Saturday, October 17, 2020

When I was ten by Fiona Cummins

The murder of Dr. and Mrs. Carter shocked the nation, with images of their daughter wearing blood soaked pyjamas splashed across the front page.  The people from their village weren't shocked, they were outraged that a pillar of their community and his wife had been murdered, stabbed viciously with scissors, by one of their spoilt brats.  No one knew the truth, well no one grown up - their friend and neighbour knew the truth about what it is was like to live in the Carter house.  No one but Brinley Booth knew about the mental torment, the physical abuse, the cruel mind games and manipulations of the adult Carters.  Shannon and Sara have to put up with mind games and near starvation, which makes them the target of other children in the village who have no idea of what is happening to the sisters.  Being a doctor makes it easier for their father to hide the extent of his abuse - he can mend broken bones, put stitches in wounds, and know exactly how far he can push things.  That all changes one fateful night. when he pushes one of his daughters too far.

Years later, in another quiet village Catherine Allen wakes in the night to discover that her world has been turned upside down overnight.  Somehow the press has discovered that she was once one of the Carter sisters, given a new name and a fresh start at life - something she embraced.  Married with a daughter of her own, her carefully rebuilt world starts to crumble as her husband and daughter discover who she really is.  At the same time, Brinley Booth finds herself in an awkward position as a journalist who has an amazing story to tell - if only she can push herself to break trust with her friends and give an exclusive story to the newspaper she works for.  As Catherine struggles to come to terms with her sisters sudden reappearance in the world, she also has to face what happened all those years ago and what it means for her, her sister, and Brinley.

When I was ten is one of those books that uses the technique of moving back and forth between times to tell the story - sometimes that doesn't work very well, but it works brilliantly for When I was ten.  One of the reasons the time shifting works is because it presents what is happening now, shows what happened in the past, shows more about the present, then explains more about the past - but it does it in a smooth manner that feels like a moving conversation rather than just jumping around.  This was one of those brilliant stories where I kept flip-flopping over where I thought the story was heading as Cummins did such an amazing job of dropping hints and tricks equally.  

The characters are what drives the story, and while there is action and drama, it is the characters that carry the story.  What happened to the Carter sisters was horribly awful, and the worst part is that you know there are children out there who are living with the same or worse.  It felt like Cummins handled the subject matter with compassion and respect, rather than just using it as a gimmick.  There are so many themes here that despite the somewhat icky subject matter, it would make a brilliant book club read as there are so many aspects of the story that could open up all kinds of discussions and further reading. 

Highly recommended read, though people who have experienced child abuse and severe neglect may find the subject matter triggering.

If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Sweet little lies by Caz Frear

Catrina "Cat" Kinsella is a Detective Constable with Murder Investigation Team 4 - although if her supervisor Detective Chief Inspector Steele has her way, Cat may be shuffled off on a secondment soon for her 'own good'.  After attending a particularly gruesome murder scene, where a little girl was with her mothers dead body for several days before being discovered, Cat has been forced to go to counselling to help her deal with the emotional aftermath.  The counselling doesn't seem to be doing much good though, it is just stirring up emotions and memories she has no intention to deal with - particularly around her relationship with her estranged father.  Cat and her father have barely spoken for years, partly because of his womanizing way before her mother died. and partly because she kept a secret for him when she was a child - the secret that he had seen Maryanne Doyle before she went missing nearly twenty years ago.

When a woman is found murdered in her patch, Cat has no idea that the murder victim, Alice Lapaine is going to start a fall of dominoes that has the potential to end her career with the Police.  As they investigate her murder, they discover that Alice was keeping secrets from her family and friends - she was not who she said she was.  When Cat realizes that the murder scene is only a stones throw from the pub where her father lives and works, it raises some difficult questions for her - could her father be involved in the death of Alice?  Cat knows she should confess the potential conflict of interest and excuse herself from the case, but she can't do it.  As she gets more and more involved in the case she uncovers secrets that were better left forgotten and buried - Alice's and her own.

When you read as many crime and thriller books as I do it can be challenging to find a book that stands out from the rest of the field, but Sweet little lies managed to do just that.  Cat is a relatable character, she isn't perfect, and she makes mistakes - just like the rest of us.  Through her memories and experiences we learn about Cat and her family, and her family connection to the disappearance of Maryanne Doyle so many years ago.  I was talking with someone recently about what makes a great main characters for a crime/thriller and we came to the conclusion that it was having flaws that make them more relatable.  Cat has flaws in spades, and like so many people she takes an awkward situation and makes it worse by keeping secrets and trying to stay in control - something that never goes well for anyone.  

Sweet little lies is the first book in a series and does an outstanding job of setting Cat up as a character, filling in some of her past, and creating a situation that could make or break her career.  It has elements of a mystery, aspects of a thriller, and just a dash of family drama to make a thoroughly engrossing and addictive read that I had to read in one sitting because I resented every little interruption when I was trying to read.   The advantage of discovering Sweet little lies now is that I don't have to wait ages for the sequel because it is already published!

If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Before she was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney

 Helen Stephens has a quiet existence in the Sun City community, surrounded by other seniors and enough diversions to make her retirement interesting.  She spends her days teaching Latin part time, playing cards, and socialisng with her closest neighbours.  It's not an exciting existence, but she doesn't want exciting, she wants peace and quiet - peace and quiet mean no one will uncover her secrets.  The biggest secret she hides is that Helen Stephens is not her real name, her real name is Clementine "Clemmie" Lakefield and she is hiding from her past.  For decades she has hidden from her past, living as Helen Stephens, doing nothing to attract attention to herself - all that changes in a single morning.  Clemmie has a key for her next door neighbours house, a secretive and anti-social man named Dominic "Dom" Spesante.  The key was for emergencies, a grudging little bit of trust after he had a bad fall and wasn't discovered straight away.  

When Dom doesn't answer her daily check in text Clemmie lets herself into his unit, and in the process of looking for him discovers a door in the garage that connects Dom's unit to the end unit - a unit that is empty most of the time, the owners barely seen.  Letting herself into the end unit Clemmie has a look at the sterile looking unit and discovers a glass sculpture that captures her attention.  Snapping a quick picture with her phone she sends the image to her grand niece and grand nephew, two of the only family she has left.  It is a moment that she quickly lives to regret because the glass sculpture is more than it appears, and the owner wants it back.  For years Clemmie has lived in relative safety and security, but that is all about to change in more ways than one - and she may finally have to face her past.

Before she was Helen was a completely absorbing read that I read in a single session because I didn't want to put it down.  This book has two stories woven together by Clemmie.  In the present we have Helen, a single semi-retired woman who carefully keeps her family and community lives separated - complete with separate cell phones.  In the past we have Clemmie as a teenager and young woman who has to deal with something no woman should have to - a past that could be exposed by events in the present.  With a character driven story and fast pace this is a book that is easy to read, despite some of the themes and situations, and it will be very interesting to see if Caroline B. Cooney writes more adult novels as this was a thoroughly absorbing read.

If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla