In the opening chapter a woman is brutally murdered. Who is she? As the story gradually unfolds, not chronologically, but through a series of flashbacks and the use of first and third person narratives of a number of key characters, the reader discovers the connections between the characters and how they contribute to the developing story. Natalie is a very popular and highly successful Instagram influencer, living an apparently perfect life, in a perfect home in Dublin, with her perfect husband, Mike. However, when she suspects him of having an affair she posts a message to her followers, informing them that she is taking a short break but that she’ll be “back soon” before heading off to the bleak Irish coastal village of Shanamore. She’s booked to stay for a few days in Shanamore Cottages because she is convinced that her husband had spent time there with the other woman. Other characters include Andrew, the creepy character who owns the cottages and who has secrets he’s desperate to preserve; Guard Seanie, the only policeman in the village, who has childhood links to the area which he hasn’t revealed; local odd-ball “Icky-Dickie” Richard who possibly knows something about the murder.
And then there’s Audrey, almost thirty, living in her sister’s spare room and an online journalist who is frustrated by the re-hashed reports she is expected to post about what minor celebrities are getting up to. When Mike eventually reports his wife missing and Audrey’s editor, thinking Natalie’s disappearance is perhaps a publicity stunt, asks her to look into it, she realises that this could well offer her the opportunity to shine as a “serious “ journalist and so she decides to follow Natalie’s trail to Shanamore.
It didn’t take me long to adjust to the author’s “play”, “pause”, “rewind”, fast-forward” and “stop” narrative device and so I didn’t have much difficulty in following the storyline in this psychological thriller. Although I’d guessed the outcome by about a third of the way through the story, there were some extra twists which served to keep me sufficiently engaged with the developing plot and to read to the end. I thought that the author managed to create an ominously creepy tension throughout her story-telling and that she made good use of some evocatively atmospheric descriptions of a bleak seaside village in the off-season to contribute to her scene-setting. I enjoyed her use of some thought-provoking contemporary themes, including her exploration of our fears about the highly manipulative power of social media, the pressure it can exert on people’s lives and behaviour, fake news etc. Intertwined with these themes were the familiar ones about the effects of secrets and lies, obsessional and delusional behaviour and manipulative blackmail. These wide-ranging themes certainly offer the potential for some interesting discussion in reading groups.
Although I found this a relatively entertaining read, I think it isn’t one which will remain memorable for me, mainly because I didn’t feel sufficiently engaged with any of the characters to care over-much about what happened to them. As this is a well-written story, my three-star rating feels perhaps a little harsh, but I didn’t feel able to give it four stars – ideally I think it deserves three and a half!
With thanks to the publisher and Readers First for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
And then there’s Audrey, almost thirty, living in her sister’s spare room and an online journalist who is frustrated by the re-hashed reports she is expected to post about what minor celebrities are getting up to. When Mike eventually reports his wife missing and Audrey’s editor, thinking Natalie’s disappearance is perhaps a publicity stunt, asks her to look into it, she realises that this could well offer her the opportunity to shine as a “serious “ journalist and so she decides to follow Natalie’s trail to Shanamore.
It didn’t take me long to adjust to the author’s “play”, “pause”, “rewind”, fast-forward” and “stop” narrative device and so I didn’t have much difficulty in following the storyline in this psychological thriller. Although I’d guessed the outcome by about a third of the way through the story, there were some extra twists which served to keep me sufficiently engaged with the developing plot and to read to the end. I thought that the author managed to create an ominously creepy tension throughout her story-telling and that she made good use of some evocatively atmospheric descriptions of a bleak seaside village in the off-season to contribute to her scene-setting. I enjoyed her use of some thought-provoking contemporary themes, including her exploration of our fears about the highly manipulative power of social media, the pressure it can exert on people’s lives and behaviour, fake news etc. Intertwined with these themes were the familiar ones about the effects of secrets and lies, obsessional and delusional behaviour and manipulative blackmail. These wide-ranging themes certainly offer the potential for some interesting discussion in reading groups.
Although I found this a relatively entertaining read, I think it isn’t one which will remain memorable for me, mainly because I didn’t feel sufficiently engaged with any of the characters to care over-much about what happened to them. As this is a well-written story, my three-star rating feels perhaps a little harsh, but I didn’t feel able to give it four stars – ideally I think it deserves three and a half!
With thanks to the publisher and Readers First for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.