Synopsis:
In such a small community as the Falkland Islands, a missing child is unheard of. In such a dangerous landscape it can only be a terrible tragedy, surely…
When another child goes missing, and then a third, it’s no longer possible to believe that their deaths were accidental, and the villagers must admit that there is a murderer among them. Even Catrin Quinn, a damaged woman living a reclusive life after the accidental deaths of her own two sons a few years ago, gets involved in the searches and the speculation.
And suddenly, in this wild and beautiful place that generations have called home, no one feels safe and the hysteria begins to rise.
But three islanders—Catrin, her childhood best friend, Rachel, and her ex-lover Callum—are hiding terrible secrets. And they have two things in common: all three of them are grieving, and none of them trust anyone, not even themselves.
In Little Black Lies, her most shocking and engaging suspense novel to date, Sharon Bolton will keep the reader guessing until the very last page.
Little Black Lies is a gripping, emotive mystery set on the Falkland Islands. It addresses distressing but unfortunately all too real themes including child abduction, bereavement and relationships. It’s not one of Sharon Bolton’s ‘Lacey Flint’ series (which I have never read but would certainly like to!); instead it’s a stand-alone novel.
I love the setting where events unravel; it’s so atmospheric and quite creepy in many ways. At times I did actually forget that it wasn’t set nearer to England, but the isolated, Gothic atmosphere that Bolton builds so well would then bring me crashing back to the Falklands again!
This novel is very emotional at times, and written so well that even questionable characters end up gaining your sympathy; they’re so well developed and feel like real people. Because the novel is told from three perspectives, you also never know who is telling the whole truth or is hiding something, and I loved this interesting uncertainty throughout the story, with its twists and turns.
There were a few elements of the narrative that seemed a little too ‘convenient’, but nothing too unbelievable. At times the narrative also slowed down a bit and focused on a particular character’s past experiences which didn’t interest me as much, but it all contributed rather well to the story in the end!
I’m really pleased I got to read this great novel, particularly as it’s opened my eyes to a new author, and offers a slightly different twist on the usual mystery story!
Rating 4/5
Many thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy of this novel in return for an honest review.
Little Black Lies is out in the USA on May 19th and the UK on July 2nd.
[…] only read one other novel by Sharon Bolton (Little Black Lies, which I really enjoyed – read my review here) and that was a while ago, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this. I soon found myself […]