The book follows the life's of 3 girls whose adult lives have been impacted from a childhood crime. The author admits to being inspired by real life child murderer Mary Bell, however, I feel the two crimes and circumstances are completely different!

I was hooked from the beginning and really enjoyed this book. The story is well written with believable characters and I like the way the author addresses the fact that back on the 80's/90's it was a different world and children weren't always listened to or believed.

I'm afraid I found the parallel story about the government minister quite boring and thought the ending could have gone down a different route that may not have had as much shock value but would still have been a good story.

Overall a good read.

This is the third Fiona Cummins book I have read, following Rattle and The Collector. 'When I was Ten' is a standalone novel that briefly features one of the main characters from the previous two books, Erdman Frith.

The plot has nods to real life crimes, such as Mary Bell, but is very powerful. I read this in just one day and could not put it down. The characters are well-written and you completely empathise with their situations, even down to the bullies at the school disco in one part.

What is does well is weave the various strands together to create a plot twist at the end that I didn't see coming. The parallel story about the Government minister also works well to illustrate the way the media handle scandal and also how they can go after general people, finding out addresses of rehabilitated offenders, etc.

All in all, I think this a great read and could definitely imaging this being turned into a hard-hitting film or drama series.

Personally, this book was just okay for me. I felt like a lot of the plot and twists were a little predictable.

The theme of the book is very similar to Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber which I recently watched so maybe this is why I didn’t enjoy it so much so I’m possibly being a little harsh in my rating.

There is also a subplot with a politician which didn’t seem to have much relevance or impact on the story as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

a fascinating tale of child crime impacting adult life with a great twist. a page turner strongly recommend it. the story stays with me for few weeks !

I’m not sure that I enjoyed this book – the subject matter is quite dark, but it’s certainly engrossing. I usually anticipate twists in stories, but there were a couple here that were completely unexpected. It made for gripping reading, though I did have to doublecheck partway through the book that this was actually a novel and not real life – there are aspects of that are very “real” and hard hitting.
I would certainly seek out more by this author if they are all of this standard

Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy if this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I struggled to get into this book, but once I got going with it, I really enjoyed it. Lots of twists in the book, which I don’t think somehow, I had been expecting from the blurb. This is my first book by this author, and I would possibly read more.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you to Pan MacMillan and Netgalley for this ARC of the latest novel by Fiona Cummins. Wow!!!! This is an absolute cracker of a read. It just doesn't let up from the first page to the last. Fiona Cummins just never disappoints and her books never let up at all. She literally grabs you by the neck and refuses to let you go until you have finished. Her books are superbly written and the pace and the ability to grip you never drops. Darkly thrilling and emotionally charged throughout. 5 stars all the way.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

Wow! talk about an emotional rollercoaster - excellent story, however, be prepared for some chilling and menacingly atmospheric narrative (to which I admit verbalising a few expletives directed at certain characters); not all easy to read in places, but fantastic writing.

Twenty-one years ago Dr and Mrs Carter were found horrifically murdered at their home, Hilltop House. The two daughters, Sara and Shannon - 10 and 12 respectively - are led away from the scene. One of them was charged with murder. Now, on the eve of the anniversary of the "Angel of Death" murders, Shannon is beginning a series of TV interviews accompanied by newspaper serialisation, asking to be reconnected with her sister.

Brinley Booth was best friends with the sisters. Now, 33yrs-old, she's a newspaper reporter being put in the impossible position of chasing an exclusive on this story. No one knows of her connection to the sisters but she can't keep it secret for too long. But Brinley has another secret which she's held for 21 years, one which she promised not to tell, one which forced her to lie.

Catherine Allen's family life is about to come crashing down why? - well you really need to read this amazing novel.

Very cleverly written, weaving the past into the main characters' present.

Thoroughly recommended.

A very powerful, dark read and shocking to believe children of 10 and 12 could commit such a terrible crime.
The book was fantastically written and researched thoroughly, it really keeps you gripped and I anticipate this becoming a tv show.

The subject matter is not unique but what lifts this book is the sensitive nature of the story telling coupled with top class research. There is a ring of truth to it that made it intensely readable

The gruesome double murder of the local GP and his wife, parents of two little blonde haired girls aged 10 and 12, would always be a noteworthy crime but even more so when one of the daughters is responsible. A documentary on the anniversary of the trial featuring one of the sisters brings the murders back into the headlines.
Essential to the plot is the relationship between Shannon and Sara, the daughters of Dr and Mrs Carter and living in the big house, and their friend Brindley who lives next door. With timelines of 1997 and 2018 we meet the girls again as adults.
I wasn’t always comfortable reading this book but I couldn’t put it down. It was good to be able to remind myself that this was a work of fiction although I’m sure it closely resembles some true life crimes. It’s a thought provoking book in many ways but particularly in the role of journalism in this type of case. An engrossing read from start to finish.

I'm a thriller lover anyway but my personal favourite category has to be murderous children. Odd? Perhaps a little. I was so excited to read this after reading the blurb and I wasn't disappointed.
The pace of the book was perfect and I sped through this in a couple of nights. I liked the plot and the characters were well written. Though I had my (correct) suspicions about the end of the novel, this didn't spoil the book at all for me.
A perfect read for a crime lover.

In my perfect world Fiona Cummins should easily be on the crime best seller lists, but she has yet to take off the way she should. So expect me to rave about her every chance I get! I have read everything she has written and haven’t been able to put any of them down. In every single one you think as you are reading it “oh yes I definitely know what is going to happen” and in every single one you would be wrong….When I was Ten revolves around two sisters and their best friend. One day the unthinkable happens, and one of the sisters brutally kills their parents with a pair of scissors. 20 years later one sister speaks to the media and suddenly all 3 lives that had been built on a lie begin to unravel. Excellent!

We are often drawn to a book when we are told 'it's a page-turner' only to be disappointed when it turns out to be no more than average. However, When I Was Ten lives up to being a page-turner and is truly hard to put down.

Dr and Mrs Carter are murdered one night by Sara, one of their two young daughters, who is ten years old at the time. Seemingly from happy, middle-class family no-one can understand what drove Sara to kill her parents and she is sent to a secure unit for eight years while her sister, Shannon, goes into foster care.

Twenty-one years afterwards Catherine Allen is living with her husband and young family when an interview in a newspaper threatens to tear her life apart. It is written by Brinley Booth, who once lived next door to the Carter family and knows their secrets and the truth of what happened the night of the murder.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers this is for you - easily as good as all Fiona Cummins previous novels and possibly her best yet. Highly recommend and thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan for the opportunity to read and review When I Was Ten.

At ten years old, Catherine admitted killing her parents and is now living under a false identity. Brindly is a journalist who witnessed the murders as a child. But the past is not behind them and they're drawn back into their dark past as secrets start to emerge.

When I Was Ten covers some uncomfortable subject and isn't for the faint-hearted Fans of Cummins will be pleased with another tightly plotted thriller with plenty of twists and turns.


An excellent read.

This is calling out to be adapted to a tv show, o could see all of it in my minds eye perfectly! Its quite a complicated story and I would have thought that it would be difficult to follow if not for the brilliantly written characters. I did work out the twist, but it didnt take away from my enjoyment.
⭐⭐⭐.5 rounded up to 4
Many thanks to netgalley for sending me this book in exchange for my honest review

One thing I will say about this book is that it needs your complete and full attention, otherwise you'll feel like your stuck in a labyrinth without a map!

I honestly felt lost until around 50%. The POV's kept switching to the point I didnt know who was narrating, who was who and what the hell was going on.. but I stuck with it.

The second half starts bringing it together and you get some semblance of what the story is about... it's just whether you can stick with it that long!

The characters are good, once you work out who everyone is BUT there is one character that just doesn't feel needed (the political one), those chapters didn't really add anything to it.

I was expecting a bit of a shock at the end, it felt like that's where the story was going but in all honesty I was left feeling underwhelmed.

Overall it didnt overly grab me, I'm surprised I stuck with it but if your happy to read a realm slow burner than I'd recommend.

2.5*

Thanks to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

A great read with a powerful opening. Dark subject matter well researched and devastatingly described. ‘When I was Ten’ is a riveting mystery with a heartbreaking story at its core.

Thank you to netgalley a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I struggled with this in the beginning, probably until half way. The story kept swapping from character to character but for me it wasn’t clear a lot of the time so I felt it was difficult to get into the book and understand what was happening. Once I got around half way I started to enjoy it and it was all coming together. I would recommend this book, but I would say it needs total attention and not trying to entertain a child during lockdown 🤣

What would you do for your best friend? Can you remember when you were young and childhood friendships meant the world to you and you'd do anything. Well maybe anything is too much.
In 1997 Shannon and Sara - sisters who live next door to their friend Brinley.
To the outside world the sisters who live with their parents Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela are lucky girls who have the very best of everything. But behind closed doors the girls face child abuse and cruelty that makes you feel uncomfortable and sad.
Fiona Cummins writing is fantastic and she has nailed it again with this novel. The story travels from 1997 to current time and is so tense I couldn't put it down. In 1997 at the start of the book we are told that the parents are dead! Then the next shocker tells us that in ten minutes the main character will also be dead. Then sit back and enjoy the twists and turns as Cummins takes you on a roller coaster of a story where you cannot guess what is going to happen. Then when you do, it cork screws again and the story sends you off in a shudderingly different direction.
Following the murder years later one of the sisters is living a comfortable life with her husband and daughter, then the news comes on the TV and her sister is talking to a reporter and her whole world crashes around her. On the anniversary of the murder the other sister is ready to talk about what happened.. and secrets are going to be shared.
The themes in this story talk about child murderers and at the end the author cross references her research to similar cases and the justice system. The introduction of the Justice Ministers character adds another dimension to the tale and how offenders like these are rehabilitated and how much the media become involved not always with a positive stance.
What makes Fiona Cummins writing so addictive are her characters and the way you bond with them. I recommend this book, its clever and tragic and a gripping thriller. You'll keep telling yourself, just one more chapter.