Review: The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman

The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman (Google Images)

Wow, this was absolutely INCREDIBLE.

During the morning rush hour, the lives of three strangers are forever changed when they are taken hostage by a gunman in a small cafe. As the hours tick by and the atmosphere remains tense, the group begin to share stories, and Stockholm Syndrome begins to kick in...

Not many books could have you feel bad for the gunman at the end, but this one has managed to do it. It was written so well - straight into the action from the beginning and then drip-fed bits and pieces from the lives of the hostages and the gunman, and as I said, by the end you are left completely understanding his point of view, even if you disagree with his methods.

This was a fantastic book - I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend!

Review: One Split Second by Caroline Bond

I've read both of Caroline Bond's other novels, so I had relatively high hopes for this one, and I wasn't disappointed. 

After a party, a car carrying five teenagers home crashes, causing life-changing damage for all five families. This damage is only worsened when one of the teens dies, and everyone looks for someone to blame. 

Despite the heart-wrenching subject matter of this book, it was still enjoyable. Bond is fantastic at writing novels about emotional subjects, and the complexity of the story and five families really helps to give this story depth. Because of the sheer amount of characters and relationships to put together, it took me a while to get properly into this story, but once I did, I sped through it because I was desperate to know how it ended. I was satisfied with the ending - this was a tragic accident and I believe that Harry got the ending he deserved. 

The one thing I would say is I would have liked to know what happened with Harry's relationship with his dad - it was strained throughout this book, but it was left hanging, and I would have liked to have some closure there.

Other than that, another fantastic book from Bond - highly recommend!