There are two ways to be fooled, one is to believe what isn’t true, other is to refuse to believe what is true
The book starts with these beautiful lines, which immediately made me feel I am in for a thrilling ride, with mysteries untold and secrets unsaid.
Rebecca’s husband, Chris is missing since the past four months, 112days and so is a teenager Kayleigh from the town of Shawmouth. Both disappeared on the same day, at the same time… Together??
The dirty insinuations by the people and the police investigation in that direction, the shock of her husband running away with a girl not even fifteen, caused Rebecca to have a nervous breakdown and she spent the first month in a daze, under medication, in bed. To escape the violence against her, she moves out of her house, rents a caravan and slowly after four months, starts her own investigation. Her search for the truth leads to shady localities, unsavoury characters, nasty school kids and the dark underbelly of the town.
Sarah Wray has written the book in good English, with minimum swear words. There are unexpected happenings leading to shocking endings. Her flow of the story is a little different than what a normal psychological thriller ought to be.
There are sporadic moments in the book which are sensitive, Rebecca’s visits to her mother who is at a care facility, her persistence inspite of opposition, her belief in her husband, her intentions are appreciated. Rebecca’s investigative methods are different but they lead to results at the end of the book, barring a few details which are not explained.
There are few niggles I have to mention here
If the author’s intention was for me to get irritated, yes she succeeded. If she wanted me to read the book real fast, without enjoying, yes she succeeded…
Rebecca just drinks and drinks and drinks and then wonders why she gets irritated fast and why her reactions are slow.. I just have one thing to say to that.. duh
Just keeping a watch on a shady pizza place and needling school girls and then, coming back to drink is not investigation.
A thirty five year old woman, getting bullied by a bunch of fourteen year old school kids and then hiding in her caravan is not investigation… Grow a backbone, woman…
I wonder what genre this book aims for, its just blehhh. In 60% of the book, Rebecca has gone nowhere. She manages to irritate all her friends, become paranoid, lose her job, owe a huge credit card debt (her husband has a gambling debt), and yet have money to DRINK.
Can I emphasize on drink more????
How is this a psychological thriller, it just ended up killing my thrill psyche and I couldn’t read this book fast enough for all the wrong reasons.
I agree that what happened to Rebecca was horrible, she was collateral damage in a deed which had nothing to do with her and anyone in her position would lose hope and drink but this is fiction not a true incident book. There has got to be a strength in the main character. Pulling herself out of a difficult situation and turning her life around, thereby clearing her husband’s name would have made this book a better reading.
If the author Sarah Wray has wanted to show the rising of the Phoenix, with the main character, then she has not done it, at least not with this book. This psychological thriller does not thrill only kills my brain cells.
My rating : 2 stars
About the Author
Sarah Wray lives in Belfast with her husband and three children. She has a degree in Genetics from Belfast University and has worked as a medical research lab technician, a child-minder, a science teacher and has done voluntary work with disabled children. Her first children’s novel, The Forbidden Room, beat thousands of other entries to win the nationwide Wow Factor competition, and was long-listed for the 2008 CLIP Carnegie Medal. Reported Missing is her debut in the thriller genre.
Book blurb
Four months ago, Rebecca Pendle’s husband disappeared. So did 14-year-old Kayleigh Jackson.
Just a coincidence? Rebecca wants to believe so… But as the police start to draw parallels between Chris and Kayleigh, it’s getting harder for her to trust his innocence. Faced with an angry town that believes Chris has abducted the teenager, Rebecca tries to discover the truth.
But what she finds shocks her more than she ever thought. How well does she really know the man she loves?
Product Details
Publication date : 14th July 2017
Publisher : Bookouture
Language : English
Available on Amazon
A book which does not thrill
95 Responses
Sounds pretty boring
Hahaha you write much much better stories..
That’s an honour to hear that. Thanks
It’s very true also
Thanks 😃😎
🤗
You are correct. It is very nice to meet you. Thank you doctor
Thank you Amal, nice to meet you too
😂 same here
Haha thank you both
😁😁
As always, thank you for reading, and comment if you see fit.
http://www.indianforensicexpert.com
I will read this book with my closed eyes😊
Hahaha.. I should have used your technique, I unfortunately read it with eyes open..
😁
😂😂
Nice one Shalini
Thank you
Welcome
Thanks for the review. I was interested in this book. Thanks for saving me from wasting my time.
Yeah the cover and book blurb looked so interesting I thought I would love it. But she drinks so much that it kills my brain cells. Why would an author who writes children’s books write this way, I wonder.
Parts of book are good. Real story is ok, nothing earth moving.. But i hated the main character. Wanted to slap her to make her face the reality
Yeah I hate when you want to shake the main character.
Oh yes, I don’t like violence and I wanted to slap her hard and wake her up… I want to know how the author justifies such a character
Maybe she based her on someone she knows that is really like that. I dont know.
True that…
Thank you for reading mine and commenting
I enjoyed reading this review! Well, I don’t what to make of the book itself, but I could tell how strongly and vehemently you dislike drinking lol
Hahahaha I like drinking in moderation but this babe is drinking on every page and she mixes her drink. I dread thinking about the state of her liver. 😂😂
lol
Norin I also drink but it’s in moderation not till I lose my senses and falling all over the place.
I drink in moderation, too! I used to love the feelings when I get tipsy – how everything feels uplifting and fun, but now I’d rather not drink. I only drink when I’m out with my friends.
I dont drink at all nowadays no company
Wow! Sounded like it had potential with those opening lines. Sorry it was a dud.
Getting bullied by teenagers 15yr old and drinking in every page – hows that a strong woman…
maybe she’s strong because her liver can take all that liquor? LOL
Hahaha I thought so too. Jay she mixes her drinks beer with vodka with whisky and some cheap stuff and then she has a hangover the next day, she is irritable then goes to have more alcohol in the evening. Her liver must be floating in alcohol…
Exactly. That’ll kill you for sure. At least I stay with the same liquor each night. LOL
Hahaha… I stopped alcohol 7 years ago.. And I used to have 30ml vodka once or twice a year… Suddenly lost taste for it… 😂😂
once or twice a year? hmmm… maybe you needed a different liquor.
I’m doing a 30 day cleanse of sorts with it… will have a drink once or twice a week, but not my normal 10+… should make a nice little change in my metabolism!
Great… Never liked alcohol ever.. But vodka still has a better taste to the rest..
Hahaha she takes liquor then pukes then again imbibes … I got a hangover reading the same thing. And the author has described every day’s drinking. It took me 3 days to finish the book. Imagine that
Not a fun situation….
Oh too bad.
Yea some books are like that. But I spent 3 days trying to like it. Waste of my time..
Amazing review of not so amazing book. You are so talented. 😂😂😊
Ooooo. You liked the review?? Cho chweet.. Thank you. I thought it was ok. You are so encouraging. 😘💗
I was being honest and encouraging 😉
I heart you
Same to same. 😀😀
I only gave this one 2.5 myself. My excitement in the beginning came from reading something similar in the news which had me thinking the book will be great…. it quickly died out though as I got into the story. 😦
I was excited in the beginning then the rest was pretty bad. I did not understand the author’s concept of a strong woman… She should stick to children’s books. I gave 2 stars for the first two lines and her English. There were no colloquial terms that I did not understand. That’s about it.
Definitely not my idea of a strong woman… but I felt the story just wasn’t there, spent the whole book waiting for something to happen then a rushed here you go at the end.
True that Carrie..
Awe some
Thank you so much. First time comment on my post. Much appreciated
You want more of such comments…
This is the first one from you on my post
Yeah agreed…Need some more…?
Haha now you are teasing me
It’s ok
We all need more..
Is it not
No, that’s not true. I am happy with what I have
Are you sure..
?
Yeah, very.. If i am not then when does more end. It’s never ending but happiness is in the today in the now
So let us celebrate here and now in this present moment…
True
Let me check your other posts..
Can’t read your hindi posts it would take me 2 days i am that slow
It’s ok
I am fine …With the intention that you want to read them
How sweet. That’s so nice of you
Thanks
You are much gentle and kind….
Yes I know, some days I am
Woww…It’s a lucky day indeed…
😉😉😇😇
Lol….You are lovely…
Haha thank you. So are you
How sweet…I need more….Here and now…
Awesome review
Thank you
Welcome
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Yikes. I appreciate your honest reviews 🙂
Hahaha, was this a bit too honest.???
As always, thank you for reading, and comment if you see fit.
http://www.indianforensicexpert.com
So a 2 star means I don’t have to bother. Thanks
Hahaha yaa don’t bother
I read this review several days ago but my phone and I were having problems working together. :). I wanted to tell you how much I loved the way you wrote about the book in general and how I was really cracking up when you were discussing your irritation with certain elements. It was so amusing.
Also I forgot to tell you that I finished Sometimes I Lie. It was such a good book, and I definitely didn’t expect it to go where it did. The only thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was the very very end. It.was like she tried to hard to create something that would linger, but the story itself didn’t back that up. Did you like the ending of that one?
I think she left it ambiguous so that it generates more publicity. I liked the book Jo. But I like most books where women are strong even if they are mean..
I did, too. I just didn’t think that she left enough room for ambiguity to justify the ending. And definitely yes on the strong women in books (and life!).
Everyone came to know I hate drinking. Hahaha. I don’t mind the drinks Jo. But it’s not doing anything that gets me.. Going into debt scares the heck out of me… This one was living in a shitty caravan and drinking and going to meet shifty people.. Hahaha so I had to blast her…
Lol
Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
Thank you
I love book and I love a blog dedicated to book reviews.
That’s great sir. Thank you