I have had this on my to-be-read pile for years and I'm kicking myself as this is a gripping and unsettling thriller that explores themes of grief, guilt, and revenge.

Set against the stark and unforgiving landscape of the Falkland Islands, the story centres around Rachel, a woman haunted by the accidental deaths of her best friend's two young sons. Three years later, her friend, Catrin, is consumed by grief and seeking revenge. Meanwhile, there are a series of mysterious disappearances in the remote community.

With excellent characters and oodles of tension, this is a book full of atmosphere and anticipation and whilst it's not fast-paced, it is a book that's worth a read and many thanks to the author, Random House UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Little Black Lies.

I’m cursing myself that I’m so far behind on Sharon Bolton’s books that I have only just now read Little Black Lies.

After falling in love with Sharon’s storytelling after reading the Lacey Flint novels (all a MUST read) I’ve gradually added her novels to my TBR and am slowly checking them off – why, oh why does reading-by-osmosis not work!?

Little Black Lies is a tense mystery novel that perfectly illustrates the claustrophobia of living in a small community – particularly when a horrific past event can never be forgotten by the participants and the community. Despite the awful incident that led to the death of her sons, Catrin Quinn can’t escape her former best friend Rachel, so her grief turns to dark thoughts of revenge.

But just as Catrin’s plans are due to come to fruition, the Falklands community is rocked by news of a missing child – and he’s not the first child to go missing. We then see events as they play out from the points of view of Catrin, Rachel and Falklands Veteran Callum, all of whom are hiding things from the community and themselves…

I think part of the reason it’s taken me a while to get to this book is that I get a bit funny about plots involving missing kids – I used to be able to deal with them, but I don’t seem to like them as I get older – but as it turns out, the missing children in this book act like more of a catalyst which sets off events surrounding Catrin, Rachel and Callum, which brings the story to a dramatic head in the final pages of the book.

The novel is awash with suspense – particularly when the narrative voices switch over to tell their side of the story, but it is all beautifully drawn together at the end, with a satisfying but twisty epilogue.

I always say with Sharon Bolton’s books, you go along reading, thinking you know what’s going on but there comes a point where she completely blows what you know out of the water! Even though I assume now with her work that the twist is coming, I never see it until it’s right there. So clever and brilliantly talented – I tend to recommend Sharon’s books to everyone…

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

What's the worst thing your best friend could do to you?
Admittedly, it wasn't murder. A moment's carelessness, a tragic accident - and two children are dead. Yours.
Living in a small island community, you can't escape the woman who destroyed your life. Each chance encounter is an agonizing reminder of what you've lost - your family, your future, your sanity.
How long before revenge becomes irresistible?
With no reason to go on living, why shouldn't you turn your darkest thoughts into deeds?
So now, what's the worst thing you can do to your best friend?

Small town secrets, betrayals and a place where every character seems to have something to hide...sounds like the perfect ingredients for a brilliant thriller. And they are...

Narrated by three characters (which I don't usually like), the story unfolds layer by layer, keeping the reader glued to the page, waiting for the next revelation!

The setting - the Falkland Islands - was an unusual choice but one that worked perfectly as well. With an eye for description, the flora, fauna and other native inhabitants of the islands gave me the feeling of a place that deserved more investigation.

Bringing the whole story together was never going to be easy, considering the three narrators, and it didn't quite hit the mark for me. It felt a little "let's just get this tied up shall we?" without giving any real thought to the complexities that had been created in the first 350 pages.

All in all, however, a fine small-town thriller and one that I would recommend happily!


Paul
ARH