Charlotte Duckworth

Imprisoned for murdering seven men and a child, Connie is the most hated woman in Britain. Olivia is a former policewoman for whom Connie's story has always meant something and now her sons have left home she is determined to find out why Connie did what she did.
There is so much to this novel from the initial premise and that's what makes it so good. Although outwardly appearing as a simple psychological thriller about a serial killer the story is far more nuanced. Olivia's awakening to her show more life parallels Connie's motivations in a completely different way. I liked the subtle way that misogyny was handled, as a way of control and its effects. In fact the only thing that didn't really work was Bruno the Bear, it felt one thing too far, and that is a minor quibble. show less

Connie Cross is in prison, notorious as one of Britain's worst female serial killers. She killed seven men (at least that's the number she was convicted for) over fifteen years, but throughout the investigation and trial there were no clues to her motives.

Olivia Lang is a former detective who was involved with Connie during key events in her childhood. Now at a crunch point in her own life, the twins that she gave up work to raise having gone to university, Olivia decides to contact Connie show more and try to determine whether her own decisions, made when Connie was a little girl, might have played a role in what subsequently became of her.

I must admit that I had low expectations for this book (the 'unputdownable thriller with a twist that will keep you guessing' tagline is the sort of thing that puts me off) and it took me by surprise. It's really good. The characters are extremely well developed and the story is skilfully told, moving the perspective between Connie and Olivia and between the now and the past. The plot was good, but almost secondary to the empathic way in which the lives of the two women, both victims in their own ways, were explored. There isn't really a twist in the story--everything flowed along naturally and the final reveal was entirely expected, but that didn't matter to me at all.

I am glad that I read this.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. show less

I may need to add another bookshelf for guilty pleasure books. I was intrigued by the description of this book. I’ve been reading a lot of psychological thriller books and this one sounded like it fit there. After reading it I’m not so sure of that. It was definitely psychological but more drama than thriller. My opinions of the characters totally changed from who I thought there were in the beginning of the book to who they really were at the end of the book. This book had some twists show more to it that I didn’t see coming. I do think you have to be a person who can suspend reality in reading to really enjoy this book. Some things just wouldn’t happen in real life. But other things it was easy for me to understand and were realistic to me. The main female character, Esther, is pregnant but it is not an easy pregnancy. She suffers from hyperemesis gravidarum. I had that in my second pregnancy. If you have never had this, it may be difficult for you to understand some of Esther’s thinking. In my second pregnancy the nausea and vomiting stayed with me for almost the entire pregnancy. I lost weight and was very malnourished. I had headaches every day and my anxiety was on maximum. I worried that I was doing something wrong, that I was going to lose my baby, that I wouldn’t survive and so many other thoughts. I didn’t know anyone else who had morning sickness like mine so I was positive I was doing something to cause it. The guilt I felt was tremendous. For this reason, I found the character of Esther to be believable. I’m happy to see this illness in a book. I think it is one of those illnesses that if you didn’t have it, or know someone who did, you probably had not heard of it. I’m not sure how much is known about the causes or treatment since my pregnancy many years ago. I hope someone is working on this and that there is some progress in it. I don’t want to go into Robin, her husband, as I’m afraid I’ll give away something. I think there were layers of things that were wrong with this couple, certainly more than her difficult pregnancy. I am going to wrap this as everything I want to write looks like a spoiler.
This is my second book by Charlotte Duckworth. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. show less

Unfollow Me wasn't entirely what I expected when I decided I wanted to read this book. It is a tale of sorrow and obsession and the dangers of living our lives online. Very much a modern cautionary tale of what it's like to broadcast your every move online for clicks and likes, as well as what can happen when we let ourselves get caught up in the doings of others.

None of the characters were particularly likable or even all that sympathetic (at least to me), but I kind of enjoyed that. It can show more be interesting not to have someone to root for, someone who is blatantly good in a sea of garbage. Everyone had their flaws, there was no one to side with, and it was interesting to have their stories unravel and come to light.

While not what I normally read, this was a good book. I had never heard of Charlotte Duckworth before reading this but I enjoyed her style and the way she let the story unfold.

**Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review** show less