The Cephalopod Coffeehouse: April 2016

The Cephalopod Coffeehouse: April 2016

http://armchairsquid.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/the-cephalopod-coffeehouse-april-2016.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheArmchairSquid+(The+Armchair+Squid)

Our lovely host the Armchair Squid invites us at the end of each month to discuss our best book for that month, he says:

Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the works they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.  If you wish to add your own review to the conversation, please click the link above to find the linky.

This month I thought I hadn't had much time to read as life was rather busy but did read nine books, although one was only 124 pages long. 

My best read this month and one of the best books I've read this year is a psychological thriller, not my usual genre so I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.   So without further ado, here is my pick for this month.

While My Eyes Were Closed

By

Linda Green

Approx. 416 pages

PRODUCT DESCRIPTON FROM Amazon

One, two, three . . . Lisa Dale shuts her eyes and counts to one hundred during a game of hide-and-seek. When she opens them, her four-year-old daughter Ella is gone. Disappeared without a trace. The police, the media and Lisa's family all think they know who snatched Ella. But what if the person who took her isn't a stranger? What if they are convinced they are doing the right thing? And what if Lisa's little girl is in danger of disappearing forever?

MY REVIEW

5*

This is a described as a psychological thriller and not my normal reading matter as the disappearance of a young child gives me chills.

This is a well written book making it a pleasure to read.  The author uses some of the Northern dialect but only to emphasis the location and not so that other readers from different areas can’t understand it.  There is some use of swear words but they are all in context and didn’t put me off.

This book kept me gripped. The little girl is so endearing, trusting and loving, the parents are distraught, the younger brother doesn’t really understand what is happening, the older half-sister returns from her trip to France when she hears about her missing little sister.  The grandparents who do a lot of caring for the children when the parents are at work are devastated and want answers which nobody can give in the beginning.

People are quick to judge, the parents, other people who may have black marks against them, are all in the frame, the parents have to find a way to support each other when it is the not knowing what has happened is so difficult to contend with.

It really doesn’t feel a long book (400+ pages) so that shows the quality of writing.  There are not many books that I feel deserve 5* but this was certainly one of the best books I've read this year.