It is now 05:13am and i have just finished this book, i went to bed to read a few chapters before i went to sleep but just couldn’t stop reading!

In the book description to said this book was for fans of Kate Morton and Lucinda Riley which are big names to live up to and i can safely say Kerry Barrett did not disappoint.

The time split between present day and 1855 was really well done, easy to follow as each chapter gave the name of the character and the date and they flowed seamlessly together. The book is set on the coast line of East Sussex and centres around one house, two women separated by 150 years and the secrets that the house holds.

2016 Ella Daniels, an author suffering from writers block moves with her family from London to an old rural house on the cliffs overlooking the sea hoping that the house, location and change will help her inspire her to complete her novel.
Ella write’s crime fiction and when she hears rumours of murders that took place in the house next door and that the girl who lived in Ella’s new home went missing at the same time she can’t help but to find out what happened 150 years ago to the pretty girl whose painted portrait is found in an old cupboard in the attic.

1855 Violet Hargreaves is only 19 and an aspiring, very talented young artist, who’s greatest wish is to follow her dream to London and become a professional artist.
Whilst on the beach painting she meets a handsome stranger that lives in the house next door. After seeing her painting he promises that he will be the one to make her dreams come true.
But sometimes things can be too good to be true.

The book is beautifully written and makes you as intrigued and desperate as Ella to find out what happened to Violet all those years ago and the murders surrounding her disappearance. So much so it has kept me awake all night!.
I am so glad i read this book, i am now a definite fan of Kerry Barrett.

I agree that this haunting time slip tale is perfect for fans of Kate Riordan, Tracy Rees, Kate Morton and Lucinda Riley.

The book will be released on 20th September and can be pre ordered from

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072J3QBVH?ref_=k4w_oembed_aeAG0elC30jjQd&tag=kp... ( )

The Girl in the Picture by Kerry Barrett; (4*)

Not a great book but for what it is, women's fiction, it really is quite good. Barrett has a smooth way, via chapters, of time-slipping within the 150 years the book covers.
The gist of this one is that a family of 4 move from London to a century's old house by the sea. The wife comes upon a mystery dealing with the house, a girl who lived in it and the couple who lived next door at the time. Nothing will do but she must find her way to the end.
It held my interest the entire way through and I would be interested in reading something else by this author. ( )

The Girl in the Picture by Kerry Barrett
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Ella Daniels has never been a risk taker. In fact, Ella Daniels has always chosen the safe route, the path which virtually ensures safety. That is, until she sees the Cliff House and makes the decision to pack her bags and her family, leave her safe job and London, to become a full-time writer. Little does she know, her first ever risk is going to lead her straight into a 150-year-old mystery and the book of a lifetime.

Ella’s Cliff House is well-known and something of a local legend in her new small town. Some 150 years ago, a young woman, Violet Hargreaves went missing the same night her family’s gardener and the next-door neighbor were brutally killed. As a part-time, now full-time mystery writer, Ella just can’t help but be intrigued by the mystery surrounding her new home and Violet Hargreaves. With little actual information, one very pregnant police office, and a whole lot of determination, Ella sets out to solve the mystery of Violet Hargreaves.

Ella’s task isn’t an easy one as the facts she uncovers seem to only add more questions to her list of unanswered questions. What she knows, what is fact is that Violet Hargreaves was an artist of considerable talent and she lived in a time when women were largely restricted from such activities. In a dusty old cupboard in her attic, Ella has discovered a few of Violet’s works including a self-portrait and studies for a larger work. The studies create a great deal of excitement as they are, by and large sketches of an attractive and only partially clad man. Such a thing 150 years ago would have proven to be quite the scandal and as Ella digs deeper she discovers not only the identity of the man, but also his nefarious role in Violet’s life.

The Bottom Line: Yeah, I dove into this book head first and didn’t come up for air until I finished it! What a great past meets present, alternating between past and present chapters, historical fiction read! This one has a bit of everything including art and art history, an old unsolved mystery, scandal, and true redemption in the end. Ella is by far my favorite character and it is her strength and determination (along with one fierce tantrum from her young son) that brings Violet Hargreaves back into the light and the justice she deserves. As Ella uncovers Violet’s story, she evolves as both a person and a character and it is lovely to watch her come out of her self-imposed shell. In all, I absolutely loved this book and encourage you to pick this one up if you’re looking for a mixed bag of goodness. ( )