The Quiet Ones by Betsy Reavley REVIEW

The Quiet Ones by Betsy Reavley
Published by Bloodhound Books
Ebook
Published 18 February 2016
215 pages
Kindle Owner's Lending Library

Author's Good Reads Page WHAT'S IT'S ABOUT

What if you didn't know where you came from?

Who am I?

This is the question Josie asks herself when a mysterious letter arrives. Then a brutal murder turns her world upside down.

To make sense of the present, Josie must go back to the start.

But who can she trust when no one knows the truth?

And who is the sinister stranger obsessed with her life?

The past is catching up with Josie and the consequences will be fatal ...

OPENING

Every step I take seems to be in slow motion, almost as if it's happening to someone else. The thump from the door as I close it behind me sounds muffled and distant. The smell from the alcohol and bleach still lingers, stingin' my nose.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I really enjoyed The Quiet Ones. I wouldn't describe the novel as 'gripping' though. I enjoyed it, it was interesting and some crazy stuff happens to the characters but it's not a gripping thriller, more domestic noir. Anyway, onto the good stuff. The book is well written, fast paced and easy to read - the kind of book you can get lost in and it held my interest from start to finish. I liked Josie as a character - she's sort of messed up because of traumatic events from her past and seems determined to drink herself to death. She copes amazing well when a series of tragic events plague her including the murder of her adoptive parents. She's real, flawed and completely sympathetic. There are plot twists and revelations in the final quarter of the novel I still can't get my head around. I mean, no wonder she drinks too much. Onto the not so great stuff. There are no sub plots and the novel just tells us what happens to Josie in a linear pattern. A few sub plots would have made it gripping as the narrative was a bit to straight-forward A-Z to me. Some of the revelations towards the end of the novel, especially the person who killed Josie's adoptive parents aren't very believable and aren't developed very well - they just come out of nowhere and events in the novel haven't really led you in this direction so I was a bit disappointed. Overall, I enjoyed The Quiet Ones - it's not brilliant but it is very enjoyable.