To outside opinion, Detective Laura Shaw has everything she could want to be happy: a loving husband, a loving daughter and a career she loves. Her skill at getting vulnerable people to open up, even about the toughest of circumstances, means she’s a force to be reckoned with. However, the victim interviewer meet a match with teenage Jenny. The young woman speaks in fairy tales – but time is of the essence. Her stepfather is missing, the blood on her clothes is not her’s so Laura needs Jenny to reveal more of what happened, and as soon as possible. Much of the questioning feels uncomfortable to read, as it should, especially as Jenny is in an almost childlike state, but this adds to the already tense plot that will maintain your attention throughout. Importantly too, is Laura’s attitude – the much lauded interviewer is having an issue getting Jenny to speak, further confusing her colleague Niamh. What has this case triggered in Laura? And will the team uncover the truth as to what happened to Jenny’s stepfather?

Unfortunately this book was not one for me. I found it hard to get into and struggled with some of the abbreviations. Very good concept and looking at the other reviews I’m sure it’s a good book but I found some of the topics quite upsetting so didn’t finish reading it.

A psychological thriller based around the interview of a trauma victim. The story is told from the alternating points of view of Laura and Niamh. two detectives specially trained for this type of work, and the victim, fourteen year old Jenny. The subject matter is quite disturbing but is dealt with sympathetically.
I found the story very slow paced and it never really got going for me. The ending seemed a bit rushed and too neatly finished off. The character of Laura has her own issues and in trying to get the truth from Jenny, she is very much preoccupied with her own past. As such she came across as unprofessional but also she was not an engaging character. In the end I found the book a little disappointing.

A young teenage girl Jenny is found with blood on her, shes shivering outdoors her Mum and Brother are badly injured in a car.

The interview is Jenny being interviewed by Laura with Niamh taking notes and helping, they're from the Gardia and specially trained. This is something they've done so often so should be business as usual but well I'm not going to spoil it but this is so well written I will let Gill (Author) tell you in her words as they are incredible. In fairness the procedure may be the same but everyone is different so there is no complete normal.

This does tackle a sensitive issue or 2 and its handled with great care and still is a thriller that keeps you guessing with twists it's an experience your going love one minute and clench the next just as a thriller should. I enjoyed the suspense the characters whey their own back stories but the 2 main Characters for me were Laura and Jenny and these are very believable as are the others but these need to be more so or it wouldn't be a 5star read which this certainly is. The build up doesn't take the whole book or ½ of it your into it the story very quickly and carried to a dramatic end. But there the drama is all the way through from the start as I've just mentioned I guess. What happened did happen to Jenny what is her plan what is she thinking don't worry you will find out if your need is for a good thriller then this is your next one.

When a fourteen year old girl, Jenny, is found at the side of the road covered in blood and clearly having been assaulted, Specialist Victim Interviewers Laura and Niamh are called in to gently find out what's happened to her.

But Jenny is angry, and traumatised, and she's not talking. Or not in ways that make much sense. And when further information comes to light - her mother and little brother have suffered critical injuries, and her stepfather is missing - it becomes even more urgent to somehow piece together the truth.

Laura, though, has her own issues - exacerbated since the birth of her young daughter - to deal with, and it's not getting any easier.

The Interview was an engrossing read if not always a comfortable one - inside Jenny's head, and indeed Laura's, are not easy places to be. Jenny tells dark fairy tales to allude to what's happened to her; Laura experiences horrific thoughts and fears and can't push them away.

(Laura's mental health struggles and experiences with OCD and intrusive thoughts were very well done, I thought - my partner has similar issues, and I appreciated the careful, realistic way this was addressed.)

It was interesting, and believable, that due to bed shortages Jenny has been placed temporarily on an adult psychiatric ward, mainly, it seems, among elderly women with dementia. Jenny's interactions with the nurses and her fellow patients add a further dimension to the story.

The Interview is an excellent if disturbing read which considers the effects of trauma, both long and short term. Abuse - sexual, emotional and physical - is a major theme and readers should be aware of this, as it's very distressing and hard to read at times, but sensitively and responsibly addressed.

A superb first novel by Gill Perdue which I can highly recommend. Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

‘The Interview’ focuses on both the assault victim, 14-year-old Jenny, and her interviewers, Niamh and Laura, in equal measure. Jenny is found on the side of a road, and her mother and brother are seriously injured as a result of a car crash. Where is her stepfather? What has he done? As the interviews commence, it soon becomes clear that Jenny’s experience is triggering past trauma for Laura and the story becomes a vehicle for exploring both the girl’s and the woman’s terrible experiences.
If you enjoy fairy story riddles, then you may well be gripped by the narrative. Unfortunately, because of this device, I couldn’t help comparing it with ‘Mirrorland’ by Carole Johnstone, which, to my mind, is far more successful in the telling.
Not a bad read but this type of novel needs to be really brilliant to stand out in an increasingly crowded field.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

Garda Laura Shaw is assigned to the case of a 14 year old, Jenny, who has been admitted to hospital after she has been found unconscious. Jenny had clearly been through hell, she is traumatised and psychotic. Laura has to try and unlock Jenny’s memories and find out what’s happened to her but Laura has her own issues which are clouding her judgement.
This was such a gripping read and I spent the day immersed in it. For a debut novel it was brilliant and I expect will be well received. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my. A deeply disturbing book which will resonate with many. Very cleverly crafted and totally engrossing.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of The Interview. This book was not what I expected and it took me a while to get really get into it as I found it slow moving and the style (a three way narrative) was taxing until I got a handle on Jenny, Niamh and Laura. Then I was totally engrossed in the shocking and chilling tale, fearful of what would be revealed next.
Gill Perdue writes with knowledge, empathy and subtle anger and the ending was perfect.

Two Garda colleagues in Dublin, Laura and Niamh, are on the case of a missing man, suspected of abuse. His wife and son are in hospital and the only possible witness is his stepdaughter Jenny. Jenny is traumatised by whatever happened and through the interviews conducted by Laura and Niamh her story and that of her interviewees evolves. Laura has a guilty secret which is tormenting her and her friend and colleague Niamh is covering for her though she has no knowledge of Laura’s past. The pace was a little slow and the middle of the story seemed to lose its way, there was no progress and I found I was speed reading to get to the nitty gritty. However, once there, the story gathered momentum and I was more than happy with its conclusion.

A gripping story with good, strong characters, but I found it quite hard to read, especially Jenny's narrative. I liked the different narrators, with their different voices.

This wasn't an easy book to read, very traumatic but with a strong need for justice. Well written book with a compelling narrative, warts and all. The conclusion was a bit muddled but the result was closure of a very sad story.

When 14 year old Jenny is found at the side of the road,she ends up on an adult psychiatric ward. The book centres around her interviews with the Garda's special interveiwers Niamh and Laura,who has issues of her own.

Jenny is outwardly traumatised but inwardly telling herself a story about her stepfather Stuart.

The Gardai want to know what happened to Stuart and Jenny's not telling..

Garda Detective Laura Shaw, a Specialist Victim Interviewer (SVI) based in Dublin, is interviewing Jennifer, a traumatised, amnesiac, fourteen-year-old, rape victim, found unconscious and hypothermic. Elsewhere in the area a crashed car containing her mother and younger brother, both unconscious and seriously injured is found. Her step-father, Stuart, is missing and it is possible that Jenny knows where he is and might have injured or killed him (he is a likely suspect for the rape. SVIs always operate in pairs, carefully unlocking the victim's memory without causing additional trauma or leading them. Laura’s partner is Niamh, and she is monitoring and taking notes while Laura carries out the interview. Unknown to everyone, Laura had been assaulted as a teenager but has totally supressed all negative thoughts and emotions about it for eighteen years. This has made her a very detached observer of life but a near paranoid wife and mother to her husband and their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. As she struggles with the interview, pushing against the obduracy of Jenny without allowing her own experience to colour the outcomes, she starts to fall apart – associating herself with Jenny and her attacker with Jenny’s.
The story is told episodically, alternating between Laura and Jenny (with a few interventions from Niamh attempting to keep things on track). The story is largely told through the thoughts and reactions of both of them; Jenny inside a fairy story erected to preserve her mind from the traumatic events she has experienced and Laura trying to remain rational as her past merges with her present situation. The quality of the writing provides a very disquieting experience for the reader because it makes the interview scenes so believable, especially those seen from Jenny’s perspective. As a psychological thriller it is a resounding success; as a debut adult novel by the author, it is a tour de force.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

A very intriguing debut novel. I found it a bit slow going for the first few chapters but I'm glad I stuck.with it as it soon picked up the pace. A great insight into a trauma victims mind and a thriller I would recommend.

An exceptional debut novel. A slightly slow start but the author has a wonderful way with words and before long the tension is ratcheting up until it is hard to put the book down. The interviewing detective is almost as damaged as the 14 year old victim who has the answers but communicates by creating a sinister fairy tale - and time is running out for the victim. The psychology is fascinating and the detective is forced to take risks to get to the answers. I very much enjoyed it; a change from the usual psychological crime books and I will be recommending it.
Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

This book had me stumped. Sitting smug and thinking I had it all thought out, the author put me in my place. Finally we have a thriller that will keep you your toes. As with a number of authors I have been reading recently I cannot believe that this is the authors debut novel! I truly enjoyed myself and will be recommending it to anyone I see for the next few months.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This definitely exceeded my expectations.
It mingles some pretty raw storyline,with fairytale to the point I could never quite pin down what happened... just constantly guessing.
It was tense as I felt the clock ticking down to find the missing person and you had to wonder would we get there,as the only witness is a damaged 14 year old.... and at times the lead guard seemed even more damaged.
Tense,perfectly paced,and a book I didnt want to put down at all.

I believe its a debut.
Cracking one at that.

A strong debut.

Set in Ireland, we have some dark subject matter, with a story commencing with a 14 year old girl covered in blood and refusing to speak, and her missing stepfather.

A fascinating and compelling insight into the psychiatric profession and how they deal with trauma survivors.

An interesting angle having an interviewer who is struggling under the weight of her own undealt with psychological issues, and this case is triggering those.

I definitely look forward to more from this author.

This is a good, twisty thriller, with an original approach. The main characters, especially Niamh, are very likeable, and made the book more enjoyable with some light moments in a traumatic situation. There was a good twist at the end, and I liked the way the book was concluded.