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zooloo1983's review
4.0
This book is nothing short of what I have come to expect from a book with Jane Corry on the cover!! I mean, if you want a book that turns you upset down and inside out and then just, just when you think you can calm down, you get a final sting right as you finish the book.
What a story!! A vicious story of revenge and deceit had me riveted to the spot. Ok, well, the first 20% of the audiobook. I didn’t have a clue what was happening and thought I might not be in the mood for it. But then, all of a sudden, when we focused on Scarlet, I was hooked. That child was manipulated by her mother in the worst way, and then, later in foster care, it wasn’t easy. Until she had the perfect home. My heart went out to her. I was begging for this story to be a happy one for this poor naive child.
Vicki, I was fascinated by her. Her story of becoming a prison governor was briefly touched upon, all to lead you to the big reveal, which I had guessed, but still, the shock of it all took me by surprise. She was treated awfully by everyone, and it angered me when she was accused of faking her epilepsy.
Helen, well dear Helen, your card was marked when you first appeared, and I knew who you were. I just didn’t realise how deep everything went with her, and the length she went to was….well not surprising.
Leaving us with the worst woman in the book. Zelda! What a despicable woman. I detested her from the second she spoke. She is such a self-centered and cruel woman. Urgh.
All these women are linked to the disappearance of the ugliest of men, David. This disappearance is a catalyst for so many things, one of them being death.
Jane really had a way with her words, and she hasn’t failed me yet. She wrote deception and sleight of hand so well. Even if you know and can guess it, it isn’t always a happy thing to guess right because you don’t want it to be true! Her characters all have flaws; yes, even the MC, is she as reliable as we are led to believe? It was interesting to see how she uses mental and physical health in a way to progress the story, throwing doubt every step of the way!
I look forward to my next read by Jane and already have my eye on it. She is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.
What a story!! A vicious story of revenge and deceit had me riveted to the spot. Ok, well, the first 20% of the audiobook. I didn’t have a clue what was happening and thought I might not be in the mood for it. But then, all of a sudden, when we focused on Scarlet, I was hooked. That child was manipulated by her mother in the worst way, and then, later in foster care, it wasn’t easy. Until she had the perfect home. My heart went out to her. I was begging for this story to be a happy one for this poor naive child.
Vicki, I was fascinated by her. Her story of becoming a prison governor was briefly touched upon, all to lead you to the big reveal, which I had guessed, but still, the shock of it all took me by surprise. She was treated awfully by everyone, and it angered me when she was accused of faking her epilepsy.
Helen, well dear Helen, your card was marked when you first appeared, and I knew who you were. I just didn’t realise how deep everything went with her, and the length she went to was….well not surprising.
Leaving us with the worst woman in the book. Zelda! What a despicable woman. I detested her from the second she spoke. She is such a self-centered and cruel woman. Urgh.
All these women are linked to the disappearance of the ugliest of men, David. This disappearance is a catalyst for so many things, one of them being death.
Jane really had a way with her words, and she hasn’t failed me yet. She wrote deception and sleight of hand so well. Even if you know and can guess it, it isn’t always a happy thing to guess right because you don’t want it to be true! Her characters all have flaws; yes, even the MC, is she as reliable as we are led to believe? It was interesting to see how she uses mental and physical health in a way to progress the story, throwing doubt every step of the way!
I look forward to my next read by Jane and already have my eye on it. She is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.
fizreads's review
5.0
Find this review and others on my blog: https://fizwrites.wixsite.com/website/post/the-dead-ex-review
‘He cheated. He lied. He died’. What a great catchphrase. I’m joking but Jane Corry does not fail to impress she has quickly become my go-to favourite mystery/crime/thriller author because her novels are so cleverly crafted with such page-turners that you will be reading any opportunity you have you will also be thinking about it regularly too.
I love a good thriller and this is my third of Corry’s books I have picked up and I loved it, devoured it even. I love when thrillers use medical conditions in menacing ways (that sounds so wrong) but its also because you learn and are educated so much about that condition in this book the main character Vicki has epilepsy which causes her to forget stuff for the plot it is great but also it is such a great insight into how people live with it, how hard it is but also the signs people can spot if the person is in an epileptic fit and what to do. I am still not over Louise Jensen’s ‘The Date’ which explores the medical condition of prosopagnosia and so many other books.
I love how this tackles such heavy topics as well and I think because Jane herself worked in prison the prison scenes are so vivid and authentic that it makes the book that much better. It is psychological, it is deep and twisted and I was completely enthralled from the first page. This was a real page-turner. It has two p.o.v’s one from Vicki who is now an aromatherapist and Scarlet whose story we follow from childhood to the present day. Both of their stories were gripping and when Helen came into the mix it just kept me on my toes hooked until the very end, I loved every minute of this fast pace book. If your looking for a page-turner look no further.
This was my third book of Jane Corry's, safe to say she is now in the category of my go-to for any type of mystery/thriller type of book. Highly addictive, so clever. 4.5 rounded up.
‘He cheated. He lied. He died’. What a great catchphrase. I’m joking but Jane Corry does not fail to impress she has quickly become my go-to favourite mystery/crime/thriller author because her novels are so cleverly crafted with such page-turners that you will be reading any opportunity you have you will also be thinking about it regularly too.
I love a good thriller and this is my third of Corry’s books I have picked up and I loved it, devoured it even. I love when thrillers use medical conditions in menacing ways (that sounds so wrong) but its also because you learn and are educated so much about that condition in this book the main character Vicki has epilepsy which causes her to forget stuff for the plot it is great but also it is such a great insight into how people live with it, how hard it is but also the signs people can spot if the person is in an epileptic fit and what to do. I am still not over Louise Jensen’s ‘The Date’ which explores the medical condition of prosopagnosia and so many other books.
I love how this tackles such heavy topics as well and I think because Jane herself worked in prison the prison scenes are so vivid and authentic that it makes the book that much better. It is psychological, it is deep and twisted and I was completely enthralled from the first page. This was a real page-turner. It has two p.o.v’s one from Vicki who is now an aromatherapist and Scarlet whose story we follow from childhood to the present day. Both of their stories were gripping and when Helen came into the mix it just kept me on my toes hooked until the very end, I loved every minute of this fast pace book. If your looking for a page-turner look no further.
This was my third book of Jane Corry's, safe to say she is now in the category of my go-to for any type of mystery/thriller type of book. Highly addictive, so clever. 4.5 rounded up.
anyaemay's review against another edition
5.0
I found this book took me a few chapters to get into, but once I’d read a bit, I was completely gripped. I found myself asking lots of questions about how the characters could tie together, but once the book was on Part 2 and 3 I couldn’t put it down! The twists were fantastic and I would highly recommend this book! Stick with it and you won’t be disappointed
ruth_power's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Full of twists until the very last page. Takes a bit of time to get into but then I was hooked! Constantly changed my guess as to whodunnit!
revenant_tomato's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chloerebecca974's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
gwendolyne's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
The Dead Ex by Jane Corry is an absolutely spellbinding, suspenseful mystery.
Vicki Goudman is currently living along the coast in Penzance where she is getting her aromatherapy business off the ground. However, her quiet life is completely upended when Detective Inspector Gareth Vine and Sergeant Sarah Brown stop by and begin questioning her about her ex-husband, David. They have reason to believe Vicki might be involved in his perplexing disappearance two weeks earlier. Vicki, whose epilepsy sometimes leaves holes in her memory, is emphatic as she denies having seen him since their divorce several years earlier. Will Vicki's story hold up under police scrutiny?
Now in her mid forties, Vicki's life took a drastic turn following her marriage and divorce. She was blindsided and devastated by David's announcement he was in love with his assistant Tanya and wanted a divorce. Despite his callous treatment of her, Vicki still pines for him and she is edging up to stalking him with phone calls and revisiting places where they spent time together. She is very concerned about David's disappearance and she does herself no favors DI Pine with her evasive answers to his questions. Vicki is also less than forthcoming with her lawyer until her situation turns dire and she has no choice but to reveal the truth about her life before and after she married David.
A secondary story arc follows the poignant plight of eight year old Scarlet Darling and her mother Zelda. Scarlet's story begins in 2007 with Zelda manipulating her daughter into participating in very nefarious schemes. After Zelda is arrested, Scarlet is taken into care where her first placement proves to be quite damaging to the vulnerable young girl. Her next set of foster parents are absolutely wonderful but Scarlet's life-long loyalty to Zelda blinds her to truth about her mother's true nature.
A third story line introduces Helen Evans into the mix as she worms her way into David Goudman's orbit in the months preceding his disappearance. She obviously has an agenda as she hooks David then gradually begins reeling him in. But what possible reason could Helen have for inserting herself into his life? Is she somehow involved in what happened to David?
The Dead Ex is an engrossing mystery with a well-executed storyline. Curiosity about how these three very divergent story arcs intersect keep the pages turning at a furious clip. Jane Corry does an absolutely brilliant job keeping readers wondering how these seemingly unconnected women are linked with the events playing out in the present. With stunning twists and jaw-dropping turns, this clever mystery comes to an very thrilling conclusion. I highly recommend this suspenseful tale to fans of the genre.
The Dead Ex by Jane Corry is an absolutely spellbinding, suspenseful mystery.
Vicki Goudman is currently living along the coast in Penzance where she is getting her aromatherapy business off the ground. However, her quiet life is completely upended when Detective Inspector Gareth Vine and Sergeant Sarah Brown stop by and begin questioning her about her ex-husband, David. They have reason to believe Vicki might be involved in his perplexing disappearance two weeks earlier. Vicki, whose epilepsy sometimes leaves holes in her memory, is emphatic as she denies having seen him since their divorce several years earlier. Will Vicki's story hold up under police scrutiny?
Now in her mid forties, Vicki's life took a drastic turn following her marriage and divorce. She was blindsided and devastated by David's announcement he was in love with his assistant Tanya and wanted a divorce. Despite his callous treatment of her, Vicki still pines for him and she is edging up to stalking him with phone calls and revisiting places where they spent time together. She is very concerned about David's disappearance and she does herself no favors DI Pine with her evasive answers to his questions. Vicki is also less than forthcoming with her lawyer until her situation turns dire and she has no choice but to reveal the truth about her life before and after she married David.
A secondary story arc follows the poignant plight of eight year old Scarlet Darling and her mother Zelda. Scarlet's story begins in 2007 with Zelda manipulating her daughter into participating in very nefarious schemes. After Zelda is arrested, Scarlet is taken into care where her first placement proves to be quite damaging to the vulnerable young girl. Her next set of foster parents are absolutely wonderful but Scarlet's life-long loyalty to Zelda blinds her to truth about her mother's true nature.
A third story line introduces Helen Evans into the mix as she worms her way into David Goudman's orbit in the months preceding his disappearance. She obviously has an agenda as she hooks David then gradually begins reeling him in. But what possible reason could Helen have for inserting herself into his life? Is she somehow involved in what happened to David?
The Dead Ex is an engrossing mystery with a well-executed storyline. Curiosity about how these three very divergent story arcs intersect keep the pages turning at a furious clip. Jane Corry does an absolutely brilliant job keeping readers wondering how these seemingly unconnected women are linked with the events playing out in the present. With stunning twists and jaw-dropping turns, this clever mystery comes to an very thrilling conclusion. I highly recommend this suspenseful tale to fans of the genre.
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 3.5
Characters: 4.25
Believability: 4
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 4
Excitement Factor: 4
Story Line: 4
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 4
Overall: 4.28
Characters: 4.25
Believability: 4
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 4
Excitement Factor: 4
Story Line: 4
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 4
Overall: 4.28