Had no idea what was happening in this story at the beginning but the more you read it the more it grabs you. Parts of this book felt quite disturbing whilst others could almost bring you to tears. When you are flowing from one chapter to the next, the total frustration at needing to know what happen all that time ago is what makes this such an amazing read.

The shocking and terribly sad ending was totally worth the frustration. A masterful suspenseful and thrilling book.

On my list of “most favourite reads for 2019”

The book opens with Megan Melvick remembering her fourth birthday in 1994. Her sister Melissa is allowed to light the birthday candles as she’s eleven. Before she has a chance to open her presents, her parents suddenly rush out of the room. Wanting to know what is more important than staying with her while she opens her presents, Megan follows and all that Megan can remember after that is seeing her grandfather swinging from a rope over the faerie pond. This memory comes to Megan as she starts her journey back to her home on the Benbrae Estate.

She’s been summoned to return as Melissa is dying from anorexia and her father has pleaded with her to return to bid her farewell. As she drives up to this magnificent home called “the Italian House” memories not only of this disastrous birthday accompany her, but also her friendship with Carla who was tragically killed on Melissa’s wedding day.

Once home Megan can’t help but keep going back to the memory of her best friend Carla’s murder. Nor can she stop thinking about her mother who simply walked out of the home the year Megan turned seventeen.

Megan is deaf and supposedly also suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. But besides being deaf can this DID be real?

Carla’s sudden death seems to have caused her spirit to linger and with Megan home, Carla can once again “come to life” telling us her story alongside Megan’s.

Caro Ramsay is one of my favourite authors. This book is totally different to her previous novels and in my opinion, has one of the most brilliant storylines with unique, very much alive characters who will not leave you long after you reach the final page.

Bravo Caro, you’ve absolutely won my “novel of the year”. Thank you for allowing us to meet characters like Megan, Carla, Drew and Melissa.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Set in a remote Scottish estate, this psychological thriller is tense, and filled with many twists and turns.

Megan returns to her family estate to say goodbye to her sister who is dying. Melissa’s final word is ‘sorry’, but what is she sorry for?

The narration is split by Megan, and her best friend Carla. I won’t give anything away about Carla, but this added an interesting aspect to the story. There are a number of mysteries within this story, along with many misdirects. The characters are fascinating and mysterious which will keep you interested in this family and all their secrets.

I’ve put off writing this review so that the book could resonate with me. What I liked most about this was the atmosphere and descriptions of the English country manor setting, which had a gothic and other-worldly feel to it. The whole mosaic thing really worked on multiple levels. I did find at times that the plot had a few too many very serious and complex things happening that it was a bit too much. There was definitely an air of suspense throughout but I found the conclusion to be predictable and a little underwhelming. I was not shocked by anything and I felt that certain questions were left unanswered. Overall, definitely worth the read but mixed feelings for me on this one.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Severn House Publishers and Caro Ramsay for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Standalone psychological suspense - engrossing, disturbing and dark with a family drama at its roots. A tension mounting tale which twists and turns with bags of atmosphere throughout culminating in a satisfying denouement reminiscent of a more traditional murder mystery. Excellent reading.

If your favoured reading material is a novel with heavy emphasis on wealth, atmosphere, toxicity, secrets, duplicity, traumatic memories and lack of trust, then feel free to read Caro Ramsay’s latest offering - Mosaic.

The novel was told from the perspectives of Megan and her friend, the rebel Carla and events were happening in the present day, though these characters were complicated and compromised by their pasts.

The setting of Mosaic, a centuries-old, well worn manor house on an island in Stirlingshire, Scotland, really helped to make this a first-class read for me. I fully appreciated Caro Ramsay’s colourful and remarkable descriptions of the setting, from the atmospheric scenes; the huge estate bordering the woods; the worrying and dangerous fairy pools and the hanging tree in the grounds.

With a whole cast of characters bursting with fascinating back-stories that I wanted to see more of and even though parts of the novel were slow moving, I was never bored but instead, was lured deeper and deeper into this rather strange, yet wonderful tale. The writing was extremely powerful and the plotting, characterisations and depictions of the upper and lower classes were all beautifully crafted.

Mosaic was a masterful psychological thriller that had me totally riveted in the details of a wealthy family living a luxurious if somewhat morose, desolate and wretched life. Although I made a pretty valiant attempt, I did not manage to figure out the ending.

I haven’t read any other of Caro Ramsay’s novels but after reading this evocative tale l will be looking out for her next one, for sure!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Severn House via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

A Mesmerizing dark and disturbing physiological thriller filled with shocking secrets ! A must read ! I highly recommend ! Thanks to #Netgalley and #SevernHousePublishers for the opportunity to read and review this book !
#Mosaic

Mosaic is a standalone crime thriller set in Scotland and expertly written by Caro Ramsay. Released 1st Oct 2019 by Severn House, it's 256 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.

This one has a wonderfully gothic + golden age Christie-esque feel. There is even a manor house (on an island!) and a wealthy upper-class family with a tragic history. The narrative itself is written in alternating points of view, but the characters are so well delineated that it's never a problem keeping them straight whilst reading. The plot is full of tension and red herrings and I read the whole thing in awe of the author's control of plotting, drama, atmosphere. This is a technically scintillating book as well as being entertaining and a good read.

I have read so many thriller/crime books lately which had absolutely been written with film adaptation in mind. The scenes were set up and written as staged and directed for film. This book, refreshingly, was written as a book. The scenes and dialogue were not film sequences.

Really well written, dramatic tension and plot arc work well, characters are interesting and varied, setting is wonderful, the author (in my opinion) bobbled the denouement a bit, but overall the book is superb.

Four and a half stars, rounded up for the writing. One of my best reads for the year.

There is always one pivotal feature of any book that most attracts certain readers. For me it was the setting of “Mosaic”. Set in Stirlingshire, Scotland on an island…. how much more atmospheric can you get?

Factor in a wealthy family in a centuries old manor house, lots of family tragedy, family secrets, and the ever present class divide and you’ve got yourself an enjoyable read.

Also, although Megan’s friend Carla died five years ago, part of the narrative was in her voice. Curious? You should be.

The author creates suspicion in the mind of the reader. Red herrings lead you astray. I really enjoyed the read – yet… something fell short. Perhaps the story wasn’t resolved quite to my liking? Yet, despite my personal feelings, I must recommend this novel. Others might find it very fulfilling. I did enjoy it enough to rank it four stars.

Megan's sister is dying. Megan hasn't been home for 3 years and this will be the last time she's able to see her sister.

As she approaches the estate, memories start flowing through her mind. Her mother walked out on them and no one has seen or heard from her since. Rumor has it she ran away with a lover. Five years ago, her sister got married. That was the night that Megan's best friend was killed.

Megan is deaf..at least severely hard of hearing. She seems to hear when she wants to, but she greatly prefers the silence. It is well known that mental illness runs in the family ... leading to suicides, murder, disappearances,up to and including anorexia, sleep walking and blackouts.

So what happened that night when her friend died? The police at the rime ruled it an accident ... but a new cop is now investigating.

With her sister's last breath, she said ... Sorry. But sorry for what or who?

This is a well written psychological thriller full of suspense and a few twists and turns that you may not see coming. Every other chapter or so is the voice of the dead friend. She so wants someone to find who killed her. She also does not want to leave her friend....they've always needed each other and that hasn't changed.

Many thanks to the author / Severn House / Netgalley for the digital copy of this dark and disturbing tale. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Is the Melvick family cursed? Megan isn't sure about much of anything these days, three years after her sister Melissa's wedding to Jago, a wedding that resulted in tragedy and loss. She's come back home because her sister is dying- and when Melissa's last words to her are Sorry, sorry, she starts to think more about what happened. Told alternately by Megan and her friend Carla, a bridesmaid at the wedding, this is about a family with many secrets. When did Megan become deaf, and how? How reliable is she as a narrator? There are many threads (or mosaic tiles, as it were) to this complex story but they all pull together in the end. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A well done mystery/thriller.

4.5 stars.
I'm a big fan of this author's Anderson & Costello series of Police Procedural books so I was quite intrigued to see how she would do with a stand-alone psychological thriller. And I wasn't disappointed.
Megan returns home to say goodbye to her sister Melissa who is at death's door. She's pretty much estranged and it's been three years since she visited. She has her reasons. Just before she dies, Melissa whispers something to Megan, something she can't quite understand the reasons behind. What is she sorry for? Soon, the memories of growing up on the big Scottish estate where she is now staying start to flood back - alarmingly so - especially those of Melissa's wedding some five years since, and Megan starts to worry that her past is coming back to haunt her, especially regarding best friend Carla and what happened to her on that day. It was also soon after the wedding that their mother upped and left, there was talk of an affair but nothing solid and she has not been seen or heard of since, apart from one message soon after leaving. There's a lot more that goes on in this book but it is so convoluted and interconnected that pretty much everything else I could say might include spoilers.
Suffice to say that this book held me rapt throughout my time reading it. I was, along with Megan, pretty much confused for the majority but, instead of feeling uncomfortable, I revelled in this feeling as it brought me closer to Megan as a character in a quite claustrophobic, but satisfying, way. As others have said, it is a bit Agatha Christie in style - the big country house, one policeman investigating and a similar style of reveal - but it's not a copycat by any means. The story and characters stand up themselves very well.
It's a story about secrets and control. There are various family issues throughout, some more influential than others, some really rather shocking too. Sibling rivalry is a bit front and centre too as Melissa is the golden child to Megan's black sheep! And there's a fair slice of manipulation to be found too - all elements that, if done well, can make a book of this genre. And they are!
All in all, an interesting change for an already enjoyed author, more of the same please! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The brilliant Caro Ramsay writes a standalone dark and disturbing psychological thriller that centres on the deaf Megan Melvick returning to her family home on the Brenbrae estate to see her dying favoured sister, Melissa. The Melvick family may be upper class and wealthy, but its history suggests that it is afflicted with a curse worse than the Kennedys. The malevolent Italian House drips poison, with the Melvicks held tightly in death's grip, with its alarming faerie pools and hanging tree in its grounds. 5 years ago at Melissa and Jago's wedding a tragedy occurred that Megan finds herself revisiting as the same people return to the house as funeral preparations are made. What exactly happened back then? Megan's mother left after the wedding, taking a few items, apparently running off with another man, and hasn't been heard of since. Will she make an appearance for the funeral? The narrative is related from the perspective of Megan and her only friend, the feral and in your face Carla, both outsiders drawn to each other, one locked in, the other locked out, with Megan refusing to give up Carla despite her family's efforts to dissuade her, citing her unsuitability.

Megan is not happy to return to her toxic home, aware that this time it is for good, she is, after all, the only surviving heir. She is not close to Melissa, puzzled by her last word to her, 'sorry', but sorry for what exactly? Carla may well have been a persona non grata, but as far as Megan is concerned, she had a direct honesty, unlike the Melvick stiff upper lip duplicity. She feels she owes it to Carla to find out what happened to her, as is it possible that Carla was not the target at the wedding? It doesn't take long before Megan begins to unravel, finding herself sleepwalking and plagued with unreliable memories, begging the question just how far can she be trusted. As she looks back in time, she has blackouts in her memories and is unaware at what point in her life she became deaf. What she does know is that the psychiatric doctor employed by her father, Dr Scobie, has made no improvements in her health, in fact, the drugs make things worse. In a narrative of dark secrets and class, where Carla's perspective is so revelatory, is it possible that the recent woes of the Melvick family are not a curse, but all too human in origin?

Ramsay writes a mosaic of a disturbing and unsettling murder mystery that is pieced together in a shocker of a conclusion by the local police officer in true Agatha Christie style with a gathering together of all the suspects. This is a fantastic read, atmospheric with a great sense of location, with great twists. The characterisations of the two main characters, Megan and Carla, along with the supporting cast is done with expertise and style, you cannot help but get your attention snagged by them. I love Caro Ramsay's Glasgow based crime series, and this is a brilliant standalone addition to her writing canon which I think so many crime and thriller readers will adore. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Severn House for an ARC.

“Mosaic” is a fascinating mystery focusing on elements of murder, madness, and manipulation. Add into that a fabulous estate in Scotland complete with formal gardens, wild areas, and a well-worn but patrician Melvick Italianate mansion. The action takes place in today’s world but the characters are complicated and compromised by their pasts. The three main characters are Megan, her best friend Carla and Melissa, Megan’s sister. Megan is on her way home to spend her time with Melissa, who is dying after a prolonged illness. A sense of dread, as ominous as Melissa’s pending death, immediately permeates the opening pages. Megan is not welcoming her own return. Her reasons are complicated by her feelings about Melissa and the rest of her family.

The story unfolds through two different viewpoints. Megan alternately sees her return to the Italian House as a return to safety, threat and imprisonment. She is not sure what to believe. Carla is the voice who speaks about the present and the past from a unique vantage point (no spoilers here). Think of the atmosphere of DuMaurier’s “Rebecca” meets “The Lovely Bones.”

Ramsay’s descriptions makes the reader want to roam the Italian House estate, but do so with great caution. There are many mysteries to solve here. Her plotting, characterizations and depictions of the upper and lower classes will appeal to many. Highly recommended.

This is a solid and engrossing psychological thriller that kept me guessing until the end! Megan has come home as her older sister is dying but when she utters, "Sorry" in her last breath, Megan isn't sure what to think. This family has plenty of secrets surrounding the past (and the present). Where is Megan's mother who walked out years ago? Who killed fellow bridesmaid and best friend of Megan's? Why is Megan deaf and what caused it? All will be answered in this multi-layered plot that is character-driven and alternates between past and present. Think you can follow the clues? I didn't see any of this coming so I raced through it! Won't be my last book by Ramsay for sure!

A brilliant thriller with a plot that has you hooked from the very first page. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Caro Ramsay for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

This is a dark psychological family drama. It's compelling and atmospheric. It draws you in and is very character driven. It's a departure from the authors usual work but is as well written and suspenseful as ever.

Unbelievably good book from Caro Ramsey ! A family drama set in the beautiful setting of The Italian House in the west of Scotland. A pretty big cast of characters and at first I got some of them muddled but you soon sort out who is who. Megan is deaf (or is she) and Melissa is anorexic, the mother is missing and poor Carla is blown up at a wedding reception- and this is just the straightforward stuff !

I loved the Agatha Christieesque tone of the book, complete with approachable and quite dishy policeman and all the details of a wealthy family living a luxurious if wretched life. I did not work out the “who done it”

Miss this be at your peril

n a step away from her Anderson and Costello police procedural series, Caro Ramsay has taken a step out of her comfort zone with standalone psychological thriller, Mosaic. The question is was she going to take her readers out of their comfort zones and leave them disturbed and unsettled? Well, when I read THAT prologue, it quickly became clear that while Caro Ramsay may have taken a departure from her usual genre, her twisted mind remains as dark as always, promising me a dark and sinister journey!

In the very first chapter she conjures up a picture of Glasgow so disturbingly vivid I could almost feel myself slip into the pages and into the story as we joined Megan on her journey home to Argyll. The journey places the reader at the heart of the story providing them an authentic sense of place. Even when we reach Megan’s family home, we are taken over the doorstep, almost reluctantly, as we sense the toxicity of the place. The Italian House, as it is named, is as much of a character in this book as the people are. It’s a toxic character, however, devouring the lives of those who live there, of taking over them, sucking them in and refusing to let them leave

Megan’s sister, Melissa, is dying and so Megan has no choice to return home. But home was not a happy place and her return forces her to face the truth of the past. Narrated from Megan’s POV interspersed with the voice of Carla, Megan’s childhood friend, it makes for a kind of spooky backdrop going on as little hints are dropped as to what really happened. Keep your wits about you as you switch from past to present with both girls. It is well worth the concentration to appreciate the intelligent writing style of Caro Ramsay – and to appreciate her extremely dark mind!

The plot is exquisitely dark and the characters expertly drawn and they combine to make this an absolute masterpiece. It’s haunting at times, disturbing but also terribly sad. Each of the characters brings something to the tale; while it might be difficult to know who to trust, it is hard not to feel for them all in some shape or form.

Murder, suicide, madness and control all mixed together with a heavy dose of manipulation and liberally seasoned with a large pinch of secrecy create a highly suspenseful and compelling psychological masterpiece from one of Scotland’s top crime writers.

This is not to be missed!

If you haven't read Caro Ramsay then you are in for a treat. I highly recommend reading her many books set in Scotland. This is a stand alone set on a secluded Scottish estate. It is told through the voices of Megan and her friend Carla and works really well due to skillful writing by the author. Megan's sister Melissa is dying and she returns to the family home where family secrets begin to unfold. This is a very good psychological thriller with excellent characterisation and family drama surrounding bereavement, murder and money. I highly recommend this author and have no hesitation with my 5* review. My grateful thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviews on Facebook and Goodreads.