About the Book: In the summer of 1999, Kit and Laura travel to a festival in Cornwall to see a total eclipse of the sun. Kit is an eclipse chaser; Laura has never seen one before. Young and in love, they are certain this will be the first of many they’ll share.
But in the hushed moments after the shadow passes, Laura interrupts a man and a woman. She knows that she saw something terrible. The man denies it. It is her word against his.
The victim seems grateful. Months later, she turns up on their doorstep like a lonely stray. But as her gratitude takes a twisted turn, Laura begins to wonder—did she trust the wrong person?
15 years later, Kit and Laura are living under assumed names and completely off the digital grid: no Facebook, only rudimentary cell phones, not in any directories. But as the truth catches up to them, they realize they can no longer keep the past in the past
About the Author Erin Kelly: I write suspense fiction. I had read scores of psychological thrillers before I heard the term: the books that inspired me to write my own included Endless Night by Agatha Christie, The Secret History by Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine. My books atmospheric thrillers, always about people trying to atone for, escape, or uncover a past crime. I’m more interested in what happens before the police arrive – if arrive they ever do – than how murder is solved.
My first novel, The Poison Tree, was a Richard and Judy bestseller and a major ITV drama starring Myanna Buring, Ophelia Lovibond and Matthew Goode. I’ve written four more original psychological thrillers – The Sick Rose, The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind and my latest, He Said/She Said, about a young couple who witness a rape and, after the trial, begin to wonder if they believed the right person.
The best day of my career was when Stephen King sent an email about The Poison Tree saying, ‘I wish I’d written it.’ It was April 1 2010, and I was so sure it was an April Fool’s that I didn’t thank him for days.
I love hearing from readers and always reply to emails. You can download a free coffee-break story, email me and read my blog at www.erinkelly.co.uk
I’m on Twitter – @mserinkelly – and if you can’t find me there it means I’ve deactivated for a while to focus on writing, which is after all the point. I’m always on Instagram where everything is lovely and no one is ever rude – @erinjelly
Before I wrote fiction, I was a journalist, and before I was a journalist I was a barmaid, a receptionist, a special needs classroom assistant, a pub signwriter, the world’s worst telemarketer, a nightclub cleaner and a shop assistant. These days, I still work as a freelance journalist and also teach creative writing for Curtis Brown Creative and the Guardian Masterclasses, as well as mentoring private clients.
I live in North London with my family, who think I read too many books. I disagree.
My Review: I’m not sure where to begin and then even where to stop. Firstly, this book has been sitting on my kindle forever and for some reason, despite the entire world and their dog recommending it to me, I just never got around to it UNTIL NOW! I knew the basics: eclipse chasers witness vicious attack on a female; add in a court case and a couple of lies and standby for lots of tension.
What I didn’t expect however was the depth of detail and research behind the eclipse chasers. I was being entertained and educated at the same time win/win. The story is divided into several parts and with two main characters narrating their versions of events from 1999 and 2015 the reader is taken on a very twisted journey.
Without doubt the second half of the book is when the story came alive for me and kept me utterly glued to the pages. With some extremely flawed and disturbed individuals you don’t know who to believe or trust half the time and then when you finally decide what the truth is, the author blindsides you with twist after twist.
If you are looking for a chilling, atmospheric and character driven thriller – I would strongly recommend He Said/She Said.
