Tattletale by Sarah J Naughton #Review

Book description

The perfect brother. The perfect fiancee. The perfect revenge.

A thriller you won’t be able to predict.

One day changes Jody’s life forever.

She has shut herself down, haunted by her memories and unable to trust anyone. But then she meets Abe, the perfect stranger next door and suddenly life seems full of possibility and hope.

One day changes Mags’s life forever.

After years of estrangement from her family, Mags receives a shocking phone call. Her brother Abe is in hospital and no-one knows what happened to him. She meets his fiancé Jody, and gradually pieces together the ruins of the life she left behind. But the pieces don’t quite seem to fit…

Tattle Tale by Sarah J Naughton Is a book I nearly gave up on as the first few chapters left me bewildered, the chapters moved between events and characters with no explanation but I persevered and once I had worked out who the characters were in relation to the story it made for a quick and enjoyable read. I’m not going to say much about the plot as I hate spoilers but Abe is lying in a coma and for his sister Mags and fiancée Jody the nightmare is just beginning, what follows is a twisted tale of two damaged women, lies, abuse, and mental health issues.

The two women have disturbing pasts which at times made for a difficult read, (some readers maybe upset by some of the content) although I felt some empathy for Mags and Jody they were difficult characters to like. Both have issues which are evident in their actions, and although they both have very different personalities I couldn’t for the life of me find any endearing qualities in either of them. As the plot unfolds I did find myself wondering who was the more reliable narrator, as both women have issues and secrets they would prefer to keep hidden. I do love an unreliable narrator and the author uses this to good effect. The author expertly draws you into her character’s lives, creating tension and layers of suspense as she goes.

As Mag’s investigates her brothers accident everyone comes under suspicion, as the plot progressed and Mag’s attempts to unravel the truth from the lies, the reader gets a sense of unease and foreboding. I did find myself wondering where the plot was leading, there were a few surprises along the way, a couple of which I guessed. Although I wasn’t prepared for the dark and disturbing turn it took, and although perhaps a little unbelievable it was a suitable and apt ending.

If I’m honest Tattletale is a slow starter, but the author builds on the intrigue and suspense making for an enjoyable read. I thought this was going to be a five star read but unfortunately it didn’t quite meet the mark, because Tattletale is told in short sharp chapters that cut from past to present and character to character, it didn’t read as fluidly as I would have liked. I’m sure there will be plenty of readers who will love this taut psychological thriller, for me it was a throughly enjoyable read but not one I loved.

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐out of 5

Publisher: Trapeze (23 Mar. 2017)

Amazon UK 🇬🇧