Greenwich Park - Katherine Faulkner

Two married couples Helen and Daniel, and Rory and Serena. Helen is Rory's sister. Daniel and Rory are partners in a successful architecture firm. All four are old friends having studied at Cambridge University together.

Helen is pregnant and attending antenatal classes and strikes up a friendship with Rachel, another mum-to-be.

Told mainly in the present in the countdown to Helen's due date, there are some flashbacks to the time at Cambridge.

The writing, characterisation, plotting and sense of place are really good.

However, I found it rather slow and lacking in tension, (with more of a sense of unease rather than real tension). Not too much happens in the first half of the book, does then it does pick up.

So lots of good things, but a little slow for me to get excited about.

Overall I would rate it as 3.5*, or 4* if you enjoy a slower paced characterful novel, or 3* if you aren't quite so patient.


Thanks to Netgalley & Raven Books

A really compelling and satisfying read. I loved the relationships between the characters and the twists and turns along the way. If I had one criticism it would be that the ending felt a bit too drawn out, but that’s probably just me splitting hairs. Really glad I read this!

Helen, her brothers and their partners have closely entwined, seemingly perfect lives. Living in luxury in the vicinity of Greenwich Park with the riches left by their parents, they have only their growing families, sprawling homes and reputable businesses to worry about - until a fragile web of secrets is slowly unpicked when Helen makes a new and unlikely friend.

Once I picked this book up I could not put it down. I raced through it in two days as I just had to discover the answers to the questions by which I was gripped. The flow of the chapters makes it easy to read and become swallowed by the plot. I really enjoyed having multiple perspectives - this added massively to the cleverly thought out way that the plot reveals itself. The different voices of the characters are well established and clear, and each have a good amount of depth and development. At so many points I thought I finally had it all figured out but I kept being bowled over by the next twist. No clue felt obvious and I was caught off guard by how perfectly every single detail came together at the end.

The setting of Greenwich is what initially drew me to this novel as I know the area well. Faulkner did an excellent job at capturing the essence of this part of London and its inhabitants. The descriptive imagery used to set the scene in the park and nearby streets is cinematic and precise - I was left believing I could feel the effects of the elements as if I was standing there with Helen, whether in dappled sunlight under a tree or sheltering from harsh icy winds howling over the Thames.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Gone Girl or Girl on the Train. It is a fantastic psychological twist-and-turn thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It would not surprise me to see this made into a three or four part TV drama, if not a feature-length film. This was easily a 5-star read for me, and if this is her debut, I eagerly await more of Faulkner’s work.

4.5*

"Sometimes Greenwich can feel a long way from anywhere..."

Helen and Daniel live in a wonderful, historical house on the edge of Greenwich Park which is undergoing extensive renovations. It was bequeather to her by her father, a renowned architect. Helen also has two brothers, Rory, who has taken over his father's architectural practice, along with Daniel, and Charlie is the youngest, wayward member of the brood who inherited cash, which is seemingly long since gone.

Both Helen and Rory's wife Serena are pregnant, due to deliver at roughly the same time.

A large part of the story is set around Helen's life. She attends a local antenatal class where Rachel befriends her (note who is befriending whom!). It is not long before Rachel is inveigling herself into Helen's life, although they pretty much come from different sides of the track. But pregnancy makes it easier to bond and Helen has lost her ability to be assertive, and her critical thinking is largely gone. They meet, they connect at some level, although Helen has a nagging feeling things aren't quite right. Helen is emotionally ripe for the picking as she is a wobbly bundle of nerves: this pregnancy is hopefully going to full term (she has had several miscarriages); Daniel spends a lot of time at work, misses the antenatal appointments and generally seems to be emotionally absent; and Serena and Rory aren't much support.

Helen's best friend Katie from way back is reporting on a criminal case up in Cambridge and Katie, being a journalist has a good nose for when something doesn't feel right. And when one character goes missing, she has to find out more.

This is a slow burning narrative that really had me gripped. The author clearly has had a lot of fun developing Rachel's character, a foil of nightmarish proportions to Helen's down trodden and plodding vacuousness (and yet Helen could be so much more, she is intelligent and she went to a top university... so one might wonder what is going on there!). I was keen to go back to reading the book when I had to stop and do other things (always a good sign). None of the characters are likeable but for me that didn't matter.

Greenwich, coming up to Christmas, with Guy Fawkes night, the shushing through Autumnal leaves, light snow falling and frost on the ground (and a quick visit to the Plume of Feathers - established in 1691, by the way) all makes Greenwich and London feel part of the well penned storyline.

Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south-east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed.

So, I might have lost a night's sleep because I started reading this & couldn't put I down. Another fantastic debut novel & another new author to look out for!

Dark, twisted, creepy, suspenseful & everything you'd expect from a psychological thriller. Told from various different view points & instead of chapters you have a timeline of how many weeks pregnant Helen & Serena are.

Attending her first pre natal class Helen meets Rachel a single Mother to be. Rachel begins popping up everywhere, but is this coincidence or does Rachel have motives for more than just friendship. Dark secrets, lies & deception begin to surface.

Just who is Rachel & what is her connection to Helen's farmily? 😱

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 5 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

This started off quite slow and I was convinced it was not for me...so glad I persevered past the first few chapters.
The story is narrated by multiple characters, there are lots of twists throughout and the pace is great. I ended up reading the whole book in a couple of days. An accomplished debut- excited to see what the author does next.

When a thriller starts with a letter from prison you always know it’s going to be an amazing read and Greenwich Park exceeded all my expectations - well actually it was more of a case of smashing my expectations to pieces!

The fantastic plot twists kept me engaged, just when I thought I’d figured out how it was all going to end, something would happen that totally flipped my prediction. The short sharp chapters were filled with drama and suspense, making this a gripping page turner. I found this difficult to put down.

Such a brilliant debut - I can’t wait to see what’s next!

A fabulously entangled tale and a good psychological thriller. The story centres around an extended family of siblings and spouses who were at university together and are now business partners and the mysterious Rachel who turns up at antenatal class and befriends one of them, Helen.
There are many twists and turns and I was drawn in to see what the past connection was with Rachel and the family and what her real reasons behind befriending Helen were. The story unfolds at a good pace and there are secrets unveiled bit by bit all the way to the end. The result is a very satisfying and cleverly crafted storyline, well worth a read.

Told through the accounts of three female narrators, this fantastic debut follows the story of Helen’s pregnancy beginning when she is about 24 weeks along but also dips into the past and follows a couple of subtle sub-plots which all weave cleverly together by the culmination of the story.

This novel had me from the first chapter as it begins with a letter from prison but does not reveal the identity of the inmate. Not only was I intrigued to know who they were and why they were there but also how it connected to the events depicted in the rest of the book. I had my suspicions! I am thrilled to say I was wrong! The clever misdirect towards the end successfully threw me; the plot twist is not at all obvious and I found it delightfully unexpected.

In terms of characters, the females were well developed. I initially found Helen’s wealthy, privilege and fussy attitude a bit dislikable. But her road to motherhood has not been easy and she quickly began to win my sympathy. However, Rachel - who perhaps deserved sympathy more - I watched with fascinated horror as the audacity of her behaviour grew and grew. The men were not as fully fleshed out but this did not detract from the book and I wondered if this was deliberate as it was not their story.

I would highly recommend the book to others especially those who enjoy a good mystery with a few twists and turns to keep you on your toes. I hope this is not the last book from Katherine Faulkner and I look forward to reading the next.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Greenwich Park

I think this book appealed to me because I am familiar with and have many fond memories of Greenwich Park. Helen lives in a beautiful house, her childhood home inherited from her parents. Helen is finally going to have the baby she has always dreamed of, however the idyllic maternity leave she dreamt of with her sister-in-law Serena isn’t quite going as she planned. Her friends are all busy, her beautiful house is being overhauled by her husband Daniel so is full of noise and builders & so she attends her NCT class alone - and meets Rachel. Rachel is loud and brash and nothing like Helen or her friends. But with little else to do with her free time Helen finds it’s hard not to spend time with Rachel - especially as she keeps bumping into her wherever she goes. I really, really enjoyed this book - I finished it at 3:30am! It was full of suspense and I had several wrong guesses before I understood what was going on. I loved the ending too. The only thing I found a bit annoying was that we jump from POV and often skip ahead of time without any explanation of how far ahead we have gone and it was a bit confusing. I do really recommend this book. A great debut.

Greenwich Park is my favourite of all the London parks. It’s my happy place – I never fail to feel better after spending a few hours there. So imagine my delight when I saw this book. Even better – Greenwich Park is a tantalising, clever thriller that I loved reading. One of my go-to genres set in one of my go-to places. Perfection.

The story is told from the POV of a few characters, so it weaves through sub-plots and different character’s takes on things to maximum effect.

I loved so clearly recognising landmarks and navigating the same streets as the characters when reading. Greenwich is so familiar to me, so I was instantly immersed in the story.

Our lead character, Helen, her husband Daniel, her brother Rory and his wife, Serena, all went to Cambridge University together and now in their 30s, they live in Greenwich, South-East London, where Helen and Rory grew up. They are a firm foursome and certainly seem close but there are more than a few secrets bubbling under the surface.

Helen and Serena find themselves pregnant at the same time. When Serena is a no-show at an antenatal class, Helen ends up befriending Rachel. Or rather – Rachel thrusts her friendship on Helen and she’s sort of stuck with her.

This is when there is a shift in the story. Rachel is not someone Helen would usually make friends with, so we are left wondering the true nature of their friendship and what Rachel really wants from it.

The structure of Greenwich Park is excellent – there are quite a few pointers and clues woven into the story and every time we were given a new one, I felt a little jolt of excitement. I love thrillers like this – that drop in new details at just the right moments. A nice touch that added to this atmosphere of tension and the sense of building up to something was that we get a countdown to both Helen’s due date and events in the story.

It was also great to read from the POV of a pregnant lead character. This is a unique time, your emotions do ramp up and your perspectives on things do change, so when you layer on a set of sinister circumstances, the scene is set for an excellent, riveting read. I enjoyed it right until the very last tantalising sentence.

Greenwich Park is about Helen a pregnant woman living with her husband in a beautiful home. Helen meets Rachel at an antenatal class. Rachels odd behaviour gets worse and Helen can't seem to get rid of her as she inserts herself into Helen group of friends and family. It is a good thriller with quite a few twists.

Helen meets Rachel at ante-natal class. Rachel is pushy and out-of-place and Helen is oddly passive and disconnected. She's wealthy, but seems vulnerable and isolated, even from her own husband. Over the course of a few weeks, Rachel keeps appearing, insinuating herself into Helen's life, and Helen allows it. What is really going on? What is Rachel's agenda? Are Helen's accounts of their meetings even accurate? And why is she so isolated from the people that should be looking out for her?

I loved this book. It is full of twists and turns and a total page turner, which is the best thing a novel can be. Some of the plot twists can perhaps be predicted but there is one, very final twist, which I did not see coming and which I absolutely loved. Great work from Katherine Faulkner and recommended.

This was fantastic thriller that kept me gripped from page one to the very last page. The characters were well thought out and believable.
There were so many turns that I couldn’t keep up with the rollercoaster ride.
Thanks to Bloomsbury publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#GreenwichPark #NetGalley

Helen is pregnant - well through her first two trimesters - after 4 miscarrages - everything is perfect this time. She meets Rachel - a strange girl - at her first antenatel clinic appointment - when everyone else has let her down, and a strange kind of friendship begins. Slowly but surely Helen's life starts to fall apart.

An okay book, not one of my favourite, but it's well written. Just a personal preference on my part.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Very disappointing the characters were very weak and never asked one question throughout the book which was irritating and boring.

Helen lives with her architect husband and are in the process of renovating their home when Helen gets pregnant after years of trying.
At the prenatal class Helen meets Rachel who is totally unlike Helen and with no friends she clings to Helen and turns up everywhere she goes and invites herself to family gatherings.
AS things go missing in Helens house the fingers point to Rachel and the friendship turns sour.

I found the book a bit boring and the story all over the place, at one stage I thought I was reading a book on architecture as too much description on house building. The characters were so weak you just wanted to slap them.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Wow this is one awesome book! Started reading it on a Friday night and just keep reading it for two days till it was finished. It sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go until I got to the end. An intelligent thriller with a great plot line and short chapters that just totally flowed. I was so invested in the characters and yes, Helen has it all but I was rooting for her all the way to the end. Great storyline, lots of twists and turns with a pace that never lets up. One of my top 3 books so far this year. Can’t wait to read more of Katherine Faulkner’s books.

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner, Pub Date 15/4/21
Greenwich Park is Katherine Faulkner's debut novel.
It focuses on three siblings and their partners. Helen, Serena and Katie. Helen's brother, Rory, is married to Serena, while the other brother, Charlie, is in a relationship with Katie.
Helen is married to Daniel; they are wealthy and finally pregnant after years of tragedy; they seemingly have a perfect life.
Rory and Serena are also expecting a baby. Whilst waiting for Daniel, Rory and Serena at an antenatal class she meets Rachel.
Rachel infiltrates the lives of Helen, her family and friends, chaos ensues.
The story is cleverly plotted, with twists and turns. The first half of the book's pace is slow, but it picks up in the latter stages.
An enjoyable read that I will recommend.
I want to thank NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (UK and ANZ) and author Katherine Faulkner for a pre-publication copy to review.

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc!
I have been trying to restrict myself on requesting anymore books but when I read the blurb for this I was so intrigued as it didn't give much away!
From the beginning I was drawn in and couldn't put it down for the whole day!
It starts with a letter to Helen that we don't know who has written and goes from there.
As soon as Helen meets Rachel you know that something isn't right.
I didnt like Daniel from the beginning and felt sorry for Helen as she seemed a bit lonely in her pregnancy.

Then when it all starts to unravel you see just what ties everyone together and how Rachel fits in, some of the twists I guessed but some were a shock!
Its a slow burner that grips all the way through and I loved it!
Reading the ending and then BAM! Last page, did not see coming!
Loved it and didnt want it to end but couldn't stop reading!

Wow! What a debut! Greenwich Park is a very impressive debut from Katherine Faulkner; the writing is so accomplished that I actually had to double check that it was her debut novel. With secrets, lies and twists galore this is one very addictive thriller that gets under your skin and gestates into a perfect book baby.

After several miscarriages, Helen is pregnant again and the chapters count the weeks of her pregnancy. I loved this touch; it was both hopeful that the pregnancy would go to term and also suspenseful that something terrible would happen. You just know that this story is going to end in tears but with a conclusion as breathtaking and explosive as the fireworks at Helen's bonfire party, I could never have guessed the outcome.

I really felt sorry for Helen; she is hoping to attend antenatal class with her husband, brother and pregnant sister-in-law but none of them turn up. Helen makes friends with Rachel, a single mother-to-be at the class and they seems to bump into each other wherever Helen goes. Coincidence? I think not! Helen is too polite to rebuff Rachel and she is inevitably drawn into Rachel's web like the spider and the fly. What is Rachel's game and why does she seem so intent on invading Helen's life? That's quite a hook!

This dark, addictive and mesmerising novel had me completely enthralled from start to finish. Nothing is as it seems once you scratch the surface of these apparently perfect lives and Rachel isn't the only spider in this stunning web of intrigue and lies. If this is the quality of her debut, I can't wait to see what Katherine Faulkner writes next. Greenwich Park is completely unmissable and highly recommended.

I chose to read an ARC provided from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.