Find out what Mumsnetters thought of Rattle by Fiona Cummins

Who won the voucher please?

For me this book was real page turner really well written both creepy and scary my be for some to much so, if your one of those that hide under the bedcovers every time you hear a noise or have a mind that works overtime thinking there someone out there who's out to get you this book is not for you, for me it was one of best books of it type I had read in a very long time

Very scary and sinister book with echoes of Hannibal Lecter. Very long with many plot twists. Probably the most frightening book I have ever read.

I really enjoyed this book, but, unlike most other people, found it quite difficult to get into (so much so that I read three other books before actually getting around to finishing this one).

I've been unwell which delayed my review - I'd made notes and everything.
I literally loved every page, it was extremely well written (a great first book) I liked how the different arcs were linked by the killer and the characters felt very real; I could imagine the scenarios regarding kidnapping happening and I loved the ending. It didn't feel rushed or hammed up.

What a superb read, OMG this book really had me sitting on the edge of my seat. It was so cleverly written and I cannot wait for her next novel.

Oh my, I've just finished "Rattle" and what a book! A serial killer from a long line of bone collectors who have built up a collection of skeletal curiosities over 3 generations. A troubled policewoman in a race against time to find him. Two abducted children whose lives are in her hands. This really has all the elements you need for a taut, exciting thriller. All of the characters were extremely well written - Erdman & Lilith particularly so, as the previously loving couple being slowly torn apart by the bomb that is their child's illness. The imagery the author conjures up is superb - I literally shivered when she described the bone collector allowing his colony of beetles to crawl over his body. I really didn't want this book to end and the conclusion is such that there are many many lose ends that need tidying up - absolutely ripe for a sequel, please!

This book reminded me of the game I play with my hubby - ( no - not that one!) - the one where we people watch and imagine just what other folk might really be like - outwardly a lonely old housewife doing her shopping but in reality a closet drag queen or something.

This book is a bit scary as it shows that people can have an alter-ego - live two lives - a good and a not so good one. Take a look at your other half - do you really know him - no, I mean really know him!

Aaargh! - A good read.

I read this in one day as I couldn't put it down. Best book I've read in ages. Can't wait for the next one.

Sounds very interesting read and something that will keep you captivated for a long time.

very gripping from the start, a right page turner. really enjoyed it.

We only just started it last night, but we hope we are going to like it :)

I'd never heard of stone man syndrome before. I enjoyed the book despite its dark side. Hoping we get more books with the policewoman Etta.

I'm only half way through this book but I can't put it down. It's so tense and 100% a page turner. I just wouldn't recommend reading before bed and you will be keeping your children obsessively close for a while XX

I enjoyed reading the book and the idea behind the storyline was good but it did not grip me like I expected it to. The charecteristicsof the people involved were real and believable but I felt that a few details were just skimmed over and could have been explored further. If characters are not central to the storyline but are needed to explain some aspects of it such as Nina, Axel or Amber, then I would have liked them to be more involved; otherwise leave them out and deal with that aspect in some other way.

Where the story fell down for me though was that I just did not find The Bone Collector scary at all and found him almost like a caricature. I normally enjoy stories that flit between past and present tense but it felt too cliched in this case. The book was well researched however and it's main strength was the relationships between the central characters. Well written for a debut novel and I'll certainly look out for more of Fiona's work in the future.

Love reading stories like this x

I am over halfway through and finding this quite gripping but disturbing. The villain has been compared to Hannibal Lecter but Rattle's particularly nasty character preys upon disabled children, making for an uncomfortable read. There are intimations of the supernatural at times and I am wondering if these are going to develop as I read on...more thoughts anon!

Rattle, a cross between Hannibal (Lector) and a story about the bogey man, was incredibly creepy and chilling. It is a unique and inventive thriller, having a killer/abductor who preys on children with bone deformities/medical oddities. The adult characters are flawed and complex: the Friths struggling with marriage and a child with a serious illness; the Foyles somewhat 'self-absorbed', a pschopathic killer/abductor who can love and a detective with a difficult personal life and plenty of baggage .

Unfortunately, the plot did feel somewhat contrived at times: The Bone Collector abducting Jakey and C.. years apart; a convenient fire and Fitzroy being on the scene at the time to help save the day; what happens to the Bone Collector at the end.

I agree with the above poster that it would have been better if it had been edited and shortened somewhat. It was a little long winded at times. It does feel like there will definitely be a sequel to it (there are far too many loose ends for there not to be). I will be interested to see how it is adapted for TV (appears the TV rights have already been 'snapped up'). Thank you for my copy.

Best book I have read in a very long time, its like living on takeaways then finally you get a great home cooked meal, I devoured every word, every paragraph, every chapter. I could not put this down, my nose was buried in the pages for nine hours solid, making tea, during toilet breaks, in the bath, everywhere, an asteroid could have hit the earth and I would not have noticed, thats how good this book was! I could not sleep until I had finished it, I was so consumed with the storyline and characters, the rest of my day just blurred into inconsequence. Every dark shadow in the corner of my eye made me jump thinking it was ol' bloody bones! Fantastic debut novel from a writer who I will make a point of reading in future as this was just my cup of tea. The fact the Val McDermid sings its praises says it all, being the absolute Queen of gritty crime fiction. I need the sequel NOW please, pretty please, PLEASE!!!!

I do love a good thriller and this book had me on the edge of my seat, very well written - chilling, gripping and unpredictable. I could not put this book down. Great read

A really good read, it was hard to put down. Would definitely recommend if you like thrillers.

Quite a page-turner but rather scary, so nothing for the faint-hearted... Enjoy.

I received this book a week ago, so thank you. A riveting read which kept me up late one night trying to finish it! A story about a man whose family were all fascinated by people with skeletal abnormalities and who was brought up to carry on the family obsession with collecting them. It starts with a little girl of five being abducted for his purposes. The author tells the story from the perspective of all parties concerned, the little girl, her parents, the kidnapper and the detective assigned to the case. An unusual style of writing, but one that works very well for this book and keeps the reader's interest alight. Needless to say, the little girl is not the only focus of the man's attentions, so the story branches out to another tragic family. As a reader I can say that I got totally caught up in the story and as a mother, felt the horror, fear and grief that the families were going through in this realistic portrayal of child abduction. The only fault I have with this book is that the ending was only partly resolved as if maybe, another book will be in the offing. I for one, would definitely read a second book should it be published!

Only just started to read, but seems interesting so far.

Couldn't put it down it was gripping!