Tag Archive | Valerie Keogh

The House Keeper by Valerie Keogh

Oct10

Atmospheric & Gripping

The House Keeper by Valerie Keogh is an absolutely gripping contemporary psychological suspense that I just could not put down.

It was very atmospheric. It employed techniques from the Gothic tradition with an isolated, long forgotten house. The hairs on my head definitely rose at times, especially on the moonless nights when the action ramped up. The house became a character in its own right as it refused to yield its secrets.

All the characters were well drawn and realistic. An air of suspicion and mistrust wafted over many as I wondered just who was hiding what? Whispers in the night and huddled secrets need to come out.

Guilt and grief surrounded a newly widowed character. She felt burdened and was hiding a guilty secret. All was not as it seemed.

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The Nurse by Valerie Keogh

Aug1

Totally Immersive

The Nurse by Valerie Keogh is an absolutely marvellous contemporary psychological thriller that I just could not put down.

Valerie Keogh is a fantastic author who draws you into the world of The Nurse with her words. Whilst of questionable motives, the lead character is likable, realistic and elicits feelings of sympathy from the reader. I could recognize myself in her as a child, suffering at the hands of the school bully. We feel shock and horror at the event that left her alone at aged just sixteen.

The leading lady is a blend of vulnerable yet strong; empathetic and downright evil. She seems to have second sight into the character of people but at the crucial moment, it lets her down.

We see the devastation that loss leaves – a character is frozen in time; another sees his daughter everywhere he looks.

Our responses to characters are guided by Valerie Keogh’s marvellous pen. I found it surprising when I did a complete u-turn in my response to a character!

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The Librarian by Valerie Keogh

Apr29

Thrilling

The Librarian by Valerie Keogh is a thrilling contemporary suspense that entertained me as my pulse rose. It is definitely not a book to be read alone on a dark night or you will be awake listening to every creak and groan!

The past is a dreadful place to inhabit – ten years of guilt tormenting a character who cannot quite get past one night that haunts her memory.

Full descriptions create an eerie atmosphere that plunge the reader, along with the characters, into a nightmare as a life seems to be spiraling out of control. It seems that trouble is following and messing with a mind that is already disquieted.

We see the bond of sisterhood between sisters and friends as they support each other through troubling seasons.

London, though huge, can be very lonely and is a place where no one will hear you scream.

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The Widow by Valerie Keogh

Nov13

Totally Gripping

The Widow by Valerie Keogh is a totally gripping contemporary psychological thriller that I could not put down.

As the novel opens we ‘hear’ the perpetrator but do not know who it is. Throughout the novel this voice is interspersed with the narrative. We learn of the motivation for past actions as we cling on to the roller coaster ride into the future.

We witness the damage and devastation that ambition can do. It is a terrible master. When pound signs dangle in front of eyes, actions will never be good.

There is the motif of prisons. Many characters, though physically free, have been imprisoned mentally for years. They walled themselves up brick by brick.

On the opposite side of the coin, there is love. The book is ultimately a search to be loved and to belong. Isolation may protect but love is far better.

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