Catching Up: Hall/Tudor/Foley
I won’t bore you with the details but the last few weeks have been a bit manic Chez Grab and I fell behind with my reviews. I still managed to grab reading time but now I have a bit of catching up to do.
I have taken the executive decision to do some rapid reviews and aim for two or three titles per post. So without further ado here is a flavour of what I have been reading:
The Party – Lisa Hall
It was just a party. But it turned into a nightmare.
When Rachel wakes up in a strange room, the morning after a neighbour’s party, she has no memory of what happened the night before. Why did her husband leave her alone at the party? Did they row? Why are Rachel’s arms so bruised? And why are her neighbours and friends so vague about what really happened?
Little by little, Rachel pieces together the devastating events that took place in a friend’s house, at a party where she should have been safe. Everyone remembers what happened that night differently, and everyone has something to hide. But someone knows the truth about what happened to Rachel. And she’s determined to find them.
A story set at New Year but not a party that Rachel will ever forget. She awakes in her friends house with little memory of what occurred the previous night. However Rachel quickly realises that she was raped and cannot identify her attacker.
Lisa Hall builds a cracking, suspense-filled tale around this deeply upsetting incident. Rachel doesn’t know who she can trust and the lack of support she feels she is receiving really isolates her amongst her family and friends. When Rachel begins to fear she may still be in danger that isolation really hits home.
This was the first Lisa Hall novel I have read but I was well aware of her reputation for writing clever and engaging thrillers. The Party did not disappoint and I will add my voice to the ranks of bloggers who strongly recommend reading Lisa’s books.
Order The Party here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Party-gripping-psychological-thriller-bestseller-ebook/dp/B06W5RT7JD/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1548189986&sr=1-1&keywords=the+party+lisa
The Chalk Man – C.J. Tudor
It was only meant to be a game . . .
None of us ever agreed on the exact beginning.
Was it when we started drawing the chalk figures, or when they started to appear on their own?
Was it the terrible accident?
Or when they found the first body?
A delightfully dark debut from CJ Tudor. I have had The Chalk Man in my “TBR” pile for longer than I intended (her second novel is just a few weeks away).
I enjoyed The Chalk Man – the story zipped along at cracking pace and happily I was totally wrong in my predictions as to how the story was going to pan out. Through a nice series of then/now narratives I felt that the reader got a comprehensive look at the key characters in the story from their formative years to present day.
The formative years are important as it is in the past that the seeds of horror are sewn. A tragic event at a funfair has lasting consequences for a young girl. A group of young friends are on the cusp of their teen years – they will face fears, family turmoil and experience tragedy before the book draws to a conclusion.
The key character is Ed. As an adult he is a 40-something single man and he has a few significant character flaws. As a child Ed was a troubled 12 year old, member of a gang of 5 pals from very different backgrounds. His parents were causing him embarrassment (and his mother’s job brought unwelcome attention). Also Ed is right on hand at the funfair incident – a day which may shape how Ed’s life will pan out.
The Chalk Man delivered surprises and twists and, as I indicated above, I enjoyed the story as it kept me reading to see how it would pan out. Well worth picking this one up.
Order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chalk-Man-Sunday-bestseller-chilling-ebook/dp/B06XXSVQ9T/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1548189938&sr=1-1&keywords=the+chalk+man
The Hunting Party – Lucy Foley
In a remote hunting lodge, deep in the Scottish wilderness, old friends gather for New Year.
The beautiful one
The golden couple
The volatile one
The new parents
The quiet one
The city boy
The outsider
The victim.
Not an accident – a murder among friends.
A remote lodge in the Scottish Highlands is the setting for this unusual murder story.
Unusual because the reader learns very early that someone is dead but the identity of the victim (and of the killer) is not revealed until the endgame plays out. This is clever writing from the author as she has introduced a large cast of characters in which both victim and murderer will be hidden in plain sight for the duration of the story. Readers have to try and work out who will be vulnerable and also the potential aggressors.
Our likely suspects appear to be members of a party of friends who have left the city behind to celebrate New Year in the remotest cabin in The Highlands. A resident housekeeper and the Gameskeeper are virtually the only locals they will encounter. There are two other guests (who the friends will try to avoid) and just to keep readers in their toes there is a murder investigation being conducted by local police – have our friends placed themselves at the mercy of a murderous stranger?
Of all the books I read over Christmas this one caused me the most frustration. I enjoyed the story, it is a clever premise and the tension is maintained throughout the story. There are clues and red herrings as to the identity of murderer and victim so it should have been a joy to read. Sadly I found all the city friends to be extremely irritating – which I am sure is intentional as their flaws are clearly flagged and they behave in an abhorrent manner for much of the story.
At points I would have been happy for ALL the friends to have been bumped off and my irritation with most of the cast made me reluctant to keep reading. But perseverance was rewarded and the great premise and ongoing thrills won out in the end.
I have seen lots of praise heaped upon The Hunting Party so I have no doubt it will do well. It is cleverly done and I think would make a great book-group read.
Order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FK6L3T1?pf_rd_p=71cb17e9-f468-4d3f-94d5-a0de44c50a7e&pf_rd_r=HY9JYDZHZ9AJC10APTN1