There are some secrets you can never tell.
The last thing to go through Dominique Thomas’s head was the image of her teenage daughter’s face and her heart lifted. Then the shot rang out.
They were the perfect family. Successful businessman Ben Thomas and his wife Dominique live an enviable life, along with their beautiful children; teenager Ruby and quirky younger daughter, Mouse.
But on Christmas Day the police are called to their London home, only to discover a horrific scene; the entire family lying lifeless, victims of an unknown assailant.
But when Ruby’s diary is discovered, revealing her rage at the world around her, police are forced to look closer to home for the key to this tragedy.
Each family member harboured their own dark truths – but has keeping their secrets pushed Ruby to the edge of sanity? Or are there darker forces at work?
This dark, gripping psychological thriller will have you holding your breath until the very last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Sometimes I Lie, and The Girl on the Train will be captivated.
My Review: WOW – I am speechless.. well obviously not literally as this review would be pretty short but what I mean is that I am absolutely blown away by this book. This is the 3rd book I’ve read by Barbara Copperthwaite – all different and all fabulous in their own way (#TeamAdam), but this book really, really got under my skin.
The story starts on Christmas Day and the police have been called to a respectable family home in London where 2 gun shots have been reported and upon investigating the house they uncover a really gruesome crime-scene.
The story then takes us back a week prior to Christmas day and is told through several of the main characters and builds up to the inevitable Christmas Day tragedy. My emotions were all over the place ranging from sympathy to anger and affection to suspicion – each character was so believable and managed to really captivate my imagination from the first page until the last.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers full of secrets and lies, betrayal and loyalty, then you will LOVE this book.
Barbara Copperthwaite certainly weaves a wonderful and at times twisted tale taking the reader down several paths and then back-tracking with a couple of shocking u-turns! I feel slightly dizzy now and need a lie-down with a soft pillow and lots of chocolate. 5 stars from me.
About The Author: Barbara Copperthwaite is an Amazon UK best-selling psychological crime author. Barbara’s writing career began over 20 years ago when she became a journalist. She has written and edited for a number of national magazines and newspapers. At the start of her working career she also worked in a men’s maximum security prison. It was there that her fascination with crime began, as she realised that bad guys don’t always seem that bad – and are often charming.
Interviewing real people who have been victims of crime, either directly or through the loss of loved ones, consolidated Barbara’s interest in crime. As a result, she knows a lot about the emotional impact of violence and wrongdoing. That’s why her novels are not simply about the criminal act, but the repercussions they have. People are always at the heart of her thrillers, along with a genuine ability to get under the skin of even the most evil of characters.
This insight is what has propelled both of her novels, INVISIBLE and FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD onto Amazon’s bestsellers charts, and led to rave reviews.
