to guess the culprit the entire way through and for anyone simply looking for a highly enjoyable read. I'm already looking forward to Mary-Jane Riley's next novel. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.
What a fantastic prologue and opening chapter this book has. It grabbed a hold of me and ensured I got very little sleep last night; I could not put this book down.
MEP Catriona is left devastated following the alleged suicide of her teenage daughter, who was attending a prestigious boarding school at the time of her death. She refuses to believe her daughter Elena took her own life, despite having been plagued with depression and eating disorders in her past. She enlists the help of her closest friend Alex, to investigate Elena's death and to uncover what she believes to be the truth - that her death was no suicide.
'After She Fell' is one of those books in which everyone is a suspect. Almost everyone surrounding Elena has an air of suspicion surrounding them and just when I thought I had everything worked out, up would pop another suspect. Brilliant stuff.
I enjoyed the characters, even if some of them were rather unsavoury. The author did a wonderful job of bringing them alive and giving them their individual personalities and quirks. Sometimes characters can appear 'wooden' and unrealistic; I'm pleased to say that with 'After She Fell' this wasn't the case.
This was a fast read for me. Chapters were occasionally interspersed with diary like entries from Elena in the months leading up to her death and it was advantageous to be able to see things from her point of view. It added to the intrigue and mystery.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves their mysteries and thrillers, anyone who loves trying to guess the culprit the entire way through and for anyone simply looking for a highly enjoyable read. I'm already looking forward to Mary-Jane Riley's next novel. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.
December 26, 2016
Seventeen-year-old Elena was found at the bottom of a cliff and it is assumed that she jumped. Only her mother doesn't think this is true, she believes her daughter had no motive to kill herself. Because she needs someone to find out what really happened to Elena she contacts her old friend Alex, who is a journalist with many contacts. Elena went to a posh boarding school and as soon as Alex starts talking to people to gather information she knows something isn't right.
Elena had some problems in the past, but nothing in the months before the accident indicated that she was suicidal. When Alex finds out there's a lot wrong with the school she's in danger herself. Will she be able to find out the truth or will she be driven away by the same people who might have wanted to harm Elena?
After She Fell is a gripping story. As soon as I started reading I became so curious that I didn't want to stop. Mary-Jane Riley uses different points of view, which means the reader has the chance to get to know both Alex and Elena. I liked that angle, it's a good way to make the reader feel close to the victim and to really care about what happened to her. Elena is such a strong girl and it was sad that she had to fall off that cliff. After many twists and turns and several startling revelations there's a surprising ending. I had my suspicions, but the finale was something I didn't expect at all, which I enjoyed very much.
Mary-Jane Riley is great at building tension in her story. After She Fell is a fast-paced page-turner. Alex is an amazing heroine, she's tough, she isn't afraid to speak her mind and she doesn't stay away from dangerous situations. She also has a vulnerable side which makes her extra interesting. She has a difficult past, something she can never forget. That makes her even more capable as she can deal with almost anything. I loved that about her. The main characters are all intriguing and nothing is what it seems, which is what I liked most about this book. After she fell is a great thrilling story about complicated situations, dark secrets and terrible bullying. You need a strong stomach for some of the scenes and if you have it you'll love this story.
Elena had some problems in the past, but nothing in the months before the accident indicated that she was suicidal. When Alex finds out there's a lot wrong with the school she's in danger herself. Will she be able to find out the truth or will she be driven away by the same people who might have wanted to harm Elena?
After She Fell is a gripping story. As soon as I started reading I became so curious that I didn't want to stop. Mary-Jane Riley uses different points of view, which means the reader has the chance to get to know both Alex and Elena. I liked that angle, it's a good way to make the reader feel close to the victim and to really care about what happened to her. Elena is such a strong girl and it was sad that she had to fall off that cliff. After many twists and turns and several startling revelations there's a surprising ending. I had my suspicions, but the finale was something I didn't expect at all, which I enjoyed very much.
Mary-Jane Riley is great at building tension in her story. After She Fell is a fast-paced page-turner. Alex is an amazing heroine, she's tough, she isn't afraid to speak her mind and she doesn't stay away from dangerous situations. She also has a vulnerable side which makes her extra interesting. She has a difficult past, something she can never forget. That makes her even more capable as she can deal with almost anything. I loved that about her. The main characters are all intriguing and nothing is what it seems, which is what I liked most about this book. After she fell is a great thrilling story about complicated situations, dark secrets and terrible bullying. You need a strong stomach for some of the scenes and if you have it you'll love this story.
April 26, 2016
5 stars
Huge thanks to Mary-Jane Riley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Death, drugs, secrets and lies in a school. Wasn't like that in my day!
The mystery is good, the characters well written, some I wanted to punch really hard in the face but that might just be me!
I worked out the twists in the story but that didn't stop me from enjoying it, I wanted to see when the protagonist worked it out!
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Huge thanks to Mary-Jane Riley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Death, drugs, secrets and lies in a school. Wasn't like that in my day!
The mystery is good, the characters well written, some I wanted to punch really hard in the face but that might just be me!
I worked out the twists in the story but that didn't stop me from enjoying it, I wanted to see when the protagonist worked it out!
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
October 16, 2016
3.5 stars
After She Fell is the second novel in the series featuring investigative journalist, Alex Devine, and as is so often the case, the book works fine as a standalone. I hadn't read the first which detailed a very personal trauma in Alex's life and drove her to the anonymity of a life living in London. Mary-Jane Riley recaps on this history, evidencing Alex's determination to support her sister, Sasha. But it isn't just Sasha who Alex feels she has let down and as she heads into a meeting with her editor she is swiftly derailed by the news that MEP Catriona Devonshire is dangling a potential story and not just any story but a chance to also make amends with her childhood best friend. Alex and Cat were inseparable before they departed to university and perhaps if the events surrounding Sasha hadn't happened then the relationship would still be intact. Venturing to the home Cat shares with her new and significantly younger husband, Mark Munro, Alex is met by Cat's dogged resolve that her deceased daughter, Elena, would not have committed suicide. Cat knows that seventeen-year-old Elena was feeling positive and hopeful for a life after her her time at boarding school and needs to know the truth surrounding her death before she can move on. It falls to old friend, Alex to travel to East Anglia to either discover the truth or confirm the inquests verdict...
After She Fell is a solid second novel, readable and well-written, despite being fairly predictable and weaving a tale which feels all too familiar; namely what the offspring of the moneyed elite get up to amid the cloistered enclaves of their exclusive public school. Although this feels like a prosaic tale, exhibiting the usual trials of growing up and the pressures of hothousing children, all of the characters are fleshed out well and After She Fell holds the attention. Admittedly, the suspense was limited and much of what played out wasn't a surprise, more a course of routine. Investigative work is limited and Alex Devine doesn't do much except stumble her way across revelations and showed a complete lack of guile. Indeed much of my disappointment in this story was how it seemed to simply fall into Alex's hands. Alex's arrival is met by plenty of locals, teachers and pupils willing to divulge the goings on in Hallow's Edge, the village that is the home of The Drift, yet as soon as a few people got ruffled that Alex was progressing a little too well, they took to openly threatening her, including physically assaulting her and placing silent phone calls to her cottage. Disappointingly she demonstrated complete ineptitude and there was nothing covert about her digging around and "asking the right questions".
For a woman who has coped with single parenting a child on the cusp of adulthood, Alex showed a soft spot for a wolffish grin, going weak at the knees at the first sight of any male, be it teacher or student or ex-lover, which did her no favours. When faced with a bit of mild flirting her ease of being won over was a disappointment. However, there was more than enough for me to warm towards Alex; humorous and self-aware enough to compel and with enough of a muddied past to show she has plenty of life experience. As a single parent to her own seventeen-year-old son, Gus, she knows all about the dangers and pitfalls of growing up. That Alex is worrying about her own son as he spreads his wings and travels to Europe, hoping to track down his father forces Alex to confront her own period of hedonism and the result of an intoxicated night in Ibiza and a one-night stand. The dangers of drugs and drink are a road Alex has also travelled and this knowledge works well and undoubtedly heightens her anxiety about what she discovers in the course of her investigation.
Written by and large in the third person, the occasional snapshots into the life of Elena, through the form of a diary in the weeks preceding her death provide a snapshot into her plight. Mary-Jane Riley exhibits real empathy and succeeds in delivering a convincing portrayal of a young girl who has overcome her demons and is ready to put her problems behind her. As someone who has had their own eating disorder battle and has overcome this, I found Elena's voice very heartening, showing that people can and do conquer the demons of their past. Riley also proved very effective in portraying the pressure cooker environment of a prestigious school and the exclusivity that can become a breeding ground for bullying. Admittedly, I do not think that the setting did this novel any favours as the public school sex and drugs story it all too familiar, but I will definitely keep an eye on how Mary-Jane Riley continues this series. After She Fell is very well-written and the characters all furnished with depth, but sadly the rather straightforward nature of the revelations and the simplicity with which they are prised out was its downfall.
After She Fell is the second novel in the series featuring investigative journalist, Alex Devine, and as is so often the case, the book works fine as a standalone. I hadn't read the first which detailed a very personal trauma in Alex's life and drove her to the anonymity of a life living in London. Mary-Jane Riley recaps on this history, evidencing Alex's determination to support her sister, Sasha. But it isn't just Sasha who Alex feels she has let down and as she heads into a meeting with her editor she is swiftly derailed by the news that MEP Catriona Devonshire is dangling a potential story and not just any story but a chance to also make amends with her childhood best friend. Alex and Cat were inseparable before they departed to university and perhaps if the events surrounding Sasha hadn't happened then the relationship would still be intact. Venturing to the home Cat shares with her new and significantly younger husband, Mark Munro, Alex is met by Cat's dogged resolve that her deceased daughter, Elena, would not have committed suicide. Cat knows that seventeen-year-old Elena was feeling positive and hopeful for a life after her her time at boarding school and needs to know the truth surrounding her death before she can move on. It falls to old friend, Alex to travel to East Anglia to either discover the truth or confirm the inquests verdict...
After She Fell is a solid second novel, readable and well-written, despite being fairly predictable and weaving a tale which feels all too familiar; namely what the offspring of the moneyed elite get up to amid the cloistered enclaves of their exclusive public school. Although this feels like a prosaic tale, exhibiting the usual trials of growing up and the pressures of hothousing children, all of the characters are fleshed out well and After She Fell holds the attention. Admittedly, the suspense was limited and much of what played out wasn't a surprise, more a course of routine. Investigative work is limited and Alex Devine doesn't do much except stumble her way across revelations and showed a complete lack of guile. Indeed much of my disappointment in this story was how it seemed to simply fall into Alex's hands. Alex's arrival is met by plenty of locals, teachers and pupils willing to divulge the goings on in Hallow's Edge, the village that is the home of The Drift, yet as soon as a few people got ruffled that Alex was progressing a little too well, they took to openly threatening her, including physically assaulting her and placing silent phone calls to her cottage. Disappointingly she demonstrated complete ineptitude and there was nothing covert about her digging around and "asking the right questions".
For a woman who has coped with single parenting a child on the cusp of adulthood, Alex showed a soft spot for a wolffish grin, going weak at the knees at the first sight of any male, be it teacher or student or ex-lover, which did her no favours. When faced with a bit of mild flirting her ease of being won over was a disappointment. However, there was more than enough for me to warm towards Alex; humorous and self-aware enough to compel and with enough of a muddied past to show she has plenty of life experience. As a single parent to her own seventeen-year-old son, Gus, she knows all about the dangers and pitfalls of growing up. That Alex is worrying about her own son as he spreads his wings and travels to Europe, hoping to track down his father forces Alex to confront her own period of hedonism and the result of an intoxicated night in Ibiza and a one-night stand. The dangers of drugs and drink are a road Alex has also travelled and this knowledge works well and undoubtedly heightens her anxiety about what she discovers in the course of her investigation.
Written by and large in the third person, the occasional snapshots into the life of Elena, through the form of a diary in the weeks preceding her death provide a snapshot into her plight. Mary-Jane Riley exhibits real empathy and succeeds in delivering a convincing portrayal of a young girl who has overcome her demons and is ready to put her problems behind her. As someone who has had their own eating disorder battle and has overcome this, I found Elena's voice very heartening, showing that people can and do conquer the demons of their past. Riley also proved very effective in portraying the pressure cooker environment of a prestigious school and the exclusivity that can become a breeding ground for bullying. Admittedly, I do not think that the setting did this novel any favours as the public school sex and drugs story it all too familiar, but I will definitely keep an eye on how Mary-Jane Riley continues this series. After She Fell is very well-written and the characters all furnished with depth, but sadly the rather straightforward nature of the revelations and the simplicity with which they are prised out was its downfall.
February 26, 2025
Such an incredible book. HUGE twists and turns, and having thought I’d nailed the mystery… NOPE. Such an unexpected ending and perfectly executed. Can’t wait to read more from this author :)
September 27, 2016
Actual rating 4.5*
I finished The Bad Things, the first Alex Devlin book and dove straight into After She Fell, I didn't even stop for a breather!! After She Fell takes place a couple of years after the events of its predecessor so Alex's life has changed, she's moved to London, new job and her son has gone travelling. As she reconnects with an old school friend whose teenage daughter Elena recently died in suspicious circumstances, we learn a little more about Alex's past. But unlike The Bad Things, this story isn't so much about Alex, it's about Elena.
As Alex goes investigating the teenager's apparent suicide, the story time-jumps back and forth to the weeks running up to the unfortunate event. With each chapter both in the past and the present, there are hints as to what happened to Elena but as with all good thrillers, you have to wait for the grand reveal when Alex has put all the pieces of the jigsaw together. Alex doesn't realise what nerves her prodding and poking will hit, creating a more of a sinister feel to the story! You prod a beehive, you're going to get stung...
I highly recommend reading The Bad Things before After She Fell. The latter can be read as a standalone however there are references to events in the former which would spoil that story and as I said in my review for The Bad Things, no one likes a spoiler! I really enjoyed After She Fell, I felt it was better than its predecessor. I really didn't guess what was going on until it actually happened! Plenty of intrigue to keep me addicted!
I do hope we see more from Alex Devlin, there are things in her personal life I want to see develop and I really enjoy reading about a journalist investigating crimes!
A big thank you to Mary-Jane Riley for sending me a copy of After She Fell. It was the first paperback I've read in over five years and has reignited my love for physical books.
I finished The Bad Things, the first Alex Devlin book and dove straight into After She Fell, I didn't even stop for a breather!! After She Fell takes place a couple of years after the events of its predecessor so Alex's life has changed, she's moved to London, new job and her son has gone travelling. As she reconnects with an old school friend whose teenage daughter Elena recently died in suspicious circumstances, we learn a little more about Alex's past. But unlike The Bad Things, this story isn't so much about Alex, it's about Elena.
As Alex goes investigating the teenager's apparent suicide, the story time-jumps back and forth to the weeks running up to the unfortunate event. With each chapter both in the past and the present, there are hints as to what happened to Elena but as with all good thrillers, you have to wait for the grand reveal when Alex has put all the pieces of the jigsaw together. Alex doesn't realise what nerves her prodding and poking will hit, creating a more of a sinister feel to the story! You prod a beehive, you're going to get stung...
I highly recommend reading The Bad Things before After She Fell. The latter can be read as a standalone however there are references to events in the former which would spoil that story and as I said in my review for The Bad Things, no one likes a spoiler! I really enjoyed After She Fell, I felt it was better than its predecessor. I really didn't guess what was going on until it actually happened! Plenty of intrigue to keep me addicted!
I do hope we see more from Alex Devlin, there are things in her personal life I want to see develop and I really enjoy reading about a journalist investigating crimes!
A big thank you to Mary-Jane Riley for sending me a copy of After She Fell. It was the first paperback I've read in over five years and has reignited my love for physical books.
August 26, 2017
Catriona needs help. Her seventeen-year-old daughter Elena was found dead at the bottom of a cliff near her boarding school. The death has been ruled a suicide, but Catriona isn’t convinced.
When her old friend, journalist Alex Devlin, arrives in Hallow’s Edge to investigate, she quickly finds that life at private boarding school The Drift isn’t as idyllic as the bucolic setting might suggest.
Amidst a culture of drug-taking, bullying and tension between school and village, no one is quite who they seem to be, and there are several people who might have wanted Elena to fall…
My Thoughts: I was immediately caught up in Alex’s quest to find answers. Soon after she settles into the cottage provided by Catriona Devonshire, she is threatened, hassled, and even beaten up.
I liked Alex Devlin, and enjoyed a previous book in which she dealt with the aftermath of a family tragedy.
Set near London, After She Fell was a story that had me rooting for the main characters. I liked how Alex persisted in her attempt to find out the truth, and how she managed to keep going despite the efforts of the people of Hallow’s Edge to block her.
What, if anything, does Elena’s stepfather Mark have to do with events? How are the teen druggies involved? Are the posh girls somehow connected to how things play out? What responsibility did the school head play in what happened?
Our first person primary narrator was Alex, but we alternately see Elena’s perspective providing us with clues, just weeks before she died. As we follow the bread crumbs, we finally realize the truth in the story that kept me engaged throughout. The pace was a bit slow at times, but the characters intrigued me. 4 stars.
When her old friend, journalist Alex Devlin, arrives in Hallow’s Edge to investigate, she quickly finds that life at private boarding school The Drift isn’t as idyllic as the bucolic setting might suggest.
Amidst a culture of drug-taking, bullying and tension between school and village, no one is quite who they seem to be, and there are several people who might have wanted Elena to fall…
My Thoughts: I was immediately caught up in Alex’s quest to find answers. Soon after she settles into the cottage provided by Catriona Devonshire, she is threatened, hassled, and even beaten up.
I liked Alex Devlin, and enjoyed a previous book in which she dealt with the aftermath of a family tragedy.
Set near London, After She Fell was a story that had me rooting for the main characters. I liked how Alex persisted in her attempt to find out the truth, and how she managed to keep going despite the efforts of the people of Hallow’s Edge to block her.
What, if anything, does Elena’s stepfather Mark have to do with events? How are the teen druggies involved? Are the posh girls somehow connected to how things play out? What responsibility did the school head play in what happened?
Our first person primary narrator was Alex, but we alternately see Elena’s perspective providing us with clues, just weeks before she died. As we follow the bread crumbs, we finally realize the truth in the story that kept me engaged throughout. The pace was a bit slow at times, but the characters intrigued me. 4 stars.
May 6, 2016
From the outset I want to say that this book is the second in a series. Sadly this is not indicated on the cover or in the blurb and I only realised when I was already reading the book. Being a strictler for reading book series in order, I found this a bit frustrating as I haven't read the first book yet. This mystery can be read as a standalone, however there are frequent references (and possible spoilers) to what happened in the first book. So, I would highly recommend readers to read the first book 'The Bad Things' before reading this.
"The truth. That's all I want."
Soon after MEP Catriona Devonshire married her second husband Mark, her teenage daughter Elena was whisked away to The Drift, "a posh boarding school for posh kids". One day Catriona receives the tragic news that Elena has died after falling off a cliff near the school. Having suffered from depression and anorexia in the past, an inquest into Elena's death soon concluded that this was a case of suicide. But Catriona is not convinced and wants answers. Has her daughter really relapsed and committed the unthinkable? Or did someone push her down the cliff?
"There were too many people not saying anything. Someone somewhere had to know more."
Catriona contacts her childhood friend Alex Devlin, a journalist, to look into her daughter's death. However, at Hallow's Edge, in North Norfolk, Alex's presence is not welcomed by everyone and her questioning and digging ruffles the feathers of some very nasty individuals who are not happy with her intrusion. She soon realises that the respectable school's beautiful exterior hides a very rotten core. Secrets, lies, bullying and drugs are rife in and around the school and nothing is what it seems.
This book is a well-written, tense read with believable characters and realistic dialogues. I liked Alex and her way of thinking. She's a strong-headed, astute and tenacious woman even though weighed down by her and her family's tragic past.
I liked the setting of the book in North Norfolk. The author's vivid descriptions of the coastline, the grey sea, the cliffs and the endless sky made me feel as though I was there feeling the cool sea breeze on my face.
The book kept my interest throughout as I was curious about what really happened to Elena. We have some chapters from the point of view of the dead girl, telling us what happened behind the school door and in the village when she was still alive. We also have some intriguing quotes from the point of view of an unidentified person which was very close to Elena. Who is this person?
There are many questionable characters in this story, and as I was reading I kept shifting my pointed finger from one suspicious individual to another. However when the truth was finally revealed at the end, it certainly wasn't what I was expecting.
This was my first book by Mary-Jane Riley and it won't be the last, in fact now I'm looking forward to going back and reading the first book in the series to have a complete picture of Alex's story.
With thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for approving my request to read and review this book through Netgalley.
"The truth. That's all I want."
Soon after MEP Catriona Devonshire married her second husband Mark, her teenage daughter Elena was whisked away to The Drift, "a posh boarding school for posh kids". One day Catriona receives the tragic news that Elena has died after falling off a cliff near the school. Having suffered from depression and anorexia in the past, an inquest into Elena's death soon concluded that this was a case of suicide. But Catriona is not convinced and wants answers. Has her daughter really relapsed and committed the unthinkable? Or did someone push her down the cliff?
"There were too many people not saying anything. Someone somewhere had to know more."
Catriona contacts her childhood friend Alex Devlin, a journalist, to look into her daughter's death. However, at Hallow's Edge, in North Norfolk, Alex's presence is not welcomed by everyone and her questioning and digging ruffles the feathers of some very nasty individuals who are not happy with her intrusion. She soon realises that the respectable school's beautiful exterior hides a very rotten core. Secrets, lies, bullying and drugs are rife in and around the school and nothing is what it seems.
This book is a well-written, tense read with believable characters and realistic dialogues. I liked Alex and her way of thinking. She's a strong-headed, astute and tenacious woman even though weighed down by her and her family's tragic past.
I liked the setting of the book in North Norfolk. The author's vivid descriptions of the coastline, the grey sea, the cliffs and the endless sky made me feel as though I was there feeling the cool sea breeze on my face.
The book kept my interest throughout as I was curious about what really happened to Elena. We have some chapters from the point of view of the dead girl, telling us what happened behind the school door and in the village when she was still alive. We also have some intriguing quotes from the point of view of an unidentified person which was very close to Elena. Who is this person?
There are many questionable characters in this story, and as I was reading I kept shifting my pointed finger from one suspicious individual to another. However when the truth was finally revealed at the end, it certainly wasn't what I was expecting.
This was my first book by Mary-Jane Riley and it won't be the last, in fact now I'm looking forward to going back and reading the first book in the series to have a complete picture of Alex's story.
With thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for approving my request to read and review this book through Netgalley.
November 5, 2016
3.5 stars
Catriona Devonshire, an up and coming member of the European Parliament, is an old friend of our intrepid investigative journalist, Alex Devlin. Six months ago Cat's daughter, Elena, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Hallow's Edge, Norfolk, where she had attended an exclusive private school. The inquest has just been completed and returned a verdict of suicide. Elena had a well documented history of anorexia and depression.
But Cat is not convinced. She claims her daughter was fully recovered and asks her old friend, Alex, to investigate. So Alex travels to Norfolk and asks around. It is soon apparent that many people have something to hide and the school has turned a blind eye to a host of inappropriate activities. Alex is warned off and threatened. It seems no one wants the truth to come out. Can Alex cut through the bullshit and lies and find out how Elena really died?
This was good but not great. The dialogue was quirky and amusing at times but, although it was a decent mystery (the gist of which I guessed straight away), it wasn't as pacy as we have come to expect from the eponymous thriller.
Catriona Devonshire, an up and coming member of the European Parliament, is an old friend of our intrepid investigative journalist, Alex Devlin. Six months ago Cat's daughter, Elena, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Hallow's Edge, Norfolk, where she had attended an exclusive private school. The inquest has just been completed and returned a verdict of suicide. Elena had a well documented history of anorexia and depression.
But Cat is not convinced. She claims her daughter was fully recovered and asks her old friend, Alex, to investigate. So Alex travels to Norfolk and asks around. It is soon apparent that many people have something to hide and the school has turned a blind eye to a host of inappropriate activities. Alex is warned off and threatened. It seems no one wants the truth to come out. Can Alex cut through the bullshit and lies and find out how Elena really died?
This was good but not great. The dialogue was quirky and amusing at times but, although it was a decent mystery (the gist of which I guessed straight away), it wasn't as pacy as we have come to expect from the eponymous thriller.
July 14, 2016
There are so many ways to fall. The daughter of a top politician took her own life after a history of depression and eating disorder. Cat Devonshire was described as an up and coming member of the European Parliament. The body of her seventeen-year-old daughter Elena Devonshire was found at the foot of cliffs in Hallow's Edge, North Norfolk, close to the school where she was a pupil. Catriona Devonshire thinks that her daughter Elena was murdered. Cat's old friend Alex Devlin arrives to investigate what really happened to Elena. Alex has her own problems her sister Sasha is in a secure unit, she had been responsible for drowning her own 4 -year-old twins. But Sasha believes she also murdered someone else. It is easy to imagine the characters as Mary Jane Riley has the gift to make her characters seem real-life.
April 26, 2016
Catriona was an MEP with a fairly new husband and a daughter at a prestigious boarding school. Her life was hectic but satisfying but when her daughter is found at the base of a cliff she refuses to believe it was suicide. Investigative journalist Alex had been her best friend and seemed the ideal person to try and find out what had happened to Elena.
Set on the East Anglian coast, the author captures the feel of the place. Her characters are interesting and the story fast paced. I really enjoyed this book. It is the second book featuring Alex Divine but I didn't find that a barrier to my enjoyment of the story.
Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
Set on the East Anglian coast, the author captures the feel of the place. Her characters are interesting and the story fast paced. I really enjoyed this book. It is the second book featuring Alex Divine but I didn't find that a barrier to my enjoyment of the story.
Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.
April 28, 2016
I received a copy from Netgalley for a honest review. Set on the coast ofEast Anglia. Following a tragic incident that the mother does not believe to be an accident. She brings in a long time friend to investigate. The setting is captured well, the story is told well. A very compelling and difficult book to put down once started.
July 5, 2016
I took this book on holiday with me and what a perfect holiday read, especially for anyone who enjoyed The Girl on The Train or I Let You Go. Great characters, great plot and great atmosphere too - it made me want to head for East Anglia immediately! I shall very much look forward to the next in the series.
April 22, 2019
While I have now read all three of Mary-Jane Riley's Alex Devlin mysteries, I read them out of order. First I read the third one, then the first, and now, finally, the second. If I had read this second one first, it would have been the only one in the series I read. Why? Well, I cannot explain that without plot spoilers aplenty. So, if you want to know why this series ended for me on such a very sour note, keep reading, but be forewarned: PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD! TURN BACK LEST YER PLOT BE SPOILED!
***PLOT SPOILER WARNING***PLOT SPOILER WARNING***PLOT SPOILER WARNING***
Still reading? Well, in all three of Riley's Devlin novels, we are presented with a hetero-normative world, by which I mean that everybody is straight and the word gay is never mentioned. However, in book #2, apparently the author was looking for a Real Plot Twist, and so she decided to surprise us by having our young murder victim "groomed" (the author's word) by an older woman, a teacher in fact. Now, this is certainly a plot twist that an author is allowed, however, if one wishes to do it well, one should, hm, how do I put this, have friggin' clue about how lesbianism works. First of all the vast, vast majority of lesbians are not busy grooming high school girls for seduction. The word "groom" is usually used to describe how pedophiles train and encourage children in order to abuse them. However, the vast majority of pedophiles are, well, *men*, and the predominant percentage of those men are, well, straight. So the old stereotype of the gay (or lesbian) pedophile is simply wrong. It has been used both to persecute gay men and women for many years and to justify the persecution of gay men and women, and grabbing it as a plot twist makes the well-informed reader (gay or straight) think, "Hm, is this author homophobic?" But wait, there's more. In the real world, if one's seducer or would-be seducer asks one to take naked or sexy selfies to share, in the vast majority of cases, said seducer would be, um, *male*. Guys really get off on visual images, which probably explains the perennial popularity of Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, Oui, Barely Legal, Chic, Club, Juggs, Perfect 10, SCREW, etc., etc., ad nauseum. How many magazines appeal to a woman's prurient interests? Playgirl, which is oriented to heterosexual women, is the only one I've heard of. Hmm, this would tend to suggest that if you're into "dirty pictures," you're in all likelihood a heterosexual male, not a repressed lesbian schoolmarm. And yet, Riley, drawing on her vast and sympathetic understanding of lesbian culture, has the lesbian school teacher demanding that her 16-17 year old student take revealing pictures and send them to her. And how does the lesbian school teacher's husband twig to what's going on? Well, she's so wrapped up in gazing at said photos that she doesn't hear him coming along to notice what she's doing, and this is _after_ she and said student have apparently consummated their relationship, because what women wouldn't rather stare at stilted pictures than re-imagine the pleasures she has actually shared with her partner? As Homer Simpson would say, "Doh." This makes no sense qua women or qua lesbianism. The author's biography tells us that Riley "spent many years as a BBC journalist and talk show broadcaster," which would make me think that she did not just fall off the turnip truck. She's been around, and she knows how to do research. One doesn't have to _be_ a lesbian to write a convincing lesbian subplot, but if one plans on writing a very unconvincing one, I guess it helps to be a willfully clueless het or homophobe. No big surprise, but I do not plan on ever purchasing or reading another book by this person. I'm sorry that I invested the time and effort to read three of her mysteries.
***PLOT SPOILER WARNING***PLOT SPOILER WARNING***PLOT SPOILER WARNING***
Still reading? Well, in all three of Riley's Devlin novels, we are presented with a hetero-normative world, by which I mean that everybody is straight and the word gay is never mentioned. However, in book #2, apparently the author was looking for a Real Plot Twist, and so she decided to surprise us by having our young murder victim "groomed" (the author's word) by an older woman, a teacher in fact. Now, this is certainly a plot twist that an author is allowed, however, if one wishes to do it well, one should, hm, how do I put this, have friggin' clue about how lesbianism works. First of all the vast, vast majority of lesbians are not busy grooming high school girls for seduction. The word "groom" is usually used to describe how pedophiles train and encourage children in order to abuse them. However, the vast majority of pedophiles are, well, *men*, and the predominant percentage of those men are, well, straight. So the old stereotype of the gay (or lesbian) pedophile is simply wrong. It has been used both to persecute gay men and women for many years and to justify the persecution of gay men and women, and grabbing it as a plot twist makes the well-informed reader (gay or straight) think, "Hm, is this author homophobic?" But wait, there's more. In the real world, if one's seducer or would-be seducer asks one to take naked or sexy selfies to share, in the vast majority of cases, said seducer would be, um, *male*. Guys really get off on visual images, which probably explains the perennial popularity of Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, Oui, Barely Legal, Chic, Club, Juggs, Perfect 10, SCREW, etc., etc., ad nauseum. How many magazines appeal to a woman's prurient interests? Playgirl, which is oriented to heterosexual women, is the only one I've heard of. Hmm, this would tend to suggest that if you're into "dirty pictures," you're in all likelihood a heterosexual male, not a repressed lesbian schoolmarm. And yet, Riley, drawing on her vast and sympathetic understanding of lesbian culture, has the lesbian school teacher demanding that her 16-17 year old student take revealing pictures and send them to her. And how does the lesbian school teacher's husband twig to what's going on? Well, she's so wrapped up in gazing at said photos that she doesn't hear him coming along to notice what she's doing, and this is _after_ she and said student have apparently consummated their relationship, because what women wouldn't rather stare at stilted pictures than re-imagine the pleasures she has actually shared with her partner? As Homer Simpson would say, "Doh." This makes no sense qua women or qua lesbianism. The author's biography tells us that Riley "spent many years as a BBC journalist and talk show broadcaster," which would make me think that she did not just fall off the turnip truck. She's been around, and she knows how to do research. One doesn't have to _be_ a lesbian to write a convincing lesbian subplot, but if one plans on writing a very unconvincing one, I guess it helps to be a willfully clueless het or homophobe. No big surprise, but I do not plan on ever purchasing or reading another book by this person. I'm sorry that I invested the time and effort to read three of her mysteries.
January 3, 2021
Das ist mein erstes Buch von Mary-Jane Riley. Hier werden zu Beginn einige Dinge erläutert, die in Band 1 "All die bösen Dinge" ermittelt werden, quasi wird Band 1 komplett gespoilert, was das Ende angeht. Wer also die ganze Reihe lesen möchte, sollte mit Band 1 beginnen.
Das Cover finde ich wahnsinnig gut gestaltet! Es passt hervorragend zum Titel und beschwört mit dem dunklen, bewölkten Himmel die passende kühle, geheimnisvolle Atmosphäre heraus.
Mit dem Schreibstil tat ich mich anfangs etwas schwer. Ich fand die Artikulation bei so ziemlich jeder Figur nicht ansprechend. Die Sätze der Jugendlichen wirkten für mich abgehackt und nicht vollständig. Auch das Sprachniveau sagte mir nicht zu, ich fand es einfach absolut unpassend. Es fiel mir bis zu Kapitel 19/Seite 201 wirklich schwer, mich in die Geschichte einzufinden.
Das Buch beginnt mit einer Art Prolog mit der Überschrift "Dezember" in dem kurz geschildert wird, wie ein alter Mann die Leiche eines jungen Mädchens am Rande der Klippen findet. Dieser Teil ist wirklich enorm kurz gehalten. Die eigentliche Handlung beginnt dann fünf Monate später mit einem Besuch von Alex bei ihrer Schwester Sasha in der geschlossenen Psychiatrie. Dort erfährt man dann was im ersten Teil passiert ist. Recht schnell gelangt die Handlung dann auch schon zum Hauptthema und Alex besucht ihre alte Jugendfreundin Cat, die sie bittet den Tod ihrer Tochter genauer zu untersuchen. Alex überlegt nicht lange und macht sich zügig daran, mehr zu dem vermeintlichen Suizid raus zu finden, denn Cat glaubt nicht, dass ihre Tochter sich umgebracht hat, so wie es vermutet wird. Nicht zuletzt, weil es einen anonymen Facebookaccount gibt, der auf der Gedenkseite kommentierte, dass Elena sich nicht selbst umgebracht hat ...
Was mich direkt zu Beginn gestört hat ist die Darstellung von psychischen Krankheiten und das eine Verkäuferin als magersüchtig bezeichnet wird, weil sie schlank ist. Allerdings fand ich die gesamte Grundstimmung, die Atmosphäre sehr schwierig. Es kam keine wirkliche Stimmung auf und am Anfang begleitete ich Alex nur sehr desinteressiert auf ihrer Reise.
Die Figuren sind leider durchweg schwierig. Ich konnte weder mit Alex richtig warm werden, noch mit den Lehrern, den Freunden, den Jugendlichen, mit niemandem. Alex wirkt insgesamt so frustriert und ist von allem genervt - da geht es mir ähnlich. Das finde ich sehr schade, weil insgesamt Potential da wäre. Alex' Alter wird nicht angesprochen, jedoch hat sie einen 18-jährigen Sohn und arbeitet schon eine Weile als Journalistin, dementsprechend gehe ich davon aus, dass sie eventuell Ende 30, Anfang-Mitte 40 ist, während ihr Verhalten eher an das einer 12-jährigen erinnert. "Lass mich" ist gefühlt ihre Lieblingsaussage. Sie löst Konflikte nicht mit Konversation und hört einem nicht zu, wenn es gut für sie wäre. Das wirkt trotzig und kindisch-stur. Nicht gerade sympathisch. Alex ging mir wirklich wahnsinnig auf die Nerven. Auch ihren eigenen Handlungsstrang mit Gus, ihrem Sohn, fand ich uninteressant und war jedes Mal genervt, wenn zum wiederholten Male erwähnt wurde, wie doof Alex es findet, dass Gus nach seinem Vater sucht. Von einer erwachsenen Frau erwarte ich mir da mehr Reife, Weitsicht und auf jeden Fall einen weiteren Horizont als Alex ihn besitzt. Ansonsten fehlt den Charakteren der eigene Touch - es gibt nicht wirklich was, was sie ausmacht und hervorstechen lässt.
Auch mit der Handlung hatte ich meine Schwierigkeiten. Sie konnte mich bis Kapitel 19/Seite 201 nicht wirklich packen, was ich für ein Buch mit knapp 380 Seiten einfach zu lang für "Anfangsschwierigkeiten" finde. Ab Kapitel 19 nimmt die Geschichte endlich ein wenig an Fahrt auf, es wird spannender, man erfährt in kürzeren Abständen neue Abläufe über den Fall und die letzten 180 Seiten habe ich tatsächlich am Stück gelesen, während ich mich zuvor regelrecht zum Lesen zwingen musste - damit hätte ich nicht gerechnet. Ich dachte wirklich, dass ich über dieses Buch nichts Gutes zu sagen hätte, aber auf den letzten Kapiteln war der Schreibstil so angenehm und ich bin richtig gut durch die Seiten gekommen. Ich bin absolut positiv überrascht, wie man die letzten Kapitel noch derart rumreißen kann. Außerdem wird alles logisch aufgeklärt, sodass man als Leser alles nachvollziehen kann und es versteht. Wie qualitativ man die Idee dahinter findet, ist einem selbst überlassen. Das Einzige was mir fehlt ist eine genauere Erklärung was am Ende mit den einzelnen Personen passiert, wie zum Beispiel den Internatkids. Womöglich fehlt mir noch der geschulte Blick, aber ich fand den Plottwist sehr angenehm- nur schade, dass es so lange gedauert hat, bis es spannend geworden ist.
Das Cover finde ich wahnsinnig gut gestaltet! Es passt hervorragend zum Titel und beschwört mit dem dunklen, bewölkten Himmel die passende kühle, geheimnisvolle Atmosphäre heraus.
Mit dem Schreibstil tat ich mich anfangs etwas schwer. Ich fand die Artikulation bei so ziemlich jeder Figur nicht ansprechend. Die Sätze der Jugendlichen wirkten für mich abgehackt und nicht vollständig. Auch das Sprachniveau sagte mir nicht zu, ich fand es einfach absolut unpassend. Es fiel mir bis zu Kapitel 19/Seite 201 wirklich schwer, mich in die Geschichte einzufinden.
Das Buch beginnt mit einer Art Prolog mit der Überschrift "Dezember" in dem kurz geschildert wird, wie ein alter Mann die Leiche eines jungen Mädchens am Rande der Klippen findet. Dieser Teil ist wirklich enorm kurz gehalten. Die eigentliche Handlung beginnt dann fünf Monate später mit einem Besuch von Alex bei ihrer Schwester Sasha in der geschlossenen Psychiatrie. Dort erfährt man dann was im ersten Teil passiert ist. Recht schnell gelangt die Handlung dann auch schon zum Hauptthema und Alex besucht ihre alte Jugendfreundin Cat, die sie bittet den Tod ihrer Tochter genauer zu untersuchen. Alex überlegt nicht lange und macht sich zügig daran, mehr zu dem vermeintlichen Suizid raus zu finden, denn Cat glaubt nicht, dass ihre Tochter sich umgebracht hat, so wie es vermutet wird. Nicht zuletzt, weil es einen anonymen Facebookaccount gibt, der auf der Gedenkseite kommentierte, dass Elena sich nicht selbst umgebracht hat ...
Was mich direkt zu Beginn gestört hat ist die Darstellung von psychischen Krankheiten und das eine Verkäuferin als magersüchtig bezeichnet wird, weil sie schlank ist. Allerdings fand ich die gesamte Grundstimmung, die Atmosphäre sehr schwierig. Es kam keine wirkliche Stimmung auf und am Anfang begleitete ich Alex nur sehr desinteressiert auf ihrer Reise.
Die Figuren sind leider durchweg schwierig. Ich konnte weder mit Alex richtig warm werden, noch mit den Lehrern, den Freunden, den Jugendlichen, mit niemandem. Alex wirkt insgesamt so frustriert und ist von allem genervt - da geht es mir ähnlich. Das finde ich sehr schade, weil insgesamt Potential da wäre. Alex' Alter wird nicht angesprochen, jedoch hat sie einen 18-jährigen Sohn und arbeitet schon eine Weile als Journalistin, dementsprechend gehe ich davon aus, dass sie eventuell Ende 30, Anfang-Mitte 40 ist, während ihr Verhalten eher an das einer 12-jährigen erinnert. "Lass mich" ist gefühlt ihre Lieblingsaussage. Sie löst Konflikte nicht mit Konversation und hört einem nicht zu, wenn es gut für sie wäre. Das wirkt trotzig und kindisch-stur. Nicht gerade sympathisch. Alex ging mir wirklich wahnsinnig auf die Nerven. Auch ihren eigenen Handlungsstrang mit Gus, ihrem Sohn, fand ich uninteressant und war jedes Mal genervt, wenn zum wiederholten Male erwähnt wurde, wie doof Alex es findet, dass Gus nach seinem Vater sucht. Von einer erwachsenen Frau erwarte ich mir da mehr Reife, Weitsicht und auf jeden Fall einen weiteren Horizont als Alex ihn besitzt. Ansonsten fehlt den Charakteren der eigene Touch - es gibt nicht wirklich was, was sie ausmacht und hervorstechen lässt.
Auch mit der Handlung hatte ich meine Schwierigkeiten. Sie konnte mich bis Kapitel 19/Seite 201 nicht wirklich packen, was ich für ein Buch mit knapp 380 Seiten einfach zu lang für "Anfangsschwierigkeiten" finde. Ab Kapitel 19 nimmt die Geschichte endlich ein wenig an Fahrt auf, es wird spannender, man erfährt in kürzeren Abständen neue Abläufe über den Fall und die letzten 180 Seiten habe ich tatsächlich am Stück gelesen, während ich mich zuvor regelrecht zum Lesen zwingen musste - damit hätte ich nicht gerechnet. Ich dachte wirklich, dass ich über dieses Buch nichts Gutes zu sagen hätte, aber auf den letzten Kapiteln war der Schreibstil so angenehm und ich bin richtig gut durch die Seiten gekommen. Ich bin absolut positiv überrascht, wie man die letzten Kapitel noch derart rumreißen kann. Außerdem wird alles logisch aufgeklärt, sodass man als Leser alles nachvollziehen kann und es versteht. Wie qualitativ man die Idee dahinter findet, ist einem selbst überlassen. Das Einzige was mir fehlt ist eine genauere Erklärung was am Ende mit den einzelnen Personen passiert, wie zum Beispiel den Internatkids. Womöglich fehlt mir noch der geschulte Blick, aber ich fand den Plottwist sehr angenehm- nur schade, dass es so lange gedauert hat, bis es spannend geworden ist.
October 20, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed The Bad Things and I hoped I would enjoy this one too, however I have tried several times to read this book but each time I find myself struggling to stay focused. As I haven't been able to finish the book I can only leave a 1 star rating.
December 8, 2017
It was OK, not exceptional, not bad, just...OK.
January 10, 2019
I’d read the first in this series and really enjoyed it this one was just as good, I’ll continue reading the series
February 14, 2020
TW - assault, ED, drug taking
I had guessed one of the main twists pretty early on, but that didn’t stop me sobbing with the final scene.
I had guessed one of the main twists pretty early on, but that didn’t stop me sobbing with the final scene.
February 25, 2023
4.5 stars
February 4, 2017
Alex Devlin has moved since the truth of what happened to her sister’s children emerged at the end of The Bad Things, she now lives in London far from the wide open spaces of Sole Bay but she has secured herself a job as a journalist writing, at least in part, serious pieces. Sadly moving doesn’t stop time from marching on and while her beloved son Gus is off carrying out his own investigation travelling around Europe she feels at a bit of a loose end.
All that changes when she receives a call from a very old friend. Catriona is now a powerful woman, MEP and newly married to a younger man but the investigation she wants Alex to carry out is far from that world. Her seventeen year old daughter Elena Devonshire has committed suicide, it is official the Coronor’s inquest has deemed it so but Catriona simply doesn’t believe it. Promising money and an exclusive Alex can’t resist her friend’s pleas and sets of for North Norfolk, to her home country, to see the exclusive boarding school, The Drift, where Elena was at the time of her death.
With accusations of depression and anorexia levelled against Elena, Alex needs to get passed the highly controlling head teachers who are determined to protect the school’s reputation at any cost so she finds a teacher on the inside, to do the job for her but will he be able to come up with enough information to help the bereft Catriona?
Once again Mary-Jane Riley has painted a wonderful selection of characters, some nastier than others, against the brilliant backdrop of the setting all with a lightness of touch so that the picture is painted while the action is taking place.
The oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia, it was open to the public on certain days of the year. Thankfully, today was not one of those days.
There was no feasible excuse for her to be half-lying down in the middle of a rape field.
The village was the slightly brasher sister of Sole Bay, thought Alex, as she walked aong the beach road into Mundesley. An amusement arcade, one fish and chip shop on the front, and a couple of magnificent hotels built in the town’s heyday as a seaside destination, al made her feel as though she had stepped back forty years. It was a good feeling. Safe.
We meet the impatient second husband, the awful head teachers, the overly exuberant school receptionist and a raggle-taggle bag of teachers, and don’t even let me get started on the awful array of posh kids at the school, or their poorer relations in the village with whom a healthy rivalry is kept alive. The thing I like about Mary-Jane Riley’s characters is that there are elements of realism about them all, even those who don’t get a centre-stage part, those who often rely to a certain extent on clichés and prejudice, are given shading providing them with clear definition, thereby making them real. So real that I could easily imagine visiting Hallow’s Edge and walk into Hallow’s Edge Tea Parlour for a cup of tea and a piece of cake and giving a nod of recognition to those who grace the pages of After She Fell.
This is one of those books where the reader has more information to hand than the investigator because we hear Elena’s voice through her diary – labelled with the number of weeks before she dies, lest we forget for one moment. Elena’s voice is authentic, she isn’t an identikit teenager although from time to time she talks the talk, even if she doesn’t do the walk. Elena has one friend from her old life with her, Tara, a plump girl who longs to be part of the ‘in group’ the Queen Bees, whereas Elena has a different focus, one that she’s keeping secret, even from Tara. Will finding out what this secret is, enable Alex to give Catriona the real story of what happened that night?
I particularly love books that have multiple strands and while some of these seem more important than others, the author hasn’t let even the minor ones drift without some sort of tethering which makes for one tense ending, I can tell you.
All that changes when she receives a call from a very old friend. Catriona is now a powerful woman, MEP and newly married to a younger man but the investigation she wants Alex to carry out is far from that world. Her seventeen year old daughter Elena Devonshire has committed suicide, it is official the Coronor’s inquest has deemed it so but Catriona simply doesn’t believe it. Promising money and an exclusive Alex can’t resist her friend’s pleas and sets of for North Norfolk, to her home country, to see the exclusive boarding school, The Drift, where Elena was at the time of her death.
With accusations of depression and anorexia levelled against Elena, Alex needs to get passed the highly controlling head teachers who are determined to protect the school’s reputation at any cost so she finds a teacher on the inside, to do the job for her but will he be able to come up with enough information to help the bereft Catriona?
Once again Mary-Jane Riley has painted a wonderful selection of characters, some nastier than others, against the brilliant backdrop of the setting all with a lightness of touch so that the picture is painted while the action is taking place.
The oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia, it was open to the public on certain days of the year. Thankfully, today was not one of those days.
There was no feasible excuse for her to be half-lying down in the middle of a rape field.
The village was the slightly brasher sister of Sole Bay, thought Alex, as she walked aong the beach road into Mundesley. An amusement arcade, one fish and chip shop on the front, and a couple of magnificent hotels built in the town’s heyday as a seaside destination, al made her feel as though she had stepped back forty years. It was a good feeling. Safe.
We meet the impatient second husband, the awful head teachers, the overly exuberant school receptionist and a raggle-taggle bag of teachers, and don’t even let me get started on the awful array of posh kids at the school, or their poorer relations in the village with whom a healthy rivalry is kept alive. The thing I like about Mary-Jane Riley’s characters is that there are elements of realism about them all, even those who don’t get a centre-stage part, those who often rely to a certain extent on clichés and prejudice, are given shading providing them with clear definition, thereby making them real. So real that I could easily imagine visiting Hallow’s Edge and walk into Hallow’s Edge Tea Parlour for a cup of tea and a piece of cake and giving a nod of recognition to those who grace the pages of After She Fell.
This is one of those books where the reader has more information to hand than the investigator because we hear Elena’s voice through her diary – labelled with the number of weeks before she dies, lest we forget for one moment. Elena’s voice is authentic, she isn’t an identikit teenager although from time to time she talks the talk, even if she doesn’t do the walk. Elena has one friend from her old life with her, Tara, a plump girl who longs to be part of the ‘in group’ the Queen Bees, whereas Elena has a different focus, one that she’s keeping secret, even from Tara. Will finding out what this secret is, enable Alex to give Catriona the real story of what happened that night?
I particularly love books that have multiple strands and while some of these seem more important than others, the author hasn’t let even the minor ones drift without some sort of tethering which makes for one tense ending, I can tell you.
October 16, 2016
This was a Goodreads Giveaway. Easy read and wanted to see if she fell or if she was pushed. Will pass it on.
March 1, 2017
Enjoyed
It was a good read however there was lots of wording errors. I would recommend to a friend. Keep up the good work
It was a good read however there was lots of wording errors. I would recommend to a friend. Keep up the good work
August 16, 2016
With thanks to Netgalley and Killer Reads for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.
After She Fell is the second book in the Alex Devlin series. After She Fell reminded me of Reconstructing Amelia
by Kimberly McCreight. Alex Devlin is a journalist, she has a sister called Sasha who is in a mental hospital after killing her 2 children. Alex lived in Suffolk but moved to London with her son Gus after the murders. I did not read Ms's Riley first book The bad things but it is on my TBR list. I want to read this so I can find out the backstory of Sasha and her children.
Alex is contacted by her old school friend Catriona, Cat who is an MEP. A year earlier Cat's 17 yr old daughter Elena threw herself of a cliff. Elena was sent to exclusive boarding school The Drift when Cat married a much younger man. When Cat found the school Elena's best friend Tara also went along.
Elena had been anorexic in the past after the death of her father. The Drift told Police that Elena was no longer eating and was depressed. After a postmortem trace of cannabis were found in her blood stream, and her death was ruled as suicide. Cat is devastated and knows Elena would never kill herself, so she asks Alex to go to the school in Norfolk and find out what really happened.
Alex finds out that drug taking is prevalent in the school. The dealers Theo and Felix are pupils at The Drift. Head Teachers Ingrid and Sven Farrar know the culprits, but because their family are wealthy benefactors to the school and get away with it.
Alex finds a spy in the camp, charismatic art teacher Jonny Dutch who promises to help her find the truth. He explains that one of the teachers Paul Churchill had to leave his former school under a cloud.
This book was excellent, I really thought I knew what happened Elena and I was wrong. We find out what really happened from Elena's diaries entries. I really liked Alex and her ex boyfriend undercover policeman Marlow. I think there is more to come from Alex Devlin, I hope there will be another book in the future.
After She Fell is the second book in the Alex Devlin series. After She Fell reminded me of Reconstructing Amelia
by Kimberly McCreight. Alex Devlin is a journalist, she has a sister called Sasha who is in a mental hospital after killing her 2 children. Alex lived in Suffolk but moved to London with her son Gus after the murders. I did not read Ms's Riley first book The bad things but it is on my TBR list. I want to read this so I can find out the backstory of Sasha and her children.
Alex is contacted by her old school friend Catriona, Cat who is an MEP. A year earlier Cat's 17 yr old daughter Elena threw herself of a cliff. Elena was sent to exclusive boarding school The Drift when Cat married a much younger man. When Cat found the school Elena's best friend Tara also went along.
Elena had been anorexic in the past after the death of her father. The Drift told Police that Elena was no longer eating and was depressed. After a postmortem trace of cannabis were found in her blood stream, and her death was ruled as suicide. Cat is devastated and knows Elena would never kill herself, so she asks Alex to go to the school in Norfolk and find out what really happened.
Alex finds out that drug taking is prevalent in the school. The dealers Theo and Felix are pupils at The Drift. Head Teachers Ingrid and Sven Farrar know the culprits, but because their family are wealthy benefactors to the school and get away with it.
Alex finds a spy in the camp, charismatic art teacher Jonny Dutch who promises to help her find the truth. He explains that one of the teachers Paul Churchill had to leave his former school under a cloud.
This book was excellent, I really thought I knew what happened Elena and I was wrong. We find out what really happened from Elena's diaries entries. I really liked Alex and her ex boyfriend undercover policeman Marlow. I think there is more to come from Alex Devlin, I hope there will be another book in the future.
August 13, 2016
AFTER SHE FELL by MARY-JANE RILEY
After She Fell is a psychological suspense/mystery set in and around a private school in remote Norfolk. Conflicted seventeen-year-old Elena Devonshire falls to her death from a remote clifftop late one night. But did she fall, commit suicide, or was she pushed? This is the central mystery the plot revolves around.
Alex Devlin is a freelance journalist investigating what happened to Elena and has been asked to look into it by her old friend Catriona Devonshire, who is also Elena’s mother. The story is told by Alex and Elena in alternating chapters and, for me, it is Elena’s first-person chapters that really bring the book alive. Elena is a believable and sympathetic teenager and suffers from many of the teenage maladies that most of us have struggled with at that age, including the pitfalls of falling in love. But she is also a strong character and you find yourself rooting for her all the way, even though we know of her awful end right from the beginning. Creating suspense when the reader already knows the outcome is no easy thing, but Mary-Jane pulls it off.
Alex is another feisty female character but is also believable: she is strong but also sympathetic. Alex is a likeable character but lacks some of the vivid emotional turmoil of Elena’s narrative. There is also a subplot involving her son in Ibiza looking for his biological father. This is the second book in the series but readers are caught up with the events of the first book as the story goes along so it can easily be read as a standalone.
The ending was enjoyably twisty and satisfying and I didn’t guess the end, which is always great. Also, all of the questions except Alex son’s father are tied up effortlessly at the end and the plot is very well constructed.
Overall, this is a solid, enjoyable, easy to read mystery with a bit of an edge, two likeable protagonists and a plot that keeps you guessing until the end.
3/5
After She Fell is a psychological suspense/mystery set in and around a private school in remote Norfolk. Conflicted seventeen-year-old Elena Devonshire falls to her death from a remote clifftop late one night. But did she fall, commit suicide, or was she pushed? This is the central mystery the plot revolves around.
Alex Devlin is a freelance journalist investigating what happened to Elena and has been asked to look into it by her old friend Catriona Devonshire, who is also Elena’s mother. The story is told by Alex and Elena in alternating chapters and, for me, it is Elena’s first-person chapters that really bring the book alive. Elena is a believable and sympathetic teenager and suffers from many of the teenage maladies that most of us have struggled with at that age, including the pitfalls of falling in love. But she is also a strong character and you find yourself rooting for her all the way, even though we know of her awful end right from the beginning. Creating suspense when the reader already knows the outcome is no easy thing, but Mary-Jane pulls it off.
Alex is another feisty female character but is also believable: she is strong but also sympathetic. Alex is a likeable character but lacks some of the vivid emotional turmoil of Elena’s narrative. There is also a subplot involving her son in Ibiza looking for his biological father. This is the second book in the series but readers are caught up with the events of the first book as the story goes along so it can easily be read as a standalone.
The ending was enjoyably twisty and satisfying and I didn’t guess the end, which is always great. Also, all of the questions except Alex son’s father are tied up effortlessly at the end and the plot is very well constructed.
Overall, this is a solid, enjoyable, easy to read mystery with a bit of an edge, two likeable protagonists and a plot that keeps you guessing until the end.
3/5
May 4, 2016
There are so many ways to fall...
Catriona needs help. Her seventeen year old daughter Elena was found dead at the bottom of a cliff near her boarding school. Elena's death has been ruled as a suicide but her mother is not convinced! When her old friend Alex Devlin a journalist arrives to investigate further, she quickly finds that life at the boarding school is not as idyllic as it all seems. Amidst a culture of drugs, bullying and tension noone is quiet who they seem to be!
This is a must read for readers who enjoy a great thriller/mystery.Will you be able to solve this mystery? (I didn't). I must thank Netgalley again for letting me read this thrilling story, I was hooked! I did not expect the dark or quick ending at all which kept me reading to reach it! I also did not expect anything that happened throughout! I would highly recommend this story to you all, it is well written, easy to read and has short chapters which I really enjoyed. I have found another new author to devour YAY! After She Fell has only just been released so grab your copy quick! This is the perfect story for readers who enjoy a brilliant thriller, mystery, crime, suspense and contemporary story. Enjoy, I did. I was hooked!
Catriona needs help. Her seventeen year old daughter Elena was found dead at the bottom of a cliff near her boarding school. Elena's death has been ruled as a suicide but her mother is not convinced! When her old friend Alex Devlin a journalist arrives to investigate further, she quickly finds that life at the boarding school is not as idyllic as it all seems. Amidst a culture of drugs, bullying and tension noone is quiet who they seem to be!
This is a must read for readers who enjoy a great thriller/mystery.Will you be able to solve this mystery? (I didn't). I must thank Netgalley again for letting me read this thrilling story, I was hooked! I did not expect the dark or quick ending at all which kept me reading to reach it! I also did not expect anything that happened throughout! I would highly recommend this story to you all, it is well written, easy to read and has short chapters which I really enjoyed. I have found another new author to devour YAY! After She Fell has only just been released so grab your copy quick! This is the perfect story for readers who enjoy a brilliant thriller, mystery, crime, suspense and contemporary story. Enjoy, I did. I was hooked!
May 1, 2016
Elena fell from a cliff close to the very expensive boarding school that she attended. Previously she had problems with eating disorders and depression and this was given as the reason for her “suicide”. But was it? Her mother sends an old friend Alex, a journalist, to investigate as she suspects foul play but can’t prove it.
A well written book although rather predictable. Drugs and deception hidden by the school to uphold their reputation and monetary income. Alex is a very likeable character, as is Elena and the story does hold you, but most of the way through I could see what was coming. Nevertheless this was still an engaging book which I enjoyed.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review
A well written book although rather predictable. Drugs and deception hidden by the school to uphold their reputation and monetary income. Alex is a very likeable character, as is Elena and the story does hold you, but most of the way through I could see what was coming. Nevertheless this was still an engaging book which I enjoyed.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review
November 2, 2016
Elena, a teenage student at a private school was killed in a fall from a cliff. Was it really suicide, or an accident – or murder. Alex, a journalist is asked to investigate by Elena’s mother. This is a psychological drama rather than a detective thriller, which makes it my kind of book. Alex’s own private problems are mixed in with her frequently foiled attempts to squeeze information from suspect teachers and students, and her story runs parallel with Elena’s, which ends, as we know from the start, with her death at 17. She is a very sympathetic teenager, caught up in the usual horrors of adolescence, compounded by the intrigues of her entitled fellow students and it’s painful knowing in advance that she is doomed. A very good read.
May 6, 2016
After reading The Bad Things by Mary-Jane Riley, I knew I needed to get my hands on this one!
The story is about the apparent suicide of Elana, a student at a boarding school who was found at the bottom of a cliff. Her mother Catriana refuses to believe that her daughter would commit suicide and asks for the help of investigative journalist Alex Devlin, who many will remember from The Bad Things.
I really enjoyed this story, It was fantastically written, with well-developed characters and settings. I did find the story predictable at times but it didn't spoil the enjoyment of the story.
I look forward to reading more from Mary-Jane Riley in the future,
The story is about the apparent suicide of Elana, a student at a boarding school who was found at the bottom of a cliff. Her mother Catriana refuses to believe that her daughter would commit suicide and asks for the help of investigative journalist Alex Devlin, who many will remember from The Bad Things.
I really enjoyed this story, It was fantastically written, with well-developed characters and settings. I did find the story predictable at times but it didn't spoil the enjoyment of the story.
I look forward to reading more from Mary-Jane Riley in the future,
September 18, 2016
Did she fall or was she pushed? Not telling but I did guess at a certain aspect of the storyline although, as usual, I didn't quite get it right. My first introduction to Mary-Jane Riley and I really enjoyed the novel. An old cliché but I couldn't put it down. Well I did the first night of reading as I was falling asleep. Finished it last night well after my regular lights out. Now to get the first in the series.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
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