#LizzieReads
This was an ironically safe crime and thriller novel – who knew those words could go in the same sentence.
I’ve not encountered Lesley Pearse before and fancied a read after seeing her book in the shop – mainly because of the size of the text! It’s huge which made it a quick and easy read.
As I suspected (get it? The title? Let’s move on…), it wasn’t too compelling that I can only class as ‘alright’. I could have finished this within a day or two, but I was quite bored by the storyline and left this book sat on my desk for a few days before reading it, only just to finish it (I can’t not finish a book).
Set in the idyllic Willow Close in Gloucestershire, ten homes reveal a plethora of neighbours who all seem to be super friendly or in each other’s business. I have neighbours but I can assure we are not as nosey as the ones in Suspects. Young Chloe Church from number ten has been found dead and presumed murdered.
It wasn’t too thrilling, where I found the storyline to be quite slow, not helped by the police doing a slow job. There is a communal feel between the police and neighbours all at once, but maybe that’s just country folk… 😉
No one seems to be in a rush which made it rather un-thrilling and I hate to say it – boring.
Not a lot of thinking is required to read this, yet it isn’t an awful book. It is smartly written as it takes some skill to write about a lot of characters in a short book, but I guess that is where most of the focus lay, instead of solving the murder.
Pearse does a good job of making everyone out to be a suspect as their personalities are each revealed by getting an insight into their homes, mainly through new neighbours Conrad and Nina Best (what a time to move in) who do not know any of the residents.
To be honest, I wasn’t too bothered about finding out who killed Chloe, yet found it funny at times how each may poke their noses in other people’s business.
An odd read, but a safe one that isn’t at all a dark thriller. I’d say it is comparable to ITV’s Midsomer Murders.
Overall feeling: meh.
Rating – 2.5/5
Genre – mystery, crime, thriller
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