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Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan
Apr. 8th, 2016 05:07 amThe Blurb On The Back:
A schoolgirl goes missing in Cambridge. The police are convinced she has run away from home.
Margot Lewis, one of the girl’s teachers, is the agony aunt of the Dear AmyDear Amy,
Please help me.
I’ve been kidnapped by a strange man. He says I can never go home. I’m afraid that he’ll kill me.
Please help me,
Bethan Avery
This must be some cruel hoax. Because Bethan Avery has been missing for nearly two decades. Margot takes the letter to the police, hoping they will brush this off as a sick joke. But they do no such thing.
They will tell her something about these letters which confirms her darkest fears – and tangles her up in the search for the sender which could save one life, and cost Margot her own …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Helen Callaghan’s debut psychological thriller is a complex page-turner with deft characterisation that held my interest to the very end. What really makes this book is Margot’s first person voice which really nails the complexity of her character. Driven by anger and determination, she’s got a sharp sense of humour but is nevertheless vulnerable and lacking in confidence, thanks in part to an unpleasant and on-going divorce (the scenes between Margot and her manipulative ex, Eddy are particularly well handled). I really enjoyed the way Callaghan weaves Margot’s past into the story and shows how it affects her reactions and I also enjoyed the third person scenes showing Katie’s point of view, which pulse with tension and jeopardy. Martin is an interesting foil for Margot – more analytical and keeping his own secrets – but I would have liked a bit more personal interaction between the two and wasn’t that interested in the inevitable romantic undertones. I did guess one of the big twists in the book, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of how it played out and although this works well as a standalone, I could happily read another book about Margot and look forward to reading Callaghan’s next novel.
DEAR AMY will be released in the United Kingdom on 19th May 2016. Thanks to Amazon Vine for the ARC of this book.
A schoolgirl goes missing in Cambridge. The police are convinced she has run away from home.
Margot Lewis, one of the girl’s teachers, is the agony aunt of the Dear AmyDear Amy,
Please help me.
I’ve been kidnapped by a strange man. He says I can never go home. I’m afraid that he’ll kill me.
Please help me,
Bethan Avery
This must be some cruel hoax. Because Bethan Avery has been missing for nearly two decades. Margot takes the letter to the police, hoping they will brush this off as a sick joke. But they do no such thing.
They will tell her something about these letters which confirms her darkest fears – and tangles her up in the search for the sender which could save one life, and cost Margot her own …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): ) The Verdict:
Helen Callaghan’s debut psychological thriller is a complex page-turner with deft characterisation that held my interest to the very end. What really makes this book is Margot’s first person voice which really nails the complexity of her character. Driven by anger and determination, she’s got a sharp sense of humour but is nevertheless vulnerable and lacking in confidence, thanks in part to an unpleasant and on-going divorce (the scenes between Margot and her manipulative ex, Eddy are particularly well handled). I really enjoyed the way Callaghan weaves Margot’s past into the story and shows how it affects her reactions and I also enjoyed the third person scenes showing Katie’s point of view, which pulse with tension and jeopardy. Martin is an interesting foil for Margot – more analytical and keeping his own secrets – but I would have liked a bit more personal interaction between the two and wasn’t that interested in the inevitable romantic undertones. I did guess one of the big twists in the book, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of how it played out and although this works well as a standalone, I could happily read another book about Margot and look forward to reading Callaghan’s next novel.
DEAR AMY will be released in the United Kingdom on 19th May 2016. Thanks to Amazon Vine for the ARC of this book.
