4+

This debut novel focuses on three siblings and their partners, Helen who is married to Daniel, Helen’s brothers Charlie and Rory who is married to Serena. Helen is pregnant and meets Rachel at an NCT class and following this just sit and wait for the fireworks as it’s quite a magnificent display! The story is told from the perspectives of Helen, Serena and Kate, Charlie’s journalist girlfriend.

This is a really good debut which suggests the sky is the limit for Katherine Faulkner! I really like the format, the three points of view works very well with the timeline following the weeks of Helen's pregnancy. The characterisation is excellent and you are easily able to visualise them. I find the most likeable to be Kate who is sympathetic, intelligent and dogged in her pursuit of truths and I came to admire her. ‘Perfect’ Serena is a cold fish and her blowing hot and cold treatment of Helen is thoughtless. Helen is very gullible, malleable and way too restrained and you want to yell at her at times to stop being such a doormat. Rachel is at the centre of the web and I love that there are tantalising glimpses of her game, you don’t get the full picture until the end and it’s a shocker. She becomes a cuckoo in the nest which is risky but as the truth unfolds it’s understandable. There is plenty of tension in the storytelling not least between the couples with plenty of puzzling discoveries and behaviours. There are some good descriptions especially of Greenwich and Greenwich Park which one couples house overlooks. An especially strong descriptive section is the bacchanalian dreamlike Bonfire Party at Helen and Daniels house where it all starts to reach a crescendo. Some images here are surreal and almost gothic. The plot becomes really twisty and although I partly guessed the outcome I certainly didn’t see it all coming! The whole thing builds slowly and inexorably although the end seems a bit rushed although the final outcome makes me want to jump with joy!

Overall, a really good clever slow burner of a thriller which I recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing PLC/Raven Books for the arc in return for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable and clever thriller, I didn't have a clue when the twists were about to hit and only vague guesses as to what might happen.

Greenwich Park is Katherine Faulkner's much anticipated debut novel. It focuses on three siblings and their partners, told primarily, from the point of view of Helen who meets Rachel at an ante natal class. Rachel insinuates herself into the lives of wealthy but lonely Helen and her family and friends. This is a very superior psychological thriller, beautifully written, perfectly plotted, twisty, well paced and with excellent characterisation. I loved it and would highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

I really liked this novel.

At the core of the thriller is a brother and sister married to their friends that they met from Cambridge University. While both wives are pregnant Helen hopes that Serena will join her at the local ante-natal classes she has found but is ditched. She meets Rachel which is really where everything starts to change.

A great twisty story with a perfect ending. Hoping for more from this author.

My thoughts about this brilliantly written, gripping debut thriller, was just mindblowing. Debut Author Katherine Faulkner, not only writes a fantastic nail biting story, but the characters she has written is truly amazing. Katherine Faulkner’s Greenwich Park, reveals dark secrets, that will blow you away. What I liked about the story was, when lead character Helen, who is a wife,a mother to be, and sister, meets her worst nightmare Rachel, was fantastic, who is the character. Rachel wants to know everything about Helen’s life, was excellent, Author Katherine Faulkner does a great job with its story and characters that keeps you guessing what will happen next, bravo what a debut. A fast moving thriller, that reveals dark secrets, that will blow you away. Highly Recommended. I would like to say thank you to Author Katherine Faulkner, Publisher’s Raven Books, and netgalley, for giving me a chance to read and review, this outstanding debut thriller, that reveals dark secrets and real motivations,obsession that takes you on a rollocoster ride. 💥💥💥💥💥⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Greenwich Park is a psychological suspense read that opens with an unnamed character who is in jail and writing to Helen. Rewinding back weeks ago we meet Helen, who is pregnant. She lives in Greenwich in her parents' old house that she inherited when their died. Her husband works in her brother's architecture firm and her sister-in-law, Serena, is pregnant, too. Helen and her brother met their other halves when they were students in Cambridge - a foursome.
One evening when Helen goes to an antenatal class that she booked for herself and Serena, Serena doesn't turn up nor does her husband who is busy with work. But she meets a younger woman named Rachel. Rachel is vibrant and full of life. Helen keeps bumping into Rachel and slowly, slowly Rachel creeps into her life...
There's also a POV from the character of Katie, Helen's friend, who is a journalist and covering a rape case in Cambridge.

This was an absorbing and a pacy read. I devoured the first half. The set-up was fantastic! I loved the setting of Greenwich and Helen's relationship with Serena and the fissures that appear in the foursome's relationship and the nuances of their interactions. Rachel was also a dynamite character, and I loved the scenes with her in it. Unfortunately I found the second half a let-down. I saw the twist coming and things weren't tied up in a gripping. The middle point of the novel has Helen hosting a party where something significant happens but she can't remember it and her memories of that night are blurry. This selective amnesia aspect to keep suspense was cliched and frustrating. However on the whole this wasn't a bad book, and I was turning the pages eager to see how the story would unfold. For this I'm rating the book 3.5 stars out of five.

“Greenwich Park” is going to be a 2021 smash hit! This is exactly how thrillers should be done - sharp, twisty, brutal, clever, unexpected and unputdownable. This is a must-read for all readers, not just fans of crime fiction.

When Helen meets Rachel at an antenatal class she thinks she’s made a slightly unconventional, but nice enough new friend. When she starts to bump into Rachel increasingly frequently, Helen thinks she may have taken on more than she bargained for. As Rachel infiltrates more and more of her life, Helen becomes convinced that she may have ulterior motives for forging their “friendship”. As Helen questions Rachel’s motives more and more, dark secrets from Helen’s closest friends and family’s past begin to seep through the cracks of their seemingly perfect lives. Just who exactly is Rachel, what does she want and who is she connected to already?

Reading “Greenwich Park” is like walking a tightrope a million miles in the air. Tension, mystery and fraught atmosphere exudes from every page. This is such an accomplished mystery that I found it hard to believe that I was reading a debut throughout the entirety of the narrative. Faulkner writes with the style and ease of a novelist with many books under their belt and she expertly crafts a complex, twisted mystery that I could not guess the ending to. I had plenty of suspicions as events unfolded, but Faulkner is excellent at steering the reader in one direction, only to spin them 180 degrees. The layers of misdirection and the ever expanding ripples of events are extremely accomplished and you will be kept guessing until the very final page. There are certainly some gasp-inducing reveals, but the real power of this novel is that it is all so plausible. As the final truths are revealed, there will likely be some things that you have suspected confirmed, but it’s the way Faulkner effortlessly and logically stitches this intricate web of lies and torment together that will have you thinking, “Of course, everything makes sense...how did I not see all this coming!?” It is definitely one of those novels you will want to read immediately again, knowing what you now know.

The format Faulkner has chosen is also very clever and not like anything I’ve read before. Split into sections that reflect the number of weeks Helen (and Serena, roughly) are pregnant, the narrative progresses with an impending sense of the baby’s arrival, which adds an underlying tension that meanders throughout the increasingly stressful scenarios that Helen finds herself in. The novel is also written from multiple character viewpoints, which is becoming an increasing staple of crime fiction, but Faulkner does it extremely well. The chapters are predominantly written in first person from the lead female characters’ perspectives (excluding Rachel) and Faulkner has created distinct voices for each. Helen is slightly self-deprecating and meek character who is the lead voice. She lacks confidence, but she gives off an air of trust and reliability. The narrative is very much a journey for Helen and it is interesting to see how she grows and develops, her past and present tragedies define her to some degree, but she finds herself and is reborn as a mother. Serena is the opposite of Helen - a sleek, glamorous, confident woman who is slightly aloof and a little icy. Her chapters help to heighten the tension in the plot, as she’s a much more guarded and mysterious character. Katie is a reporter with a naturally inquisitive nature, who we discover snippets of information with along the way. She is the character I enjoyed reading the most - she’s confident, opinionated and gutsy, whilst remaining down to earth and unequivocally likeable. Her dedication to finding the truth is admirable and I trusted her voice entirely throughout. Although there aren’t any chapters written in her first-person voice, Rachel is the centre of the narrative and Faulkner has created a marvellously complex character. As the narrative progressed and my suspicions started to formulate, I was constantly shifting opinions between whether Rachel was an outright villain, a mentally disturbed delinquent or a mentally destroyed victim. As Rachel’s truth was revealed, it is safe to say that it wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be, which is testament to Faulkner’s skill as a writer. There are very definite shades of noir at play here and I enjoyed trying determine who exactly was a femme fatale in this group of women. Even if some of my suspicions rang true, there’s so much depth and richness to this story, I was left feeling excited and satisfied as I turned the final page. This is just what I want in a thriller!

Quite frankly, this is a triumph of a debut novel and it should be at the top of your “to be read” pile as soon as it’s released! Highly, highly recommend.

For a debut novel this is very good. Interesting and well written storyline. The premise was good, but I have read a couple of books lately to do with baby groups, strange friends and convoluted pasts, so not entirely original. Must be the new “thing”! However, that said, this one certainly stands its ground and is a good read. Some of the twists were a little obvious, but it does keep you guessing. The end is particularly amusing! The only negative I found was that all the characters were pretty obnoxious, and I do want at least one of the characters to be likeable so that I can relate to them and care what happens. Even so, it is well worth a read. Thank you NetGalley for the arc. a debut novel this is very good.

started out racing through this,desperate to see where the stories connected,and exactly what Rachel was up to.
Then I slowed down,and I made sure to pay attention to every clue that might come my way.
So that by the time we were near the end,there weren't too many surprises,but definitely a few.
The characters were all in a tangled web of connections.
This is a really impressive debut,that left me smiling at the end because it was so fitting,so satisfying.
Will be much talked about in 2021 I think.

I started the book hearing from so many people posting on Twitter so I fort it must be a good read I was not disappointed how much do you really trust someone you just met enouth to let them into your home your life an let them live every day of your on going pregnancy ? How much do you really know about the person you go to sleep with at night? Or even your own family infact is your friendship really as close as you fort question everyone!

I struggled to keep up with this book. The multiple narratives kept me confused. The concept is good and the plot is interesting too but I don’t think it was as well executed as it could have been.

This novel is intriguing from the start. There are subtle indications that things are not what they seem, and these become stronger as the story progresses. The description of the book suggests that Rachel is the threat, but it soon becomes evident that each and every one of the characters is hiding some dark secret.

There are multiple narrators and whilst their perspectives were of course different, their voices were not sufficiently distinct and at times I found myself returning to the beginning of a chapter to check who was speaking.

The book is nicely paced with many twists and turns, and the tension escalates steadily until the dramatic climax and the explanation which I had not fully guessed, but did not come as a surprise.

I loved the twist in the very last paragraph. That really made me smile!

This was an addictive story that kept me guessing all the way till the end. I couldn't put it down. A must-read for anyone looking for a good thriller novel.

Solid psychological thriller that features a pregnant protagonist. Ideal for fans of the genre.
Thanks to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy.

Seemingly Perfect....
Amidst a host of seemingly perfect individuals with seemingly perfect lives arrives the seemingly very imperfect Rachel. Lives will be turned upside down and inside out. A slow burn, dark and brooding suspense with suitably unlikeable characters. Well plotted on the whole and with a perhaps surprising and satisfying finale.

A good overall book but I wouldn’t recommend if you’re a big thriller reader as I found the twists a little obvious. Perfect for the casual reader!

My main issue with Greenwich Park is none of the characters are likeable. I didn’t care about a single one. The plot is great but a likeable character is needed!

A decent 3.5/5.

A strange, dark and twisted story about revenge, secrets and lies. I found it difficult to like or care about any of the characters and worked out the conclusion early on.

‘Greenwich Park’ is Katherine Faulkner’s debut novel and it is certainly an engrossing read. Focusing on a close-knit group of privileged young people on the cusp of parenthood, Faulkner draws the reader in with all sorts of beguiling detail about their emotional and personal lives. To make things even more complicated, Helen and Rory are brother and sister and Daniel and Serena have been their partners since university. Purporting to be thoroughly supportive of each other, it is not long before we see hairline cracks appear in the seemingly impressive masonry of their friendship.
Helen meets Rachel at her local NCT class. Polar opposites they may be but Helen is, at first, often grateful for her attention. Things become progressively more awkward after Rachel is offered a safe haven at Helen and Daniel’s home, having been physically attacked, perhaps by the father of her child.
Faulkner is adept at building tension, offering any number of red herrings and encouraging the reader to vacillate between sympathy for and aversion towards her characters. Perhaps the least satisfactory section of the novel is the final chapters in which, by necessity, a great deal has to be covered through looking back at some explosive events. In contrast to the slow, tense build-up of the majority of the narrative, this feels a little laboured. However, the final outcome is most satisfying!
This author is definitely one to watch. If you like Sarah Vaughan, Claire McGowan and Sabine Durrant, you should enjoy ‘Greenwich Park.’
My thanks to NetGalley and Raven Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I felt the beginning was slow. the contast ---1 ---0 +1 were way too distracting and annoying in the middle of the text. i ended up skipping to the back because it was losing my interest fast. Good ending, but just couldn't hold my attention.

I found this a very dark read, you never know what is around the corner. It is full of twists and the characters are all believable, but what really happened to Rachel, I read it in a sitting, I just couldn't not. I feel as though this book is going to be a huge hit. A psychological thriller at it's best. The ending was sublime.