Sweetpea by C J Skuse published 20 April 2017

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Synopsis

Rhiannon works for the local newspaper, has a good. group friends, and lives with her boyfriend Craig and dog Tink.  From the outside her life looks mundane, but appearances can be deceptive, Rhiannon is actually a serial killer.  Haunted by a crime in her childhood that propelled her to celebrity status for a short period Rhiannon has the instinct to kill.  Her ‘kill list’ comprises of people who have crossed her; her thieving next door neighbour, the checkout assistant at Lidl who always squeezes her loaf of bread, even her boyfriend at times.  Rhiannon is out for revenge and who would suspect her of being a serial killer?

Review

Sweetpea takes an alternative look at the subject of the female serial killer.  Rhiannon is the narrator of this book which is written in diary form.  Each day begins with her ‘kill list’ and why she wants to kill those people.  Rhiannon’s thoughts and musings are shocking in parts to say the least, but her observations of life and people are accurate and funny.  The book is coarse and disturbing in parts, so not for the faint hearted, with a lot of violent and sexual references.  I loved the sarcasm and dark humour in this book, I found it original, fun to read and extremely scandalous in parts.

Rhiannon maybe a murderer but she has any redeeming qualities that make her likeable as a character.  Her outlook on life is refreshing as are her descriptions of her work colleagues, friends and family.  Most of us will identify with the people on her ‘kill list’, who hasn’t joked about killing the driver who cuts them up on the road; we all have a little Rhiannon in us somewhere.

I found this book entertaining and compelling to read.  It is a book that will make you laugh out loud whilst being a bit shocked at the same time.  It is well written, full of memorable characters, and has a storyline you won’t forget in a hurry;  it is an exceptional, engaging and dark novel, I highly recommend.