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As genres go, thrillers are a relatively new love of mine. I'm a self-proclaimed scaredy-cat so anything that causes my imagination to run too wild and make something go bump in the night was something I'd actively avoided but when I started sharing more about what I was reading I wanted to push myself to read a variety of different genres and it turns out I'm a big fan of thrillers.
Charlotte Valentine's debut novel was one I was really excited about and I spent the beginning of May deep within the pages. The Cerberus Affair focuses on government corruption around scientific studies into genetics and it's such a page-turner, I couldn't put it down. The contemporary thriller introduces Catherine Preston, an ex-investigative journalist, who will also feature in future novels. I loved the characters, the development was brilliant and with plenty of shocks throughout, it's the ideal book to pick up for some escapism - I've added the link above so you can purchase now for £1.99 or for free if you have Kindle Unlimited.
A suspicious death.
Corporate corruption and conspiracy.
A ground-breaking genetics discovery, and a race against time to protect it.
And a passionate romance.
Catherine Preston, an ex-investigative journalist, vows to expose those responsible for the death of her friend, a UK junior health minister tipped for Cabinet promotion. His wife believes he was murdered, although officialdom insists he died of natural causes.
Catherine finds herself drawn into a sinister web of corporate corruption and murder, and into the controversial world of cutting-edge genetics research. With so much money at stake, those involved in the conspiracy will silence anyone who crosses their path, including Catherine.
Can she discover who, or what lies behind the mysterious Cerberus? And what will she risk to protect a game-changing scientific breakthrough and the life of the man she loves?
I spied this doing the rounds on Instagram when a read-a-long was taking place and quickly added it to my wishlist. I eventually picked it up with vouchers from Christmas and I'm so glad - it is absolutely gripping. It follows a group of friends to a hunting lodge in the middle of nowhere to celebrate the new year and what ensues is not for the faint-hearted. I read this in a just one day and was thoroughly gripped throughout, more so than I thought I would be. It's a brilliantly written psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end - sure the main story has been done countless times before but the way the characters entwine was excellent. I can't wait to read The Guest List now.
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.
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
This is one I'd put off reading for some time as it all just seemed a bit too done - I was totally wrong because I enjoyed it so much! I really couldn't put this done and found some parts so tense I had to go back and reread it because surely that didn't happen, but oh yes - it did. It's a really clever page-turner that keeps you guessing to the end, I didn't see the ending coming at all!
When Emily meets Adam she knows he is the One.
That together they can deal with anything that is thrown at them.
But lurking in the shadows is another woman, Pammie.
Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother.
There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants . . .
A Nearly Normal Family - M.T Edvardsson
Set in Sweden, this translated novel is told from three points of view from the father, daughter and mother. The storyline is woven together so well and brings up a number of moral dilemmas and questions on how far someone would go to protect their child. After reading part one, I was so certain I knew who the culprit was, but after reading from another point of view, it completely changed for me. There are some hard subjects within the book, some I wasn't prepared for, but I absolutely loved the book. I'm so glad I picked it up!
One night, eighteen-year-old Stella comes home late. The next morning she is accused of murder.
As parents Michael and Ulrika deal with the fallout and try to protect their daughter, they must search out the truth - but how much do they really know about their daughter and just how far they’d go to protect them. Told from three viewpoints - father, mother and daughter - but who is telling the truth?
The Rumour by Lesley Kara
I asked on Instagram recently what people's favourite reads have been and this kept coming up. Turned out I already had it in my to be read pile from my book club with the girls so I picked it up instantly. I sped through this in twenty-four hours and couldn't get enough, I was totally engrossed. I was so sure I knew who the killer was but I was kept guessing until the very end!
When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there’s no going back . . .
Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.
Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.
So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?
