Deborah O'Connor

I had no idea before I started this book that it was set in my native North East. It always takes the reading of such books to another level when the area is familiar to you and you don't need to imagine the scene. It left my imagination free to run wild on the plot so I had an absolute whale of a time reading My Husband's Son.

Heidi and Jason met at a conference after sharing the worst kind of experience imaginable for a parent: they both have missing children. Heidi's daughter, Lauren, went show more missing and was later found murdered whereas Jason's son, Barney, has never been found so Jason still has hope. Heidi moved to the North East when she married Jason and it is on a visit to a local off-licence in Gateshead that she notices a boy who she thinks resembles Barney. She encourages Jason to visit the off-licence to take a look and he says it isn't his son. Jason is convinced that he has such a close bond with Barney that he will know him immediately when they are reunited. Heidi, however, cannot get this boy out of her head and takes increasing risks to find out more about him. How far is she willing to go to find out if this boy is her husband's son?

What a cracking read. One minute I was on Jason's side, thinking Heidi needed to drop this madness then I was thinking, what if Heidi is right? Wouldn't a parent explore every avenue and investigate every possibility before disregarding a possible sighting of their missing child? Why would Heidi be convinced when Jason wasn't? Is she clutching at all straws as there is no hope for her daughter? Does Jason have something to hide and what exactly is he relationship with his ex-wife? What on earth is going on in Heidi's head for her to take such unnecessary risks? There were so many questions going round and round in my head that I positively tore through the pages in search of the answers.

I was completely unprepared for the amazing ending and had to stay up quite late to finish it as I couldn't have put this book down if my life depended on it. A superb debut by Deborah O'Connor and a well deserved 5 out of 5 from me for My Husband's Son. If you like books that make you question everything you are reading, then this one is most definitely for you!

I chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. show less

I loved Deborah O'Connor's debut novel, My Husband's Son, so I couldn't wait to read her second novel, The Dangerous Kind. It is clear that Deborah O'Connor is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects, so be prepared to be deeply disturbed by this dark yet completely compelling novel.

This is a dual timeline story set in present day and 2003 and it takes a little while to get used to it as there are two sets of characters: one for each time period. I have to admit, I couldn't quite get a show more handle on who was who at first so do stick with it if this happens to you. Once I got my reading rhythm, my mind really started whirring: I knew the two stories had to be linked, but I didn't know how. I did kind of guess one part of it, and just as I was feeling mighty chuffed with myself, Deborah O'Connor pulled the rug out from under my feet and revealed the whole shocking truth.

I really liked the character of Jessamine Gooch, from her unusual name to her total kick-ass girl-power. Jessamine is a career woman and single mother, having adopted her daughter Sarah when she was 2 years old. Jessamine is the host of a popular BBC radio show which investigates crimes that may have been prevented if the perpetrator had been identified as a PDP (Potentially Dangerous People). Jessamine meets a woman in the street who asks her to look into the disappearance of her friend and, with the powers that be at the BBC looking to revive the tired show, Jessamine starts to investigate with no idea that she is putting her job and even her life at risk.

Once the missing woman story hooked me, that was it; I couldn't put the book down. There are some very disturbing and distressing scenes skirted around in the book which made my skin crawl but thankfully Deborah O'Connor didn't go into too many gory details. She did, however, only have to mention an unnamed BBC radio celebrity for me to feel physically sick. I'm not saying it is that person in the story, but I'm sure he was the inspiration (if you can call it that) for the book. Thankfully, the story is told from the other side so I didn't have to encounter him too often. It shows how effective the writing is to evoke such emotions in a reader so I really must applaud Deborah O'Connor for giving a voice to the victims.

The Dangerous Kind is a total skin crawler but also a totally compelling thriller. It's not for the faint-hearted but it's definitely a voice that should be heard.

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

The Dangerous Kind is 2019’s Gone Girl but even better!

Told mainly from four different view points the story follows Jessamine, a radio presenter, her adopted daughter Sarah, Jitesh an intern at the BBC radio studios in present day London and Rowena in 2003.

Each with their own plot lines that slowly becomes ever increasingly entwined culminating into a finale worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster.

As Jessamine begins an unofficial investigation into missing woman Cassie, a suspected victim of show more domestic abuse, the trail begins to spiral into an even greater darkness taking her further and further down the proverbial rabbit hole.

As well as domestic abuse she uncovers some terrifyingly plausible crimes involving the exploitation of young people in care by people in authority, people in positions of trust, even a celebrity, how far they will go to keep their depravities secret and the effects it takes on victims, abusers and their families. It will instinctively bring to mind Rolf Harris and Jimmy Savile which makes this even more hard-hitting.

I have to say though, even though the storyline is centred around such horrific acts it is written and portrayed brilliantly, enough detail to bring the story and its characters to life without the need for graphic details. It is handled with an iron fist in a velvet glove and the writing style is so sublime the pages just keep on turning at a rate of knots.

And then of course – the obligatory plot twist and what a twist it is! As clichéd as that is it doesn’t take away the fact that this particular twist was an absolute stunner! I still can’t believe I didn’t see it coming or even where it came from! And just like that, it all makes perfect sense!

If you read one psychological thriller in 2019, my advice, make sure it is this one!

Now I will keep a keen eye out for the film that surely must follow!

The Dangerous Kind is set to be published on the 16 May 2019 in the UK.

Many thanks to the author Deborah O’Connor, publishers Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest, independent review.

https://debbiesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2018/12/30/the-dangerous-kind-by-debora... show less

I started to read this book this summer, but it just didn't work for me. I think it was mostly Heidi that just didn't rub me the right way, and the stupid things she did. I know that she is a damaged individual. Losing one's daughter, and in that way is, without a doubt, one of the worst things that could happen to someone. But, her obsession makes her do really irrational things, and I found myself more and more annoyed with her and lost interest in the book.

But, I gave the book another show more chance a couple of days ago, just to see if it would work better for me. I still found Heidi's action questionable, but the story felt better, this time, and I even started to enjoy reading the book. I particularly started to like the story when the truth about what really happened when Barney disappeared was revealed, or rather the events leading to the truth being revealed. And, this book has one of the biggest WTF ending ever. I can't say I like the ending, but it sure was surprising and very daring.

I'm glad I gave the book another chance, the characters in this book are complicated and flawed, and so very human. I may not like Heidi very much, but I can understand some of her actions, and other, well I'm not sure I could live with some of them...

I want to thank Bonnier Publishing for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review! show less