Don't Look Away by Rachel Abbott - #BookReview

 

Slowly, gently, he eases down the handle and slips silently through the door.

She's there, on the bed, covers thrown back. He stifles a gasp as his eyes travel the length of her body, from her long naked legs, exposed to the cool breeze drifting gently through the open window, to her chest, rising and falling with each soft breath. In the still of the hot night the only sound is the murmur of waves lapping the pebbled beach...

***

She never wanted to come back. Now she'll never leave.

Nancy Holland's sister disappeared on a holiday in Cornwall eleven years ago. She hasn't been seen since, and Nancy never returned. Until now.

Life has pulled her back to the seaside village and cottage where young Lola was last seen. Back then, Nancy couldn't see what was right in front of her eyes. Can she now finally uncover what happened to her sister?

***

This book is the third in the Stephanie King series and is publishing in the UK today. I have not read the previous two in the series, but this did not hinder my enjoyment of the book and it worked perfectly well as a standalone novel.

I enjoyed the book very much, and it was a real page turner. I was hooked from the very beginning and had time permitted I would have gobbled this up in one sitting.

The book is set in Cornwall, to where the main character, Nancy, has returned when she inherits a cottage from her great aunt. She has not visited the area since her younger sister, Lola, went missing eleven years previously. Nancy had no desire to return to the area as it holds such unhappy memories for her.

The detective, Stephanie King, is looking into the case and she is an equally well drawn character. The author has a good understanding of her characters and thus, they are extremely easy to engage with.

The plot kept me guessing until the very end and its conclusion was unexpected. The author is clearly a great storyteller and she kept me captivated throughout this dark and suspenseful novel. However, the darkness of the plot was accompanied by the beautiful descriptions of the environment and were a joy to read. I have been lucky enough to visit Cornwall and it is every bit as beautiful and dramatic as Ms. Abbott describes.

This is an excellent psychological thriller, and I highly recommend it.

ISBN: 978 1035403387

Publisher:  Wildfire

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:   464 (paperback)

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

Rachel Abbott began her career as an independent author in 2011, with Only the Innocent, which became an instant No. 1 bestseller on Kindle, topping the chart for four weeks. Since then, she has published ten further psychological thrillers, plus a novella, and sold over 4 million copies in the English language. She is one of the top-selling authors of all time in the UK Kindle store, and her novels have been translated into 21 languages. 

Rachel splits her time between Alderney and the Le Marche region of Italy, where she is able to devote all her tine to writing fiction.

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

(ARC and all author info courtesy of the publicist)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.