Rachel Abbott

This is Rachel's long-awaited new thriller.  It's a brilliant read and drew me in and mis-directed me a couple of times.  I enjoy being fooled by a clever author though!

The Back Road

Amazon.com  - The Back Road

My review -

Rachel Abbott’s second thriller tells us the story of two half-sisters, Ellie and Leo, who have survived a difficult childhood.  Ellie and her husband have restored the family home, inherited by Ellie and scene of childhood fears for Leo.  Ellie is receiving phone calls and is being ‘stalked’ and subjected to blackmail.  A young girl has been the victim of a hit and run driver on the Back Road and Ellie is one of the nursing team looking after her.  Several couples and individuals who come together for a housewarming at the newly renovated house are bound together in the aftermath of the accident. 

The story is an exciting and complex one, where past and present echo and reflect one another.  Here and there a mis-direct made me feel I knew what was happening but in a Rachel Abbott story there’s more there than immediately obvious.  This is a tightly written psychological thriller, very nicely paced, and I enjoyed it very much.  My attention was caught and kept by the intrigues of the people in the village.  I wasn’t able to guess the full implications until close to the end.  It seems to me that some of these characters might appear again in further works by Rachel Abbott, as their story and their possibilities haven’t been exhausted.  Here’s hoping!

I received a review copy of this book pre-publication.