Blackthorn Ashes was meant to be their forever home. For the first six families moving into the exclusive new housing development, it was a chance to live a peaceful life on the cliffs overlooking the Cornish sea, safe in the knowledge that it had been created just for them.
But six weeks later, paradise is lost. Six people are dead. And Blackthorn Ashes is left abandoned and unfinished, its dark shadows hiding all manner of secrets.
One of its surviving residents, Agnes Gale, is determined to find out the truth about what happened. Even if that truth is deadlier than she could have ever believed possible . . .
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From a distance, the screaming could've been seagulls, a familiar enough soundtrack on this coastal road with its shaggy moorland to the right, the sea's long horizon on the left.- 1
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(Macmillan, 13 July 2023, e-book, 384 pages, ARC from the publisher via NetGalley)
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I'm a huge fan of the author's Marie Rome books so was looking forward to reading something a little different with Black Thorn. This is different than a typical thriller and I thought the plot was very original and compelling. I liked the way the book is structured, chapters moving between before the houses were built and after the abandonment, gradually revealing the truth about what happened. This is a gripping read.
