Psychological Thriller

#Reviews #TheKillingKind by Jane Casey and #TheVirtuesofVice by Catherine C. Heywood

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I’m attempting to read and review all my NetGalley books this month and although ‘The Killing Kind’ is my most recent review copy, I can’t help but bump up any Jane Casey book to the top of the pile. Although it’s not a Maeve Kerrigan novel, (I’m a huge fan of this series) it’s a great thriller read. The second is the sequel to ‘Ground Sweet as Sugar’ by a lovely lady called Catherine C. Heywood whom I’m delighted to have connected with via Twitter and Instagram. Do keep scrolling for some bookish chat.

Published 27th May, 2021

The Killing Kind by Jane Casey

This is a deftly plotted thriller from Jane Casey and comes highly recommended. The novel’s protagonist, Ingrid Lewis, is a London barrister and through one of her cases we are introduced to John Webster: a high functioning sociopath, who is a constant presence during the book. I had so many questions about him and he provides an additional thriller element of trust. There are two other male figures circling around Ingrid to mix up the drama and both add to the question of who can be trusted.
Casey has certainly plotted with panache! There are so many layers and via a narrative of mixed time frames, emails and court documents the reader needs to work hard to make the connections and work out where the story is taking you; to find out who is hiding behind their lies.
I must admit I had a strong suspicion about one of the culprits early on, so it was enjoyable tracking the clues to the dramatic conclusions and reveals.
I’d certainly recommend this book to thriller fans – it’s intelligent, cleverly weaved and provides many doubts, twists and spins until the final reveal.
Despite not being the wanted 2021 release of the next book in Casey’s fabulous Maeve Kerrigan series, I was content with this standalone whilst waiting. If you haven’t read any of the Maeve Kerrigan crime reads you are absolutely missing out. It’s an exceptional crime, thriller series and is highly recommended.
‘The Killing Kind’ gets a thumbs up from me. Addictive, satisfying and crafty.

Published 16th March, 2021

The Virtues of Vice by Catherine C. Heywood

‘The Virtues of Vice’ continues the story began in ‘Ground as Sweet as Sugar’ (you’ll definitely need to read this before to understand what’s happening) and our lead characters Charlotte and James are battling with both current events and their feelings for each other. Life in the West Indies remains tough and there’s a balance to be found, not only in their personal lives but in the world around them.
The drama certainly continues for Charlotte as she is punished for her part in crimes of the previous book. James is, as always, on her side, even when he perhaps shouldn’t be. Heywood’s characters have flaws and Charlotte certainly does; this can alienate her from the reader and we have to remember this fiction is set in a far-removed time to understand events and decisions. James and Charlotte’s relationship does dominate the book, but we also have dangers and manipulations to deal with. This is a world of strife, greed, desires, domination and despair. But it’s balanced by the positives: love, loyalty and friendship.

Heywood, as always provides a story that drags the reader into some wonderful escapism, romance and high drama.
A book of consuming love, justice, power and revenge, where the end to all virtue is finally happiness.

#BlogTour THE MURDER GAME by @RachelAbbott #RandomThingsTour #BookReview with thanks to @Wildfirebks @headlinepg

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A thank you to Anne Cater and Wildfire Books for the invite to the blog tour for #TheMurderGame by Rachel Abbott. Welcome to some bookish chat…

A year ago today, we all gathered for Lucas’ wedding at his glorious Cornish home overlooking the sea.
But no one was married that day.
Now Lucas has invited us back to celebrate the anniversary. But the anniversary of what? The wedding that never happened, or the tragedy that occurred just hours before the ceremony was due to begin?
He’s told us that tonight he has planned a game. We have our costumes, we have our parts, and everyone must play. The game, he tells us, is about to begin.
What does Lucas want from us? What are we not being told? And what’s going to happen when this terrible game is over?

My thoughts

I had such a great time reading this book! I hadn’t realised it was the second in the Stephanie King series, but it didn’t matter one bit. Abbott’s narrative places the central characters at the heart of the story, so King arrives later, when the police become involved, to lead the investigative aspect of this psychological thriller.

This is one of those books that has shades of an Agatha Christie novel. The careful line up of characters, from the charming to the acerbic, the desperate to the fragile. I loved the backdrop of lazy summer living at Polskirren, a beautiful manor house next to the Cornish coastline; a house where a group of friends meet, and where tragic events quickly unfold. It’s a joy to be introduced to all the players and the set-up is a delicious mash of furtive glances, eye gestures, huddled conversation and ambiguous comments.

The narrative is split between several of the female voices, so the perspectives change, which is a great way the book plays with the reader. I absolutely loved trying to work out the puzzle Abbott provides in this thriller story: the drip feeding of information; the slow unfurling of the central characters; the introduction of the ‘game’ in the prologue, and the female voices all slowly building the jigsaw pieces from the past. It is genuinely hard to put this book down!

This is a highly recommended psychological thriller read where an old mystery has woken up, as past friends meet on the cusp of a new wedding. Memories are stirred and questions answered, questions that some people desperately want to remain buried. With themes of trauma, forgiveness, friendships, secrets and love, this is an immersive read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Check out the other fabulous bloggers on this tour:

The author

Rachel Abbott began her career as an independent author in 2011, with Only the Innocent, which became a No.1 bestseller on Kindle, topping the chart for four weeks.
Since then, she has published eight further psychological thrillers and sold over 3 million copies. She is one of the top-selling authors of all time in the UK Kindle store, and her novels have been translated into 21 languages.
Rachel splits her time between Alderney – a beautiful island off the coast of France – and the Le Marche region of Italy, where she is able to devote all her time to writing fiction.