Darren O'Sullivan

“He doesn’t know his name. He doesn’t know his secret.”

When Daniel awakened from a coma, he had no recollection of the life he led before. Now, over fourteen years later, he’s started anew. He has a beautiful six-year-old son. His two closest friends are his son’s mother Rachael and her husband Sean. And he’s ready to propose to his girlfriend Katie. Although he fights to remember his bits and pieces of his past, his new life is full of love and happiness. Nothing can take that show more away.

Or can it?

A phone call in the middle of the night brings the life he can’t remember crashing into the one he lives now. The man he used to be stole something. The people from whom he stole it want it back. Daniel can’t recall what it was or who they are, but he has a matter of days to return it. Rachael and his son have been kidnapped. If he doesn’t, they will be killed.

Rachael will do anything to protect her son. She tries everything to keep him safe and unafraid, but will it be enough? The key to their survival is in Daniel’s past. He must retrace the steps of the man he was before to figure it out. Yet, that’s hard to do when you still can’t remember…

Get ready to close your eyes, and count to ten.
_____________________

It’s always easy to review a good book, but it’s harder to review a great one. “Close Your Eyes” by Darren O’Sullivan is the latter, full of the surprises and twists that you expect from the genre, but also emotional punches that will have you nearly rooting for a bad guy and crying for the good. It’s so well-crafted you can’t help but wonder if O’Sullivan plotted every aspect of the story, even the pacing.

The book starts out slow as Daniel meticulously tries to uncover details from his former life. The slower pace might be a bad move for most thrillers, but not this one. Instead, it’s a needed part of the story that helps build tension while keeping Daniel’s amnesia realistic.

That said, the slower pace doesn’t last one word longer than required. O’Sullivan wastes no time picking up speed as Daniel finds a trail to follow. From there, you’re as frenzied and desperate as Daniel to figure out who he was and what he stole. The breath-stealing suspense that O’Sullivan is so good at creating keeps you from putting the book down. And you will fall in love with Rachael and her son alongside Daniel as they help narrate the story. In fact, you may not have a heart if you don’t become emotionally invested in these two reaching the final chapter and returning home safely.

“Close Your Eyes” is a double thriller, if there really were such a thing. Author Darren O’Sullivan has a knack from pulling the proverbial rug out from under your feet, but also his character Daniel’s as well. You’ll be gobsmacked from all the unpredictable twists starting early in the novel and continuing to nearly the last page.

Using the words of Daniel’s son, this book will turn your mind upside down before you reach the end, “just like it would be if [you] were in Australia.” Daniel couldn’t have ever imagined where his story would take him. You won’t be able to either. show less

Chris had waited ten long months. He planned it all.

The date. It was their anniversary.

The location. “It was on this platform Chris had known he was in love.”

The exact minute that he would step off the platform and under the oncoming cargo train. The train passed at 10:47 each night.

He tenderly kissed a picture of his late wife Julia. In less than eight minutes, he would join her. She was waiting.

But all his planning didn’t include Sarah. Chris did his research. She wasn’t show more supposed to be at the station. The next passenger train wasn’t for an hour. The station should be empty. It always was at that time. It’s why he chose it. After a monster had strangled his wife and made him watch, the last thing he wanted to do was inflict that kind of trauma on anyone else.

Sarah had just snuck out of her cheating ex’s house after crawling out of his bed. She hoped he’d ask for redemption after his betrayal. Instead, he thanked her for a fun night. It gave her a sense of déjà vu. Every man she loved lied to her. Then, she saw Chris at the station, swaying on the edge of the platform.

At first, Sarah thought him drunk. Being alone with him at the station raised the hairs on the back of her neck. But when she saw him kiss the picture, her perception changed. She thought him a good man, one who treasured love just like her. Yet, she also sensed something else, a sadness that made her stick around despite his attempts to get her to leave before the train arrived. When Chris leaves the station instead, she finds his suicide note. The realization that she inadvertently saved his life fills her with a need to find him — to be sure he’s alright.

But he has picked another day. The anniversary of his wife’s death. Chris is determined that nobody will stop him this time, not even Sarah as he tries to protect her from being the monster’s next victim.

__________

The term unreliable narrator was coined by Wayne C. Booth in 1961. It’s a popular device used in suspense and thriller novels to throw the reader off track and avoid predictability. However, any author takes a risk when using this type of narrator. There’s a chance the reader will view the narrator as a voice of trusted authority. There’s also the chance the reader will confuse the narrator’s voice with that of the author as the story is told.

“Our Little Secret” was author Darren O’Sullivan’s first foray into the thriller and suspense genres. At first, you aren’t sure if main character Chris is an unreliable narrator or a grieving husband who readers can trust. But true to the device, O’Sullivan drops subtle hints along the way, making you suck in a sharp breath as you start to realize that maybe things aren’t the way Chris makes them seem. The only thing that’s certain is that O’Sullivan’s use of the unreliable narrator makes this otherwise standard-issue suspense novel a thrilling read.

Despite the sagging mattress feel mid-way through, the story as a whole will whet your appetite for future titles by Darren O’Sullivan. show less

I received a free e-copy of Closer Than You Think by Darren O’Sullivan from Net Galley and HQ Digital in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed this quick little thriller for the most part. There were times I caught myself wondering if certain character behaviors were a little over the top, but each time, I made myself consider what I would do in her place, and the answer is, I’m just thankful I don’t know the answer to that question.

I love the support system that Claire has around her, and show more how much love is present in the book as a whole. There are some really great triumphant moments for her, and reading them was very enjoyable.

I went back and forth a lot on my overall rating for this book. I would think 3 stars, then something would push it to 4, then something else would knock it back down. What finally decided it for me was the ending - I just didn’t much care for it. But still, overall, I did like the book and the story. show less

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com


I really wasn't expecting much when I picked up Our little secret By Darren O'Sullivan, not sure why that was but I got a very pleasant surprise indeed as Our little secret is quite the sparkling gem.
From the moment I started this, I felt such a compulsion to read on, the way its written it gripped me in its Talon's making me a part of the story from the onset and I was just so motivated to find out the outcome for all involved.
It show more forged such an emotional connection with me with its flawed but so understandable characters and I found it such addictive reading indeed.
I must admit I did guess quite early on what the twist was but that really didn't affect my overall enjoyment factor at all.
So Our Little Secret tells the story of the night, Sarah happens across Chris at the train station, setting into motion a chain of events after she unexpectedly saves his life.
In return, Chris himself becomes just as determined to keep Sarah safe from the secrets he holds.
As I said earlier I quickly twigged what was occurring but I still really enjoyed this splendidly told mystery.
So Our little Secret quickly drew me in, the writing was fabulous, it had intrigue and mystery in bundles, was really well thought out with multi dimensional characters, that you believed easily and an overall overcast of doom that really got to you.
So would I recommend this?
Well yeah!! Course I would.
Our Little Secret By Darren O'Sullivan doesn't overcomplicate things and as a result, it works
It shows the intricacies of human behaviour lying just beneath the surface and the everyday masks we conceal ourselves behind.
It was a fascinating read I really enjoyed.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an arc of Our Little Secret. This is my own unbiased and honest opinion.


Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/ show less