- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 1104 KB
- Publisher: Agora Books (25 Jun. 2020)
- Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B085S4MNHC
Synopsis
Over a decade ago, Heidi was the victim of a brutal attack that left her hospitalised, her younger sister missing, and her best friend dead. But Heidi doesn’t remember any of that. She’s lived her life since then with little memory of her friends and family and no recollection of the crime.
Now, it’s all starting to come back.
As Heidi begins retracing the events that lead to the assault, she is forced to confront the pain and guilt she’s long kept buried. But Heidi isn’t the only one digging up the past, and the closer she gets to remembering the truth, the more danger she’s in.
When the truth is worse than fiction, is the past worth reliving?
Review
Monstrous Souls is the exciting debut from Rebecca Kelly. In 2001 Heidi is the victim of a brutal attack, that leaves her both physically and mentally scarred. In the same attack her best friend Nina is killed and her younger sister abducted. With no memory of the attack no one was ever caught. Fifteen years later Heidi’s memories start to return, snatches of detail bring the horror of that day and the guilt of her survival back to the forefront of her mind. But as Heidi starts to look into the past, she soon realises that there are others who don’t want her to remember and she finds her life in danger again.
Monstrous Souls is incredibly dark and very addictive. The split timeline allows the reader to see the build up to the attack and how in the present day these memories are the basis for the reopening of the case. In 2001 the first person narrative of Heidi makes the story more personal, and as a reader we are privy to the lead up to the crime, that Heidi in the present has no recollection of; she remembers nothing of her life before the attack. Heidi and her best friend Nina are typical teenagers, sharing secrets, talking about boys and spending all their free time together. However, some secrets are darker than others, but they are still there for each other. In the present Heidi still feels the guilt to what happened, why did she survive and why can’t she remember. She also lost her mother in the aftermath after she had a mental breakdown and was taken to a psychiatric hospital. This has resulted in Heidi being a loner, not trusting anyone.
In 2016 DC Denise Gilzeen also can’t forget the crime, as it was one of her first investigations when she joined the police. She has always kept in contact with Heidi, and as the memories start to return she fights to reopen the case. She is dogged in her determination to find the killer, even though there are rumours of a cover up in the police. Both timelines have their own tension, and fear running through for different reasons; in the past the plot races towards the day of the crime and in 2016 the investigation takes some shocking turns putting Heidi back in danger.
Monstrous Souls deals with the most horrifying type of crime I can imagine and deals with the subjects of grooming, abuse and the grief of those left behind. Rebecca Kelly, however, only implies the crime, there is no graphic detail just a suggestion, leaving the detail up to the imagination. She expertly builds the suspense over both time lines, giving them equal plot time, so there is no let up for the reader and you need to keep reading. The terror and dread that underpin the story, had me on the edge of my seat, almost not wanting to read what happened. All this tension and fear culminates in the final, brilliant, heart wrenching paragraph, that has stayed with me since.
Monstrous Souls is an accomplished debut from Rebecca Kelly, and one I will remember for a long time. The personable characters draw you in to their lives, and I felt Rebecca Kelly handled their emotions, and the subject matter with empathy and understanding. Full of terror and suspense, the dark nature of this book will captivate you with that ‘just one more chapter’ feeling. This an impressive and immersive thriller and one I highly recommend.
I would like to thank Anne Cater and Agora Books for inviting me to be part of the blog tour, in return for my honest review.
