About this book…
ADAM WILL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU HAPPY. EVEN IF IT KILLS YOU.
Adam Bourne is a serial killer who thinks he is a saviour. When he murders young women and cuts off their lips, he believes he has done it to make them happy.
How did he become warped from the sensitive four-year-old who adored his gran and the fairy tales she read to him? What turned him into a monster who stalks his victims? And what is he trying to say with the bouquets he sends?
When he meets Laura Weir, Adam weaves a fairy tale romance around them. A tale she has no idea she is part of. As he hatches his twisted plan for their fairy tale ending, can anyone stop him before he creates the ultimate sacrifice to love?
My review…
Once in a while a book comes along that is so different to anything else that I’ve read it kind of takes my breath away! It has taken me a long time to read this book (kindle problem mainly!) but it’s one of those that you need to savour and slowly digest to get every last drop of brilliance from it. It’s like a fairy tale of old, when they were gruesome and scary, something not allowed in our politically correct world today! And this adult fairy tale certainly didn’t have a happy ending!
Adam Bourne is a serial killer. We know that from the start, this is no “whodunit”. But Adam is unlike any serial killer you have ever met before. I don’t think I have ever developed such an emotional attachment to a fictional baddie before. I just wanted to reverse the clock for him and change his history as Adam was a classic example of “nurture versus nature” which is a huge interest of mine. Without his upbringing would Adam have killed? Was he born with psychopathic tendencies? Barbara Copperthwaite has written a character that you feel tremendous sympathy for, more so than his victims and that takes a very clever author!
I loved the way that the chapters were named after flowers and their meanings, although it took me a while to notice that, so caught up was I in Adams story. It was details like that that made this book such a pleasure for me to read, I also noticed the flower theme continued subtly with Mike’s daughter name! Mike, Laura and Adams grandmother were also very interesting characters especially Mike who’s emotions and actions of being a widow and single father were perfectly handled throughout.
I had this book on my kindle for a while before reading it waiting for the right time to read as I had heard it was a bit gory in places but after reading it I can say that although gruesome it is absolutely integral to the plot so please don’t be put off by anything you have heard before. I had that feeling of loss once I had finished it and even now just have an incredible sympathy for its main character-it’s a weird feeling!
Highly recommended by me!
About this author…
Barbara Copperthwaite is a national journalist in the UK, with over twenty years’ experience, including as an editor of several UK publications. Her debut novel, Invisible, was an Amazon best seller. She was raised in the seaside town of Skegness, Lincolnshire, which is where she became a bookworm and lover of the written word. Her fascination with crime began when she briefly worked in a men’s maximum security prison, before a brief stint as cabin crew… It was a circuitous route to journalism and novelist, but she got there eventually.
Thank you for your fabulous review! What a lovely surprise to come across it! It’s so wonderful when someone so completely ‘gets’ a book xx
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Oh I just loved it! I just love books that challenge that nature v nurture theory and this is probably the best I’ve read of that type as its the first one where I really got upset (when Adam did what he did at the end). Xx
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This is a book that I’ve been a little wary of reading as I thought it might be too much for me but your fab review has really made me want to read it. I’m intrigued by the idea of nature v nurture, and also that you find yourself getting attached to the serial killer. I think this will have to go on my TBR asap!
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I put this one off for ages and even when I started it I ended up putting it down and reading something else before I went back to it. Nature v nurture is a huge interest of mine as my twins have taken part in a study since they were 2. Twins are perfect for studies as they are brought up the same in the same environment. It’s so fascinating! Honestly, this book is well worth a read as its so different x
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How fascinating re. your twins, I bet that has been really interesting for them to be a part a study like this over the years. I’m definitely going to get the book but I’m not sure when I’ll have time to read it, hopefully soon! x
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Too many books and too little time seems to be our mantra at the moment! x
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I’ve about accepted the fact that I will never read all the books on my TBR – I did one of those FB calculations where it tells you how old you’ll be when you’ve read all the books you own and mine said that if I read 200 books a year every year and didn’t buy anymore I’d be caught up by the time I’m 68… that wouldn’t be too bad but I can’t seem to stop buying more books! xx
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I’m just the same! I just want to read everything! I got a bit of a shock today as I had an opticians appt earlier as my eyesight been worse recently and been told I have cataracts! My first thought was all my books and hoping I would get them read before they get too bad!!! Thankfully new glasses will help a bit for now and I will possibly have to have surgery in a couple of years. 😢 xx
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I’ve seen so many good things about this book that I really must get it off the wishlist and onto my actual TBR before too long – a great review!
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Thank you! It’s such a good book 🙂
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I love how enthusiastic you are about – it makes me want to read it…one of the list!
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I’m glad I got round to reading it as I’m struggling to get time to read books that I’ve bought!
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