Sally’s husband Gordon is violent and controlling. She manages to escape one night and the only place she can turn is to her estranged family. Her father and uncle reject her but her sister Alison is delighted to be reunited. But Gordon refuses to let her go…
The Family Home is an intense psychological thriller set in the UK.
The opening chapter is pretty horrific. Sally’s fear was so palpable that I felt scared for her. The writing was so vivid and powerful yet incredibly difficult to read. Gordon is terrifying and I was desperate for Sally to run away. But out fo the frying pan and into the fire, as they say! She heads to her estranged family where she finds her father battling with dementia and she is rejected due to her mother’s past. Luckily she has her half sister Alison to rely on and stick up for her. But she doesn’t feel welcome and is living in fear that Gordon will find her, and he does…
The majority of the book is written from Sally’s perspective but there are some chapters that focus on Gordon. These heighten the tension as we realise he will stop at nothing. As well as her difficult present situation, Sally suffers from flashbacks and nightmares about the past. The writing is vivid throughout the book and I found that I cared about Sally and wanted her to find happiness after so much pain.
There are big hints about what may have happened decades ago and I did guess the twists. I thought that there was a bit too much repetition (many references to Sally looking like her mother, Alison and Peter arguing etc) which slowed the pace of the book a little. My credulity was stretched and the ending was quite abrupt.
The Family Home is very intense and the issue of domestic violence was handled very sensitively but explicitly.
The Family Home
IS BLOOD ALWAYS THICKER THAN WATER?
Sally has lived in fear of her husband long enough. But after twenty years of suffering, she has been left with nothing of her own and no one to turn to – except her estranged sister, Alison.
When Alison agrees to help Sally escape, she knows she must return to the one place she was told never to show her face again – the family home – and confront her father once more.
But soon, Sally begins to suspect that all is not as it seems, and as she is forced to face the ghosts of the past, she discovers there may be secrets hidden in her own memory that are best left buried . . .
A twisting and compulsive page-turner, with a shocking twist. If you love Keri Beevis, L H Stacey and K. L. Slater, you’ll love The Family Home.
Author Bio – Born and raised in South East London, Lorraine lived and worked in South Africa, on the Island of Gozo and in France before settling on the Costa del Sol in Spain. She lives with her partner in a traditional Spanish village inland from the coast and enjoys sampling the regional dishes and ever-changing tapas in the local bars. Her knowledge of Spanish is expanding. To stop her waistline from doing the same, she runs five times a week.
Lorraine is the author of the D.I. Sterling series and two psychological thrillers, The Guest and The Family Home.
1954, Eva is called upon to act as a translator when a Greek Cypriot woman is arrested on suspicion of murdering her daughter in law. Zina is relying on Eva to help her but will her translation help the prosecution or defence?
The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is based on a true crime story (don’t search in case of spoilers!)
Zina has travelled from her home country to England to live with her son and his family. There is instant conflict with her daughter in law and a few months later Zina is accused of her murder. Eva earns extra money acting as a translator for the police and is quickly immersed in Zina’s case.
I was swept up in the story of these two women. My emotions were mixed and evolved over the course of the book. Zina is put in an awkward situation as culture and family clash. The evidence against her is damning but she has been treated badly by her family. I felt sorry for her although her stubbornness added to her problems. The police want a quick conviction so are not seeking other suspects or motives. Eva has personal issues at home as well as her increasingly emotional involvement with Zina’s case.
The book is written in the present day to show Zina and Eva meeting and then Zina’s experiences in the recent past to show the lead up to the murder. The 1950s was brought to life vividly and the attitudes of the period underpinned the plot effectively. I thought that the author has researched the era and the case thoroughly to bring the characters and their situations to life.
The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is a fascinating historical crime drama.
The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou
THEY HAVE TOLD SO MANY LIES ABOUT ME.
London, 1954. Zina Pavlou, a Cypriot grandmother, waits quietly in the custody of the Metropolitan police. She can’t speak their language, but she understands what their wary looks mean: she has been accused of the brutal murder of her daughter-in-law.
Eva Georgiou, Greek interpreter for the Met, knows how it feels to be voiceless as an immigrant woman. While she works as Zina’s translator, her obsession with the case deepens, and so too does her bond with the accused murderer.
Zina can’t speak for herself. She can’t clear her own name. All she can do is wait for the world to decide…
IS SHE A VICTIM? OR IS SHE A KILLER?
A compelling historical crime novel set in the Greek diaspora of 1950s London – that’s inspired by a true story – The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is perfect for fans of Erin Kelly, Sara Collins, and Jessie Burton.
Eleni Kyriacou is an award-winning editor and journalist. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Grazia, and Red, among others. She’s the daughter of Greek Cypriot immigrant parents, and her debut novel, She Came To Stay, was published in 2020. Follow her on and www.elenikwriter.com
Lena is adjusting to a change in circumstances. Her boyfriend cheated on her and she was forced to find a new home. Things don’t run smoothly and something sinister is going on in her new street with poison pen letters and random acts of vandalism that start when she moves in. Will Lena be the next target or is she to blame?
Don’t Let Her In is a psychological thriller set in the UK.
Goodness, I felt extremes of emotion with this book! Gareth has treated Lena shabbily and her best friend Kate takes her for granted. But Lena allows herself to be treated like a doormat so my sympathy was limited. There are other despicable characters in the book as we meet Lena’s new neighbours.
The book is written from multiple points of view in the first person so we can see emotions and actions clearly. However the majority of the book centres on Lena. I don’t know if the varied first person perspectives were necessary although young Jolyon’s narrative was absolutely heartbreaking as he tries to make sense of his father’s violence.
There are some huge twists and I did guess them as there are some big hints. The plot has several strands to bring together (poison pen letters, Lena’s personal life, a murder, her neighbours’ secrets) and I thought everything resolved although my credulity was stretched considerably.
Don’t Let Her In is an enjoyable psychological thriller about secrets and lies in a small community.
Don’t Let Her In
The letters drop onto every doormat…
Lena just moved to Mandalay Close. She needed a new start, since her boyfriend cheated her out of the home and happy-ever-after she’d believed they were always going to share.
But on the day Lena moves in, letters begin to arrive for all her new neighbours. Letters that promise to expose everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets. Every house has received one – except for Lena’s.
Someone clearly wants to implicate her, to ruin her new life and turn everyone against her. She’s made an enemy, but who, and why? Everyone seems so nice, so trustworthy. So normal.
Except for one. And as bad things begin to happen and her life rapidly spins out of control, Lena finds herself cursing the day she moved to Mandalay Close. She can’t believe this is happening to her, because she’s not a bad person, is she? Even though she does have secrets of her own, secrets that she’s not willing to share with anyone…
A completely jaw-dropping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, Lisa Jewell and Sue Watson.
Joanne Ryan is the author of several well-reviewed psychological thrillers. Previously published by Tamarillas Press, she lives in Wiltshire. Her first thriller for Boldwood is Keep Your Friends Close.
Back to school and work for me and the kids. Enjoying the UK weather of April showers and HAIL! Yep it’s been cold and random this week! Some gorgeous sunshine and the guinea pigs have enjoyed being outdoors and the cherry tree blossomed overnight.
New start at the weekend as we enrolled all 3 kids in swimming lessons at the last minute! Panic search for swimming costumes but it was all smiles in the end! Note to self: buy proper waterproof bags asap… Hello shadow Chris 🙂
It is December 1999 and the world waits with trepidation for the new year and millennium bug. Alex can’t help using the Finding Machine to help save the life of a teen one icy night. But it has serious consequences for her job and relationship…
The Millennium Affair is the sequel to The Finding Machine. There are mentions of events in the previous book and the relationship development between the characters but no major spoilers (read the first book: it’s fab!)
Alex is keen to use the Finding Machine for good but is fearful that the machine will be taken away from her so can only use it in secret. However the Millennium Bug may cause the machine to glitch and some of the ageing parts need replacing. She needs to decide who she can trust as scientists insist she hand over the machine to them. Her father entrusted the machine to her but, now she has fulfilled his mission, she wants to use it for good.
Alex loses her job for breaking protocol over the missing person rescue. However, she gets an opportunity to join DC Henry Longhurst as he investigates cold cases. Her involvement and use of the machine locates a body and the pair are soon searching for a killer who has struck again in the intervening years. Alex needs to reassess her romantic relationship. Antony is acting oddly and she doesn’t feel supported. She is attracted to Henry and he believes in her but she can’t be totally honest with him about the machine.
I was totally invested in this story, transported back to those fearful yet exciting days as we approached the year 2000. The murder mystery element of the book as well as the personal life of Alex were both engaging. There are lots of twists as the plot progresses and I had no idea which way things would lead. Alex has huge dilemmas to contend with and I enjoyed her thought processes as she tries to stay true to herself and her father’s legacy.
The Millennium Affair is a delightful book, and I loved the plot and characters as well as the ‘historical’ setting (!) of 25 years ago. I am privileged to know the author (who is lovely!) and this book is even better than the first, so congratulations Lucy!
Book blurb:
TWO LOVE RIVALS… A GLITCH IN THE FINDING MACHINE… AND A KILLER COLD CASE
December 1999.
Alex Martin has put the Finding Machine into storage. All she wants is a quiet life. But when a panicked teen phones for help on the coldest night of the year, Alex dusts off the machine and breaks every rule in the book to save him. In an instant, her life is thrown into chaos, she’s fired from the job she loves, and her relationship with Antony is stretched to breaking point.
The rescue attracts the attention of Detective Henry Longhurst, who is intrigued by Alex’s method of finding people. He wants her help to catch an elusive murderer who keeps changing his identity. But there’s a problem—the finding machine is glitching and could stop working any moment. With the new Millennium around the corner, Alex must race against the clock to fix her heart and find the faceless villain before he strikes again. Tick Tock.
