Una morte silenziosa

by Debbie Howells

Noah non ha mai dimenticato April, il suo primo amore. Quando, molti anni dopo, scopre che è sospettata di un omicidio, non dubita neanche un istante della sua innocenza. Ma April è in rianimazione, non può difendersi e tutte le prove sono contro di lei. Noah desidera disperatamente aiutarla, anche a costo di riaprire vecchie ferite e affrontare una volta per tutte la fine della loro relazione. Quello che non può immaginare è che April abbia sempre nascosto dei segreti. Era innamorata di lui e non aveva intenzione di ferirlo, ma qualcosa – o qualcuno – ha reso impossibile la loro felicità. Ella è una bambina trascurata dai genitori che ha come sola confidente la sua psicologa. Non sa di essere a conoscenza di un indizio che potrebbe aiutare a chiarire la posizione di April. Ma chi mai darebbe credito a una ragazzina?  Quando delle rivelazioni scioccanti tornano a galla, ecco che la verità sembra ovvia. O almeno così tutti vogliono credere…

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2016

About the author

Debbie self-published three women's fiction novels before writing The Bones of You, her first psychological thriller. It was a Sunday Times bestseller and selected for the Richard and Judy book club.
Since, she was written The Beauty of the End, The Death of Her, Her Sister's Lie, the e-book bestseller The Vow, and her latest, The Secret.
Her women's fiction novel, The Life You Left Behind will be published on 23rd February.

Follow her on Facebook at Debbie Howells writer and on Instagram @_debbiehowells.

Reviews

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 1 out of 5]

Noah Calaway first sees the "goddess" of his dreams when he is in high school.


His parents recently 'moved on up' in the world and he is the new kid at a ritzy school. In she walks. April. The goddess.
She doesn't really know he exists. But he makes that change. He must get her attention. April misses lots of school and is sorta spacey when she is there, but stupid Noah doesn't realize or honestly even seem to care. He just must have her.


This may go sorta SPOILERY so be warned:
Noah is all grown up after NOT getting April. He gets a call from his old sorta friend Will and he tells him that April is charged with a murder and that she tried to kill herself and may not make it either. Noah runs to the town that she is at. He keeps mumbling around about being her lawyer (This guy is the dumbest shit ever-I totally could NOT buy that he was a lawyer must less a semi-successful author)..he never really does figure out if he is her lawyer though or just still a dang stalker.
You get flash-backs from Noah through-out the book. Some of it's the past and some is the present day. You then realize that at some point and time-April and Noah were engaged to get married. I think the poor girl just finally said yes to get him to leave her the heck alone.


That's not the only viewpoint though. There is a young girl named Ella that is thrown into the story too. Not very smoothly either...but at this point of the book I didn't really care anyways.

Marriage bells don't ring for Noah and April because one morning she gives him a chilling look (I kid you not) and tells him she can't marry him and leaves. She doesn't deserve him.


She won't take his calls so he just gets drunk. He gets drunk a lot. I have no clue why we are supposed to feel sorry for this stupid Noah character. HE IS A Freaking idiot. He is the only person in April's whole life that doesn't know what is going on with her MULTIPLE TIMES..but he is the one she was going to marry. And of course, he loves her more than anyone else ever could.


I hated this book. I hated the characters. I hated the points of view. I hated the freaking ending. ARghhhh. (I've read 84 books so far this year and this is the 3rd one star..that is NOT bad for me so back your butt off if you feel the trolly need.)

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.


Since I hated this sucker so bad I'm going to highlight a positive review for the book...Chelsea's review is here ..take that! You hater shits that say I just love to bash a book.

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received my digital copy on Netgalley via wish granted from Kensington in exchange for a fair and honest review- many thanks!

I have heard of Debbie Howells previous work but have not personally read any previous to this one. The Beauty of the End impressed me wildly! Ms. Howells clearly is talented in constructing a complex tale with an interweaving timeline of the past and present, with only 1 narrator. The summary does a good job describing the plot overall but, to not raise any spoilers, I was a little confused on the relation between Noah's story and Ella's story.

Hardly any of the characters were likable and I had a hard time feeling for all of them except for Ella. Also, this is a book where you are only allowed revelations when the author chooses to dole them out. If non-empathetic characters (but very well developed) are not your thing, you probably won't enjoy this. Also, if you are the type who enjoys solving a mystery while reading a book because all the pieces/clues were laid out early in the book, you just had to find them, you probably won't enjoy this either. Otherwise, this was an awesome read that truly sucked me in. I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. I think the only aspect that kept me from giving this one 5 stars was that, for me as a reader, I felt it was a tiny bit formulaic. I had almost all of the twists figured out before they were revealed. However, the writing was so great and the few twists I didn't see coming really made up for that. Definitely recommended and will be checking out more of the author's books!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first by Debbie Howells, though I've been seeing her books pop up on my newsfeed for the last couple of years. I figured I'd start with the last one to come out.

The story follows Noah, an ex-lawyer, as he is drawn back into the life of his ex-love April who left him at the altar sixteen years prior. A call from an old friend informs him of April being accused of murder and then trying to kill herself. Noah truly believes April couldn't have murdered anyone. So much so that he travels to April's hometown in search of evidence to clear her name.

Another storyline is thrown in involving Ella, a young girl trying to deal with her family. It is unclear where this storyline connects with the rest of the book until you get closer to the end. This sort of threw me off a bit, but I kept with it.

The different timelines is intriguing at first until it seems to really mess with the pacing. Pretty much every character in the novel is unlikable.

I fear it does a disservice to Howell comparing her writing to Gillian Flynn. Yes, Flynn is one of my all-time favorite authors. My issue is it's veering into the whole compare every psychological thriller to Gone Girl, every YA dystopian to The Hunger Games, etc. It doesn't do any good when the only thing the authors actually have in common is the genre they are writing.

Despite any issues I had, I did enjoy this overall.

I won this through goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE BEAUTY Of The End, a psychological mystery is the second novel I have read by author Debbie Howells, after having loved “The Bones of You”. I was so happy to be granted my wish to read THE BEAUTY OF THE END.

The story is about a man placed into the middle of a murder investigation, forced to come to terms with the secrets of his ex-lover's past. This is a novel of first love, of lies, secrets and betrayal.

"I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess. . ."

Noah Calaway, an ex-lawyer living in England is bothered by the memory of the young woman, April, who left him at the altar sixteen years earlier. Noah Calaway gets a call from an old friend that he hasn't heard from in a long time. Apparently Noah's old girlfriend April has killed a man and now lies in a coma after trying to kill herself. But Noah, believes that she is innocent and travels to where she lives to find out the truth.

“While Noah searches for evidence that will clear April's name, a teenager named Ella begins to sift through the secrets of her own painful family history. The same age as April was when Noah first met her, Ella harbors a revelation that could be the key to solving the murder. As the two stories converge, there are shocking consequences when at last, the truth emerges.”


I was a little confused between the relationship between Noah's story and Ella's story, based on the overlapping timeline of the past and present. The novel is written in first person narrative by Noah Calaway. I found it was difficult to like any of the characters. Each character was flawed, which made for interesting reading. “The beauty of the end” makes for an enjoyable easy read. The ending was very satisfying with no cliff hangers.

So, is April guilty or not? You will have to read the book to find out.

Many thanks to Kensington Books Via Net Galley for the ARC and granting my wish.

[Magdalena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first chapter of this book a couple of months ago and found it interesting; Noah Calaway gets a call from an old friend that he hasn't heard from in a long time. Apparently Noah's old girlfriend April has killed a man and then tried to kill herself. He believes that she is innocent and travels to where she lives to find out the truth.

I can say that the idea of the book sounded interesting, unfortunately, the idea did not live up to my expectations. I felt that I got a bit of a wrong start with the book, the different timelines, we have the present one and the one where Noah was a teenager. And, suddenly Ella showed up in the story. Bear in mind, I started to read this book without reading the blurb, so I was a bit confused about it and that is totally my fault. That's the problem with ebook, you don't have a backside to read and if you don't look up the book can things like this happens. Anyway, I read the blurb and that cleared things up.

Still, the story just didn't thrill me, it never felt suspenseful in any way and the twists never gave me a wow feeling. The story never got my pulse racing. Well, it did when I was annoyed with stuff, like when police officer Ryder started to suspect Noah. And, I got the feeling that they did it right from the start, despite the fact that Noah hadn't seen April for fifteen years, and he has had no contact with her if you don't count the calls she made to him the murder day that he never got and there is absolutely no evidence at the murder scene to tie him to it. That bothered me, I mean if they had found his fingerprint or blood on the scene would I have bought the fact that they suspected him, but now some far-fetched motive that he felt the need for revenge and kill someone fifteen years later? Come one!

And, the secrets April kept from Noah. Yes, I can understand that she would have a hard time reveal everything to him back when they were together. But, Noah was so incredibly naive that I wanted to hit him over the head so many times during my reading to get him to see the real April. He worshiped her since he was a child and he just couldn't see the true April and that meant that she never dared tell him the truth about herself and everything that she had been through. I mean his best friend Will and April's best friend Bea knew the truth, but Noah just saw a flawless goddess.

One the plus side, it was easy to read the book. I read most of the book during on sitting. The story was interesting enough to want me to finish the book and get the truth and the last part of the book worked better for me than the first 2/3.

I've seen a lot of reviews of Goodreads that give the book high rating so the book works for some. I guess I'm the odd one out in this case...

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 A quick read but just meh for me. Seriously I could poke holes in the believability of this one a mile long, but I won't. Just not seem to be buying these thrillers lately and this one and the back and forth timeline made me dizzy. Not my cup of tea, shall we say and leave it at that.

[Namita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by Debbie Howells and it blew me away. This is a great psychological suspense novel that I finished in one day.

Noah Calaway is an ex-lawyer turned writing who gets a disturbing phone call from his estranged school friend Will that his ex-fiancée Alice Moon has been accused of a brutal murder and is in coma after trying to kill herself. Noah decides to defend Alice as he cannot believe that she is capable of such an heinous crime even though her betrayal still hurts him. Meanwhile we are also introduced to 15 year old Ella who is dealing through a family situation herself. The two stories though confusing converge beautifully in the end as Ella holds an important key to solving the heinous murder.

Debbie Howells has a beautiful way with words and she has woven a complex story-line with great well developed though most of the times unlikable characters. The different timeline is interesting and the pace though slow at the start picks up real fast. A definite must read and will go back to read other books written by Debbie Howells

Many thanks to Kensington Books & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells is a 2016 Kensington publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


This story is simply spellbinding, mesmerizing, and had me hooked right from the start.

When Noah Calaway gets a phone call from an old ‘friend’, letting him know his long lost love has been accused of murder and is in the hospital after a suicide attempt, Noah, a former attorney turned author, is conflicted in regards to taking on April’s criminal case, should she ever make it to trial.

But, with his feelings, which bordered on unhealthy obsession, for April going all the way back to his childhood, it’s a pull he simply can’t resist. This decision will dislodge so many poignant memories and pull the wool from Noah’s eyes about who April really is, and has been all along. But, is she really guilty of murder?

Before becoming a freelance reviewer, I was pretty easy to please, and could relate to the sleep deprived, so riveted by a book they couldn’t bear to put it down, and I completely understood when someone said they never wanted a book to end. Now, I’m a lot more jaded and usually have no problem switching off the lamp in the middle of a good book, and it’s become extremely rare for me to run across a book I wish were longer. But, for reasons I can’t exactly explain, this book so captured by attention I found myself wanting to slow down in order to make it last, but was unable to stop myself from reading as fast as I could.

I have to say I am thrilled to see the psychological thriller sub-genre becoming so popular again. (Although, I do wish publishers would back off of describing every one of them as the next "Gone Girl")

I’ve always loved this type of mystery because it rarely relies upon car chases or explosions, but instead pulls the reader into a web of suspense with intelligence and cleverness, that holds me stock still, from beginning to end. I love a good mind game and this book certainly gave my brain and emotions a nice workout.

The old saying about love being blind is a theme I kept coming back to while reading this book, because poor Noah was so instantly smitten with April, he couldn’t see her as anything but his goddess. But, April wasn’t the only thing Noah has turned a blind eye to over the years, as he is about to learn the hard way.

Noah tells the story from his first person perspective, giving us a little insight into his own personal demons, his slow realizations that his mind has blocked out or simply rewritten events, that are now revealing themselves to be much different than he remembers them. As Noah begins to delve into April’s life leading up to the murder she’s accused of, his long buried memories float to the surface and he begins to connect the dots he never did before.

I loved the pacing of this story, which is fast, but even, and fleshed out. The atmosphere is edgy and thick with foreboding, and suspense, filling me with dread, as Noah begins to unearth one diabolical manipulation after another, and dark, gut wrenching revelations that leave him feeling sick, repulsed, shocked, and sad, but also determined to clear April’s name and see justice done.

I don’t know if I could say I liked the characters, even Noah. But, I did feel empathy for him at times, while at other times, I marveled at his gullibility and his ability to so completely deceive himself, as well as his blind trust in April, Will and their extended group of friends. All the characters here, are flawed, some more than others, and I’m not sure how I felt about the extreme measures taken to expose some heinous crimes, which left me feeling angry, sad, a little confused by the actions,or in some cases, lack of response, from some people. The villain here is one of the most sinister I’ve encountered in a long while, which left me wondering if whatever judgment is passed, would ever be enough.

Still, at the end of the day, I was left with a sense of peace knowing that an ugly truth was exposed, and those whose lives were affected most, are now free from the damaged and dangerous atmosphere that has haunted them for far too long.

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 5 out of 5]

This authors other book The Bones of You was one of my all time favorites so when I was contacted to see if I would like to read her latest novel I certainly didn't hesitate one iota.

Just like her other book kept me up all night, so did this one. I blame this author for dark bags under my eyes.

The plot, the twist, the misguided routes I went down was endless, but worth my travel.
She writes with such beguile that I cannot fault her penmanship.

Noah....
April is a murder??

NO NO NO

So he goes down the road to prove that she is innocent.

Doing so, this only forces Noah's hand to confront the part he has played in April's life.

This is an awesome read.

I really didn't want this to end, I wanted to keep the excitement going on and on but for the climax to be revealed.

*I would like to thank Kensington Books Via Net Galley for my early copy to read and review*

[Larry H · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess. Goddesses have that effect, even on teenagers such as I was. Being plump or uncool has no bearing on the ability to fall in love—and my fate was sealed."

Noah Calaway remembers the minute he laid eyes on April Moon. (Even her name intoxicated him.) Even though she barely acknowledged his existence, and he had little if any hope of ever catching her eye, he knew he wanted April. She was mysterious, beautiful, quirky—and even rumored to be a bit of a witch, as she and two of her friends would meet on top of a hill and allegedly cast spells and do other magic. April was everything that studious Noah dreamed of.

Years pass, and April has moved in and out of Noah's life a number of times, in each instance affecting him tremendously. One time they were even engaged to be married when she canceled the wedding the day before it was to happen, leaving him with barely any explanation. Even though it has been some time since the two had been in touch, he is utterly shocked to receive a call from his former best friend Will, who tells Noah that April is accused of murdering a man, and following the incident took a drug overdose and now is in a comatose state from which she isn't expected to recover. While Noah remembers April was a very troubled young woman (and that trouble continued into adulthood), he is unable to reconcile the accusations leveled against April with the woman he knew.

A former lawyer who became a writer specializing in criminal psychology, Noah travels to the town where April lived, ostensibly to find out more information about what happened. He thinks he may represent April should criminal charges be filed against her, but more than anything, he wants to see this woman who meant so much to him, wants to understand all of the things she kept hidden from him. Yet the more he uncovers, he realizes that there are far more complicated—and apparently dangerous—issues at play here, which may have harmed April, and may even have followed her throughout her life.

The Beauty of the End juxtaposes Noah's investigation into what might have happened to April with the story of their relationship through the years, and all of the many instances in which April loved him yet pushed him away. The story isn't told in a linear fashion, so at times it was difficult to figure out at which point in time the story was occurring (despite the dates at the top of those chapters), but the story of their relationship was really compelling.

I definitely liked the story of Noah and April more than the mystery elements of the book. While there were a few more twists and turns than I expected (when I thought I figured out what happened—and I called part of it very quickly—I was frustrated, so I was glad to see Debbie Howells had a few more tricks up her sleeve), I felt that was more routine than the rest of the book.

As I've said before, I tend to be a little cynical when I read mysteries, so I would think those who don't read a lot of them will enjoy this even more than I did. I think Howells did a great job setting the story and ratcheting up the suspense, and although a few of the characters didn't transcend stereotypes, several characters were really fascinating, including April, of course. This is as much a lament on lost love as it is a mystery, so it has some depth to it.

NetGalley and Kensington provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an invitation to read the first chapters of 2 new books being released in 2016, in exchange for a short review.

The first is from author Simona Ahrnstedt, titled All In. This is my first encounter with Ahrnstedt 's work, and while a chapter is hardly enough time to feel connected to a story, I can say this book has started out with a bang! With a lead male sharing traits reminiscent of Christian Grey and the lead female sounding like Lucky Santangelo, (from the Jackie Collins series) this has all the right ingredients for a sizzling read.

The second book I was able to get a sneak-peek into was from author Debbie Howells, titled The Beauty of the End . I had the pleasure of reviewing Howells debut novel The Bones of You which I loved.
Her latest novel once again shows great promise with a storyline that already has me wanting to know more! An ex-attorney with a lost love from his past has surfaced in the most intriguing way...I can see that his quiet life as he knows it now is about to take a drastic turn.
This is definitely going to be a must read this summer!

Merged review:

3.75 stars

At times I really loved this, and at others I wanted to toss it out the window...

I think this book has a bit of an identity crisis, not quite knowing if it should labeled a thriller, a chick-lit story, or none of the above.

My take? I would stamp this as a low key mystery trying hard to be a thriller, but not quite making it.

I still found this whole chaotic mess intriguing though. While I agree with others that it was hard to like any of the characters, I found that their flaws were what allowed this story to even exist. Jealousy, manipulation, selfishness, naivety, lies and deceptions...each character had some kind of baggage. Maybe this is why I liked it as much as I did- this book made me feel so much better about my life and the people I surround myself with!

While the writing was a bit jarring at times-at one point a new character and story is introduced and I was completely thrown by it. It was so random and out of the blue, not even given it's own chapter-but there is a haunting quality to Howells writing that I enjoyed in her previous work. And I liked how the end showed enlightenment in someone who really needed to be hit of the head with a frying pan to get their **it together.

It's a quick read with many layers. Some seem to love it or hate it, but I'm glad I read it and recommend that you do to. I'm still a big fan, and look forward to more from this author.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah Calaway opens this story with: "I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess..." That teen-aged event has colored virtually every moment of his life since and is the driving force of the psychological mystery that is The Beauty of the End. One day he receives a phone call drawing him back into the life of that "goddess," long lost to him, and into a murder mystery and the land of distant memory where not everything is as we think we remember it. April, the woman he has always loved, is in a coma and is accused of murdering a man. Noah is a writer but has practiced law in the past. How far will he submerge himself in April's life before he potentially loses himself?

As the novel shifts time between the present and Noah's life in the past with April (and without her), there is also a separate narrative stream from a young teen named Ella who is trying to deal with her family, her parents. We hear her voice and wonder about her place as questions niggle in the back of the our reader's mind.

After being slightly distracted by the seemingly disjointed plot, multiple characters and the fluctuating emotional tone in the early part of the novel, as well as the skipping around in time to tell this story, I began to find it really coming together at perhaps the 40% point. Then the book took me tightly in its grasp...I really wanted to know what/how/who/why...and I read steadily to the end.

There are twists and turns a plenty in this novel, some not expected at all. There was an interesting ending...memory can be a deceiver, even in providing those pictures of good times. Who is good? Who is not? True good and evil are usually something slightly more in between...as Noah slowly discovers.

Recommended

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately although it showed a lot of promise, I was a bit underwhelmed by this one.

Noah receives a phone call from old friend Will, informing him that Noah's ex fiance April is in hospital, in a coma, and is under suspicion of killing a man and then attempting suicide. Unable to believe his ex lover could do anything like what she is accused of, Noah makes the trip to his old home town. Secrets begin to surface and he begins to realise he never really knew April like he thought he did.

The story gradually starts to come together step after step like any good psychological thriller, however it was just a little too frustrating for me.

Generally unreliable characters can work really well, but in this one I found them extremely frustrating! Why wouldn't they just tell him what the hell was going on!?? And Noah. What an idiot. I couldn't warm to his character at all. The things he did, his naivety and decisions he made annoyed me every step of the way.

I understand he was love-struck, but I just couldn't warm to his intentions or the fact that he was totally oblivious to so much that was going on throughout the book.

The book skipped back and forth in time to when Noah, April and Will were teenagers in high school, to a few years later, to even later, and then the present. It jumped around a little bit too much for my liking, however I didn't have an issue with it the majority of the time.

The twists and turns were just way too unbelievable, yet I could obviously tell where the plot was going.

However, it was well written, and did keep me captivated until the end, despite my frustrations. I enjoyed it enough to happily finish it.

Would I recommend The Beauty of the End?
If you like lots of secrets and quite a bit of frustration, good and bad in your psychological thrillers, then give this one a go.

Thanks to the publisher and author via netgalley for a copy of The Beauty of the End in exchange for my honest review.

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[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars

Thrillers are not really my genre, so this may appeal to others more than it did to me,

The main characters never seem as though they are fully developed characters, or people. As a result, for me, I never felt fully involved in the story. It was a quick and easy read, enjoyable, the story managed to keep my attention, and the writing was good.

Noah is a writer, formerly a lawyer. He left his law firm after getting a client off, only to have all doubt removed that the man was guilty. Now that guilt is Noah’s to live with.

A good amount of this story is the back-story of his love for April Moon, his first crush, his first love. His other childhood sidekick Will, figures into the story, as well. All three lives come back together as an ugly twist in April’s life calls Noah back to fend for April.

Then there’s Ella, a young girl, a separate narrative about her unhappiness with her life, and her parents, and some bit of truth she’s discovered. It seems rather disconnected for most of the book, but the connection to Noah is disclosed as the story comes closer to the end.

Pub Date: 26 July 2016

Many thanks to Kensington Books, NetGalley and to the author Debbie Howells for providing me with an advanced copy.

[Meredith (Trying to catch up!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slowly building mystery in which all is not what it seems.

When former attorney, Noah Calaway, receives news that his first love, April Moon, is accused of murder and has od'd he rushes to her defense. The narrative, told primarily from Noah's POV, alternates between the 1980's when he first meets April, the 1990's when their relationship develops, and 2016.

Noah is completely blinded by love. However, holes begin to appear in his story and the reader will come to question his reliability. The mystery isn't so much about April and the crimes that she might have committed, but rather about Noah's version of reality.

I received an ARC of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah Calaway has left his law career behind four years ago to hide away in a secluded English cottage he has inherited from his aunt, ostensibly to write novels. He receives an unexpected phone call from Will Farrington, an old school friend, letting him know that April Moon, Noah's former fiancee, is in hospital after a drug overdose and may be accused of murdering her abusive step-father if she survives. Will Noah come and act as her lawyer?

Noah is torn. It was love at first sight for him when he was a naive fourteen-year-old and saw April on his first day at a new school; he thought she was a goddess with her beautiful long red hair. But Noah has been the victim of lots of heartache at her hands over the years--does he really want to see her again after all this time and perhaps subject himself to more? And is he still a good enough lawyer to be of help to her if she needs it?

Putting his doubts aside, Noah arrives at the hospital and learns that April is in a coma. He starts digging into her current life to see if he can find clues that will prove her innocence. But he finds he must also confront the mysteries of their shared past and try to understand what really happened. Here the author utilizes flashbacks to peel back the layers one by one. Noah finds he has misunderstood so many things, that he was clueless and only saw what he wanted to see. And he now recognizes he has an enemy, a master manipulator, who might be setting him up to look guilty of the murder himself.

A separate side story which ends most chapters is told by Ella, a young girl who is seeing a therapist and has a big secret she can't decide whether to share. At first, the reader wonders who this is and what she brings to the story but eventually it all begins to become clear and the secret will have life-changing consequences.

I thought this was an absorbing mystery, told at a nice pace, with interesting, flawed characters. The twisted truth is a bit heart-wrenching when it is finally revealed in the last chapters but makes for a satisfying conclusion. I recommend adding this to your summer reading list!

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy.

[Bill Kupersmith · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are things that seem to work better in some literary genres than in others, & revisiting a past relationship that didn’t work out seems to be one of them. Great in romantic fictions such as Jane Austen’s Persuasion or Jojo Moyes’s The Last Letter from Your Lover. But in crime fiction, I’ve been disappointed: Peter Swanson’s The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, Mark Edwards’ Because She Loves Me, & David Bell’s Somebody I Used to Know, all tanked. Perhaps it’s that the bereft lover has to play such an unappealing role, passively waiting for the beloved’s return steadfastly but without hope. (Granted, Captain Wentworth was anything but passive facing a French - or American - frigate captain, but as a wooer of Anne he hangs back till the very end.)

In The Beauty of the End Debbie Howells could give the narrator Noah Callaway a personal soundtrack: ‘Have You Heard about the Lonesome Loser?’ His parents (& the author) graced him with an awfully wet name for a hero (even he jokes bitterly about it) & it fits him - one of those unfortunates who go through life with his own little raincloud over his head. (His surname is also redolent of ‘callow’.) He allows himself to be repeatedly jerked around by April, the the object of his obsession, by Will, his BestFrenemy, & by Detective Sergeant Ryder (@ one point the author forgets his rank & promotes him to Detective Inspector tho’ he subsequently reverts). Noah even allows himself to be bullied by his landlady @ the BnB, even tho’ he is supposed to be both a lawyer & a moderately successful crime-fiction writer. (We are told that he abandoned practice @ the criminal defence bar stricken by remorse when a client he successfully defended proceeded to reoffend. Surely even the most junior defence barrister - not to mention detective story writer - knows that 9/10 of the defendants actually did it - the reason for defence is to make the Crown prove it.) You would think a trained barrister, not to mention crime fiction writer, would know how to stand up to an overbearing cop, not to mention a landlady.

Not only did April’s giving Noah the el dumpo nearly @ the altar break his heart; it also ruined the storybook wedding he was planning: he was ‘imagining a country house wedding with April in a beautiful dress & all our friends crowded around us. “We should check out some venues,” [he] told her. “Places get booked up.”’ Had I not requested this book from NetGalley, it would have hit the DNF pile here. The groom makes the wedding plans? Most us guys’ notion of wedding planning is going online @ Expedia to book two tickets to Vegas!

As the story unfolds the improbabilities multiply. April has apparently ODed & is in the ICU & Noah believes that one of the doctors is sneaking in & altering her medications to kill her - this doctor supposedly being a distinguished paediatric surgeon & having the nurses so in awe of him that they don’t question anything he does, even tho’ he is not April’s attending physician or qualified to be assigned to such a unit. There is no chance @ all of anything like that happening in any real ICU, where the nursing staff closely supervise & administer all medications - that’s why it’s an ICU. Not only do the nurses constantly monitor the pt’s medications & condition, but they review them daily as a team. There’s no way a consultant in another speciality - such as paediatric surgery - could simply walk in & start administering something other than what the pt’s proper doctor ordered.

We are also supposed to believe that April practised as a grief therapist for bereaved mothers of newborns, tho’ we are not told how she acquired her qualifications, but after so many other unlikelihoods, why complain? Finally Noah uncovers the very much expected villain and the villain’s very much improbable plot. Oh, & there’s also another occasional narrator who talks in italics & we finally find out what she’s doing in the story. At the end, Noah finds a new role: it’s not as a wedding planner.

In future I’ll not request advanced review copies of NetGalley except when I’ve already read & liked books by that author. But tho’ I am grateful to NetGalley & to Kensington Books for this ARC, I thought the only thing beautiful about the end of this book was actually reaching the end.

[Dorie - Cats&Books :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely the best thriller that I have read in many, many months. Finally a true psychological thriller with mind bending secrets and a villain who is a true sociopath, someone with no moral compass and complete disregard for others. I was looking for a definition of a narcissistic sociopath and it sounded just like Will. I’m quoting just a few lines from the website “healthyplace.com” that I thought were very eye opening: You can skip them if you’re not interested.

A narcissistic sociopath has “A driven quest for power. If a narcissistic sociopath cares about anything other than himself, it is destructive power and control over people.

Behaviors that seek love and admiration.. A narcissistic sociopath sees love and admiration as power tools to manipulate and dominate

No apologies, no guilt, no remorse under any circumstance. A sociopathic narcissist believes that she/he is a gift to the world who makes it richer and more colorful.

Wholly self-serving. The needs and wants of others are insignificant and undeserving of consideration.”

The novel is written in first person narrative by Noah Calaway. Initially Noah gets a call from an old “friend” letting him know that his long lost love is in the hospital, in critical condition and is accused of murder. Trained as a lawyer, Noah had been leading a quiet life writing books and is moderately successful. He had left the law firm he was with after an incident that Noah feels guilty about.

As soon as Noah is in town he starts to delve into the mystery of who killed who and why. His feelings for April are still almost obsessive and it clouds his ability, at first, to untangle what is going on. He still believe that his old friends, including Will, are being honest with him in describing April and what has gone on.

Noah is determined to clear April’s name and is able to get to April’s home before the police do and undercover some incriminating evidence of one of his friends. A diabolical plan involving which babies are chosen for life saving operations and how they are chosen. He also gets to know April as the adult that she became and her work as a counselor with grieving mothers.

In addition to Noah’s story we are drawn to Ella who is writing a separate narrative about her life, her unhappiness and a truth that she has just unearthed. It isn’t until the last one third of the book that we see the connection of her story to Noah.

I think the plotting and writing was brilliant and the pacing was quick. It is an emotional rollercoaster of a ride that had me thinking about my first love and how it felt to be that young and infatuated with someone. A must read with great secrets and the rush of a thriller.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this one.

Somebody said Debbie Howells paints with words and in the case of The Beauty of the End she definitely did that – it was intense and gorgeous and whilst on the surface it is a psychological thriller with a mystery element and all that jazz the underneath of it is something very different. The story of a life. And a death. And all the stuff inbetween. About how memory rewrites history and truth can rewrite memory. There is a haunting sense of loss running throughout the narrative that just digs right into your reading soul.

Noah loved April but never really saw her. He himself is an enigmatic character, who in coming to know the real April while trying to help her, comes to know himself. I loved how Debbie Howells added layer upon layer to each of the characters you meet within the novel – playing around with time and those memories, taking you back and forth through the events in their lives, showing one interpretation then turning it all on its head as facts and realities emerge into the light.

I was particularly drawn to Ella whose story is compelling even if in brief – possibly the key to everything, she flits in and out of the tale, always there in the background, telling her story, trying to work out her own place in the world as we too try to work out where she might fit into the wider picture.

Gloriously plotted and absolutely beautifully written, one of those novels where small parts of the prose make you shiver and give a real emotional pull – it is at turns surprising, delightful but for me incredibly sad througout. I did cry at the end of this one – for all the loss and all the rest, the title says it all really.

Evocative and full of sense and feeling The Beauty of the End comes highly recommended from me.

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. I remember that I really wanted to see how things would work out for the characters. So much so that I had a hard time putting it down. The whole time I was reading, I was also thinking about how nothing in the story really rang true to me. In the end, it was rather disappointing.

I read this book several weeks before I actually had a chance to sit down and write my review. I hate to say it but I remembered very little of the book at first. It was really that forgettable. After reading over the summary and checking my notes, I did recall the story but I am still amazed that I was able to completely wipe the plot from my mind in just a few days.

I didn't really care for any of the characters in the story which is a pretty big problem for me. In most cases, I really need to like at least one character in a book in order to connect with the story. I didn't understand Noah. It didn't make sense to me how he was able to always think so highly of April. Nobody is as perfect as he felt April was. April was probably the closest to be likable but we never got to hear her voice and she also made little sense to me. I wasn't even sure who Ella was or why I should care about her portions of the book.

I thought the plot was incredibly far fetched. The story jumped back and forth in time which took away from the flow of the story at times. There were also random sections of the book that came from Ella's point of view that did not appear to be linked to the main plot in way. I just really had a hard time believing that otherwise intelligent individuals could be as clueless as everyone seemed to be in this story.

On a more positive note, I found the book to be easy to read. I found that sections of the book were rather exciting and I did want to see how everything would work out. I was hoping for a big finish based on the title but felt that the ending fell flat. It was a book that I had no trouble getting through but I found myself thinking about all of the problems in the story more than the actual mystery.

I can't recommend this book to others. I think that there are too many great options out there for anyone looking for a great mystery thriller. This was the first book by Debbie Howells that I have read and I would be willing to give her work another try in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
I am not really sure what I think right now. It had some problems but I found it hard to put down.

[Dannii Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review on NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Debbie Howells, and the publisher, Kensington, for this opportunity.

There are so many interwoven layers in this fast-paced thriller that it was impossible not to get lost in this story of love, loss and revenge. The narrative alternated between time periods and perspectives to ultimately provide the reader with the full story from multiple angles. The story intrigued me and the writing was sublime. My only negative was that I solved the mystery at just over the half-way point of the novel. I found the character creation, in some respects, to clue the reader in on who the 'bad guy' really was far before the grand reveal. I still ended up enjoying the story and the plot was well thought out and multifaceted but, for me, it was missing some of the shock factor I had anticipated.

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a first chapter sample only of this book which is due to be published in July of 2016.

After only one chapter, Debbie Howells has reeled me in. I was enamoured by her first book, The Bones of You, and The Beauty of The End would seem to be every bit as absorbing and intriguing. Her writing flows seamlessly, her ideas are intriguing.

Noah Calway, ex-lawyer, armchair criminal psychologist, is living an aimless existence in an inherited cottage deep in the English countryside. He is haunted by the memory of the woman who left him at the alter sixteen years earlier.

Then one day he receives a phone call telling him that the woman he once loved was in a coma, apparently after trying to take her own life.

And that she is suspected of murder.

This will definitely be going on my Read Sooner Than Later List.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me 10 days to read this book, and some of that was skimming. I was really drawn to the premise, but just could not get into it! Slow moving, lacked suspense. There were a couple of twists that piqued my interest, but overall I can't say I liked it. Noah was so naive - was he really a lawyer? Never understood the obsession with his goddess, April. I enjoyed Debbie Howells' previous novel, The Bones of You, but unfortunately this one didn't work for me. It happens!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah Calaway didn't quite know what to think when he gets a troubling phone call concerning his ex, April. April had always been the one that got away for Noah and now she lies in a coma, the victim of an apparent overdose. But not only is April in the hospital but she's suspected of killing a man before trying to take her own life.

Noah can't believe that April would have anything to do with murder so Noah decides that even though he gave up practicing law he needs to do whatever he can to try to clear her name even if that means taking the case himself. While Noah searches for evidence to clear April a teenager named Ella begins to sift through the secrets of her own painful family history and just may be able to shed light on what happened.

When I saw that Debbie Howells had another book out I just knew that I had to read it. I absolutely loved The Bones of You when I read it last year so I was quite looking forward to this one. The Beauty of the End is told by alternating back and forth between what is going on in the current and flashing back to the relationship between Noah and April over the years with their rocky on again off again past.

With this book I found that for me it got off to a rather slow start building up the characters and letting the reader know how their relationship had formed and what had happened. I did enjoy the depth given to them in the end but I was dying to get to finding out what had happened in the present but it took a lot of build up to get that story line going.

Once the books started to flow for me I did find that I completely became engaged in the story just as I had suspected I would. Once the layers of the story started coming together it turns into an intense, twisty ride that will keep one guessing to the ending.

Overall, a slow starter for me but definitely went out with a bang when finished uncovering the lies and secrets through all the twists and turns.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah, a lawyer-turned-writer, is contacted by a former school friend, Will, who informs him that April, a girl they've known since their school days and whom Noah has been obsessed with ever since is the suspect in a murder case but is herself in a critical condition in hospital.

It took me a little while to get into this, but as it progressed, it got better and better.
It is mainly told from Noah's first-person perspective, which switches between 1989, the 1990s and the present time, and is interjected with italicized passages from Ella's point of view. Ella is a troubled teenager seeing a therapist. Initially a bit confusing, as the author feeds the reader tiny breadcrumbs of information, the story gradually starts to take shape and it became quite interesting to work out the link between Noah's and Ella's story and how the other characters fitted in.
It's the kind of story that is more enjoyable if you don't think too hard about the plausibility of certain aspects of it. I'm still not sure whether Noah was in total denial about large parts of his life or whether he was just the most unsuspecting, completely unaware person ever.
I really don't want to mention the content too much for fear of really spoiling it for anybody who hasn't read this, so this is all going to sound very vague. There were several aspects of this story that I found incredibly sad.
I felt the ending was dragged out a little, as some of the details were repeated but from different perspectives. Overall, though, I really enjoyed it, as it was very engaging and the characters with all their flaws were fascinating, but most of all, it definitely packed an emotional punch.
Thanks to Kensington Books who provided me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a complex, multilayered thriller, moving back and forth in time to piece together a mystery that started many years before.

Noah Calaway, the narrator of this novel, has left his career as a lawyer to live in the country and write crime novels. In his youth he was once in love with a beautiful woman, April Moon, but she had secrets she wouldn't share with him and in the end she ran away from the relationship. Noah has never really recovered and still holds a torch for the beautiful April. So when he gets a call from an old school friend, Dr Will Farrington to tell him April is suspected of murder and is in a coma after taking an overdose, he races to be by her side. Gradually he begins to piece together April's life and secrets and to find the chilling reasons behind why she's in her current situation.

This is an intriguing, suspenseful mystery. It takes a while to get to the whys and wherefores of the murder and April's attempted suicide but it's all more twisted than you could have imagined. Inserted into Noah's story are sections narrated by someone called Ella which appear to be quite distinct from the main plot but they will suprisingly merge together by the end of the book. This is an ambitious novel that worked well for me, keeping me engaged and wanting to see the mystery solved.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Kensington Books for a digital copy to read and review

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is beyond me how this fantastic author Debbie Howells is a florist. Debbie Howells can most certainly make a huge career being a crime writer with no problem. The Bones of You her first crime novel is a page turner and The Beauty of the End is utterly unputdownable. Every word, every sentence, every chapter and character grabbed my full attention. I was hooked from the first page right up until the very last word. About The Beauty of the End. Noah got A levels reading law and was going to marry April, but April let Noah down as she decided not to marry him. Years later Noah was to defend his old girl friend April who killed someone and then tried to kill herself and was on life support. In the dead man's car April's glove and her phone was found. The question is was April Rousseau a killer or has she been framed. I would highly recommend both books by Debbie Howells The Bones of You and The Beauty of the End. I can't wait for florist/author Debbie Howells to publish another crime novel.
I would like to point out that panmacmillan do not send out paperback/hardback books unless you have 1000 followers on your website.

[Karen R · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess.”

What a good story. Ex-lawyer Noah Calaway’s estranged friend Will calls him out of the blue to let him know that Noah’s ex-fiance April has been accused of a brutal murder and lies in a coma, having attempted to kill herself. Noah’s old emotions are reignited; the betrayals of Will and the woman Noah planned to spend the rest of his life with bubble up to the surface. His reawakened feelings draw him into the murder investigation, appointing himself April’s lawyer to prove her innocence. Noah is a protagonist that I sunk my teeth into; the compelling dynamics and suspenseful escalation of things propelled this novel onto my favorites list of 2016. I read it in two days.

Disintegration of relationships is framed up in alternate chapters with the present story, as is a narrative by a girl named Ella, providing insightful background to understand driving forces of the present. The stories ultimately come together in a first-rate page-turner.

[Judy Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Debbie Howells returns following The Bones of You with a complex dark tale--a slow burning psychological domestic suspense connecting past and present.

Noah receives a call from an old friend---Noah’s old girlfriend April Moon (The Goddess) supposedly killed a man. Her stepfather. The police are looking for witnesses. She cannot be guilty. She is unconscious. Suicide attempt?

If April is a murder suspect, she needs a lawyer. He will help.

From 1989, to 2016 there are memories of a girl, Noah’s first love, now defenseless—desperately needing a voice to speak for her. Someone who believes in her. A girl who left him before a wedding with no explanation. A guy who has never gotten over his love. .

Noah Calaway, an ex-lawyer (now an author). Now, that April is in a coma and a possible suicide attempt, he is assured she is innocent. He dreamed (obsessed) they would live the rest of their lives together until she broke it off.

Readers are also introduced to a teen, Ella with her own past. She is the same page as April when Noah first met her and she could be the key to solving the murder. Who is the real April? Can a goddess fall from grace?

Has Noel turned a blind eye? A lost love. Ghost of the past. Haunting. Evil. Blackmail. Torture. Fear. Suffering. Dysfunction. Then there is Will.

“We were butterflies. Some of you fly, the rest of us get our wings ripped off. My wings had gone before I knew you. And I’m not sure wingless butterflies have anywhere to go.”

The author slowly unravels the dark sad emotional mystery. With flawed damaged characters all the way around, a disturbing tale, from murder, rape, abuse, and unspeakable crimes. Emotionally complex—would not classify as a thriller, more of a domestic psychological mystery suspense.

JDCMustReadBooks

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, the summer always brings a craving for mysteries and thrillers. There’s something about these hot days that demands only the most exciting stories. Having missed The Bones of You, Debbie Howells’ praised psychological thriller, I decided to start with her newest release and work my way backwards if I happen to enjoy it. Although she’s often compared to Gillian Flynn and other famous mystery writers, Howells’ prose lacks the strength of books like Gone Girl. Despite its promising premise, The Beauty of the End is a colorless, uninspiring book that fails to grab attention or bring forth any real emotions.

The story is told from two seemingly unrelated points of view. Noah carries most of the narrative, but there are occasional interludes during which we follow a young girl named Ella. In addition, Noah’s story constantly jumps back and forth in time, from his early school days, to his days in college, to current events. Noah thoughts, and therefore his narration, are focused on one thing only – his childhood sweetheart and the only girl he’s ever loved, April. When he gets news that April is in a coma and that she’s accused of murdering her stepfather, Noah abandons the life he’s built and runs to her rescue, despite not seeing her for 16 years.

For a former lawyer and a crime writer, Noah is unbelievably clueless. His whole life he worshiped his idea of April, a girl that never really existed, while the actual person remained a mystery to him. There were so many things he should have read correctly, so many truths he should have seen. Watching him stumble about, being the very last person to know everything, was painful and not a little bit frustrating.

I imagine the story was meant to be complex and extremely suspenseful, but it lacked any real urgency. I wouldn’t call this story a thriller at all. If anything, it’s a tragedy of two people that were never meant to be. I had issues with the villain, too, seeing as he was both cartoonish and painfully obvious from the start.

The Beauty of the End is for those who enjoy dramas and tragedies, introspective stories with no HEA guaranteed.