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DI Lorraine Fisher #2
Voor je sterft
Het Engelse dorpje Radcote werd jarenlang geteisterd door een golf aan tienerzelfmoorden. De inwoners denken het achter zich te kunnen laten, tot er plotseling weer een jongen sterft na een bizar motorongeluk. Tussen zijn bezittingen zit een afscheidsbrief. En dan werpt een tweede jongen zich voor de trein.
Rechercheur Lorraine Fisher hoopte met haar zus een relaxte zomer door te brengen in het dorpje, maar al snel raakt ze verstrikt in het politieonderzoek. Was het zelfmoord waaraan de tieners overleden – of moord? Zal de nachtmerrie opnieuw beginnen? Als ook haar neefje verdwijnt, moet ze snel ingrijpen.
Rechercheur Lorraine Fisher hoopte met haar zus een relaxte zomer door te brengen in het dorpje, maar al snel raakt ze verstrikt in het politieonderzoek. Was het zelfmoord waaraan de tieners overleden – of moord? Zal de nachtmerrie opnieuw beginnen? Als ook haar neefje verdwijnt, moet ze snel ingrijpen.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
139 people are currently reading
3009 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Hayes
45 books1,427 followersHello!
Thanks for stopping by my Goodreads page!
My latest psychological thriller THE ENGAGEMENT is out on 10th January 2023 from Amazon, available in ebook, paperback and audio formats. I do hope you love it!
If you love a good 'domestic noir' thriller that will mess with your mind and keep you turning the pages, then my books are for you! You can check out all my titles on my Amazon page here:
https://amzn.to/3jZ83zU
I do hope you'll love getting stuck into my books and enjoy reading them as much as I love writing them. And do let me know what you think - it's great to hear from readers! You can get in touch via my website where you'll find lots of info about me and my books - www.samanthahayes.co.uk or come and 'Like' my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SamanthaHayesAuthor or follow me on Twitter too @samhayes or @samanthahayes.author on Instagram.
Happy reading!
Samantha xx
Thanks for stopping by my Goodreads page!
My latest psychological thriller THE ENGAGEMENT is out on 10th January 2023 from Amazon, available in ebook, paperback and audio formats. I do hope you love it!
If you love a good 'domestic noir' thriller that will mess with your mind and keep you turning the pages, then my books are for you! You can check out all my titles on my Amazon page here:
https://amzn.to/3jZ83zU
I do hope you'll love getting stuck into my books and enjoy reading them as much as I love writing them. And do let me know what you think - it's great to hear from readers! You can get in touch via my website where you'll find lots of info about me and my books - www.samanthahayes.co.uk or come and 'Like' my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SamanthaHayesAuthor or follow me on Twitter too @samhayes or @samanthahayes.author on Instagram.
Happy reading!
Samantha xx
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 339 reviews
August 25, 2015
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Earlier today I posted a review for a book called What You Left Behind. Then I noticed my “currently reading” list still contained a book with the title What You Left Behind. My immediate thoughts were something along the lines of GO HOME GOODREADS, YOU’RE DRUNK, but then I realized that this was an entirely different book that I never bothered reviewing. So here I am and I’m really phoning it in on this one . . .
The problem with this What You Left Behind is it was very . . .
It’s the story of a small village that experienced some teenaged suicides a couple of years ago and then has another young man die in what appears to be an accident, but with a suicide note in his pocket. As yet another teen is found dead soon after it is suspected that history is repeating itself. Then you add in a detective who is simply trying to take a bit of a vacay and visit her sister, but is thrown in to the mix of the “suicides” and . . . a lot of talk about needing a breast reduction????
Huh? What???? There were already like eleventy characters to keep track of, why the hizzle did that get thrown in to the mix?
Anyway, this was an okay mystery/thriller, but nothing to write home to momma about. It also may have fallen victim to the “oh I read THIS by the author and it was really good so everything else kind of sucks in comparison” fate.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
Earlier today I posted a review for a book called What You Left Behind. Then I noticed my “currently reading” list still contained a book with the title What You Left Behind. My immediate thoughts were something along the lines of GO HOME GOODREADS, YOU’RE DRUNK, but then I realized that this was an entirely different book that I never bothered reviewing. So here I am and I’m really phoning it in on this one . . .
The problem with this What You Left Behind is it was very . . .
It’s the story of a small village that experienced some teenaged suicides a couple of years ago and then has another young man die in what appears to be an accident, but with a suicide note in his pocket. As yet another teen is found dead soon after it is suspected that history is repeating itself. Then you add in a detective who is simply trying to take a bit of a vacay and visit her sister, but is thrown in to the mix of the “suicides” and . . . a lot of talk about needing a breast reduction????
Huh? What???? There were already like eleventy characters to keep track of, why the hizzle did that get thrown in to the mix?
Anyway, this was an okay mystery/thriller, but nothing to write home to momma about. It also may have fallen victim to the “oh I read THIS by the author and it was really good so everything else kind of sucks in comparison” fate.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
February 5, 2015
2.5 never really got into this one. A rash of suicides and a visit to her sisters, with her daughter Sophie, find Lorraine, a police officer embroiled in the mystery. Her nephew Freddie is acting strange and a grown man with mental issues is telling stories that do not agree with known facts.
Not sure why this one didn't click for me but I never really felt the suspense and felt the storyline did not flow that well.
ARC from librarything.
Not sure why this one didn't click for me but I never really felt the suspense and felt the storyline did not flow that well.
ARC from librarything.
August 25, 2016
This book was... less than I expected. And that doesn't say as much about Before You Die as it does about its predecessor, the unexpectedly great Until You're Mine. That was a book I expected to be a run-of-the-mill, forgettable crime novel, and it was actually something much more interesting than that. So my expectations were relatively high for this follow-up, and it was - well, a run-of-the-mill, forgettable crime novel.
Before You Die is the second in what looks set to be a loosely connected series. It again features DI Lorraine Fisher as one of its central characters, but you don't need to have read the previous book to follow what's happening: this is a standalone story. Lorraine is visiting her sister Jo in the village the sisters grew up in, and finds herself drawn into the investigation of a supposed case of suicide - a case which appears to echo a spate of teen suicides in the area a few years ago. Jo is concerned her teenage son Freddie may fall victim to the 'craze', and the secrets he is hiding from his family seem to suggest a possible explanation for the deaths.
I read the book in one sitting - I specifically planned to do so because I expected/hoped it would be as gripping as Until You're Mine - but I wouldn't have cared if for some reason I hadn't been able to finish it. Once again Hayes uses multiple viewpoints to tell her story, but none of them (save for a prologue and epilogue) are related in first person, which seems a surprising choice since first person narratives were used so cleverly and to such powerful effect in Until You're Mine. There are red herrings galore, but no really surprising twists, and I'd worked everything out well before the end.
This story is fine - just fine, really. It's not great and it's not awful, so read it if you want to but keep your expectations low. In a word: shrug.
Before You Die is the second in what looks set to be a loosely connected series. It again features DI Lorraine Fisher as one of its central characters, but you don't need to have read the previous book to follow what's happening: this is a standalone story. Lorraine is visiting her sister Jo in the village the sisters grew up in, and finds herself drawn into the investigation of a supposed case of suicide - a case which appears to echo a spate of teen suicides in the area a few years ago. Jo is concerned her teenage son Freddie may fall victim to the 'craze', and the secrets he is hiding from his family seem to suggest a possible explanation for the deaths.
I read the book in one sitting - I specifically planned to do so because I expected/hoped it would be as gripping as Until You're Mine - but I wouldn't have cared if for some reason I hadn't been able to finish it. Once again Hayes uses multiple viewpoints to tell her story, but none of them (save for a prologue and epilogue) are related in first person, which seems a surprising choice since first person narratives were used so cleverly and to such powerful effect in Until You're Mine. There are red herrings galore, but no really surprising twists, and I'd worked everything out well before the end.
This story is fine - just fine, really. It's not great and it's not awful, so read it if you want to but keep your expectations low. In a word: shrug.
April 27, 2015
A special thank you to Crown Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars (Also purchased the audiobook version).
Samantha Hayes delivers a cleverly twisted, and evil psychological suspense thriller WHAT YOU LEFT BEHIND, a multi-layered riveting mystery, keeping you glued to the pages of this whodunit—and an array of colorful suspects, as we race to see how they are connected.
Set in Radcote, as the book opens (one month earlier), there is a person riding on the back of a motorcycle, referred to as “I”. Readers are kept in the dark as to the identity. As they round the corner of Devil’s Mile, there is an accident, the bike crashes, now a man is dead. To cover up the accident, it was set up like a suicide with a note. The ”I” knows he/she will be arrested, they stole the bike, the I was drinking, driving, and now this man is dead. I picked up the helmet. There was a car approaching, and I vanished.
In this town, they previously experienced six teen suicides in two weeks, two years ago. There are a number of characters introduced, so make sure and pay attention, as I found myself turning back to keep them all straight. However, are these straightforward suicides?
British Detective Inspector Lorraine Fisher from Birmingham is taking her daughter Stella, for a visit to her hometown of Radcote to stay with her sister, Jo, for a much needed vacation. Jo has always called her sister, restless and she never seemed satisfied. Jo has recently separated from her husband, Malcom and she has taken on a lover.
Her teenage son Freddie, appears somewhat troubled, lately. Little do they know he is being threatened and bullied with continuous texts, and someone is urging him to kill himself; the shame is keeping him silent; he cannot tell anyone. His mom is concerned he may be hurting himself. How could Freddie tell what he had seen?
Jo’s friend Sonia, is a volunteer at a local homeless shelter who son, committed suicide. Her daughter Lana is a friend of Freddie’s. When Lorraine becomes more involved in the case, she knows the authorities will not be able to solve the case in the same way she will, so no vacation – as she immerses herself in work.
However, how could two lads commit suicide from the same homeless shelter and what about the second person on the motorbike? There is Dean, Lenny, and Simon and could Freddie be next?
Gil is another mysterious character. Lana’s autistic uncle who expresses himself in weird drawings. Gil could have witnessed something and there is Frank a creepy man who works at the homeless shelter. Gil’s drawing appears to be about a gruesome motorcycle accident. Dean was Gil’s best friend and he could have seen who was with him on the motorbike, but who will believe someone with ASD?
While Jo is trying to figure out what is going on with Freddie’s behavior, Lorraine is desperate to solve the mystery of the deaths, which may not be suicides and cop hubby joins the investigation. Now another boy from New Hope. There have been thirty-seven suicides in the county in the last year.
In addition to being a gripping crime thriller, the author incorporated some good cop procedures, mixed with the mystery and psychological aspects, with twists and turns, leaving you guessing which character can be trusted. Just when you think you have it figured out, boom another bomb is dropped.
While I received an ARC, I had already pre-ordered the audiobook. I love British narrators, as find them quite intriguing, and fascinating. Gil's part was done brilliantly. With the electronic reading copy, plus the audiobook, narrated by Anna Bentinck; double the pleasure; for an engaging and riveting suspense mystery- Highly Recommend.
Having heard rave reviews of Until You’re Mine (DCI Lorraine Fisher #1) have just purchased audiobook; look forward to listening/reading!
JDC Must Read Books
Samantha Hayes delivers a cleverly twisted, and evil psychological suspense thriller WHAT YOU LEFT BEHIND, a multi-layered riveting mystery, keeping you glued to the pages of this whodunit—and an array of colorful suspects, as we race to see how they are connected.
Set in Radcote, as the book opens (one month earlier), there is a person riding on the back of a motorcycle, referred to as “I”. Readers are kept in the dark as to the identity. As they round the corner of Devil’s Mile, there is an accident, the bike crashes, now a man is dead. To cover up the accident, it was set up like a suicide with a note. The ”I” knows he/she will be arrested, they stole the bike, the I was drinking, driving, and now this man is dead. I picked up the helmet. There was a car approaching, and I vanished.
In this town, they previously experienced six teen suicides in two weeks, two years ago. There are a number of characters introduced, so make sure and pay attention, as I found myself turning back to keep them all straight. However, are these straightforward suicides?
British Detective Inspector Lorraine Fisher from Birmingham is taking her daughter Stella, for a visit to her hometown of Radcote to stay with her sister, Jo, for a much needed vacation. Jo has always called her sister, restless and she never seemed satisfied. Jo has recently separated from her husband, Malcom and she has taken on a lover.
Her teenage son Freddie, appears somewhat troubled, lately. Little do they know he is being threatened and bullied with continuous texts, and someone is urging him to kill himself; the shame is keeping him silent; he cannot tell anyone. His mom is concerned he may be hurting himself. How could Freddie tell what he had seen?
Jo’s friend Sonia, is a volunteer at a local homeless shelter who son, committed suicide. Her daughter Lana is a friend of Freddie’s. When Lorraine becomes more involved in the case, she knows the authorities will not be able to solve the case in the same way she will, so no vacation – as she immerses herself in work.
However, how could two lads commit suicide from the same homeless shelter and what about the second person on the motorbike? There is Dean, Lenny, and Simon and could Freddie be next?
Gil is another mysterious character. Lana’s autistic uncle who expresses himself in weird drawings. Gil could have witnessed something and there is Frank a creepy man who works at the homeless shelter. Gil’s drawing appears to be about a gruesome motorcycle accident. Dean was Gil’s best friend and he could have seen who was with him on the motorbike, but who will believe someone with ASD?
While Jo is trying to figure out what is going on with Freddie’s behavior, Lorraine is desperate to solve the mystery of the deaths, which may not be suicides and cop hubby joins the investigation. Now another boy from New Hope. There have been thirty-seven suicides in the county in the last year.
In addition to being a gripping crime thriller, the author incorporated some good cop procedures, mixed with the mystery and psychological aspects, with twists and turns, leaving you guessing which character can be trusted. Just when you think you have it figured out, boom another bomb is dropped.
While I received an ARC, I had already pre-ordered the audiobook. I love British narrators, as find them quite intriguing, and fascinating. Gil's part was done brilliantly. With the electronic reading copy, plus the audiobook, narrated by Anna Bentinck; double the pleasure; for an engaging and riveting suspense mystery- Highly Recommend.
Having heard rave reviews of Until You’re Mine (DCI Lorraine Fisher #1) have just purchased audiobook; look forward to listening/reading!
JDC Must Read Books
September 17, 2014
No matter how hard I try, I can never fault Samantha Hayes writing, not one bit, yet again she has blown me away with her story. I've been glued to this book from beginning to end.
I love it when things never go to plan, you think you have it all worked out in your head, even being clever and picking someone who is the most unlikely suspect then WHAM, you are confused again.
What I especially loved about this thriller was the fact its based around ordinary people with ordinary lives.
We have young people, we have Mothers, Fathers, Aunts and Uncles, we have someone with a disability. Its all made up into a parcel of events that occur and make it look like suicides. We learn earlier on that its not, but we are left with, how? why? and who? and if not, why not?
Theft, lies, cover ups and all for the best of intentions.
I loved it. I hang on every word that this authors writes.
In my reading material, she cannot write fast enough to quench my thirst, I love this authors work.
I was honored to be granted a complimentary book from Random House UK, Cornerstone Via Net Galley.
Would I recommend this? Yes most definitely. Would I encourage friends to read this? Oh yes!
I love it when things never go to plan, you think you have it all worked out in your head, even being clever and picking someone who is the most unlikely suspect then WHAM, you are confused again.
What I especially loved about this thriller was the fact its based around ordinary people with ordinary lives.
We have young people, we have Mothers, Fathers, Aunts and Uncles, we have someone with a disability. Its all made up into a parcel of events that occur and make it look like suicides. We learn earlier on that its not, but we are left with, how? why? and who? and if not, why not?
Theft, lies, cover ups and all for the best of intentions.
I loved it. I hang on every word that this authors writes.
In my reading material, she cannot write fast enough to quench my thirst, I love this authors work.
I was honored to be granted a complimentary book from Random House UK, Cornerstone Via Net Galley.
Would I recommend this? Yes most definitely. Would I encourage friends to read this? Oh yes!
May 16, 2014
Rushed and flawed...
When DI Lorraine Fisher goes for a visit to her sister, taking her younger daughter with her, it's supposed to be a holiday. But this quiet little town in Warwickshire was the scene of a spate of teenage suicides a few years back and it looks like it's all beginning again. And Lorraine's nephew Freddy is showing all the signs of being one of the possible victims...
I really enjoyed Samantha Hayes' Until You're Mine, in which Lorraine first made her appearance. So it was a double disappointment to me to find that this one reads like a first draft. There are so many problems with it, it's hard to know where to begin. Continuity issues - a girl removes her motorcycle helmet then slowly raises her hands to her head, finding it very painful to do so - one has to wonder what she removed her helmet with - her feet? Inaccuracies - a hospital doctor who keeps his patients' notes on an unsecured home laptop? Hardly! Gaping holes - the teenager who hacks past a password control on a computer, with absolutely no indication of how he did it or where he might have acquired this skill. And the forensics people are clearly idiots - they fail to notice minor details like a supposed suicide victim having been given a kicking or that the handwriting on a note might not be that of the person who supposedly wrote it.
But all these flaws could have been dealt with by a proper edit. The real problem with the book lies in the much more serious matter of the characterisation. None of the characters rang true to me, with the possible exception of Lorraine. It was as if they were there purely to serve the plot and were only developed in so far as was necessary for that purpose. So for example, we never find out why the teenage bullying victim is being bullied or by whom - he just has to be bullied so that it is credible to think he might commit suicide. The local police are of course incompetent to allow Lorraine to have an excuse to butt in to the investigation. One character is made to appear so ridiculously over-the-top creepy it's like watching the villain at a pantomime - I felt an urgent desire to shout 'he's behind you' every time he appeared. And the obligatory autistic character, without whom no novel would be complete these days, is so badly written that he comes over as a cross between Boo Radley and Frankenstein's monster (but without the charm). Again the problem with this character is that he is there to fit the plot rather than vice versa, so sometimes he has to be intelligent and sometimes he has to have the mind of a five-year-old; sometimes he has to be scary and bad, and other times he has to be loving and protective. It's possible to have a character that contradictory, but only if it's handled with a great deal of subtlety and sadly in this case it isn't.
Add to these problems a plot that edges over the credulity line, and it's hard to find much to recommend, I'm afraid. The whole book reads as if it's been rushed into print to capitalise on the success of Until You're Mine, and as a result hasn't had the polishing that could have turned this untidy and flawed book into something much, much better. The basic skills are all there, the detective is a likeable one, there's some originality in the plotting, and because of these things I may read the author's next book. But I will be sincerely hoping that a bit more time is taken, by author and publisher both, to ensure that it comes out in a more finished form.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Cornerstone.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
When DI Lorraine Fisher goes for a visit to her sister, taking her younger daughter with her, it's supposed to be a holiday. But this quiet little town in Warwickshire was the scene of a spate of teenage suicides a few years back and it looks like it's all beginning again. And Lorraine's nephew Freddy is showing all the signs of being one of the possible victims...
I really enjoyed Samantha Hayes' Until You're Mine, in which Lorraine first made her appearance. So it was a double disappointment to me to find that this one reads like a first draft. There are so many problems with it, it's hard to know where to begin. Continuity issues - a girl removes her motorcycle helmet then slowly raises her hands to her head, finding it very painful to do so - one has to wonder what she removed her helmet with - her feet? Inaccuracies - a hospital doctor who keeps his patients' notes on an unsecured home laptop? Hardly! Gaping holes - the teenager who hacks past a password control on a computer, with absolutely no indication of how he did it or where he might have acquired this skill. And the forensics people are clearly idiots - they fail to notice minor details like a supposed suicide victim having been given a kicking or that the handwriting on a note might not be that of the person who supposedly wrote it.
But all these flaws could have been dealt with by a proper edit. The real problem with the book lies in the much more serious matter of the characterisation. None of the characters rang true to me, with the possible exception of Lorraine. It was as if they were there purely to serve the plot and were only developed in so far as was necessary for that purpose. So for example, we never find out why the teenage bullying victim is being bullied or by whom - he just has to be bullied so that it is credible to think he might commit suicide. The local police are of course incompetent to allow Lorraine to have an excuse to butt in to the investigation. One character is made to appear so ridiculously over-the-top creepy it's like watching the villain at a pantomime - I felt an urgent desire to shout 'he's behind you' every time he appeared. And the obligatory autistic character, without whom no novel would be complete these days, is so badly written that he comes over as a cross between Boo Radley and Frankenstein's monster (but without the charm). Again the problem with this character is that he is there to fit the plot rather than vice versa, so sometimes he has to be intelligent and sometimes he has to have the mind of a five-year-old; sometimes he has to be scary and bad, and other times he has to be loving and protective. It's possible to have a character that contradictory, but only if it's handled with a great deal of subtlety and sadly in this case it isn't.
Add to these problems a plot that edges over the credulity line, and it's hard to find much to recommend, I'm afraid. The whole book reads as if it's been rushed into print to capitalise on the success of Until You're Mine, and as a result hasn't had the polishing that could have turned this untidy and flawed book into something much, much better. The basic skills are all there, the detective is a likeable one, there's some originality in the plotting, and because of these things I may read the author's next book. But I will be sincerely hoping that a bit more time is taken, by author and publisher both, to ensure that it comes out in a more finished form.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Cornerstone.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
March 14, 2015
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide, hate-crime.
Samantha Hayes's previous novel, Until You're Mine, is fabulous. Family-based paranoia, its creepiness is very affective. But what makes it so good is that it mostly focuses on ordinary people, who AREN'T in law enforcement and investigation. Mostly.
Thus what makes Until You're Mine stand out from the crowd is unfortunately missing here. I enjoyed meeting Detective Inspector Lorraine Fisher and her family back then, and I still like Lorraine here in Before You Die. Often faced with other police members' incompetence or carelessness, she strides in and takes over - because someone has to, and since no one else seems to have bothered, it's up to Lorraine. (Really, how is Burnley still employed?)
Yes, Before You Die is family-based paranoia like its predecessor, and it still has a twist for the very last chapter. But because it mainly focuses on Lorraine's family, it just doesn't have the same appeal as the first book. It's still well-written and engaging, but the series seems now in police-procedural territory...and thus difficult to stand out from all the other police procedurals on the crime shelves.
The third novel in the series is being released shortly, and I look forward to reading it. And though I really like Lorraine, I hope this new novel will regain what made the first book so fabulous.
Samantha Hayes's previous novel, Until You're Mine, is fabulous. Family-based paranoia, its creepiness is very affective. But what makes it so good is that it mostly focuses on ordinary people, who AREN'T in law enforcement and investigation. Mostly.
Thus what makes Until You're Mine stand out from the crowd is unfortunately missing here. I enjoyed meeting Detective Inspector Lorraine Fisher and her family back then, and I still like Lorraine here in Before You Die. Often faced with other police members' incompetence or carelessness, she strides in and takes over - because someone has to, and since no one else seems to have bothered, it's up to Lorraine. (Really, how is Burnley still employed?)
Yes, Before You Die is family-based paranoia like its predecessor, and it still has a twist for the very last chapter. But because it mainly focuses on Lorraine's family, it just doesn't have the same appeal as the first book. It's still well-written and engaging, but the series seems now in police-procedural territory...and thus difficult to stand out from all the other police procedurals on the crime shelves.
The third novel in the series is being released shortly, and I look forward to reading it. And though I really like Lorraine, I hope this new novel will regain what made the first book so fabulous.
May 15, 2014
After losing my reading mojo I decided to change from my usual genre and try a psychological suspense novel and the book I picked was Before you Die by Samantha Hayes which is my first read by this author so I didn’t know what to expected but once I got started I couldn’t put it down so I read it in one sitting.
After a spate of suicides in the village of Radcote it has taken two years for the community to move forward, but after a another young man is found dead after a motorcycle accident after leaving a suicide note as well as another young boy who left a suicide note before a train accident it seems as though another spate is about to begin.
With Freddie doing a disappearing act after his family have observed that he seems a little depressed, his aunt Lorraine who is a Detective Inspector wants to get to the bottom of the problems in this village before it is too late for her nephew.
Well this well and truly got my reading mojo back! This book was full of suspense with twists and turns in every chapter. We are given a few clues some to help us and some that lead us down a completely wrong path. My one and only problem with this book was I had already guessed the villain from early on in the book, so part of me did think about giving up reading it but then I wanted to know what occurred and what the reasoning behind it was, and I have to say when I found out why I was a little disappointed as I found the reasoning behind it to be rather pathetic! I am glad I did carry on reading because it was a great book and the ending had me in complete shock I didn’t expect that revelation at all!
There was quite a lot of content covered in the storyline crime, suicide, bullying, adultery, special needs, Lies and deceit so there really is a lot to take in and keep your mind occupied. There are also quite a few characters in this book but you never find you are confused by who is who. My favourite character has to be the lovely Gil, I looked forward to hearing his point of view each time and I think it was great how the author managed to portray his view taking into account his special needs.
This would be a 5* read if the author had managed to hide the villain from me but because I guessed easily so early on I am going to day this is a 4* read.
After a spate of suicides in the village of Radcote it has taken two years for the community to move forward, but after a another young man is found dead after a motorcycle accident after leaving a suicide note as well as another young boy who left a suicide note before a train accident it seems as though another spate is about to begin.
With Freddie doing a disappearing act after his family have observed that he seems a little depressed, his aunt Lorraine who is a Detective Inspector wants to get to the bottom of the problems in this village before it is too late for her nephew.
Well this well and truly got my reading mojo back! This book was full of suspense with twists and turns in every chapter. We are given a few clues some to help us and some that lead us down a completely wrong path. My one and only problem with this book was I had already guessed the villain from early on in the book, so part of me did think about giving up reading it but then I wanted to know what occurred and what the reasoning behind it was, and I have to say when I found out why I was a little disappointed as I found the reasoning behind it to be rather pathetic! I am glad I did carry on reading because it was a great book and the ending had me in complete shock I didn’t expect that revelation at all!
There was quite a lot of content covered in the storyline crime, suicide, bullying, adultery, special needs, Lies and deceit so there really is a lot to take in and keep your mind occupied. There are also quite a few characters in this book but you never find you are confused by who is who. My favourite character has to be the lovely Gil, I looked forward to hearing his point of view each time and I think it was great how the author managed to portray his view taking into account his special needs.
This would be a 5* read if the author had managed to hide the villain from me but because I guessed easily so early on I am going to day this is a 4* read.
April 8, 2015
4.3
« Esta leitura tornou-se rapidamente compulsiva... Começou com uma história onde o início não prepara o leitor para a intensidade que o livro nos oferece…
Este é o segundo livro da série Lorraine Fisher. Neste livro a autora aborda temáticas como o bulling, adultério, preconceito e suicídio.
Depois de ter lido o primeiro livro tinha curiosidade para saber como Samantha Hayes se sairia no próximo e eis que … não podia ter ficado mais satisfeito.
A autora, tal como fez no anterior, socorre-se do ponto de vista de algumas personagens, para dar diferentes perspectivas da história e alcançar uma maior proximidade. Aproveita sabiamente a subjectividade e limitação desta opção para gerar suspense e aliciar o leitor para a história.
Superou todas as minhas expectativas, a autora mostrou-se detentora de uma grande habilidade para jogar com a percepção do leitor, por manipular tão bem os argumentos do suspense, e desarmar o leitor em cada nova cena. Surpreendeu-me tantas e tantas vezes, de uma forma consistente que me senti desarmado e deliciado. Previsibilidade não é uma palavra que associe a este livro. Gostei muito.
A palavra que me surge depois de ler este livro é “rendido”. Rendido a um dramatismo delicioso, a um suspense inteligente e persuasivo. Rendido a uma leitura contagiante.
Quanto à história, achei-a interessante e evolui em crescendo, utilizando uma expressão ligada à música. Sente-se a história, sente-se a crescer, a ganhar forma e corpo. A expandir-se na nossa mente, com uma envolvência aterradora.
Nestes dois livros consigo ver alguns traços que vão compondo a minha imagem da escrita da autora. Vejo uma predilecção por relações famíliares fortes e em crise. Vejo que a vida pessoal da personagem principal, Lorraine, é algo que tem uma grande dimensão e (...)»
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Opinião: Antes Que Morras de Samantha Hayes |Livros e Marcadores
« Esta leitura tornou-se rapidamente compulsiva... Começou com uma história onde o início não prepara o leitor para a intensidade que o livro nos oferece…
Este é o segundo livro da série Lorraine Fisher. Neste livro a autora aborda temáticas como o bulling, adultério, preconceito e suicídio.
Depois de ter lido o primeiro livro tinha curiosidade para saber como Samantha Hayes se sairia no próximo e eis que … não podia ter ficado mais satisfeito.
A autora, tal como fez no anterior, socorre-se do ponto de vista de algumas personagens, para dar diferentes perspectivas da história e alcançar uma maior proximidade. Aproveita sabiamente a subjectividade e limitação desta opção para gerar suspense e aliciar o leitor para a história.
Superou todas as minhas expectativas, a autora mostrou-se detentora de uma grande habilidade para jogar com a percepção do leitor, por manipular tão bem os argumentos do suspense, e desarmar o leitor em cada nova cena. Surpreendeu-me tantas e tantas vezes, de uma forma consistente que me senti desarmado e deliciado. Previsibilidade não é uma palavra que associe a este livro. Gostei muito.
A palavra que me surge depois de ler este livro é “rendido”. Rendido a um dramatismo delicioso, a um suspense inteligente e persuasivo. Rendido a uma leitura contagiante.
Quanto à história, achei-a interessante e evolui em crescendo, utilizando uma expressão ligada à música. Sente-se a história, sente-se a crescer, a ganhar forma e corpo. A expandir-se na nossa mente, com uma envolvência aterradora.
Nestes dois livros consigo ver alguns traços que vão compondo a minha imagem da escrita da autora. Vejo uma predilecção por relações famíliares fortes e em crise. Vejo que a vida pessoal da personagem principal, Lorraine, é algo que tem uma grande dimensão e (...)»
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Opinião: Antes Que Morras de Samantha Hayes |Livros e Marcadores
December 11, 2015
I read Hayes' Until You're Mine which I really enjoyed, so I was eager to read the next book, What You Left Behind. This one started out a wee slow as the author was setting up characters, background, etc. Then it picked up and what a thriller! It was fairly evident who the killer was but it did have other twists I did not see coming. I enjoyed this short, easy read none the less. I favored her previous book but I like Hayes’ writing so I will continue to read her other books. 3.5 stars
April 24, 2014
Until You’re Mine by Samantha Hayes was my favourite read of 2013, I raved about it to anyone who would listen all year, so when I spotted this on Netgalley, I just had to snap it up there and then. I approached it with anticipation – would it live up to my expectations? The answer is, not quite but nearly. Until You’re Mine was just so good, that this novel was always going to be compared in relation to it, and although it is a very good read in its own right, it doesn’t quite match up to its predecessor. Having said that, rather like Elizabeth Haynes and Into The Darkest Corner, anything that Samantha Hayes writes from now on will probably be compared automatically to Until You’re Mine.
We see a lot more of Lorraine Fisher in this book, which I really enjoyed. I felt I got to know her as a person much more and, I have to say, I really look forward to reading more about her. This book is less psychological and more crime fiction with a very complex plot line, but is still tense and full of suspense and you are kept guessing throughout. Again, it is told from different perspectives which really add to that feeling you get when reading it that you don’t exactly know who to trust. As a Warwickshire lass myself, I loved the Warwickshire setting, and had fun trying to guess where the author had got her inspiration from for Radcote and Wellesbury, and was quite pleased to see Kenilworth and Leamington Spa featured.
It is gripping and a real page turner. I just had to know what would happen next. The complicated plot lines all come together in the end for an extremely good ending. It was only spoiled for me because, after her last book, I was ready to “expect the unexpected”, so I did work out who was responsible but not why and, I have to say, the epilogue really did take me by surprise!
We see a lot more of Lorraine Fisher in this book, which I really enjoyed. I felt I got to know her as a person much more and, I have to say, I really look forward to reading more about her. This book is less psychological and more crime fiction with a very complex plot line, but is still tense and full of suspense and you are kept guessing throughout. Again, it is told from different perspectives which really add to that feeling you get when reading it that you don’t exactly know who to trust. As a Warwickshire lass myself, I loved the Warwickshire setting, and had fun trying to guess where the author had got her inspiration from for Radcote and Wellesbury, and was quite pleased to see Kenilworth and Leamington Spa featured.
It is gripping and a real page turner. I just had to know what would happen next. The complicated plot lines all come together in the end for an extremely good ending. It was only spoiled for me because, after her last book, I was ready to “expect the unexpected”, so I did work out who was responsible but not why and, I have to say, the epilogue really did take me by surprise!
May 30, 2015
Another cracker from Samantha Hayes which I devoured in a couple of days. Full of twists and turns this book leads you down one path and quickly does an abrupt U - turn so you don't know which way is up. I finished this book with a big smile on my face as once again the author completely flummoxed me with a fantastic ending. Highly recommend all of Samantha Hayes books.
April 30, 2019
Um excelente livro. Já tinha adorado o «Até que sejas minha» e tinha muitas espectativas com este. Embora lhe falte o brilhantismo do outro, que nos agarra da primeira à última página e nos faz adiantar teorias até ao final inesperado, ainda assim gostei muito deste. É um livro mais policial e menos thriller psicológico. Pretendo continuar a seguir esta autora.
April 17, 2015
I read late, late into the night finishing this novel, so in terms of sheer readability it obviously scores very highly. Otherwise, though, I have my problems with it.
Senior cop Lorraine Fisher goes with kid daughter Stella to visit sister Jo in the village of Radcote, famed for the fact that a couple of years ago it suffered a spate of teenage suicides. Jo has recently been left by husband Malc; her teenaged son (Malc's stepson) Freddie is visibly under enormous pressure. Freddie's real keen on Lana, daughter of the nearby manor; her brother Simon was second last of the suicide spate. And now there's been another apparent suicide, this time of a youthful resident at the homeless shelter where Lana and her mother Sonia often volunteer . . . Could it be the first of a new cycle?
The premise is what drew me to this book; the writing is what kept me with it. Yet, the whole while I was reading it, I was being irritated by it. Let me enumerate the reasons:
1: The author seems to have changed her mind partway through about the state of the relationship between Lana and Freddie. Early on, Freddie seems to be yearning silently for his good pal Lana. Later, we find that the pair have long acknowledged that they're nuts about each other. Well, y'know, which is it?
2: The local DI who investigated the suicide spate and is investigating the new events is a lazy jerk whom Lorraine has had the misfortune to encounter before. So she and her husband Adam -- another senior cop -- start moving in on things, essentially taking over the case. But it's not their patch. I'm not 100% familiar with police procedure, but it's my impression the local cops would tell these intruders to go and, y'know.
3: Biggish chunks of the book are narrated in first person by Lana's autistic Uncle Gil. As bits of narrative, these sections are very well handled. But Gil's condition doesn't ring true to me at all as autism: there's none of the obsession with pattern that (I'm told) we would expect, none of the dissociation from human relationships. Instead he's a simple-minded type with a precocious artistic talent, a fascination for the morbid, and a hopeless dream of one day finding a girlfriend and settling down with her. That's all well and good, but I don't think it's autism.
4: The ending, in which all sorts of misapprehensions (both the characters' and ours) are sorted out, the backstory explained, the guilty parties exposed, the seemingly guilty parties shown innocent, etc., etc., all seems desperately rushed -- to the point almost of self-parody. A lot of those ends could, I think, have been tied off more leisurely earlier in the book.
5: I didn't work out the solution to absolutely everything early on, but I did work out by far the majority of it, including elements that seemed so absolutely bloody obvious that I was incredulous the characters could fail to be aware of them. As a single example: Malc has left Jo because she has found someone else. She tells Lorraine this, but doesn't identify the mystery lover. I could just about accept the fact that Lorraine is so completely stupid that she fails to notice the copious clues to his identity that come zinging at her from all directions, but what seems impossible to me is that she shows no interest in who it might be: unless I missed it, she never even so much as casually asks her sister who it is.
I've gone on far too long for what I'd planned to be just a few quick notes. In brief: What You Left Behind is a fast-moving, involving thriller that's let down by technical problems that are too many to ignore. It would make an excellent companion for a long plane or train journey, and the writing's such that I'd not be averse to reading more by Hayes, but overall I was disappointed.
Senior cop Lorraine Fisher goes with kid daughter Stella to visit sister Jo in the village of Radcote, famed for the fact that a couple of years ago it suffered a spate of teenage suicides. Jo has recently been left by husband Malc; her teenaged son (Malc's stepson) Freddie is visibly under enormous pressure. Freddie's real keen on Lana, daughter of the nearby manor; her brother Simon was second last of the suicide spate. And now there's been another apparent suicide, this time of a youthful resident at the homeless shelter where Lana and her mother Sonia often volunteer . . . Could it be the first of a new cycle?
The premise is what drew me to this book; the writing is what kept me with it. Yet, the whole while I was reading it, I was being irritated by it. Let me enumerate the reasons:
1: The author seems to have changed her mind partway through about the state of the relationship between Lana and Freddie. Early on, Freddie seems to be yearning silently for his good pal Lana. Later, we find that the pair have long acknowledged that they're nuts about each other. Well, y'know, which is it?
2: The local DI who investigated the suicide spate and is investigating the new events is a lazy jerk whom Lorraine has had the misfortune to encounter before. So she and her husband Adam -- another senior cop -- start moving in on things, essentially taking over the case. But it's not their patch. I'm not 100% familiar with police procedure, but it's my impression the local cops would tell these intruders to go and, y'know.
3: Biggish chunks of the book are narrated in first person by Lana's autistic Uncle Gil. As bits of narrative, these sections are very well handled. But Gil's condition doesn't ring true to me at all as autism: there's none of the obsession with pattern that (I'm told) we would expect, none of the dissociation from human relationships. Instead he's a simple-minded type with a precocious artistic talent, a fascination for the morbid, and a hopeless dream of one day finding a girlfriend and settling down with her. That's all well and good, but I don't think it's autism.
4: The ending, in which all sorts of misapprehensions (both the characters' and ours) are sorted out, the backstory explained, the guilty parties exposed, the seemingly guilty parties shown innocent, etc., etc., all seems desperately rushed -- to the point almost of self-parody. A lot of those ends could, I think, have been tied off more leisurely earlier in the book.
5: I didn't work out the solution to absolutely everything early on, but I did work out by far the majority of it, including elements that seemed so absolutely bloody obvious that I was incredulous the characters could fail to be aware of them. As a single example: Malc has left Jo because she has found someone else. She tells Lorraine this, but doesn't identify the mystery lover. I could just about accept the fact that Lorraine is so completely stupid that she fails to notice the copious clues to his identity that come zinging at her from all directions, but what seems impossible to me is that she shows no interest in who it might be: unless I missed it, she never even so much as casually asks her sister who it is.
I've gone on far too long for what I'd planned to be just a few quick notes. In brief: What You Left Behind is a fast-moving, involving thriller that's let down by technical problems that are too many to ignore. It would make an excellent companion for a long plane or train journey, and the writing's such that I'd not be averse to reading more by Hayes, but overall I was disappointed.
March 25, 2014
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy
Oh my God... There is so much I want to say about this book but to say too much would ruin the story. I have had Samantha Hayes' book 'Until You're Mine' on my to read list since its release, and I am now kicking myself so much at not reading it sooner. The reviews were nothing short of amazing and I will be reading Until You're Mine as soon as possible.
Back to Before You Die though and what a story. The story opens with two people riding a motorbike along a country lane. A boy and a girl. The motorbike is stolen and so there's only one helmet which the girl wears. The boy lets the girl ride the motorbike which she then ends up riding too fast resulting in the bike crashing into a tree. The boy is killed instantly, his face and body virtually unrecognisable whilst the girl flees the scene. Later on a suicide note is found from the boy and the town of Radcote fears that the spate of teenage suicides it has only just got over are about to start again.
After the opening chapter I was hooked. I stupidly started the book at midnight, and I say stupidly as I found myself glancing at the clock to see it was nearly 3am and I was halfway through the book! Sleep then got in the way but I woke up, had some dinner and immediately got back into this book finishing it in just one sitting. Always the sign of a good book when you just cannot put it down or turn the pages fast enough. It's hard to talk about the story too much without giving away spoilers but following the motorbike 'suicide' another homeless man takes his own life near some railway tracks. This all happens as Lorraine, a police officer returns to her childhood home to visit her sister Jo and her nephew Freddie.
Freddie is one of the main characters who we learn from Jo has been distant, not leaving his room etc and 'other stuff' which I won't mention here as it's better left for readers' to read themselves. I did feel that Jo was perhaps in the wrong a little as she didn't really try hard enough to find out what was wrong with her son. All too often parents just assume their child is a moody teenager, whereas if they actually tried to find out why they might be surprised. Gil is another character we follow who is autistic and seems to know quite a lot about these supposed suicides, especially when pictures that he has drawn are found.
I have to say that the writing here was superb. The book was just so 'readable' if that is the right word. I just didn't want to stop reading and couldn't touch my Kindle screen quick enough to turn the pages. I was left guessing until the absolute end and loved the whole book. As I said I can't talk about the story too much but little clues are thrown in all the way through the book about the suicides, about what may have actually happened and of course there are one or two red herrings to deter you from who or what is actually in the wrong. It really is a fantastic mystery and very believable. I read a lot of books, mostly crime fiction which can be quite unrealistic at times but the story here in this book feels very real and could almost be a true story. As there isn't just a mystery element but it's also a story about families and friendships. And it is definitely a book I urge everybody to read who is looking to read about those things.
Oh my God... There is so much I want to say about this book but to say too much would ruin the story. I have had Samantha Hayes' book 'Until You're Mine' on my to read list since its release, and I am now kicking myself so much at not reading it sooner. The reviews were nothing short of amazing and I will be reading Until You're Mine as soon as possible.
Back to Before You Die though and what a story. The story opens with two people riding a motorbike along a country lane. A boy and a girl. The motorbike is stolen and so there's only one helmet which the girl wears. The boy lets the girl ride the motorbike which she then ends up riding too fast resulting in the bike crashing into a tree. The boy is killed instantly, his face and body virtually unrecognisable whilst the girl flees the scene. Later on a suicide note is found from the boy and the town of Radcote fears that the spate of teenage suicides it has only just got over are about to start again.
After the opening chapter I was hooked. I stupidly started the book at midnight, and I say stupidly as I found myself glancing at the clock to see it was nearly 3am and I was halfway through the book! Sleep then got in the way but I woke up, had some dinner and immediately got back into this book finishing it in just one sitting. Always the sign of a good book when you just cannot put it down or turn the pages fast enough. It's hard to talk about the story too much without giving away spoilers but following the motorbike 'suicide' another homeless man takes his own life near some railway tracks. This all happens as Lorraine, a police officer returns to her childhood home to visit her sister Jo and her nephew Freddie.
Freddie is one of the main characters who we learn from Jo has been distant, not leaving his room etc and 'other stuff' which I won't mention here as it's better left for readers' to read themselves. I did feel that Jo was perhaps in the wrong a little as she didn't really try hard enough to find out what was wrong with her son. All too often parents just assume their child is a moody teenager, whereas if they actually tried to find out why they might be surprised. Gil is another character we follow who is autistic and seems to know quite a lot about these supposed suicides, especially when pictures that he has drawn are found.
I have to say that the writing here was superb. The book was just so 'readable' if that is the right word. I just didn't want to stop reading and couldn't touch my Kindle screen quick enough to turn the pages. I was left guessing until the absolute end and loved the whole book. As I said I can't talk about the story too much but little clues are thrown in all the way through the book about the suicides, about what may have actually happened and of course there are one or two red herrings to deter you from who or what is actually in the wrong. It really is a fantastic mystery and very believable. I read a lot of books, mostly crime fiction which can be quite unrealistic at times but the story here in this book feels very real and could almost be a true story. As there isn't just a mystery element but it's also a story about families and friendships. And it is definitely a book I urge everybody to read who is looking to read about those things.
July 30, 2016
D.I. Lorraine Fisher, one of the characters from the excellent Until You’re Mine, returns to her home town, Radcote, to visit her recently separated sister Jo and her nephew Freddie. What happens next means that the policewoman isn’t in for much of a holiday. The town had been shocked by a spate of teenage suicides eighteen months previously and so when a young homeless man, Dean, complete with suicide note is found dead after a motorcycle crash the tension rises as the community closes in on itself not wanting a repeat of the past.
Lorraine and her youngest daughter, Stella are transported to a household on the edge, Freddie is depressed and distant from his mother, even the delectable Lana not enough to make him venture outside his bedroom and Lorraine is at a loss on how to help, especially as her sister’s reckless affair with a local man, has in her opinion, created some of the outcome.
At the centre of the tale is the Hope Homeless Shelter where Sonia Hawkeswell, mother to Lana and whose son Simon had been found hanged during that dreadful time where the town lost so many of its young, helps to run while simultaneously urging her daughter on to become a doctor. Living with them in a converted barn is her autistic Brother-in-Law Gil who is a gifted artist. When Lorraine meets Gil who shows her a picture she begins to realise that the local Police may not have carried out a diligent investigation into the bike crash and with the help of her husband Adam, she is keen to show them the errors of their ways.
So the cast are assembled, the clues numerous and sometimes misleading and the grief unending which for me was one of the elements that made this book harder to read than some of Samantha Hayes previous books. Grief-stricken characters when realistically portrayed are hard to reach and I just didn’t connect with some of the main characters which caused less tension than I would have liked, although there are plenty of other themes that are explored including; on-line bullying, homelessness, relationships of all kinds and secrets.
I received an advance review copy of this book in return for my honest opinion from the publishers, Random House UK ahead of publication on 24 April 2014.
Lorraine and her youngest daughter, Stella are transported to a household on the edge, Freddie is depressed and distant from his mother, even the delectable Lana not enough to make him venture outside his bedroom and Lorraine is at a loss on how to help, especially as her sister’s reckless affair with a local man, has in her opinion, created some of the outcome.
At the centre of the tale is the Hope Homeless Shelter where Sonia Hawkeswell, mother to Lana and whose son Simon had been found hanged during that dreadful time where the town lost so many of its young, helps to run while simultaneously urging her daughter on to become a doctor. Living with them in a converted barn is her autistic Brother-in-Law Gil who is a gifted artist. When Lorraine meets Gil who shows her a picture she begins to realise that the local Police may not have carried out a diligent investigation into the bike crash and with the help of her husband Adam, she is keen to show them the errors of their ways.
So the cast are assembled, the clues numerous and sometimes misleading and the grief unending which for me was one of the elements that made this book harder to read than some of Samantha Hayes previous books. Grief-stricken characters when realistically portrayed are hard to reach and I just didn’t connect with some of the main characters which caused less tension than I would have liked, although there are plenty of other themes that are explored including; on-line bullying, homelessness, relationships of all kinds and secrets.
I received an advance review copy of this book in return for my honest opinion from the publishers, Random House UK ahead of publication on 24 April 2014.
July 10, 2015
Book: What You Left Behind
Author: Samantha Hayes
Finished Reading: April 08, 2015 (Wednesday)
Book Review:
*First of all, I would like to thank crown publishing for the review copy* Thank you so so much!!!
If you want a mystery/thriller/crime book, I would definitely recommend you this!
To be honest, I don’t really have any idea who’s Samantha Hayes until I ended up browsing her book on Goodreads! After I’ve read the synopsis, I was so intrigued by this book and my first reaction is “I want to read it!!!!” And its release date will be on the 14th of April 2015.
So yeah, I’ve learned so many things in this book! Although it’s slow-paced at first, it’s good that i continued reading it! Sometimes, if I really get bored on the first few chapters, I won’t finish reading the book. But I have an instinct that this book will be a good one starting on the 100th page. I’m right.
This was the first time that I’ve read a mystery/thriller/crime book and it’s also not a YA book! And it’s in 3rd person POV. Everything seems new to me, actually! :)
As what I’ve told you, it was kinda slow at first but OHHH MY GOOSSHHH, when you’ve reached page 100 and so on, it’s pretty damn CREEEPYYYY!!!!
These are some of my reactions while i was reading this book:
“Woahh!! Did she just do what?!?!?!?!”
“What??? How could that person do that?!?!”
“No way!! I’ve trusted you!!! Whyyy???”
Yup! This book is really mind-blowing! I don’t even know how to explain everything because I don’t want to spoil everyone. It’s really a mystery!!! “Are they really suicides?” That is the question!! Sometimes, even the authorities can’t be 100% sure of all the evidences that they’ve gathered. They don’t know if someone’s messing with them or it’s really true. Another thing that creeps the hell out of me is the name of the road which is Devil’s Mile OMG. It’s really creepy, seriously.
SAMANTHA HAYES DID A GREAT JOB BECAUSE SHE SCARED ME SO MUCH AND IT’S WORTH THE READ!
Author: Samantha Hayes
Finished Reading: April 08, 2015 (Wednesday)
Book Review:
*First of all, I would like to thank crown publishing for the review copy* Thank you so so much!!!
If you want a mystery/thriller/crime book, I would definitely recommend you this!
To be honest, I don’t really have any idea who’s Samantha Hayes until I ended up browsing her book on Goodreads! After I’ve read the synopsis, I was so intrigued by this book and my first reaction is “I want to read it!!!!” And its release date will be on the 14th of April 2015.
So yeah, I’ve learned so many things in this book! Although it’s slow-paced at first, it’s good that i continued reading it! Sometimes, if I really get bored on the first few chapters, I won’t finish reading the book. But I have an instinct that this book will be a good one starting on the 100th page. I’m right.
This was the first time that I’ve read a mystery/thriller/crime book and it’s also not a YA book! And it’s in 3rd person POV. Everything seems new to me, actually! :)
As what I’ve told you, it was kinda slow at first but OHHH MY GOOSSHHH, when you’ve reached page 100 and so on, it’s pretty damn CREEEPYYYY!!!!
These are some of my reactions while i was reading this book:
“Woahh!! Did she just do what?!?!?!?!”
“What??? How could that person do that?!?!”
“No way!! I’ve trusted you!!! Whyyy???”
Yup! This book is really mind-blowing! I don’t even know how to explain everything because I don’t want to spoil everyone. It’s really a mystery!!! “Are they really suicides?” That is the question!! Sometimes, even the authorities can’t be 100% sure of all the evidences that they’ve gathered. They don’t know if someone’s messing with them or it’s really true. Another thing that creeps the hell out of me is the name of the road which is Devil’s Mile OMG. It’s really creepy, seriously.
SAMANTHA HAYES DID A GREAT JOB BECAUSE SHE SCARED ME SO MUCH AND IT’S WORTH THE READ!
April 29, 2015
Intense, dark, shocking .... the book is all these, and more. It touches upon something we've all seen in the news.
Teenage-suicides - mostly boys - were committed in this village some months ago. The people of the community are still trying to heal and find a way to go on.
DI Lorraine Fisher is on vacation and visits her sister and her teenage son. While there, a boy's body is found .. along with a suicide note. And then a second young man is found. Lorraine's nephew has been acting strange ... secretive .. scared. Were these actual suicides? Lorraine means to find out before her nephew is next to be found.
With the onset of the internet, bullying has become a huge part of young peoples' lives. Seems so easy to say things 'anonymously' that you might never do otherwise. The book encompasses this and much more. Made me realize that I wouldn't go back to my teen years for any amount of money.
WHAT YOU LEFT BEHIND is well-written. The feelings in the parents of their lost sons was tangible .. the grief at times almost overwhelming. And suicides don't affect only family members... whole communities can grieve as well. But what happens when someone from 'outside' claims these were not suicides?
My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Crown Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
Teenage-suicides - mostly boys - were committed in this village some months ago. The people of the community are still trying to heal and find a way to go on.
DI Lorraine Fisher is on vacation and visits her sister and her teenage son. While there, a boy's body is found .. along with a suicide note. And then a second young man is found. Lorraine's nephew has been acting strange ... secretive .. scared. Were these actual suicides? Lorraine means to find out before her nephew is next to be found.
With the onset of the internet, bullying has become a huge part of young peoples' lives. Seems so easy to say things 'anonymously' that you might never do otherwise. The book encompasses this and much more. Made me realize that I wouldn't go back to my teen years for any amount of money.
WHAT YOU LEFT BEHIND is well-written. The feelings in the parents of their lost sons was tangible .. the grief at times almost overwhelming. And suicides don't affect only family members... whole communities can grieve as well. But what happens when someone from 'outside' claims these were not suicides?
My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Crown Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
March 31, 2015
Depois de ter lido Até que sejas minha em Julho do ano passado que estava ansiosa por um novo livro de Samantha Hayes. Antes que Morras trouxe o segundo caso de Lorraine Fisher e, mais uma vez, a detective acaba por entrar na história mais do que queria, visto que um familiar seu vai ser uma das vítimas.
Depois de ter gostado tanto do primeiro livro esperava um pouquinho mais deste, até porque demorei um pouco a entrar na história.
...
Gostei sobretudo das personagens misteriosas que fomos conhecendo ao longo do livro, mas que não nos foram dando a conhecer na totalidade, por forma a não conseguirmos descortinar desde logo quem seria o assassino, mas a desconfiar de todos um bocadinho de cada vez. É isso que gosto num livro policial. E mesmo assim, que tenha a capacidade de nos surpreender no final. Por isso tudo lhe ter dado a mesma pontuação do livro anterior, as 4*, apesar de não me ter criado tanto impacto como o anterior.
Opinião completa em:
http://marcadordelivros.blogspot.pt/2...
Depois de ter gostado tanto do primeiro livro esperava um pouquinho mais deste, até porque demorei um pouco a entrar na história.
...
Gostei sobretudo das personagens misteriosas que fomos conhecendo ao longo do livro, mas que não nos foram dando a conhecer na totalidade, por forma a não conseguirmos descortinar desde logo quem seria o assassino, mas a desconfiar de todos um bocadinho de cada vez. É isso que gosto num livro policial. E mesmo assim, que tenha a capacidade de nos surpreender no final. Por isso tudo lhe ter dado a mesma pontuação do livro anterior, as 4*, apesar de não me ter criado tanto impacto como o anterior.
Opinião completa em:
http://marcadordelivros.blogspot.pt/2...
April 14, 2015
3.5/5.0
My Thoughts
Lorraine takes a vacation to visit her sister Jo. Jo has a teenage son, Freddie, who is acting strange. While Lorraine is with her sister’s family, there are two suicides. She is unable to leave her detective skills behind and feels compelled to investigate the suicides along with what is going on with her nephew.
Told mostly from Lorraine’s perspective, we get to see the workings of her mind as she pieces clues together. There are a few chapters told by a mystery person and we don’t find out who that is until the very end. It resulted in a nice little twist that I did not see coming.
I did not realize that this was book #2 in a series. I thought it stood well on it’s own. I liked the main character enough that I would be interested in reading future stories.
Thanks to Crown Publishing, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.
My Thoughts
Lorraine takes a vacation to visit her sister Jo. Jo has a teenage son, Freddie, who is acting strange. While Lorraine is with her sister’s family, there are two suicides. She is unable to leave her detective skills behind and feels compelled to investigate the suicides along with what is going on with her nephew.
Told mostly from Lorraine’s perspective, we get to see the workings of her mind as she pieces clues together. There are a few chapters told by a mystery person and we don’t find out who that is until the very end. It resulted in a nice little twist that I did not see coming.
I did not realize that this was book #2 in a series. I thought it stood well on it’s own. I liked the main character enough that I would be interested in reading future stories.
Thanks to Crown Publishing, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.
July 14, 2014
Until You're Mine by the same author was a terrific read of last year, so I knew that I would read the next book Before You Die pretty soonish. Did I enjoy it as much? It was close but not quite. Got off to a slow start so it took me a few days to really get going. That said, I read the last 60% of the book in a day! There's nothing particularly wrong with it, settings, characterisations, descriptiveness, all good. Some settings mentioned I knew, local area to me!! Always a thrill because it happens so rarely!! It just didn't have the same nerve tingling, goose bumping feel of the previous book. But still an enjoyable enough tale and one definitely worthy of your precious reading time.
Enjoy!
Thanks to the publishers, author and Netgalley for the ARC.
Enjoy!
Thanks to the publishers, author and Netgalley for the ARC.
January 29, 2015
Love Samantha Hayes and have read all she has written. She wrote as Sam Hayes and then seemed to change her formula slightly and wrote the brilliant Until you're mine as Samantha Hayes. If you haven't read that then you will probably think this is a great book. There is nothing wrong with it, good storyline featuring DI Lorraine Fisher, who has more of a personal involvement this time, with the usual twisty plotlines. But after Until you're mine I was expecting more and was slightly disappointed.
June 26, 2015
Este foi daqueles livros que foi prejudicado pela expectativa.
Adorei o anterior da autora e estava à espera de algo melhor.
O livro é agradável, lê-se bem. O final acabou por não me surpreender mas gostei.
Adorei o anterior da autora e estava à espera de algo melhor.
O livro é agradável, lê-se bem. O final acabou por não me surpreender mas gostei.
June 1, 2017
Muito bom!! Ficamos naquele 'é este o assassino' depois lemos mais um pouco 'ahh afinal é este'... por isso ficamos presos à estória.
Agora queria era mais uns livros da autora.
Agora queria era mais uns livros da autora.
September 11, 2017
4.5 stars
July 24, 2023
The book I read was called 'Before You Die'. I didn't realize it was part of a series but figured that was possible while reading the book. So when I looked for it in Goodreads I was shocked to find there was not even a cover included and the fact that it was a part of a series was not mentioned. Of course I found out within a short time that it was listed under a different title. Bit confusing.
Anyway, I actually liked this book. There were several layers of seemingly unconnected mysteries happening in this book and I like they way the author brought most of them together. The ending seemed a bit too dramatic for me and there were some unrealistic parts but all in all I enjoyed this book and finished it in less than one day!
Anyway, I actually liked this book. There were several layers of seemingly unconnected mysteries happening in this book and I like they way the author brought most of them together. The ending seemed a bit too dramatic for me and there were some unrealistic parts but all in all I enjoyed this book and finished it in less than one day!
March 10, 2015
A stolen motorbike, a crazy ride, her arms wrapped around him as they took the dangerous curves...and then the crash.
Our mysterious first person narrator opens the story of "What You Left Behind: A Novel." We meet her again at the very end, and learn her identity, but in the meantime, the story picks up after the opening lines, with DI Lorraine Fisher and her daughter Stella leaving Birmingham for a week in the country. Jo, Lorraine's sister, lives in Radcote with her teenaged son Freddie, and there have been some troubles.
A series of apparent suicides in the area have everyone on edge, especially the more recent ones. Suicide notes were found, but as soon as Lorraine realizes that the DI handling the cases there is her old colleague, Greg Burnley, who is known to be lazy with a tendency to cut corners, she finds herself wrapped up in the mysterious elements that don't add up, initiating some investigations on her own.
In a neighboring manor, Tony and Sonia Hawkeswell reside, and Sonia runs the homeless shelter, New Hope, where two of the recent decedents were living. Sonia's son Simon was also one of the recent apparent suicides.
Tony's autistic brother Gil lives near the Manor in a tack house and his odd behavior sends up red flags. But is he guilty of something? Or just keeping lots of secrets?
Why did someone steal a laptop from the shelter? Who is torturing Freddie with cruel texts? And is Frank evil, with his ominous presence, or is something more going on?
The story was riveting, and while there were many red herrings along the way, and although I thought I had everything figured out, there were stunning surprises that came at the very end. Including the identity of the mysterious narrator. There were also multiple narrators throughout the book, allowing the reader to feel the suspense as it mounted gradually, and as it intensified, I was literally holding my breath. Definitely another 5 star read from this author.
Our mysterious first person narrator opens the story of "What You Left Behind: A Novel." We meet her again at the very end, and learn her identity, but in the meantime, the story picks up after the opening lines, with DI Lorraine Fisher and her daughter Stella leaving Birmingham for a week in the country. Jo, Lorraine's sister, lives in Radcote with her teenaged son Freddie, and there have been some troubles.
A series of apparent suicides in the area have everyone on edge, especially the more recent ones. Suicide notes were found, but as soon as Lorraine realizes that the DI handling the cases there is her old colleague, Greg Burnley, who is known to be lazy with a tendency to cut corners, she finds herself wrapped up in the mysterious elements that don't add up, initiating some investigations on her own.
In a neighboring manor, Tony and Sonia Hawkeswell reside, and Sonia runs the homeless shelter, New Hope, where two of the recent decedents were living. Sonia's son Simon was also one of the recent apparent suicides.
Tony's autistic brother Gil lives near the Manor in a tack house and his odd behavior sends up red flags. But is he guilty of something? Or just keeping lots of secrets?
Why did someone steal a laptop from the shelter? Who is torturing Freddie with cruel texts? And is Frank evil, with his ominous presence, or is something more going on?
The story was riveting, and while there were many red herrings along the way, and although I thought I had everything figured out, there were stunning surprises that came at the very end. Including the identity of the mysterious narrator. There were also multiple narrators throughout the book, allowing the reader to feel the suspense as it mounted gradually, and as it intensified, I was literally holding my breath. Definitely another 5 star read from this author.
August 9, 2017
I really enjoyed the first book in this series "Until You're Mine", mainly because it was a clever thriller that had a great twist at the end, but also because I grew up in the Birmingham area (where the series is based). Lorraine's marriage to Adam was also very interesting and I was looking forward to seeing if/how they repaired their relationship.
However, I was bitterly disappointed with this book. The characters and relationships are one dimensional and do not ring true. If I hadn't read the first book I would never have known Adam and Lorraine had had any marital issues as everything is now perfect between them, even though this book was set not long after the ending of the first one. But, I could have looked over all of that if it wasn't for the ending.
The twists at the end of the book brought no surprises for me. I'd figure all that out way before hand. But the most annoying thing was the complete lack laster attempt to wrap up the lose ends. It seemed like Hayes was up against her deadline, so wrote the last few chapters in 5 minutes flat, there are just so many holes. And what's the deal with Frank? I honestly don't know how I read the same book as the people who have given this book anything more 2 stars.
Ms Hayes, you've shown you're a good writer, this book was beneath your standards.
However, I was bitterly disappointed with this book. The characters and relationships are one dimensional and do not ring true. If I hadn't read the first book I would never have known Adam and Lorraine had had any marital issues as everything is now perfect between them, even though this book was set not long after the ending of the first one. But, I could have looked over all of that if it wasn't for the ending.
The twists at the end of the book brought no surprises for me. I'd figure all that out way before hand. But the most annoying thing was the complete lack laster attempt to wrap up the lose ends. It seemed like Hayes was up against her deadline, so wrote the last few chapters in 5 minutes flat, there are just so many holes. And what's the deal with Frank? I honestly don't know how I read the same book as the people who have given this book anything more 2 stars.
Ms Hayes, you've shown you're a good writer, this book was beneath your standards.
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