His And Hers by Alice Feeney #BookReview @alicewriterland’s @HQstories

Today I’m sharing my review for His And Hers by Alice Feeney, a psychological thriller full of surprises and twists. Read on for my review…..

If there are two sides to every story, someone is always lying…

Jack: Three words to describe my wife: Beautiful. Ambitious. Unforgiving. 

Anna: I only need one word to describe my husband: Liar.

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Anna’s ex-husband, DCI Jack Harper, is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.

Someone is lying, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

I’m not going to beat about the bush His And Hers by Alice Feeney made for one of those ‘complete head f##k’ kind or reads! The author expertly weaves a deliciously dark, twisty tale, which shocked me to the core! No mean feat when you read as many psychological thrillers as I do. His and Hers is mainly narrated by two characters, His: DCI Jack Harper, is the lead Detective on a murder case in the village of Blackdown, it soon becomes apparent that he knows more about the victim than he is letting on. Hers: Anna Andrews, a news presenter, and  borderline alcoholic, is sent to report on the murder. She discovers that her ex husband, Jack, is the senior investigating officer and the dead woman is part of her past, a past she prefers to keep buried.

Neither character is a reliable narrator, Jack and Anna don’t even trust each other! So how the hell is the reader meant to? As the story progresses there are lots of grey areas, the characters muddy the lines between half truths and lies, making sure the reader can’t take anything they say at face value, for me this made the read much more exciting, and unpredictable, something that can sometimes be lacking in a novel of this genre. If I’m honest Anna and Jack aren’t the most likeable characters, in fact sometimes I just wanted to give Jack an almighty slap! but that said, it’s their flawed personalities that make it difficult to trust them. Normally I need to feel a connection to the characters if I’m going to relate to their story, but in this instant it no way spoilt my enjoyment of this read, and come the end I found myself warming to both Jack and Anna.

The book takes a dark and more than one disturbing turn, some turns are shocking, others misdirect the reader. I found the pacing perfect, a constant shifting of tension which reaches fever pitch for the shocking conclusion. I read a lot of psychological thrillers, so rarely do they have the element of surprise I crave, but Alice Feeney pulled the rabbit out the hat with this book, I never saw THAT coming! His And Hers is an unsettling psychological thriller, with twists and misdirection at every turn, it’s one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve had the pleasure to read this year. Highly recommended.

Publisher: HQ (28 May 2020)

Buying link: Amazon UK 🇬🇧

My thanks to the publishers for my ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

 

**My Book Of The Month** March 2017 @HQstories @OrendaBooks

Now we’re in April it’s time for me to look back at March reads and choose my Book Of The Month for March 2017.

The Book Of The Month is chosen by myself at the beginning of every month, for the previous month. It goes to the author/book that I found outstanding for that month, and I may have given a higher rating than a 5 star review.

I read some outstanding books in March but there were two books that really stood out for me this month, and I really couldn’t choose between the two of them. Both books had all the elements I look for when reading books, well developed characters, a strong plot and bucketfuls of suspense. So without further ado the books I have choosen are………

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeny

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:

1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.

My thoughts

It’s difficult to believe this is Alice Feeney’s debut novel it’s an highly addictive and compelling read, deliciously plotted with twist and turns galore I devoured this book in just over a day and it’s definitely going to be one of my top reads of 2017. You can read my full review for this fabulous book here…..

Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski

1997. Scarclaw Fell. The body of teenager Tom Jeffries is found at an outward bound centre. Verdict? Misadventure. But not everyone is convinced. And the truth of what happened in the beautiful but eerie fell is locked in the memories of the tight-knit group of friends who embarked on that fateful trip, and the flimsy testimony of those living nearby. 2017. Enter elusive investigative journalist Scott King, whose podcast examinations of complicated cases have rivalled the success of Serial, with his concealed identity making him a cult internet figure.

In a series of six interviews, King attempts to work out how the dynamics of a group of idle teenagers conspired with the sinister legends surrounding the fell to result in Jeffries’ mysterious death. And who’s to blame … As every interview unveils a new revelation, you’ll be forced to work out for yourself how Tom Jeffries died, and who is telling the truth. A chilling, unpredictable and startling thriller, Six Stories is also a classic murder mystery with a modern twist, and a devastating ending.

My thoughts

If you are looking for a new and different type of thriller to read look no further than Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski it’s a classic murder mystery with a modern twist. The story is told through podcasts, which immediately piqued my interest, as it’s such a highly original concept to use in story telling.

You can read my reviews for both books here……..

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/03/20/sometimes-i-lie-by-alice-feeney-bookreview-alicewriterland-hqstories/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/03/18/blog-tour-six-stories-by-matt-wesolowski-bookreview-concretekraken-orendabooks/

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney #BookReview @alicewriterland @HQstories

Book description

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:

1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.

OMG! What a fabulous and twisted read Sometime I Lie is, there is nothing more satisfying than reading a psychological thriller that well and truly messes with your head, and a word of warning here this is one that will leave your head spinning. The market is saturated with psychological thrillers at the moment and on the whole most of the ones I have read have been a decent read, but tend to lack the “thrilling” element I’ve come to expect from such books, but I’m happy to report that Sometime I Lie has the “thrilling” element I crave, it’s also dark and very, very sinister so from the opening chapter I was well and truly hooked.

From the book description it’s evident that Amber is not going to be a reliable narrator, and she certainly doesn’t disappoint. I’m particularly fond of such narrators as you are never quite sure what is real or where the truth lies. As Amber lies in coma there is a deep sense of malevolence that radiates from every page. The characters surrounding Amber as she lies vulnerable all come under close scrutiny and you can’t help but become suspicious of everyone of them at some point in this very deceitful tale. I really thought I had worked out where this story was heading, but fortunately the author wrong footed me at every turn. You know something terrible as happened to Amber but the why’s and how’s are intricately revealed layer by devious layer.

I could go on and on about this book, it really was that good! but in doing so I could give away spoilers which is never my intention, so what I would say this is definitely one of those books you need to read for yourself. It’s difficult to believe this is Alice Feeney’s debut novel it’s an highly addictive and compelling read, deliciously plotted with twist and turns galore I devoured this book in just over a day and it’s definitely going to be one of my top reads of 2017.

I’m sure it won’t come as much of a shock but I will be giving Sometimes I Lie the very prestigious Gold Star Award Rating, the third book of 2017 to get this award. It’s given to a book I feel is particularly outstanding, a book that covers every aspect of what I look for in a good read, fantastic plot, great characters and a storyline that draws me in from the first page and keeps me in its grips until I reach the very last page.

Print Length: 279 pages

Publisher: HQ (23 Mar. 2017)

Amazon UK 🇬🇧

**Weekly Wrap Up**

 

This week I’ve managed to read three books, ok two plus a novella but it’s still a 100% better than last week. Stepping away from social media for a day really helped and in fact it worked so well I’m going to make it a regular event. Thanks to awesome book blogger Renee over at http://itsbooktalk.com who came up with the tag #StepawayTuesday, I will not go near social media on a Tuesday.

Personally I found it worked for me as I really do spend to many hours trawling social media when I could be reading. I did miss reading fellow bloggers awesome reviews, and yes it meant that I missed the most exciting news of the year Last Breath by Robert Bryndza was up on NetGalley shocker! But on the plus side I now have three reviews for the books I’ve read this week.

Books I’ve read this week

Bully Boy Blue by John Nicholl

Last Breath by Robert Bryndza

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

 

ARC’s I’ve received this week

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

 

Book description

Five students go to detention. Only four leave alive.

On Thursday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the bad boy, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the jock, is the all-star baseball pitcher. And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app. Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon’s dead. And according to investi­gators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Thursday, he died. But on Friday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they just the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose? Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

Last Breath by Robert Bryndza

I’m so excited to read the next book in the Erika Foster series, anyone who follows my blog will know I’m a huge fan of Robert and have been known to go a bit overboard with my reviews for this awesome series 🙈

 

Book description

He’s your perfect date. You’re his next victim.

When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it’s not her case.

While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can’t help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier. Dumped in a similar location, both women have identical wounds – a fatal incision to their femoral artery.

Stalking his victims online, the killer is preying on young pretty women using a fake identity. How will Erika catch a murderer who doesn’t seem to exist?

Then another girl is abducted while waiting for a date. Erika and her team must get to her before she becomes another dead victim, and, come face to face with a terrifyingly sadistic individual.

Other news from the book review café

I was so excited (an understatement) to see my quote included on the book jacket for my favourite author on the planet Robert Bryndza’s The Girl In The Ice, yes it’s in Spanish and No I can’t translate it so if you can help please feel free to leave me a comment in this post 😂

Last week on the book review café

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/03/13/rupture-by-ragnar-jonasson-bookreview-orendabooks-ragnarjo/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/03/16/topfivethursday-with-bookblogger-renee-aka-itsbooktalk/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/03/17/topfive-with-the-book-review-cafe-crimethrillers-standalones/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/03/18/blog-tour-six-stories-by-matt-wesolowski-bookreview-concretekraken-orendabooks/

Next week on the book review café

It’s a surprise! or what I really mean is I’m still working out which reviews to schedule next week😂😂