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domestic noir

Book Review – Friend Indeed, by Katharine D’Souza

December 15, 2020 by aaabbott

Friendship, secrets & failed relationships

I was addicted from the very first moment I picked up one of Katharine D’Souza’s novels. Her intelligent women’s fiction is so easy to read that normal life takes a back seat until the book is finished. Fortunately, Friend Indeed is a short novella of 90-odd pages. You can zip through it in a few hours, although it will stay with you long afterwards. Leaving a sense of unease in its wake, the story studies friendship, secrets and failed relationships.

Jane, the narrator, shares her birthday with schoolfriends Maya and Sandra. As grammar school girls with the world at their feet, they swore they would meet up on their fiftieth birthday. That’s why Jane and Sandra travel from Birmingham to Maya’s flash party in London.

A unlikeable narrator

Maya is the only one of the trio to escape their hometown. She’s a respected journalist, her weekly columns read avidly by the other two. Sandra is pleased for her and thrilled to be included in her birthday plans. By contrast, Jane feels overshadowed and resentful of Maya’s success.

Jane is honest in revealing her thoughts to the reader: possibly too frank. She comes across as a reliable narrator, but not a likeable one. If I met her at a party, I’d avoid her like the plague. Ms D’Souza deals with her gently, however.  There is a hint that Jane is capable – perhaps – of  leaving envy behind.

Domestic noir

This is no crime thriller, but in its exploration of family drama and secrets, it verges on domestic noir. For a short book, Friend Indeed has a powerful, lingering effect. Don’t be surprised if old friends invade your nightmares once you’ve read it.

Friend Indeed by Katharine D'Souza - abook that explores secrets, lies and domestic noir

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Do you enjoy a really dark slice of domestic noir? My new psychological thriller, Bright Lies, delivers exactly that. Emily is only 13 when David becomes her stepfather, and she’s thrilled that the handsome artist wants to mentor her. She doesn’t know she’ll end up running for her life…
“Compelling drama – 5 stars” – Readers’ Favorite, USA.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: birmingham, bright lies, crime, domestic noir, family drama, friends, katharine d'souza, lies, london, novella, psychological, secrets, suspense, thriller

Book Review – The Babysitter, by Phoebe Morgan

September 18, 2020 by aaabbott

The Babysitter by Phoebe Morgan is a gripping psychological thriller. When a celeb's lover is murdered, where is the baby she was caring for?

A murder mystery packed with twists

Wine, sunshine and good company – the ingredients for a perfect holiday. Siobhan jets off with high hopes to join her sister, Maria, in a French villa. Family life has been stressful for Siobhan. Perhaps now she can rebuild her relationships with her cheating husband, Calum, and teenage daughter, Emma.

Siobhan is starting to relax when the French police bring news that Calum’s lover has been murdered back home in Suffolk. Even more horrifying, the little girl she was babysitting has disappeared.

For Siobhan, it’s the beginning of a nightmare. TV celeb Calum is the prime suspect. He’s shipped back to England for questioning by the local police. Meanwhile, the women hide out from the media circus in the family home.

Suffolk police are under pressure to solve the murder mystery and find Baby Eve, but progress is slow. Phoebe Morgan cleverly uses flashbacks and switches point of view so that the reader – and indeed the police – are never quite sure who did it. The final revelation is a satisfying twist.

Domestic noir

If the story has a central message, it’s that you can’t truly know and trust those closest to you. Siobhan has comes to (uneasy) terms with Calum’s philandering, but is he capable of murder? Is Maria more than a supportive sister and aunt? Are there cracks in Baby Eve’s parents’ perfect marriage? Did Calum’s lover steal the baby for herself before her untimely death? This searing slice of domestic noir peels away the happy façade of each household to reveal raw pain beneath. As in real life, the end of the story is all about moving on rather than living happily ever after.

The Babysitter is available on Amazon and in all good bookshops.

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Do you love a gripping psychological thriller? Subscribe for my short and interesting monthly newsletter to hear about my next book. It’s out in November 2020 and it has tension and twists to die for.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: babysitter, death, domestic noir, murder, mystery, phoebe morgan, psychological, thriller, TV, twists

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