I was given an ARC of this book and I found the topic disturbing but very well done.

The story is brutal. It’s written from three points of view in the first-person narrative – Laura, Jenny and Niamh. Each of the characters is well-developed, each distinctive, each interesting, each having a story of their own.

When Jenny is brought into the special interview with Laura (the interviewer) and Niamh (the note taker), the atmosphere is tense. A man is missing and something terrible has happened to others. The truth must be found but Jenny (witness, victim, criminal?) speaks of imaginary places and people.

I liked how the story was split into three perspectives – Jenny’s certainly gave insight into the horrors of her life. Laura’s secret is eating its way into her sanity, resurfacing because of this case and Jenny’s situation. Niamh is the happiest of them, and we understand why – she’s wise and loving and understanding.

The themes are harrowing but I don’t want to give spoilers. It’s fast-paced and definitely a page-turner. I thought the writing style suited the story, while the suspense and mystery heightened the experience.

Highly recommended, though be warned, it’s emotional and raw.

This was not an easy read and I do feel it could be triggering for some. That said, it tackles a range of topics that need to be spoken about more. When 14 year old Jenny is found hypothermic and covered in blood, two special detectives are set the task of finding out what happened to her and if she knows where her step-father is.

I found it a slow start but once it picked up, it was a page turner - albeit a rather heartbreaking one. Perdue writes well and I really liked the way she slowly divulged Jenny's story, through a dark sort of fairy tale - it added to the mystery and was well done.

Sorry but The Interview was a did not finish for me as it was too slow going and very difficult to get into

It does cover some potentially difficult themes but wasn’t for me

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for this Advanced Review Copy.

The title, cover, and description all intrigued me, and I was delighted to receive a review copy of this book. While I expected a dark read, I hadn’t expected to be quite so heavy or brutal. For certain, major triggger warnings are needed for this book, for which at present there are none. The narrative deals with domestic abuse, physical and sexual child abuse, and adult rape. The descriptions are graphic and occur numerous times.

To be honest, I struggled to connect, and therefore, root for either main character—Jenny and Laura—despite their respective traumas. I did, however, love Niamh, who really came alive for me.

“Inside, my mouth is jammed and crammed with blood and teeth and jagged helps that can’t get out.” … This opening line gives a good sense of where the book goes from here. We have a young girl found on the street covered in blood. Topically, there are no CAMHS beds available, so poor Jenny ends up on an adult psych ward while she waits for the doctors, social services, and the police to assess and interview her. Problematical, is the fact that the lead detective, Laura, has issues of her own, and her long battled and buried PTSD is no longer happy to stay quiescent.

One huge annoyance for me, and a thing which yanked me out of the read over and over and over again, was the use of ‘literally’. More than a few times, I wanted to throw my ereader across the room … literally!! Ugh. Aside from this, some lines stood out wonderfully, such as …

“She goes back into her silence, shrugging it over her shoulders like a coat.”

And …

“He nodded—the pissed-off nod rather than the friendly one.”

And …

“But that’s the problem. Time is running out and truth is running in.”

I believe this novel will be a marmite read for many, in that they’ll either love it or they’ll hate it, with not many on the fence. Having said that, I kind of AM on the fence about it. On one hand, the book covers some difficult yet essential issues. On the other, the characterisation fell flat for me. Furthermore, I found myself disbelieving the neat and tidy ending. I’m certain more consequences would have befallen Laura, and I’m not at all sure that four months would have seen such a remarkable improvement in poor Jenny. So, all in all, it’s an okay read. I loved some parts and hated others. It gets 3 stars from me, which means if you can handle the heavy, give it a go. You might just love it.


***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.



5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

Set in Ireland, the story follows the relationship between Jenny, a traumatised 14-year-old girl, and Laura, the victim support officer sent to interview her. As the interviews progress, Laura learns as much about herself as she does about Jenny. Good for readers looking for a different approach to the police procedural genre.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

A slow start that gradually picked up pace. This book tackled some very difficult subjects, I do feel this could be a trigger causing a difficult read for many. It’s actually a very sad story and at times reads as though it’s true.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Woah there! This book will grab you by the bits and not let go, very dark in places and covers some very difficult issues but it was also a seriously good read and one you do not want to miss this year! A brilliant effort from the author and I’d love to see more from them as soon as possible!!!! Top class thriller

Jenny, a fourteen year old found covered in blood and traumatised. Her mother and younger brother are badly hurt but her stepfather is missing. Two Garda, Laura and Niamh, must interview her. But it has an affect on Laura.

It’s a well written but, at times, hard to read book. It covers some very dark issues.

This was not what I was expecting by any means. Its a really dark and disturbing story and possibly needs more trigger warnings? It is really well written and pretty heartbreaking to be honest. I found it quite hard to get through. There are a few twists and turns and it does keep a good pace and it just have a really suspenseful and really ominous feel to it the whole way through.

This seemed to me to be a tragic story, focusing on a predator within a family and the dreadful things that were accepted as the norm for the targeted child.
Additionally, an adult now working within the police is seriously impacted by a single incident in her own childhood which she has not been able to work through.
Is another story required to discuss the long term impact on the child in the present?
The awful experiences described by this child over many years, ending in a devastating accident has a dreadful effect on her ability to cope.
I felt that the actions of the police interviewer were unlikely and unrealistic.
This spoilt the story for me.

The Interview is a dark and disturbing story of two garda detectives who are interviewing a teenager girl to uncover the truth behind her recent attack.
Guards Laura and Niamh are trained at working with victims of trauma and encouraging them to reveal the truth about what has happened to them. However, as this deeply atmospheric story unfolds, we learn that Laura has secrets of her own and these secrets threaten to derail the entire investigation.
There are moments throughout this story that I struggled to read and I do think that other readers may have similar concerns. However, this remains a pacy, twisty and exciting read.

This book sucked me right in and the concept intrigued me-being based around a victim/potential suspect interview by specially trained officers.

I really liked this book to start with and I was expecting to blow me away but I felt the sections about Laura’s mental health became slightly overblown and I found myself skimming towards the end.

Ultimately the ending redeemed it but I was slightly disappointed with the flow.

This book is tough reading at times, certainly for anyone who has experienced trauma. But it delivers a great story in a powerful way.

It is the story of Laura, the detective, and Jenny, the victim. But who is leading whom here? Niamh, Laura’s partner, helps illuminate the scene as the psychology of the characters emerges.

Jenny delivers her story through fairytales and the reader is presented with a complex puzzle. She is an especially good character, by turns vulnerable and manipulative. She is the ideal centrepiece for a dark tale.

The ending is emotionally satisfying and in keeping with the tone of the story. Overall, an excellent debut.

Thanks to NetGalley for making an advance copy of this book available to me in return for an honest review.

This book was absolutely superb. It is extremely well written and gives an excellent account into the incredible work the SVI team do. I cannot recommend the book enough and highly recommend it.

An engaging thriller with some great characters: had a Line of Duty-like intensity to the interviews, and the relationship between the two main police characters was complex and believable. Very strong descriptions of the immense damage that sexual assault does to the whole of a victim's life -- and there are some buildings in south Dublin that I will never think of in the same way again! Hard to put down, even if what I was reading was horrifying.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I thought this was quite different to many of the psychological thrillers I've read before. I struggled with the subject matter but do think the Author dealt with it sympathetically and it seemed very well researched. I liked it was set in Dublin too! Good characterisation and clear distinct voices from the 3 narrators. I liked the ending a lot too!

The Interview - Gill Perdue

Jenny is a traumatised teenage witness, with her mum and brother hospitalised and her stepdad missing.

Told from the perspectives of Jenny and specialist trauma detectives Laura and Niamh, this is a deep, dark and harrowing psychological mystery.

Laura and Niamh are trying to help Jenny, who appears to be in an amnesiac shock, Silent for long periods, and rambling through fairytales and Greek myth.

The three voices, Jenny, Laura and Niamh are very distinct, and the characterisation is superb.

It is quite slow and at times seems rambling, this is book to commit to and immerse yourself in, the reward is a compelling and deeply involving psychological mystery. It takes the reader deep into the characters' minds and memories, which at times can be dark, disturbing and feeling drugged, confused and sedated.

A brave and brilliant book which definitely won't appeal to everyone.

Wow this was a really good book, I didn’t know what to expect but it was excellent, it’s set in Dublin and is fast moving and just so good….

Detectives Laura and Niamh are interviewing fourteen year old Jenny. Her mother and brother are both hospitalised and her step father is missing. Jenny isn't saying much, in fact hardly speaking so the two detectives are doing what they do best with vulnerable victims and trying to coax her to tell her story. Laura has her own demons and occasional words trigger her. This is at times a tense, rather dark tale where sometimes you wonder who is the victim and who is the cleverest with answers or questions. Jenny is vulnerable but knows how to play the game- whatever game is set before her. Laura is the specialist victim interviewer (along with Niamh) but as the interview goes on roles become grey areas. This is brilliantly written and well researched. It's one where your brain has to be in gear- which I enjoy- and try to decide certain things as I went along. There are flashback mentions of both domestic violence and rape (# trigger warning) however nothing more than in many crime books. A quite intense read but one I couldn't put down.
(rest of links on publication)

When Detective Laura Shaw and her partner Niamh are called to interview a young girl Jenny, Laura gets more than she bargained for having to deal with her own emotions as well as trying to discover the truth about Jenny.

Jenny is 14 years old, and was found outside and alone with no ID, money or phone by a passer by and taken to hospital. She doesn’t say a word to anyone but it’s clear that something has happened to her. Her step father is missing, and she was covered in blood. It’s up to Laura and Niamh to find out what happened and where the stepfather has gone.

As Laura tries to use her skills as Gardai interviewer specially trained in situations such as this, she finds herself questioning her own past - can she help Jenny and piece together what has happened as well as dealing with her own issues?

I really enjoyed this book, it was emotional and sad hearing Jenny’s story in her own words as well as seeing the story from Laura and Niamh’s perspective which gives the story a really good balance. It’s always evident who is speaking as each chapter states the name of the person, and you get a really good insight in to all sides of the story.

The conclusion comes together beautifully at the end too!

Thank you for letting me read and review this book!