Val Collins (2)

I've seen the name 'Aoife' in books before and had no idea how to pronounce it, so I was thrilled that Val Collins popped a little note in the front of her book to tell is that this Irish name is pronounced 'Eee-fah'. Sounds much better in my head now than 'Ay-oyfe'.

At the start of the book we are introduced to Delia. What a horrible woman! She is clearly unhinged and is a total bitch to everyone she comes into contact with. Delia is a manager in an office in Dublin, so giving her a little show more bit of power makes her the worst boss ever. Her staff HATE her and fear her at the same time. The workplace would be a much better place without her, and the staff are about to see their dream come true.

Although heavily pregnant, Aoife gets a call from the temping agency about a vacancy in Delia's office. Her controlling husband, Jason, would like to keep Aoife chained to the kitchen sink all day but Aoife takes the job and ventures into the city. I felt as if Aoife hadn't been out of the house in ages as she felt danger on every street corner with hooded men seemingly ready to spring and attack her. Aoife makes it safely to the office and has a first day she will never forget when she finds Delia's body hanging in her office. It might look like suicide at first but it's definitely murder and absolutely ANYONE in Dublin, or even Ireland, could have had motive to kill Delia.

So we have all of the ingredients for a nail-biting whodunnit and like I said it could be absolutely anyone, so it was great fun to look suspiciously at each character. Not only do we have Delia's murder to solve, but there is also backstabbing office politics, dodgy business dealings and Aoife's selfish and controlling husband in Girl Targeted. With so much going on, it's such a fast-paced read and I had my heart in my mouth on many an occasion.

Girl Targeted is intense, suspenseful and totalling gripping; I was so enthralled that I read it cover to cover over one weekend. I've always said that if I were to write a book it would be set in an office as there's a very good reason why people at work are called 'colleagues' and not 'friends'.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less

Girl Targeted is the author’s first book. I, of course, read the second first. I highly recommend you read this before you read Only Lies Remain. There are parts in Girl Targeted that are intense and it is heightened if you haven’t read Only Lies Remain. Though, really, I was barely breathing through one scene even with what I knew.
I like how this writer spins her stories. In this one I did use a book club book so I could make a tree to make it easier to keep track of who everyone was show more and how they connected. There is a lot happening that needs to be solved but those things keep me turning pages. I was up all night! I kept saying just let me see how this chapter ends; I think I got it just a few more pages; omg what! I can’t stop now; and finally, oh wow the end is here and I smell breakfast, (I can smell the coffee shop across the way). It was worth staying up and I can sleep for a bit this morning.
I like Aoife and her curiosity. I don’t like that she doesn’t always think of the danger. I have heard it said, what you don’t like in someone else may be because you don’t like it in you. I’ll leave that there. Haha. Jason had me furious. I’m not certain anyone will like him. Yet I married someone who acted like that. I really think most of us have met a Jason. After experiencing one, I hope you haven’t been up close and personal with one. If you have, I hope you made it out okay. I understand his reasonings but bad things happen to us all. It doesn’t give you the right to treat others badly. I’m torn on my feelings for Maura. Amy was once again the only character I was trusting...and she was only eight months old. Good job Ms. Collins.
I hope you didn’t think I was going to go into the plot. I’m too afraid I’ll give out spoilers. Go read the book. I hope you enjoy it!

Edited to say I can’t see my stars for this. It is suppose to have 5. show less

I'm a real fan of psychological thrillers, and this one has everything I like in them: flawed characters with secrets, a thigh written plot, heart-pounding suspense and enough twist and turns that when the ends arrive, even as you have been kept ineffectively guessing, it all makes sense.

A recommended read for all those who enjoy the genre.

I love this series! I like Aoife a lot. She is smart and caring. We both like book clubs so she could be my friend. This book finds Aoife getting closer with Conor but having less luck with his son Blaine. Jason is still in the picture, as Amy’s father that is to be expected, causing problems. She has returned to work though and is getting on with her life.
Then a family is found dead, considered to be a murder-suicide. Both the husband and wife were members of Aoife’s book club. Aoife show more didn’t know them but is drawn into the investigation by the husband’s sister, who believes her brother was also murdered. As Aoife starts peeling off layers, it appears that others in the book club know more about the murders than they said. Then one of those members ends up dead! Strange things have been happening at Aoife’s house, too. She thinks it’s Blaine but could it be the killer coming for Aoife?
There is a lot going on in this book. It kept me turning pages until I fell asleep right before the reveal! I was laying there, saying, “just one more page,” when I dropped my Kindle with my eyes closed. Ugh. When I awoke, the Kindle was dead so double ugh. I put on coffee while charging and quickly got it turned on. Imagine my shocked surprise when a twist happened that I never saw coming! It was so worth the trouble! I wish I could tell you more but it is best to read it yourself.
This is the third book about Aoife. Each book can be read on their own but I think you will enjoy them much better starting with Girl Targeted and reading Only Lies Remain before reading this one. They are all excellent and you will get to know, and understand, Aoife much better reading them in order. Each book has its own mystery to solve.
This is a series I will continue to read. Being American, I didn’t know a lot about how police procedures may be similar or different from the States. Ms Collins does an excellent job describing how they are in Ireland. There are some differences but also enough similarities for me to have no problem following along. Some of the names are in Irish. The author gives you the pronunciation of these and you can also check YouTube to hear them if you like. They are much easier to pronounce than they look. The author sets the mysteries up with plenty of suspects so you have choices to make in deciding who did it. Not everything is as it appears to be, much like real life. Set aside some time for this one! show less