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Before She Knew Him
Before She Knew Him
Peter Swanson | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
An Exceptional Psychological Thriller!
This exceptional psychological thriller from Peter Swanson (author of ‘The Kind Worth Killing’), is an absolute masterpiece!

Henrietta ‘Hen’ Mazur and her husband, Lloyd Harding, have dinner one evening with their new neighbours, Matt and Mira Dolamore, at their suburban Boston home. Following dinner, on a tour of their house, Hen notices a fencing trophy in Matt’s study that she believes was won by Dustin Miller, a college student who was murdered two years previous and who attended the high school where Matt is a history Professor. Matt claims that the trophy was bought in a sale, but Hen, who is obsessed with Dustin’s case, suspects that Matt killed Dustin. However, the next day when she visits Mira, the trophy has vanished, thereby reinforcing her suspicions. But Hen gets little support from the Police or her husband because of her history of mental health problems. An unlikely bond then develops between Hen and Matt, whose traumatic childhood adds tonnes of emotional interest to Peter Swanson’s superb narrative. Lots of twists and turns and an edge-of-your-seat plot keep the suspense in “Before She Knew Him” really high until the fulfilling and dramatic conclusion.

This brilliant psychological novel is a fabulous page-turner and a definite winner.

{Thank you to Edelweiss, HarperCollins UK/William Morrow and Peter Swanson for a free copy and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
  
The Promise
The Promise
Teresa Driscoll | 2019 | Thriller
10
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Three girls held a deep, dark secret. Three girls made a promise they vowed to keep forever. Now something and someone is threatening that promise. Will the truth come out or will these women do anything possible to keep their secret hidden forever?

I found this to be an excellent psychological suspense story. Some may describe this as a slow burn but I found the pace to be perfect for this story. The characters build and grow with the story as does the plot as told from past to present. The ending you won't see coming.
The are loads of little hints dropped through the story and some are just red herrings to keep you guessing. I found myself totally absorbed and unable to put the story down til done.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological story with all it's dark twists and turns!

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy!
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Gift (2015) in Movies

Jul 12, 2020  
The Gift (2015)
The Gift (2015)
2015 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An average thriller
I recall watching this at the cinema when this was first released and thought it was alright, and watching it again 5 years later my view hasn't really changed.

This has a good cast, I always love Jason Bateman and it's nice to see Joel Edgerton directing and acting and I think he does a good job in both. The plot itself seems very similar to other stalker/obsessive/revenge films but it's still quite entertaining and fortunately not overly long. The problem is I wouldnt say this is particularly thrilling or tense. The ending is a little surprising but it feels rather lacklustre in general as a psychological thriller. I also found character motivations and actions to be a little unusual and unexplainable, to the point it makes the film even more unbelievable than it is to begin with.

Overall it's an average watchable psychological drama which is sadly ultimately forgettable.