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A review by stephbookshine
The Cuckoo Wood by M. Sean Coleman
5.0
*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author, Red Dog Press and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
The Cuckoo Wood is instantly gripping and plunges the reader straight into the oppressive menace of a closed society with some dark secrets.
This is a classic psychological mystery thriller, with just a touch of the paranormal to add an occult flavour to events. The atmosphere is dark and brooding; not scary like a horror story, but more wreathed in a fog of fear and mistrust (think Hound of the Baskervilles, The Woman in White, or Rebecca).
Ripley makes a fascinating and relatable main character, and the side characters are well-defined, with the focus on the psychology of why people behave the way they do, particularly when it comes to group/mob behaviours.
The plot plunges you straight in, then twists and turns, back and forth from the present to the past and back, keeping a tight grip on the reader’s attention. Also, despite giving us inside information from the perspective of the victims in the case, Coleman manages to keep the reader in the dark as to what is really going on, and what happened in the past, right up until the final twist.
The Cuckoo Wood is an accomplished mystery, packed with suspense and the introduction of Ripley sets up a promising premise for future novels in the series. I’ll be following this author avidly, and look forward to bringing you my review of Book 2 later this month!
“It’s all a bit tenuous for now,” she said. “But we’ve had two almost identical teenage suicides, local girls, in the space of four months.”
“That’s not good,” replied Ripley.
“Both from a tiny and very religious farming community. The word sin is being bandied about a lot. And no one will talk about their deaths, let alone discuss why they might have drowned themselves.”
“Suicide is a tough one in any faith,” Ripley agreed.
“Well, there are a few things that make me wonder whether there’s not someone or something else involved.”
“What kind of things?” Ripley sat forward, intrigued.
“Well, for one, there’s been talk of an angel.”
– M. Sean Coleman, The Cuckoo Wood
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
The Cuckoo Wood is instantly gripping and plunges the reader straight into the oppressive menace of a closed society with some dark secrets.
This is a classic psychological mystery thriller, with just a touch of the paranormal to add an occult flavour to events. The atmosphere is dark and brooding; not scary like a horror story, but more wreathed in a fog of fear and mistrust (think Hound of the Baskervilles, The Woman in White, or Rebecca).
Ripley makes a fascinating and relatable main character, and the side characters are well-defined, with the focus on the psychology of why people behave the way they do, particularly when it comes to group/mob behaviours.
The plot plunges you straight in, then twists and turns, back and forth from the present to the past and back, keeping a tight grip on the reader’s attention. Also, despite giving us inside information from the perspective of the victims in the case, Coleman manages to keep the reader in the dark as to what is really going on, and what happened in the past, right up until the final twist.
The Cuckoo Wood is an accomplished mystery, packed with suspense and the introduction of Ripley sets up a promising premise for future novels in the series. I’ll be following this author avidly, and look forward to bringing you my review of Book 2 later this month!
“It’s all a bit tenuous for now,” she said. “But we’ve had two almost identical teenage suicides, local girls, in the space of four months.”
“That’s not good,” replied Ripley.
“Both from a tiny and very religious farming community. The word sin is being bandied about a lot. And no one will talk about their deaths, let alone discuss why they might have drowned themselves.”
“Suicide is a tough one in any faith,” Ripley agreed.
“Well, there are a few things that make me wonder whether there’s not someone or something else involved.”
“What kind of things?” Ripley sat forward, intrigued.
“Well, for one, there’s been talk of an angel.”
– M. Sean Coleman, The Cuckoo Wood
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog