Jane Corry

I do love a Jane Corry book. It's always a time to rejoice when a new one is on the way. We All Have Our Secrets is her latest and it's an absolutely riveting story that I just couldn't put down.

Emily is a midwife. An unfortunate situation at work leads her to flee London for her father's home in Cornwall, at Willowmead House. When she gets there she is shocked to find Françoise answering the door. The young woman has been appointed by Harold, Emily's father, as a carer and companion, but show more all Emily can see is Françoise worming her way into Harold's life and making herself indispensable to him. She mistrusts Françoise and in turn, Françoise thinks Emily has neglected Harold.

The story is told from the point of view of each woman and I hated letting each viewpoint go, until I started reading the next one and got well and truly engrossed in that one too. This is an addictive read that I raced through, desperate to know what was going to happen next. The characters are so well-drawn, and I didn't trust either of the women, such was the level of intrigue built up so efficiently by Corry. Interspersed between the alternating narratives are snippets of Harold's war experiences and it just goes to show that we really do all have our secrets and some of them are hidden for a lifetime.

This is a family/domestic story with elements of a psychological thriller about it. I loved the details of life at Willowmead House and all the secrets that were gradually revealed. As always, it's a brilliant, thrilling and twisty read from an author at the top of her game. I loved it. show less

I always look forward to picking up a new Jane Corry book and The Stranger in Room Six did not disappoint. It's the story of two women, Belinda and Mabel, and how life brings them together.

Belinda has just been released from prison after serving time for the murder of her husband. She gets a job at Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart and there meets plucky Mabel Marchmont, the owner of the home but also someone familiar with it for many years after she went to stay with her aunt there in show more WWII. Belinda and Mabel hit it off and become friends, each sharing their life stories with the other, but the stranger in room six seems determined to wreak havoc on them both.

I so enjoyed this story and was completely gripped by it. Short burst chapters really kept up the pace and kept me happily to-ing and fro-ing between the two women's narratives. There's a fascinating WWII storyline to follow, an aspect of it I hadn't thought much about, and Belinda's tales of her time in prison were totally compelling. Put together they made for such a transfixing and absorbing read. I enjoyed it very much indeed and found it to be a fresh and interesting storyline with two courageous heroines at its heart. Highly recommended for those who enjoy psychological and domestic fiction. show less

It's always a pleasure to read a Jane Corry book. I know I'm in for a twisty read but with a very human element to it.

Poppy Page runs an casting agency for extras. It's at a party for the industry that she sets eyes on her first love, Matthew Gordon, again for the first time since they split up twenty years or so ago. Matthew broke her heart and it's clear there is unfinished business, even though Poppy is now married to Stuart with two daughters.

There's another element to the story, that of show more Betty, Poppy's mother-in-law. I won't say anything much about this as it's best to let it unfold as you read. But I enjoyed both strands, Poppy's for the current day tension and Betty's for the events in the past.

I was absolutely enthralled by this story from start to finish. I just didn't want to put it down. I needed to know what was going to happen to Poppy and her family, how the collision course she seemed to be on was going to conclude. It's one of those reads that makes me put myself in the place of the protagonist with a realisation that any one of us could indeed make a mistake that has catastrophic consequences.

I particularly liked the everyday aspects of Poppy's life being thrown together with the upheaval in her head and heart, causing complete turmoil. Jane Corry writes about everyday dilemmas brilliantly with a deft touch that draws the reader right into the heart of the narrative.

I loved I Made a Mistake. It's a perfect combination of psychological thriller and domestic drama, with skilful plotting and well-drawn characters. show less

Well, this was a twisty sort of read! Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen it threw a curveball at me.

Alison is one of the main characters in this story. She's in her mid-30s and is still suffering the after-effects of an accident when she was 18. Not physical after-effects but psychological ones. The accident left her 11 year old sister, Kitty, brain-damaged. We hear from Alison and Kitty in 2017 and back in 2001 around the time when the accident happened.

I enjoyed hearing show more from both protagonists. Alison's story is compelling and a real page turner and then Kitty, trapped in her body, able to think but unable to speak, is fascinating. What secrets does she hold?

Alison takes a job working as artist-in-residence at an open prison and what a brilliant setting this was. It really ramped up the tension as Alison didn't know who she could trust. Even more interesting is the fact that the author held a similar position in a prison herself.

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting and I think it was because of the tagline which refers to three little girls. Except Alison was 18 so not so little. Once I had got my head around that I was absolutely engrossed in this fantastic psychological read.

There's so much going on in this story. It's a 450-odd page read so fairly lengthy but it flew past. Relatively short chapters helped and the cliffhangers that appeared often at the end of them kept me turning those pages as fast as I could.

I think that, as with all psychological thrillers, there's an element of the fantastical about it. To make it into that twisty read I mentioned earlier there has to be some fairly unlikely events and circumstances (everyday life can be a bit too mundane to write about) but if it's done well, as it is here, then it still works.

The story unfolds quite slowly as we are given little bits of information about the past. This just added to the tension for me. I thought it was such a well written story. Unfortunately, at times I did have to put it down otherwise I would describe it as unputdownable. It's a fantastic read! show less