After You Were Gone

 After You Were Gone

Vikki Wakefield

Reviewed by Helen

Yes, this one has been sitting on my kindle for way too long, and I am glad that I finally read it, this one is a really good mystery, psychological thriller that pulled me in, how would your life go if you lost your six year old daughter? Abbie finds out when she lets go of her daughter’s hand for just a minute, life changes in a few seconds, there are questions, searches but will they ever find Sarah?

Six years later Abbie has come a long way oh she never forgets what happened but life must go in, she has just married the man she loves, Murray, she is very close to her sister, Jess and her mother Martine is still the same hard to get on with and very difficult at times but Abbie knows that there is love there.

Everything changes when she receives a phone call from a number she doesn’t know and he tells her that he knows what happened to Sarah and sets Abbie on a path to ruin but as far as Abbie is concerned she will do anything to find out what happened to her daughter, nothing will stop her, but what she discovers will shock her.

This is a very complex story and at times I did get frustrated with Abbie and her mother Martine but I really enjoyed this one and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller, I look forward to reading more from this author.

My thanks to Text Publishing and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

4 stars

October 5, 2022 by Text Publishing

Unspoken

 Unspoken

Melinda Di Lorenzo

Reviewed by Helen

When Dale and his wife move from their city apartment to the suburbs to make a new start after a miscarriage, you can tell Dale is feeling uncomfortable right away but his wife is thrilled with the move, then they see their new neighbour, Talia she appears a bit different and as Dale learns this woman has been the victim of domestic violence and is mute, what is their life going to be like both have new jobs but things soon turn for Dale when he attempts to protect his neighbor from a beating and for the life of him he can’t remember what really happened.

Dales life unravels fairly quickly for him he must keep it all from his wife, how will it all turn out?
I must be honest and say that I found this story hard to follow from the beginning but I wanted to find out what happened and when I got to the end, WOW a twist I never saw coming and it is the perfect ending for this book.

This is one that I would highly recommend to any lover of a good physiological thriller, I am sure it will leave you thinking about the story for a while to come.

My thanks to Tule Publishing for my digital copy to read and review.

4 stars

March 12, 2025 by Tule Publishing

The Choice

 The Choice

Lockwood Gate Thrillers #3

Melinda Di Lorenzo

Reviewed by Helen

This is a great twisty psychological thriller that had my head spinning from one side to the other, yes I did get confused sometimes trying to work out what was happening, but I was turning the pages to get to the end and discover everything and it is a busy book lots going on but I was cheering Sadie one.

Sadie Haller-Bent has just got divorced from her detective husband Milo and lost her beloved father at the same time and also has something that she is deciding what to do about, when she is woken one night with a man at her door trying to break in a strange woman on her balcony offering help, what does she do? She takes a chance on the woman and escapes into a nightmare of running this woman tells her not to involve the police, especially her ex-husband, because they want Sadie dead, why would someone want to kill her? The plot thickens and then said woman gets killed Sadie finds herself alone until a young woman steps in to help, can she trust her, will they find the answers to what is happening and why?

This story is one of the most twisty I have read for a while and the author did well I had no idea until the very end the twist in this story, fabulous characters and a well told story that ended with me getting the answers. This is one that I would highly recommend, especially to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller.

My thanks to Tule Publishing for my digital copy to read and review.

4 stars

September 9, 2024 by Tule Publishing

My Sister's Boyfriend

 My Sister's Boyfriend

Nicola Marsh

Reviewed by Helen

I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty psychological thriller I met most of the characters in My Sister’s Husband so was familiar with them but there is a newcomer who becomes Brooke’s boyfriend he is very good looking and does everything right and this is Brooke’s first adult relationship with everything she has been through in the past, but her sister Lizzie who is a psychologist gets really bad vibes form Noel Harwood when she meets him in one of her art therapy classes for released prisoners and she does not yet know that he is Brooke’s boyfriend seeing as they have had a falling out, how will all of this turn out?

Lizzie is very protect of her sister and niece after all that they have been through in the past, they are now estranged their Aunt Alice and Brooke is still not giving her a chance on explaining what happened to make Brooke not want to talk to her, but she will never give up on loving her and protecting her, will Brooke give her a chance to put forward her worries before it is too late.

Brooke is managing well with her daughter a new job she employs a nanny housekeeper, Hazel and when Hazel asks her out for drink to meet her housemate Brooke goes along and meeting Noel Harwood soon changes her life, she is falling for this handsome fabulous man but soon Lizzie is pushing for her to re-think her relationship, Brooke is not happy, trust is not easy for Brooke, she thinks Noel is wonderful until she discovers maybe he isn’t.

This one will have you turning the pages as danger lurks, this one is filled with secrets from the past that have sprung up now to cause hurt and pain, will Brooke, Lizzie and Hope come through alive and well and then the twist at then had me shaking my head. This one is filled with fabulous characters good and bad and I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good twisty psychological thriller.

My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

4 stars

September 9, 2024 by Bookouture

The Perfect Family

 The Perfect Family

Jacquie Underdown

Reviewed by Helen

This family comes across as perfect widowed, Claire mother of three now grown boys, now with partners of their own Matt and Nikky, their two boys Flynn and Ryan, Anthony and Belinda and Vaughn and Paige a new relationship, but are they perfect?

Matt and Nikky work hard and it seems have it all but when Nikky starts to fall apart and question herself, she needs to get to the bottom of why and what she realises shocks her.

Anthony and Belinda have a beautiful house two businesses but what they want more is a baby, but pressure and debt is playing on their relationship.

Vaughn and Paige have just moved in together with Evie’s three year old daughter and are so much in love and very much looking towards a happy future together, but.

Claire widowed when her boys were young but is she who she makes herself out to be, is she pushing her children in ways that she should not, is she evil and narcissistic?

I have had this one on my massive TBR pile for way too long and I am so glad I finally picked it up, what a brilliant story, could one person really be this bad, you need to read this one, I could barely put it down. I do highly recommend it and I loved the ending so much.

5 stars

August 30, 2019 by Jacquie Underdown

The New Couple in 5B

 The New Couple in 5B

Lisa Unger

Reviewed by Helen

WOW this one is a page turner and while reading it, it was bringing back memories of watching Rosemary’s Baby all those years ago, who can you trust in this apartment building called Windermere, Chad and Rosie are just about to find out when they move into their new apartment 5B.

Rosie and Chad are left an apartment from Chad’s uncle Ivan in the historical building Windermere in Mays Hill, New York, with its own doorman and old lift, some say it is haunted some say it is cursed, and soon Rosie and Chad are caught up in a world of strange happenings, a feeling of being watched and heard.

Rosie is an author of true crime stories and is set to write about the Windermere and its past but when things start appearing before her and Chad’s cousin Dana is found dead, and it appears that Chad is keeping secrets from her the accusations are flying in all directions, the feeling of being watched gets stronger and things are tensing up big time especially when another apartment owner dies.

This one had my mind going in all directions and had me on the edge of my seat, the author has created and bought to life the characters on the pages, my heart went out to Rosie with everything that was happening but the question why was it all happening how far would tenants go to get what they wanted and uncovering things that had happened in the past very eerie, would the truth ever be uncovered.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller that will make you think.

5 stars

March 5, 2024 by Park Row

The Echo

 The Echo

The Lockwood Gate Thriller Series #2

Melinda Di Lorenzo

Reviewed by Helen

Book two in this series and it is another twisty mind turning story, when Rose McGovern’s sister, Daisy is found dead at the bottom of a bridge it is declared a terrible accident but Rose knows better and will never give up until the truth is found no matter what danger she puts herself in.

Rose makes herself so well known to the local police station with her thoughts on what really happened that she is soon banned from going there and also taken off to the local psych ward for three days but give up, never.

When Rose in her research discovers another woman’s death eerily the same as Daisy’s Rose is even more convinced that there is something sinister going on, her research leads her to Orin whose sister in law died in a tragic accident as well and between them they continue to do their research and discover a pattern but they both know that the police will not help so it is up to them to find the answers, but will they be able to, who are they up against, who can she trust and how many deaths have there been?

This one again had my mind jumping from one thought to another, fabulous characters Rose and then Orin and Jared added so much to the story and suspense, the more they uncovered the more questions there were, this one is compelling reading, the ending was surprising.

I do highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a good thriller that will have you thinking.

My thanks to the publisher for my digital copy to read and review.

4 stars

May 7, 2024 by Tule Publishing