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Tell Me My Name
Ellie and Neil Patterson are eager to enjoy some quality time at their new cottage. It’s the first time in ten years they’ve been alone...or are they?When a friendly encounter leads to their violent kidnapping, they awaken to a living nightmare. Insisting he is Ellie’s soulmate, the stranger gives her three chances to say his name. If she guesses wrong, it’s Neil who will suffer the consequences. This propels Ellie into a desperate trip down memory lane to dredge up the dubious men of her past.Only after discovering the man's true identity and sacrificing her own safety to save Neil does Ellie finally learn the everything she thinks she knows about her husband and their decade-long love story is a lie.
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First published October 3, 2020
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About the author
Erin Ruddy
1 book93 followersErin Ruddy is a Toronto-based journalist and debut author. As the daughter of a movie critic, Erin spent most of her childhood in movie theaters, developing a deep affinity for the thriller genre. "Tell Me My Name" is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews
December 1, 2020
Tell Me My Name by Erin Ruddy is a first novel for this author. However, Ruddy has nailed the thriller genre and I was hooked from the first sentence. Ellie and Neil Patterson have been married for ten years and have taken some together time at their new cottage. Before long both have been kidnapped by someone who claims to be from Ellie’s past and he threatens to torture Neil if she does not remember his name. She nervously goes back into her past to identify this stranger and save her husband. What ensues is a desperate search for Ellie who is taken away by the kidnapper after leaving her husband for dead. There is so much tension throughout, leading to an ending that most will not come close to guessing. This is a mesmerizing thriller that hits the ground running and does not relent. It is hoped that Erin Ruddy will be writing more thrillers in the future. Highly recommended. Thank you to Dundurn Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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December 17, 2019LTS
A while back I saw a post on another site by a book buddy. They were explaining their rating system & how they’d finally reached a place where they didn’t feel guilty about not finishing a book. But instead of using DNF, they elected to go with LTS….Life’s Too Short. So I’m going to shamelessly steal their idea & apply here.
When I decide to put a book down, it’s rarely due to poor writing skills. Instead, It’s like walking past a shop window & seeing a sweater that catches my eye. Everything about it screams “Pick Me!” so I dash inside & try it on. Then I look more closely. Hmmm….something’s not quite right. Maybe it’s the material, maybe it’s me. But clearly we’re not meant for each other.
That sums up my experience with this book. I had problems connecting with any of the characters & that hindered my ability to suspend my disbelief far enough to accept some of their actions & truly be gripped by the story. When I got to the 60% mark, I found my mind wandering to all the books waiting for me in my massive TBR pile & decided my buddy had it right. Life’s too short to not be fully engaged by what I’m reading.
So it all comes down to a simple mismatch between reader & book. But just like with the sweater in the window, I know there are others out there that will find it a perfect fit.
A while back I saw a post on another site by a book buddy. They were explaining their rating system & how they’d finally reached a place where they didn’t feel guilty about not finishing a book. But instead of using DNF, they elected to go with LTS….Life’s Too Short. So I’m going to shamelessly steal their idea & apply here.
When I decide to put a book down, it’s rarely due to poor writing skills. Instead, It’s like walking past a shop window & seeing a sweater that catches my eye. Everything about it screams “Pick Me!” so I dash inside & try it on. Then I look more closely. Hmmm….something’s not quite right. Maybe it’s the material, maybe it’s me. But clearly we’re not meant for each other.
That sums up my experience with this book. I had problems connecting with any of the characters & that hindered my ability to suspend my disbelief far enough to accept some of their actions & truly be gripped by the story. When I got to the 60% mark, I found my mind wandering to all the books waiting for me in my massive TBR pile & decided my buddy had it right. Life’s too short to not be fully engaged by what I’m reading.
So it all comes down to a simple mismatch between reader & book. But just like with the sweater in the window, I know there are others out there that will find it a perfect fit.
October 3, 2020
Um...that was a bit of a hot mess! Ellie Patterson and her husband Neil are enjoying some child free time in their new cottage when they are catapulted into a nightmare. The handsome stranger from next door turns into a monster who kidnaps them and insists Ellie is his soulmate. All she has to do is say his name and they can be together. She gets three guesses, if she gets it wrong he will cut bits off Neil. After a few pointless trips down memory lane, looking at random creeps Ellie has encountered, she does guess his name (phew) but that is only the start of the nightmare! And this is where the story fell down and started to go off the rails.
The villain, a middle aged man with serious ‘mommy issues’ comes across as a cartoonish caricature. There was no subtlety. How he ever held down a job with that temper is beyond me. The police came across as cheesy. But Neil - he drove me nuts! He was like the energiser bunny running around, getting in everyone’s way despite being too injured to leave hospital. I pictured him as some bandage-wrapped Egyptian mummy horror movie figure stumbling around trying to save the wife he cheated on. And then - we just had to go there - a big secret from Neil’s past that just happens to relate to Ellie’s family... No, it was too much!
While I can’t recommend this book I did keep reading to see how it ended. I think if the author writes another book and just tones it down a bit it will end up much better. Thanks to Netgalley, Dundurn Press and Erin Ruddy for providing this review copy. My opinions are my own.
The villain, a middle aged man with serious ‘mommy issues’ comes across as a cartoonish caricature. There was no subtlety. How he ever held down a job with that temper is beyond me. The police came across as cheesy. But Neil - he drove me nuts! He was like the energiser bunny running around, getting in everyone’s way despite being too injured to leave hospital. I pictured him as some bandage-wrapped Egyptian mummy horror movie figure stumbling around trying to save the wife he cheated on. And then - we just had to go there - a big secret from Neil’s past that just happens to relate to Ellie’s family... No, it was too much!
While I can’t recommend this book I did keep reading to see how it ended. I think if the author writes another book and just tones it down a bit it will end up much better. Thanks to Netgalley, Dundurn Press and Erin Ruddy for providing this review copy. My opinions are my own.
October 15, 2020
While I do feel the twist at the end salvaged this book somewhat, there were so many other issues that it was hard to take anything seriously.
First, can we talk about Clive? He was a caricature of an abused child, but at age fifty. Everything about him came across as cartoonish instead of sympathetic. I couldn't even feel any hatred for him, despite his vile acts, because it was like reading about Wile E. Coyote, or some equivalent.
Second, let's take a look at Laura, the lead detective. What the hell was up with that "Toodle-oo," business? A cop would NEVER talk like that to suspects/victims/criminals. Every time she said it, I felt a little further removed from the story. And police procedural be damned. It's pretty sad when the kidnapped woman's injured husband is better at finding her than the police squad.
The ending was okay. There was actually a twist I didn't entirely intuit, and for that...I was grateful. I needed something to keep me tethered to this not-so-great story.
Overall, can't recommend this one.
Available October 27, 2020
**Many thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for my review copy.
First, can we talk about Clive? He was a caricature of an abused child, but at age fifty. Everything about him came across as cartoonish instead of sympathetic. I couldn't even feel any hatred for him, despite his vile acts, because it was like reading about Wile E. Coyote, or some equivalent.
Second, let's take a look at Laura, the lead detective. What the hell was up with that "Toodle-oo," business? A cop would NEVER talk like that to suspects/victims/criminals. Every time she said it, I felt a little further removed from the story. And police procedural be damned. It's pretty sad when the kidnapped woman's injured husband is better at finding her than the police squad.
The ending was okay. There was actually a twist I didn't entirely intuit, and for that...I was grateful. I needed something to keep me tethered to this not-so-great story.
Overall, can't recommend this one.
Available October 27, 2020
**Many thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for my review copy.
December 18, 2019
4 stars for fast pacing, great premise and good characters. It was a fast fun read, and I loved the flashback sequences. This is not a mystery, but a straightforward thriller that explores the dynamics of a husband, a wife and their kidnapper. Thanks for the e-ARC, Dundurn.
September 16, 2022
⭐⭐⭐ + I'm not a fan of dark books and this one was so many shades of dark gray. But the plot was crazy, as was the MC villain, and I admit that I raced through to the end, while chewing my nails to the bit. This is another of those books that I read months ago, but am only able to review now. I will be brief ….
Husband and Wife buy a place out in the middle of nowhere and try to rekindle their relationship while the kids are shipped off to camp. But, as it turns out, Wife is being stalked and she is soon kidnapped to a neighbor's house. Never met neighbors and never will because Nefarious Stalker (NS) has done them in.
NS is a person of no interest from woman's past - she hasn't a clue who he is or his name. This infuriates NS and in a perverted guessing game, he whacks off pieces of Hubby for each wrong name she guesses (she guesses wrong a few times and the jury is still out as to whether it was intentional or not). Next thing you know NS has kidnapped classy Wife and has taken her to his really creepy disgusting homestead (if you like creepy and disgusting this is for you). He makes her dye her hair and change into some not so classy clothes he has prepared for her. Turns out this NS has a real Oedipus complex. Okay, okay - let's not be nitpickers! If he had known his father he would have hated and resented him, but instead he fixed his hatred on a another of his mother's paramours.
What happens to Hubby? I hate it when a cuckolded wife takes back her weasel of a husband...(I'm not saying Wife did, mind you, but then I'm not saying she didn't).
This is not an easy book to like, but clearly I did because the pages flipped by themselves so I guess I enjoyed.
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press…sorry it took so long to review😳
Husband and Wife buy a place out in the middle of nowhere and try to rekindle their relationship while the kids are shipped off to camp. But, as it turns out, Wife is being stalked and she is soon kidnapped to a neighbor's house. Never met neighbors and never will because Nefarious Stalker (NS) has done them in.
NS is a person of no interest from woman's past - she hasn't a clue who he is or his name. This infuriates NS and in a perverted guessing game, he whacks off pieces of Hubby for each wrong name she guesses (she guesses wrong a few times and the jury is still out as to whether it was intentional or not). Next thing you know NS has kidnapped classy Wife and has taken her to his really creepy disgusting homestead (if you like creepy and disgusting this is for you). He makes her dye her hair and change into some not so classy clothes he has prepared for her. Turns out this NS has a real Oedipus complex. Okay, okay - let's not be nitpickers! If he had known his father he would have hated and resented him, but instead he fixed his hatred on a another of his mother's paramours.
What happens to Hubby? I hate it when a cuckolded wife takes back her weasel of a husband...(I'm not saying Wife did, mind you, but then I'm not saying she didn't).
This is not an easy book to like, but clearly I did because the pages flipped by themselves so I guess I enjoyed.
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press…sorry it took so long to review😳
September 27, 2020
Wow! Unputdownable! A must read for fans of psychological thrillers.
In Tell Me My Name, Ellie and Neil Patterson are kidnapped and tortured by a stranger claiming to be the man that Ellie was supposed to be with forever. Ellie is then tasked by the stranger to guess his name. Ellie is given three chances to guess the name correctly. Any incorrect guess would lead to unimaginable consequences for Neil.
In a series of flashbacks, the story of Ellie, Neil and the stranger is revealed in this terrifying novel. You won’t be able to stop reading until the very end.
An amazing five stars! I could not put this novel away once I started reading it. It was that good!
I received a digital ARC from Dundurn Press. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
In Tell Me My Name, Ellie and Neil Patterson are kidnapped and tortured by a stranger claiming to be the man that Ellie was supposed to be with forever. Ellie is then tasked by the stranger to guess his name. Ellie is given three chances to guess the name correctly. Any incorrect guess would lead to unimaginable consequences for Neil.
In a series of flashbacks, the story of Ellie, Neil and the stranger is revealed in this terrifying novel. You won’t be able to stop reading until the very end.
An amazing five stars! I could not put this novel away once I started reading it. It was that good!
I received a digital ARC from Dundurn Press. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
February 19, 2020
Fast-paced and intense. A perfect summer novel with lots of suspense.
June 1, 2020
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
You were a terrible book, but made me laugh which I desperately needed right now. Lord. I am going to try to do a non-spoiler review on this. I should have known I was in for something I was not going to like after the author starts off with the following:
Yeah. I don't know either. Here we go.
So "Tell Me My Name" follows married couple Ellie and Neil Patterson. The couple drop off their two kids at summer camp and make their way to a cottage they just bought. Neil is hoping that they get the fire going again in their marriage. Ellie is hoping so too. She has been dissatisfied with the state of her marriage and upset since her publishing company went kaput. You will read a lot in this book about that though I don't imagine for a second that Ellie reads books. Anyway, Ellie and Neil get frisky and meet their new neighbor Jake who seems to be...unnerving at times. When Ellie lets him in one day she is chloroformed and wakes up to her husband tied to a bed and her tied to a chair. Ellie is being given three chances by Jake to tell him his name or he's going to take Neil's toe, finger, and then his life. The book then follows Ellie remembering men from her past.
I am laughing right now. Sorry.
Back to the book. Ellie is a mess. You find out about her family's backstory and it's worse than anything I saw on Lifetime. Ellie's sister Bethany who was a gifted dancer ends up in a vegetative coma after a car accident left her injured. Ellie and her other sister whose name I am blanking on are left to deal with the fall out in their family. Her sister is pretty nasty and self involved and Ellie is angry over the fact her parents keep letting her get away with things. Then Ellie starts acting out when she gets to her 20s until she meets her now husband Neil in a bar. She likes Neil, but has a preference for men who look like George Clooney. Okay, still laughing because the George Clooney thing becomes an element of this messed up plot. Anyway Ellie and Neil you have to wonder about since you don't get why they are together. Only married for 10 years I think, the two of them have definitely let the flames burn out. And we find out that Neil is hiding something from Ellie and then we have like two reveals about that and I went are you serious and kept reading. There's also multiple mentions of Ellie's dancing and I kept thinking she looked like this in my head:
The bad guy is a mess. And apparently has superpowers since he kept coming back like the Terminator. I won't get into him at all except nope. And then we get a final reveal about the guy at the end and I went how many twists is this? Six?
The lead detective on this case sucks and ends her calls and conversations by saying toodles-oo and I wanted to smother myself.
There's also the brother in law who should have told Neil to shove it through most of this story and the sister in law who...I don't even understand her purpose. There are so many side characters in this story which made my head hurt.
The writing was bad, laughably so at certain points and the linkage between things was not set up very well. I just started calling things coincide #1, #2, and so on. The author in the beginning talks about how this is a book about love, acceptance, forgiveness, and letting go and I went yeah that's where you went wrong. The whole book is very disjointed I found and throwing in the overall plot with the nonsense with Neil and everything else going on made for a messy book.
The flow doesn't work very well since we jump around in the third person to multiple people. I don't know if it would have been better to say with just Ellie or Neil. Honestly I don't know what could have saved this book.
The setting of this book takes place in Toronto. I am not familiar with the city and can't say much about it since the book jumps all over the place.
The ending was a whole mess. I really wanted to tell the author her trying to tie everything together showed she didn't really have a good grasp of writing. Honestly I felt at times I was reading different stories trying to force themselves into one coherent one.
You were a terrible book, but made me laugh which I desperately needed right now. Lord. I am going to try to do a non-spoiler review on this. I should have known I was in for something I was not going to like after the author starts off with the following:
The idea for the novel came to me one summer day as I was pondering what it meant to be forty. As a mother, wife, and full-time employee at a small media company in Toronto, I came to the rather bleak conclusion that life after forty was all carved out -- the future, no longer that bright bountiful sea of possibility, but rather a dark, receding lake where rock bottom lurked menacingly close. Were all my opportunities drying up? If I wanted to change the course of my life at this age, was it even possible?
Yeah. I don't know either. Here we go.
So "Tell Me My Name" follows married couple Ellie and Neil Patterson. The couple drop off their two kids at summer camp and make their way to a cottage they just bought. Neil is hoping that they get the fire going again in their marriage. Ellie is hoping so too. She has been dissatisfied with the state of her marriage and upset since her publishing company went kaput. You will read a lot in this book about that though I don't imagine for a second that Ellie reads books. Anyway, Ellie and Neil get frisky and meet their new neighbor Jake who seems to be...unnerving at times. When Ellie lets him in one day she is chloroformed and wakes up to her husband tied to a bed and her tied to a chair. Ellie is being given three chances by Jake to tell him his name or he's going to take Neil's toe, finger, and then his life. The book then follows Ellie remembering men from her past.
I am laughing right now. Sorry.
Back to the book. Ellie is a mess. You find out about her family's backstory and it's worse than anything I saw on Lifetime. Ellie's sister Bethany who was a gifted dancer ends up in a vegetative coma after a car accident left her injured. Ellie and her other sister whose name I am blanking on are left to deal with the fall out in their family. Her sister is pretty nasty and self involved and Ellie is angry over the fact her parents keep letting her get away with things. Then Ellie starts acting out when she gets to her 20s until she meets her now husband Neil in a bar. She likes Neil, but has a preference for men who look like George Clooney. Okay, still laughing because the George Clooney thing becomes an element of this messed up plot. Anyway Ellie and Neil you have to wonder about since you don't get why they are together. Only married for 10 years I think, the two of them have definitely let the flames burn out. And we find out that Neil is hiding something from Ellie and then we have like two reveals about that and I went are you serious and kept reading. There's also multiple mentions of Ellie's dancing and I kept thinking she looked like this in my head:
The bad guy is a mess. And apparently has superpowers since he kept coming back like the Terminator. I won't get into him at all except nope. And then we get a final reveal about the guy at the end and I went how many twists is this? Six?
The lead detective on this case sucks and ends her calls and conversations by saying toodles-oo and I wanted to smother myself.
There's also the brother in law who should have told Neil to shove it through most of this story and the sister in law who...I don't even understand her purpose. There are so many side characters in this story which made my head hurt.
The writing was bad, laughably so at certain points and the linkage between things was not set up very well. I just started calling things coincide #1, #2, and so on. The author in the beginning talks about how this is a book about love, acceptance, forgiveness, and letting go and I went yeah that's where you went wrong. The whole book is very disjointed I found and throwing in the overall plot with the nonsense with Neil and everything else going on made for a messy book.
The flow doesn't work very well since we jump around in the third person to multiple people. I don't know if it would have been better to say with just Ellie or Neil. Honestly I don't know what could have saved this book.
The setting of this book takes place in Toronto. I am not familiar with the city and can't say much about it since the book jumps all over the place.
The ending was a whole mess. I really wanted to tell the author her trying to tie everything together showed she didn't really have a good grasp of writing. Honestly I felt at times I was reading different stories trying to force themselves into one coherent one.
January 7, 2020
I regret that I struggled through this book to the end, trying hard to engage in the plot and connect with the characters. I thought from the summary that this would be the type of book I would enjoy more, but I found the story too melodramatic, the psychopathology of the villain lacked credibility and felt overdone to me. As I did not like the married couple and their cold to hot, to cool relationship I was unable to feel much buildup of suspense.
The premise is a good one. The couples two children are in summer camp, and they go on holiday to their summer cottage in hopes of rekindling their marriage. They meet a friendly man pretending to be a neighbour who later returns and kidnaps the woman and later takes her husband as a hostage. The man tells her that she is someone from her past. She must tell him his name in three guesses. If she is wrong on the first two guesses he will cut off a toe and then a finger from her husband. If her third guess is wrong, her husband will die. This is not a simple task. The madman no longer resembles the person he once was. He has had extensive plastic surgery and now looks like George Clooney. Must have cost millions!!
Her mind is working as she mentally searches for undesirable men in her past; ones she has wronged or ones she feels treated her badly. All the while she hears her husband screaming in pain and sees his blood. Finally, she guesses correctly on her third attempt. She is told that her abductor decided to kill her husband anyway.
He then takes the kidnapped wife elsewhere by car. In his delusion, he believes they made a romantic connection in the past and were meant to be together forever. At times he seems to think she is connected to his abusive, drug-addled mother. They travel by car while she fears he intends to rape and murder her. She must use all her wits to avoid this outcome. The police are trying to discover his true identity and capture him, saving the woman from a very dangerous situation.
In the meantime, her badly injured husband is desperate to engage in his own pursuit. This seems brave and admirable, except in his pain and illness he persuades his brother-in-law to help him. This is selfish, as he is endangering the man who is a friend, and they are interfering with a police investigation and pursuit.
The placement of the backstories of the principal characters slows down the pace, and I felt detracted from the tension. A secret backstory for the husband seemed too coincidental. Since I failed to connect with the main characters, not finding them particularly likeable, I wasn’t fully engaged in the outcome. I would have preferred a more subtle, less dramatic approach. Sometimes less is more. I notice that my impressions were quite different from many readers who found this an enjoyable, suspenseful read. Prospective readers should not be deterred by my misgivings.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the ARC in return for my honest review.
The premise is a good one. The couples two children are in summer camp, and they go on holiday to their summer cottage in hopes of rekindling their marriage. They meet a friendly man pretending to be a neighbour who later returns and kidnaps the woman and later takes her husband as a hostage. The man tells her that she is someone from her past. She must tell him his name in three guesses. If she is wrong on the first two guesses he will cut off a toe and then a finger from her husband. If her third guess is wrong, her husband will die. This is not a simple task. The madman no longer resembles the person he once was. He has had extensive plastic surgery and now looks like George Clooney. Must have cost millions!!
Her mind is working as she mentally searches for undesirable men in her past; ones she has wronged or ones she feels treated her badly. All the while she hears her husband screaming in pain and sees his blood. Finally, she guesses correctly on her third attempt. She is told that her abductor decided to kill her husband anyway.
He then takes the kidnapped wife elsewhere by car. In his delusion, he believes they made a romantic connection in the past and were meant to be together forever. At times he seems to think she is connected to his abusive, drug-addled mother. They travel by car while she fears he intends to rape and murder her. She must use all her wits to avoid this outcome. The police are trying to discover his true identity and capture him, saving the woman from a very dangerous situation.
In the meantime, her badly injured husband is desperate to engage in his own pursuit. This seems brave and admirable, except in his pain and illness he persuades his brother-in-law to help him. This is selfish, as he is endangering the man who is a friend, and they are interfering with a police investigation and pursuit.
The placement of the backstories of the principal characters slows down the pace, and I felt detracted from the tension. A secret backstory for the husband seemed too coincidental. Since I failed to connect with the main characters, not finding them particularly likeable, I wasn’t fully engaged in the outcome. I would have preferred a more subtle, less dramatic approach. Sometimes less is more. I notice that my impressions were quite different from many readers who found this an enjoyable, suspenseful read. Prospective readers should not be deterred by my misgivings.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the ARC in return for my honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2020
Ellie and Neil drop off their two kids at camp, and then look forward to spending some alone time at their new cottage. Their marriage has been a little rocky lately and this is an attempt to get back to the loving relationship they once had.
The neighbors don't seem too friendly .... Ellie finds herself abducted, hands bound, and gagged. He insists that Ellie is his soulmate ... she was supposed to be with him ... not Neil.
He wants to play a deadly game. He will give her 3 chances to say his name. One wrong guess...and Neil loses a toe. Second wrong guess and he loses a finger. Third wrong guess ..and Neil dies.
Ellis is thrust into a desperate trip down memory lane to remember all the men she has known ... much to her regret.
BOOK BLURB --- Only after discovering the man's true identity and sacrificing her own safety to save Neil does Ellie finally learn the truth — that everything she thinks she knows about her husband and their decade-long love story is a lie.
This debut novel seems to have it all --- a tightly woven, suspenseful plot, characters that are deftly drawn ...warts and all , and a walk through a psychopath's mind. Ellie is a strong character ... a woman facing her fears and doing what it takes to save herself and her family. This is an author to watch!
Many thanks to the author / Dundurn Press/ Netgalley / Edelweiss for the digital copy of this Psychological Thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
The neighbors don't seem too friendly .... Ellie finds herself abducted, hands bound, and gagged. He insists that Ellie is his soulmate ... she was supposed to be with him ... not Neil.
He wants to play a deadly game. He will give her 3 chances to say his name. One wrong guess...and Neil loses a toe. Second wrong guess and he loses a finger. Third wrong guess ..and Neil dies.
Ellis is thrust into a desperate trip down memory lane to remember all the men she has known ... much to her regret.
BOOK BLURB --- Only after discovering the man's true identity and sacrificing her own safety to save Neil does Ellie finally learn the truth — that everything she thinks she knows about her husband and their decade-long love story is a lie.
This debut novel seems to have it all --- a tightly woven, suspenseful plot, characters that are deftly drawn ...warts and all , and a walk through a psychopath's mind. Ellie is a strong character ... a woman facing her fears and doing what it takes to save herself and her family. This is an author to watch!
Many thanks to the author / Dundurn Press/ Netgalley / Edelweiss for the digital copy of this Psychological Thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
November 19, 2019
Brilliant page turner thriller at its best. I highly recommend this little beauty.
Why do all the creepy things happen in a cosy cottage?
Doesn't it seem unfair when you are a couple who are just making it through tricky patches in your married life and just coming out the other side, suddenly see the very worse series of horrific events happening to you?
So the creepy neighbour next-nextdoor turns into psycho and Ellie and Neil Patterson end up literally living in a nightmare. When Ellie is overpowered by her neighbour she soon discovers why. He tells her he is her soulmate and the stranger gives her three guesses to say his name. If she guesses wrong each time serious consequences await her husband. Poor Ellie desperate to remember then narrates us through a trip down memory lane, literally dragging up all the men in her past. But in doing this she also discovers some truths closer to home - everything she knows about her husband and their marriage is a lie.
Kidnapping, lies, deceit, this book has it all. Great from the start and I enjoyed the narration. The characters are strong and I so wanted Ellie to guess the stranger correctly. Poor Neil was the one suffering.
Would highly recommend this debut thriller - Erin Ruddy is one to watch out for in the future.
Thank you for the advanced copy Netgalley in return for an honest review.
Why do all the creepy things happen in a cosy cottage?
Doesn't it seem unfair when you are a couple who are just making it through tricky patches in your married life and just coming out the other side, suddenly see the very worse series of horrific events happening to you?
So the creepy neighbour next-nextdoor turns into psycho and Ellie and Neil Patterson end up literally living in a nightmare. When Ellie is overpowered by her neighbour she soon discovers why. He tells her he is her soulmate and the stranger gives her three guesses to say his name. If she guesses wrong each time serious consequences await her husband. Poor Ellie desperate to remember then narrates us through a trip down memory lane, literally dragging up all the men in her past. But in doing this she also discovers some truths closer to home - everything she knows about her husband and their marriage is a lie.
Kidnapping, lies, deceit, this book has it all. Great from the start and I enjoyed the narration. The characters are strong and I so wanted Ellie to guess the stranger correctly. Poor Neil was the one suffering.
Would highly recommend this debut thriller - Erin Ruddy is one to watch out for in the future.
Thank you for the advanced copy Netgalley in return for an honest review.
October 19, 2021
Um that ending .... DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! 😳
This book was quite the ride. A story packed full of obsession. The pacing was absolutely perfect! I flew through this book in a day. HAD to know what was around the next corner...
This was a great debut! Plus, she's a fellow Canadian. Awesome!
Huge thank you to Dundurn Press for my gifted copy!!
This book was quite the ride. A story packed full of obsession. The pacing was absolutely perfect! I flew through this book in a day. HAD to know what was around the next corner...
This was a great debut! Plus, she's a fellow Canadian. Awesome!
Huge thank you to Dundurn Press for my gifted copy!!
July 20, 2021
This audiobook is a debut domestic thriller that is remarkably suspenseful and twisty! The final twist is so random, it’s a real shocker. It was a great way to pass some time while I was doing some dreaded house painting.
A good portion of the book takes place after Ellie and her husband—Neil—are violently kidnapped by someone from Ellie’s past. This person, posing as their neighbor Jake, explains that he is someone from her past, who she has a strong connection to and should remember.
”You see, I have a little game in mind for the three of us. Hey, don’t look so worried, I promise it’ll be fun. You just have to follow my rules. Rule Number One: no screaming. Rule Number Two: no flailing, no fighting, no trying to escape. And finally, Rule Number Three, the most important one of all …” He paused and stroked her hair. “It’s easy. All you have to do … is tell me my name.”
He gives her three chances. Wrong guesses will have grim consequences for her husband. And if her final attempt isn’t successful, Neil will die.
The narration was great and I stayed on the edge of my seat (actually ladder) throughout the entire book! And the twist at the end was one of the best I’ve read in some time. Excellent debut!
Thank you to Edelweiss, Erin Ruddy and Dundurn for this free digital ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion!
My Rating: 4 ⭐️’s
Published: October 27th 2020 by Dundurn
Pages: 344
Recommend: Yes
@ehruddy @dundurnpress @edelweiss_squad
#TellMeMyName #Edelweiss+ #DundurnPress #DomesticThriller #DebutThriller #MustRead #NoRulesJustThrills #InExchangeForReview #JustFinished
A good portion of the book takes place after Ellie and her husband—Neil—are violently kidnapped by someone from Ellie’s past. This person, posing as their neighbor Jake, explains that he is someone from her past, who she has a strong connection to and should remember.
”You see, I have a little game in mind for the three of us. Hey, don’t look so worried, I promise it’ll be fun. You just have to follow my rules. Rule Number One: no screaming. Rule Number Two: no flailing, no fighting, no trying to escape. And finally, Rule Number Three, the most important one of all …” He paused and stroked her hair. “It’s easy. All you have to do … is tell me my name.”
He gives her three chances. Wrong guesses will have grim consequences for her husband. And if her final attempt isn’t successful, Neil will die.
The narration was great and I stayed on the edge of my seat (actually ladder) throughout the entire book! And the twist at the end was one of the best I’ve read in some time. Excellent debut!
Thank you to Edelweiss, Erin Ruddy and Dundurn for this free digital ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion!
My Rating: 4 ⭐️’s
Published: October 27th 2020 by Dundurn
Pages: 344
Recommend: Yes
@ehruddy @dundurnpress @edelweiss_squad
#TellMeMyName #Edelweiss+ #DundurnPress #DomesticThriller #DebutThriller #MustRead #NoRulesJustThrills #InExchangeForReview #JustFinished
February 2, 2020
Memoirs of a Bookwyrm:
http://www.memoirsofabookwyrm.com/202...
A common factor of the human existence is the way we are each formed and motivated by certain striking experiences we have during our lives. Those experiences are different for each of us in their details, but they are the same in that these events, these experiences, stand out bold and vivid in our minds. They inspire us to change, for good or ill. They tell us what is important to us, and what we must keep from our lives. This truth is something that unites us all.
If we should find out, years after a formative event, that our understanding of what happened was inherently flawed in some way, we are shocked. That shock becomes an entirely new formative event wherein we must re-evaluate everything we thought we knew about ourselves, our lifestyles, our friends, our family. All of our choices are thrown into question, and we wonder if we made the right ones at any point along the way.
Those who are strong enough to face the shock and navigate the subsequent journey honestly - even admitting their own wrongdoings - can come out stronger and better than they've ever been. Doing so is not always so easy as a choice, though.
For Ellie, who has always been motivated by a deep bond with her older sister Bethany, finding out that someone dear to her has caused her sister irreparable harm is more than just a shock. It's a betrayal, and one that has shaken the entire foundation of her life. How can she trust this person ever again? That alone would be enough to traumatize a person, but Ellie must face this new information on the back of finding out about her husband's affair, finding out she has a stalker as she listens to the man torture her husband, and being kidnapped. To say that she is traumatized is a massive understatement.
This stalker insists to Ellie that they have a deep connection in their past. She must remember him. He's been a vital part of her existence, surely? They're soulmates! To give her incentive to remember his name, he threatens her husband with every wrong guess. But he's not going to let this game go on forever. She'll only have three chances. Three wrong guesses, and Neil will pay with his life.
At this point in the story, I'm strongly reminded of Rumpelstiltskin. A very, very twisted Rumpelstiltskin, to be sure, but the classic tale, all the same.
Throughout her experiences, Ellie chooses again and again to face the reality of her situation. What she is going through is horrific, and as much as she wants to pretend it's not happening, she doesn't. She never stops fighting, looking for a way out, and thinking about everything that matters to her. I was in awe of her throughout the book, because of her fighting spirit.
Sometimes, we readers get the sense that a character is basically superhuman. They may not have special powers, but their abilities and endurance far exceed that of a normal human. It can be hard to relate to a character like that, though it is easy to admire them. With Ellie, nothing that she does comes across as superhuman, just strong and determined. She reads like many real people I've ever met - willing to do extraordinary things for the sake of her family. She is so easy to relate to, by the end of the book, I felt like I was right there with her on the journey. When she cried, I cried. When she struggled, my heart raced with hers.
The stalker is essentially the complete opposite of Ellie. He is dark, terrifying, and totally unbalanced. As the story unfolds, the reader becomes acquainted with the traumas that this man has experienced in his life - the background story that many villains get in books and which oftentimes causes the reader to feel some sympathy for him/her. Or, if not sympathy, at least some understanding. This time? No. Not even a smidgen of empathy or understanding. This is a bad, bad guy. I have rarely, if ever, encountered such a despicable creature in a book. He was...awe-inspiring in his level of evil and madness.
Erin Ruddy is an author of exceptional skill, bringing to life such light and dark characters in one book. Every single page was read through with lightning speed, and the ending was everything I could ever have wanted it to be.
http://www.memoirsofabookwyrm.com/202...
A common factor of the human existence is the way we are each formed and motivated by certain striking experiences we have during our lives. Those experiences are different for each of us in their details, but they are the same in that these events, these experiences, stand out bold and vivid in our minds. They inspire us to change, for good or ill. They tell us what is important to us, and what we must keep from our lives. This truth is something that unites us all.
If we should find out, years after a formative event, that our understanding of what happened was inherently flawed in some way, we are shocked. That shock becomes an entirely new formative event wherein we must re-evaluate everything we thought we knew about ourselves, our lifestyles, our friends, our family. All of our choices are thrown into question, and we wonder if we made the right ones at any point along the way.
Those who are strong enough to face the shock and navigate the subsequent journey honestly - even admitting their own wrongdoings - can come out stronger and better than they've ever been. Doing so is not always so easy as a choice, though.
For Ellie, who has always been motivated by a deep bond with her older sister Bethany, finding out that someone dear to her has caused her sister irreparable harm is more than just a shock. It's a betrayal, and one that has shaken the entire foundation of her life. How can she trust this person ever again? That alone would be enough to traumatize a person, but Ellie must face this new information on the back of finding out about her husband's affair, finding out she has a stalker as she listens to the man torture her husband, and being kidnapped. To say that she is traumatized is a massive understatement.
This stalker insists to Ellie that they have a deep connection in their past. She must remember him. He's been a vital part of her existence, surely? They're soulmates! To give her incentive to remember his name, he threatens her husband with every wrong guess. But he's not going to let this game go on forever. She'll only have three chances. Three wrong guesses, and Neil will pay with his life.
At this point in the story, I'm strongly reminded of Rumpelstiltskin. A very, very twisted Rumpelstiltskin, to be sure, but the classic tale, all the same.
Throughout her experiences, Ellie chooses again and again to face the reality of her situation. What she is going through is horrific, and as much as she wants to pretend it's not happening, she doesn't. She never stops fighting, looking for a way out, and thinking about everything that matters to her. I was in awe of her throughout the book, because of her fighting spirit.
Sometimes, we readers get the sense that a character is basically superhuman. They may not have special powers, but their abilities and endurance far exceed that of a normal human. It can be hard to relate to a character like that, though it is easy to admire them. With Ellie, nothing that she does comes across as superhuman, just strong and determined. She reads like many real people I've ever met - willing to do extraordinary things for the sake of her family. She is so easy to relate to, by the end of the book, I felt like I was right there with her on the journey. When she cried, I cried. When she struggled, my heart raced with hers.
The stalker is essentially the complete opposite of Ellie. He is dark, terrifying, and totally unbalanced. As the story unfolds, the reader becomes acquainted with the traumas that this man has experienced in his life - the background story that many villains get in books and which oftentimes causes the reader to feel some sympathy for him/her. Or, if not sympathy, at least some understanding. This time? No. Not even a smidgen of empathy or understanding. This is a bad, bad guy. I have rarely, if ever, encountered such a despicable creature in a book. He was...awe-inspiring in his level of evil and madness.
Erin Ruddy is an author of exceptional skill, bringing to life such light and dark characters in one book. Every single page was read through with lightning speed, and the ending was everything I could ever have wanted it to be.
October 27, 2020
A vacation that was long overdue and needed for Neil and Ellie turned into a nightmare.
They were on their second honeymoon in their newly bought home when their neighbor Clive appeared, tied up Ellie, tortured Neil, and then kidnapped Ellie.
Clive had thought about Ellie since he had seen her twenty-five years ago, and now that he was out of prison he wanted to play a game to see if she would remember him. It wasn’t a child’s game, though, but a deadly game.
TELL ME MY NAME continues with a police search for Clive and gruesome, upsetting and sometimes crude scenes and comments.
The brutal things the criminal did as the book continued were hard to imagine and difficult to read.
Because of the gruesome scenes I almost stopped reading, but I’m glad I didn’t.
This book for me is classified as a psychological thriller.
All in all despite the squeamish scenes, it is a good read with a surprise ending. 4/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an. honest review.
They were on their second honeymoon in their newly bought home when their neighbor Clive appeared, tied up Ellie, tortured Neil, and then kidnapped Ellie.
Clive had thought about Ellie since he had seen her twenty-five years ago, and now that he was out of prison he wanted to play a game to see if she would remember him. It wasn’t a child’s game, though, but a deadly game.
TELL ME MY NAME continues with a police search for Clive and gruesome, upsetting and sometimes crude scenes and comments.
The brutal things the criminal did as the book continued were hard to imagine and difficult to read.
Because of the gruesome scenes I almost stopped reading, but I’m glad I didn’t.
This book for me is classified as a psychological thriller.
All in all despite the squeamish scenes, it is a good read with a surprise ending. 4/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an. honest review.
January 6, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this compelling thriller before its publication date. What happens when your past comes back to haunt you? Ellie and her husband, Neil, are spending some time reconnecting at their cabin, when a man from Ellie's past appears and turns their lives upside down. Suddenly, what started as a relaxing getaway turns into a life or death race against the clock. I love novels like this where ordinary people find themselves battling extraordinary circumstances. Erin Ruddy does an excellent job crafting a rollercoaster ride of a novel that I had a hard time putting down.
December 31, 2019
A shout-out to Dundurn Publishing and Netgalley for sending me an e-copy to read prior to publication in 2020.
Ellie and Neil drop off their two children at summer camp and head for their vacation cottage to renew their relationship. When their dog, Hamish, decides to explore the neighbor’s yard, Ellie meets her nearest neighbor and invites him over for dinner. All goes well until this neighbor returns again while Neil is out and kidnaps Ellie in her own home telling her he is her soulmate. He devises a game for her to play. “Tell me my name” and if you get it wrong I cut off one of your husband’s toes, and the second wrong answer removes a finger. Three errors and Neil dies. The perp has had lots of work done so recognizing him is not that easy.
You might want to set an app on your phone reminding you to breathe. I noticed I kept holding my breath during the tense parts, which was most of the time. For a debut book, the pacing was spot on. Nothing moved slowly in this book except maybe the police. I think Ruddy has a great future ahead of her writing thrillers.
I did have one minor problem near the end. Too much coincidence in a place as large as Toronto. I totally believe that storyline could have been omitted without taking away from the thrills.
But on the whole, a riveting read.
Ellie and Neil drop off their two children at summer camp and head for their vacation cottage to renew their relationship. When their dog, Hamish, decides to explore the neighbor’s yard, Ellie meets her nearest neighbor and invites him over for dinner. All goes well until this neighbor returns again while Neil is out and kidnaps Ellie in her own home telling her he is her soulmate. He devises a game for her to play. “Tell me my name” and if you get it wrong I cut off one of your husband’s toes, and the second wrong answer removes a finger. Three errors and Neil dies. The perp has had lots of work done so recognizing him is not that easy.
You might want to set an app on your phone reminding you to breathe. I noticed I kept holding my breath during the tense parts, which was most of the time. For a debut book, the pacing was spot on. Nothing moved slowly in this book except maybe the police. I think Ruddy has a great future ahead of her writing thrillers.
I did have one minor problem near the end. Too much coincidence in a place as large as Toronto. I totally believe that storyline could have been omitted without taking away from the thrills.
But on the whole, a riveting read.
February 25, 2020
DNF
I'm very sorry but I have problems with the writing, the plot and the characters. I think I would have finished the book if it was just one out of three. The plot is too predictable, the characters too, and the writing feels - I don't know exactly how to describe it but for one thing, it is more tell than show and it's too many clichés.
Two stars because I appreciate the author wanted to give her readers a compelling and thrilling story. It just doesn't work for me.
Thanks to Edelweiss for this digital ARC.
I'm very sorry but I have problems with the writing, the plot and the characters. I think I would have finished the book if it was just one out of three. The plot is too predictable, the characters too, and the writing feels - I don't know exactly how to describe it but for one thing, it is more tell than show and it's too many clichés.
Two stars because I appreciate the author wanted to give her readers a compelling and thrilling story. It just doesn't work for me.
Thanks to Edelweiss for this digital ARC.
November 4, 2020
***SPOILER ALERT***
Ellie is abducted by a man who claims to have known her long ago, but Ellie does not recognize him. Seems she did something to piss him off and now he insists she must “Tell me my Name” – he gives her three chances to do so or else her husband will suffer the consequences.
The book is 330 pages and before you get to 100 pages the mystery is solved. She tells him his name. Mystery solved. I lost interest.
Read
March 11, 2020I absolutely cannot rave enough about Tell Me My Name! This is a 5 star for sure. I was hooked from the first page and could not get enough. Just when you think the story has reached its peak, it drags you back in.
The book opens to a terrifying scene. A woman tied to a bed, a man looming over her claiming to know her. Her husband bound to a chair on the floor. All he wants is one simple thing. For her to tell him his name. The consequences if she doesn’t? Her husband starts losing body parts. But how can you say the name of someone you don’t remember let alone recognize?
The book follows Ellie and her husband Neil, as well as Ellies captive, Clive. It flashes back to their earlier lives, giving insight on how they ended up where they are today. It really added depth and understanding to the plot and allowed an ease of relate ableness to the characters.
The characters actions are what you would expect from someone in their predicaments, with the exception being the captor himself. You want to feel sorry for him, to an extent, but want to hate him also. He flashbacks to his childhood, and you can tell by the way he was raised, why his mental health is where it is. It doesn’t explain everything, such as his obsession with Ellie.
The husband, Neil, made calls that made me shake my head and said why? What were you thinking? Ellie remained strong and brave and never quite fighting. I do think that the detective and the police presence could have been stronger, especially given the nature of the crime and the situation. They were more of an after thought it seemed, as if they need to be there, but they weren’t quite up to par.
As you near the ending, secrets start coming out. Things start getting tied together. I won’t spill any spoilers, but I was pleasantly surprised, as I am usually pretty good at guessing the twists. I highly recommend Tell Me My Name and look forward to reading more from Erin Ruddy.
I want to thank the author, Erin Ruddy, the publisher Dundurn Press, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
The book opens to a terrifying scene. A woman tied to a bed, a man looming over her claiming to know her. Her husband bound to a chair on the floor. All he wants is one simple thing. For her to tell him his name. The consequences if she doesn’t? Her husband starts losing body parts. But how can you say the name of someone you don’t remember let alone recognize?
The book follows Ellie and her husband Neil, as well as Ellies captive, Clive. It flashes back to their earlier lives, giving insight on how they ended up where they are today. It really added depth and understanding to the plot and allowed an ease of relate ableness to the characters.
The characters actions are what you would expect from someone in their predicaments, with the exception being the captor himself. You want to feel sorry for him, to an extent, but want to hate him also. He flashbacks to his childhood, and you can tell by the way he was raised, why his mental health is where it is. It doesn’t explain everything, such as his obsession with Ellie.
The husband, Neil, made calls that made me shake my head and said why? What were you thinking? Ellie remained strong and brave and never quite fighting. I do think that the detective and the police presence could have been stronger, especially given the nature of the crime and the situation. They were more of an after thought it seemed, as if they need to be there, but they weren’t quite up to par.
As you near the ending, secrets start coming out. Things start getting tied together. I won’t spill any spoilers, but I was pleasantly surprised, as I am usually pretty good at guessing the twists. I highly recommend Tell Me My Name and look forward to reading more from Erin Ruddy.
I want to thank the author, Erin Ruddy, the publisher Dundurn Press, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
January 28, 2020
4.5 stars - Tell Me My Name by Erin Ruddy is a shocking tale of obsession. Ellie and Neil are a regular couple. Their two kids are at summer camp for two weeks and they have days of alone time planned at their new home. Time to get back into the groove of each other and hopefully fall in love again.
But their good time is wrecked by violence. A shadowy man from Ellie's past has never forgotten how much he wants her. He has crafted himself into her seemingly perfect man. He is incredulous when Ellie doesn't recognize him.
He gives Ellie three chances to say his name. Then he will know they are meant to be together and he will let her husband live. Miss and her husband is harmed, get it wrong too many times and her husband dies.
As Ellie grapples with this man she doesn't remember she takes a mental journey back through her past. Who did she meet that never forget her? Did they date? Did she hurt him?
Tell Me My Name is a thriller with the prerequisite twists. I really enjoyed the book even if I had to suspend belief in coincidences and circumstances more than once.
But their good time is wrecked by violence. A shadowy man from Ellie's past has never forgotten how much he wants her. He has crafted himself into her seemingly perfect man. He is incredulous when Ellie doesn't recognize him.
He gives Ellie three chances to say his name. Then he will know they are meant to be together and he will let her husband live. Miss and her husband is harmed, get it wrong too many times and her husband dies.
As Ellie grapples with this man she doesn't remember she takes a mental journey back through her past. Who did she meet that never forget her? Did they date? Did she hurt him?
Tell Me My Name is a thriller with the prerequisite twists. I really enjoyed the book even if I had to suspend belief in coincidences and circumstances more than once.
May 15, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Buckle up, everyone. This is a messed up rollercoaster to Holy Sh**ballls Town, population: you, Ellie, Neil, and a psychopath.
This isn't a slow descent into madness, it doesn't creep on you, it's not the mysterious figure in the fog.
No...this is the multi-car pile-up on the highway that happens in a matter of seconds, trapping you against your seat, gasping for air against the blown airbag while a tsunami suddenly floods the road. It wastes no time in getting right to the point, and never ever lets up. My pulse was racing so much reading this, I think it counts as a workout.
And to top it off: this book takes place in southern and northeastern Ontario, my neck of the woods. I could easily drive to at least one location in this book within an hour. Because nightmare fuel.
I hate rollercoasters, but I loved this book.
Take the ride, everyone. Seriously.
Buckle up, everyone. This is a messed up rollercoaster to Holy Sh**ballls Town, population: you, Ellie, Neil, and a psychopath.
This isn't a slow descent into madness, it doesn't creep on you, it's not the mysterious figure in the fog.
No...this is the multi-car pile-up on the highway that happens in a matter of seconds, trapping you against your seat, gasping for air against the blown airbag while a tsunami suddenly floods the road. It wastes no time in getting right to the point, and never ever lets up. My pulse was racing so much reading this, I think it counts as a workout.
And to top it off: this book takes place in southern and northeastern Ontario, my neck of the woods. I could easily drive to at least one location in this book within an hour. Because nightmare fuel.
I hate rollercoasters, but I loved this book.
Take the ride, everyone. Seriously.
November 21, 2019
A domestic thriller set in rural Ontario featuring a husband and wife who must grapple with their relationship after a deranged man from their past kidnaps them. Like a fast car, this book never lets up on the accelerator, hurtling the reader to the end. All the while, the characters' emotions are explored. A great read for thriller fans!
September 28, 2020
This is a book that should have been great; to be sure, the premise is enticing: A husband and wife are kidnapped by someone who claims not only to have known the wife years ago, but is her soulmate. The challenge? She has three tries to come up with his name - and with each incorrect guess, her husband will pay a heavy price (put another way, it's three strikes and he's out - permanently).
Needless to say, I was on the edge of my seat at that point - especially as the wife, Ellie Patterson, digs through her memories in an effort to come up with the correct ID. I can't reveal that outcome because it sets the stage for the rest of the book. What I can say is that from that point on, the writing started heading downhill - trite emotings from all the characters, not the least of which came from the female detective who's investigating. Besides that, character perspectives often switch in the middle of chapters (and at least twice, smack in the middle of a single paragraph). As a result, by midpoint, I almost called it quits.
But I've always vowed to finish the advance copies I get from publishers if at all possible (and only twice in literally hundreds of books have I pulled the plug before the end). So it was that I kept plugging away. I can't reveal details, but it's safe to say that no one - not Ellie, not her husband Neil and not the kidnapper - are who they seem to be. There is perhaps one exception in the kidnapper who was surgically altered to make him resemble George Clooney - which somehow makes him more acceptable to Ellie despite his evil acts. But he's not alone in his duplicity; each and every character has at least one secret that impinges on the life of one or more of the others. How their pasts are intertwined takes up the rest of the book, leading up to an ending that to me was neither satisfying nor even close to believability (if it were really true, for sure I'd want nothing to do with Ellie, her husband or the rest of her family).
Actually, despite my misgivings I'll call this a decent beach read. But as is, I'd be surprised if it makes it anywhere near the big leagues without a major overhaul. Truth is, I hope that happens; as I said at the beginning, the potential for greatness is in there. Somewhere.
Needless to say, I was on the edge of my seat at that point - especially as the wife, Ellie Patterson, digs through her memories in an effort to come up with the correct ID. I can't reveal that outcome because it sets the stage for the rest of the book. What I can say is that from that point on, the writing started heading downhill - trite emotings from all the characters, not the least of which came from the female detective who's investigating. Besides that, character perspectives often switch in the middle of chapters (and at least twice, smack in the middle of a single paragraph). As a result, by midpoint, I almost called it quits.
But I've always vowed to finish the advance copies I get from publishers if at all possible (and only twice in literally hundreds of books have I pulled the plug before the end). So it was that I kept plugging away. I can't reveal details, but it's safe to say that no one - not Ellie, not her husband Neil and not the kidnapper - are who they seem to be. There is perhaps one exception in the kidnapper who was surgically altered to make him resemble George Clooney - which somehow makes him more acceptable to Ellie despite his evil acts. But he's not alone in his duplicity; each and every character has at least one secret that impinges on the life of one or more of the others. How their pasts are intertwined takes up the rest of the book, leading up to an ending that to me was neither satisfying nor even close to believability (if it were really true, for sure I'd want nothing to do with Ellie, her husband or the rest of her family).
Actually, despite my misgivings I'll call this a decent beach read. But as is, I'd be surprised if it makes it anywhere near the big leagues without a major overhaul. Truth is, I hope that happens; as I said at the beginning, the potential for greatness is in there. Somewhere.
August 3, 2020
Tell Me My Name by Erin Ruddy is a psychological thriller.
First, let me thank Edelweiss, the publisher Dundurn – Ingram Publisher Services, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Ellie and Neil Patterson recently bought a cottage, and after dropping their two children off at summer camp, are about to enjoy the first "alone" time in almost 10 years. After their dog ends up trespassing on the property next door, Ellie invites their new neighbour, a George Clooney look-a-like, over for dinner.
The next day finds Ellie chained to a bed, and Neil to a chair. Although Ellie denies knowing him, their new neighbour insists he is Ellie's soulmate, and all she has to do is to speak his name. She has three guesses, although each wrong guess has Neil losing a toe, then a finger, then his life.
To save Neil's life, she will search her memory to discover the identity of their kidnapper, but even then, their is no safety from the truth.
My Opinions:
WOW, for her debut novel, Erin Ruddy did great!
The premise for this story was good, and it was action-packed from start to finish. The twist at the end was a little over-the-top, and somehow didn't feel right, but I must admit I didn't see it coming!
The story is told from different perspectives, but and it jumped a LOT. I think this is part of why it was such a quick read, as the author tried to keep all the characters in the same time-line. The characters were good, although Neil rubbed me the wrong way from the start, and the Detective came away as being a little foolish -- "toodle-oo"??? I loved Ellie, and her brother-in-law Abeer.
Basically, the book is about love and forgiveness.
Overall, it was an entertaining and fast read from a fellow Canadian!
For a more complete review of this book and others (including author information and quotations), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
February 25, 2020
‘Tell Me My Name’ is a fast-paced, crime-thriller with all the ingredients of a post ‘Gone Girl’ classic - a brilliant premise, a female protagonist and twists to make you kick yourself for not working them out yourself!
The novel takes place just outside Toronto (Canada) at a lake house owned by the protagonist (Ellie) and her husband (Neil). The couple are lucky enough to be spending some long-awaited time away from their children, who are on a camp. All is well until the family dog escapes from the lake house and ventures onto the neighbours land. Ellie and Neil have been warned about how cold their neighbours can be so, when Ellie interacts with the man next-door and finds him warm and welcoming she invites him round for dinner. This is where the story begins to take place. Is the man who he says he is? Where has Ellie seen him before? Can she tell him his name and end the game that he wants to play?
The premise of the book is excellent and the pace compliments this perfectly, however; I felt like I struggled to resonate with some of the characters. One such character is Flora, the detective assigned the case. Her inability to do the her job and lack of urgency, as well as her ‘catchphrase’ “toodooloo” gave me a sense of frustration that made me feel like the story was less believable.
Despite my reservations on some of the characters, I did enjoy the book. In a genre jam-packed with exciting novels, I would say this is a solid read that I would give 3 and a half stars out of 5, rounded to 4 on platforms that do not allow half stars.
Many thanks to @netgalley and @dundurnpress for this ARC.
#tellmemyname #erinruddy #netgalley #bookstagram #bookreview #bookclub
The novel takes place just outside Toronto (Canada) at a lake house owned by the protagonist (Ellie) and her husband (Neil). The couple are lucky enough to be spending some long-awaited time away from their children, who are on a camp. All is well until the family dog escapes from the lake house and ventures onto the neighbours land. Ellie and Neil have been warned about how cold their neighbours can be so, when Ellie interacts with the man next-door and finds him warm and welcoming she invites him round for dinner. This is where the story begins to take place. Is the man who he says he is? Where has Ellie seen him before? Can she tell him his name and end the game that he wants to play?
The premise of the book is excellent and the pace compliments this perfectly, however; I felt like I struggled to resonate with some of the characters. One such character is Flora, the detective assigned the case. Her inability to do the her job and lack of urgency, as well as her ‘catchphrase’ “toodooloo” gave me a sense of frustration that made me feel like the story was less believable.
Despite my reservations on some of the characters, I did enjoy the book. In a genre jam-packed with exciting novels, I would say this is a solid read that I would give 3 and a half stars out of 5, rounded to 4 on platforms that do not allow half stars.
Many thanks to @netgalley and @dundurnpress for this ARC.
#tellmemyname #erinruddy #netgalley #bookstagram #bookreview #bookclub
December 16, 2019
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the eARC.
Unlike other very favorable reviews I can't say I enjoyed this book. It's set in rural Ontario, where a couple want to reconnect while their children are at camp. A man overpowers the woman while her husband is out shopping and, unless she can call him by his name, will harm and eventually kill him. According to the man they know each other and he's her soulmate. She doesn't recognise him and delves through her past, eventually realizing she does know him. But does she know her husband?
The premise is good, but I couldn't get invested in the story or the people and the writing, to me, was poor. One of the blurbs said if you like Ruth Ware you would like this book, but I think that's a gross exaggeration.
Unlike other very favorable reviews I can't say I enjoyed this book. It's set in rural Ontario, where a couple want to reconnect while their children are at camp. A man overpowers the woman while her husband is out shopping and, unless she can call him by his name, will harm and eventually kill him. According to the man they know each other and he's her soulmate. She doesn't recognise him and delves through her past, eventually realizing she does know him. But does she know her husband?
The premise is good, but I couldn't get invested in the story or the people and the writing, to me, was poor. One of the blurbs said if you like Ruth Ware you would like this book, but I think that's a gross exaggeration.
January 14, 2020
Thank you Netgalley & Dundurn Publishing for giving me this book to read before the June release.
Neil and Ellie have been married for 10 years and there marriage has gone stale. They drop there two children off at summer camp and decide to spend the week reconnecting at there new remote house in the woods. Hamish there dog wanders off and Ellie meets there new neighbor. Deception at its finest, the man is not truly there new neighbor and ends up kidnapping Ellie. There is a lot of suspense in this book and the twist at the end is amazing. Highly recommend. Cant wait to read more by Erin Ruddy.
Neil and Ellie have been married for 10 years and there marriage has gone stale. They drop there two children off at summer camp and decide to spend the week reconnecting at there new remote house in the woods. Hamish there dog wanders off and Ellie meets there new neighbor. Deception at its finest, the man is not truly there new neighbor and ends up kidnapping Ellie. There is a lot of suspense in this book and the twist at the end is amazing. Highly recommend. Cant wait to read more by Erin Ruddy.
May 1, 2020
Why did it take me so long to get to this book? I don’t know but now has been the perfect time apparently because it was gooooddd!!! The very first chapter had me worried because the story starts off harshly and I was afraid I’d not be able to sleep. I kept reading & was swept away into nail biting suspense. Surprised that I didn’t guess the entire plot until the end. First time reading this author. Very, very good. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC free of charge for which I humbly write a few words of gratitude.
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