I love a psychological thriller involving entangled relationships and when I saw that this one was set in Bristol where I grew up, I couldn’t wait to get started!
Gemma, an 18 year-old student with her life ahead of her, has disappeared and is soon found to have been murdered. As the story unfolds, it’s clear there’s no shortage of people who’d like to have seen Gemma gone including her stepfather, real father, friend (and love rival), her tutor with whom she was having an affair, his wife, and Gemma’s angry boyfriend. I love the way the author peels back the layers of these multi-faceted characters to reveal their innermost thoughts and secrets, and reasons to hate each other as their lives intertwined.
My favourite character is the person best equipped to solve the mystery, investigative journalist Rachel – but she’s an alcoholic and has a history with one of the suspects, so is she reliable? Can she trust her own addled judgement, and can she stay safe?
I’m obviously biased when it comes to the setting but I felt it was ideal, with the iconic suspension bridge the perfect place for the dramatic climax, which would make a great TV scene. I recognised the places (right down to my local coffee shop!) which made it even easier to visualise the scenes in this suspenseful read.
Love You Gone is a fast-paced, twisty read that I devoured in one go, and highly recommend to fans of psychological suspense.
Katy Johnson is a bookworm, blogger and writer with a passion for flawed characters, dysfunctional families, old houses and dark secrets. She's a journalist, editor and author of four novels including The Suspects, and a history book, published as Katharine Johnson. When not writing or reviewing, she can generally be found drinking coffee, walking with her canine writing buddy, or patching up a small farmhouse in Italy where two of her books are set. This review was first published on her blog here.
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