Ask No Questions - Claire Allan

Ask No Questions by Claire Allan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've read a few thrillers by Claire Allan now. While they were all very good, I think that this one might just be the best yet.
Journalist Ingrid Devlin usually just reports on stories, but when she starts to look in the events surrounding the death of an eight-year-old twenty-five years previously, she soon finds that she is part of the story itself. As Ingrid starts to look at whether the right man was found guilty at the time, it soon becomes clear that there are lots of people who don't want her to look too closely and stir things up.
Ingrid is an interesting character, while she is caught up in the drama here, it's clear that she's usually an observer and possibly not too bothered who she upsets in her drive to get the story. With this story, she was on the scene as a ten-year-old at the time and so has a much more personal connection to the story. The disappearance had a huge impact on the community at the time and as we meet different characters through the book, it's clear that there are few, if any that don't still bare the effects of the events of Halloween twenty five years ago.
This is a thrilling and gripping read. There are quite a few twists and turns to navigate your way through, I didn't see all of them coming by any means and once I started, I didn't want to put this one down until I got to the end. A fantastic read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The Liar's Daughter - Claire Allan

The Liar’s Daughter by Claire Allan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The latest book from Claire Allan is another edge of your seat, can't put it down read. Told from the point of view of various different characters as the story unfolds, this book deals with child abuse and paedophilia. As the story progresses, we're left trying to guess what really happened in the past and who is to blame for the events of the present.
I have to admit that I did guess where this one was going. It didn't really matter though, although there are twists and turns in the plot and there is a mystery to be revealed, that isn't really the main driving theme of the book. Instead, this book is all about the way that abuse can shape who someone is and the far-reaching effects of it years later.
The Liar's Daughter is a gripping read. I managed to get through it in one day, not because it was short, but just because once I started I couldn't put it down. I'm becoming a big fan of Claire Allan's books and this one certainly measures up to the previous ones that I've read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Forget me not - Claire Allan

Forget Me Not by Claire Allan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was quite excited when I saw that there was a new Claire Allan book coming out. This is her third thriller novel and having enjoyed the first two, I was hoping that there would be more of the same with this one. I am pleased to report, that I wasn't disappointed.
This time, the story is told from two points of view. Elizabeth, an older woman who finds a younger woman dying after being brutally attacked and Rachel, one of the dead woman's best friends. As the story progresses it becomes clear that both of these women have problems that are brought to the surface by this brutal murder and might even be threatened by whoever has committed this crime themselves.
This is an exciting read and one that it's quite easy to get through quite quickly. I found that I wanted to know what was happening and where the story was going to go, so I couldn't really put it down. There are a few twists and turns and although I had figured out who was behind it all before the end of the book, that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying this read.
If you enjoy exciting, edge of your seat reads, then I think that you will enjoy Forget Me Not. I'll certainly be reading any future books that Claire Allan reads, having really enjoyed this one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Her Name Was Rose - Claire Allan

Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been sitting in my to be read pile for months now, but somehow with all the books I've had to review, I don't always seem to get much chance to read those I've bought. It was a shame really that I've put this one off for so long as it was a great read. It's actually the second of Claire Allan's books that I've read, the first being Apple of My Eye which I was lucky enough to get an ARC for.
Her Name Was Rose is a gripping thriller that quickly drags you in once you start reading. There are twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and to keep you guessing until the very end. The story is told from the point of view of Emily, a messed up young woman who finds herself the witness of a shocking hit and run accident that kills a young mother. I think that had the story been told from anyone else's point of view, then it may have been a struggle to understand what Emily was doing and why, so it was quite interesting to see the world through her eyes.
The book deals with abusive partners, social media and the image we project to the rest of the world. In many ways this a book of its time and much of it just wouldn't have existed ten or twenty years ago.
Overall this was an engaging and gripping read. Once I had started I was keen to know what was going to happen to the main characters and what had happened to Rose in the first place. Definitely worth a read.

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