That feeling when a psychological thriller is done right.
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The Blurb:
Shallow Grave meets The Secret History in this quirky psychological thriller.
When you're bound together by secrets and lies who do you trust?
Bristol, 1988.
Five young graduates on the threshold of their careers buy a house together in order to get a foot on the property ladder before prices spiral out of their reach. But it soon becomes the house share from hell.
After their New Year's Eve party, they discover a body - and it's clear they'll be the first suspects. As each of them has a good reason from their past not to trust the police, they come up with a solution - one which forces them into a life of secrets and lies.
But can they trust each other?
The Review
If there is one genre in fiction that lends itself to disappointment, it's the psychological thriller. It's a very saturated genre and so one that is difficult to impress in. Which makes this book all the more of a pleasure to review. I've read some mediocre psychological thrillers recently and so begin each one with a certain sense of trepidation but .... THIS WAS BRILLIANT! I am so grateful that Katharine got in touch and sent me a copy of her new book, as I was genuinely a bit blown away by it, especially from an author I had not encountered before.
One of the reasons this book is so good is the compelling relationships between the characters. Set in a house share of people that know each other only loosely creates a brilliant dynamic and air of distrust. There are 5 main characters, and the author takes the time to introduce these carefully at the start of the book, which keeps them distinct in your mind. (Very useful once the action gets underway)
I can't count the amount of thrillers I have read where characters get themselves into shady situations by making spurious decisions that have you scratching your head. It's frustrating when a book lifts you out of the narrative because you are going "Oh, come on, who would do that?!" And this is where Johnson's storytelling excels - she makes everything the characters do seem so rational! Worryingly, I could completely understand how they talked themselves into doing something so reprehensible (not to mention illegal...) They find themselves in a situation not of their own making and through attempting damage limitation, only make things worse for themselves.
This is one intricate, carefully plotted story line. Nothing is quite as it appears at the beginning and there are some excellent, unpredictable twists. The characters are well defined and so believable and the writing flows effortlessly. I absolutely could not put this down and devoured it in almost one sitting. My one criticism is that towards the end it felt like it wrapped up too quickly to satisfy my appetite. I would have been quite happy for a few more chapters, but always rather this than a book that should have finished a few chapters before it did! Overall this is an utterly gripping and compelling read and I look forward to discovering more of her work.
Thank you to the the author for the free copy of the book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. The Suspects is published on 10th May 2019 by Crooked Cat Books.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Find out more about Katharine Johnson, on her blog: https://katyjohnsonblog.wordpress.com/
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