I'd read one book by this author previously - a thriller - and it was on the basis of enjoying that that I picked up this one. And in many ways it was a thriller - when Ellie's husband is killed in a car crash with a mysterious woman beside him, the assumption of everyone around her is that he must have been having an affair. Ellie's need to prove them wrong and to know that her trust in her husband hadn't been betrayed becomes a dangerous obsession.
But, really, it wasn't about that at all. It was about a woman dealing with her grief and that emotional depth lifted it beyond the standard thriller. The final few pages in particular left me with a lump in my throat and even wiping away a tear or two, full of empathy for Ellie and her journey. Skillfully done.
The Safe House - Nicci French
I enjoyed this one, too, although I found the ending a little unsatisfactory. In fact I didn't realise at first it was the ending as my Kindle edition ran on into the first few chapters of another book and I ran with it, going, "Huh? What? Who is Jake?" before I realised I was now reading an entirely different book! Then I went back and read the ending again and it did work - but I didn't like the fact that the bad guy got away. Still, even though some of the plot details were ludicrous, I liked this one.
LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly. Aramis: Yes, sorry. Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
