What do you think?
Rate this book
Ex
In 2011, Toby Soames dies from a freak accident on Hampstead Heath; Charlie Falk simply disappears. Two years later, Australian Adele Soames returns to London to be nearer her son and the places he loved. She is joined in her pilgrimages to the heath by Charlie. Charlie tells her things; unnerving things about his last day alive.
Enter DS Xandra Bentley, a member of Adele’s grief support group at St Bart’s. Xandra has worked on a number of cold cases of missing boys in the area and Adele’s information reignites her interest. As new evidence comes to light, Adele has the creeping dread that she is bringing danger closer to home.
Enter DS Xandra Bentley, a member of Adele’s grief support group at St Bart’s. Xandra has worked on a number of cold cases of missing boys in the area and Adele’s information reignites her interest. As new evidence comes to light, Adele has the creeping dread that she is bringing danger closer to home.
ebook
Published September 24, 2024
4 people want to read
About the author
Alicia Thompson
4 books10 followersAlicia grew up on a farm in Wollombi NSW. She has a Masters in Creative Writing and has published book reviews, travel articles and short stories in the UK and US. Her novel ‘Something Else’ was published by NineStar Press in October 2021 and her second work Ex, a crime/ghost novel, will be released in September 2024. She is currently working on a crime series. Alicia also designs and presents creative writing workshops for festivals and libraries up and down the east coast of Australia.. She lives and works in Sydney. Alicia posts @aliciathompsonauthor on Facebook and Instagram. More can be found on her website www.aliciathompson.com.au
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 20, 2024
Alicia Thompson’s second novel Ex is a harrowing mystery with a grieving mother at its heart. It’s a compelling and relatable story which kept me guessing right until the end.
Having returned to London, following the end of her marriage and still mourning the tragic loss of her son, Adele likes to visit the local playing fields and watch the kids play football, just like her son Toby once did. As she sits on a bench, a young boy sits with her, introducing himself as Charlie and telling her he remembers her son. Adele finds his presence comforting and begins to enjoy these interludes.
Going through the motions of living, Adele also takes comfort from visiting the local church where she meets rector Jo. Jo runs a support group for parents who have lost a child and soon introduces her to Detective Sergeant Xandra Berkeley who has been investigating the unsolved disappearances of three boys over the past several years.
The highlight of this novel were the police procedural elements and the chapters told from Xandra’s POV which added tension. I also appreciated Alicia’s exploration of grief and coping with loss. This was done well and I felt the waves of emotion as I read about Toby’s death and its lonely aftermath for Adele.
Family was another important part of this story and Adele’s scenes with her nephew Jem were heartwarming and real.
As the story built to it’s shocking conclusion, I was reeling as each of the secrets and lies were uncovered. There were definitely some confronting parts so please be aware of trigger warnings.
The Ex was a masterful blend of genres and would appeal to crime and romance readers alike. After all the heartache, the story did leave me with a sense of hope, especially for a happy ending for Adele and her new love interest.
Having returned to London, following the end of her marriage and still mourning the tragic loss of her son, Adele likes to visit the local playing fields and watch the kids play football, just like her son Toby once did. As she sits on a bench, a young boy sits with her, introducing himself as Charlie and telling her he remembers her son. Adele finds his presence comforting and begins to enjoy these interludes.
Going through the motions of living, Adele also takes comfort from visiting the local church where she meets rector Jo. Jo runs a support group for parents who have lost a child and soon introduces her to Detective Sergeant Xandra Berkeley who has been investigating the unsolved disappearances of three boys over the past several years.
The highlight of this novel were the police procedural elements and the chapters told from Xandra’s POV which added tension. I also appreciated Alicia’s exploration of grief and coping with loss. This was done well and I felt the waves of emotion as I read about Toby’s death and its lonely aftermath for Adele.
Family was another important part of this story and Adele’s scenes with her nephew Jem were heartwarming and real.
As the story built to it’s shocking conclusion, I was reeling as each of the secrets and lies were uncovered. There were definitely some confronting parts so please be aware of trigger warnings.
The Ex was a masterful blend of genres and would appeal to crime and romance readers alike. After all the heartache, the story did leave me with a sense of hope, especially for a happy ending for Adele and her new love interest.
October 4, 2024
I really enjoyed this - it starts off innocently (if tragically) enough, but things soon escalate. One of the things I liked was the words at the beginning of each chapter, with a short definition, like a clue to the reader as to what waited in the coming pages. Thompson does an amazing job of evoking both vivid imagery, and strong emotions. You can almost feel Adele’s grief, and struggle pouring off the page. (I felt myself tear up a bit, I must admit). I got so wrapped up in Adele’s post-tragedy life that I was completely hooked by the time Xandra was introduced. I loved Xandra just as much as I loved Adele, they’re excellent characters with so much depth, that at times it felt like I was reading about real people. The story moves along at a smooth pace, and is an odd blend of grief, life, loss, and sinister. Honestly, I feel like I’m failing at describing this book and the way it made me feel adequately. All I can really say is, you need to read this.
October 17, 2024
Ex masterfully weaves together multiple genres - murder mystery, ghost story, and a heart- wrenching portrait of a mothers grief - into a compelling and atmospheric novel set across the UK and Australia.
The novel captures the devastation, confusion, and guilt that comes from the unimaginable loss of a child.
The murder mystery plot unravels slowly and deliberately, and as Adele and DS Xandra Bentley dig deeper into the mystery, long buried secrets about Adele's family and the people around her are revealed.
What makes Ex stand out is its ability to merge these genres so seamlessly. The ghostly and mysterious elements are never out of place in a story that is, at its heart, about human emotions - especially grief, guilt, and the desperate need for closure.
Overall, Ex is a deeply enjoyable and multifaceted novel. It is a unique read that will linger with the reader long after they have turned the final page.
The novel captures the devastation, confusion, and guilt that comes from the unimaginable loss of a child.
The murder mystery plot unravels slowly and deliberately, and as Adele and DS Xandra Bentley dig deeper into the mystery, long buried secrets about Adele's family and the people around her are revealed.
What makes Ex stand out is its ability to merge these genres so seamlessly. The ghostly and mysterious elements are never out of place in a story that is, at its heart, about human emotions - especially grief, guilt, and the desperate need for closure.
Overall, Ex is a deeply enjoyable and multifaceted novel. It is a unique read that will linger with the reader long after they have turned the final page.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews