Author: Christina McDonald

The Girl Before by Rena Olsen My rating: 5 of 5 stars A different kind of suspense novel, The Girl Before follows Clara, who is torn from her husband and daughters when armed men invade her home. While it’s clear up front what’s going on, the story switches between past and present, creating some great…

The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse My rating: 5 of 5 stars A beautiful family drama novel about learning to be strong in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Nina’s seemingly perfect life is shattered when her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident. Suddenly Nina is left bereft, in massive debt, with no…

Guilty by Laura Elliot My rating: 4 of 5 stars An absolutely gripping premise and a well-plotted domestic suspense novel. When 13-year old Constance goes missing, reporter Amanda Bowe vilifies her uncle Karl. Six years later, his life is in ruins while Amanda is thriving. But now Karl wants revenge. A dark read about the…

The Choice by Samantha King My rating: 5 of 5 stars A cleverly plotted, tense, and well-written thriller with a Sophie’s Choice premise playing on every mother’s worst fear. When a killer bursts into Madeleine’s house on her twins’ tenth birthday, he forces her to choose: which child should live, which should die. This is…

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty My rating: 5 of 5 stars A sophisticated literary thriller. Educated, successful, married – Yvonne Carmichael is suddenly caught up in an affair that leads to a murder. The writing style is sophisticated, which suits the very educated protagonist, and the story pacey and suspenseful. It does start a…

Remember Me This Way by Sabine Durrant My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow. Just wow. This is such a beautifully told, spellbinding psychological thriller. Sabine Durrant is a new author to me, and after finishing Remember Me This Way I immediately went and bought her other books. I love finding authors who get that…

A Mother’s Confession by Kelly Rimmer My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely blown away by this book. The story switches POVs between Olivia, whose dealt with abuse from her husband David for years, and Ivy, David’s mother, who thinks everything he does is perfect. But now David is dead, Olivia is in shock, and…

The Primrose Path by Rebecca Griffiths My rating: 4 of 5 stars Told from several points of view, this is a twisty tale with believable characters and a good plot. It follows Sarah, who was abducted and held hostage seventeen years ago. Now the man who abducted her is being released from prison. Fearful of…

In the Waning Light by Loreth Anne White My rating: 5 of 5 stars I absolutely loved this book! A fantastic crime novel with well drawn and developed characters. It follows Meg, a true crime author, whose sister was horrifically murdered when she was a child. Meg witnessed the crime but can’t remember much about…

What She Never Told Me by Kate McQuaile My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a really beautiful, poignant, character-driven novel about Louise, who rushes back to Ireland from London to say goodbye to her dying mother. But even then, she isn’t able to get any information out of her mother about her biological…

The Accident by C.L. Taylor My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed this fast-paced, twisty thriller about Sue whose daughter Charlotte walked in front of a bus and is now in a coma. Sue embarks on a mission to find out what really happened, and if it was really an accident. The story goes…

The Drowning Lesson by Jane Shemilt My rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved Daughter, Jane Shemilt’s first book, so was excited to read The Drowning Lesson. And I wasn’t disappointed. Atmospherically beautiful, richly drawn characters, and a page-turning plot, this was a truly superb novel. Emma and Adam are both very busy doctors, combining…