My Sister’s Bones by Nuala Ellwood #BookReview

About this book…

Kate Rafter is a high-flying war reporter. She’s the strong one. The one who escaped their father. Her younger sister Sally didn’t. Instead, she drinks.

But when their mother dies, Kate is forced to return home. And on her first night she is woken by a terrifying scream.

At first Kate tells herself it’s just a nightmare. But then she hears it again. And this time she knows she’s not imagining it.

What secret is lurking in the old family home?
And is she strong enough to uncover it…and make it out alive?

My review…

Wow! This was so NOT what I was expecting. I think because my review copy didn’t have any blurb on it, I kind of went in blind to this one and it came across all the better for it. I’m still reeling from all the the twists that popped to the surface to this bubbling cauldron of suspense to be honest but I don’t want that feeling to end quite yet!

This noticeably has a very topical feel to it from the start as we meet journalist Kate and realise she has been a witness to the atrocities taking place in Syria. The first part of the story is split in two, with Kate coming home to Hearne Bay following her mother’s death and this is alternated with Kate being questioned by police following her arrest for an undisclosed crime. This part was left deliberately rather vague reflecting Kate’s fragile mental state. She is obviously suffering from PTSD so the reader comes to the conclusion that this may not make her a reliable narrator. She sees and hears things that aren’t there and her nightmares are graphic and realistic so what is real and what only exists in Kate’s imagination? But when I read the end of Part One…..oh my goodness, what a gasp out loud moment! And that’s when the book suddenly became totally unputdownable for me!

Kate and her sister Sally are both damaged individuals. Brought up in an abusive home where the mental abuse was worse than the physical, the girls have self medicated in totally different ways, Sally with alcohol and Kate with her destructive relationship and her dedication to her job. I need to say that the journalism side of the plot is meticulously crafted and I really felt Kate was a living breathing person who had actually seen and been through the horrific war zone in Aleppo. We see things through her eyes and my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest at times through the whole destructive and senseless violence there.

I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone by talking further about the plot but I just want to say that this is a book full of surprises. It’s so very cleverly written that I can guarantee most people will be shocked by the turn of events that occur here, I know I was. In fact, I’m still thinking about it now and have just gone back to read the prologue again. It gave me goosebumps the first time but that second time…..chilling!

Definitely one to watch out for if you’re a fan of psychological suspense, just watch out for those twists and be prepared to read it in one heartpounding sitting!

I received my review copy of My Sister’s Bones from the publisher.

My Sister’s BonesEdit is published by Penguin in ebook on 1st November 2016 and in paperback 9th February 2017

About the author…

Nuala Ellwood moved to London in her twenties to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter, but ended up writing novels instead. She comes from a family of journalists, and they inspired her to write a novel about a war reporter suffering from psychological trauma. My Sister’s Bones is her debut thriller.