The One That Got Away by L A Detwiler

The One Who Got Away by L.A. Detwiler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Avon books

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

The next chilling thriller from the bestselling author of THE WIDOW NEXT DOOR…

“Get out while you can. You’ll die here…”

Adeline Evans has recently moved into a home for the elderly. A safe space, where she can be cared for.

When she begins to receive cryptic and threatening notes, she is certain that someone is out to get her.

But the residents are warned against listening to a woman who is losing her memory. It would seem Adeline is tormented by the secrets in her past, and that the menace is all in her mind.

Until danger comes down the corridor and starts knocking in the night…

A compelling serial killer thriller from the bestselling author of THE WIDOW NEXT DOOR, perfect for fans of A.J Finn, K.L. Slater and Teresa Driscoll.


My Review

Adeline Evans is our main character, a new diagnosis of early dementia and losing her husband relatively recently, her and her daughter agree it is time for a nursing home. Adeline still has her wits, for the most part and the biggest issue is being back in her hometown. Her daughter Claire wanted them both back there after her father brought the town to her attention. Adeline is furious, after everything they ran away from, why why would he do this. Adjusting to a nursing and her condition is task enough but some of the residents and staff are downright hostile. When she makes a friend she is warned that not everything is as it seems and she needs to keep her head down if she wants to stay safe!


Eeek so the book splits into a few parts, present day and back to when Adeline was a teen and the drawn out what she ended up running from. We soon come to know there is a serial killer operating in Adeline's home town. She also has issues from her past she is struggling to stay ahead of, she just wants to be with her new love & free of her nagging parents. We also hear from the killer and snippets of news reports covering the killings.

I did much prefer the past parts of the book, it worked better for me and I felt compelled to read because I wanted to know the who, why and what of it all. Present day - the nursing home, there was so much, even suspending reality I found myself getting a bit annoyed and ratty with the present chapters. Some of the characters are truly horrific, horrible, abusive and nasty and some of the best books have these "baddies" such as they are but I found myself thinking really? several times. I wanted retribution, comeuppance and a bit more of the why.

I also thinks the fact it was in first person narrative helps create the real feel of someone with dementia, the confusion and fear with their thoughts however I found it confusing at times. It certainly lends an authentic feel/voice to the character and how they are struggling and experiencing everything that is happening to them. I feel like I am being quite harsh and I didn't hate the book but I got really frustrated, I would have liked to have reached in and shouted "What are you doing, DO THIS, DO THAT". Even with present day Adeline you can forgive some of the reactions but young Adeline, some points I was like WHY WOULD YOU NOT DO X,Y,Z. Some people absolutely loved this book so don't take my grumpy moaning take because I did say I didn't hate it, I did enjoy parts of it and think she gave Adeline (modern day) an authentic voice I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. 2.5/5 for me, this was my first time reading this author, I would absolutely read her other books - this one just sadly wasn't the best fit for me.

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Review - The Murderer's Daughter by R S Meyers

The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 8 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - Sphere

Blurb from Goodreads

Sisters Lulu and Merry share a terrible past. When Lulu was only a child, she let her drunken father into the family home and watched him kill her mother and then turn on six-year-old Merry. Years later, clinging to the wreckage of their childhood, the sisters try to make sense of what happened.


My Review

The book starts fairly quickly, it is 1971 and the first line of the book captures you immediately with the opening line "I wasn't surprised when Mama asked me to save her life". This is from Lulu, the older sister and she describes what happens on that fateful day that changed life for her and her sister Merry. For the first few chapters Lulu tells us what happened and where their life went after their father killed their mother. Then we hear from Merry and the chapters there on after are title by the speaker and what year it is. The girls stick together and cling to each other to get through and survive being in care and all the way through adulthood. Each sister deals with it differently, one avoids all contact or mention of her father whilst the other goes in a compleely different direction. The book follows their choices in life, the impact their mothers murder has had on them and ultimatelty what it is like, living as The Murderer's Daughters.

When I first starts this book I thought it packed quite a punch, it was a terrible and brutal event, fuelled by alcohol abuse, distrust and family dysfunction. It concentrates on how two girls, scarred by violence try to cope and how they turn out as adults and adapt to and face life without their parents. The judgement of others, being rejected by family, experience life in care and then make their own way in the world.

I felt the story tapered off after the first quarter or maybe even first half. It was interesting to read how the girls tried to cope and deal with life however I found it started to lose my interest and was really let down by how the whole thing ended. That said, a lot of people really liked this book and found it quite deep on a few levels. For me though it is a 2/5, give it a go for yourself though and see what you think.

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The Exit by Helen Fitzgerald

The Exit by Helen Fitzgerald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Faber & Faber

Pages - 297

Blurb from Goodreads

Some people love goodbyes...
23-year-old Catherine is mainly interested in Facebook and flirting, but she reluctantly takes a job at a local care home after her mother puts her foot down - and soon discovers that her new workplace contains many secrets. One of the residents at the home, 82-year-old Rose, is convinced that something sinister is going on in Room 7 and that her own life is under threat. But Rose has dementia - so what does she actually know, and who would believe her anyway? As Catherine starts investigating Rose's allegations, terrible revelations surface about everyone involved. Can Catherine find out what's really going on?


My Review

We have two main characters, Catherine who is 23, self obsessed and all about her Facebook status and what she can get out of life. Rose is 82, successful author of children's books, lives at Dear Green Care Home and has dementia. She flits between present day and being cognitively aware to reverting to her 10 year old self and reliving an event over and over. Catherine gets a job in the care home, at the push of her mother and undertakes a journey of self discovery and personal growth. She forms a relationship with Rose and becomes endeared to the elderly lady, however as Rose becomes more adamant, in her lucid moments, that something is going on Catherine's interest is piqued. As she starts to nose around she finds some clues that maybe Rose is onto something with room 7 and her curiosity may lead her to more trouble and danger than she could have imagined.

I do like Fitzgerald, you never truly know what your going to get when you pick up one of her books as, I feel, they are very different. This one, we know from early on Catherine is ageist, not a particularly nice individual and does some questionable things. However, Rose is quirky and fabulous and I think she gets under Catherine's skin which starts the journey Catherine goes on. There is a lot more to this story and it is hard to go into without spoilers which I never do and generally hate. Needless to say, there are twists and turns that I didn't see coming, whilst some of the book gets really dark and some readers may find uncomfortable, there is some humour within it and I can't state enough how much I liked Rose.

The book also has some sexual content, abuse is also a factor although it is not throughout and when it does appear I found it was relevant to the story rather than just put in for effect. The book I could have read in one sitting however, life did not permit it so I had to steal moments when I could. 4/5 for me this time, I have read Fitzgerald before and absolutely will again, if you like a book that has some tough content, humour and grips you then this book is for you. the Exit is newly released and as good a place as any to start with this author if you haven't read her before.

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