Scan barcode
A review by beate251
Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ellen has just bought her dream house in a small community and moved in with her husband and three children, planning a big renovation to bring the house up to a modern standard. She has friends and family around her and everything is right in her world. Until she receives a threatening letter in the post, telling her that actions have consequences.
Let's set one thing straight from the beginning: Ellen Walsh is not a bad person. She has her faults like we all do but she is a completely ordinary woman, wife and mother. Sure, she drinks a bit too much and she thinks the world of herself but the five bad deeds she's apparently done she has done with no malice intended. In fact they are mostly ordinary things, and she is blissfully unaware that some people around her feel deeply aggrieved, until that letter from someone who feels so wronged that they intend to ruin her life. The problem is she really doesn't know what she might have done and to whom!
This is a very cleverly plotted and executed multi POV psychological thriller and the first standalone that Caz Frear has written. I like her Cat Kinsella police procedurals but this is on another level.
The action hops from person to person - just when we're getting to a good part, we're changing lanes. The chapters are short and sharp, and the constant cliffhangers are very effective in ramping up the tension. I couldn't put this down because I simply had to know how the increasingly unhinged hate campaign against her was going to unfold.
Some reviewers say they didn't like Ellen - I didn't like most people around her, especially when you learn just why they are so angry with her - although never to her face. That riled me the most. If you have a beef with someone, tell them! This isn't a novel about an unlikeable person - it's a novel about several unlikeable people blaming her for all the disappointments in their lives. The sort of people who are friendly and neighbourly to your face then talk about you behind your back.
This is an extremely well-written and compelling revenge story,
suspenseful and interesting to the last page, with many twists and red herrings.
Caz Frear is now a favourite author and I can't wait for the next thriller!
Let's set one thing straight from the beginning: Ellen Walsh is not a bad person. She has her faults like we all do but she is a completely ordinary woman, wife and mother. Sure, she drinks a bit too much and she thinks the world of herself but the five bad deeds she's apparently done she has done with no malice intended. In fact they are mostly ordinary things, and she is blissfully unaware that some people around her feel deeply aggrieved, until that letter from someone who feels so wronged that they intend to ruin her life. The problem is she really doesn't know what she might have done and to whom!
This is a very cleverly plotted and executed multi POV psychological thriller and the first standalone that Caz Frear has written. I like her Cat Kinsella police procedurals but this is on another level.
The action hops from person to person - just when we're getting to a good part, we're changing lanes. The chapters are short and sharp, and the constant cliffhangers are very effective in ramping up the tension. I couldn't put this down because I simply had to know how the increasingly unhinged hate campaign against her was going to unfold.
Some reviewers say they didn't like Ellen - I didn't like most people around her, especially when you learn just why they are so angry with her - although never to her face. That riled me the most. If you have a beef with someone, tell them! This isn't a novel about an unlikeable person - it's a novel about several unlikeable people blaming her for all the disappointments in their lives. The sort of people who are friendly and neighbourly to your face then talk about you behind your back.
This is an extremely well-written and compelling revenge story,
suspenseful and interesting to the last page, with many twists and red herrings.
Caz Frear is now a favourite author and I can't wait for the next thriller!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol