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Rachel Abbott

Autor(a) de Only the Innocent

20+ Works 1,198 Membros 73 Reviews

About the Author

Rachel Abbott is a british writer of psychological thrillers; her first novel "Only the Innocent" was the second highest selling self-published book of 2012. In 2015 Amazon confirmed that she was the best-selling independant writer over the last five years in the UK. (Bowker Author Biography)

Séries

Obras de Rachel Abbott

Only the Innocent (2013) 240 cópias
Sleep Tight (2014) 206 cópias
The Back Road (2013) 148 cópias
Stranger Child (2013) 120 cópias
And So It Begins (2018) 97 cópias
The Invitation (2020) 94 cópias
Kill Me Again (2016) 74 cópias
The Sixth Window (2017) 52 cópias
Nowhere Child (2015) 39 cópias
The Shape of Lies (2019) 34 cópias
Come a Little Closer (2018) 33 cópias
Close Your Eyes (2021) 22 cópias
Right Behind You (2020) 15 cópias
No More Lies (2023) 11 cópias
Don't Look Away (2023) 8 cópias
Honey 1 exemplar(es)
[No title] 1 exemplar(es)

Associated Works

Killer Women: Crime Club Anthology 2: The Body (2017) — Contribuinte — 7 cópias

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Membros

Resenhas

This book is nearly 500 pages so be prepared to try to follow all that was happening and figure out who was doing what! I was totally lost by the time the book ended! And, Wow, what a climax! The key to this hold over readers' attention is because there are so many secrets! But they don't necessarily have anything to do with what happened on that back road... So how are you going to know who is doing what?! Sure, there are hints, but they are just guesses, at the most. This author surely keeps a white board handy nearby to keep her characters and plots straight... for her mind cannot keep each track straight on its own...LOL... In whatever way she does it, I've got to praise her skills in plots, twists and turns!

I was amazed at the things Leo faced as she returned to certain spots in town--amazed to realize that people could have been so cruel to a young child who had absolutely no responsibility for the sins of her father...

At the same time, I enjoyed watching a relationship develop between Leo and Tom, the sheriff... Leo, I was surprised to learn, was now a "life coach" who had obviously gotten over the trauma of her past and now was reaching out to help others. In fact, her blog entries run through the novel and are a pleasant diversion of "good thoughts..."

But Leo's occupation and offer to provide free life coaching introductions to a number of women in town really brought about a reaction from many of the men--who also had secrets that they had no intention their wives share!

This is one of the best mystery suspense novels I've read this year! I certainly recommend it to everybody that loves to be stumped by an author! I sure was...and if you figured it out, let me know what "clue" got you started on solving it!
… (mais)
 
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b00kdarling87 | outras 10 resenhas | Jan 7, 2024 |
A well written thriller. It would be a 5 star if not for the slow pace at the beginning of the book. I almost put it down for good. The story picks up about 1/3 of the way in and it's a roller coaster. Overall a well written, "who done it & what did they do?". Highly recommended for those who love to try to guess the plot early on. Abbott keeps the readers guessing with well written plot twists.
 
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b00kdarling87 | outras 13 resenhas | Jan 7, 2024 |
Rachel Abbott's Only the Innocent is not your average "who dunnit" murder mystery. The question that drives this thriller is not "who" did it, but "why". Abbott carefully constructed a world of mystery, depravity, sex, violence, manipulation and intrigue on so many different levels that I can honestly say you truly have to read until the last page to understand and appreciate the complexity of the story.

Philanthropist Hugo Fletcher is known world wide for his charitable works rescuing Eastern-European prostitutes from their dark world and giving them a second chance with a new job and foster family. However, there is a darkness to him that the flashing bulbs of the cameras hide. When he is found dead in the middle of sexual act, it is up to Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas to uncover the truth behind Hugo's all too perfect public persona and unmask the vileness that was known to only those closest to him. It seems everyone who comes in contact with Hugo has a secret and it's Douglas' job to weave through the tangled web of deception and perversion to find the killer.

I was most impressed with how Abbott carefully fed each morsel of evidence to her readers. We learn just enough as the story moves along but never enough to put all the pieces together. And without giving away any spoilers, I will say that even when Abbott made me believe I had all the information, she packed in one last punch at the end. She tied up loose ends that I wasn't even aware were there.

As with all murder mysteries, the story before the death is always important and many authors struggle with what we call an "info dump". No one wants to read, "Well Johnny, it went like this..." then read an entire chapter recounting every single step that led to the incident. Abbott gets around this by having Imogen, friend and sister-in-law of Laura Fletcher, read old letters that Laura wrote to Imogen about her life with Hugo, but never sent. (A sort of therapeutic practice for Laura.) At first I had to question how Laura could realistically recount precisely every word in a conversation she had with Hugo and I feared that it would indeed just be chapters of the dreaded "info dump". However, as the story progressed and Abbott started to rip away the story's complex layers, the letters became more realistic and heartbreaking in their content.

The complexity of the characters and the inner-workings of their relationships were entertaining. Almost every character had a motive for murder but it was through Laura that we learn what a real monster he was. I didn't always like Laura's character, but her weakness and drive to make her marriage to Hugo work made her story that more believable and interesting. The more I read about her life with him and what sort of man he was the more I understood why someone would kill him but even then the end-all reason knocked me back a few pegs. When everything was said and done I was left with the question that Abbott poses in her blurb, do you punish the guilty, or protect the innocent?
… (mais)
 
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b00kdarling87 | outras 16 resenhas | Jan 7, 2024 |
DCI Tom Douglas is back for his ninth instalment and this time it will stretch his investigative skills to their very limits.

A knock at the door turns Jo Palmer's life into a waking nightmare.

The police have taken her partner Ash into custody for questioning over accusations of abuse of his step-daughter Millie. Social services have taken Millie to interview her about her stepdad and Jo is left at home, alone, full of fear, doubts and questions of her own.

As if that wasn't bad enough, as time ticks on and she has heard nothing back from either the police or social services she places a phone call to the police for an update. Only the police have no idea what she is talking about. There are no records of any officers ever attending their property and social services have never heard of the family. The only explanation being, whoever has taken Ash and Milly have kidnapped the pair. But why is a mystery to everyone, one that needs to be solved if there is any chance of getting the pair back alive.

And so begins an investigation that leads both police and Jo down unknown roads with some unexpected results.

What began with a normal day, with a normal family, by the end of the day a young girl and her father have been brazenly abducted by a group of people claiming to be from the police and social services, right in front of Jo's very eyes.

Even though this is the ninth instalment of a series this book reads perfectly as a standalone, which is a good thing because this is the first book I have read by Rachel Abbott, so if like me you are new to this series don't let that hold you back as it is a brilliant read in its own rights.

It is fast paced and full of some memorable characters and a protagonist that most will find relatable. The plot line is full of some clever misdirections that will keep you fully engaged and keep you guessing right up until the shocking twist is revealed. With there being so many good books in this genre I feel it is getting harder and harder for authors to keep readers guessing but in 'Right Behind You', Rachel Abbott has managed to do just that. She has cracked the cliched 'shocking twist you won't see coming' masterfully making this a book to not be missed for any fans of psychological thrillers.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
DebTat2 | 1 outra resenha | Oct 13, 2023 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
20
Also by
1
Membros
1,198
Popularidade
#21,436
Avaliação
3.8
Resenhas
73
ISBNs
120
Idiomas
7

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