PSYCHO THRILLERS
THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER by Karen Dionne (Sphere £12.99)
The premise of this fastpaced thriller sounds a tad far-fetched. helena, a young mother, is the daughter of an abducted woman and was brought up in isolated captivity in the marshland of Michigan’s Upper Mississippi. all the time, helena thought her life was perfectly normal.
at 15, she is rescued and her abductor, the Marsh King of the title, is sent to prison. But when he later escapes and goes on the run, helena is forced to confront her past, which she has hidden from her husband, and feels compelled to track him down.
It is tough to understand why this woman should want to see her father again, but Dionne pulls it off and draws you in, sometimes reluctantly, to the troubled mind of this narrator.
What starts as improbable ends compelling and credible.
THIS MUCH IS TRUE by Jane Sanderson (Orion £7.99)
There is a shade of Joanna Trollope about this book, but it turns into something much more mysterious as we ask: why doesn’t the dutiful annie love her dying husband?
some 50 years ago, annie decided to keep something secret. But that long-hidden truth starts to reveal itself when her husband — who no longer recognises his wife — is heard saying the name ‘Martha’.
This engrossing family drama examines the different psychological price paid by each of the members of annie’s family as a result of her early decision.
Part of the story’s success is the evenhanded portrayal of all the characters — there are no walk-on parts, even for the dogs. and sanderson’s subtle observations on the powerful relationship that some owners have with their pets is a big part of this book’s charm.
THE LYING GAME by Ruth Ware (Harvill Secker £12 99)
rUTh Ware took a risk with this book because it is so different from her previous successes. But old fans have nothing to fear; it is packed with the same darkly clever writing that made The Woman In Cabin 10 and In a Dark, Dark Wood into international bestsellers.
Four old school friends are bonded by a terrible secret and a cover story they cooked up together as teenagers. now, someone is threatening to expose them.
The girls reunite to try to preserve their secret with scary and unpredictable consequences. The revelation of just how different the girls have become is as psychologically riveting as the surprising twists of the plot. The quiet unease that pervades the story never lets up.