The Things You Didn't See by Ruth Dugdall ** Review**

 I am delighted to feature Ruth Dugdall's latest psychological thriller, The Things You Didn't See, here today.

 

Her instincts are telling her something isn’t right…

On a chilly morning in rural Suffolk, Cassandra Hawke is woken by a gunshot. Her mother is clinging on to her life, the weapon still lying nearby. Everyone thinks it’s attempted suicide—but none of it makes any sense to Cass. She’s certain there’s more to it than meets the eye.

With her husband and father telling her she’s paranoid, Cass finds an unlikely ally in student paramedic Holly. Like Cass, she believes something is wrong, and together they try to uncover the truth. But is there more to Holly’s interest than she’s letting on?

With her family and loved ones at risk, Cass must ask herself: is she ready to hear the truth, and can she deal with the consequences?

My Thoughts

If you are looking for a tense and surprising thriller this weekend, look no further than The Things You Didn't See. Ruth Dugdall leads you through the story, with all its twists and turns with great aplomb. It took me several chapters to get attuned to what was going on but once I had, I found I could not put it down. I thought that it was a brilliant device to give Holly, the paramedic, the gift (or is it curse?) of synesthesia. She experiences everything as if through several senses at once, perceiving people in terms of colours and feelings. She can sense intuitively what to ask or senses what may have happened and has visions attached to people she meets. 

    Set against Holly, we have the character of Cassandra who seems to be almost her opposite in that she is unaware of things she has experienced. It is difficult to know what is a true and what is a false memory with Cassandra. You do however have great sympathy for her as her story begins to be revealed, particularly concerning her daughter. Sorting out the other characters is tricky as there are so many red herrings to put you off the trail. I think at some point, I must have suspected most of them. 

In short: An engrossing read which leads you up the garden path and back again! Superb. 

       

About the Author

Ruth Dugdall studied English Literature at Warwick University before training as a probation officer. She decided to concentrate on her writing career when her novel The Woman Before Me won the 2005 Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger. Her novels are informed by her direct experiences working within the Criminal Justice System and are published internationally. The Things You Didn't See is her seventh novel. 

You can follow Ruth here:  Twitter |  Facebook

Book links: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Ruth Dugdall for a copy of the book.