Fatal Attraction

by Carol Smith

When Rose sees Joe in an Oxford bar, for her it is instant infatuation. He is everything she could ever want: gifted musician, wit and high achiever. In her mind, at least, they are ideally matched and a burning desire for him takes hold. Fate, however, has other plans and Joe has no intention of settling down. All Rose will ever be to him is part of his student past. Instead he embarks on a dazzling career which takes him abroad for a number of years, leaving Rose alone with shattered dreams. She knows what true happiness can be like. Her parents have always been very well married, and the late arrival of her kid sister, Lily, helped make the family complete. But when Joe returns and falls for Lily, unaware that Rose still has feelings for him, a dangerous rivalry ensues ...one that can only lead to murder.

Genres: Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Librarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name.

Carol Smith was born in London and worked in the book trade, both in London and New York, before becoming a full-time writer herself. For much of that time she ran her own literary agency, focussed on finding and developing new talent, although now her own writing takes up most of her time. She lives in Kensington. She also writes under the name Alex Crowe.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but if you’re after a page-turning, turn your brain off, kind of read, then give this a shot. Not a likeable protagonist, which normally makes it hard for me to engage with the story, but somehow it works here.

[Thasc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad story but a bit all over the place, Rose's final plan backfired it's a pity she wasn't brought to justice though.

[Jane Woodcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cor, what a blooming good read. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Talk about gripping. Found it hard to put the book down, and can see this easily made into a film. The main character has got to be Killing Eves, Jodie Comer!

[Wendy Sice · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it is undeniably pulp fiction, this book got me in from the first page and had me hooked to the end. Rose is the perfect villain, a psychotic and obsessive woman wrapped up in the one and only Joe, a charismatic scientist and musician. Rose herself is highly intelligent and musical so sees them as the ideal couple. But Joe is flippant and dismissive, and Rose means nothing to him. Besides, her beautiful sister Lily is much more alluring in Joe's eyes. Yet Rose will not be replaced that easily. This book sets a thrilling pace and we are captivated by the way Rose, Joe and Lily's lives play out. A dramatic and exciting story with a satisfying ending.

[Bettina Jordan-Barber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was never sure where this was going to go. Some of it seems very far fetched indeed. It is still a page turner and the reader feels incredibly sorry for Lily.

[Amelia Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just brilliant

Highly recommended, if you want to block out the world this is the book well written and twisted certainly buy from this author again Virginia Andrews for grown ups

[Arvinder Sarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fatal attraction is one for fans of thriller, suspense, and an excellent psychological character study of the main character Rose.

I do not want to give much away, but Rose is the perfect 'bunny boiler', a psychotic and unhinged woman obsessed with Joe, a very charismatic musician and scientist, who to Roses' dismay is very flippant of her ....and instead has his eyes on her beautiful, much younger sister Lily.

This book is filled with twists and turns, and has a thrilling pace. I was captivated by the way Rose, Joe and Lily's lives play out over several years.

I simultaneously despised and sympathised with Rose. A woman who is callous, manipulative but also very sad; who leaves her family and everyone else around her in hardship to achieve her ultimate goal.

This book is so addictive, and very hard to put down. A dramatic and exciting story that was definitely very entertaining!

[Aria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly standard thriller. Not exactly an example of literary excellence, but otherwise an entertaining and easily digestible read with some decent twists.

The protagonist, Rose, is insufferable. Though this is intentional and works in the context of the story. I did, however, find it completely unbelievable that her lifelong friend, Esther, would have tolerated her for so long. Team Meg, the voice of reason who is sadly only a fleeting character in this novel.

I found the writing style rather elementary. Smith tells the story but she fails to bring it to life. Regardless, it's an enjoyable enough read and it was a compelling journey to follow Rose's descent into madness.

[Andrea Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly a fast read. This tells the story from childhood to her 40s of Rose, her family, and friends. In university, the first time Rose sees Joe, it sets her on a course that's relentless. Rose is a single-minded genius who is destined for an achievement in anything she sets her mind to, including murder. Joe is also set for a career, and in no way is he interested in Rose. Rose is blessed with good parents, a sister, friends, and colleagues who find it difficult to understand her, and she has no idea how to care for them. She, however, always has a plan.

[Mayush Shrestha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obsession leads to destruction.

Surely, the title is a justice to the story.

Personally I thought the book would end after she kills someone but I like how unexpectedly different it was. I like the ending as for it never occurred to me that it could end that way. I like how the author has made the characteristics of being obsessed so clearly and discreetly.

I do agree with other readers that the book is hard to put down.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I don't recall the last time I simultaneously despised and sympathized with a protagonist. I did find a few inconsistencies in the story and you really do need to suspend your sense of reality but this book was definitely entertaining and addicting.

[Tilly Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it, intensely psychopathic novel, it’s interesting to see the world- and joe- from her point of view… definitely gave me some things to think about. would recommend if you like a novel that makes you reconsider yourself 😅. read it in a day, it sucks you in x

[Dl · Rating 1 out of 5]

A crime against literature!

[Lisa-Jaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyable pyschological thriller. First book I've managed to finish in a while because of outside issues, so kudos alone for that.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story very much...Rose is really something! Crazy and obsessed.

[Muhammad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a book I would recommend.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a read! Hours passed and I was not aware that time as passing. The storyline is engaging and the characters so real. There's lots of twists in this thriller.

[Kathleen Hagen]

A Fatal Attraction, by Carol Smith, B. produced by Clipper Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

Rose was the older of two daughters. This book begins with the intriguing line: “Rose committed her first murder at the age of six.” But then we have to wait a long time to hear what happened. Rose met Joe in a bar where he was playing jazz while they were both at Oxford. She immediately became convinced he was be “hers.” She followed him around at Oxford, although he made it clear he wasn’t interested in going with one woman. Then when he got a plum job in the U.S., she went there to see him. She stalked him through the mail for years, not listening to anyone who said he wasn’t interested in her. Then he came back to England, and met her adorable younger sister, and married her. Rose was devastated. As the book goes on, Rose follows Joe and stalks him relentlessly for 23 years. This is a chilling book. We see things mostly from Rose’s point of view so there’s no doubt about who is a murderer. A good read. Quite different from Jesse Kellerman’s book, which also dealt with a stalker. This book was less of a thriller and more of a psychological character study. Also, this book was by a British author and “trouble” was an American author.

[Varshah Gunasagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of suspense and thriller,lots of characterisation. Useful and interesting description of characters' feelings, thoughts and facial expressions. A book that is hard to put down once you start reading it. Many twists and turn in the story, full of surprises. A scholar's and murderer's inside story and how she(Rose) realises her mistakes and flaws in her character after taking care of her niece who turns out to be like her. Rose always keeps her emotions hidden from others and maniupulates even her best friend to achieve her ultimate goal. She does not really care about her family and left them in dire straits. A must read book.

[Cath · Rating 3 out of 5]

An obsession for twenty years leads to tragedy although it is hard to feel sorrow for any of the characters involved as none of them are portrayed as particularly likeable or undeserving of such a life and ending (perhaps with the exception of Sukey as we hardly meet her before her fate is decided).

Good suspense, and although I enjoyed it, now I realise that I didn't actually like any of the characters, it has taken the shine off somewhat - although maybe that is more reflective of life than I would like to admit!!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly I enjoyed the book but found the ending predictable. I recently read another book with much the same ending.

The detailed slide into madness of Rose's character is compellingly written, however, there were one or two bits where details were ignored just to keep the plot moving.

The largest plot hole is when Lily is charged with murder the author completely ignores that there would have been blood tests taken at the clinic that could have been used for DNA, not to mention a paper trail of prescriptions that could have proved her identity.

[Redfox5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and simple read. Quiet enjoyable. Rose was a total nut job. I don't even see how someone can be obbsessed with someone for so long, even when he was out of her life for years. Time was not healing her. It would be a kick in the teeth if someone you loved married your sister not to mention wrong if you'd already slept with them but so not worth setting your sister up for murder. After you learn what happened to her younger brother you can see Rose was evil from day one anyways.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really hard to put down book. In some ways, I felt sorry for Rose the main character. She seems to spend most of her life feeling unhappy and wanting what she can never have. Her obsession seems to get more and more out of hand and even more so when her sister Lily ends up married to Joe-the guy she is obsessed with. Brilliant book, shoudl really be made into a film :-)

[Junipa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read; not one of Carol Smith's best, in my opinion. I thoroughly disliked all the main characters, which is rare. There's usually one with a redeeming feature or two but not in this book.

There were a couple of minor internal contradictions but nothing too bad. The ending was, as other reviewers have written, a disappointment.

[Siliconspider]

This book was being passed around amongst the girls in my 6th grade class. I confess that after i read it, I burned it. 6th graders should never really know how to imagine what a woman's ass feels in tight jeans on a kitchen counter.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again a main character I didn't like but that was ok she was the baddie from the beginning. I did rather hope she would turn over a leaf but I suppose that would have ruined the thriller aspects of the book. A quick read that would make a good TV movie.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overly obsessed

From the beginning, Rose changed from sane to completely psychotic. Her obsessive for joe made her a terrible and a cruel person. As I was reading, I felt complete sorrow for roses family. overall a detailed and very twisting plot line.

[Paula Sealey · Rating 3 out of 5]

No, it's not THAT Fatal Attraction, but this was a gripping story. I had to prise my eyes open at night to read 'just another page'.

[Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read. Very well written and she takes you on a journey with a heavy heart which just gets heavier as the main character deteriorates.

[Tejal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rose is evil!!!!!