Erin Kelly - The Sick Rose
here's a copy and paste of my amazon review:
Paul is an ordinary young man whose life circumstances have been such that he has found himself deep in friendship with a young man who doesn't share his understanding of honesty. As they reach adulthood, the cracks in the relationship become apparent.
In another earlier time, Louisa is a young woman who rejects the mainstream attitudes of her doctor parents. In experimenting without support, she finds herself in circumstances that she struggles to handle. Her life takes a quieter trajectory, shaped by a secret that is too big to tell.
Until she meets Paul,
I read psychological thrillers for relaxation at the weekend and I expect nothing more from them than that they hold my attention. This one is a 'cut above', certianly better than many that I have read recently. Whilst being both compelling and unputdownable it still took me a couple of days to read it - as someone who is frustrated when a 'thick' book takes no more than an afternoon and evening to read, a book that keeps me going for a bit longer is highly valued.
For once, I think that the comparison to a well-established writer, Ruth Rendell, is justified.