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Penance
A grieving mother and daughter are both captivated by their charming young counsellor but Jed is too good to be true. Breaking the triangle of obsession and manipulation, Rosalie uncovers the truth about him and about her son's death.
368 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2016
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87 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 7, 2016
I wish a cover could get added for this book firstly!
A disturbing thriller of sexual obsession, dysfunction and heart-breaking secrets. Penance started off on a slow boil but I had no issues in being transfixed from the first chapter, sensing the book was really going to take me places and it most certainly did. This one is a bit of a surprise package, it turns a corner at a certain point in the book and it's just riveting reading beyond.
The story initially seems fairly simple yet emotional, but it's not long before some serious complexity is introduced and reveals that had my eyebrows raised and mouth hanging open, I did literally say "no way....!" I liked that the author was not afraid to cross some lines with this novel and it gave it a great edge.
'You know I did a terrible thing. What you cannot know is that there exists an extreme irony, in that, but for one unforgivable sin - far more terrible things might have transpired.'
The lives of Rosalie Douglas and her teenage daughter, Maddie, are changed forever when they meet Jed, a beautiful, charismatic young man at Bereavement Counselling. Inexplicably and self-destructively, Maddie holds herself accountable for her brother's drowning accident in Thailand.
Jed moves into their lives and their home. Calming the tensions between mother and daughter. He understands the twisted wilderness of grief. Lover and confidante to a besotted Maddie, gentle surrogate son to a grateful Rosalie - on the surface their lives are transformed. But underneath a deadly and morally corrupt triangle is taking shape...
Rosalie commits an unspeakable act which forces her to unravel the truth behind the beautiful stranger in their midst. The truth behind the death of her son. And the true extent of just how far she's prepared to go - to save what remains of her family.
Jed is by far the standout character in this novel. Wow - talk about a multi-faceted character, so cleverly changeable by the minute. I cannot forget Rosalie, I grew to like her then love her then admire her as this book rolled out, by the ending I was cheering but feeling disturbed at the same time. This book can leave you in a bit of a spin.
The lead up to the ending is fast paced and the actual ending itself I would not have predicted and loved the unique aspect of how it was delivered. Really entertaining reading and a book I was eager to get back to in order to know what the next turn in the road was.
This is a great read and it's 4 stars from me for Penance. I think it has a really wide appeal and a lot of readers will enjoy this one. Happy camper here.
Thanks so much to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review.
For more of my book reviews, plenty of awesome books to win, and author Q&A events come to: https://www.facebook.com/BookloverCat...
To follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/promotethatbook
A disturbing thriller of sexual obsession, dysfunction and heart-breaking secrets. Penance started off on a slow boil but I had no issues in being transfixed from the first chapter, sensing the book was really going to take me places and it most certainly did. This one is a bit of a surprise package, it turns a corner at a certain point in the book and it's just riveting reading beyond.
The story initially seems fairly simple yet emotional, but it's not long before some serious complexity is introduced and reveals that had my eyebrows raised and mouth hanging open, I did literally say "no way....!" I liked that the author was not afraid to cross some lines with this novel and it gave it a great edge.
'You know I did a terrible thing. What you cannot know is that there exists an extreme irony, in that, but for one unforgivable sin - far more terrible things might have transpired.'
The lives of Rosalie Douglas and her teenage daughter, Maddie, are changed forever when they meet Jed, a beautiful, charismatic young man at Bereavement Counselling. Inexplicably and self-destructively, Maddie holds herself accountable for her brother's drowning accident in Thailand.
Jed moves into their lives and their home. Calming the tensions between mother and daughter. He understands the twisted wilderness of grief. Lover and confidante to a besotted Maddie, gentle surrogate son to a grateful Rosalie - on the surface their lives are transformed. But underneath a deadly and morally corrupt triangle is taking shape...
Rosalie commits an unspeakable act which forces her to unravel the truth behind the beautiful stranger in their midst. The truth behind the death of her son. And the true extent of just how far she's prepared to go - to save what remains of her family.
Jed is by far the standout character in this novel. Wow - talk about a multi-faceted character, so cleverly changeable by the minute. I cannot forget Rosalie, I grew to like her then love her then admire her as this book rolled out, by the ending I was cheering but feeling disturbed at the same time. This book can leave you in a bit of a spin.
The lead up to the ending is fast paced and the actual ending itself I would not have predicted and loved the unique aspect of how it was delivered. Really entertaining reading and a book I was eager to get back to in order to know what the next turn in the road was.
This is a great read and it's 4 stars from me for Penance. I think it has a really wide appeal and a lot of readers will enjoy this one. Happy camper here.
Thanks so much to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review.
For more of my book reviews, plenty of awesome books to win, and author Q&A events come to: https://www.facebook.com/BookloverCat...
To follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/promotethatbook
March 1, 2016
I have to start by admitting that I thought I had read and enjoyed previous books by this author but it turns out I had read Kate Riordan and NOT Kate O'Riordan! Having played detective, it seems they are different people (but if I am mistaken then please feel free to correct me!!) But that didn't stop me really enjoying this taut, character driven, psychological thriller.
At the start of the book we meet Rosalie who is struggling with her emotions after a terrible accident in Thailand has claimed the life of her son Rob. Her husband Luke is also devastated and, although he and Rosalie have recently separated due to his affair, they come together as a family to support each other. Their daughter Maddie seems to have taken it much harder than expected and seems to inexplicably blame herself. When Rosalie and Maddie attend a grievance counselling group they meet the charismatic and strikingly attractive Jed, who is about to chance their lives forever.
This was a beautifully written book about a family's grief and the feelings of guilt that surrounded them, which they struggle to overcome. It is a slow burner to start with until Jed enters the picture and weaves himself into the family. We know that he is probably too good to be true but are never quite sure of his true intentions until much later in the book when the pace increases, the tension cranking up to an almost unbearable level. I totally empathised with Rosalie, her maternal instincts were true to life and I understood why she acted the way she did even though her extreme Catholic guilt seemed to cloud her judgment at times. I found Maddie to be a bit more complex, but the author found the perfect balance of bratty teenage girl who thinks she knows it all but who really just needs her mum to love and accept her no matter what. The theme of obsession played across many different levels of the storyline in the clever and, at times, emotional journey of a family looking for the truth.
A recommended 4* read for me and a new author discovered which is always a bonus!
Many thanks to netgalley and to Little Brown Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
At the start of the book we meet Rosalie who is struggling with her emotions after a terrible accident in Thailand has claimed the life of her son Rob. Her husband Luke is also devastated and, although he and Rosalie have recently separated due to his affair, they come together as a family to support each other. Their daughter Maddie seems to have taken it much harder than expected and seems to inexplicably blame herself. When Rosalie and Maddie attend a grievance counselling group they meet the charismatic and strikingly attractive Jed, who is about to chance their lives forever.
This was a beautifully written book about a family's grief and the feelings of guilt that surrounded them, which they struggle to overcome. It is a slow burner to start with until Jed enters the picture and weaves himself into the family. We know that he is probably too good to be true but are never quite sure of his true intentions until much later in the book when the pace increases, the tension cranking up to an almost unbearable level. I totally empathised with Rosalie, her maternal instincts were true to life and I understood why she acted the way she did even though her extreme Catholic guilt seemed to cloud her judgment at times. I found Maddie to be a bit more complex, but the author found the perfect balance of bratty teenage girl who thinks she knows it all but who really just needs her mum to love and accept her no matter what. The theme of obsession played across many different levels of the storyline in the clever and, at times, emotional journey of a family looking for the truth.
A recommended 4* read for me and a new author discovered which is always a bonus!
Many thanks to netgalley and to Little Brown Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
March 1, 2016
Rosalie and Luke are devastated at the loss of their son Rob whilst on holiday in Thailand. They are struggling to understand how an athlete and excellent swimmer could possibly drown on holiday. His fifteen year old sister Maddie says it was her fault - but Rosalie and Luke have no idea why. After she spins off the rails, they try to get over their feelings of guilt and grief by going to bereavement counseling, where they meet charismatic and handsome Jed.
Jed is a smooth talking angel-faced nineteen year old, mourning the loss of the grandmother who raised him after his parents were killed in a crash. He is almost instantly a part of the family, and it seems is dating Maddie with no time to spare. It's obvious from the start that there is something sinister going on - he really is too good to be true! Tension builds and emotions run high between Rosalie, Maddie and Jed - Luke is working away, and undergoing a trial separation from his wife.
I enjoyed the characters and thought the book was well written, but the plot was very predictable. I wasn't shocked by Rosalie's "unspeakable act" (no spoilers, that's in the blurb!) but I did enjoy the way the tension mounted and the secrets were revealed. I found the progression and ending a little predictable, but one of the final twists did manage to take me by surprise. I'm not sure that it lives up to the description of "profoundly disturbing", since I actually found it quite tame compared to many of the books I read (I was more shocked at a mother being okay with her fifteen year old daughter sleeping in the same bed as a nineteen year old she barely knows than the actual "secret"), but it was still an enjoyable page-turner that kept me enthralled. Penance realistically explored the theme of trying to hold together a family in the face of such profound emotional trauma, and how easy it can be to be deceived.
Jed is a smooth talking angel-faced nineteen year old, mourning the loss of the grandmother who raised him after his parents were killed in a crash. He is almost instantly a part of the family, and it seems is dating Maddie with no time to spare. It's obvious from the start that there is something sinister going on - he really is too good to be true! Tension builds and emotions run high between Rosalie, Maddie and Jed - Luke is working away, and undergoing a trial separation from his wife.
I enjoyed the characters and thought the book was well written, but the plot was very predictable. I wasn't shocked by Rosalie's "unspeakable act" (no spoilers, that's in the blurb!) but I did enjoy the way the tension mounted and the secrets were revealed. I found the progression and ending a little predictable, but one of the final twists did manage to take me by surprise. I'm not sure that it lives up to the description of "profoundly disturbing", since I actually found it quite tame compared to many of the books I read (I was more shocked at a mother being okay with her fifteen year old daughter sleeping in the same bed as a nineteen year old she barely knows than the actual "secret"), but it was still an enjoyable page-turner that kept me enthralled. Penance realistically explored the theme of trying to hold together a family in the face of such profound emotional trauma, and how easy it can be to be deceived.
May 24, 2025
Que ce livre soit qualifié de roman policier est une insulte au genre. Aucune enquête, pas banale comme premier point! Un thriller de piètre qualité à la limite, et encore. Une trame narrative terriblement faible, des personnages idiots comme pas possibles, le tout parsemé de romance invraisemblable à droite et à gauche. Je ne le recommande pas.
April 24, 2024
realised at about the second pseudo-incest moment that this is NOT penance by eliza clark💀💀 2.25/5 stars i liked the catholicism
February 27, 2017
Ô misère, cette lecture ! Quelle rouerie, quelle efficacité, quelle angoisse ! Attention, le roman se dote d'un spécimen remarquable en matière de pervers narcissique redoutable.
OUILLE.
OUILLE.
February 7, 2017
Cela faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas lu un thriller et c'est le premier livre que je lis de Kate O'Riordan : pas décue !
January 22, 2019
Bonjour les lecteurs .....
Oui mais ... non
Premier livre que je lis de Kate O' Riordan, il parait que ce n'est pas son meilleur... quelque part, cela me rassure!!!
Une famille londonienne s'apprête fêter Noël quand elle apprend que leur fils s'est noyé lors d'un voyage en Thaïlande.
Sous le choc, la famille doit en plus affronter l'attitude de plus en plus étrange de leur fille Maddie qui oscille entre remords et dépression.
Lors d'une thérapie de groupe, ils vont rencontrer Jed.
Jed est beau, parvient à sortir Maddie du carcan dans lequel elle s'est enfermée depuis la disparition de son frère, Jed est charmeur ( un peu trop) ....
La vie semble reprendre ... Mais il se révèle que Jed est un manipulateur de génie ....Comment se sortir de ses griffe et la famille connaîtra-t-elle enfin la vérité au sujet de la disparition de leur fils!
Voilà, le ton est donné. Même si le livre se révèle être un "page turner", je ne suis pas parvenue à me passionner pour cette histoire beaucoup trop prévisible.
Pas la moindre petite once d'empathie pour cette famille dans la tourmente.
L'écriture est certes plaisante mais les ficelles déployées lors de la narration sont grosses, ce ne sont plus des ficelles mais des lianes ! ( sans parler de la fin rocambolesque, si ce n'est bâclée et légèrement ridicule )
Dommage car à la lecture de la 4° de couverture, l'histoire aurait pu être plaisante.
Bref ... un livre qui va continuer sa vie en livre voyageur ...en lui souhaitant de trouver un lecteur plus passionné que moi .
Oui mais ... non
Premier livre que je lis de Kate O' Riordan, il parait que ce n'est pas son meilleur... quelque part, cela me rassure!!!
Une famille londonienne s'apprête fêter Noël quand elle apprend que leur fils s'est noyé lors d'un voyage en Thaïlande.
Sous le choc, la famille doit en plus affronter l'attitude de plus en plus étrange de leur fille Maddie qui oscille entre remords et dépression.
Lors d'une thérapie de groupe, ils vont rencontrer Jed.
Jed est beau, parvient à sortir Maddie du carcan dans lequel elle s'est enfermée depuis la disparition de son frère, Jed est charmeur ( un peu trop) ....
La vie semble reprendre ... Mais il se révèle que Jed est un manipulateur de génie ....Comment se sortir de ses griffe et la famille connaîtra-t-elle enfin la vérité au sujet de la disparition de leur fils!
Voilà, le ton est donné. Même si le livre se révèle être un "page turner", je ne suis pas parvenue à me passionner pour cette histoire beaucoup trop prévisible.
Pas la moindre petite once d'empathie pour cette famille dans la tourmente.
L'écriture est certes plaisante mais les ficelles déployées lors de la narration sont grosses, ce ne sont plus des ficelles mais des lianes ! ( sans parler de la fin rocambolesque, si ce n'est bâclée et légèrement ridicule )
Dommage car à la lecture de la 4° de couverture, l'histoire aurait pu être plaisante.
Bref ... un livre qui va continuer sa vie en livre voyageur ...en lui souhaitant de trouver un lecteur plus passionné que moi .
December 5, 2017
L'intrigue, le sujet auraient pu fonctionner. Mais je n'ai pas aimé l'écriture (à moins que ce ne soit la traduction): des phrases toutes faites, des descriptions et des expressions ajoutées juste pour remplir des pages... lecture difficile. Dommage.
September 10, 2017
Un thriller intéressant, avec de grosses ficelles, qui se lit sans difficultés mais sans passion. Bref pas mal, sans plus.
January 24, 2019
I got this for 5 pounds as a blind date with a book and I'm glad I did. It took me some time to warm up to it, but the ending was a trip. A hidden gem of a thriller.
August 16, 2018
Review to follow.
April 8, 2016
This is my first read by Kate O Riordan.
I have read books by Kate Riordan who is a different author and to be honest I did not see anything special in them. Please do not confuse the two authors.
I picked this one up having seen it advertised plus I saw it in Waterstones so thought I would give it a go and glad I did as it turned out to be an excellent read.
Rosalie is a prime character. She is a mother who has recently lost her teenage son who is reported to have drown in Thailand. As she is an older mature woman I feel she should have more insight than she displays but she is portrayed in a human way and gains empathy with her choices. She has a staunch Catholic faith which sustains her as well as her friendship with her priest Father Tom. The reader sees the pain and turmoil the death of her son causes her personally as well as her family in general.
The story moves at a reasonable pace yet the information is delivered sparingly to the reader. Maddie’s story feels true to life and my interest was held as her story was eventually revealed. Her relationship with Jed was fascinating as was the discovery of his story. Rosalie’s 'unspeakable act’ is easy to guess with tension towards the conclusion ramped right up. I would not describe any of it as ‘profoundly disturbing’ but interesting it was. I thought the ending finished it off nicely. I would recommend it.
I have read books by Kate Riordan who is a different author and to be honest I did not see anything special in them. Please do not confuse the two authors.
I picked this one up having seen it advertised plus I saw it in Waterstones so thought I would give it a go and glad I did as it turned out to be an excellent read.
Rosalie is a prime character. She is a mother who has recently lost her teenage son who is reported to have drown in Thailand. As she is an older mature woman I feel she should have more insight than she displays but she is portrayed in a human way and gains empathy with her choices. She has a staunch Catholic faith which sustains her as well as her friendship with her priest Father Tom. The reader sees the pain and turmoil the death of her son causes her personally as well as her family in general.
The story moves at a reasonable pace yet the information is delivered sparingly to the reader. Maddie’s story feels true to life and my interest was held as her story was eventually revealed. Her relationship with Jed was fascinating as was the discovery of his story. Rosalie’s 'unspeakable act’ is easy to guess with tension towards the conclusion ramped right up. I would not describe any of it as ‘profoundly disturbing’ but interesting it was. I thought the ending finished it off nicely. I would recommend it.
March 6, 2016
Oh my god. What a wonderful book. I could not put it down
May 20, 2016
Un livre pasolinien
June 4, 2016
4.5 Really, really good
January 3, 2017
L'histoire est prenante si l'on accepte quelques incohérences qui sont à la base du basculement de l'intrigue.
Read
July 27, 2018The pacing was slow, none of the characters were particularly likeable, and the writing style didn't engage me. This was a DNF for me.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews