What I read in November
The Silent House by Laura Elliot
When her marriage breaks up due to her husband’s gambling addiction, Sophy and her daughters are left with nothing. Sophy is then offered a lifeline when she is hired as a live in nurse to an elderly gentleman named Jack who needs 24/7 care, after being severely injured at a fire on the estate. They move to Hyland Hall, an old Manor House in a state of disrepair where Sophy is determined to rebuild their lives without her husband – the girls however are not so keen. They’re scared of Jack – calling him The Recluse and labelling his upstairs dwellings as The Fear Zone.
It soon becomes clear that Hyland Hall holds many secrets and lies and the more Sophy gets to know Jack and his nephew Victor, the more she gets embroiled in the reality of the painful truth.
Told through the eyes of both Sophy, Isobel (the eldest daughter) and Jack himself, this book is a thriller / mystery with an almost gothic twist and I could picture this working really well as a film. The scene setting was great and I loved the relationship between the two sisters; particularly Julie and her ventriloquists dummy – something she uses as a prop for expressing her emotions.
Whilst there was an element of the book that was fairly predictable (I figured it out about 25% of the way through), this was still a really emotional page turner, and built up slowly to a tense finale.
For me – the biggest confusion is the title – it doesn’t feel quite right to me – it was previously called The Tinderbox, and I personally think that works better!
4/5 stars from me 🙂
Trust Me by Sheryl Browne
Emily and Jake work together at his father’s Doctors surgery (he’s a doctor and she is the practice manager) and on the surface have a perfect relationship. Unlike his father – a serial cheat and ladies man, Jake is committed to his family and they have 2 wonderful children together. Emily however is battling her demons after her twin sister died when they fought over the same man and always feels that she doesn’t deserve to be happy.
One day however Emily sees an email meant for Jake, raising her suspicions about him having an affair. What follows is a spiral of events that affect not only her family but many others. As time passes, more and more patients from the surgery receive anonymous letters revealing confidential information that turns their lives upside down, affecting relationships, revealing secrets and highlighting untruths.
It has to be someone from the surgery, but who is doing this – and more importantly why? Suddenly the finger is pointing at her, and whilst she is familiar with keeping secrets, she is desperate to prove that she is innocent.
As the plot thickens this book will leave you questioning almost everyone and just when you think you have it all figured out, you won’t see the ending coming!
4 out of 5 stars.
What my Husband Did by Kerry Wilkinson
(Image to follow)
Silent Night by Nell Pattison
Review coming soon!
The Night Away by Jess Ryder
Review coming soon!
The Next Wife by Liz Lawler
Review coming soon!