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I peklo má svou adresu. Mysteriózní thriller z anglického venkova.
Každý říjen se ospalá vesnice St Abel’s Chapel stane centrem náboženského festivalu, který přitahuje stovky lidí. Přestože fungování zdejšího svatostánku provází mnoho podivností, místní mlčí – příjmy z oslav potřebují.
Jenže záhadná Anna Brownová, která se právě přistěhovala, odmítá dělat, že nic nevidí. Když jí vyděšená Constance řekne, že během iniciačního rituálu známého jako Pekelný dům umře každý rok jeden mladý farník, naberou události temný spád. Zvlášť když se z minulosti vynoří několik dalších podezřelých úmrtí. Dá se v této děsivé vesnici vůbec někomu věřit?
Každý říjen se ospalá vesnice St Abel’s Chapel stane centrem náboženského festivalu, který přitahuje stovky lidí. Přestože fungování zdejšího svatostánku provází mnoho podivností, místní mlčí – příjmy z oslav potřebují.
Jenže záhadná Anna Brownová, která se právě přistěhovala, odmítá dělat, že nic nevidí. Když jí vyděšená Constance řekne, že během iniciačního rituálu známého jako Pekelný dům umře každý rok jeden mladý farník, naberou události temný spád. Zvlášť když se z minulosti vynoří několik dalších podezřelých úmrtí. Dá se v této děsivé vesnici vůbec někomu věřit?
400 pages, Hardcover
First published November 7, 2024
190 people are currently reading
1038 people want to read
About the author
Sharon J. Bolton
44 books4,542 followersSharon's newest book The Split is now available in both hardback and paperback in the UK!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Split-grippi...
Sharon J Bolton was born and brought up in Lancashire, the eldest of three daughters. As a child, she dreamed of becoming an actress and a dancer, studying ballet, tap and jazz from a young age and reading drama at Loughborough University.
She spent her early career in marketing and PR before returning to full-time education to study for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Warwick University, where she met her husband, Andrew. They moved to London and Sharon held a number of PR posts in the City. She left the City to work freelance, to start a family and to write.
She and Andrew now live in a village in the Chiltern Hills, not far from Oxford, with their son and the latest addition to the family: Lupe, the lop-eared lurcher. Her daily life revolves around the school run, walking the dog and those ever-looming publishing deadlines.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Split-grippi...
Sharon J Bolton was born and brought up in Lancashire, the eldest of three daughters. As a child, she dreamed of becoming an actress and a dancer, studying ballet, tap and jazz from a young age and reading drama at Loughborough University.
She spent her early career in marketing and PR before returning to full-time education to study for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Warwick University, where she met her husband, Andrew. They moved to London and Sharon held a number of PR posts in the City. She left the City to work freelance, to start a family and to write.
She and Andrew now live in a village in the Chiltern Hills, not far from Oxford, with their son and the latest addition to the family: Lupe, the lop-eared lurcher. Her daily life revolves around the school run, walking the dog and those ever-looming publishing deadlines.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
April 7, 2025
Anna Brown has recently moved into a cottage in the remote Lake District village of St. Abel’s Chapel and set up a bakery. Like many such places it is a closed community with strange traditions and a innate suspicion of outsiders.
Every year in mid-October a strange religious cult has, what they call an Ingathering at a remote mansion called Gathering Hall just to the north of the village and near a small lake. Over the past four years, four young girls have been found dead there, but all the deaths have been ruled as either accidents or suicides. Anna becomes convinced a young girl called Constance is to be the next victim and becomes obsessed with saving her.
Then there are flashback chapters to April the previous year concerning a disturbed young man called Jago Moore who was expelled from school for stabbing a teacher and claims he was sexually abused by his birth mother.
It soon becomes apparent that hardly anyone in this novel is as they claim to be. Most mysterious of all is, in fact, the narrator. All we can tell initially is that he is a middle-aged man who has lived in the village for about five years, recently been released from hospital and allegedly works as a copywriter. He lives in the middle of three cottages with Anna’s bakery on one side and local Fire Officer Hugh Gardner on the other.
Sharon Bolton has here managed to weave a highly original and complex tale with some thrilling action scenes which keeps one guessing right until the end.
Every year in mid-October a strange religious cult has, what they call an Ingathering at a remote mansion called Gathering Hall just to the north of the village and near a small lake. Over the past four years, four young girls have been found dead there, but all the deaths have been ruled as either accidents or suicides. Anna becomes convinced a young girl called Constance is to be the next victim and becomes obsessed with saving her.
Then there are flashback chapters to April the previous year concerning a disturbed young man called Jago Moore who was expelled from school for stabbing a teacher and claims he was sexually abused by his birth mother.
It soon becomes apparent that hardly anyone in this novel is as they claim to be. Most mysterious of all is, in fact, the narrator. All we can tell initially is that he is a middle-aged man who has lived in the village for about five years, recently been released from hospital and allegedly works as a copywriter. He lives in the middle of three cottages with Anna’s bakery on one side and local Fire Officer Hugh Gardner on the other.
Sharon Bolton has here managed to weave a highly original and complex tale with some thrilling action scenes which keeps one guessing right until the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2025
Dark and twisty. Well, it is Sharon Bolton, what else would a reader expect?!
October 11, 2025
DAMN CO SE TO STALO
November 14, 2024
It's no secret that Sharon Bolton is one of my favorite authors.
Perhaps...
1) This Sharon Bolton fan's expectations were set too high.
2) Since I do not enjoy books with "sinister rituals", I was not the right reader for this book.
I listened to the audiobook read by TR Wilson.
The book was very, very, very slow burn with a narration lacking the charismatic quality I was seeking.
DNF.
December 3, 2024
I absolutely LOVE Sharon Bolton's books and was really excited to get a copy of The Neighbour's Secret from Netgalley.
Anna has just moved to St Alban's Chapel, a relatively quiet and remote village in the Lake District to open up a bakery and escape her past.
However, it soon becomes apparent that not all is what it seems, when strange things start happening during the annual festival run by church. Known as The Gathering, families from all over the UK, descend on this little village for a strange and extremely secretive ceremony which centres around the teenager churchgoers.
When a young girl and her mother visit Anna's bakery it becomes clear the girl is in distress and potentially danger too and Anna starts to look into The Gathering in more detail and becomes alarmed to learn that 3 girls have gone missing over the last 3 years during the ceremonies
The story is mainly narrated by Anna's neighbour who lives in the middle of the 3 terraced house and has an indepth knowledge of the villagers and their strange traditions. Throughout the book, it's obvious the main narrator doesn't like Anna very much but quickly finds themselves getting involved in the investigation and trying to help the young girl,
There is also a dual time frame story featuring a rather disturbed young man who is undergoing therapy having had a violent and frenzied attack on a school teacher.
Slowly and cleverly the two stories begin to merge together and the reader is led on a twisty and twisted tale of secrets, murder and obsession.
I absolutely loved this book. There is one particular OMG twist which I absolutely did not see coming and turned the entire story on it's head for me personally.
Anna has just moved to St Alban's Chapel, a relatively quiet and remote village in the Lake District to open up a bakery and escape her past.
However, it soon becomes apparent that not all is what it seems, when strange things start happening during the annual festival run by church. Known as The Gathering, families from all over the UK, descend on this little village for a strange and extremely secretive ceremony which centres around the teenager churchgoers.
When a young girl and her mother visit Anna's bakery it becomes clear the girl is in distress and potentially danger too and Anna starts to look into The Gathering in more detail and becomes alarmed to learn that 3 girls have gone missing over the last 3 years during the ceremonies
The story is mainly narrated by Anna's neighbour who lives in the middle of the 3 terraced house and has an indepth knowledge of the villagers and their strange traditions. Throughout the book, it's obvious the main narrator doesn't like Anna very much but quickly finds themselves getting involved in the investigation and trying to help the young girl,
There is also a dual time frame story featuring a rather disturbed young man who is undergoing therapy having had a violent and frenzied attack on a school teacher.
Slowly and cleverly the two stories begin to merge together and the reader is led on a twisty and twisted tale of secrets, murder and obsession.
I absolutely loved this book. There is one particular OMG twist which I absolutely did not see coming and turned the entire story on it's head for me personally.
October 16, 2024
The neighbours secrets by Sharon Bolton is an absolute belter of a book and i LOVED it.
I honestly didn't have a clue where the story was going to take me at all. I didn't know where all the characters were going to fit in and It kept me guessing and trying to figure the book out the whole way through. This book is a huge 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 as it was right up my street.
There's many what the? Moments but let me tell you there's a HUGE WTF moment that had my mouth wide open. I can't wait to read more books from this author.
One of the best books I've read this year
I honestly didn't have a clue where the story was going to take me at all. I didn't know where all the characters were going to fit in and It kept me guessing and trying to figure the book out the whole way through. This book is a huge 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 as it was right up my street.
There's many what the? Moments but let me tell you there's a HUGE WTF moment that had my mouth wide open. I can't wait to read more books from this author.
One of the best books I've read this year
February 20, 2025
OMG! I did not see that coming!
While the unnamed narrator has been in hospital for an unspecified operation, a new neighbour has moved into the bakery next door in this Lake District village. Our narrator is a strange person and seems to be sly and a bit manipulative, and to enjoy the power that knowing other people’s secrets gives. The narrator quickly suspects that the new neighbour, Anna Brown, isn’t being completely honest about herself. At first, then, the narrator’s attempts to befriend Anna are simply as a means to pry into her life, but soon they form a kind of tentative friendship. Meantime, a young girl, Constance, has taken to hanging round Anna. Constance is in the village to attend the In-Gathering, a large and rather secretive annual gathering of what appears to be some kind of religion or cult. There are even rumours that each year a young girl dies during the gathering, but the police seem unconcerned. The second strand of the book takes place a year or so earlier, concerning a young boy, Jago Moore, who ran amok one day at school and stabbed his teacher. A psychiatrist, also initially unnamed but female, is carrying out an assessment of his mental state for the court, and she’s becoming somewhat frightened of him, not without reason. Jago is good-looking, strong, creepy, manipulative and possibly psycopathic.
At the point where we’ve learned all this I had no idea what was going on, but didn’t care because it’s such an enjoyable read. The narrator is not only unnamed for most of the book, but ungendered, hence my clumsy attempt not to use pronouns for her/him/them. I’m going to go with they/them so as not to spoil the mystery, though my soul revolts at the grammatical horror of that. They are quite clearly an unreliable narrator, openly willing to mislead the reader and equally open about the fact that they are not a very nice person. But they are highly amusing, in a wicked kind of way. It’s also fairly obvious that the two storylines are connected in some way, but how? It’s easy to make guesses – both the author and our unreliable narrator are thrusting whole shoals of red herrings at us, and leading us up one garden path after another. But unless I’m particularly naive and gullible (which is quite possible), I’m willing to bet that every reader will fail to spot those twists that spring up to trip us just when we think we’re getting somewhere!
The church/cult gathering is nicely creepy, and we see how the village, who make quite a lot of money out of the large numbers who come to attend it, choose to look the other way and not question what might be going on up at Gathering Hall where it all happens. Even creepier is Jago, whose persecution of his psychiatrist is wonderfully done for maximum shiveriness. But our narrator is the creepiest of them all, and revels in making us realise it. The underlying story is dark, but the humour keeps the overall tone light and entertaining.
You need to suspend your disbelief a lot for this one, but it’s worth it. It’s a tour de force of the “OMG! I did not see that coming!” type of novel, which usually drives me up the wall. But in Bolton’s talented and irreverent hands it becomes like a clever trick played on the reader rather than something to be taken too seriously. It becomes clear pretty quickly that absolutely no one is quite what they seem, and that there are oodles of secrets to be revealed. And each new reveal made me gasp and laugh – what could be more fun than that! I’m not going to reveal any more about the plot, because the surprises are what make it so enjoyable. Hugely entertaining, totally page-turning and highly recommended!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Orion via NetGalley.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
While the unnamed narrator has been in hospital for an unspecified operation, a new neighbour has moved into the bakery next door in this Lake District village. Our narrator is a strange person and seems to be sly and a bit manipulative, and to enjoy the power that knowing other people’s secrets gives. The narrator quickly suspects that the new neighbour, Anna Brown, isn’t being completely honest about herself. At first, then, the narrator’s attempts to befriend Anna are simply as a means to pry into her life, but soon they form a kind of tentative friendship. Meantime, a young girl, Constance, has taken to hanging round Anna. Constance is in the village to attend the In-Gathering, a large and rather secretive annual gathering of what appears to be some kind of religion or cult. There are even rumours that each year a young girl dies during the gathering, but the police seem unconcerned. The second strand of the book takes place a year or so earlier, concerning a young boy, Jago Moore, who ran amok one day at school and stabbed his teacher. A psychiatrist, also initially unnamed but female, is carrying out an assessment of his mental state for the court, and she’s becoming somewhat frightened of him, not without reason. Jago is good-looking, strong, creepy, manipulative and possibly psycopathic.
At the point where we’ve learned all this I had no idea what was going on, but didn’t care because it’s such an enjoyable read. The narrator is not only unnamed for most of the book, but ungendered, hence my clumsy attempt not to use pronouns for her/him/them. I’m going to go with they/them so as not to spoil the mystery, though my soul revolts at the grammatical horror of that. They are quite clearly an unreliable narrator, openly willing to mislead the reader and equally open about the fact that they are not a very nice person. But they are highly amusing, in a wicked kind of way. It’s also fairly obvious that the two storylines are connected in some way, but how? It’s easy to make guesses – both the author and our unreliable narrator are thrusting whole shoals of red herrings at us, and leading us up one garden path after another. But unless I’m particularly naive and gullible (which is quite possible), I’m willing to bet that every reader will fail to spot those twists that spring up to trip us just when we think we’re getting somewhere!
The church/cult gathering is nicely creepy, and we see how the village, who make quite a lot of money out of the large numbers who come to attend it, choose to look the other way and not question what might be going on up at Gathering Hall where it all happens. Even creepier is Jago, whose persecution of his psychiatrist is wonderfully done for maximum shiveriness. But our narrator is the creepiest of them all, and revels in making us realise it. The underlying story is dark, but the humour keeps the overall tone light and entertaining.
You need to suspend your disbelief a lot for this one, but it’s worth it. It’s a tour de force of the “OMG! I did not see that coming!” type of novel, which usually drives me up the wall. But in Bolton’s talented and irreverent hands it becomes like a clever trick played on the reader rather than something to be taken too seriously. It becomes clear pretty quickly that absolutely no one is quite what they seem, and that there are oodles of secrets to be revealed. And each new reveal made me gasp and laugh – what could be more fun than that! I’m not going to reveal any more about the plot, because the surprises are what make it so enjoyable. Hugely entertaining, totally page-turning and highly recommended!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Orion via NetGalley.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
November 7, 2024
This is a great thriller that will certainly keep you on your toes.
Anna moves to a new place and sets up her own bakery. Her neighbour takes a keen interest in her and at first I thought he didn’t like her.
But as I soon found out, there’s so many layers to each character, that none of them are quite what they seem.
Anna is keen to find out why lots of people flock to this village once a year and is shocked to find out that teenage girls have gone missing in the past.
A girl asks Anna for help and her and her neighbour try to do what they can for her.
There’s some great twists in this book and as I’ve mentioned, not everything is quite what it seems.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book.
Anna moves to a new place and sets up her own bakery. Her neighbour takes a keen interest in her and at first I thought he didn’t like her.
But as I soon found out, there’s so many layers to each character, that none of them are quite what they seem.
Anna is keen to find out why lots of people flock to this village once a year and is shocked to find out that teenage girls have gone missing in the past.
A girl asks Anna for help and her and her neighbour try to do what they can for her.
There’s some great twists in this book and as I’ve mentioned, not everything is quite what it seems.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book.
November 4, 2024
Anna moves to a new village for a fresh start. Only once there does she learn about the disappearance of multiple teenage girls and the strange local traditions. Another girl begs Anna to help her, fearing she will be next. Anna knows she needs to step in and work out what is happening, however does she have her own secrets?
This was an entertaining thriller with lots of different threads that come together by the end, offering a clever, complex read. I enjoyed the short, snappy chapters, although the story did start slow and it wasn’t until the half way mark that I became more invested in the story. I had in my head early on what I believed certain truths to be and I was surprised to find out that I had been correct. There were a few other interesting twists though that I did not expect.
The characters were written well and I enjoyed some of their inner thoughts. There were parts that I also found amusing. This was a good, well constructed thriller overall, which has you questioning yourself and is perfect for those looking for a dark, twisty read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.
This was an entertaining thriller with lots of different threads that come together by the end, offering a clever, complex read. I enjoyed the short, snappy chapters, although the story did start slow and it wasn’t until the half way mark that I became more invested in the story. I had in my head early on what I believed certain truths to be and I was surprised to find out that I had been correct. There were a few other interesting twists though that I did not expect.
The characters were written well and I enjoyed some of their inner thoughts. There were parts that I also found amusing. This was a good, well constructed thriller overall, which has you questioning yourself and is perfect for those looking for a dark, twisty read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.
January 4, 2025
I usually love Sharon Bolton and both the Lacey Flint series and the Craftsman series are two of my favourites. I can’t say exactly why but this book disappointed me. Maybe it was because it started with such promise; a rage filled teenager and the developing relationship between him and his court appointed psychologist. I thought it would be full of suspense with a Sharon Bolton twist towards the end. There was more than one twist right at the end with less than thirty pages to go. I just felt it could have been so much better had not everybody been the neighbour with a secret!
June 27, 2025
The Neighbour's Secret was full of suspense, drama, secrets, and betrayal. I absolutely LOVED it. I honestly couldn't put it down.
Sharon Bolton is one of my favourite thriller authors. She never fails to deliver.
I loved Anna and the other main character (I won't name them, as I don't want to give away any spoilers) they were both interesting, charismatic, smart, and complex.
The twists in this book were fantastic. I didn't see them coming at all. I haven't been able to figure out any of Sharon's twists yet. She always manages to shock me.
I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
I very highly recommend.
5 well deserved stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sharon Bolton is one of my favourite thriller authors. She never fails to deliver.
I loved Anna and the other main character (I won't name them, as I don't want to give away any spoilers) they were both interesting, charismatic, smart, and complex.
The twists in this book were fantastic. I didn't see them coming at all. I haven't been able to figure out any of Sharon's twists yet. She always manages to shock me.
I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
I very highly recommend.
5 well deserved stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 13, 2024
Every year, the town of St Alban's Chapel sees a sizeable group of visitors for the Gathering. The visitors keep to themselves. Over the span of 4 years, four girls have gone missing, and it appears the visitors are practising sinister rituals. Anna has just moved to the village, and curiosity about said visitors gets the better of her. The blow-in gets too close for comfort to the group and events unfold.
Twists and turns galore, that I never would have seen coming, in true Sharon Bolton fashion. Intense, unpredictable, and riveting.
Thank you #netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for this arc.
Twists and turns galore, that I never would have seen coming, in true Sharon Bolton fashion. Intense, unpredictable, and riveting.
Thank you #netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for this arc.
October 1, 2024
Sharon Bolton does it again! What a fantastic book! The shocks, surprises and twists keep on coming throughout the book. It's difficult to say much more without revealing the plot so I'll just say if you're a thriller fan I seriously doubt you'll be disappointed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.
December 3, 2024
I nearly gave this four stars but for an ending which was not an ending.
January 7, 2025
I love Sharon Bolton, but this book was bonkers and boring at the same time.
November 18, 2024
Anna has moved to the small village of St Alban's Chapel to open a bakery. Every year the village is host to a church gathering. The church group hold a festival called The Ingathering. Each year however either a young person disappears or there is a death. Anna gets caught up in all the goings on with her next door neighbour.
I have read all books by Sharon Bolton and I'm a big fan. This one is a stand alone and I quite enjoyed the book very much.
The story follows Anna and her neighbour. The neighbour for most of the book is really unknown and the reader just gets their narration. There is also another timeline with another character but I won't say more about that as it will spoil.
The story held my interest and I did want to find out what was going on. What the story did have was three twists. The first one I didn't guess at all. The second I should have guessed, the book is a thriller after all. The final twist I really didn't see coming and did change what I thought had happened.
Another good read from the author and I will read more by her in the future.
I have read all books by Sharon Bolton and I'm a big fan. This one is a stand alone and I quite enjoyed the book very much.
The story follows Anna and her neighbour. The neighbour for most of the book is really unknown and the reader just gets their narration. There is also another timeline with another character but I won't say more about that as it will spoil.
The story held my interest and I did want to find out what was going on. What the story did have was three twists. The first one I didn't guess at all. The second I should have guessed, the book is a thriller after all. The final twist I really didn't see coming and did change what I thought had happened.
Another good read from the author and I will read more by her in the future.
November 20, 2024
Things are rarely what they seem! And this book is a fine example of that saying. If you like twists and turns angst and mystery, read this
September 27, 2025
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En författare som står på auto-buy för mig är Sharon Bolton, så när jag såg att The Neighbour´s Secret skulle komma åkte den till toppen av önskelistan. Och den blev inköpt så snart jag hittade den i en svensk bokhandel.
I The Neighbour´s Secret får jag-personen i berättandet en ny granne som inte verkar vara den hon utger sig för att vara. Samtidigt är det något som är väldigt galet i den lilla byn. The Neighbour´s Secret är en psykologisk thriller som baseras på att ingen person visar sina rätta sidor, eller är ärlig. Hemligheterna puttrar under ytan. Sharon Bolton är normalt sett bra på att bygga psykologisk spänning, men för mig faller det här platt. Tekniskt är det bra, med parallella trådar och många twister, men jag blir aldrig engagerad.
Jag tror att det beror på ett antal saker. Psyklogisk spänning är något som jag gillar, vilket gör att jag läser många sådana böcker. Det i kombination med att det här är en favoritförfattare gör att jag har högt ställda förväntningar. Men jag blir aldrig riktigt överraskad. Det är inte så att jag kan förutsäga twisterna (många) men de är ändå inte unika. Spänningen byggs därför aldrig upp.
I kombination med att jag inte kan uppbåda intresse för karaktärerna i boken, de är för stiliserat uppbyggda, så gör det läsningen ovanligt trög. Jag var faktiskt tvungen att pausa den ett tag men ville inte ge upp. Först mot slutet så börjar läsningen flyta, för jag är ändå nyfiken på hur författaren ska sy ihop alla trådar. Vilket jag tycker hon lyckas med. En annan komponent är att jag är så evinnerligt trött på ”The Unreliable Narrator”. Det används oerhört ofta i spänningsromaner, och jag har läst på tok för många sådana. När jag läser The Neighbour´s Secret blir jag mest irriterad.
Kommer jag att fortsätta spana efter nya böcker av Sharon Bolton? Jo, det kommer jag, för det mesta jag läst av henne har varit bra.
Betyg: 3-
En författare som står på auto-buy för mig är Sharon Bolton, så när jag såg att The Neighbour´s Secret skulle komma åkte den till toppen av önskelistan. Och den blev inköpt så snart jag hittade den i en svensk bokhandel.
I The Neighbour´s Secret får jag-personen i berättandet en ny granne som inte verkar vara den hon utger sig för att vara. Samtidigt är det något som är väldigt galet i den lilla byn. The Neighbour´s Secret är en psykologisk thriller som baseras på att ingen person visar sina rätta sidor, eller är ärlig. Hemligheterna puttrar under ytan. Sharon Bolton är normalt sett bra på att bygga psykologisk spänning, men för mig faller det här platt. Tekniskt är det bra, med parallella trådar och många twister, men jag blir aldrig engagerad.
Jag tror att det beror på ett antal saker. Psyklogisk spänning är något som jag gillar, vilket gör att jag läser många sådana böcker. Det i kombination med att det här är en favoritförfattare gör att jag har högt ställda förväntningar. Men jag blir aldrig riktigt överraskad. Det är inte så att jag kan förutsäga twisterna (många) men de är ändå inte unika. Spänningen byggs därför aldrig upp.
I kombination med att jag inte kan uppbåda intresse för karaktärerna i boken, de är för stiliserat uppbyggda, så gör det läsningen ovanligt trög. Jag var faktiskt tvungen att pausa den ett tag men ville inte ge upp. Först mot slutet så börjar läsningen flyta, för jag är ändå nyfiken på hur författaren ska sy ihop alla trådar. Vilket jag tycker hon lyckas med. En annan komponent är att jag är så evinnerligt trött på ”The Unreliable Narrator”. Det används oerhört ofta i spänningsromaner, och jag har läst på tok för många sådana. När jag läser The Neighbour´s Secret blir jag mest irriterad.
Kommer jag att fortsätta spana efter nya böcker av Sharon Bolton? Jo, det kommer jag, för det mesta jag läst av henne har varit bra.
Betyg: 3-
March 7, 2025
Sharon Bolton is one of my favourite authors and this shows why. What I expected to be a simple juicy domestic style drama proved to be SO much more. So much more involved, darker and a whole lot twistier than I thought.
This was a serious mind-f*ck whiplash twisted novel that I absolutely loved. Its been a minute where a book has made me feel/react because of the twists like this one. So many twists but one in particular got me so good I had to put my kindle down and then re read the page!!
This was a serious mind-f*ck whiplash twisted novel that I absolutely loved. Its been a minute where a book has made me feel/react because of the twists like this one. So many twists but one in particular got me so good I had to put my kindle down and then re read the page!!
July 14, 2025
You need to be persistent with this, if you find you don't like the narrator style. Some great twists and turns right to the end. But sorry I didn't quite buy the ending - too rushed and too many unanswered questions
August 19, 2025
A smart, absorbing story that tricked me several times over and landed with a bang. Great work from Bolton as usual!
November 26, 2025
Being back at work means that it takes me a month to finish a book now :(
Good book, was confusing at the beginning but did get much better.
Good book, was confusing at the beginning but did get much better.
Read
May 12, 2025Another brilliant exciting physiological thriller. She has never written a boring book. Would thoroughly recommend.
November 23, 2024
2.5 / 5.0
An odd book, a slow psychological thriller with a bizarre plot. Definitely not my cup of tea, and one that has left me questioning the author and her thinking process to come up with a plot like this??
Read at your own curiosity is all I will say.
An odd book, a slow psychological thriller with a bizarre plot. Definitely not my cup of tea, and one that has left me questioning the author and her thinking process to come up with a plot like this??
Read at your own curiosity is all I will say.
October 20, 2024
Okay. I think I'm going to have to try and keep this short. I'm too worried about giving away a spoiler. It's fair to say that I read this book with an open mind, and it's just as well, as nothing in the book is what it seems. And it's not just because of the creepy and cult like commune that sets up camp in town every summer. If there has been a book that better demonstrates the art of misdirection this year, I'm not sure I've read it yet. This book is loaded with mystery, atmosphere, tension ... and a whole host of characters who really are never what they appear to be at face value.
This is, sort of, the story of Anna, a woman who makes a move to a village of St Abel's Chapel, in the lakes, hoping for a brand new start. Opening a bakery in a lakeside community might seem like a really good idea, but not long after opening her doors, Anna sees the locals start to disappear, and a whole trail of 'tourists' arrive; a special Church group who meet for their annual gathering. So far, so normal. Until you meet some of the incoming church folk. If you think of every kind of strange, commune style stereotype you can imagine, there is a hint of that in every interaction that Anna has with them. From a nervous teenager who it is clear is scared of something, to some of the many unusual practices that we learn about over the course of the book, the group are enough to put any sane person on edge. Controlling, misdirecting, and gaslighting behaviour is commonplace ... and that's just from their Pastor.
Now, much of the story is actually told from the point of view of Anna's neighbour, a person who clearly sits in judgement of everything Anna does. Intrigued by the reasons for her upping sticks and starting again, recognising a few tells in her behaviour and intuitive nature, they seem to develop a kind of obsession with Anna, and this is only one of the reasons you might feel a little on edge when reading this book. But it is utterly compelling. There are other elements of the narrative that had me hooked, that made me wonder how they fitted into the main story and whether they had bearing on why Anna started again, clearly far from any friends and family. Those scenes are creepy and skin crawling in their own right, and it certainly set my thoughts bouncing off in all directions.
But ... and this is a really big but, prepare to be schooled by Sharon Bolton. By the end of the book you'll realise just how easy it is to make assumptions, and how quickly we will do so based on what is, when all is said and done, exceedingly limited data. I sure as heck know that I did. Did I miss some very clear clues? Possibly. Did I perhaps just see what I wanted to see based on due to personal perception and prejudgment? Almost certainly, and a round of applause to the author for pulling off a blindingly brilliant twist of fortune and showcasing the real skill of sleight-of-hand. There are shocks a plenty, to come through this book, and maybe the odd moment of violence, although the act is kept off the page and it is only its after effects that are felt in the reading.
This is such a hard book to review. I didn't particularly like any of the characters - they all leave a lot to be desired. You can't trust them - with one potential exception, although even they kept the odd secret to themself. But, in spite of all that, in spite of Sharon Bolton me to be a complete and utter fool - and she did that so, so well - I was completely drawn into the mystery, the madness and the murderous misdirection. If you a story where it is not even slightly clear who the bad guy or gal really is, this could be the book for you. With creeping tension, plenty of atmosphere, rogue characters - and a bakery menu that will make your mouth water - this is a book Sharon Bolton fans are going to love. If you've not read any of her books before, dive on in. The story is as refreshing and enriching as any wild water swimming in the Lakes could ever be. Recommended.
This is, sort of, the story of Anna, a woman who makes a move to a village of St Abel's Chapel, in the lakes, hoping for a brand new start. Opening a bakery in a lakeside community might seem like a really good idea, but not long after opening her doors, Anna sees the locals start to disappear, and a whole trail of 'tourists' arrive; a special Church group who meet for their annual gathering. So far, so normal. Until you meet some of the incoming church folk. If you think of every kind of strange, commune style stereotype you can imagine, there is a hint of that in every interaction that Anna has with them. From a nervous teenager who it is clear is scared of something, to some of the many unusual practices that we learn about over the course of the book, the group are enough to put any sane person on edge. Controlling, misdirecting, and gaslighting behaviour is commonplace ... and that's just from their Pastor.
Now, much of the story is actually told from the point of view of Anna's neighbour, a person who clearly sits in judgement of everything Anna does. Intrigued by the reasons for her upping sticks and starting again, recognising a few tells in her behaviour and intuitive nature, they seem to develop a kind of obsession with Anna, and this is only one of the reasons you might feel a little on edge when reading this book. But it is utterly compelling. There are other elements of the narrative that had me hooked, that made me wonder how they fitted into the main story and whether they had bearing on why Anna started again, clearly far from any friends and family. Those scenes are creepy and skin crawling in their own right, and it certainly set my thoughts bouncing off in all directions.
But ... and this is a really big but, prepare to be schooled by Sharon Bolton. By the end of the book you'll realise just how easy it is to make assumptions, and how quickly we will do so based on what is, when all is said and done, exceedingly limited data. I sure as heck know that I did. Did I miss some very clear clues? Possibly. Did I perhaps just see what I wanted to see based on due to personal perception and prejudgment? Almost certainly, and a round of applause to the author for pulling off a blindingly brilliant twist of fortune and showcasing the real skill of sleight-of-hand. There are shocks a plenty, to come through this book, and maybe the odd moment of violence, although the act is kept off the page and it is only its after effects that are felt in the reading.
This is such a hard book to review. I didn't particularly like any of the characters - they all leave a lot to be desired. You can't trust them - with one potential exception, although even they kept the odd secret to themself. But, in spite of all that, in spite of Sharon Bolton me to be a complete and utter fool - and she did that so, so well - I was completely drawn into the mystery, the madness and the murderous misdirection. If you a story where it is not even slightly clear who the bad guy or gal really is, this could be the book for you. With creeping tension, plenty of atmosphere, rogue characters - and a bakery menu that will make your mouth water - this is a book Sharon Bolton fans are going to love. If you've not read any of her books before, dive on in. The story is as refreshing and enriching as any wild water swimming in the Lakes could ever be. Recommended.
April 23, 2025
I felt that I expected more than I got from this book, I did like it the start and the ending but I became a little bored in the middle. It just didn’t grip me in the way I wanted it to. However I can see that this is will appeal
to many.
to many.
March 13, 2025
Now this is a novel so hard to review because it has so many twists throughout the book and hinting at any would ruin the book.
Anna has made a new start as a baker in a small rural community, a place where 3 sixteen year old girls have vanished during an annual event called the Gathering. When a fourth girl asks Anna for help as she is afraid for her life, Anna, along with her two neighbours, start to investigate the activity at the Gathering, uncovering all sorts of goings on.
No one seems to be who they say they are and everyone has a horrific backstory. When the first twist appears in the book you think huh, I didn’t see that coming but the second twist will see you thinking back over what you’ve read. To be honest I am tempted to read the book again to see how it would read now I know what’s what!
Good read if not implausible in places but that doesn’t detract it from being a page-turner.
#TheNeighboursSecret. #NetGalley
Anna has made a new start as a baker in a small rural community, a place where 3 sixteen year old girls have vanished during an annual event called the Gathering. When a fourth girl asks Anna for help as she is afraid for her life, Anna, along with her two neighbours, start to investigate the activity at the Gathering, uncovering all sorts of goings on.
No one seems to be who they say they are and everyone has a horrific backstory. When the first twist appears in the book you think huh, I didn’t see that coming but the second twist will see you thinking back over what you’ve read. To be honest I am tempted to read the book again to see how it would read now I know what’s what!
Good read if not implausible in places but that doesn’t detract it from being a page-turner.
#TheNeighboursSecret. #NetGalley
November 3, 2024
‘The Neighbour’s Secret’ by Sharon Bolton is a layered, engrossing and unpredictable thriller set in a small village. It’s hard to describe the story too much without spoilers, as each time the reader gets a grasp on the tale, another rug is pulled out from underneath them due to an unexpected revelation.
Exploring themes of religion, psychiatry, morality and sin, the novel is told across dual timelines to build up the suspense.
There were a few twists in the story that really shocked me, but as I reflected on them, I realised the author had skilfully planted the seeds.
This gets four stars from me, and I raced through it eagerly to the satisfying and revealing conclusion!
I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Orion Publishing via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Exploring themes of religion, psychiatry, morality and sin, the novel is told across dual timelines to build up the suspense.
There were a few twists in the story that really shocked me, but as I reflected on them, I realised the author had skilfully planted the seeds.
This gets four stars from me, and I raced through it eagerly to the satisfying and revealing conclusion!
I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Orion Publishing via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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