Publisher: Scarlet Suspense
Published: October 5, 2021
Source: ARC Paperback via Publisher
Summary:
With its grassy hills and breathtaking city views, London’s Hampstead Heath is the perfect place to spend an afternoon with friends and loved ones—and on an unseasonably warm Valentine’s Day, the lawns are especially full. So when an aggressive lovers’ quarrel breaks out, there’s an audience of park goers nearby to hear the shouts traded back and forth, and to watch as the violence escalates suddenly to murder, then suicide.
For the five strangers who observed the gruesome act, the memory of the gore is unshakable. But one of them—disgraced journalist Jen Hunter—is compelled to question the truth of what she thought she saw. Are the facts of the case plain as day, or were they obscured, in the moment, by the glaring sunlight?
As she mounts an obsessive investigation for a seemingly-impossible alternative, the lives of the other witnesses begin to unravel, each in its own particular way. Soon one thing becomes clear: the crime they witnessed was more terrible, more twisted, and more far-reaching than they ever could have imagined.
My thoughts:
I willingly admit this is one of those books where the cover and summary totally grabbed my attention. Fortunately, the story delivered and I ended up really enjoying what ends up being quite a twisty, thrilling read for sure!
This book has one of the most darkest, brutal openings I’ve read in a while and from there, I was totally hooked. I loved that the story is told from two perspectives, Jen who witnesses the murder-suicide along with four other people, and Bex who is Jen’s friend. Right away, I got the feeling there was something unreliable about both our narrators but I just couldn’t quite put my finger on what and I loved that I wasn’t sure who I could trust more.
This book explores so many interesting topics, mental health and obsession being at the forefront, but gaslighting and being able to trust what we really see were also explored. It’s definitely more of a slower-burn, but I found myself completely glued to the pages as I just needed to know where it was all headed, and while I did have my theories, and was partly correct, I was still caught off-guard with the final reveal. This one really did take some turns I did not see coming.
This is the first book I’ve read by E.V. Adamson, who is pseudonym for Andrew Wilson. As I really enjoyed his writing, I will certainly be checking out book under both names!
