The Dark Side of the Book Club: A tale of friendship and revenge in Middle England

by Felicity Radcliffe

One of the women in the Oak Welby Book Club has sinned and must be punished – but which one?The women in the book club are attractive, intelligent and popular. Seen from the outside, their lives and families appear almost perfect. Yet unknown to them, one member of their group is hiding a dark secret from her past. When an enigmatic and troubled stranger moves into the village of Oak Welby and joins the close-knit book club, little do its members suspect that their comfortable lives are about to be thrown into disarray – and one of them is eventually going to be exposed…Join Emily, Gemma, Lucy and the rest of the club on their roller coaster year. Experience life in Middle England, with its Prosecco and its SUVs. Have fun with the book club, then watch the mood darken as the year progresses and someone finally gets her revenge…Remember that things in Middle England are not always what they seem, so look out for the surprises along the way, and of course the twist!

Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2019

About the author

Felicity Radcliffe is the author of the Grand Union series. She divides her time between a small English village, where she lives with her husband and dog, and a narrowboat on England's beautiful canal network, which forms the backdrop to her novels.

Here's what Felicity has to say about the Grand Union series:

"It comprises three novels: Union Clues, Broken Lock and Grand Stand. Whilst boating features prominently, I did not want to write traditional canal-based novels, where the protagonists travel from A to B and have a bunch of adventures along the way. I have tried to do something genuinely different and, judging by the reviews, many readers really appreciate that.

At the heart of the series lies a very unusual crime, which sets off a train of events that gains momentum with each book. I can't say anything more without giving away the plot, but I'm confident you won't have encountered a crime like this in any other novel. However, the books themselves are not crime novels per se. They are about friendship, guilt, revenge, courage, deceit, despair, love, loyalty and - above all - self-discovery.

Over to you - I hope you enjoy the Grand Union series and I look forward to receiving your feedback."

Reviews

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was Book Club Secret Santa and was an ideal read given my state of health i.e. easy, requiring no concentration. It does smack of being first novel and it is somewhat trite but I admire the author donating all proceeds to Cancer charities.

[Georgia Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5 actually. The first thing I should say about The Dark Side of the Book Club is that all its royalties are going to Cancer Research which is a fantastic thing to do. Now onto the review. I really liked the premise of this book, it’s based on the twelve-month meeting cycle of a book club, and it seems that a real book club has had a part in bringing this project together, which is a nice touch.

Set in what feels like a relatively affluent area of England the characters are mostly well-off, such are the descriptions of their houses and lifestyles. The fictitious book club is made up of a group of lively women who quaff vast quantities of prosecco while nibbling on the delicious canapés, and other delights, served to them by the host of each months’ book club meeting. They even get to have a weekend away with one host which sounded wonderful, as well as take part in the hectic social whirl of the village, outside of the book club, but inside the pub, which really bring the community together.

But, all is not as it seems because deep in the heart of one of the members lies a plot for revenge. While we know there is something afoot we don’t get to see any of the planning so experience the results at the same time as the other book club members. I felt this didn’t quite have the impact that was wanted by the plotter as everyone was terribly decent about it all. However, there’s a little twist right at the end that certainly ruffles more than a few feathers in this cosy story.

[Lesley Keddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chick lit - I liked the idea of the book being based on the annual cycle of a book club who meet every month. I got very bored with the repetitive references to Prosecco - aka fizz, lady petrol etc. Now I know that ladies when they get together do like to enjoy a glass of wine or two but the author depicted her book club as alcoholics! It was perfectly readable though and you didn't have to work your brain

[Marie Christie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rubbish.
As bad as the title and blurb suggest.

[Gina Claridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great easy read for a first time writer.
Makes you want to move to that village and be part of a close community.
Would make a fantastic tv series!
Will be certainly getting her next book.

[Andrew Lye · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadful book

Full of one dimensional characters and endless cliches but I have given it one star for the final page. Great ending.

[Miss NA · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Easy Going Relatable Read

An easy going relatable read. Enjoyable and heart warming in terms of the friendship between all the woman in the book. A twist in the tale that you won’t expect!