Here’s a book review of my old boss’ first ever novel.
This easy to read, psychological thriller caught my attention even before I’ve read the title and blurb. It was written by Karen Botha, an ex-Head of Online at a well known flooring retailer (Carpetright.) Funny thing is, she (and my manager, Simon,) couldn’t have known that it would kick-start my career by giving me that junior position about 5/6 years ago.
Anyway, enough about me and back to Karen. She quit the corporate digital job to pursue her love for holistic therapy, taking on jobs as a masseuse in her converted garage, and has coupled that with freelance copywriting. I’m guessing that the latter has allowed her to write more freely and so perhaps that was the push to become a novelist writer?
Good news is that my admiration for the writer didn’t have much to play in her well-written story. It’s a super easy read, and fun too. Knowing the author meant that I could see the links between her real life self and her characters as she clearly put a lot of herself into her first book. As she had posted on her Facebook, (which you can find via Karen Botha Author,) ‘write about what you know’ and she did exactly that and did it well.
Plot Summary
Briefly, the story is about a masseuse, Lucy, who has a new love interest – Giles Harrington. Her best friend, Paula, being an ex-crime detective, checks his background (as he seems ‘fishy’ to her when they first meet) and finds that his terminally sick ex-wife ‘might’ have been murdered. Due to Paula’s jealousy and gut feeling she points all the fingers at Giles and starts looking for evidence. In the meantime Lucy and Giles’ relationship quickly develops, from fun days out to an engagement not long after they first met. Without ruining the end, throughout the story, the reader meets more of Giles’ friends and family and you’re left wondering who had killed his ex-wife because something really doesn’t seem to add up.
In my opinion, throughout the novel, I wanted Giles to be innocent, even when all the evidence showed that he might be the murderer. It shows that Karen has a great way of making you bond with the characters that she’s created and keeps you turning the pages.
Her use of colloquial language made me smile as it very much reminded me of our local Essex area. She included passionate scenes but wrote them in a classy way which made you bond with the characters as they were intertwined together. An easy to read, easy to follow story that included twists and turns that made it a page turner. I’m also satisfied, in a strange way, that it ended in a cliff hanger!
I’m looking forward to reading the next one 🙂
Grab your copy on Amazon today – Right now (July 12th 2017) it’s even FREE to download!
Talya
I do love a good psychological thriller this sounds like a goodie so will keep a look out for this!
Becca Talbot
Must have been interesting to read a book by someone you know, spotting similarities and small nuances between Karen and her real life. Sounds like a good book! x
Helen
I love stories with twists and turns – keeps me wanting to read more 🙂
Debbie - Hello Deborah
Oh I love a good thriller. I’ve downloaded this now so will add it to my to be read list.
Kara
Oh i do like a good thriller to get my teeth in to, sounds like a great book
Laura Clark
This sounds exactly my cup of tea – I love a crime plot with romance tossed in
Baby Isabella
It makes it extra special when you know the author! Sounds like a thrilling read and quite a page turner. Its great that the author escaped the rat race!
Musings of a tired mummy...zzz...
Sounds like an interesting read and love the back story to your relationship with the author! Will you ask for a signed copy?!
Holly - Little Pickle's Mom
Ahh, I can’t imagine reading a book written by someone I know – how interesting! Sounds like a real page turner.
Newcastle Family Life
How amazing that you know the author, this sounds like an interesting book xx
Ana De- Jesus
I would definitely say that someone is a good writer if they can make you identify with someone who is evidenced to be a murderer. It just goes to show that even the most evil person has traits that we might identify with, even if loosely connected x
London Mumma
This thriller sounds very intriguing and a very good read.
Kiddo Alex
I found this book enjoyable. I would not call it an erotic romance, however, that part of the story was lacking. I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters, they were all a little off for me. Twists in the story kept me interested though. I liked the book but not enough to read more from this author.
Anna Rose
Great read. Sexy , mystery and suspense!