Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I really enjoyed it from the start. Good characters and writing. Twisty and addictive, it kept me glued to the end. Would recommend!

The Anniversary of the title is not a birthday or indeed anything nice. It's the 25th anniversary of a massacre. Travis Green shot 11 people dead in the small town of Hartstead, ending with turning the gun on himself. His death meant that his reasons for what he did were never known, nor indeed if he acted completely alone, only speculated on. Cassie Coleman was only four years old when this happened, when she witnessed the death of her father at the gunman's hands, his last victim. She has scant memory of what happened and has tried to put it all behind her but, in the days leading up to the 25th anniversary, she has returned to her childhood home to look after her mother who is starting to suffer with dementia. She meets up with some old friends from her schooldays, as well as making some new ones. One of the blasts from the past is Alison who has become a journalist and wants to write an article on how small towns get over such events. Well, that's the spin she is putting on it. This piques Cassie's interest in it all and she starts to do some digging herself and discovers things that maybe she wishes she hadn't but that could shed new light on the why it all happened. But there are those who don't want it all raked up again...
Oh my days, this book sucked me in right from the off. Holding me captive throughout, spitting me out at the end wholly satisfied. And a little smug cos I guessed a few things along the way. Not all, I hasten to add, there were plenty of shocks and surprises to be had too. It's well plotted and that plot is ably executed, getting on with itself at a fair lick with no superfluous waffle or padding. Pacing matches the narrative throughout, ramping up to the finale which it delivers at quite a pace.
Characters are all well drawn and all act within their remits very well. I bonded with Cassie right from the off and, apart from getting a bit weary with all the single parent frustrations, did manage to empathise with her.
All in all, a worthy addition to what is looking to become a very impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

An addictive thriller that you won't be able to put down. Twenty five years after after Travis Green killed eleven of his neighbors, Cassie who lost her father wants answers. Everything is not as it first seemed but someone will do anything to keep the truth hidden. Has her life been a lie?

Laura Marshall brings us another twisty psychological thriller which is cleverly plotted and hugely addictive.

On the 25th Anniversary of a mass shooting in a small town, the now grown up Cassie is a struggling new mum. A new friend and a reporter writing an aftermath article take her on a journey of discovery about what actually happened all those years ago...

As well as being an intriguing mystery The Anniversary also has several emotionally resonant levels as Cassie struggles with a newborn and a mother with dementia. The author manages this in an authentic and sensitive manner, anyone with experience of these two difficult life events will recognise the delicate balancing act. At the same time she hooks you into the narrative keeping you turning the pages to discover the final outcome.

Excellent writing, a really great read. Recommended

The Anniversary is a unique and intriguing mystery thriller with a brilliant concept. Mainly told in the present tense, the story weaves in short flashbacks of the victims’ final moments to slowly unravel the truth about what happened on that tragic day.

The structure of the story is really interesting, allowing you to work alongside Cassie to figure out the truth. As she begins to dig into the past, you start to notice patterns in the different perspectives of this single event, as secrets are unravelled that put everybody under the spotlight.

Although the thriller elements take centre stage, there are some great discussions around motherhood in the background which are handled really well. Cassie struggles with her identity, not only because she lost her father at the age of four, but because she is a single mother who has to put all of her energies into looking after other people. I love how this theme of parenthood and the issue of doing what’s best for your child works its way into the main story, making Cassie a strong character to invest in and allowing you to relate to the story on a more personal level.

The Anniversary is a thoroughly enjoyable read and I thoroughly recommend you pick it up for a fast-paced and gripping read.

Differently good
The Anniversary is not, as I presumed when saw the title, a wedding anniversary but the date when a man in a small English town, Hartshead, went beserk and randomly killed 11 people, it has to be said it did remind me of real life tragedies that have happened in the UK in the past
One survivor, much to her initial displeasure becomes involved in a journalist’s attempt to rehash the events for a 25 year ‘special’ and as she does she begins to realise that maybe the 11 were not just random at all
Told in the ‘now’ and also chapters telling the last moments of the 11 the story keeps you’re interest as little by little the patterns emerge and the truth becomes clear
There are 2 ‘human interest’ stories interwoven in, parental dementia and the reality of Motherhood for a single Mum, both well done and poignant
At times it felt a bit dragged out as very similar scenes happened in the pub but it did all lead to an interesting conclusion to an overall well written read

8/10
4 Stars

Twenty-five years have passed since the day Travis Green went on a shooting rampage in a small English town, killing eleven people. As the anniversary of the date approaches a local journalist picks up the story, determined to understand what really happened and if the victims were as random as everyone believed.
She enlists the help of Cassie Coleman who is the daughter of the last victim shot on that tragic day.
Together they embark on a mission to find out the truth. But someone wants to keep it hidden. How far will they go to stop it coming out ?
This was well written. I particularly liked Cassie. A single mum with her fair share of problems, including a newborn baby she is struggling to bond with and looking after her elderly mother who is in the early stages of dementia.
The short introduction to each of the eleven victims as the book progresses gave this book an emotional side which was a good thing, though I found it somewhat lacking in the thriller department hence the four stars rather than 5 !!!

I really enjoyed this and couldn’t stop reading until I found out what had happened. Cassie is only 4 when her father is shot dead in front of her, the last victim of a madman’s shooting spree, 25 years later she does some digging and finds that the people killed weren’t all as random as it had seemed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very enjoyable thriller. It is the 25th anniversary of a random shooting in a small English town. Cassie was four years old when her father was killed in the shooting and 25 years later, with a new born and a mother with early onset Alzheimers, she finds herself back at home. Journalists sniffing around, prurient neighbours, memories and the difficulties of single parenthood and caring for her mother make Cassie's homecoming a challenge. Cassie is also wondering if the shootings were as random as previously thought. Pacy plot and female and friendship centred detective work make for a good read.

At the age of 4 Cassie was one of only a few survivors of a town shooting that rocked her small community. 25 years later she is back in her home town with her baby daughter Amy to look after her Mum whose shock diagnosis means she needs regular care.
With the anniversary looming, a journalist is circling trying to get a personal account from Cassie. She is not interested, but when she finds something that doesn't make sense, she decides to speak to the journalist and realises that the events that surrounding the shooting were anything but straightforward.

This story was told over a Then and Now timeline, fleshing out the story really well. With some very well-drawn characters, particularly Cassie, I definitely recommend this as a very entertaining read.

The 25th anniversary of a mass shooting is coming up. Cassie was only four at the time, and witnessed the shooting of her father and then the gunman turning the gun on himself. Cassie has recently moved back to the area and is struggling, with her young baby and caring for her mother who has early onset dementia. With no friends, she is befriended by a journalist writing a story on how areas survive such tragedy, although many of the locals are wary of the past being raked up again.
I really enjoyed this book, finding out the back stories of all of the victims and how they weren’t as random as was thought for 25 years. As there were 11 shootings, this did mean a lot of characters. I thought the description of Cassie’s feelings of helplessness very relatable.
A recommended read.

Eleven murders. Twenty-five years ago.
Are some truths better left buried?

Twenty five years ago Travis Green went on a rampage through the streets of Hartshead killing eleven, apparently random, people before turning the gun on himself. The last victim was Gary Colman and his death was witnessed by his wife, Sylvia and their four year old daughter, Cassie. It is now approaching the anniversary of that fateful day, Cassie has returned to her home town to look after her mum who has early onset dementia and, now a mother herself to baby Amy, she is struggling to cope and would prefer to forget all about the massacre, but Hartshead is a small town and everyone knows who she is, then she discovers something hidden in her mum's house that would suggest the killings weren't as random as the police thought and Cassie teams up with journalist, Alison Patchett, to try and uncover the truth of why Travis Green murdered these people on 15th June, 1994.

The Anniversary is told across two timelines; 15th June, 1994 and the present day, the latter of which is told from Cassie's perspective. The story is very well written, a great concept which is reminiscent of the Hungerford Massacre and the addition of the flashbacks from the victims provides the reader with some insight to their backstories. I sympathised with Cassie, wanting to bury the past but also discover the truth and was so invested in her plight, willing her not to give up even when she was being threatened to leave the past where it belonged and I mourned for the loss of Cassie's mum to this terrible disease that affects so many people and takes them away from their loved ones long before they pass away. It's an addictive read that had me gripped throughout, devouring it in less than 24 hours, with an ending that I didn't see coming. I loved her other books and this one didn't disappoint either.

I'd like to thank Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

If I could give this book 6 stars I would! I have been intending to read a Laura Marshall book for a while now, and I am so glad I finally did. To find out what exactly happened on that fateful day, how all of the victims are connected and the plot twist at the end made an addictive read!
Highly recommended!

A gripping, compulsive read with many plot twists and turns. I stayed up well into the night to see how it would all end for Caddie Coleman and I wasn't disappointed.

The Anniversary- Laura Marshall

15th June 1994, Travis Green goes on a Hungerford style killing spree shooting dead eleven victims before turning the gun on himself.

25 years later The Anniversary of the massacre is looming and Cassie Colman has moved back to the town she grew up, singlehandedly caring for her baby daughter and her mother who is in decline with dementia.

Cassie's dad was a victim of the shooting.

A unique premise. Cassie is a great character, portrayed with care and great detail, an anxious single mother, socially isolated and living in the shadow of her caring responsibilities to her mother.

Starting as quite a slow burner, we meet the surrounding cast as Cassie tries to fit in the community and starts to make friends. There are also short chapters from the perspectives of the eleven victims, which really humanise the tragedy.

The plotting is very good indeed, as Cassie is reluctantly drawn into helping a journalist trying to uncover the facts around the shooting and all of those involved.

I found the writing involving and human, and after the tension really crept up on, the twists and reveals felt natural and believable, building steadily to the very end.

The first book I've read by Laura Marshall but I will definitely be looking out for her others.

Twenty-five years ago, an unassuming caretaker by the name of Travis Green ripped through the quiet town of Hartstead; going on a murderious shooting spree and killing eleven innocent bystanders. The last victim of this seemingly random attack was the father of 4 year old Cassie Coleman.

Cassie has tried to remember her father and forget the loss she feels, but as the anniversary approaches she finds it impossible. Especially when she discovers something strange in her mothers belongings that seem to be hinting at something sinister ... that maybe this sudden random attack was something much more. Someone has buried their secrets, and Cassie is going to start digging.

The Anniversary is a clever, twisty story that keeps the tension building all the way through in standard Marshall fashion. I loved the way she used the media and journalists to push the story along and explored just how devastating or life-saving it's influence can be.

Cassie was a well-rounded character; a struggling new mother, a devoted daughter - but in this instance I just couldn't find myself connecting with her and found it difficult to empathise with her as a narrator. I've loved everything Laura Marshall has put out and this is still definitely a brilliantly crafted story and I'm glad I read it but for me it's not getting a permanant space on the bookshelf.

This is my first book by Laura Marshall and I’m now a fan. This is such a great gripping thriller that made me not want to put down. The main character is Cassie who has moved back home to care for her mum who has dementia and is a newly single mum to baby Amy. Cassie is the sole survivor of a massacre but she can’t remember much of it since it happened when she was 4/5. The 25th anniversary of the massacre is coming up and Allison a local journalist is writing an article about it. As Cassie can’t remember what happened and she wants to find the truth, she teams up with Allison. Together they find out the shootings weren’t random as it’s been lead to believed. Many twists and shocks and an unexpected ending.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely spellbinding! I loved this story that grips you from the start. Right up until the end it will have you guessing. I have never read anything by this author but certainly will now. Thoroughly recommended

Twenty five years after a gunman went on a shooting spree in a small town killing 11 people. Cassie returns home and is forced to confront what she grew up believing about that event. This is a taut, page Turner of a book and I found it difficult to put down. Loved it.

This was an amazing thriller, I absolutely loved the story and was completely gripped the whole way through. I have read and loved every one of the author's books. Highly recommended.