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The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window
A.J. Finn | 2018 | Thriller
7
8.0 (41 Ratings)
Book Rating
A pretty good debut
An interesting psychological thriller full of suspense that although I enjoyed, it took me quite a while in before I connected with the main character, Anna, for some reason; I've been wracking my brains trying to think why but I just can't come up with an explanation and because of this, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have which is a shame because it's a great story and not like anything I have read before.

The story is told completely from Anna's perspective but because of her fragile mental health and the wine and medication concoction, you question whether what she is saying is actually what is happening ... as she herself ends up doing.

I found it quite a sad book overall and I felt a lot of empathy for Anna and her situation but it was also a story of triumph over adversity with a gradual build up to the explosive ending which I found very satisfying.

Overall, a pretty good debut that is not full of the usual blood and violence ... it's definitely a slow burner that builds and builds to a satisfying conclusion.

I think this book would transfer really well to the big screen and I am pleased to note that it is in development as a major motion picture from Fox - it's just a shame that Alfred Hitchcock isn't alive to direct it!

Thanks to the publisher, HarperCollins UK HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
  
I
Interference
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
My Amazon Prime Membership Kindle First book - August 2016.

This month I chose the Psychological Suspense “Interference” written by Amélie Antoine and flawlessly translated from French to English by Maren Baudet-Lackner.

The book is set in current times and told from the view of the three main characters.

Chloé and Gabriel are a young married couple, who appear to be living the perfect life until Chloé drowns while swimming in the ocean early one morning. Heartbroken Gabriel feels Chloé’s presence wherever he goes and whatever he does and finds it extremely difficult to move on until he joins a support group for the recently bereaved.

This is where Gabriel meets Emma a photographer who has joined the support group to offer to create memory-books for the bereaved to remember their loved ones. The two are drawn to each other but Gabriel finds it very difficult let go of Chloé and feels her presence everywhere.

There is a point, about halfway, where the story twists, almost unbelievably so. I won’t give anything away but I will say that some of the reviews I have read suggest that this storyline is just too far fetched. I am not so sure, I worry that in these times we are living in today if this could actually happen somewhere to someone… The tone of the book switched at this point and I found I wasn’t enjoying it quite so much. I continued to read and I am glad I did as it was well written and kept me wondering until the very end…
  
Split (2016)
Split (2016)
2016 | Horror, Thriller
M. Night Shyamalan once again has audiences very excited for absolutely no reason. The trailer portrays an interesting psychological thriller of a man (James McAvoy) subjected to many different forms of consciousness, as the plot tells he is one of the first to openly portray over twenty different personalities.

He even takes on different physical characteristics down to a metabolic level as he switches from persona to persona. This combined with the character of a doctor (Betty Buckley) who is thrilled to perhaps have discovered the missing link to understanding the unused portion of the human mind, sounds like it makes for a great sci-fi thriller.

Unfortunately rather quickly the plot devolves after the disturbed man’s abduction of three teenage girls turns over the top hokey and stereotypical. Nothing can be said that will make up for the impending disappointment of viewers as yet again Mr. Shyamalan has an idea that sounds quite intriguing, yet falls completely flat and leaves viewers feeling as if they are the brunt of the joke.

As the psychotic killer develops into a character audiences could really be scared of, a turn for the worst happens when he is transformed by his own mind into an animal. Reaching beyond anything physically possible in a much staged way, he becomes a superhuman creature who rampages until he is caught.

Even with skilled acting at his disposal Shyamalan has managed to make another very poor quality film. At each step of the way, the suspense almost grabs you but is completely predictable. It’s too bad but this one earns
  
The Life She Wants
The Life She Wants
Mel Sherratt | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am a fan of Mel Sherratt's work and always look forward to reading her books but, I have to say, never have I been so confused as I was with this one.

Now, whilst at first this might seem to be a negative, let me reassure you that if you stick with it, everything falls into place very nicely and the confusion was well worth it in the end.

Told from different perspectives over different timelines, this is a complex storyline which deals with various unsavoury but important and contemporary themes; coercive control, domestic abuse and loss. These are hard-hitting subjects but Mel deals with them with respect.

There are a number of characters and all have a part to play but I found I didn't really focus on them that much as I was more interested in the story and how it was going to play out. That's not to say they weren't great characters, far from it, it's just that the story was so engrossing that they felt secondary to me somehow.

Full of secrets, lies and manipulation, this is a book that makes you angry and sympathetic all at the same time. It's definitely one that kept me totally engrossed and I couldn't read fast enough.

With atmosphere, suspense and tension aplenty, this is a book that I would definitely recommend to lovers of psychological thrillers and I have to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.