Publication Date 20 01 2022
Best friends share everything. But murder is different. Isn’t it?
Keeley and Jude are closer than blood. Inseparable since childhood, they share everything: clothes, secrets, booze – and blame. So when they wake up after a new year’s party to find Keeley’s boyfriend stabbed to death beside them, they agree to share something else: the story they’ll tell the police.
But who is that story really meant to protect? Is Jude risking her bright future to protect her friend? Is there more to sharp-eyed Keeley than she lets on? Or are they conspiring to let Keeley's brother get away with the drugs he's been selling in their small town?
As the murder investigation sends ripples through their community, the history of the girls’ claustrophobic relationship comes under scrutiny – and they start to realise they might not, always, have shared as much as they thought.
Can their friendship survive sharing everything?
Five Star Review
Love haunts every page of this debut and soon we too are captivated by its allure.
A gritty and raw portrayal of female friendship. Keeley and Jude are portrayed beautifully. The prose so accomplished that we know these characters, recognize them in the people we have met before. Keeley dazzles us with her beauty and ebullience. Her joy of life and resilience. Jude is more reticent, but a fire burns bright inside her. Together these young women are indestructible. But what secrets are they hiding? I could not figure it out.
Through flashbacks to their younger days we see a friendship blaze. Linda ( Jude's mother ) doesn't approve but her thoughts and actions are futile. Nothing will stand in the way of their bond. No matter how hard she tries. Soon the girls are inseparable. I adored watching that play out. That fierce female friendship, that first time you meet your tribe. That sense of belonging. I remember it well.
With crisp prose Hannah depicts the world around them and shows us a bleak yet colourful environment full of promise and excitement. But Hannah isn't afraid to tackle things head on. To show us what can go wrong. This is an intelligent whodunit and I was never quite sure of the culprit. All the reveals and twists kept me reading on. But it is much more than that.
I need to be careful and not spoilt things for readers so suffice to say this tackles some big themes such as obsession, female cruelty and a loss of innocence in a profound and poignant manner.
Such a confident debut - It doesn't shout at us or lecture - it simply relates what happened. A story most of us will resonate with. It is sure to be acclaimed.
Highly Recommended.
