Daisy in Chains

She got me. I should have seen the signs. They were there. Occasional food anxiety, the blue hair, rules for disappearing, the flower name. However I was too caught up in the story to fix my attention on Maggie Rose.

Hamish is slippery and duplicitous, but in a remote way. Bolton never writes a close third person for him so he feels less substantial. As does Maggie herself. Drinks with yet another man she freed? That is so strange that for a woman who cuts herself off, she wants to maintain relationships with these people. And what is it with women who “fall in love” with convicted murderers? The explanation toward the end, so cynically explained by Hamish, rings the most true. Not so much mental illness as a way to be in control; a show more thing many women lack entirely. I liked the fact that most of the letters to Dearest end up with the police. It adds a tremendous unknown quantity that engages the mind and in a way, keeps the reader (at least this one) from focusing on what is really at the heart of the situation. Nice work and I look forward to reading more from Ms. Bolton. show less

Daisy in Chains is a superb thriller. It's not a traditional whodunit or a book about a murdering spree as such, and it is so clever and so well-plotted that I couldn't put it down.

Hamish Wolfe is a charismatic and handsome doctor, convicted of killing four women. He's serving time in prison and wants lawyer and true crime writer, Maggie Rose, to become his lawyer, knowing that she specialises in getting killers freed on appeal. The reader is kept guessing as to whether Hamish is innocent or guilty and this is a real cat and mouse game between two great minds.

Hamish is so well-drawn that I found myself wanting him to be innocent. This is a book where I cared about the characters, even if I didn't necessarily like them. The story is show more told in mostly short chapters, which kept up the pace throughout, and there are a number of letters, emails, reports and articles that help to tell the story and add to the intrigue.

I have read one other Sharon Bolton book (Little Black Lies) which I loved, but Daisy in Chains is on another level entirely for me. I was hooked from the very beginning and every time I picked it up I just wanted to carry on reading it. This is my idea of 5 star novel. show less

Good LORD. When the twist was revealed, I literally did that bug-eyed “holy shit” face. This is one of those books you need to reread to truly catch everything.

Dare say, my favorite Bolton novel?

Hamish Wolfe is in prison for the abduction and murder of three women. They all have one thing in common, they are a larger dress size. Maggie Rose is a successful laywer and crime writer. Hamish wants Maggie to prove his innocence. Is he really the big bad wolf. Then theres Daisy and where is she now and how does she fit in.

Sharon Bolton is a fine thriller writer and I enjoy her Lacy Flint novels. This novel is a stand alone.

I am drawn into the story straight away and knew I was going to enjoy the story. The author has a knack of creating compelling characters. Both Hamish and Maggie are likeable but I couldn't make my mind up if bith were telling the truth or lying. This is what the author is good at, drawing a reader in then comes a show more twist to turn it all on its head.

The story is gripping with a twist and a turn. Theres plenty going on and at no time did I get bored. The story is told with letters and emails and is very now with facebook.

As always Sharon Bolton has again presented a very soild thriller which will keep the reader guessing. show less

SWEDISH REVIEW

Wow, vilken bok. vad jag älskar med Boltons böcker är inte bara hennes förmåga att skriva spännande böcker med otroliga vändningar, utan även hennes förmåga att skapa intressanta och fascinerande karaktärer som Maggie Rose och Hamish Wolfe. Från början fängslades jag av handlingen och jag älskade känslan av att inte veta hur allting skulle sluta. Är Hamish oskyldig eller inte? Varför håller polisen som fångade Hamish så stor koll på Maggie? Han övervakade henne så mycket så det kändes som att han förföljde honom. Och den största frågan, vem är egentligen Maggie Hope?

Daisy i kedjor gav upphov till många frågor medan jag läste boken och det är svårt att skriva vad som fängslade mig så show more mycket med boken utan att avslöja saker. Men jag vill säga detta. boken är oerhört spännande, med vändningar som jag absolut inte hade räknat med och ett alldeles fantastiskt slut. Utan tvekan är detta en av de bästa böcker jag har läst detta år!

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ENGLISH REVIEW

Oh wow, what a book. What a ride! What I love with Sharon Bolton's books is not only her ability to write thrilling twisted stories, that's her ability to create interesting and extremely fascinating characters like Maggie Rose and Hamish Wolfe. From the beginning was I captivated with the story and I loved the feeling of not knowing how it all would end. I mean questions like; is Hamish innocent or not, why is the cop that caught Hamish keeping a close eye on Maggie, that is starting to feel a bit stalkerish, and who the hell is Maggie Hope, what makes her tick?

Many, many questions went through my head during the time I read the book. And, it's hard to write about what's so interesting about it without giving anything away. But, I will say this, nothing is at it seems, sure some things that happen makes sense, but I never saw that ending coming. This is one of the best books I have read this year!

I want to thank Random House for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! show less

It can only be described as 100% suspenseful with a dark and unexpected twist at the end. I never saw it coming and never expected it to happen. I like an author can can pull off a stunt like that. Secrets run rampant through out the entire story. Everyone involved has them… from the detective who knows more about Hamish than one would expect. Then there is Maggie who appears to be a total blank slate that shares nothing that doesn’t benefit her career. Even Hamish's own mother who is active in her son's appeal attempt is hiding more than one secret. Sharon Bolton has created a psychological masterpiece in this one.

After reading three 5 star books in a row last month, I turned to some crime fiction from my back catalogue to change up my reading selection. Published in 2016, Daisy in Chains by Sharon J. Bolton is a crime novel with two main protagonists and a great supporting character.

Maggie Rose is a lawyer with a reputation for overturning murder convictions and publishing true crime books about their cases. Hamish Wolfe is a successful surgeon and convicted serial killer of plus sized women and is serving a prison sentence for his crimes.

Detective Pete Weston was responsible for cracking the case that put Wolfe away and saw him convicted of the murders of three women. Wolfe remains the primary suspect in the case of a fourth missing woman show more fitting his modus operandi. Meanwhile, Wolfe's mother and support group are convinced of his innocence and beg Maggie to take on the case and work on his legal appeal.

I vacillated between Wolfe's guilt and innocence and there were plenty of red herrings throughout the plot to keep the reader guessing. Letters between characters and draft chapters of Maggie's next true crime manuscript are included throughout the text and manage to drive the narrative forward and keep the pace high.

This was a four star read until the big reveal or what some readers are calling the twist. Unfortunately it was a step too far and a bit of a stretch for me and I felt like I'd been duped as a reader. Having said that, the first three quarters of the book until that point was a fast moving crime thriller that had me going backwards and forwards questioning Maggie's motives and Detective Pete Weston's involvement.

Recommended for crime fiction and thriller readers. show less