All for You by Louise Jenson

 

The book:-

MEET THE WALSH FAMILY

Lucy: Loving mother. Devoted wife. And falling to pieces.
Aidan: Dedicated father. Faithful husband. And in too deep.
Connor:Hardworking son. Loyal friend. But can never tell the truth.

Everyone in this family is hiding something, but one secret will turn out to be the deadliest of all . . .

Can this family ever recover when the truth finally comes out?

What I thought:-

Louise Jensen has done it again, but even twistier and darker than before!  This story describes a devoted family, but like most families, each member has secrets, and secrets can be dangerous. The slow dig below the surface of their lives had me gasping with surprise as events unfurled.  Meanwhile, their community is sent reeling by the disappearance of a teenaged boy.  All is very much not as it seems.

Louise Jenson has written some excellent psychological thrillers but this one has more suspense, twists and surprises than any other of hers I have enjoyed: she has taken it to another level.  I was absolutely gripped by the story and rode the rollercoaster of twists and disclosures with a mounting sense of excitement and dread.  An amazing, brave piece of writing, domestic noir at its best.  How far would you go for your loved ones?

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Nellie is a beautiful young teacher, engaged to a man who is successful and wealthy. on the brink of an exciting new life.

Vanessa, who still loves her husband, has suffered the breakdown of her marriage  and is struggling to survive alone. 

In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I will keep this review short and sweet.  This book is full of twists, shocks and surprises and is a pacy, engaging read.  It's well worth spending time with.

Stop at Nothing by Tammy Cohen

An enjoyable book, though I did sometimes get impatient with Tess, the main character.  When her daughter is threatened with a serious attack on her way home from a night out, Tess is outraged on her behalf and wants her to feel safe in her neighbourhood.  So far so good, but while she initially co-operates with the police, when they fail to find the culprit and stop actively pursuing the case, Tess decides to take the law into her own hands.  Her friends and her estranged husband fail to dissuade her from this crusade, and she comes close to getting into trouble with the law herself in consequence.  What saves the story is that Tess is a fundamentally sympathetic character who has been having a very hard time since the breakdown of her marriage and she desperately needs to start taking charge of her life in a constructive way, move on and rebuild it anew.  She has a secret, which is eventually revealed to us.  Meanwhile, she has a new friend in Frances, the woman who witnessed and saw off the would-be attacker.  She appears to be highly supportive to Tess and her daughter, Emma - but is she all that she seems?  Can Tess get justice and make her family's world safe again? There are some interesting plot twists and suspense, and it is an entertaining read.

The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood

A beautifully written, extraordinary novel which is an engrossing and haunting read, The Poison Garden is one of those rare books you finish reading and immediately want to read again.  It is the story of Romy, an engaging character who is taken by her mother to live in a commune in deepest Wales, which gradually reveals itself to be less a power-sharing group and more a patriarchal cult.   Everyone has their role, and children are expected to acquire life skills from an early age and play their part in community life.  However, as power struggles begin, who can resourceful Romy trust?  And, when she escapes the confines of the community, how can she and her siblings learn to live in the world the rest of us know?  You may be able to take the girl out of the  commune, but can you take the commune out of the girl?  This is a thoughtful and intelligent story which raises many question about how we raise and protect our children, and being an Alex Marwood book, there are strong psychological themes and twists to entertain and surprise the reader.  I thoroughly recommend this superb read.