Sheryl Browne

#Review : SEVEN DAYS : Alex Lake. Heart-rending, powerfully addictive #psychologicalthriller @Alexlakeauthor @HarperCollinsUK

Seven Days by Alex Lake

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The prologue starts with a calendar, a countdown to her little boy’s birthday when he will be torn away from her. Maggie, too, has been torn away from all that she knows. She’s a survivor. She’s surviving for her child. Maybe, this time, she can save him. Heart-rending and powerfully addictive, Seven Days hooked me from page one (how could that prologue not?). My first thoughts before opening the book were: can the author sustain it? A girl locked away in a room, only seven days to save her son? Alex Lake succeeded in keeping me absolutely rivetted. A psychological thriller with just the right amount of crime element, the story encapsulates, not just the emotions of a girl journeying into womanhood whilst completely isolated from humanity, but those of her family, who live with the guilt and the sometimes waning hope that they will find her. The devastating impact on the missing girl’s brother. The unexpected impact on Martin and Sandra, her parents, whose bond grows stronger. It explores the frustration of a detective inspector whose gut instinct is not enough to act on. It looks as just how dark it can be behind closed doors, how you can look into the eyes of someone and never see the ugliness that might lurk inside. In short, Seven Days ticked every single box for me. An absolute must-read for psych thriller lovers and one I would highly recommend.



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THE MARRIAGE TRAP is set! On pre-order now. Plus other #booknews #psychological #thriller @bookouture #SundayBlogShare

Just in case I forgot to mention it 😄, THE MARRIAGE TRAP is set! My new psychological thriller from fab Bookouture is out on 30th July but available to pre-order right now. And how irresistible is this cover?

I am totally in ❤

My husband has been keeping secrets for a long time. He thinks I don’t know what he does outside of this house. But I know everything… 

Karla watches silently as Jason hurriedly packs his belongings into a suitcase. She knows that her stillness is unnerving him as she watches his every move from the doorway of their bedroom.

Clothes are screwed up and packed into the case, along with a watch she bought him for his last birthday and his precious laptop. He takes everything from his bedside table. Everything except the framed wedding photo, which now stands alone. Karla strains to see the smiling faces in the photo. If only she knew then what she knows now.

‘I’ve fallen in love with someone else,’ he’d said to her, just moments earlier. The brutality of those words hit Karla hard and she struggled to breathe as she took in each word in turn.

You may think you know what Karla will do next. But you’ll be wrong. Because Karla isn’t who you think she is. Only she knows what’s about to happen. And you will never see it coming.

An absolutely gripping psychological thriller for readers who loved The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Other Woman. With twists you’ll never see coming, you will not be able to put this one down!

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I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the fantastically hardworking bloggers and reviewers and every single reader out there for reading my books. Authors write with you in mind. Knowing you have enjoyed our stories and care enough about our characters to want to share them with other readers is the best incentive ever for us to keep writing. So, in short, The Marriage Trap wouldn’t be coming out if not for you guys.

In regard to my other books, I’m thrilled beyond words to be told buy my fabulous editor recently that sales on the three beauties below are now in excess of 250,000 copies. How amazing is that? Words fail me. I know, I’m supposed to be writer! It’s all down to the support of people like you, my fab editor, Helen Jenner, and the fantastic Bookouture Team. Thank you SO much.

In other news, look out for The Babysitter published by Grand Central Publishing in trade paperback on July 9, 2019! Beyond thrilled!

 

THE MARRIAGE TRAP: Amazon

That’s it! I’ll get on with that next book now.

Keep safe all!

Lots of love,

#Review : Who Killed Ruby? #psychological #thriller @CamillaLWay @HarperCollinsUK

Who Killed Ruby? by Camilla Way

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When you wake in the morning and you are still inhabiting the characters’ world you know you have read a remarkable psychological thriller. Who Killed Ruby is just such a book. Well researched and cleverly written, the intricately woven plot is so suspenseful, it leaves you screaming to know who Jack Delaney is – the man accused of the murder, the man who now, many years later, holds someone hostage. He will kill her if he doesn’t get what he wants. This we know. I hate spoilers so I won’t say what he wants or how we know he will carry out his threat, but we are left in no doubt – Jack Delaney has nothing left to lose, and Ruby’s sister, Vivienne, is in danger of losing everything. There are an array of characters within the story and each one feeds off the other beautifully, painting a believable backdrop to Vivienne and Ruby’s formative years. The conclusion is highly satisfying, if perhaps leaving you a little wistful for what might have been for Vivienne. I was totally immersed in this book, right there in the pages, thanks to the author’s skilful writing. Extraordinary storytelling. Disturbing, taut and utterly compelling, Who Killed Ruby ticks all the psych thriller boxes. Definitely a book I would highly recommend.



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#Review : Betray Her. Caroline England. #thriller @CazEngland @LittleBrownUK @PiatkusBooks

Betray Her

Betray Her by Caroline England

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Betray Her is exquisitely written. I identified with the narrator so profoundly through her grief at one point, I literally stopped breathing. Alternating between present and past, this is a cleverly woven story, full of passion and intrigue, sexual tension and desperate longing. Two girls, poles apart in their early upbringing, are drawn together at boarding school to form an unlikely friendship that endures into adulthood. But as we examine the friendship, going back to the musty halls of the boarding school, forward into the girls’ teenage years, on to the present, it’s clear that the friendship is not all that it seems. There are secrets under the surface, secrets that shaped who the women now are. There is jealousy and manipulation, co-dependency to a degree. Their relationship is tumultuous and, with a man in the mix who is married to one friend, but has a history with the other, there is a tinderbox of emotion simply waiting for a spark to ignite it, bringing us the final explosive conclusion. I was fascinated by this book, in awe of the writing. Mesmerising storytelling. A taut, tantalising thriller and one I would highly recommend.



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#Review : The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy. B.M. Carroll @PenguinUKBooks #Psychological #thriller

The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy

The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy by B.M. Carroll

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Told from a multi-narrative point of view, The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy is a story of fate intervening to have a devastating impact on two families. Sophie has suffered life-changing injuries in a car accident caused by Aidan, a captain in the Australian army. His conscience compelling him to visit Sophie in the hospital, there is an attraction between them. What follows is a seemingly honourable man deserting his wife and child at a vulnerable time in their lives to become part of a couple with Sophie, whom he believes he has fallen in love with. Sophie is a determined, clever person who was at the top of her career. She is struggling with the constant pain she’s left in from her injuries. I sympathised, even admired her determination, but it soon became apparent that, at the core, Sophie is not a nice person. I wanted to know why, I wanted to delve in to her family dynamics, particularly the relationship between Sophie and her father, Richard, who is unable to accept that Aidan has become part of her life and wants justice for his daughter. What made Sophie the way she is? The book deals with some important issues many people will relate to: single parenthood, grief, bullying in the workplace, special needs and fertility problems. The overriding issue for me was that of obsession in a relationship. I’m not giving specifics for obvious reasons, but all of these issues were handled really well and sensitively. The characterisation is excellent. I found the children particularly relatable to. There was a moment where Aidan and his daughter, Jasmin, came together, which brought huge lump to my throat and delivered an extremely satisfying ending. If you love psychological thrillers with a healthy helping of domestic drama, I would highly recommend this book.



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