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kberry513's review
4.0
I just finished rereading this one and I had completely forgotten whodunnit because of all the various threads, which is the mark of a great book. I liked that in this one, there wasn't much focus on what the police were doing, as all of the characters the reader was following were not on the force. Even Tom isn't really involved, except on the periphery.
Summary: A young girl called Abbie was abducted and when she escaped, she got hit by a car, which then took off. She is in critical condition in the hospital. Abbie was adopted as a child after her little sister died because they were tied up in a cupboard with tape over their mouths while their prostitute mother entertained. She has since ended up with a very nice family, although she has difficulty making friends. She was catfished by someone posing as a girl her own age who was going to be moving to town.
Leo and Ellie are half sisters and their father was a bigamist. When Leo's mother died, he brought her to live with Ellie and her mother, who hadn't known about her existence. The step mother was horrible to both girls, but especially Leo. Their father took off and never came back when they were teenagers and Leo left as soon as she could. The step mother died and left tons of money to Ellie, and nothing to Leo. Ellie tried to give Leo half, but she wouldn't accept. Ellie held out hope that their father would return now that her mother was dead, so she uses some of the money to completely renovate the house they grew up in. She thinks her husband Max is having an affair with a coworker and attempts to even the score by hooking up with the builder, but stops herself before things go too far. Sean the builder becomes obsessed with her and starts stalking her. As it turns out, Max isn't having an affair with the coworker, but had been complicit in covering up for her drug problem. He was also having trouble with the fact that his wife now had a ton of money, so he invests in a real estate venture without telling Ellie, but his guilt over that is causing strife in his marriage. Max's best friend Pat is married to Ellie's best friend Georgia, but after fighting about kids (he wants them and she isn't ready) he had an affair with a bartender named Mimi and their marriage fell apart. When Max and Ellie finish renovating their house, they invited Ellie's friend Fiona and her husband Charles, their old neighbors Penny and Gary, and their new neighbor Tom (DCI Tom Douglas), along with Pat and Mimi, to come over for a dinner party. Fiona married Charles because he wasn't interested in a physical relationship, as she had been raped as a girl (later we find out by Ellie and Leo's dad), but now wants to see what it's like and has started a flirtation with Gary. Gary is an abusive husband, and is frustrated when Fiona pulls away as he never fails when chasing women, taking it out on Penny. He warns Penny to keep away from Leo when she offers free life coaching to anyone who wants it. Mimi sends a text to Georgia from Ellie's phone, basically praising herself and announces a (false) pregnancy. She always calls or texts when Pat is talking to Georgia, as if she knows he isn't where he says he is.
Tom has moved back to the north to be closer to his now 8 year old daughter, and is looking for a job. He starts up a tentative relationship with Leo and helps her find out what happened to her dad.
Leo finally turns up to work through her demons the same night that Abbie gets hit by a car. Max was out at a work function and the shady coworker drove him home. Ellie went out to meet Sean to reiterate that she didn't want him to come around any more. Pat was being a sad sack after having been rejected by Georgia and was simply sitting in his car. Charles had come home to see Fiona, but saw that Gary was there, so he waited until he left, then went to a hotel. Gary is the one who hit Abbie with his car.
Ellie starts getting texts that she assumes are from Sean, but are actually from Abbie's abductor, who has been in their house and threatens her children, telling her to lure her lover to an abandoned farm. The person assumed she was having an affair with Gary and not Sean, and Sean ends up dead. The person then sneaks into Gary's and stabs him, trying to escape just as the police turn up to arrest him for the hit and run. Meanwhile, Ellie gets arrested for Sean's murder. Leo and Tom head to meet Pat after he calls them about some suspicions, and just as they figure out the Mimi is Abbie's birth mother and she abducted her, she takes Leo hostage at knifepoint in Tom's car. Leo crashes the car to get away, killing Mimi.
At the end, Charles and Fiona have started a married romance, Penny has left Gary (who is now in prison anyway), Abbie is recovering, Max and Ellie have reconciled and are going on holiday with their kids, and Tom and Leo are starting something up, although Tom has taken a new job in Manchester which will keep him there most of the week.
Summary: A young girl called Abbie was abducted and when she escaped, she got hit by a car, which then took off. She is in critical condition in the hospital. Abbie was adopted as a child after her little sister died because they were tied up in a cupboard with tape over their mouths while their prostitute mother entertained. She has since ended up with a very nice family, although she has difficulty making friends. She was catfished by someone posing as a girl her own age who was going to be moving to town.
Leo and Ellie are half sisters and their father was a bigamist. When Leo's mother died, he brought her to live with Ellie and her mother, who hadn't known about her existence. The step mother was horrible to both girls, but especially Leo. Their father took off and never came back when they were teenagers and Leo left as soon as she could. The step mother died and left tons of money to Ellie, and nothing to Leo. Ellie tried to give Leo half, but she wouldn't accept. Ellie held out hope that their father would return now that her mother was dead, so she uses some of the money to completely renovate the house they grew up in. She thinks her husband Max is having an affair with a coworker and attempts to even the score by hooking up with the builder, but stops herself before things go too far. Sean the builder becomes obsessed with her and starts stalking her. As it turns out, Max isn't having an affair with the coworker, but had been complicit in covering up for her drug problem. He was also having trouble with the fact that his wife now had a ton of money, so he invests in a real estate venture without telling Ellie, but his guilt over that is causing strife in his marriage. Max's best friend Pat is married to Ellie's best friend Georgia, but after fighting about kids (he wants them and she isn't ready) he had an affair with a bartender named Mimi and their marriage fell apart. When Max and Ellie finish renovating their house, they invited Ellie's friend Fiona and her husband Charles, their old neighbors Penny and Gary, and their new neighbor Tom (DCI Tom Douglas), along with Pat and Mimi, to come over for a dinner party. Fiona married Charles because he wasn't interested in a physical relationship, as she had been raped as a girl (later we find out by Ellie and Leo's dad), but now wants to see what it's like and has started a flirtation with Gary. Gary is an abusive husband, and is frustrated when Fiona pulls away as he never fails when chasing women, taking it out on Penny. He warns Penny to keep away from Leo when she offers free life coaching to anyone who wants it. Mimi sends a text to Georgia from Ellie's phone, basically praising herself and announces a (false) pregnancy. She always calls or texts when Pat is talking to Georgia, as if she knows he isn't where he says he is.
Tom has moved back to the north to be closer to his now 8 year old daughter, and is looking for a job. He starts up a tentative relationship with Leo and helps her find out what happened to her dad.
Leo finally turns up to work through her demons the same night that Abbie gets hit by a car. Max was out at a work function and the shady coworker drove him home. Ellie went out to meet Sean to reiterate that she didn't want him to come around any more. Pat was being a sad sack after having been rejected by Georgia and was simply sitting in his car. Charles had come home to see Fiona, but saw that Gary was there, so he waited until he left, then went to a hotel. Gary is the one who hit Abbie with his car.
Ellie starts getting texts that she assumes are from Sean, but are actually from Abbie's abductor, who has been in their house and threatens her children, telling her to lure her lover to an abandoned farm. The person assumed she was having an affair with Gary and not Sean, and Sean ends up dead. The person then sneaks into Gary's and stabs him, trying to escape just as the police turn up to arrest him for the hit and run. Meanwhile, Ellie gets arrested for Sean's murder. Leo and Tom head to meet Pat after he calls them about some suspicions, and just as they figure out the Mimi is Abbie's birth mother and she abducted her, she takes Leo hostage at knifepoint in Tom's car. Leo crashes the car to get away, killing Mimi.
At the end, Charles and Fiona have started a married romance, Penny has left Gary (who is now in prison anyway), Abbie is recovering, Max and Ellie have reconciled and are going on holiday with their kids, and Tom and Leo are starting something up, although Tom has taken a new job in Manchester which will keep him there most of the week.
cassiecat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.25⭐️
I had this psychological/crime thriller in the audiobook format read by Kristin Atherton who does a great job with distinct voices for the several main characters.
A small village full of secrets( that is an understatement). The main characters are sisters Ellie a nurse, and Leo a life coach.
A girl is struck by a car on a back road only used by villagers. It’s dark covering a wide range of themes.
There a lot of characters including a detective (between jobs) living in the village for a quiet life, it flips between POV’s and time frames to when Leo was young so you have to concentrate. At times it feels bitty, flitting off in different directions. It does give plenty of interest throughout.
The plot is complex, at one point I got a bit confused. It might be a little overly convoluted, although it is all explained at the end. It certainly keeps the reader on their toes.
I enjoyed it, it certainly kept me entertained.
slavicsongbird's review against another edition
3.0
The story is good and some characters are really well-done. But I hated Leo, the character written to be liked, with a passion, precisely for that reason. There is a type of a character, male and female, that I can't stand and that is the strong, beautiful/handsome, all-but perfect primary or secondary protagonist. Why? It's not the almost perfection, though I do prefer more realistic characters, it's that imperfection which is there to make the character 'human' but god forbid it makes them less attractive or conventionally unlikable. I've had it up to here with those stereotypes and I think the author can do better.
I'm not completely happy with Douglas' behaviour, he is slightly too perfect too, but he isn't quite so bad.
I'm not completely happy with Douglas' behaviour, he is slightly too perfect too, but he isn't quite so bad.
mouse35's review
4.0
Very surprised at one point. Kept you guessing the identify of 2 ppl and one was not at all who I was suspecting!
tanninsandtales's review against another edition
Might as well have been named 'Ellie's Musings'.
books_penguin's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
rachiebeeee's review
2.0
I have loved the other Rachel Abbott books I have read but this just didn't meet those expectations. Looking forward to reading Strange Child.
ola_123's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0