April 15

The Fear – CL Taylor

 

Sometimes your first love won’t let you go…

When Lou Wandsworth ran away to France with her teacher Mike Hughes, she thought he was the love of her life. But Mike wasn’t what he seemed and he left her life in pieces.

Now 32, Lou discovers that he is involved with teenager Chloe Meadows. Determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, she returns home to confront him for the damage he’s caused.

But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as Lou tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that she could once again become his prey…

 

My thanks to Sabah at Avon for the chance to join the blog tour

 

My first CL Taylor thriller and I had high expectations as I have been very aware of the praise my fellow bloggers shower upon her books. I was not disappointed, The Fear is a very readable, fast flowing story which takes on an unsettling subject matter and makes it a compulsive reading experience.

Fronting the story is Lou Wandsworth, when she was a schoolgirl she fell for one of her teachers – he made her feel special and understood the problems she faced when it seems nobody else was paying attention to her. The reader sees Lou’s infatuation with her teacher growing but we also see that the teacher has singled out Lou for his attentions and we know exactly what his intentions are. It makes for unsettling reading.

The relationship develops and Lou runs away to France with her teacher. Only when they reach the continent does Lou begin to realise that she may have made a terrible mistake.

Now, almost 20 years later Lou becomes aware that the first man she loved, who has cast a shadow over her life ever since that trip to France, may not have changed his ways and is still showing too much interest in young schoolgirls. But will she be able to make the police understand her concerns?  If not then is there anything which Lou can do to protect young Chloe Meadows from making all the same mistakes that Lou made?  Not if Chloe does not want to be helped.

As I was reading The Fear I was struck by the different perceptions I had about a number of the characters. It is hard to explain why without straying into “spoiler territory” but characters who have been victims in the past will take proactive action around new events and you wonder if their decisions are justified. I had thought that this would make a brilliant book for a reading group or book club – turns out I am not alone in that thought as there are discussion questions included at the end of the story…nice touch!

While the subject matter may be unsettling for some readers, I thoroughly enjoyed The Fear. It takes on a harrowing topic and CL Taylor delivers a twisty and unsettling story. However, it also contains that crucial and magical “one more chapter” element which ensures you want to keep reading – you will feel you must find out what happens to the characters.

 

The Fear is published by Avon Books and is available in digital, paperback and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fear-sensational-thriller-Sunday-bestseller-ebook/dp/B07566QWH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523783169&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fear+cl+taylor

Follow the tour:

 

Category: From The Bookshelf, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Fear – CL Taylor
November 23

The Kind Worth Killing – Peter Swanson

A Kind Worth Killing‘Hello there.’
I looked at the pale, freckled hand on the back of the empty bar seat next to me in the business class lounge of Heathrow airport, then up into the stranger’s face.
‘Do I know you?’

Delayed in London, Ted Severson meets a woman at the airport bar. Over cocktails they tell each other rather more than they should, and a dark plan is hatched – but are either of them being serious, could they actually go through with it and, if they did, what would be their chances of getting away with it?

Back in Boston, Ted’s wife Miranda is busy site managing the construction of their dream home, a beautiful house out on the Maine coastline. But what secrets is she carrying and to what lengths might she go to protect the vision she has of her deserved future?

A sublimely plotted novel of trust and betrayal, The Kind Worth Killing will keep you gripped and guessing late into the night.

 

My thanks to Sophie at Faber & Faber for my review copy

 

Can I just write ‘WOW’ and leave it at that?  The Kind Worth Killing is a WOW book, it just keeps giving – shocks, twists and that wonderful ‘one more chapter’ element that only the very best of reads can deliver.

Ted Severson meets a woman just before he boards a plane, they get chatting and (under the influence of too much booze) Ted shares too much of his personal worries with this stranger. However rather than this being the end of their acquaintance the couple find themselves sat next to each other on the flight and a plan is hatched that could solve all of Ted’s problems.

Meanwhile Ted’s wife, Miranda, is living the dream, she has snagged a rich husband, is overseeing the redevelopment of a gorgeous house and may just fight tooth and claw to protect her idyllic lifestyle.

If Ted’s problem is Miranda can he make his problem ‘go away’?  For Miranda – can she find a way to hang on to all that she holds dear (even if this does not necessarily include Ted)?

A brilliant clash of strong personalities lies ahead. Evil minds will plot and only the most devious will prevail. The police will become involved but such is the duplicity on show that they are clueless and scrabbling around in the dark – they know something is amiss but have no leads to pursue!

In 2014 Sarah Hilary delivered my ‘jaw drop’ moment in Someone Else’s Skin.  For 2015 my ‘jaw drop’ accolade goes to Peter Swanson – one scene in The Kind Worth Killing was just so unexpected that I was totally unprepared for what I was reading (and I honestly had no idea where the story was going to head from that point onwards). Once I had recovered from that shock I was so psyched at what I had just read that I was compelled to keep reading, long into the night. I just HAD to know what was going to happen next.

The Kind Worth Killing has more twists than Chubby Checker on a helter-skelter!  It is a dream to read and is without any doubt one of the best books I have read for a long, long time.

I am not going to recommend you read The Kind Worth Killing – I am going to tell you that you HAVE to read it!  A 5/5 review score goes without saying.  Except I did say it (for clarity).

 

The Kind Worth Killing is published by Faber & Faber and is available in paperback and digital formats: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kind-Worth-Killing-Peter-Swanson/dp/057130222X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

 

 

Category: 5* Reviews, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Kind Worth Killing – Peter Swanson