Sam Hayes (1)

Sam Hayes is already on my list of favourite authors, so although I was excited to get hold of an early copy of her latest book, I was nervous as to whether it would live up to expectations.

Thankfully it did. Sam’s books are probably best described as emotional thrillers – she says herself that she takes her characters and puts them in terrifying circumstances, and Someone Else’s Son certainly lives up to this.

Carrie Kent has built an extremely successful career hosting a morning chat show more show which puts people under the microscope, and under pressure. All the dysfunctional families she looks down on are on her show, as well as victims of crime. What she doesn’t expect though, is that instead of someone else, it becomes her experiencing tragedy.

Max and Dayna are two teenagers who don’t fit in. They live in a world of bullying and knife crime, and on Friday 29th April, Carrie’s world falls apart, as she’s informed her son, Max, has been stabbed, and is dead.

Throughout the course of the book, we are taken back and forth, experiencing life both before and after the stabbing. Max and Dayna’s relationship is explored, as well as the harsh world they live in. We also find out about the relationship Max’s parents had, and how it fell apart, as well as the lives they live now.

At the heart is the issue of the stabbing, how it happened, and who was involved. But surrounding this is the depth of the book – the various relationships and issues involved. It is a book of suspense, with the expected twists, but the key is the way Sam builds her characters. They are so believable, and I cared about each and every one by the end – which makes the suspense and thriller aspects mean more.

The first half of this book may be a little slower than thriller readers might expect, but it’s an important part as it allows Sam to introduce and explore her characters. It kept me reading because I wanted to know what would happen next, and by the end it was hard to put down.

Another highly recommended book from someone who remains on my favourite author list. :) show less

It would be unfair to suggest ‘Unspoken’ should remain exactly that: the story is a wannabe ‘literally thriller’ but succeeds only as an ‘emotional thriller’, without the thrills. Adequately written, but only heat magazine could dub it ‘a miss-your-bus stop page turner’

Julia Marshall has separated from her beloved but alcoholic lawyer husband Murray French: he moves back to his derelict houseboat while she and the children stay on the family farm after Julia’s mother Mary show more is inexplicably rendered dumb and almost vegetative.

A brutalized schoolgirl who later dies, kidnapping, romance and the re-emergence of long buried family secrets initially divide Julia and Murray even further, driving her into the arms of the charming local doctor.

Hayes careful prose and kitchen sink drama show less

A woman stands on a bridge, the water rushing below, the wind catching her skirt. In a few seconds she will jump, plunging more than 200 feet to the bottom. Who is she? And why is she desperate to take her own life? Nina Kennedy is afraid. A man is following her, threatening her family, toying with her sanity. What does he want? And how long will it be before he strikes? Eight-year-old Ava sits waiting for her daddy. But, like the others in the children's home, she knows her father will show more never come. The home is a place of whispers and shadows. But no one dare tell the truth. Until now...

My Thoughts:

I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Normally books that have children on the cover with big bambi eyes I do avoid. This book however is for book group so I did give it ago and was as I say quite surprised.

The story is really good and kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next. Each chapter ended with not a cliffhanger as such but the need to read to see how it was going to end.

The story line was raw with abuse in a childrens home, this is why I normally avoid books with children on the covers. The story was also a good thriller with plenty of twists and turns.

This next paragraph will contain spoilers.

What I thought was clever was how the author lead me to believe that I was reading three individual characters stories and it turned out that it actually was one person all along. I also didn’t like the ending in the fact that Nina’s husband was the one she was running and hiding from all along. It wouldn’t have made any difference if the hooded figure was never found out.

Overall a really good read although the subject matter was a bit unsettling and I would seek out more book by this author. show less

From Back Cover

WHAT DO YOU DO....

A woman stands on a bridge, the river rushing below.. In seconds she will jump, plunging over two hundred feet to the bottom. Who is she? And why is she desperate to take her own life?

WHEN THERE'S NO WAY OUT....

Nina Kennedy, a wife and mother, is afraid. A man is following her, toying with her sanity, watching her beloved family. What does he want? And how long will it be before he strikes?

AND NOWHERE LEFT TO HIDE?

Eight year old Ava is waiting for her show more daddy. But, like the others in the children's home, she knows her father will never come. The home is a place of whispers and shadows, where no one dare speak the truth. Until now....

Three desperate strangers. One shocking secret. Who will live to tell the chilling tale?

My review

OMG this was a jaw dropping can't believe it race to the end adult fiction thriller. Go and buy this one now.

I highly recommend this one. I will definitely read her other books now, so a new author for me, yaay. I only read approx 1 book a week and most are approx 350 pages, well this was a chunkster at 501 pages and I still finished it in a week, it was that good. I stayed up until 2am last night finishing, I just had to know the outcome.

Three stories that has the best ending I have ever read, I didn't see it coming. Sam Hayes did a remarkable job on keeping you glued to the stories wanting to know is there a connection and what could it be. I love Nina's story it was captivating with so much suspense. Ava's story was scary and heartbreaking, my heart raced when hers raced and I wanted to run with her, the detail had you right there.

I can't talk about the book because any detail will be a possible spoiler. I will say this is a story about pedophiles in case that is a topic you choose not to read about. show less