Welcome to my spot on the Blog Tour for ‘Unravelling’, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources.
Blurb
A forest of secrets
Two bodies are found buried in a Highland forest, a place that haunts the dreams of Kate Sharp. Her mother, Ellen, died when Kate was a child. Does the forest hold the secret to her death?
A secret journal
Kate discovers her mother’s journal, and the tale of a tragic unravelling begins to unfold. Ellen’s story is one of fear and hope, love and loss, set against the imposing background of Craig Dunain, a psychiatric hospital where she should have been safe.
Unravelling the truth
Someone else from Ellen’s past is searching for answers, and he will stop at nothing to find them. Unaware of the danger stalking her, Kate continues her search. Will she find the answers? And can she save her own life?
Beautifully written, cleverly plotted, and meticulously researched, Unravelling is a captivating tale of family secrets.
My Review (4 out of 5 stars)
Kate Sharp is haunted by dreams from the past, dreams that prompt her to explore how her mother died and the impact of her incarceration at Craig Dunain psychiatric institution. Finding her mother’s diary sets Kate off on her own investigation, but Kate isn’t the only one looking for answers.
Set in Inverness, this is the fourth book by Helen Forbes and the first of hers that I’ve read. With quite a cast of characters it took me a while to get into the book, but the two stories – Kate’s and Ellen’s – work well and gradually reveal how the past has impacted on Kate’s life. The mental health aspects are well handled, though could prove upsetting for some readers.
While I wouldn’t entirely agree with the blurb’s suggestion that the book is ‘beautifully written’ it is certainly a very readable novel that left me thinking about it for some time afterwards.
A thought-provoking read.
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Author Bio
Crime fiction was not what lawyer, Helen Forbes, expected to write. As a single parent and mature law student, she used her limited spare time to write contemporary and historical fiction. It was a chance remark at a writing club that led her to develop a short story into her debut crime novel, In the Shadow of the Hill, featuring DS Joe Galbraith. The novel is set in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and it was described in one newspaper review as having ‘more twists and turns than the road to the isles, making it impossible to put down.’ The novel and characters proved popular with readers, leading to the publication of a second book in the DS Joe Galbraith series. Madness Lies is set in Inverness and North Uist. Helen has now taken to crime with a passion, and has published two psychological thrillers. Unravelling is set in Inverness, against the background of a former psychiatric hospital. Deception is set in Edinburgh, and tackles the themes of domestic violence, prostitution and trafficking. Helen has also completed a further thriller set in Edinburgh, which she hopes to publish in 2022. Queen of Grime’s main character is a crime and trauma scene cleaner with a big secret. It is gritty and dark, but also funny and uplifting. Helen hopes to expand Queen of Grime into a series.
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Colin Garrow 