Familiar Strangers by Jackie Walsh
Published by Hera Books
Publication Date: 22nd May 2019 ebook
Genre: Psychological Thriller
365 pages
Book Description:
'I took you, Becca. You’re not my daughter.'Since Becca Wall’s mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, every day Becca loses a little more of the loving, caring mother who would do anything for her only daughter. But when one day Nancy Wall confesses that Becca is not her child, Becca's world falls apart.
Becca tells herself that the words are just a cruel symptom of Nancy’s illness; after all, she has her birth certificate, and pictures of herself as a newborn along with her Mom, Dad and older brother, Danny. Becca tries to forget, to get on with her life – until the day the police question her about the whereabouts of a missing woman, Katie Collins.
An addictive, fast-paced psychological thriller with a shocking twist that will leave you gasping. Fans of The Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us and T.M Logan will be gripped until the very last page.
Becca tells herself that the words are just a cruel symptom of Nancy’s illness; after all, she has her birth certificate, and pictures of herself as a newborn along with her Mom, Dad and older brother, Danny. Becca tries to forget, to get on with her life – until the day the police question her about the whereabouts of a missing woman, Katie Collins.
Katie has disappeared without a trace, telling her husband that she is leaving to find Rebecca Wall. But Becca doesn’t know Katie, so it’s a case of mistaken identity – isn’t it? But as Becca discovers why Katie was desperate to find her, the lies that Becca has always believed come crashing down.
Soon, it’s clear that someone knows the truth – and that they’ll stop at nothing to keep their secrets…
An addictive, fast-paced psychological thriller with a shocking twist that will leave you gasping. Fans of The Girl on the Train, The Wife Between Us and T.M Logan will be gripped until the very last page.
My Review:
Becca and Danny's mum has dementia. Danny is busy with his heavily pregnant wife Joanna so the visiting tends to fall to Becca and her dad these days. It's on one of her solitary visits that Becca's mum Nancy turns to her and, looking deep into her eyes, tells her that she's not her mum; she took her. The moment passes quickly and despite Becca pressing her mum for further details she knows that she won't get any more information out of her. Becca leaves, shocked and upset, craving answers. Is what Nancy said true? If so, who else knows? What about Danny? And her dad?
When Becca gets home she finds out from the news channels that a woman has gone missing; her name is Katie Collins and looking at the news reports the woman looks uncannily like Becca. Then the police call, asking Becca questions about Katie. She truthfully tells them that she has no idea who Katie is or why Katie is allegedly looking for Becca.
Life is currently going down the pan for Becca - she's had an unfortunate liaison with her boss, who is now making threats if she tells anyone about their night together. Her brother is acting strange and her dad's neighbours Bert and Edith are struggling to cope with Edith's terminal diagnosis. Becca feels pulled in so many directions emotionally and the bombshell her mum has dropped couldn't have come at a worse time. What can she do to find out the truth - she can't ask her dad, the police seem to know something Becca doesn't so she can't say anything to them in case it incriminates her and anyone else she trusts enough to ask has more than enough on their plate already. Following her gut instincts Becca starts putting the evidence together herself to try to work things out, only to then discover that Katie Collins is dead, the victim of a violent death in a local park. Just when she thought her situation couldn't get any worse the police are questioning her again, and this time it's a murder investigation.
The story comes together well in the last quarter of the book with answers to all the questions the reader has been mulling over from the start. The emotional turmoil Becca goes through from the moment her mum was admitted to Oakridge care facility are explored - the guilt of not being able to care for her at home, then the betrayal she feels with her mum's announcement, the confusion as to who she really is. And then the worry of being considered as part of a murder case all take their toll on Becca.
I enjoyed reading about the challenges facing the various characters, especially those other than the main character. Neighbour Bert in particular has an interesting role in the story and I would have liked Stephen Black to have had a stronger influence on proceedings - I felt he could have had a much bigger part in the story. There were opportunities to develop a few of the characters further which is why I wouldn't give this book the full 5 stars that I feel it could have achieved.
But that's just my opinion. Follow the other bloggers on the tour to see what they think - and grab yourself a copy and make your own mind up!
Becca and Danny's mum has dementia. Danny is busy with his heavily pregnant wife Joanna so the visiting tends to fall to Becca and her dad these days. It's on one of her solitary visits that Becca's mum Nancy turns to her and, looking deep into her eyes, tells her that she's not her mum; she took her. The moment passes quickly and despite Becca pressing her mum for further details she knows that she won't get any more information out of her. Becca leaves, shocked and upset, craving answers. Is what Nancy said true? If so, who else knows? What about Danny? And her dad?
When Becca gets home she finds out from the news channels that a woman has gone missing; her name is Katie Collins and looking at the news reports the woman looks uncannily like Becca. Then the police call, asking Becca questions about Katie. She truthfully tells them that she has no idea who Katie is or why Katie is allegedly looking for Becca.
Life is currently going down the pan for Becca - she's had an unfortunate liaison with her boss, who is now making threats if she tells anyone about their night together. Her brother is acting strange and her dad's neighbours Bert and Edith are struggling to cope with Edith's terminal diagnosis. Becca feels pulled in so many directions emotionally and the bombshell her mum has dropped couldn't have come at a worse time. What can she do to find out the truth - she can't ask her dad, the police seem to know something Becca doesn't so she can't say anything to them in case it incriminates her and anyone else she trusts enough to ask has more than enough on their plate already. Following her gut instincts Becca starts putting the evidence together herself to try to work things out, only to then discover that Katie Collins is dead, the victim of a violent death in a local park. Just when she thought her situation couldn't get any worse the police are questioning her again, and this time it's a murder investigation.
The story comes together well in the last quarter of the book with answers to all the questions the reader has been mulling over from the start. The emotional turmoil Becca goes through from the moment her mum was admitted to Oakridge care facility are explored - the guilt of not being able to care for her at home, then the betrayal she feels with her mum's announcement, the confusion as to who she really is. And then the worry of being considered as part of a murder case all take their toll on Becca.
I enjoyed reading about the challenges facing the various characters, especially those other than the main character. Neighbour Bert in particular has an interesting role in the story and I would have liked Stephen Black to have had a stronger influence on proceedings - I felt he could have had a much bigger part in the story. There were opportunities to develop a few of the characters further which is why I wouldn't give this book the full 5 stars that I feel it could have achieved.
But that's just my opinion. Follow the other bloggers on the tour to see what they think - and grab yourself a copy and make your own mind up!
About the Author:
Jackie Walsh lives in Dublin with her husband Paul and dog Layla. After years spent building her own business, she decided to take time out and pursue her interest in writing. With a lot to learn, she spent years attending classes and writing groups, going to festivals and launches, writing and rewriting, until eventually sending her words out into the world. Now she is thrilled to have landed a publisher. Especially Hera Books, a new company headed by two women who have years of experience and love a good story.
Jackie is a member of the Irish Writers Centre, The Irish Crime writers group and proof that perseverance can work.
Social Media:
Twitter: @JackieWalsh_ie
My thanks to Sarah Hardy from Book On The Bright Side Publicity & Promo for the opportunity to read this title and be part of the promotional tour. All opinions here are my own and unbiased.
Thanks for being part of the blog tour today Sandie x
ReplyDeleteThank you for the opportunity Sarah x
ReplyDelete