Result: captivating but often tedious read.

Captivating because the story is based on an escalating psychological dilemma involving Kate, a thirty-something translator who falls in love with Richard, a man casually met in a bar in London. The connection between the two is immediate. Richard has a somewhat mysterious allure and this fascinates and engulfs Kate so much that she cannot imagine a life without him. However when slightly pressed about moving in together after a few months of passion, Richard changes. He is the bearer of secrets that, once revealed, change the course of both their lives and throw Kate into depression and fear. Kate decides to leave him and moves away, to the Isle of Wight, without disclosing her new location to Richard, hoping never to see or hear from him again. But Richard turns up, if not physically, in subtle, menacing ways...

Once on the Isle of Wight, Kate seeks loneliness. After a while however, she tries to fit in. Yarmouth, where she chooses to stay, has recently been rocked by terrible news, involving the disappearance of a young wife, Alice, lost at sea. Suicide? Murder? Accident? The body does not turn up.

The book mainly deals with stalking, which is well described despite its being such a negative subject. However the reading becomes tedious several times because it is, in my opinion, far too descriptive, especially geographically. If I wanted a good description of some parts of the Isle of Wight, I would have bought a different book. Such descriptions, in the context, render the book a bit boring (nothing personal with the Isle of Wight). It is also, in my opinion, a bit too repetitive about Kate's feelings of frustration and fear (and why, in this day and age, did she not go to the police?). I guess the author wanted to convey such feelings in a precise, detailed way, nothing wrong about that, but it went too far. And the epilogue was weak, too predictable.

So, 3 stars from me, as it is, in some way, a book that makes you turn the pages wanting to find out what happens, but no more than that. Sorry.

This book caught my attention as the subject is quite particular. Who ever thinks about the other victims, i.e. relatives and friends of a murderer?
This is not a mystery nor a thriller. It is rather a book exploring the impact a murderous act has on a family, an introspective analysis of the profound consequences such an act can have for the years to come for all involved.

Sisters Lulu and Merry, aged 10 and 6 at the time, witnessed their drunken father murder their own mother and then almost killing Merry in the process. Merry recovers but needless to say, this shocking event changes their lives in several ways. A part from being victims as their mother was taken from them at such tender age, even worse was the fact that the perpetrator was their own father. A double tragedy.

As they grow up, being almost tossed back and forth by a system that is inadequate, despite efforts, to deal with their emotional turmoils (close relatives refused to adopt them), the sisters try to deal with their problems as best as they can. However, consequences of the long-ago tragic event haunt and influence their present life. Their grief is tangible and kept private and they both deal with it in extremely different ways. More than 30 years have gone by since the murder. Will acceptance and, if possible, forgiveness be part of a sort of healing process -if "healing" could ever be possible is such circumstances- ?

The book is written in a diary form by each sister, giving the reader a different perspective of their feelings. Marginal characters complement the story adequately, one of them being their own father, now in prison. His presence however, despite being marginal, is felt throughout the book. I liked the author's ability to convey the impact this man had on his daughters, despite not being "physically" there.

A good, moving book, well written, a full 4 stars.

... not completely satisfying, in my opinion. Why? A bit too repetitive, in a few parts, it could have been edited differently. What annoyed me most however, was that I guessed the final "twist" of the story a good 300 pages before it happened. Not happy.

On a positive note, feelings and emotions of each character are definitely well portrayed. We switch from past to present and travel from one side of the ocean to the other, following the main characters and what led to sisters Erica and Beth Calcott's inheritance of Storton Manor, a family house which belonged to their cold and unfriendly grandmother Meredith.

Hidden truths, long-lost loves and family secrets surround the house and its past. Above all, both sisters cannot forget their childhood summers at the house and the disappearance of their cousin Henry many years before. This is the time when everything must be faced once again and will they be able to find some answers? Of course they will but, like me, you might guess at a few bits & pieces -and especially the epilogue- even before the protagonists do and that is why I was not totally impressed by this book.

I love Dawn French as a comic actress and was looking forward to reading her book. It turned out to be as hilarious as expected, with a psychological touch which was appropriate and rendered a certain depth, therefore I would not classify this book as just "comical". Written in a diary form, it is the story of a modern family where each member has different flaws and views and expectations.

Meet the Battles family, Mum, Dad, Dora and Peter, both teenagers. They share the same roof but live into separate words, each struggling in a private battle of their own, either towards menopause, or first kiss, or first love or... whatever. There does not seem to be a linear or joint path on which they can walk together, overcoming their struggles or problems. Will they manage?

Get ready for some good laughs and for some thinking too. I bet anyone with adolescents in the house will identify themselves with some of the characters or find similarities, enjoy the reading! In my opinion, 4.5 stars.

A fairly short book where the author explores the multiple layers surrounding the shock of losing a best friend and how this affects everything, including a marriage that seems satisfying but is not.

Nick leads an ordinary life, unlike his childhood best friend Rob, who rises to fame as a writer. The news of Rob suddenly committing murder and then suicide shake him to the core. His grief is greater than expected and the event leads to a revaluation of his own past and to question his present life too.

Well written, a touching portrait of a friendship deeper than any of the protagonists ever thought possible. A page-turner until the very last page.

Il secondo libro di Carlo Pizzati è sicuramente diverso, in tutto e per tutto, dal primo che ho letto, "Tecnosciamani". Non desidero confrontare i due scritti, l'uno con chiara impronta autobiografica e questo, invece, un giallo nel giallo. Unica nota un po' autobiografica, la scelta del luogo ove si svolge la trama: Valdagno, cittadina veneta in cui l'autore è cresciuto.

La Sinossi di cui sopra è esplicita. Ermanno Calcagno, questo signore al cui fascino molte donne non sono immuni, con animo arrogante ha invece profondamente segnato la vita di una moglie e due figli, cresciuti temendolo. Quando uno dei due fratelli scompare senza traccia, l'altro fratello, Gino, cerca disperatamente una risposta alla scomparsa. Riuscirà a trovarla? Il background storico, su cui si basa parte della storia che da Valdagno lo porta ai Musei Vaticani, è sicuramente frutto di una ricerca accurata da parte dell'autore. Criminàl. Valdagno. Criminàl. Perchè? Cosa c'entra Criminàl con questa famiglia?

In un'inquietante nonché avvincente sviluppo della storia, pregna di suspense, che si snoda e ramifica nel lontano passato per poi ricongiungersi al presente, l'autore ci accompagna, con linguaggio raffinato e colto, attraverso storie e leggende, passando attraverso una cittadina, Valdagno, e riflettendone la provincialità, o ciò che, forse, l'autore percepisce come tale.

L'unico aggettivo che mi trova in disaccordo, stampato sul retro della copertina e presente anche sul video promozionale, è l'intreccio descritto come "tragicomico". Personalmente, mi pare che di comico ci sia ben poco. Semmai, qualche situazione può sembrare alleggerita ma in realtà, ovunque nel libro ho percepito parecchia cupezza di fondo. Attenzione però. Anche se il libro non è "festante", rimane comunque una lettura davvero coinvolgente, sia per i cenni storici, sia per le vicende dei protagonisti. I colpi di scena non mancano e tengono in sospeso il lettore fino all'ultima riga.

This book belongs to one of my favourite genres (psychological thriller with a twist) and so, because I read so many, I am particularly fussy. Well, I could not have been more pleased with it. It has absolutely captured me from the very first line to the very last one. An engaging read written in letter form, from a sister to another.

Beatrice lives in New York with her fiancé. Her mother rings her up one day delivering shattering news: her younger sister Tess has vanished. The ties between sisters are very strong despite the geographical distance and of course Beatrice hops on the first plane out to London. The circumstances of Tess' disappearance are multi-layered with obscure details and Beatrice is determined to find Tess no matter what. Little does she know, boarding that plane, of the journey she will have to face, uncovering some horrible, painful and frightening facts that will forever change everybody's life.

This book deserves a high praise because it is not only engaging, it has a certain psychological depth that is seldom felt on fast-paced reads, no matter how entertaining. The vocabulary is stylish and cultured and it perfectly conveys emotions and feelings, entwined with the chilly, suspenseful atmosphere that permeates the story. It also defines the deep, deep love between the two sisters. Piercingly touching.

Thumbs up for debut writer Rosamund Lupton!

... and you don't know it. Emma and Dexter. It's the 15th July 1988 in London. They meet and like each other, but they will have to part tomorrow. The unusual choice by the author to write each chapter describing every 15th July after that, until near-present day, is quite captivating.

So many reviews have been written already (check Amazon UK for example)that I would only like to add my praise to the author for a brilliant and compelling story. Emma and Dexter, along with a few peripheral characters (some more in the picture than others), are entirely believable. I loved Emma's good-natured personality, I would have liked to jump into the book a few times and shake Dexter's insecurity-often-bordering-arrogance out of him and often it felt like really "being" there.

A well structured narrative delivers funny, realistic, moving moments depending on circumstances. An unusual, engaging love story. Well done to David Nicholls. My true vote: 4.5 stars.

"The Ghost" is a ghostwriter. A ghostwriter who stumbles across many secrets while working on a project: finishing up the memoirs of Britain's former Prime Minister, Adam Lang. Someone else had previously embarked in this task, but his body washed up dead on a deserted beach in an exclusive holiday retreat in the US, Martha's Vineyard.

This book is a very good political thriller, starting off a bit slowly, but it picks up speed as you read on, becoming a page-turner. Certainly a well-tailored book, which will keep you glued to the pages. The end is so surprising it will make you stare into space.

Well done to the author, good, solid entertainment, a plausible and clever story which will make you ponder over the (at times) self-complacent stance of power in the political world. My true vote: 4.5 stars.

Apologies for a rather harsh adjective. Admittedly, I am not a chick-lit fan however I do enjoy such books now & then as I find them relaxing; and sometimes one comes along that is actually light but entertaining. Not this one. And please note, it is NOT A THRILLER as wrongly indicated in older copies. I am not even sure it could be defined as "chick-lit" either, it shall be up to the reader to decide.

The opening story: one moment, one morning, on a commuter train from Brighton to London, a man drops dead (first chapter). The lives of three passengers on the same train will forever be altered after that. The author explores various themes, mainly coping with the loss of a loved one. Sad subject, certainly; and strong feelings of bereavement and sorrow permeate, understandably, the lives of those involved.

However a flat and rather repetitive narrative fails to fully deliver. Even what could have been an engaging, uplifting description of a nice friendship between three women (main characters) who try to support each other in times of need, is unconvincing. Hence, while sympathizing with a very depressing situation, I could not empathize with the characters, most of them such... clichés. This is accentuated by a "goody-goody" feel throughout the book, quite unrealistic I thought, rendering the characters quite artificial, boring.

The subject of losing a loved one is probably one of the toughest to write about, even in a made-up story; as mentioned above, it is not the only theme explored, but it is certainly the central one. Despite the effort by the author -and I realise my comment will clash with most reviews published on Amazon UK and COM-I think that this book fails to impact: it has all the right ingredients wrongly mixed. Sorry.