This intelligent, superbly written psychological thriller absolutely blew me away. Outstanding on every level and rivotting from start to finish. Fiction at its very best!

A graphic and brutal read but wow what a great one. Dark and twisty and one you can’t put down. Will definitely read this author again. Highly recommended

When I was Ten
By Fiona Cummings
Pub date April 15 2021

I loved this thriller such a beautiful read I enjoyed this book I took my time reading this one it was worth the read I was shocked in a lot of chapters didn’t expect it to happen. Amazing story line with great characters quite scary in parts as well every one will enjoy this one x

A 5 star thriller. Once I'd got into the swing of things with this book it was hard to put down. I'd guessed a twist early on but it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book as there was still lots more to uncover. Keen to read more from Fiona Cummins and will definitely recommend When I Was Ten to others.

This book blew me away! I loved The Neighbour and have wanted to read Fiona Cummins' The Bone Collector series for ages, so I was so excited to have the chance to review Fiona's newest novel, When I Was Ten. And it absolutely lived up to the brilliance of The Neighbour - it's addictive, tense, sharp reading that had me feeling like I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

For me, When I Was Ten is the perfect combination of grittiness, mystery and thriller without being too unbelievable. From the tension building as we read about the two sisters and their horrible home life, knowing what was coming (or we thought we did) to the present-day unravelling of a person's life as those closest to her discover the truth about her family's past - it all completely absorbed me.

There's twists and surprises which keep you guessing, and it makes you really think about the reality of having to always keep your past hidden from everyone, even your closest family.

Definitely a recommended read - one you won't want to put down!

If you like your thrillers fairly dark and horrifying then When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins will be right up your street. It’s the first novel I’ve read by this author but it definitely won’t be the last!

Now I have to say that I really like gritty thrillers but at certain points this was almost too brutal even for me. So definitely not one for the faint- hearted.

I really enjoyed the way the dual timeline was set out, as we crept closer and closer to working out exactly what happened to the Carters, and the plot kept me guessing right up until the end.

With thanks to Pan Macmillan for gifting me a digital copy to review.

A book that kept throwing secrets at me even till the last page. 2 sisters bound by a secret and murder of their parents by one. What made a 10 year old child kill her parents? Stabbing them in the neck 14 times.

A grown woman with a family leading a happy life until the secret broke and life became a chaos. This was the story of Sara and Shannon Carter but also of their best friend and neighbor.

This was author Fiona Cummins at her best where the story ramped up its suspense with each page. This was one book where abuse was written, but it didn’t put me off but fired me up completely. I was supposed to read a few chapters then get to work. I forgot work and read the entire book.

Completely immersed in its story was I that I didn’t know the passage of time. The author was brilliant in the way she showed me the truth while hiding so many others in the shadows. There was lies and manipulation, threat and abuse, grief and injustice. Finally the truth… Rather the many truths.

The characters were varied and interesting and pulled me to them inspite of me not liking anyone much. It was amazing how the writing influenced my train of thoughts until I was soaring high on adrenaline.

Read the book whenever and however you can get your hands on it!! It is dark, it is suspenseful, but oh so thrilling.

When I Was Ten is a dark and twisted tale of abuse, murder and revenge. Told in a then and now format from the perspective of multiple characters it kept getting twistier right until the end. Would have been a 5 star except for it being a little bit predictable at times.

I switched back and forth between the audio and book version and found the narration was great. Works equally well in both formats.

TW for graphic descriptions of child abuse and violence.

This was my second time reading a novel by Fiona Cummins.

The Carter family are Richard, a local GP, his wife Pamela, and their girls, ten-year-old Sara and Shannon, twelve. One day, Richard and Pamela are stabbed fourteen times with a pair of scissors. The book opens in a dramatic fashion, with scenes of a young girl running away in fear and is struck by lightning. This arresting scene sets the tone for the whole book, which is dark and, at times, very harrowing.

Twenty-one years later, a woman named Catherine Allen her husband, Edward and daughter, Honor are quietly getting on with life in rural Essex. Catherine has a secretive past and has never told, but her carefully constructed life is about to be upended.

When I Was Ten is a well written and highly thought-provoking tale. Multifaceted, it contains themes of torment, cruelty, evil and abuse. Though much of the story is unsavoury, it is also about love and sacrifice. A really riveting rollercoaster ride that will keep you in your chair.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from the Pan Macmillan via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

"When I was ten" is an engaging exploration of what it might be like to be a childhood murderer - what's your adulthood life in the aftermath of that? The question is so interesting, and Fiona Cummins explores it in a really intriguing way. I'd really recommend this book.

Totally lost for words! I hope this review will not turn into a bumbling mess as I attempt to articulate just how much I enjoyed this title.

The first chapter sets the tone for this heart-pounding read. A woman is woken up by a sound in the middle of the night. She has to quickly get her family together and leave her home. However, we are informed that in a few minutes, she will be dead. Phew! What an opening! My mind was racing as I tried to guess what was going on. I had some wild guesses. At some point, the world ‘alien abduction’ might have crossed my mind but no, this isn’t that kind of read. And again, no I don’t even know what alien abduction really means but the suspense gave me crazy ideas.

This is the story of Sara and Shanon Carter, two young girls whose lives were shattered by the murder of their parents. In the present time, the narrative follows one of the sisters in her new life with a new identity. There is also a second narration by Brinley, a journalist who used to live next door to the Carter sisters. A number of chapters are set in the past detailing events that led to the murders.

With dual narratives, I usually tend to prefer one timeline over the other. This time, I was equally invested in both timelines. I really needed answers from the past so as to understand present events and both narratives were totally engrossing.

I loved this book; it’s obvious, isn’t it? I enjoyed the suspense and action from both timelines. The writing was flawless and utterly captivating. The short and snappy chapters had me turning pages late into the dead of the night. This is my first book by Fiona Cummins and I cannot wait to read more from her. What a stunning thriller.

This was a terrific read and had me gripped from start to finish. It is chilling and intriguing and I loved the way we were treated to the past and present perspectives through the eyes of the Carter sisters and their childhood neighbour and friend Brinley Booth.
One of the sisters was convicted of parricide and spent eight years in a secure unit before re-entering society with a new identity and the chance to start again.
The opening to this book is startling and shocking, drawing the reader immediately into the events of decades ago, and then hurtling from the past into the here and now as Brinley, a journalist, seeks out a story that will not only include explosive headlines but will detonate lives, blowing apart secrets to reveal devastating truths.
There is little I can add to my review without spoiling the plot so this is definitely a read it and find out for yourself thriller. And I do recommend it as a book you will easily fall into and struggle to escape.
It is a powerful, beautifully told and harrowing account of how our upbringing can shape us, fail us and leave us fighting in very dark places.
Brilliant!

Amazing thriller read that had me turning the pages non stop. I found myself holding my breath In parts. All I could think about was what would happen next! Highly recommend and would read other titles from this author again in the future!

This book is dark and twisted, I really enjoyed it.
I was completely hooked in by this story...after all, what would make a child kill her own parents?

this book may be hard for some people to read, as it does contain child abuse. It delves into the repercussions of this abuse both physically and mentally, of the characters as both children and as adults.

When I Was Ten, is a book that completely sucks you in and keeps you wanting to read more. A thrilling story from beginning to end, with a few wonderful twists to the story.

This was a riveting book and I happily recommend it.

Oh this was fabulous! One of those thriller reads that everyone a fan of the genre would pick up and enjoy, talk about it with friends over a cup of tea and some biscuits.

There is of course a sinister current prevalent from the beginning, given that the crime carried out is from a young child. One who comes from a terrible family life and is now doing her best to have her own.

I was definitely kept on my toes and I loved the multi-perspective from main character to friend but I do have to admit one of the storylines confused me. It didn’t seem necessary nor interesting, which then included sexual nature to further its own plot. I just felt it an odd choice, not fitting in with the rest of the story being told.

This didn’t negate my enjoyment at all and I think I’ll definitely be reading When I Was Ten again now that I know just exactly what has happened.

The story opens in 1997 with a young girl telling us that all the grown ups are dead. It then switches to the present day telling us that the main character will be dead in 10 minutes.....not exactly true but it grabbed my attention. The story switches between past and present seamlessly without leaving the reader confused.
All is not what it seems!

“Twenty-one years ago, Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela were killed in what has become the most infamous double murder of the modern age.

Their ten year-old daughter – nicknamed the Angel of Death – spent eight years in a children’s secure unit and is living quietly under an assumed name with a family of her own.

Now, on the anniversary of the trial, a documentary team has tracked down her older sister, compelling her to break two decades of silence.

Her explosive interview sparks national headlines and journalist Brinley Booth, a childhood friend of the Carter sisters, is tasked with covering the news story.

For the first time, the three women are forced to confront what really happened that night – with devastating consequences for them all.”

I could not put this book down! I was waking up at 4.55am thinking ‘I’ll just read a bit more... just one more chapter...’ I thought I knew what had happened but that’s the thing with a fantastic thriller - you just don’t see that last little twist! Thanks NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review left on Goodreads and Amazon.co.uk

Thankyou to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me a copy of this book. This was a well written thriller set within 2 timelines where we switch from the past to the present in a timeline of events. With a great cast of characters and good plot twists this is a must read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in April 2021.

"When I Was Ten" by Fiona Cummins is a book that appears to contain parts of two wildly different novels: the beginning and the main body of the story are set squarely into the territory of psychological drama, the ending is clearly a thriller's ending with no build-up at all--it just springs up on the reader out of the blue.
I'm a huge fan of both psychological dramas AND thrillers, but this particular stew just doesn't sit well with me.
I'm not talking about plot twists, I'm talking about serious inconsistencies and plotholes. There's a total lack of cohesion between the ending of "When I Was Ten" and the rest of the book. It's like the ending of a completely different book has been plastered to this, and on top of that, this particular ending reveals the hidden motivations behind the main villain's action to be... unbelievably stupid. Why would Shannon go out of her way to "flush out" her sister, who had been keeping their secret for a lifetime and, if left alone, would have gone on doing just that? Sara had a brand new identity to protect, a perfect little family to shield from her own past, and had never even *tried* to tell the truth about the murders, so why is Shannon all of a sudden "concerned that the truth would emerge"? Even if Catherine tried to change her version after all those years, nobody would have believed her anyway... so by stirring up trouble when there was none, Shannon is basically shooting herself in the foot. Which makes her a silly antagonist, and also makes this novel completely pointless. All Shannon had to do in order to get what she wanted was... absolutely nothing. And she somehow manages to mess even that up.
I was gonna give more stars, except that the ending ruined everything that came before it.
A few things that didn't work so well even before I got to the weird ending: I found the switching back and forth between the first- and third-person narrator disorienting and tiresome. Every time the switch happened, I lost my reading momentum and got forcefully pulled out of the story. I felt like I needed to readjust my reader's mind eye continuously and without warning since the chapters are not even marked with the name of the character whose POV we're jumping into. It didn't help that the characters themselves have no distinctive voices whatsoever: the journalist, the stay-at-home mom, the sleazy big-shot politician all speak with exactly the same voice. How's that for believability?
And to add to the confusion, why are the chapters from Catherine's and Heathcote's POV written in the past tense and the chapters from Brinley's POV written in the present tense, since they all happen at the same time?
Speaking of Heathcote, why did he get so many pages? I felt he was treated as a major character even though he had no real part to play in the story. His character was unnecessary to the plot, uninteresting, unoriginal... Heathcote's story arc was completely pointless, the chapters devoted to him superfluous.
Besides, some elements were just too far-fetched to be believable and broke the illusion: how can a high-profile politician fail to check whether the light on his mic is on or off before making a very incriminating statement at the end of a live-streamed radio interview? This sounds like a comic book scene played for laughs, not like a plot progression scene in a novel for adults.
There was also another major implausibility: it's very unlikely that a little girl would use her initial to mark her diary ("this belongs to S. Carter"), especially if her sister's name also begins with an S. This was a totally unbelievable element and it actually gave away the identity of the real murderer, which is finally revealed to the unsurprised reader many chapters later.
Last but not least, reading about such exaggerated, irredeemable villains (there are two timelines in this novel, and in both of them the antagonists are flat-out, one-dimensional cartoonish monsters), who are 100% evil "just because" is hard to believe, which makes their victims hard to empathize with.
Overall, I think this story had great potential, but missed its mark.

An enjoyable, original well-written psychological thriller - I could see the twist coming, but it didn't really detract from the overall narrative.