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

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When young girl named Alice is found left for dead in a lake on the edge of a small village called Leavensfield; it sends huge shockwaves around their small and incredibly close knit community.

But even more shocking is that Maddy’s husband is missing and she soon discovers that Alice was last seen getting into his car. Where is her husband and her why would he hurt Alice? When his car is found abandoned in a ditch Maddy starts to question just how well she knows her husband; raising questions about their relationship and his past.

I really enjoyed this book. Kerry uses great character descriptions, so I really felt like I got to know some of the main characters including Harriet – the local stepford wife style village local who has to be the centre of everything, and Kylie, Maddy’s blunt and challenging teenage daughter.

The book flicks between the present day and Maddy’s childhood with her memories of a traumatic time she experienced with her father whilst growing up.

The pace is steady but detailed; with great scene setting and some really funny use of metaphors. I found myself willed to keep on reading, with lots of tension and suspense building up to the climax of each chapter. There were various twists and reveals which left you gradually building a picture of the events with Alice.

I didn’t predict the conclusion where we learn the truth about what happened on that fateful night and I felt it bought the story to a great end, however I did find the very last page a bit abrupt and felt that I already knew this particular element was coming. That said, it didn’t distract from my enjoyment of the book.

Overall – a really gripping and enjoyable thriller! This being my first book from Kerry, I would happily read another.

4.5/5

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!