Do No Harm by Lucy V Hay | Blog Tour Review @OrendaBooks @LucyVHayAuthor #DoNoHarm #psychologicalthriller

Published by Orenda Books

Available in ebook and paperback (20 July 2018)

300 pages

Source: Paperback for review from publisher

|   About the Book   |

Till death do us part…

After leaving her marriage to jealous, possessive oncologist Maxwell, Lily and her six-year-old son have a second chance at happiness with headteacher Sebastian. Kind but vulnerable, Sebastian is the polar opposite of Maxwell, and the perfect match for Lily. After a whirlwind romance, they marry, and that’s when things start to go wrong…

Maxwell returns to the scene, determined to win back his family, and events soon spiral out of control. Lily and Sebastian find themselves not only fighting for their relationship, but also their lives…

Chilling, dark and terrifying, Do No Harm is a taut psychological thriller and a study of obsession, from one of the most exciting new voices in crime fiction.

|   My Thoughts   |

Oh my goodness Lucy Hay. What a deliciously twisted mind you have. Think of the old saying “If I can’t have you, no-one else can”.

The story begins with Lily and Sebastian’s wedding. There is already a spectre at the feast in the shape of Lily’s ex-husband, Maxwell, who, although uninvited, just has to make his presence felt.

Moving forward to after the honeymoon and things just get worse for Lily and Sebastian. At first it’s fairly inconsequential events and although they may think it’s Maxwell playing games with them, they are not entirely sure; they could have made a mistake themselves and besides there is no hard proof. But then events escalate to another level and neither of them are left in any doubt. After Lily’s nightmare of a marriage to Maxwell, all they want to live their life in peace with Lily’s young son Denny.

This is one of those stories that leads you in one direction, only to suddenly veer off into another. Most of the way through I was pretty sure that I knew what was going on and who was responsible but….then, it could be X instead, ….couldn’t it? Oh no, hang on, back to number 1 suspect – I think! I was so glad that I was reading a paper copy where I was able to easily flick back to a particular part and re-read. I did this several times and also did that smack on the head thing, when I suddenly realised what I had missed.

It would be a crime to give away any details of the plot as you need to read this twisted and gripping story for yourself. Narrated by Lily (in the first person), Sebastian (in the third) and a third unknown voice, it’s only 300 pages but every single page will keep your attention and I was so completely engrossed from the beginning. The main characters were so deftly defined that I really cared what happened to them (well some of them anyway!) and there was one in particular, that I felt huge sympathy for (not saying who!).

Add in the skilful plotting, the unpredictability and that menacing feeling making the reader fear what will happen next. Do No Harm is a story of obsession, deceit and manipulation. It’s a fabulous read and I absolutely LOVED it.

Finally. That cover! The designer should take a bow. That is one of the best covers I have seen and suits the book perfectly.

My thanks to Orenda and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the review copy and the blog tour invitation.

|   Author Bio   |

Lucy V. Hay is a novelist, script editor and blogger who helps writers via her Bang2write consultancy. She is the associate producer of Brit Thrillers Deviation (2012) and Assassin(2015), both starring Danny Dyer. Lucy is also head reader for the London Screenwriters’ Festival and has written two non-fiction books, Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays, plus its follow-up Drama Screenplays. Her critically acclaimed debut thriller The Other Twin was published in 2017.

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