Book Blurb
He’s watching you … but should he be afraid?
Leah should have been enjoying a night in with her best friend and housemate Claire, binging on chocolate and her favourite Netflix show.
But instead, she is suddenly forced to fight for her life when strong hands grab her. A knife is pressed to Leah’s throat and as tears run down her cheeks, she knows she will have to do as she is told if she wants to survive the night.
2 years on …
The community has forgotten about the woman so violently snatched from their midst. Leah’s best friend, however, can’t forget the person who was closer to her than a sister. Nor does she want to believe the shocking secrets she has unearthed about her friend in her absence.
Claire refuses to let go. She won’t forget the only person she ever really cared about. And she will never go about her life as if Leah never existed. She also knows that the danger that took her best friend still lurks unpunished in their hometown. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when Claire is snatched too.
But the last thing she intends is to become one more victim. She feels her abductor should be the one who should be afraid.
Can Claire survive longer than one night?
Will she ever discover what really happened to Leah?
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Victim' by Ruth Harrow.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Ruth Harrow and Zooloos Book Tours .
Publication date 16th May 2023
This is the second book I have read by this author. I have also read 'The Silent Wife' which I would also highly recommend!!
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'The Victim is a gripping psychological thriller that will leave page-turning readers unable to put it down until the final breathtaking twist. Fans of K.L Slater, Shalini Boland, Freida McFadden and Daniel Hurst will love the addictive twists and turns that will have them racing through the pages long into the night'. I am a MASSIVE fan of all three of these amazing authors so am looking forward to seeing if it lives up to this statement. I am a MASSIVE fan of Ruth and if this is even as quarter as good as 'The Silent Wife' it is guaranteed to be an epic page turne!!!
This novel consists of a prologue and 62 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited and holidayed in England on many occasions including this year and next year again so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Claire. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.
This book is fantastically written with vivid descriptions that absolutely grip the readers attention and puts them right in the middle of it all making your heart pound and you constantly second guessing.
Another success by the fantastic Ruth!!! I first fell in love with her books when I read 'The Silent Wife' and although I must admit that I did enjoy that one more than this one this book was still addictive and gripping just not with the same amount of suspense I felt with ''The Silent Wife'. It hasn't put me off though as I still really enjoyed this one and still cannot wait to see what this amazing author comes up with next and to get stuck in to her previous books too!!! This book captured by attention from the first page to the last and every time I said one more chapter it ended on a cliffhanger and I just had to know what was going on!!! This kept on happened over and over until before I knew it I had devoured the whole book in one sitting!! If you are going to read this then clear your day because it is truly unputdownable. I started this yesterday afternoon and finished it at approx 2am, read it in one sitting and although I'm knackered today it was 1000000% worth it!!! Claire and Leah have been beat friends for years and Leah's mum Helen even adopted Claire so they became sisters which they both absolutely loved!! They used to work and live together until something happened and Leah changed jobs. One day when walking her usual route from work she doesn't return home and Claire is immediately worried as she knows she would message and let her know if she is going to be late. The police are called and when they later finds Leah's phone everyone knows it is serious and Helen and Claire fear the worse. Two years later and Leah still hasn't been found but Claire will not give up looking for her until she gets answers. However Claire finds herself in a dangerous position when she gets kidnapped on her way home. Will Claire get the answers she is looking for? Will Helen find herself losing both of her daughters? Why did Leah's uncle Tony buy a new car and go to the top days after Leah went missing? To find out the answers to these questions and more then grab your copy of The Victim today!!! This addictive page turner is ram packed with twists, friendship, mystery, family, suspense, tension and everything you could ask for in an absolutely gritty action packed page turner and will leave you questioning everyone and everything that is going on. Ruth's evocative writing ensures you are feeling the tension and suspense Claire and Helen are going through as well as their worry and stress. It keeps you constantly guessing who did what!! It is filled with friendship, mystery, twists, turns and everything you could want from a thriller along with some MASSIVE BOMBSHELLS which will leave you absolutely shocked!!! I for one was NOT expecting that at all!!! This book is rammed with suspense, creative twista and tension and will keep you biting your nails, on the edge of your seat with your heart pounding while your flipping the pages because you just cant stop. Ruth when are you getting this made into a movie so I can be the first in line for it!!! I cannot wait to read more of this extremely talented authors books!!!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture
There is a good mix of realistic, well rounded and strong characters which makes it a realistic read. All the characters were strong and realistic as well as hiding their own secrets. I was completely invested in each and every one of them. It would have been nice to get to know some of the characters a bit more and some of them did fall a bit flat for me which meant that even though I was invested in the characters and what was going on I didn't feel for them as much as I could have if I'd known more about them. My heart did go out to Helen who lost not Leah but the later Claire and as a mother myself this would be my worse nightmare but at the same time I did feel she didn't seem to react in quite the same way as I would expect a mother in that situation to do. Unfortunately this is the type of book that, because I know the outcome , I don't want to risk saying more about how I felt about the characters as I don't want to give anything away to future readers so you will just have to grab your copy and see how you feel about them yourselves.
Overall a very fast paced, gripping and page turning abduction thriller that will keep you hooked throughout.
Genres covered in this novel include Women's Psychological Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Psychological Literary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Noir Fiction, Womens Psychological, Domestic Thriller, Thriller, Mystery ,Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Domestic Fiction, Domestic Thriller and Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl', 'The Wife Between Us', 'The Woman in the Window', 'The Girl on the Train' ,Lisa Jewell, ,Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, Gillian Flynn , Freida McFadden, K.L Slater, Shalini Boland, Daniel Hurst. Shari Lapeni, 'The Wife Between Us', 'The Housemaid' aand anyone who loves a book filled with suspense and surprises!!
396 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £7.51 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Ruth Harrow was born and raised in England and graduated from university before embarking on an unfulfilling career in an office job. She eventually put pen to paper and her debut psychological thriller, In Her Footsteps, was published in 2018. It quickly became a bestseller. Following the success of her first novel, her second and third books followed shortly afterwards. She lives in the UK with her husband, two children and chocolate Labrador, Rolo.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ruth_harrow
Website : https://ruthharrow.com/
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