How well do you know your neighbours? Odetta’s life has shrunk to a daily round of drudgery, running her father’s grocery store in a remote Albanian village. One day, an enigmatic stranger from Tirana turns up, promising her an exciting career in London. Odeta’s life is about to change, but not in the way she expected. Kate, a journalist, lives on a quiet London street, but her seemingly perfect life is filled with anxiety for her son, Ben. The boy is obsessed with online gaming but struggles to make friends. Kate sets out to create a simpler life for her family, disconnects them from the internet, and tries to build a community on her street. On a visit to her home village in Wales, Kate is forced to confront a secret from her past. But even greater danger lies where she lives. Perhaps her neighbours are not the friendly community they seem at first glance…
As a resident of Wales, not born but most certainly bred, I jumped on the chance my to have a space in this tour! And it did not disappoint!
Enigmatic and strong characters, amazing stamina and the support of a fantastic pace of writing with such a prominent and current theme focusing on human trafficking it just makes you wonder how much do you really know about those who are living close by. And to think that this sort of organised crime can be happening in a small town is bone shaking to the very core. Especially as it does happen!
I didn’t manage to read this in one sitting like some fellow tour-bloggers, but I did struggle to put it down! The descriptions of places and the emotions of characters and suspense was just incredible and I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to read Girl Out Of Sight!
Author Bio.
Helen Matthews writes page-turning psychological suspense and suspense thrillers and is fascinated by the darker side of human nature and how a life can change in an instant. Look out for ‘Girl Out of Sight’ coming soon from Darkstroke Books. It’s a second edition of a prize-winning title from 2017 After Leaving the Village.
Psychological suspense mystery The Girl in the Van’ was published earlier this year by Darkstroke Books and has been longlisted in the prestigious 2022 Pageturner Book Awards. It’s a chilling page-turner that touches on serious and complex themes including individual grief and vulnerability, as well as societal responsibilities towards the disadvantaged and dispossessed.
Previous books include ‘Facade’ twisty noir about tragedy, guilt and revenge in a family where ‘silence echoes louder than truth’ and ‘Lies Behind the Ruin’ domestic noir set in France.
Helen is an ambassador for the charity Unseen UK and available to give talks at festivals, author events and to local groups about the themes in her novels.
I’d like to thank ZooLoo’s Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to read Matthews’ latest novel and share my thoughts.
Morelli’s Reads 