Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsRepetitive and ridiculous
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 December 2019
Having read a couple of the Paula Maguire novels by this author I thought this might be of a similar standard. Sadly not.
It's a tale of domestic woe concerning Suzi, a thoroughly dislikeable woman, married to an equally dislikeable man, Nick. He's a passive-aggressive control freak who spies on his wife via high tech devices in the home and on her phone. She's pregnant by the second man she's had an affair with but hoping to pass it off as Nick's. Then we have the Widow Nora, a new neighbour who has moved into the delapidated cottage across the way. Is she a friend or foe to Suzi? Damian, one of Suzi's former work colleagues - just as sleazy and horrible as everyone else in this book - enters stage right in brief but nasty appearnces.
There's only one reasonably pleasant character in the form of sympathetic and obliging Dr Andrew Holt, who makes a couple of completely unbelievable appearances, and bringing up the rear we have a revolting alcoholic sleaze who works at the same hospital as an anaesthatist - as if.
The setting, a completely isolated rural nightmare of a place in Kent is quite atmospheric, but the characters are abominable, the writing often extremely clunky, the plot predictable and so repetitive it made by eyes bleed.
This is a ridiculous suspend-your-belief-totally book that I cannot recommend to anyone. The police thrillers concerning Paula Maguire are so much better, so read those and give this one a wide berth.
