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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 October 2021
Rating: 4.0/5
When Rachel comes across a dead body in the woods she decides not to report it, but to run. Why? Because twenty years earlier she also came across a murder scene and reported it - but that resulted in her being accused and convicted of the crime. However, it isn't long before the police discover that she ran from the scene and the finger of suspicion starts to point in Rachel's direction once again. Was it pure chance that Rachel happened across this body in the woods, or is someone trying to frame her? Or perhaps it is Rachel, herself, who is being less than honest and who has something to hide.
Prospective readers could be forgiven for thinking that the premise for this story is a little far-fetched and that it stretches credulity somewhat to think that one person could find herself in the same dramatic predicament on two separate occasions. Yet Claire McGowan manages to construct the scenario in such a way that this seemingly implausible set of circumstances becomes something that the reader is not only prepared to accept, but view as (almost) entirely credible.
The storyline takes place across two time frames: the present day in Cumbria and approximately twenty years earlier in California. The novel is narrated throughout in the first person by Rachel, though in the earlier sections in California she is known as Casey. The choice of the first person narrative is very effective for this type of novel. The reader is regularly required to question how much they can rely on this person's version of events. Rachel's account is occasionally interspersed with newspaper reports and excerpts from online forums, which provide alternative perspectives and give the reader further food for thought - but are these accounts any more or less reliable than Rachel's?
If you are the kind of person who likes their mystery thrillers to move along at a rip-roaring pace from the outset, then this is probably not the book for you. It certainly has its moments of suspense, tension and excitement, but it is constructed in a manner that builds towards its climax, with relevant background information being gradually drip-fed into the proceedings. Although there were occasions when the pace seemed a little becalmed for longer than I would have liked, on the whole this approach was clever, effective and well-handled.
Overall, Claire McGowan has produced a captivating thriller that draws the reader in and delivers the kind of read that most avid readers of the genre should enjoy.
When Rachel comes across a dead body in the woods she decides not to report it, but to run. Why? Because twenty years earlier she also came across a murder scene and reported it - but that resulted in her being accused and convicted of the crime. However, it isn't long before the police discover that she ran from the scene and the finger of suspicion starts to point in Rachel's direction once again. Was it pure chance that Rachel happened across this body in the woods, or is someone trying to frame her? Or perhaps it is Rachel, herself, who is being less than honest and who has something to hide.
Prospective readers could be forgiven for thinking that the premise for this story is a little far-fetched and that it stretches credulity somewhat to think that one person could find herself in the same dramatic predicament on two separate occasions. Yet Claire McGowan manages to construct the scenario in such a way that this seemingly implausible set of circumstances becomes something that the reader is not only prepared to accept, but view as (almost) entirely credible.
The storyline takes place across two time frames: the present day in Cumbria and approximately twenty years earlier in California. The novel is narrated throughout in the first person by Rachel, though in the earlier sections in California she is known as Casey. The choice of the first person narrative is very effective for this type of novel. The reader is regularly required to question how much they can rely on this person's version of events. Rachel's account is occasionally interspersed with newspaper reports and excerpts from online forums, which provide alternative perspectives and give the reader further food for thought - but are these accounts any more or less reliable than Rachel's?
If you are the kind of person who likes their mystery thrillers to move along at a rip-roaring pace from the outset, then this is probably not the book for you. It certainly has its moments of suspense, tension and excitement, but it is constructed in a manner that builds towards its climax, with relevant background information being gradually drip-fed into the proceedings. Although there were occasions when the pace seemed a little becalmed for longer than I would have liked, on the whole this approach was clever, effective and well-handled.
Overall, Claire McGowan has produced a captivating thriller that draws the reader in and delivers the kind of read that most avid readers of the genre should enjoy.
