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A review by brownflopsy
Monstrous Souls by Rebecca Kelly
5.0
Fifteen Years ago, Heidi was the victim of an attack that she barely survived; an attack that also left her little sister, Anna, missing and her best friend, Nina, dead. No one has ever been found guilty of these crimes.... and Anna has never been traced.
Heidi does not remember what happened that day. In fact there are big chunks of her memories missing, seemingly gone for ever, and she lives her life with little recollection of her history.
Now, for some reason that Heidi cannot fathom, she has started to remember bits and pieces from the past - memories of events, things and faces that might help solve the mystery of what happened all those years ago.
As Heidi follows the trail of clues, she uncovers a web of secrets, lies and betrayal that she is not prepared for. And there are some very dangerous people would rather their guilt stayed hidden....
************************************************************
Heidi is the victim of a horrible attack that left her best friend dead and her sister missing, but she cannot remember what happened or why. She lives her live as an outsider, afraid to get close to anyone, and unsure of who she really is and what she is capable of.
When flashes of memory start to come back to Heidi, she opens a whole can of evil worms connected to a paedophile ring that was involved in the abuse and disappearance of boys and girls around the time of her assault - and with the help of one of the detectives connected to the original investigation, it seems the chance may finally be here to find out who was responsible.
As the new investigation starts to take shape, it becomes clear that the original inquiry was seriously flawed - perhaps deliberately. Someone did not want the truth exposed.... and that someone is apparently still around and directing things behind the scenes. How far does this web of corruption reach and how far was Heidi herself involved?
As more and more of the past comes back to Heidi, she begins to feel that she may have been responsible in some way for Nina's death and Anna's disappearance, but the truth, when it comes, is so much worse than she realised.
What an absolutely cracking thriller! Monstrous Souls is a masterclass in perfect pacing and seamless plotting that will keep you turning the pages all the way to the shocking end. This is absolutely heart in your mouth stuff, full of secrets, lies, corruption, and betrayal - all beautifully packaged in a dark and compelling story.
And this is tale that has chilling echoes of some of the most distressing real life cases that have been in the news in recent years - stories of grooming and abuse of young people on a huge scale, especially those from socially deprived backgrounds, that involve perpetrators in positions of trust and power that were able to cover up their activities for years with a conspiracy of silence. This is also a book that asks some interesting questions about the nature of guilt and how much someone's silence can make them complicit in the acts of others - very thought provoking indeed.
For a debut thriller, this is a most impressive and accomplished book. I can't wait to see more from Rebecca Kelly.
Heidi does not remember what happened that day. In fact there are big chunks of her memories missing, seemingly gone for ever, and she lives her life with little recollection of her history.
Now, for some reason that Heidi cannot fathom, she has started to remember bits and pieces from the past - memories of events, things and faces that might help solve the mystery of what happened all those years ago.
As Heidi follows the trail of clues, she uncovers a web of secrets, lies and betrayal that she is not prepared for. And there are some very dangerous people would rather their guilt stayed hidden....
************************************************************
Heidi is the victim of a horrible attack that left her best friend dead and her sister missing, but she cannot remember what happened or why. She lives her live as an outsider, afraid to get close to anyone, and unsure of who she really is and what she is capable of.
When flashes of memory start to come back to Heidi, she opens a whole can of evil worms connected to a paedophile ring that was involved in the abuse and disappearance of boys and girls around the time of her assault - and with the help of one of the detectives connected to the original investigation, it seems the chance may finally be here to find out who was responsible.
As the new investigation starts to take shape, it becomes clear that the original inquiry was seriously flawed - perhaps deliberately. Someone did not want the truth exposed.... and that someone is apparently still around and directing things behind the scenes. How far does this web of corruption reach and how far was Heidi herself involved?
As more and more of the past comes back to Heidi, she begins to feel that she may have been responsible in some way for Nina's death and Anna's disappearance, but the truth, when it comes, is so much worse than she realised.
What an absolutely cracking thriller! Monstrous Souls is a masterclass in perfect pacing and seamless plotting that will keep you turning the pages all the way to the shocking end. This is absolutely heart in your mouth stuff, full of secrets, lies, corruption, and betrayal - all beautifully packaged in a dark and compelling story.
And this is tale that has chilling echoes of some of the most distressing real life cases that have been in the news in recent years - stories of grooming and abuse of young people on a huge scale, especially those from socially deprived backgrounds, that involve perpetrators in positions of trust and power that were able to cover up their activities for years with a conspiracy of silence. This is also a book that asks some interesting questions about the nature of guilt and how much someone's silence can make them complicit in the acts of others - very thought provoking indeed.
For a debut thriller, this is a most impressive and accomplished book. I can't wait to see more from Rebecca Kelly.