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Really what can I say, Adele Parks is one of the masters and although I did think the book was a tad overlong it was nevertheless a good read and recommended to Parks fans or new Parks readers alike. A well deserved 4 stars from me. Adele Parks does it again. She's already proved she can write a sparkling rom com, a moving love story and a lovingly researched historical novel, now she's taken on the domestic thriller genre and nailed it. Tightly plotted, brilliantly conceived and totally gripping This is the first novel I’ve read by Adele Parks having previously assumed that she wrote light women’s fiction I’m afraid I’d never looked beyond the covers, until I saw this, her latest contemporary fiction book. Reading the blurb I couldn’t resist the premise, imagine someone coming along, telling you that the child, the perfect daughter, that you’ve lovingly cared for over the past fifteen years, isn’t your daughter!
During her career Adele has lived in Italy, Botswana and London. Now she lives happily in Surrey, UK with her husband, son and cat. The images painted have their base in stories, and these stories prey on the mind till the canvas is a moving, colorful landscape. Are these real or are these just hallucinations of a damaged mind? Such are the thoughts which run through the protagonist Caro. Amongst the many clear signs of potential, my dismay was that there was too many aspects factoring into the story that have been used to greater effect in other works of psychological suspense (the isolated house, unwelcoming locals, power failures and inclement weather). Some aspects of the storyline are blatantly obvious too, from the coincidental commission recalling the pear drum to Steph’s evasive two minutes duration internet calls! The motif of the pear drum and its obvious importance is likewise severely overplayed and the reader remains uninformed of its sinister significance for over seventy-five percent of the novel. But, the author won the Bath Novel award 2017, for this novel, so chances are I might find myself in the minority on this one, and other readers just might love the ending, especially those who just read a thriller occasionally.TV shows and movies such as "Switched at birth" have explored this topic and it's a premise that allows for interesting stories. The book as such could easily be turned into a television script. Always in for a good bit of story telling with Adele Parks and this book doesn't disappoint. Dealing with the sensitive issue of taking the wrong babies from hospital this spans 15 years before the truth comes out. Really well written, Adele manages to tell the tale while creating good believable characters and throwing in a few twists along the way. An unusual story as its 80% psychological and 20% fairy tale..ish,for me the 20% fairy tale parts added nothing to the story and I sped past them concentrating on the psychological part We're asking you to be brave and request this book without knowing the title or the plot. If you're approved, you'll get to read a brand new psychological thriller and we ask that you keep everything secret until Halloween 2018 when we'll reveal all... Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Stranger In My Home. It was one of those books where I wanted to get to the end to see how it all turned out, but at the same time, I didn’t want to finish it.
During her time in the house, mysterious events occur and she comes face to face with a dark past as her mind begins to unravel the secrets hidden within. All in all, this one was a 2.5 star read for me. The premise was intriguing, and the atmosphere of a creepy old house in a small town in the middle of winter was a perfect setting for the story, however the story moved a little too slowly for me, and was pretty predictable. This might work better for fans of slow moving mysteries who aren't avid readers of the mystery/thriller genre because it will likely be less predictable for someone who doesn't read hundreds of thrillers a year. The writing here isn’t bad. The characters are believable; the dialogue, realistic. I did take issue with the commission Caroline was hired to complete. The title of the volume of fairy tales was The Pear Drum and Other Dark Tales From the Nursery. The reader learns that a pear drum was an object that played an important role in Caroline’s childhood. As I’ve never heard of a pear drum, I found this coincidence beyond believable. Perhaps somewhere there is a community of pear drum fans who see these every day and play them with regularity. For those readers, the coincidence may very well be one that rings true, but for those of us more pear drum naive, it was too much to believe—and I wanted it to be too much for Caroline as well. Her refusal to even discuss or consider the fact that a pear drum played such a negative role in her growing up and then it suddenly surfaces in a series of tales that seem to strangely reflect her own experiences is worthy of a face palm. Another thing that fell apart for me was the conclusion. Without spoilers, suffice it to say that I wanted more answers about the characters’ motivations and intent, as I felt unable to discern the final truth amidst the misdirections and lies. The shallow approach to drawing this story to a close was cheap and rushed. I invested the time in the reading and wanted to feel like there was some sort of payoff for my investment. Instead, it was hollow and unresolved. This quote right here gives me the chills and really sets the tone of the story of the pear drum, a musical instrument that was often times the nightmare of Caro’s dreams. The story of the pear drum really holds such a significant impact on Caro and as the story progresses the meaning behind the pear dream becomes very clear and very frightening. The story of it is based on an old folktale about two little girls who are promised a reward if they behave badly, but with any story like this there are consequences. Caro’s story along with the two little girls from this particular folklore converge and I can see parallels between the two. It was such an interesting and eerie concept that was added to this story.Alison comes from humble beginnings and is in a relationship with the successful writer, Jeff with whom she's raised Katherine, who is well-behaved, successful at school and sports and beautiful. At one point, all that is put under perile.
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