PINTEREST
BLOGLOVIN
GOODREADS
Published by Avon
Available in ebook and paperback (29 November 2018)
400 pages
| About the Book |
There’s a stranger in your house…
When her stepmother dies unexpectedly, Caro returns to her childhood home in Derbyshire. She hadn’t seen Elizabeth in years, but the remote farmhouse offers refuge from a bad relationship, and a chance to start again.
But going through Elizabeth’s belongings unearths memories Caro would rather stay buried. In particular, the story her stepmother would tell her, about two little girls and the terrible thing they do.
As heavy snow traps Caro in the village, where her neighbours stare and whisper, Caro is forced to question why Elizabeth hated her so much, and what she was hiding. But does she really want to uncover the truth?
A haunting and twisty story about the lies we tell those closest to us, perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Cass Green.
| My Thoughts |
From the teasing prologue, what a suspenseful read this is. It starts quite slowly, setting the scene and the backstory. Two sisters, estranged for many years, brought together again at the funeral of their stepmother Elizabeth, whose sudden death leaves unanswered questions. Caro, the youngest sister is having some tough times and with nowhere to live, she goes to live at her stepmother’s property, following the funeral, primarily to sort out her stepmother’s property and effects.
Weird things start to happen and Caro, already of a highly strung nature, goes into meltdown. I have to admit to being quite frustrated with her a lot of the time – there was a lot of eye rolling and mutterings of ‘get a grip woman’ going on at this end, but nonetheless her behaviour is integral to the story and to be fair, maybe some of the events may have freaked me out.
The Derbyshire location is vividly described as is the remoteness of the property, particularly the snowy landscape. With the local townspeople giving Caro the cold shoulder, it is clear that something has happened in the past, but what.
This may have had a slower start but the pace picks up, there are some shocking revelations and the latter part of the book is quite superb. All the way through I was never sure who to trust and the ending certainly took me by surprise. An extremely well plotted thriller. I enjoyed it.
At the time of writing this post, Cuckoo can be downloaded from Amazon UK for 99p
| About the Author |
Sophie Draper won the Bath Novel Award 2017 with this novel. She has also won the Friday Night Live competition at the York Festival of Writing 2017. She lives in Derbyshire, where the book is set, and under the name Sophie Snell she works as a traditional oral storyteller.
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