Lady Beth

by Caroline E. Farrell

Beth has been keeping secrets from her beloved son, refusing to tell him who his father is. When an unforeseen tragedy takes him from her, she is compelled to face the demons she has been running from all these years. She has come full circle, and with nothing left now but her memories and her knowing, the need for revenge scratches inside her veins. Lady Beth is an urban thriller.

Genres: Irish Literature, Crime

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 9, 2017

About the author

Praise for LADY BETH

>>ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARDS Prize Winner 2019 | 1st Runner-Up in Crime/Mystery Category<<

>>WINNER! CAP AWARD 2017 (BEST NOVEL) <<

"A very worthy winner of the C.A.P. Novel Award 2017, LADY BETH by Caroline E Farrell is a thrilling journey into a dangerous world fueled with tension and high stakes. It delivers exceptional characters and terrific prose within a page-turning unrelenting story that digs deep into the underbelly of our capital city." Louise Phillips

“The book has something—drive, pace, a feeling for the Dublin city centre drug scene and the welfare class milieu—and particularly a really well-judged scale. The number of players, the speed of the plot and the extent to which they interact with each other have a satisfying correctness to them.” Books Ireland.

"Lady Beth is a perfectly paced page-turner of a novel which keeps the tension taut at all times. The darker side of Dublin city is perfectly judged, with well-rounded characters filling out the scenes around the titular Beth. Beth herself is a fantastic character moving seamlessly from unassuming office worker to avenging mother with an impressive lack of melodrama. Caroline has a filmic eye and the book swirls with a wonderful noir atmosphere as Beth digs deep into her past in order to build herself a future." 746 Books

"The writing here is sparse, powerful, and the novel's greatest strength. Every page has a memorable line." The Booklife Prize, 2017

Caroline is a writer and filmmaker from Dublin, Ireland. Author of LADY BETH, Caroline has also written several award winning screenplays, including her short films, ADAM (2013) and IN RIBBONS (2015). She is the writer and director of FRAMED, winner of The Underground Cinema Film Festival Best Short Horror Film 2019.

Reviews

[Margaret Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read this genre usually. But I have to say that Lady Beth exceeded my expectations. The subject matter was tough, the consequences of abuse and drug use were clearly wrought, explicit and disturbing, but always underpinned with a great compassion for the characters. The writing was well paced, tightly rendered and poetic. The characters and their voices were real and true. As a reader I was moved by their plight, sickened by their degradation and dehumanization - and angered by the evil that callously twists vulnerable young lives for profit and power. All whilst being a genuine and suspense filled page turner.

[Orla McAlinden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short, powerful book came to my attention because it won the CAP award for independent published novels. It's hard to know how to choose independent or self-published books, some are fabulous, some are weak and in need of editing. So I think the CAP award is a great idea and really helpful to readers and authors alike.
I wasn't disappointed at all. This is a highly engaging book, gripping, I read it right through from cover to cover without a pause, it took about three hours and was well worth it. it's vivid and stark and some of the scenes are gut-wrenching (for this empath, anyway) as the innocent and guilty all get swept up in the horror of the Dublin drug scene, which I thought was very well depicted in its casual brutality. we need to stop and think about how young people are groomed into lives of criminality, and this book certainly makes you think.
Highly recommended

[Fiona Ashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated first by the eye-catching cover of the book ‘Lady Beth’. As a huge fan of Noir, the imagery immediately drew me into that style. The story lived up to expectations. It’s a thrilling journey into a dangerous world. The story is fuelled by tension and high stakes. I became immersed in the desperate lives of fascinating characters who are all plagued by inner traumas. The book delivers multiple hard-hitting surprises, resulting in a powerful ending. A truly compelling read!

[Brigid Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth tragically loses her teenage son Jesse, and feels compelled to search for the truth behind his death. Seeking revenge, she journeys through increasingly dangerous situations in the seedy underworld of Dublin's drug culture.
Although the plot is quite horrifying at times, I felt compassion for many of Lady Beth's complex cast of characters.
It is a well crafted, thought provoking and gritty crime thriller.

[Niall Queenan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story moves at breath-taking pace, which is something considering the bleak and hard-hitting content, set in a world of drugs, criminality and hopelessness - a testament to the skill and craft of the author. Dublin is painted in a grim and grainy light, but one that feels entirely familiar and realistic - cinematic even at times. The characters are all simply but evenly drawn and each of their histories, wants and desires come across with little effort on the page. What exists between the first and last pages are the memories and myths of a time and place that most likely exists right now, not only in Dublin but in any city in the world, however, Beth has all the complexities, aptitudes and flaws of, and feels like, a very real person. I expect that her journey will live long in the memory, not just for this reader, but for those who discover her story and dare to follow her down the very dark path she walks. The most refreshing aspect is the author's ability to leap forward in time between chapters without feeling the need to fill in all of the details or explain every single thing that happens. As such, there are moments in the book that hit hard and land unexpected emotional gut punches, where characters invested in suddenly are in dire straits and in some cases end up on the morgue slab. The author's confidence in her writing speaks for itself and this brave approach to the story really pays off, and allows the reader to fill in the blank space between the various parts of the story - a most rewarding experience. I very much look forward to reading more from Caroline E Farrell - innate talent is evident between the first and last pages of this book, as are the long hours of honing and refining a craft that will only go from strength to strength. Highly recommend.

[Dai Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as a 'Giveaway' and am happy to give this honest review.

A very gritty, low-life, drug ridden tale. Nicely twisted, well written and conveys the sub culture and darkness of life situations that fortunately most of us never get to see, even second hand. Severely harming, self harming strands with victims, sadness and despondency. A slice of life that it is right to bring to the attention of all of us who have little, if any, awareness. Nothing much in the way of heart-lifting here but it shows a pitiful, shameful, disgusting degradation that no-one should be turning a blind eye to. Powerful, affecting story which leaves a churning in the stomach and a questioning feeling - is enough being done in society to avoid fates like these. Definitely a should-read book

[Damo Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished reading lady Beth by Caroline E Farrell, and this is the first time I’ve ever thought to leave a review but I just had to …form reading the first chapter to the very last line I was hooked I didn’t want to put it down or for it to end .it just pulled me in more and more to think a woman could come through such hard times and then have that happen to her and her strength to get through the other side .. walking around our city of Dublin I see so many of the lost souls from this book and find myself thinking ..( whats their story ) .
I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to friends to read…

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caroline Farrell's novel is a thrilling, edge-of-your seat urban thriller, in the best possible noir style. I really enjoyed how Dublin's underworld peopled by criminals and addicts is filtered through a complex female protagonist's point of view. Beth is a wonderful creation: she is not what she seems and the interweaving of her highly traumatic past with her grieving present is skillfully interwoven. The language is rich, layered and gothic in style. This is a book that has stayed with me weeks later and it is no surprise that it won the Carousel Aware award. It would make a shockingly good film, and I hope to see Lady Beth on screen some day. A great read. Highly recommended.

[D.J. Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm marking this as 4.5 and rounding up. The only reason I marked it down .5 is because the story has different POVs. It worked in the end, but it took some getting used to. The author has a talent with 'straight-forward' descriptive writing, the Irish way. Characters were realistic and you either loved or hated them.

This is a story about a struggling mother's love for her son, who is being led astray by the criminal underground. You can only imagine what can happen. I LOVED the twist near the end, the realisiation as to who everyone was.

I highly recommend this thriller and will be reading the other works by this talented author.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fact paced and hard thriller. It is full of twists and wrong turns but it has strong and inclusive characters that you soon care about and need to know what happens to them in the story. I hope that the author has more tales to tell

[Lissa Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty warts-and-all crime thriller, a real page-turner. Plenty of twists and an array of well-drawn characters you care about, propelling you forward to the end.The heroine is a fiercely protective single mother who loses her son to drug addiction and can either cave in completely or seek revenge. Past demons add to her torment. You feel her pain as she hovers on the brink of that agonising choice, the interesting cast of characters around her ready to help in whatever direction she takes. A departure from the usual books I read and well worth it, the author has used an interesting and unusual narrative technique that really adds to the suspense and mystery.

[Jackie Mcgee · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh wow what a great read thrilling with lots of surprising twists. She was a single mum who has lost her only son to drugs and now she is facing the demons xxx exellent read

[Jane Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I thought I wasn't going to like it - at the time I thought the swear count on the first page was unnecessarily high, not realising that it wasn't there just to remind me of the urban setting, but to get the character of Jesse fixed firmly in my mind. I'm glad it didn't put me off and stop me from reading, though, as in fact I could hardly put the book down once I got past the start.
Very gritty, very earthy, and a grim picture of a side of Dublin that as a tourist I have never been aware of. A disturbing picture of drugs culture and sexual behaviour with a plot that is in places moving and in places slightly confusing but always gripping.

[Don Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on donjimmyreviews.wordpress.com

As the blurb describes, "Lady Beth" is an urban thriller. Set in Dublin and surrounding it's seedy underbelly of drugs and other criminal enterprise this book tells the story of Beth, her secrets, and her need for revenge.
This book is quite short (my paperback copy clocks in at 165 pages) but it packs a mighty punch. This book is fast paced and the opening sections of the book gripped me straight away, not letting up until the very last page. Not for the faint of heart this book deals with the harsh consequences of drug use, sexual exploitation and more, without shying away from the details.
I found the entire cast of characters fascinating, and was truly rooting for Beth all the way through.
A truly powerful read. I very much recommend it.

[Margaret Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Review to follow...

[Bob Gillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Beth is a dark story. Truly dark. Set in urban Dublin. A mother’s loss – her son, her ghost son. The soulless world of drugs. The violence of abusers. The desperate search for resolution. A black world out of control.
But a story of redemption as well.
Beth is a wonderful, strong character. Full of both darkness and light.
This is an excellent read. Caroline Farrell shares an insightful, truth-filled voice.

[Fiona Cooke Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a trip into the seedy, dark underbelly of Dublin. A world not witnessed by the ordinary citizens in their busy day-to-day lives. It's a life that Beth knew intimately, a world she tried so hard to leave behind. Struggling to live a normal existence as a single mother, her world revolves around work and her teenage son. But tragedy forces her back to that world and she must face the demons of her past as she seeks vengence for what has torn her family apart. Gritty, exciting and fast-paced read.