A slow burner which i put down and picked up several times. I finally found it dark and twisty and enjoyable once i had gotten into it. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I loved the sound of the blurb, and it said that it was for the lovers of Eleanor Oliphant, which I am, but this book was unfortunately not for me.

It is the story of best friends from birth Moo (Muriel) and Roo (Ruth). Moo was an ex model and best selling author, and Roo an ex Journalist. At the start of the book they are living together in Moo’s house, with Roo looking after her as she is wheelchair bound. The story is told in flashbacks, entirely from Roo’s perspective.

Unfortunately I found the story line both uncomfortable and predictable, and didn’t find the characters believable. Others have enjoyed it, so it obviously just wasn’t for me.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181103253-the-final-hours-of-muriel-hinchcliffe-m-b-e

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. The title hints at something sinister; the blurb at a dark tale revolving around a toxic relationship. In fact, all the relationships in the book could be described as toxic and their interdependence leads to a complex and bizarre tale.
The characters are portrayed effectively and although their twisted downfall is predictable, it makes for compelling reading.

Kooky, but in the best way.

Toxic female friendship is one of those themes, I feel, can be explored forever in a thriller setting. More than the grand acts of malevolence or disturbing outbursts, the toxic female friendships are filled with various incidents of microaggressions- you know: the small jibes followed with a smile like it's all in a good joke, the carefully placed word to change the opinion of someone important, the "not done on purpose" sitting order at the event... It's the constant occurrence of these, to others completely insignificant and minor events, that build like a crescendo resulting in something outrageously and unexpectedly violent between two women. And to be honest, it's the delicate ruthlessness part of it that intrigues me more.
Claire Perking weaves a story of Moo and Roo, the friendship that started the day they were born at the same hospital and continued well into their seventies they are now as we meet them with Muriel in a wheel chair and Ruth taking care of her. They live alone in a big house, they follow the same routine of Ruth buying the same groceries, cooking the same dinner, doing's Muriel's pedicure, making something that will result in a fight than begging for forgiveness until they hug and play Scrabble. But then Moo does something unexpected which scares Roo very much.
Now, the intense, complicated relationship between the two, as well as the circumstances they are in and the grumpy old lady lack of patience and dramatics reminded me very much of Dolores and Vera from Stephen King's [book:Dolores Claiborne|7278752]. They rage at each other, they are often petty and absurd, but it's very clear they can't imagine life without one another. The story is told entirely from Ruth's point of view, who is a former editor and journalist, and it's filled with sarcastic quips and observations. This narrative method is extremely effective because you can feel resentment underneath her words which creates the suspense because you <i>want</i> to know what happened between them and how on earth they ended up in this situation. It also gives us the insight into her mind and her slow spiraling out of the control which mirrors the way the story and their friendship, from minutiae of their everyday becomes more crazy and messed up the more you are privy to main events that shaped it. And, wow, does this gets bonkers! In the weirdest of ways, it paints the toxic, emotional whirlpool two women are caught up in pulling everyone they care about with them. But it's not just umped to make it more shocking, like for example, [book:What Lies Between Us|53142315] is. Claire Parkin isn't concerned with spectacle as much as she is with the human nature and it can occasionally make you laugh uncomfortably, like it's plucked straight out of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305562/?ref_=ttep_ov">Psychoville</a>.
The pace was so well done and I can say that by the end book had me in a choke-hold.
I can take anything against it it's that the Ruth's unreliable narration makes other characters a bit too distant, because she is opinionated and it pushes her opinions on you, so you have to read between the lines and make your own conclusions. It makes others constructs of her own conclusions and this one-sideness, I feel, stifled the opportunity to show the full picture of this toxic female friendship. Because, by definition it demands two willing participants in the madness of it all.

All in all, great debut.

This was such a twisted book! Getting to learn the past of Muriel and Ruth was fascinating, and the view I had of them kept changing as we went. Really recommend!

A dark, at times funny and quite pleasurable read.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

The voice is engaging and there is some nice observation, but the characters are two-dimensional and the plot very predictable.

This is one darkly comic, well written and surprising novel

Told from in the first person POV by Ruth/Roo in a reflective tone we hear her story, the story of the finial hours of her best friend Muriel/Moo life of whom she is the sole carer of. Both elderly they have been friends since their birth sharing the the ups and downs of their life. However don't be so fooled by that sweet description. What we actually hear from Ruth/Roo is the story of frenemies long before frenemies was a thing.

The layout of the novel being set of over 72hours really sets the pace, it moves fast and is well plotted with it. It moves seamlessly between that 72hours and flashbacks to the past, of which were my favourite parts of the novel, you get a sense of there being a lot of secrets and lies from the past that are still impacting the present day. A sense of underlaying tension simmers away as the novel processes. My only issue is you do have to leave a little sense of realism and reality aside to truly engage with some of the plot however as we all now from the press we don't ever know what goes about behind closed doors so perhaps some of the more questionable events are not so far of the mark of what people get up to and put up with.

Both Roo and Moo are absolutely horrible but in the best way. I thought at first Moo was the worst but as the novel progressed I started to question who was really the worst and why perhaps both were such horrors. They characterisation of them
both is well developed and rich, they are two you won't forget after reading.
The game of cat and mouse between the two both now and the last was at times fun but was really dark underneath it all, the fun is without very funny but very dark dealing with a lot of issues( miscarriage, alcoholism, abuse) it is a book that is not only entertaining but is poignant. It really reminds of books like A Tidy Ending and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

I loved the concept of this book it wasn't quite what I was expecting it was much than a story about two old ladies stuck together out of necessity with one reflecting of their years of friendship in the token stereotypical way , the flashbacks should how sweet old ladies were not always sweet old ladies, this I loved as you were not expecting such characters or in fact a darkly comical twisty book.

This novel was surprising different refreshing take on friendship with a rich plot horribly fantastical characters and a nice little twist. Really enjoyed it

On a side note I have had a best friend from birth( our mothers are best friends) and while we love each other dearly we can push each others buttons like no one else can so I really got some the lighter moments between the pair, the bickering over how to make soup etc these parts made me chuckle . That being the darker moments made me glad I have my friend more than ever we are most definitely not frenemies. We often joke how we will end up old dears living together bickering away over what is a better biscuit to dunk in your tea I hope that is very much the case...If only Roo and Moo could have done the same it would have been a very different novel, a much less interesting one with a lot less murder

Brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is dark, funny, clever, and highly amusing. I think I’d worked it out early on, but it didn’t matter in the least as the wit and pace carried me through to the very last page. Highly recommend this book. Huge thanks to the author and publisher for an ARC copy. It is a big fat five stars from me.

Dark, funny, twisty, occasionally shocking - what a fun read! Don't go in expecting realism and you'll have a blast.

I know many people liked this book far more than I did. I kept waiting for a twist or turn that I hadn’t already predicted. The emotions of Moo and Roo are well described but there are so many plot holes. I guess my main takeaway was that we don’t know what happens in our neighbourhood.

This is a slow burn but so cleverly written with much going on. The tension is built really well and you know there's something weird going on but as to the what? Im not telling, you need to read and find out.

For some reason, I was expecting a dark, gritty detective-led thriller, but instead I found myself immersed in what felt something more like a French and Saunders script. I wasn't disappointed by it not being quite the genre I expected; in fact it was nice to have a break from my regular thriller fiction staple.

The story gradually reveals the shared history of two women, "Roo" and "Moo", who have known each other since birth, and by fate,--and by convenience for both--have been left sharing a house in their beleaguered old age. The relationship is overshadowed by a series of unfortunate life events, including the fact that Roo's husband left her for Moo. All of the built up frustrations and resentment clearly can't end in the best of circumstances for either.

I feel the book is more suited for older readers, who might better appreciate and empathize the unglamorous unravelling of ageing. Narrated well, with a consistently acerbic tone, you could imagine Roo or Moo being played perfectly by actor Miriam Margolyes, who in real-life doesn't mince her words when it comes to commentating on life's deals. The book is simultaneously both sad and funny.

This is a quick, compelling read, and I would say it echoes Margaret Atwood's Lady Oracle, a work that tells the story of an often unloved character who leads a secret life as a romance fiction writer. I will look forward to more of Parkin's work.

In 72 hours Muriel Hinchcliffe will be dead and the story is narrated by her best friend Ruth, who has been her carer for many years.
Without giving too much away, the book explores their complex, toxic friendship and their intertwined relationship over the years. It’s very dark, sad and funny and I raced through the pages to find out what led to Muriel’s demise.
This is a great debut novel by Claire Parkin and I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a 72hrs! It's a slow burn but so cleverly written with so many layers and so much going on. The tension is built really well and you know there's something weird going on but as to the what? You'll need to read it to see! And it's very much finding out. Perfectly written, well crafter characters, sooo much toxicity Nd just a really engrossing and original plot

I really enjoyed this novel overall. The time period lets us know how long we have but during this time we learn more about the characters and the suspense builds!

This was thoroughly enjoyable and a deliciously dark novel. The toxicity of the relationships in this book just jump off the page.

The title of the novel ultimately provides the synopsis of the novel. This is about the final hours of Muriel Hinchcliffe who is being looked after and cared for by her life long friend Ruth. However, we learn much about their powerful but often difficult friendship and we know something just isn't quite right......but what that something is, we come to learn over the course of 72 hours, and it will shock you!

Thanks to Netgalley and Pam Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review