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The Woman on the Pier
Two strangers meet on the pier
Only one walks away…
Screenwriter Caroline Byrne is desperate to know why her daughter Jessica died, murdered in Stratford when she was supposed to be at a friend’s in Somerset.
When Caroline discovers the messages Jessica had been sending a boy named Michael, she realises it’s because of him. Because he failed to meet her that day.
He’s the reason why her daughter is dead.
And so she makes a choice. He’s the one who’s going to pay.
That is her promise. Her price.
Set between Essex, Kent, and Australia, The Pier is a dark suspense thriller brimming with secrets and lies seeping across three generations. A must-read for fans of Lucy Foley and Rosamund Lupton
Only one walks away…
Screenwriter Caroline Byrne is desperate to know why her daughter Jessica died, murdered in Stratford when she was supposed to be at a friend’s in Somerset.
When Caroline discovers the messages Jessica had been sending a boy named Michael, she realises it’s because of him. Because he failed to meet her that day.
He’s the reason why her daughter is dead.
And so she makes a choice. He’s the one who’s going to pay.
That is her promise. Her price.
Set between Essex, Kent, and Australia, The Pier is a dark suspense thriller brimming with secrets and lies seeping across three generations. A must-read for fans of Lucy Foley and Rosamund Lupton
387 pages, Paperback
First published November 11, 2021
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1842 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 410 reviews
November 29, 2021
When I see B. P. Walters’ name on the cover, I didn’t read the blurb or I didn’t care what this book was about, I just went blind!
That’s the rightest thing to do! Because in my opinion the blurb not truly summarizes the story, actually it gives a major spoiler about it! Normally the plot summary informs us where the story starts but for the Pier, its blurb gives away the opposite!
So you’d better not read the blurb and dive into this story directly! Be hundred percent sure to be hooked up at first chapter! It’s absolutely intriguing and picking your interest after reading the first pages. You’re literally drawn into the characters and you don’t want to put it downN
This book is not about a woman who avenges her daughter’s killer by confronting at the pier!
This book is about pure, earth shattering, heart ripping, painful, intense grief and disturbing, fist clenching, rough, heart wrenching abuse !
A shortest summary: THE MOTHER loses her child at the Stratford terrorist attacks. Her daughter shouldn’t have been there if she hasn’t lied to her parents to meet with THE BOY! THE MOTHER’s desperation to blame someone leads her to Southend to confront with THE BOY which results with tragic consequences.
THE MOTHER: Caroline Bryne, left her family life in Australia behind after her father’s suspicious death, building her successful TV writer career, having bleeding marriage that her husband keeps cheating on her and interestingly she buries her head in sand not to confront with him but when their sixteen years old daughter Jessica starts acting more rebellious, screaming at her parents to stop hiding behind their lies, she couldn’t realize that was just the silence before the storm!
When her daughter dies she finally understands everything she’s built in her life consisted of lies and illusions.
THE BOY is devastated not to meet with the girl, giving himself self inflicted pain, dealing with her junkie mother and the strikingly traumatic effects of his long gone father’s abuses. He’s struggling! He’s barely existing!
What happens when THE MOTHER finds his trace, learns where he lives and sees him the reason of everything destroyed her life!
This is a story doomed to be tragic! A story with no happy ending! No closure! Because nothing may bring back what they lost!
This is absolutely well written, high tension, psychologically challenging, shaking you to the core kind of extra intense, harsh, dark, sad story which will haunt your soul for a long time!
It’s more a psychological and domestic thriller with triggering subject such self inflicted pain, psychical and verbal abuse, cheating, addiction, domestic violence!
B. P. Walters rocked my entire world one more time! I’m rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 heartbreaking, tearful, sad, grim stars!
I cannot wait to read anything he writes in near future !
Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/ One More Chapter for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
That’s the rightest thing to do! Because in my opinion the blurb not truly summarizes the story, actually it gives a major spoiler about it! Normally the plot summary informs us where the story starts but for the Pier, its blurb gives away the opposite!
So you’d better not read the blurb and dive into this story directly! Be hundred percent sure to be hooked up at first chapter! It’s absolutely intriguing and picking your interest after reading the first pages. You’re literally drawn into the characters and you don’t want to put it downN
This book is not about a woman who avenges her daughter’s killer by confronting at the pier!
This book is about pure, earth shattering, heart ripping, painful, intense grief and disturbing, fist clenching, rough, heart wrenching abuse !
A shortest summary: THE MOTHER loses her child at the Stratford terrorist attacks. Her daughter shouldn’t have been there if she hasn’t lied to her parents to meet with THE BOY! THE MOTHER’s desperation to blame someone leads her to Southend to confront with THE BOY which results with tragic consequences.
THE MOTHER: Caroline Bryne, left her family life in Australia behind after her father’s suspicious death, building her successful TV writer career, having bleeding marriage that her husband keeps cheating on her and interestingly she buries her head in sand not to confront with him but when their sixteen years old daughter Jessica starts acting more rebellious, screaming at her parents to stop hiding behind their lies, she couldn’t realize that was just the silence before the storm!
When her daughter dies she finally understands everything she’s built in her life consisted of lies and illusions.
THE BOY is devastated not to meet with the girl, giving himself self inflicted pain, dealing with her junkie mother and the strikingly traumatic effects of his long gone father’s abuses. He’s struggling! He’s barely existing!
What happens when THE MOTHER finds his trace, learns where he lives and sees him the reason of everything destroyed her life!
This is a story doomed to be tragic! A story with no happy ending! No closure! Because nothing may bring back what they lost!
This is absolutely well written, high tension, psychologically challenging, shaking you to the core kind of extra intense, harsh, dark, sad story which will haunt your soul for a long time!
It’s more a psychological and domestic thriller with triggering subject such self inflicted pain, psychical and verbal abuse, cheating, addiction, domestic violence!
B. P. Walters rocked my entire world one more time! I’m rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 heartbreaking, tearful, sad, grim stars!
I cannot wait to read anything he writes in near future !
Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/ One More Chapter for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
September 26, 2021
Bait and switch!
This is not a suspense thriller but rather a story about an unhinged, unhappy MOTHER who needs someone to blame for the senseless death of her daughter at the hands of terrorists.
I hated Caroline.
There-I’ve said it. And, despite the fact that she lost her daughter, she was such a RUDE, DESPICABLE character,that I could drum up no sympathy for her-or for her husband, Alec.
The synopsis of this book says it all. Literally. It should be rewritten.
DON’T READ IT!!
The ONLY surprise was how her daughter Jessica Macleod, knew Michael Kelley-the BOY she was secretly meeting in Stratford, when she was supposed to be in Somerset. And, that wasn’t enough to save this one.
The title?
Back to the drawing board with that too!!
And, there is a whole minor sub plot about a big screen, Smart TV, which should be edited out as well. 📺
Need I say more?
SORRY!
After awarding 5⭐️ to “The Dinner Guest” I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this so it pains me to say, that I cannot recommend this one at all.
Triggers: Sexual Abuse
Thank You to One More Chapter who provided a gifted copy through NetGalley and encourages honest reviews! If you are intrigued-read this on November 11, 2021
If you aren’t-read “The Dinner Guest” -
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is not a suspense thriller but rather a story about an unhinged, unhappy MOTHER who needs someone to blame for the senseless death of her daughter at the hands of terrorists.
I hated Caroline.
There-I’ve said it. And, despite the fact that she lost her daughter, she was such a RUDE, DESPICABLE character,that I could drum up no sympathy for her-or for her husband, Alec.
The synopsis of this book says it all. Literally. It should be rewritten.
DON’T READ IT!!
The ONLY surprise was how her daughter Jessica Macleod, knew Michael Kelley-the BOY she was secretly meeting in Stratford, when she was supposed to be in Somerset. And, that wasn’t enough to save this one.
The title?
Back to the drawing board with that too!!
And, there is a whole minor sub plot about a big screen, Smart TV, which should be edited out as well. 📺
Need I say more?
SORRY!
After awarding 5⭐️ to “The Dinner Guest” I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this so it pains me to say, that I cannot recommend this one at all.
Triggers: Sexual Abuse
Thank You to One More Chapter who provided a gifted copy through NetGalley and encourages honest reviews! If you are intrigued-read this on November 11, 2021
If you aren’t-read “The Dinner Guest” -
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September 11, 2021
Caroline is a grieving mother. Her daughter, Jessica, was killed in a shocking terrorist attack. Three months later, she still doesn’t understand why Jessica wasn’t where she said she was going to be that fateful day.
Caroline eventually decides to go through her daughter’s phone, and finds what she’s been looking for. Jessica was supposed to meet a boy she had been talking to online that day. He never showed up. Jessica believes he’s the reason her daughter is dead. A bit unhinged, she determines she’s going to make him pay.
...But nothing is ever as it seems.
The synopsis and title of this book are a bit misleading, considering the scene at the pier takes up all of maybe 2 pages. The book is about so much more than that. It’s a tale of revenge, mental health, fighting personal demons from the past, and grief.
There are many triggers, but I will refrain from discussing them as they could be construed as spoilers.
It took me a while to warm up to this one, but I did manage to find most of it gripping and compulsively readable. There are some very dark and disturbing themes that are difficult to read. However, I also found a lot of the plot melodramatic. Certain situations were OTT, and the characters were mostly despicable (not in a fun way).
While the revelations are interesting, none of them blew me away quite like I expected. And yet, I suspect this book will stay on my mind for some time.
3.5 stars
Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 11/11/21.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Caroline eventually decides to go through her daughter’s phone, and finds what she’s been looking for. Jessica was supposed to meet a boy she had been talking to online that day. He never showed up. Jessica believes he’s the reason her daughter is dead. A bit unhinged, she determines she’s going to make him pay.
...But nothing is ever as it seems.
The synopsis and title of this book are a bit misleading, considering the scene at the pier takes up all of maybe 2 pages. The book is about so much more than that. It’s a tale of revenge, mental health, fighting personal demons from the past, and grief.
There are many triggers, but I will refrain from discussing them as they could be construed as spoilers.
It took me a while to warm up to this one, but I did manage to find most of it gripping and compulsively readable. There are some very dark and disturbing themes that are difficult to read. However, I also found a lot of the plot melodramatic. Certain situations were OTT, and the characters were mostly despicable (not in a fun way).
While the revelations are interesting, none of them blew me away quite like I expected. And yet, I suspect this book will stay on my mind for some time.
3.5 stars
Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 11/11/21.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
October 31, 2021
Misery.
This book falls into the ‘What did I just read?’ category. And not in a good way.
Maybe my hopes were pinned on the cheerful looking nautical cover.
Maybe I thought the writer’s engaging style would bring forth a complementary story.
It was not to be as I disliked both the plot and characters. Intensely. Characters don’t have to be likable for me to love a book and I’ve labeled books containing the most vile characters as Favorites.
However, reading about sniping, sniveling Alec and obnoxious Caroline became a chore. These two were nothing short of nasty individuals. None of the others (save one) were much better.
I began with some sympathy for Caroline and feel her path could have taken a more intriguing turn instead of jumping the rails. Why are we still reading about intelligent women behaving like lunatics?
This wasn’t the thriller I’d signed up for but if you like family and marital drama, The Woman on the Pier will be published on November 11, 2021.
I would like to thank One More Chapter, NetGalley, and the author for my gifted copy. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be more positive.
This book falls into the ‘What did I just read?’ category. And not in a good way.
Maybe my hopes were pinned on the cheerful looking nautical cover.
Maybe I thought the writer’s engaging style would bring forth a complementary story.
It was not to be as I disliked both the plot and characters. Intensely. Characters don’t have to be likable for me to love a book and I’ve labeled books containing the most vile characters as Favorites.
However, reading about sniping, sniveling Alec and obnoxious Caroline became a chore. These two were nothing short of nasty individuals. None of the others (save one) were much better.
I began with some sympathy for Caroline and feel her path could have taken a more intriguing turn instead of jumping the rails. Why are we still reading about intelligent women behaving like lunatics?
This wasn’t the thriller I’d signed up for but if you like family and marital drama, The Woman on the Pier will be published on November 11, 2021.
I would like to thank One More Chapter, NetGalley, and the author for my gifted copy. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be more positive.
November 11, 2021
3.5 stars
The mother on the pier at Southend is Caroline Byrne, she’s a successful TV script writer but currently utterly weighed down with grief following the death of her sixteen year old daughter Jessica, murdered in a shocking terrorist attack at Stratford Station in London. Why was Jessica at the station? Was she meeting someone? Her parents thought she was in Somerset, so why did she lie? Caroline’s marriage to Alec is rock bottom, to describe their relationship as tense and toxic is an understatement and Jessica’s death drives a bigger wedge between them. The other person on the pier is a teenage boy. Who is this boy who tells the other part of the story? How does he connect to Caroline or Jessica? Why are they on the pier together??
I think the first half of the book is quite strong. It conveys a destroyed relationship extremely well as they seem to bring out the absolute worst in each other. Alec is not a likeable character by any means and you do want to be sympathetic to their situation but their behaviour makes it hard to be so. Jessica glues them together and once she’s gone their relationship shatters into a million pieces. Caroline’s complex emotions, her difficult past and current behaviour is effectively done though some of her actions are excruciating. Her grief is raw and the author uses some strong and emotive symbolism to convey the pathos and horror of the terrorist attacks. The tragedy of the aftermath of terrorism which is combined with the boys story clearly demonstrates a messed up world and households with a tenuous grip on normality. The author uses stormy, turbulent weather which perfectly matches what’s happening in the mothers and boys life and how it rises in ferocity to the meeting on the pier.
The boys story is a tough read and this is introduced in the second half and I think from this point on it all becomes a bit too much. Two major themes which are intensely dark which escalate in enormity is very unsettling and disturbing as I’m sure the author intends. It’s very shocking, incredibly heart wrenching, heartbreaking and unbearably sad. It also becomes pretty clear how the boy fits into the story and so there isn’t much of a surprise there. After all the build up the end is speedy and abrupt and leaves me feeling a bit let down.
Overall though, the book does grip me although it is far from an easy read. I’d have preferred the second half to have been more pared down as it’s hard to absorb two dark themes although the warning signs are there in the first half of the book.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, One More Chapter for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
The mother on the pier at Southend is Caroline Byrne, she’s a successful TV script writer but currently utterly weighed down with grief following the death of her sixteen year old daughter Jessica, murdered in a shocking terrorist attack at Stratford Station in London. Why was Jessica at the station? Was she meeting someone? Her parents thought she was in Somerset, so why did she lie? Caroline’s marriage to Alec is rock bottom, to describe their relationship as tense and toxic is an understatement and Jessica’s death drives a bigger wedge between them. The other person on the pier is a teenage boy. Who is this boy who tells the other part of the story? How does he connect to Caroline or Jessica? Why are they on the pier together??
I think the first half of the book is quite strong. It conveys a destroyed relationship extremely well as they seem to bring out the absolute worst in each other. Alec is not a likeable character by any means and you do want to be sympathetic to their situation but their behaviour makes it hard to be so. Jessica glues them together and once she’s gone their relationship shatters into a million pieces. Caroline’s complex emotions, her difficult past and current behaviour is effectively done though some of her actions are excruciating. Her grief is raw and the author uses some strong and emotive symbolism to convey the pathos and horror of the terrorist attacks. The tragedy of the aftermath of terrorism which is combined with the boys story clearly demonstrates a messed up world and households with a tenuous grip on normality. The author uses stormy, turbulent weather which perfectly matches what’s happening in the mothers and boys life and how it rises in ferocity to the meeting on the pier.
The boys story is a tough read and this is introduced in the second half and I think from this point on it all becomes a bit too much. Two major themes which are intensely dark which escalate in enormity is very unsettling and disturbing as I’m sure the author intends. It’s very shocking, incredibly heart wrenching, heartbreaking and unbearably sad. It also becomes pretty clear how the boy fits into the story and so there isn’t much of a surprise there. After all the build up the end is speedy and abrupt and leaves me feeling a bit let down.
Overall though, the book does grip me although it is far from an easy read. I’d have preferred the second half to have been more pared down as it’s hard to absorb two dark themes although the warning signs are there in the first half of the book.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, One More Chapter for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
September 24, 2024
Quite emotional and I really felt for the main character whilst also feeling saddened by the choices she made. The twist surprised me as well. It must also be mentioned that there is quite horrific abuse described, it was all very dark.
October 29, 2021
It’s a big no for me. The beginning was interesting, but it was all downhill from there.
Caroline is grieving the death of her sixteen-year-old daughter, Jessica. Jessica was among many who died during a terrorist attack in London. Several months later, Caroline decides to look through Jessica’s phone, and against all logic, blames a boy for the death of her daughter. It turns out that Jessica had planned to meet this boy in secrecy instead of going to Somerset with her friend. With this discovery, Caroline goes on a mission to find answers and exact revenge.
Before starting this I saw many less than favourable reviews, so I was surprised that the book instantly captured my attention. I liked the references to popular books, mainly YA. I even liked Caroline and sympathized that she had such a terrible marriage. But then I slowly learned that both Caroline and Alec were cruel and sick individuals. Nearly all the characters except for one or two were detestable. I felt gross reading a large majority of this book.
I prefer books that deal with such dark subject matter to have at least a shred of hope, but this one was just bleak. And I don’t know why a terrorist attack was used as a plot device, it was very unnecessary. And the title has little to do with what happens in the book. AND I’m tired of male authors turning their otherwise smart female characters into deranged women.
Trigger warning for everything: child abuse, paedophilia, self-harm, drug abuse.
Thank you to One More Chapter for inviting me to read this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Sorry I couldn’t give it a more favourable review.
Caroline is grieving the death of her sixteen-year-old daughter, Jessica. Jessica was among many who died during a terrorist attack in London. Several months later, Caroline decides to look through Jessica’s phone, and against all logic, blames a boy for the death of her daughter. It turns out that Jessica had planned to meet this boy in secrecy instead of going to Somerset with her friend. With this discovery, Caroline goes on a mission to find answers and exact revenge.
Before starting this I saw many less than favourable reviews, so I was surprised that the book instantly captured my attention. I liked the references to popular books, mainly YA. I even liked Caroline and sympathized that she had such a terrible marriage. But then I slowly learned that both Caroline and Alec were cruel and sick individuals. Nearly all the characters except for one or two were detestable. I felt gross reading a large majority of this book.
I prefer books that deal with such dark subject matter to have at least a shred of hope, but this one was just bleak. And I don’t know why a terrorist attack was used as a plot device, it was very unnecessary. And the title has little to do with what happens in the book. AND I’m tired of male authors turning their otherwise smart female characters into deranged women.
Trigger warning for everything: child abuse, paedophilia, self-harm, drug abuse.
Thank you to One More Chapter for inviting me to read this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Sorry I couldn’t give it a more favourable review.
January 11, 2022
This was disappointing in all ways possible!
Caroline Byrne is devastated when her daughter Jessica is murdered during an Isis attack. Caroline doesn't understand why her daughter was in Stratford when she was supposed to be at Somerset.
Why did her daughter lie?
Then Caroline opens her daughter's phone and she starts reading a thread her daughter had with another teenager. Caroline couldn't believe what she read and she knew she has to do something about it.
But is she ready to go too far?
To mention a few issues I had with this book:
-It was extremely hard to relate to Caroline who was all over the place. I couldn't respect her. She was spineless and felt entitled because she had money. I hated what she did at the end.
-I didn't really like any of the characters: The husband, the mother, etc.
-The whole TV issue was completely unnecessary. It brought nothing to the plot.
-Lastly, the name of the book has nothing to do with the book.
Cliffhanger: No
2/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by One More Chapter via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Caroline Byrne is devastated when her daughter Jessica is murdered during an Isis attack. Caroline doesn't understand why her daughter was in Stratford when she was supposed to be at Somerset.
Why did her daughter lie?
Then Caroline opens her daughter's phone and she starts reading a thread her daughter had with another teenager. Caroline couldn't believe what she read and she knew she has to do something about it.
But is she ready to go too far?
To mention a few issues I had with this book:
-It was extremely hard to relate to Caroline who was all over the place. I couldn't respect her. She was spineless and felt entitled because she had money. I hated what she did at the end.
-I didn't really like any of the characters: The husband, the mother, etc.
-The whole TV issue was completely unnecessary. It brought nothing to the plot.
-Lastly, the name of the book has nothing to do with the book.
Cliffhanger: No
2/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by One More Chapter via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
October 28, 2021
I want to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins, One More Chapter, for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review. I read author B.P. Walter's previous book, The Dinner Guest, and found it an admirable, compelling, excellent domestic thriller. I regret that I failed to connect with this dark, gripping, heart-wrenching, unbearably sad, overblown drama.
The story was well-written and constructed, but I found the characters flawed and unlikeable. I believe this was the author's intent. Disturbing themes were in abundance. These include acts of terrorism, child abuse and neglect, pedophilia, bad parenting, drug addiction, adultery, and personal demons from the past. There were secrets, lies, and violence with some clever twists, turns, and revelations. Each time, I hoped the situation could not become worse but it often did. There is a lot of mention of characters repeatedly crying and vomiting and lots of yelling and screeching.
The story is told from two perspectives, The Mother and The Boy. The mother is Caroline Byrne, snobbish, self-absorbed, entitled, and proud of her success as a screenwriter. Her marriage is toxic. She is no longer attracted to her unfaithful husband, whom she considers weak. They say hurtful things to one another and are rivals in dealing with their 16-year-old daughter, Jessica. Their marriage has become one of hostility, betrayal, and manipulation. Caroline enjoys making acquaintances feel uncomfortable.
When Jessica is killed in a shocking terrorist attack, Caroline goes mentally and emotionally into a downward spiral. Her actions become increasingly erratic and irrational. She blames her unhappy, distraught husband for not displaying sufficient grief. The main character, Caroline, was someone I considered so deranged, despicable, demented, and detestable that I was unable to sympathize with her feelings of bereavement.
Caroline's grief was overshadowed by extreme anger. She cannot understand why her daughter was killed at the scene of the terrorist attack when she had permission to stay overnight with a girlfriend from school at a distant location. While going through Jessica's phone, she is shocked to see messages between her daughter and a young man named Michael. She was at the location of the terrorist attack to meet up with the boy, but he stood her up. Jessica waited for him in that place until she was killed.
Now Caroline feels a strong urge for revenge. She cannot take her anger out on the terrorists because they all died in their attack, so she blames Michael for her daughter's death. She plans to track him down and make him pay in an act of revenge.
When she finds Michael, she learns that he is living in a dreadful home situation. He and his younger brother are in a filthy house looking after a drug-addicted mother. They have suffered abuse, neglect, and violence. What happens when she finds Michael and when they eventually meet on the pier?
Later, Caroline meets up with her very unpleasant mother at the home she fled while a teenager. After destroying her mother's prized possessions, they talk and learn more secrets about each other.
The outcome is surprising.
This is a gut-wrenching book that is sure to divide the reactions of its readers. I admired the writing and would read another book by the author based on the Dinner Guest, but this one was not for me. I found it powerful and profoundly sad.
The story was well-written and constructed, but I found the characters flawed and unlikeable. I believe this was the author's intent. Disturbing themes were in abundance. These include acts of terrorism, child abuse and neglect, pedophilia, bad parenting, drug addiction, adultery, and personal demons from the past. There were secrets, lies, and violence with some clever twists, turns, and revelations. Each time, I hoped the situation could not become worse but it often did. There is a lot of mention of characters repeatedly crying and vomiting and lots of yelling and screeching.
The story is told from two perspectives, The Mother and The Boy. The mother is Caroline Byrne, snobbish, self-absorbed, entitled, and proud of her success as a screenwriter. Her marriage is toxic. She is no longer attracted to her unfaithful husband, whom she considers weak. They say hurtful things to one another and are rivals in dealing with their 16-year-old daughter, Jessica. Their marriage has become one of hostility, betrayal, and manipulation. Caroline enjoys making acquaintances feel uncomfortable.
When Jessica is killed in a shocking terrorist attack, Caroline goes mentally and emotionally into a downward spiral. Her actions become increasingly erratic and irrational. She blames her unhappy, distraught husband for not displaying sufficient grief. The main character, Caroline, was someone I considered so deranged, despicable, demented, and detestable that I was unable to sympathize with her feelings of bereavement.
Caroline's grief was overshadowed by extreme anger. She cannot understand why her daughter was killed at the scene of the terrorist attack when she had permission to stay overnight with a girlfriend from school at a distant location. While going through Jessica's phone, she is shocked to see messages between her daughter and a young man named Michael. She was at the location of the terrorist attack to meet up with the boy, but he stood her up. Jessica waited for him in that place until she was killed.
Now Caroline feels a strong urge for revenge. She cannot take her anger out on the terrorists because they all died in their attack, so she blames Michael for her daughter's death. She plans to track him down and make him pay in an act of revenge.
When she finds Michael, she learns that he is living in a dreadful home situation. He and his younger brother are in a filthy house looking after a drug-addicted mother. They have suffered abuse, neglect, and violence. What happens when she finds Michael and when they eventually meet on the pier?
Later, Caroline meets up with her very unpleasant mother at the home she fled while a teenager. After destroying her mother's prized possessions, they talk and learn more secrets about each other.
The outcome is surprising.
This is a gut-wrenching book that is sure to divide the reactions of its readers. I admired the writing and would read another book by the author based on the Dinner Guest, but this one was not for me. I found it powerful and profoundly sad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
September 16, 2021DNF - no rating and will not be included in my reading challenge.
Having read and loved BP Walters The Dinner Guest last year I thought for sure this would be a slam dunk. Jokes on me.
The synopsis led me to believe this was a murder mystery with a side dish of revenge but that's not this at all. I also didn't realize this was about a terrorist attack. With the 20th anniversary of 9/11 just happening I was not in the mood for this type of book right now. DNF.
Having read and loved BP Walters The Dinner Guest last year I thought for sure this would be a slam dunk. Jokes on me.
The synopsis led me to believe this was a murder mystery with a side dish of revenge but that's not this at all. I also didn't realize this was about a terrorist attack. With the 20th anniversary of 9/11 just happening I was not in the mood for this type of book right now. DNF.
November 6, 2021
I must say initially that this book was not at all what I was expecting. I loved The Dinner Guest, so was super excited to be given the opportunity to read this one. This one just missed the mark for me. The stories were disjointed, the characters not developed enough, the relationships all big unexplored messes and so so so many triggers.
Although the writing was on point, I felt like the story had so much mashed together that if it had stuck more to the revenge style plot I may have enjoyed it better. The book was engaging, but it was more like how in the heck is this book going to tie all this together rather than oooooh, what’s going to happen next. I realize it feels like I’m bashing this book- but I don’t mean to. There was good to it, I think my disappointment in what I thought it could be just overwhelmed my thoughts.
This story is about an unhinged Mom in a loveless marriage losing her daughter in a terrorist attack (which is not even really discussed) and how she looks to blame someone, anyone for her loss. She finds text messages from a boy on her daughter’s phone (after 3 months…?) and decides to find him, unsure of what she’ll do when she does. Her search for answers is the rest of the story.
This is definitely not a fast paced thriller in my book, I would characterize it as a domestic thriller. Don’t bother reading the synopsis- just go in blind- maybe you’ll enjoy it more. But be ready for triggers like child abuse and neglect if you do.
Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for inviting me to an advanced copy.
Although the writing was on point, I felt like the story had so much mashed together that if it had stuck more to the revenge style plot I may have enjoyed it better. The book was engaging, but it was more like how in the heck is this book going to tie all this together rather than oooooh, what’s going to happen next. I realize it feels like I’m bashing this book- but I don’t mean to. There was good to it, I think my disappointment in what I thought it could be just overwhelmed my thoughts.
This story is about an unhinged Mom in a loveless marriage losing her daughter in a terrorist attack (which is not even really discussed) and how she looks to blame someone, anyone for her loss. She finds text messages from a boy on her daughter’s phone (after 3 months…?) and decides to find him, unsure of what she’ll do when she does. Her search for answers is the rest of the story.
This is definitely not a fast paced thriller in my book, I would characterize it as a domestic thriller. Don’t bother reading the synopsis- just go in blind- maybe you’ll enjoy it more. But be ready for triggers like child abuse and neglect if you do.
Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for inviting me to an advanced copy.
December 21, 2021
On the face of it Caroline and her husband Alec have it all: good careers, money in the bank, a nice house in Kent and a teenage daughter, Jessica, who is bright and inquisitive. But under the surface things are more complicated, Alec is finding his sexual gratification elsewhere and Caroline is worried about Jessica’s plans to visit a friend in Somerset in the midst of a sustained period of terrorist attacks impacting the South of England. Caroline is unhappy at the prospect of her daughters trip, but her objections are overridden by Alec. And worse is to come - the latest terrorist atrocity is about to impact this family, and with tragic consequences.
Told from a multi-person perspective and with the timeline jumping back and forth, this story unveils its mysteries in a series of face slapping surprises spread throughout its pages. It’s intriguingly plotted, the characterisations are strong and it’s very well-paced – to the extent that whenever I put it down I was desperately planning when I’d next be able to grab it up again. So does this make it the perfect mystery/thriller? Well, not quite. The price paid for the regular injections of ‘wow’ moments is that an equal number of leaps of faith are required in order to accept that yet another layer of strife can be added to this particular scenario.
Caroline’s search for truth – and sometimes, it seems, for her own sanity – takes her on a quest during which she gets nothing but bad luck, where information that’s just a finger swipe away somehow evades her and just about anything else that could go wrong does. So, is this web a litle too tangled, can anyone suffer from this number of misunderstandings and accrue this much bad luck in such a short space of time? For me it does all stray a little too far into the realms of the fantastic, and yet these are the very ingredients that make it all so compulsively readable. Another nail-biting tale from the author of The Dinner Guest.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter who provided a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Told from a multi-person perspective and with the timeline jumping back and forth, this story unveils its mysteries in a series of face slapping surprises spread throughout its pages. It’s intriguingly plotted, the characterisations are strong and it’s very well-paced – to the extent that whenever I put it down I was desperately planning when I’d next be able to grab it up again. So does this make it the perfect mystery/thriller? Well, not quite. The price paid for the regular injections of ‘wow’ moments is that an equal number of leaps of faith are required in order to accept that yet another layer of strife can be added to this particular scenario.
Caroline’s search for truth – and sometimes, it seems, for her own sanity – takes her on a quest during which she gets nothing but bad luck, where information that’s just a finger swipe away somehow evades her and just about anything else that could go wrong does. So, is this web a litle too tangled, can anyone suffer from this number of misunderstandings and accrue this much bad luck in such a short space of time? For me it does all stray a little too far into the realms of the fantastic, and yet these are the very ingredients that make it all so compulsively readable. Another nail-biting tale from the author of The Dinner Guest.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter who provided a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
October 1, 2021
2.75 not the feel-good story of the year
I’m guilty of going into this one blind. Now I realize it is better not to read the book blurb, it gives too much away! I’m not sure I would categorize this one as a dark thriller. It was dark and depressing, but it didn’t have the usual trademark twists I would expect with a thriller.
Caroline is a screenwriter, struggling in her marriage and grieving her daughter. She’s desperate to figure out why her daughter lied and why she was in Stratford at all when terrorists attacked.
This one had different timelines that often overlapped, and I admit I was confused a few times. The characters were overwhelmingly unlikeable, I’m on the fence about if they will be memorable. Caroline makes some irrational choices in her grief, but I just didn’t find myself rooting for her.
This one has lots of dark elements: drugs, terrorists, mental health issues, pedophilia, child abuse. Probably too many subplots going on as well. I wish I would have liked this one more.
Thank You to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the early copy of this one. Scheduled to release on November 11, 2021.
I’m guilty of going into this one blind. Now I realize it is better not to read the book blurb, it gives too much away! I’m not sure I would categorize this one as a dark thriller. It was dark and depressing, but it didn’t have the usual trademark twists I would expect with a thriller.
Caroline is a screenwriter, struggling in her marriage and grieving her daughter. She’s desperate to figure out why her daughter lied and why she was in Stratford at all when terrorists attacked.
This one had different timelines that often overlapped, and I admit I was confused a few times. The characters were overwhelmingly unlikeable, I’m on the fence about if they will be memorable. Caroline makes some irrational choices in her grief, but I just didn’t find myself rooting for her.
This one has lots of dark elements: drugs, terrorists, mental health issues, pedophilia, child abuse. Probably too many subplots going on as well. I wish I would have liked this one more.
Thank You to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the early copy of this one. Scheduled to release on November 11, 2021.
September 24, 2021
Reading the blurb/synopsis I thought this was going to be a revenge mystery/thriller type of read. I sure was wrong on that one and feel a little disappointed as I felt it was nothing like it was advertised/marketed. I don't want to get into too much of the plot for fear of spoiling it as the blurb and actual plot are not even close except the death of Jessica.
I felt that bringing in terrorism and sexual abuse just didn't seem to fit in and was maybe thrown in to make the book a little darker?( I'm not a huge fan of terrorism in books, too close to reality for me.) Even the title "The Pier" was misleading, said Pier only had a cameo of maybe 2 pages. Feel like there was so much mashed together that if it left out a few things and tried to stick more to the revenge style plot I may have enjoyed it better.
2.5 rounding up to 3 stars. I did love The Dinner Guest, will just chalk this one up as a miss, but would be interested in any future works.
Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for inviting me to read this advanced copy
I felt that bringing in terrorism and sexual abuse just didn't seem to fit in and was maybe thrown in to make the book a little darker?( I'm not a huge fan of terrorism in books, too close to reality for me.) Even the title "The Pier" was misleading, said Pier only had a cameo of maybe 2 pages. Feel like there was so much mashed together that if it left out a few things and tried to stick more to the revenge style plot I may have enjoyed it better.
2.5 rounding up to 3 stars. I did love The Dinner Guest, will just chalk this one up as a miss, but would be interested in any future works.
Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for inviting me to read this advanced copy
September 25, 2021
After reading and enjoying The Dinner Guest, I was excited to get my hands on this book.
I was so letdown.
I'm going to keep this review short and sweet because I feel like this book has already taken up too much of my time.
The entire plot is absurd. Caroline's daughter died in a terrorist attack perpetrated by ISIS, however, she blames a man who stood her daughter up on a date? That doesn't make any sense at all. Grief can be a funny thing, but come on! So many of Caroline's other actions are also...questionable. This whole book was a melodramatic affair that was tedious, lacking in suspense and lacking in any realm of believability. Just a big no for me.
If you're a fan of B.P. Walter, by all means give this book a read for yourself. If you've never read his books before, I recommend starting with a different one for sure.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was so letdown.
I'm going to keep this review short and sweet because I feel like this book has already taken up too much of my time.
The entire plot is absurd. Caroline's daughter died in a terrorist attack perpetrated by ISIS, however, she blames a man who stood her daughter up on a date? That doesn't make any sense at all. Grief can be a funny thing, but come on! So many of Caroline's other actions are also...questionable. This whole book was a melodramatic affair that was tedious, lacking in suspense and lacking in any realm of believability. Just a big no for me.
If you're a fan of B.P. Walter, by all means give this book a read for yourself. If you've never read his books before, I recommend starting with a different one for sure.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2021
2,5 stars.
A couple who's marriage is based on betrayal, secrets and manipulation loose their only daughter in a terrorist attack. The mother, Caroline, loses her mind and desperately seeks for closure which she didn't feel she got as the terrorists died during the attack. Therefor, she searches for another culprit.
This is the second book I've read this year where the main voice is that of an hysterical woman and I'm not into a character that is screaming and shouting and making bizarre and illogical decisions all the time. Maybe I just cannot image just how hurt a mother who lost a child could be, and how she could behave. But in this instance, I couldn't sympathize one bit with Caroline, nor with her husband Alec.
I know that B.P. Walter can write a good book, as I enjoyed The Dinner Guest, and this one isn't badly written either, but I couldn't stand the characters and the story didn't make sense.
A couple who's marriage is based on betrayal, secrets and manipulation loose their only daughter in a terrorist attack. The mother, Caroline, loses her mind and desperately seeks for closure which she didn't feel she got as the terrorists died during the attack. Therefor, she searches for another culprit.
This is the second book I've read this year where the main voice is that of an hysterical woman and I'm not into a character that is screaming and shouting and making bizarre and illogical decisions all the time. Maybe I just cannot image just how hurt a mother who lost a child could be, and how she could behave. But in this instance, I couldn't sympathize one bit with Caroline, nor with her husband Alec.
I know that B.P. Walter can write a good book, as I enjoyed The Dinner Guest, and this one isn't badly written either, but I couldn't stand the characters and the story didn't make sense.
February 11, 2022
⭐⭐⭐
I enjoyed this author's previous book (The Dinner Guest) so I was excited to dive into this one. Alas, this one just wasn't as good as The Dinner Guest. 🤷🏻♀️ That said, I still found it highly readable and entertaining. This author has such an easy flow to his writing that just sucks you into the story and keeps you reading. So yeah, I wasn't as "wow'd" as I had hoped to be, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
**ARC Via NetGalley**
November 16, 2021
The Woman On The Pier is the fourth novel by British author, B.P. Walter. Successful screenwriter Caroline Byrne is a little concerned when messages to her teenaged daughter, Jessica go unanswered during a terrorist attack in East London, but reassures herself that Jessica has gone to visit a friend in Somerset, so she should be safe. Police at the door in the early hours tell a different story: Jessica was at Stratford Station, and was shot dead by a terrorist.
Her marriage to Alec, already unstable, deteriorates even further, especially as Caroline becomes a relentless irritant to Jessica’s friends, their parents, police, and any witnesses, as she tries to fathom why her daughter was in Stratford. She cannot understand why Jessica lied to her. But then Jessica’s phone, returned by police, offers a clue: a stream of messages to and from a Michael Kelley, whom she was to meet at that fateful place, where he failed to appear.
Now a mother who is determined to have something more to blame for the death of her daughter than a bunch of dead terrorists, Caroline seeks to saddle this young man with the responsibility, refusing to listen to reason from her husband. She heads to Southend to track him down and confront him.
Walter pack so much into this story that you’ll need to don your disbelief suspenders: a paedophile ring, self-harming teens, terrorists, teen boys connecting with MILFs, infidelity, child abuse, drug abuse, post-traumatic amnesia, mistaken identity, a body at the bottom of a staircase. It seems that not one character leads a plain, dull, ordinary life: each one has major issues. The story is told by two narrators over a dual timeline.
The story is populated by unappealing characters behaving badly who mostly fail to redeem themselves, although at least the teens have an excuse. The establishment of the characters’ backstories is, at times rather clumsy, tell instead of show. The lead-up to the events described in the blurb, and the title, is painfully slow. Much of the plot is melodramatic, the dialogue often real eye-rolling stuff; there are a couple of twists, but too little, too late for them to impact on a poor rating. Disappointing.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK – One More Chapter.
Her marriage to Alec, already unstable, deteriorates even further, especially as Caroline becomes a relentless irritant to Jessica’s friends, their parents, police, and any witnesses, as she tries to fathom why her daughter was in Stratford. She cannot understand why Jessica lied to her. But then Jessica’s phone, returned by police, offers a clue: a stream of messages to and from a Michael Kelley, whom she was to meet at that fateful place, where he failed to appear.
Now a mother who is determined to have something more to blame for the death of her daughter than a bunch of dead terrorists, Caroline seeks to saddle this young man with the responsibility, refusing to listen to reason from her husband. She heads to Southend to track him down and confront him.
Walter pack so much into this story that you’ll need to don your disbelief suspenders: a paedophile ring, self-harming teens, terrorists, teen boys connecting with MILFs, infidelity, child abuse, drug abuse, post-traumatic amnesia, mistaken identity, a body at the bottom of a staircase. It seems that not one character leads a plain, dull, ordinary life: each one has major issues. The story is told by two narrators over a dual timeline.
The story is populated by unappealing characters behaving badly who mostly fail to redeem themselves, although at least the teens have an excuse. The establishment of the characters’ backstories is, at times rather clumsy, tell instead of show. The lead-up to the events described in the blurb, and the title, is painfully slow. Much of the plot is melodramatic, the dialogue often real eye-rolling stuff; there are a couple of twists, but too little, too late for them to impact on a poor rating. Disappointing.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK – One More Chapter.
January 29, 2022
I loved ‘The Dinner Guest’ by this author and have read several of his books since with mixed feelings. Luckily for me, I really enjoyed this one, a dark novel like a lot of books by B.P Walker, touching a few upsetting topics but an enjoyable read.
Caroline Byrne is a grieving, her daughter was tragically killed and she is still trying to come to terms with it. Her daughters death has hit her hard and her life is frozen in time not knowing how to continue until she knows the truth surrounding her death.
Three months ago her daughter, Jessica, was killed in a terrorist attack in London but she was never meant to be there. Caroline is trying to piece together the clues to what really happened and why. Why was she in London and not with the friends miles away as she believed. In search of anything that will make sense of what happened, Caroline delves into her daughters phone history, looking at calls and messages. She stumbles on messages from a boy who seems to be special to Jessica and decides to hunt him down to try and throw light on what happened.
I think this is the sort of novel that you will either really enjoy or hate, dark subjects but so well written.
Caroline Byrne is a grieving, her daughter was tragically killed and she is still trying to come to terms with it. Her daughters death has hit her hard and her life is frozen in time not knowing how to continue until she knows the truth surrounding her death.
Three months ago her daughter, Jessica, was killed in a terrorist attack in London but she was never meant to be there. Caroline is trying to piece together the clues to what really happened and why. Why was she in London and not with the friends miles away as she believed. In search of anything that will make sense of what happened, Caroline delves into her daughters phone history, looking at calls and messages. She stumbles on messages from a boy who seems to be special to Jessica and decides to hunt him down to try and throw light on what happened.
I think this is the sort of novel that you will either really enjoy or hate, dark subjects but so well written.
October 4, 2021
B.P. Walter's experiments with form and structure resulted previously in the brilliant The Dinner Guest, an innovative thriller that stood out mainly because of the exceptional handling of the multiple perspective and timeline narrative. In The Woman on the Pier, the author follows the same recipe and delivers a compelling text consisting of a story about bereavement set against a backdrop of terrorist attacks and horrid child abuse that unravels through several points of view and manifold timelines. The themes are highly disturbing, but the mystery and suspense that permeates the book keep the reader turning the pages until the final showdown.
To read my full review, visit https://tapthelinemag.com/post/the-wo...
To read my full review, visit https://tapthelinemag.com/post/the-wo...
September 6, 2021
I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I put it down and it will take me some time to process just what impact this story will have on me
The synopsis for this book sets out a tale of revenge. A grieving mother who cannot come to terms with the fact her daughter was murdered in a terrorist attack and seeks revenge for her death.
The terrorists were killed at the scene at the time of the attack however Caroline discovers her daughter, Jessica, was only at the scene of the attack to meet a boy who did not show up for their date.
Caroline then focuses her attention on this young boy, blaming him for Jessica being in that area, with tragic and devastating consequences for all involved.
Whilst this gives the impression of a thrilling, revenge-seeking novel (and it is), this book is far more than that. Whilst the need to avoid spoilers prevents me from discussing too much the stories of the children in this novel are heart-breaking and give the novel a depth that you do not normally see in these types of books.
This is my second novel by this author and I genuinely hope this catapults B P Walter to where he belongs - in the homes of every reader!
Thanks to Harper Collins, One More Chapter and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I genuinely can't recommend this novel enough. Please, please read!
The synopsis for this book sets out a tale of revenge. A grieving mother who cannot come to terms with the fact her daughter was murdered in a terrorist attack and seeks revenge for her death.
The terrorists were killed at the scene at the time of the attack however Caroline discovers her daughter, Jessica, was only at the scene of the attack to meet a boy who did not show up for their date.
Caroline then focuses her attention on this young boy, blaming him for Jessica being in that area, with tragic and devastating consequences for all involved.
Whilst this gives the impression of a thrilling, revenge-seeking novel (and it is), this book is far more than that. Whilst the need to avoid spoilers prevents me from discussing too much the stories of the children in this novel are heart-breaking and give the novel a depth that you do not normally see in these types of books.
This is my second novel by this author and I genuinely hope this catapults B P Walter to where he belongs - in the homes of every reader!
Thanks to Harper Collins, One More Chapter and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I genuinely can't recommend this novel enough. Please, please read!
October 23, 2021
I read this as part of the #omcreadalong #omcthrillathon over four days. Being completely transparent I did not particularly enjoy the author’s last book The Dinner Guest and found it to be, well a bit snobby if I’m honest and the characters were eurgh and just made me feel a bit icky and not in a good way. Willing to give the author a second chance and thinking the premise sounded good I got stuck in.
Well if I didn’t particularly like the last one it was nothing compared to how I felt with this one. I felt like I had been fraudulently deceived as the majority of the book was about their awful marriage and I think the author had googled trigger topics and then crammed as many in as possible. The characters were awful and I couldn’t even sympathise with Caroline over the loss of her daughter as she had no redeeming or likeable qualities to her.
Then we get on to my issue with snobbery, now I’ve just finished another book where a character was incredibly affluent but it came across in a much better way. Here it just rubbed me up the wrong way. I mean she goes to a hotel and doesn’t like the size of the television so she goes to a store and buys a 55 inch £3,000 Sony OLED and thinks nothing of it. Now Caroline does herself consider that she may be a snob like her mother but the way the author writes the so called poorer characters and the fact this is the second book that made me feel this way, makes me wonder if the author actually thinks that’s how people are.
Then there was the glaring error of deaths, on chapter five the death toll was 37 and by chapter 21 the final death toll had increased to 27. Yeah work that out! If it was down to timeline do not put final in the figures as it is just confusing when no dates are added. Now I know that these are possibly uncorrected copies but they had surely at least seen a proofreader and for something that serious it’s important you get it right.
If this hadn’t been a readalong it would have been a dnf and I am reluctant to recommend it. I won’t be tagging the author in this review as there may be others who will enjoy it. Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.
Well if I didn’t particularly like the last one it was nothing compared to how I felt with this one. I felt like I had been fraudulently deceived as the majority of the book was about their awful marriage and I think the author had googled trigger topics and then crammed as many in as possible. The characters were awful and I couldn’t even sympathise with Caroline over the loss of her daughter as she had no redeeming or likeable qualities to her.
Then we get on to my issue with snobbery, now I’ve just finished another book where a character was incredibly affluent but it came across in a much better way. Here it just rubbed me up the wrong way. I mean she goes to a hotel and doesn’t like the size of the television so she goes to a store and buys a 55 inch £3,000 Sony OLED and thinks nothing of it. Now Caroline does herself consider that she may be a snob like her mother but the way the author writes the so called poorer characters and the fact this is the second book that made me feel this way, makes me wonder if the author actually thinks that’s how people are.
Then there was the glaring error of deaths, on chapter five the death toll was 37 and by chapter 21 the final death toll had increased to 27. Yeah work that out! If it was down to timeline do not put final in the figures as it is just confusing when no dates are added. Now I know that these are possibly uncorrected copies but they had surely at least seen a proofreader and for something that serious it’s important you get it right.
If this hadn’t been a readalong it would have been a dnf and I am reluctant to recommend it. I won’t be tagging the author in this review as there may be others who will enjoy it. Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.
April 3, 2022
The Woman on the Pier…going, to be honest here, I felt like the title was the biggest spoiler. It’s not until you finish the book just how big a spoiler you have been dealt. The story dealt with difficult content and if you are triggered by child death and terrorist attacks, I would advise you to stay clear of this one. A mother and father grieving for their teenage daughter’s lost life and potential, Jessica. A marriage crumbling from the very seams. Secrets that could destroy everything. Jessica planned to visit her friend in Somerset so why on earth was she killed in a terrorist attack at Stratford train station?
I really enjoyed B.P. Walter’s, The Dinner Guest but I just felt The Woman on the Pier lacked something. I didn’t feel there was a big mystery as to why Jessica was in London on that fateful day. The prologue gave us the biggest insight into why she would be there, so I wasn’t shocked to discover she was killed. The story is split into the narratives of The Mother and The Boy. It’s a story that is purely about a mother’s grief and the lengths she will go to understand why her daughter was killed.
The Woman on the Pier is earth-shatteringly destructive in its portrayal of a life taken too soon. It rips a hole through her parent’s marriage and lives. Caroline and Alec haven’t gotten along for a long time, but they kept each other secrets and lived a life of hatred and one-upmanship. Caroline was resented for her successful career in screenwriting and Alec liked to prove her to be the helicopter parent.
Caroline can’t let sleeping dogs lie. Her daughter’s life has destroyed her. Jessica’s phone was retrieved after the attack, and she decides to go through her messages. That’s when she discovers THE BOY. The boy that she had decided to meet up with, the boy that stood her up. The boy that inadvertently killed her. Caroline is incandescent with rage. How could this boy stand her daughter up and get her murdered? She presents this information to Alec who suggests that she is looking for any reason, even to the point that he thinks that if it was a man she would be satisfied.
She finds out his address which is in Southend and decides that she will make him pay. She will confront him and make him see the pain and suffering that he has caused, by any means necessary. That was the plan anyway, but nothing is as it seems. It was a good story and enjoyed the majority of it, however, it take me a while to warm up to it, and felt the title was hugely misleading, considering it took place in one chapter.
The Woman on the Pier was a heart-wrenching exploration of just how child death can have reverberating consequences on multiples lives.
I really enjoyed B.P. Walter’s, The Dinner Guest but I just felt The Woman on the Pier lacked something. I didn’t feel there was a big mystery as to why Jessica was in London on that fateful day. The prologue gave us the biggest insight into why she would be there, so I wasn’t shocked to discover she was killed. The story is split into the narratives of The Mother and The Boy. It’s a story that is purely about a mother’s grief and the lengths she will go to understand why her daughter was killed.
The Woman on the Pier is earth-shatteringly destructive in its portrayal of a life taken too soon. It rips a hole through her parent’s marriage and lives. Caroline and Alec haven’t gotten along for a long time, but they kept each other secrets and lived a life of hatred and one-upmanship. Caroline was resented for her successful career in screenwriting and Alec liked to prove her to be the helicopter parent.
Caroline can’t let sleeping dogs lie. Her daughter’s life has destroyed her. Jessica’s phone was retrieved after the attack, and she decides to go through her messages. That’s when she discovers THE BOY. The boy that she had decided to meet up with, the boy that stood her up. The boy that inadvertently killed her. Caroline is incandescent with rage. How could this boy stand her daughter up and get her murdered? She presents this information to Alec who suggests that she is looking for any reason, even to the point that he thinks that if it was a man she would be satisfied.
She finds out his address which is in Southend and decides that she will make him pay. She will confront him and make him see the pain and suffering that he has caused, by any means necessary. That was the plan anyway, but nothing is as it seems. It was a good story and enjoyed the majority of it, however, it take me a while to warm up to it, and felt the title was hugely misleading, considering it took place in one chapter.
The Woman on the Pier was a heart-wrenching exploration of just how child death can have reverberating consequences on multiples lives.
March 16, 2024
Rating: ★★★★☆
𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀:
Was absolutely feeling a thriller, so had to try this book out Rating: ★★★★☆
𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼:
I rated this book a 4⭐️ and this was a mindfuck book, like don’t get me wrong it was amazing but the mother is defiantly too unhinged aha!
Do not want to spoil this but if anyone wants to message me about it, go ahead!
𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓰𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓲𝓷𝓿𝓸𝓵𝓿𝓮𝓭:
Rape.
Child Porn.
Adult and Child Sex.
Murders described.
Child abuse.
Drug abuse.
Cheating.
Psycho characters and thoughts.
𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓸𝓻 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼?
This book is a stand-alone and has an amazing plot twist!
𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀:
Was absolutely feeling a thriller, so had to try this book out Rating: ★★★★☆
𝓜𝔂 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼:
I rated this book a 4⭐️ and this was a mindfuck book, like don’t get me wrong it was amazing but the mother is defiantly too unhinged aha!
Do not want to spoil this but if anyone wants to message me about it, go ahead!
𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓰𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓲𝓷𝓿𝓸𝓵𝓿𝓮𝓭:
Rape.
Child Porn.
Adult and Child Sex.
Murders described.
Child abuse.
Drug abuse.
Cheating.
Psycho characters and thoughts.
𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓸𝓻 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼?
This book is a stand-alone and has an amazing plot twist!
September 9, 2021
A sad disturbing tale, compassionately written, dealing with the grief of parents, whose daughter has been murdered in a terrorist attack. I liked the real life references to book titles.
Thank goodness the story is based on imagination rather than factual, but I found it very sad to read of a terrorist attack on an area I know so well.
Nevertheless, cleverly plotted and had me gripped. Its five star.
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, One More Chapter for my digital copy.
Thank goodness the story is based on imagination rather than factual, but I found it very sad to read of a terrorist attack on an area I know so well.
Nevertheless, cleverly plotted and had me gripped. Its five star.
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, One More Chapter for my digital copy.
December 30, 2021
Oh dear I did not enjoy this book at all - I couldn’t wait to finish it and not in a good way 😅 I loved BP Walter’s The Dinner Guest but I found the characters really unlikeable in this story and the title / blurb is so misleading in my opinion! So many heavy subjects covered in this book too and I just didn’t find it enjoyable unfortunately.
December 4, 2021
Caroline Byrne is a successful TV script writer and a grieving mother. Her sixteen year old daughter, Jessica, was killed in a shocking terrorist attack at Stratford Station in London. Why was she even there, she was supposed to be in Somerset with a friend. Caroline's marriage is also on the rocks. Things were tense before Jessica's death, but they are worse now. Three months later, and Caroline still doesn’t understand why Jessica had lied to them and why she was in London on that fateful day. She decides to go through her daughter’s phone, and see if there are any clues. What she finds surprises her. Jessica was supposed to meet a boy that day, one she had been talking to online, but he never showed up. Caroline has a mission, this Michael is the reason that Jessica is dead and she is going to make him pay.
There were highs and lows in this story. The first half of the book tells us the story of the Byrne family. We learn about their relationships and their problems. Jessica pits her parents against one another to get what she wants, but this causes a rift between them. Jessica is also the glue that holds the family together. Jessica's death shatters Caroline and she becomes a bit unhinged. She is having an extremely difficult time dealing with her grief and Alec is no help at all. She needs someone to blame and "the boy" aka Michael is her target. Once Caroline finds out who Michael is, the story takes an even darker turn. We hear his story and it was heartbreaking. The story is told from both Caroline's and the boy's POV, which fleshes out the story using realistic events that were occurring at the time the story is set. I'm not sure if I would describe this book as a thriller, in fact I don't know what genre this would fit. It is populated with unlikable characters and people who's persona and reactions are the result of things that happen to them, but I couldn't help but feel empathy towards them. There are lies and secrets that will change lives. It was a well written and well paced story. I will leave it with this description, a story of a family disintegrating, grief, senseless deaths, lies and secrets, revenge and abuse. I did a read/listen with the audiobook narrated by Stephanie Racine and Luke Francis. I always enjoy when there are both male and female narrators to give voice to the characters. Both narrators did a good job bringing the story to life and it added to my enjoyment of the story. I did enjoy the audiobook more than reading this one, but both formats were enjoyable. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.
There were highs and lows in this story. The first half of the book tells us the story of the Byrne family. We learn about their relationships and their problems. Jessica pits her parents against one another to get what she wants, but this causes a rift between them. Jessica is also the glue that holds the family together. Jessica's death shatters Caroline and she becomes a bit unhinged. She is having an extremely difficult time dealing with her grief and Alec is no help at all. She needs someone to blame and "the boy" aka Michael is her target. Once Caroline finds out who Michael is, the story takes an even darker turn. We hear his story and it was heartbreaking. The story is told from both Caroline's and the boy's POV, which fleshes out the story using realistic events that were occurring at the time the story is set. I'm not sure if I would describe this book as a thriller, in fact I don't know what genre this would fit. It is populated with unlikable characters and people who's persona and reactions are the result of things that happen to them, but I couldn't help but feel empathy towards them. There are lies and secrets that will change lives. It was a well written and well paced story. I will leave it with this description, a story of a family disintegrating, grief, senseless deaths, lies and secrets, revenge and abuse. I did a read/listen with the audiobook narrated by Stephanie Racine and Luke Francis. I always enjoy when there are both male and female narrators to give voice to the characters. Both narrators did a good job bringing the story to life and it added to my enjoyment of the story. I did enjoy the audiobook more than reading this one, but both formats were enjoyable. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.
April 6, 2022
Review: https://clife.blog/2022/04/06/book-re...
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Grief happens however that does not mean you take another persons life and blame them, very immature behaviour for an old person. Sorry, middle-age. You don’t see the main characters husband doing illegal things like that, okay he does cheat but he doesn’t murder innocent children!
This novel is about a mentally disturbed mother who stayed in a unhappy marriage oh and she is such a snob! Even proper people are at least aware of the different types of situations in council areas however this lady seems to be so shocked, she really annoyed me at her ignorance and flaunting money about.
Oh, and the going back and forth between different characters and moments in time was confusing, I listened to this novel however it was all over the place.
———————
Grief happens however that does not mean you take another persons life and blame them, very immature behaviour for an old person. Sorry, middle-age. You don’t see the main characters husband doing illegal things like that, okay he does cheat but he doesn’t murder innocent children!
This novel is about a mentally disturbed mother who stayed in a unhappy marriage oh and she is such a snob! Even proper people are at least aware of the different types of situations in council areas however this lady seems to be so shocked, she really annoyed me at her ignorance and flaunting money about.
Oh, and the going back and forth between different characters and moments in time was confusing, I listened to this novel however it was all over the place.
October 31, 2021
Wow! What a truly twisty novel that grabbed my attention from the start and did not let go until I turned the last page.
BP Walter is a new to me author but one that I will definitely be looking out for in the future.
This psychological thriller felt raw but because not one single character was sanitised in that they didn't behave as if they were on show, they behaved as people do when things are raw, and that is often not pretty at all!
I loved the twists and turns, the tale took from middle class home to a drug and drink addled single mother, from on-line meetings to intimate marital backbiting, from past hurts to present traumas, this book has it all.
Excellent definitely one of my favourite reads of 2021
BP Walter is a new to me author but one that I will definitely be looking out for in the future.
This psychological thriller felt raw but because not one single character was sanitised in that they didn't behave as if they were on show, they behaved as people do when things are raw, and that is often not pretty at all!
I loved the twists and turns, the tale took from middle class home to a drug and drink addled single mother, from on-line meetings to intimate marital backbiting, from past hurts to present traumas, this book has it all.
Excellent definitely one of my favourite reads of 2021
November 8, 2021
This is a chilling and disturbing novel--and I mean that in the very best way! When daughter Jessica turns up dead, it is assumed she was the latest victim of a terrorist attack which, of course, devastates her parents. But as her mother searches deeper and deciphers messages on her iPhone, we see that nothing is as it seems and there is much more to the story than a bomb that took innocent lives. This is a heartbreaking story as we see a marriage falling apart, relationships in shambles, and neglected teens that have incriminating secrets in their pasts. So don't attempt this unless you are in a place where you can handle family trauma and all of the baggage that comes with dysfunction in a society that is reluctant to see the truth in the underbelly of families.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
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