Paula Daly (1)

Immersive and impressive, this will be one book to keep you reading right through the night!

Innocence UK, a charity group of professionals who’s aim is to right the wrongs of the justice system, to fight for justice of those that have been falsely convicted and clear their names.

Carrie Kamara, found guilty of the murder of her husbands lover, sentenced to fifteen years who has always professed her innocence.

Tess Gilroy is the only paid member of staff at Innocence UK and with the help of new girl Avril they take on Carrie’s case who has now served four years of her fifteen year sentence. With all the evidence stacked against her and some holes in the prosecutions evidence the pendulum swings Tess’s belief of Carrie’s innocence backwards and forwards as she conducts her own investigation of what really happened that night and if Carrie is as innocent as she has always claimed to be. As she begins to dig into Carrie’s life her own life comes under scrutiny and her own past comes hurtling to the forefront and she has her own skeletons in the closet that want to make themselves known.

Packed full of secrets and lies, this is a thriller packed to the brim with twists and turns. Just when you think you have it all sussed out, something else comes along and smashes your theories to pieces. Can you tell the truth from the lies? This is an immensely immersive read, packed with some of the best characterisations I have read for some time now and is a real barn burner of a book.

Previous fans of her work will not be disappointed with this one, and I am positive that Clear My Name will only gain her an even bigger following.

Clear My Name will be published on 08 August 2019 and is available for preorder now. This is one book in 2019 that you really don’t want to miss!… (mais)

2.5 rounded up.
Not my favorite Paula Daly. My first experience was Keep Your Friends Close which totally blew me away! Open Your Eyes, not so much. Plot was a bit contrived and I don't think sufficient clues were dropped along the way. Slow paced with an ending which seemed rushed and forced. And I just didn't really care about Jane and her troubles. She was somewhat shallow and lacking in real emotion. The children, Martha and Jack, were part of the story, but Jane didn't seem to be truly concerned about how the events affected them. The interracial marriage issue felt inappropriate to the time frame and didn't add anything to the story. My favorite character was Eden, the nephew, who seemed more focused, mature, and intent on solving the problem than the whole group of hapless "grown-ups".
Disappointed.… (mais)

It's always a little bittersweet finishing a book, especially a good one. And this is my first five-star read of the year. I wish I could remember where I heard about it it, but I suppose it doesn't matter. I can't say much about the intricate plot without spoiling it, so pardon the vague description that follows. The titular character is Bronte Bloom, the 10 year old daughter of a tiger mom, and the girl bears the enormous weight of her mother's expectations on her shoulders with increasing difficulty. One day, she just disappears, and the family (tiger mother, frustrated but impotent doctor father, father's daughter from a previous relationship, mother's son from same) starts to unravel. Throughout the story the narrative perspective shifts between various key characters, including the detective who is assigned to investigate Bronte's disappearance, and the transitions are very smooth, almost not noticeable, which is very hard to pull off. Eventually the disappearance leads into a murder investigation, and although the author drops several broad hints about the identity and motive of the killer, and I was pretty sure I had it pegged, it turned out I was wrong, and the conclusion comes a bit out of left field. It is this skillful weaving of the narrative, the distinct and well developed characters and the impulsively readable prose that allow me to give this one the full five stars.… (mais)