Slater_K_L
Book-Review-Safe-With-Me
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Safe With Me
by
K. L. Slater
Safe With Me is a book that I would not normally read simply because nearly all the characters are, or appear to be, suffering from a form of mental illness. However, Safe With Me almost falls into the page-turner category which has a not easy to guess ending.
Anna witnesses an accident between a car (Amanda) and a motorcyclist (Liam). Liam crashes his motorbike into Amanda’s car. Anna believes that Amanda is actually Carla one of her childhood teachers and also that Carla had something to do with her brother’s death thirteen years earlier and has now changed her name to Amanda.
In an effort to make sure Amanda/Carla gets her comeuppance for this accident and her brother’s demise, Anna after helping Liam at the scene of his accident decides to befriend him and follow the police investigation to ensure that Amanda/Carla is charged with the fault of the accident.
Almost all scenarios raised during this book are figments, of the character’s imagination. Now I did say almost. The trick is to sort reality from fiction.
This was my second time with Safe With Me and I chose the audio version, narrated by Lucy Price-Lewis, to refresh my memory. I have often stated that a good narrator can make or break a book. In this case, Lucy Price-Lewis’ contribution made my revisit to Safe With Me an enjoyable experience.
I have rated the audio version of Safe With Me as a four-star book.
In 2020 I rated Safe With Me as a three-star read, however, I did not write a review, hence this review.
~~~~
I rated
Safe With Me
as a solid
star audiobook.
At the time of writing my review other
Goodreads readers have rated
Safe With Me
an average of 3.75 stars
from 10,205 ratings
716 reviews
***
Safe With Me
is available online
at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
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Book-Review-The-Evidence
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The Evidence
by
K. L. Slater
The Evidence is the eighteenth of K. L. Slater’s novels I have read, and reviewed, in the past two years.
After a hit and run accident in which her son was injured on his way home from school, Esme Fox leaves her job and begins building a successful podcast, theoretically to have something to help provide for her son when he is older.
She is current interviewing Simone who has been convicted and sentenced for murdering her husband. This excites Esme simply because it is the first time Simone has spoken about her case let alone requested a particular journalist.
Podcast One is such a success that a television station wants to talk to Esme about a collaborative effort with the rest of Simone’s podcasts. The meeting is a disaster however when Esme’s sister and researcher is a no show. She is discovered several days later in a nearby wood at death’s door.
Meanwhile, Esme continues interviewing Simone who begins to talk about her abusive marriage. It is only then that recently separated Esme takes a cold hard look at her own marriage. Esme realises how much she has been controlled and manipulated by her ex during their marriage.
The Evidence is worth reading just to read the last few chapters. Who did what to whom?
Another brilliant novel from K. L. Slater which I rated as a five-star read.
~~~~
I rated
The Evidence
as a solid
star read.
At the time of writing my review other
Goodreads readers have rated
The Evidence
an average of 4.14 stars
from 1,398 ratings
212 reviews
***
The Evidence
is available online
at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
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Book-Review-Blink
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Blink
by
K. L. Slater
K. L. Slater’s Blink is one of his best I have read this year. Single mother, Toni and five-year-old Evie have moved to a new area, new school and know very few people. The only person from Evie’s school who had bothered to make themselves known to Toni was Miss Watkins. Miss Watkins represented herself as a teacher when in fact she was a only teacher’s aide.
Like many single parents Toni is finding the going tough and just as she finds herself a job, and the promise of a financially better life, Evie is taken from school….by a stranger.
Blink is written in two parts, present day and three years earlier where most of the action takes place.
For a great majority of Blink the present day action revolves around a woman who is little more than a vegetable to onlookers, but in reality is wide awake, but locked in her inanimate body.
As with many of Slater’s novels, I did not pick the ending in any way shape or form. I was way off base which for me added another half star to its rating.
~~~~
I rated
Blink
as a solid
star read.
At the time of writing my review other
Goodreads readers have rated
Blink
an average of 4.00 stars
from 11,999 ratings
1,029 reviews
Blink
is available online
at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
~~~~~~~
Blink
Book-Review-Liar
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Liar
by
K. L. Slater
I think all parents want the best life partner for their children, even more so when your child has lost his/her partner and is raising two young children as a sole parent. So it is with Ben who has lost his wife leaving him with two young boys to care for. Fortunately his mother, Judi is a great help.
Then Amber comes of the scene. Ben and his father think Amber is wonderful. Judi does not want Amber anywhere near her grandchildren. A feeling exacerbated when Amber begins to discipline the boys not long after meeting Ben’s parents for the first time.
A struggle between two strong women, one of whom appears to be using the truth rather loosely, follows. Amber appears to have an intense dislike for Judi and Judi reciprocates with her own antagonistic views of her potential new daughter-in-law which grow to the extent that she decides to delve into Amber’s past where inconsistencies abound. This sets the stage for another fantastic ending, which was the icing on the cake, again, from K. L. Slater
Liar was my fifth K. L. Slater read. Slater’s fans and fans of this genre should not be disappointed.
~~~~~
I rated
Liar
as a solidstar read.
At the time of writing my review other
Goodreads readers have rated
Liar
an average of 3.95 stars
from 10,679 ratings
and 938 reviews
Liar
is available online
at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
Book-Review-The-Apartment
The Apartment
by
K. L. Slater
The Apartment was my second of K. L. Slater’s novels. Freya, and her young daughter, Skye, are finding life difficult since the unexpected death of estranged husband and father.
Freya happens to meet elderly Doctor Marsden who is also looking for a tenant for a vacant apartment in his building in up market Kensington. The apartment was not large but the peppercorn rent being asked for the apartment, more than made up for its lack of size. However would cheap rent and an up market setting compensate for the unease Freya felt about moving?
All tenants are much older than Freya’s thirty odd years, and all but one are not really friendly. The ‘but one’ tenant is by far the friendliest and takes Skye under her wing paying special attention to the young girl.
A rumour emerges that a young girl died in Freya’s apartment however, Doc Marsden assures Freya that no child has lived in her apartment.
If my memory is working it is around here that things begin to go bump in the night….literally. Around the mid-night hour things going bump and goose bumps was creepy and not wanted. For anyone who may be thinking of reading The Apartment, you have been warned!
After slow-ish beginning, The Apartment developed into a very good read. I cannot remember the last novel which gave me goose bumps. For that I congratulate Ms Slater.
~~~~~
I rated
The Apartment
as a solidstar read.
At the time of writing my review other
Goodreads readers have rated
The Apartment
an average of 3.75 stars
from 5,855 ratings
and 1,339 reviews
The Apartment
is available online
at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
Book-Reviews-Closer
Closer
by
K. L. Slater
Closer is promoted as a psychological thriller and I must confess to being thrilled when it ended. Is it the publisher or author who adds the ‘thriller’ tag to a book’s description? An interesting read but not as thrilling as other reads.
Seventy-five percent of the Closer is devoted to introducing and providing background information of each character. During this seventy-five percent there were several occasions when I felt that the story was going to change gears, however, as I was pondering the who, what where when and why I would turn the page, commence a new paragraph and find the story focussing on one of the bit players.
There is also, occasionally, a paragraph or two written in italics which features (I believe) unnamed characters. The action in italics takes place several decades earlier than present day. In the context of the story this is important material, however, I believe only Perry Mason could figure out the connection.
Closer is about a family breakup, Shaun, Emma and ten year old daughter Maisie and in that aspect very topical. And as often depicted in movies and television show children of blended families do not see eye to eye. In Closer the future step mother has a witch of a ten year old daughter from her now deceased husband.
I must confess to not picking the villain. In fact Closer could almost make a fair TV movie…all questions answered and unheard of villains introduced and disposed of in the last 10-20 pages of my mini-iPad and its enlarged text. Based on the ending, and solely on the ending, I would have to read a sequel to Closer, especially if it was a direct follow up sequel.
I rated
Closer
as a
read.
At the time of writing my review
other Goodreads readers had awarded
Closer
an average of 3.95 stars
from 2,869 ratings
and 314 reviews.
Closer
can be purchased on-line at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
Book-Reviews-Little-Whispers
Little Whispers
by
K. L. Slater
Ever wonder how many of us have changed careers for the promise of a better lifestyle and salary? I wonder how many women leave those decisions entirely to the man in their life. Janey Markham let Isaac find a new job, a cheap house in a good street and barely questioned their luck or good fortune. That is, before they moved.
Life was not better after they moved, if anything it was worse. Isaac was putting in longer hours for his new boss which was the exact opposite to that expected from this new job. But the unanswered question was; Is Isaac really at work?
Janey is sure Isaac is not being open with her. She also finds herself on the outside of the local clique of mothers in their street and is surprised, when introducing Isaac to one of her new found acquaintances, to notice that Isaac acts as if it is not their first meeting. Furthermore her wardrobe and lifestyle does not match the others who spend way over Janey’s budget on one item. To cap off Janey’s worries is the deathbed secret her mother left her with.
When I began reading Little Whispers I found the writing style difficult to read. However, as the book progressed so did the writing; or maybe my concentration improved. Whatever the case, I found myself being drawn into the story and wondering what the next chapter would bring. And the ending ensured that while Little Whispers was my first Kim Slater read it will not be my last.
I rated
Little Whispers
as a
read.
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