The Assistant

I love The Ice Twins by S K Tremayne, and when offered the chance to review this, I leapt!

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Book description

What would you do if your home assistant turned evil?

She’s in your house. She controls your life. Now she’s going to destroy it.

She watches you constantly.
Newly divorced Jo is delighted to move into her best friend’s spare room almost rent-free. The high-tech luxury Camden flat is managed by a meticulous Home Assistant, called Electra, that takes care of the heating, the lights – and sometimes Jo even turns to her for company.

She knows all your secrets.
Until, late one night, Electra says one sentence that rips Jo’s fragile world in two: ‘I know what you did.’ And Jo is horrified. Because in her past she did do something terrible. Something unforgivable.

Now she wants to destroy you.
Only two other people in the whole world know Jo’s secret. And they would never tell anyone. Would they? As a fierce winter brings London to a standstill, Jo begins to understand that the Assistant on the shelf doesn’t just want to control Jo; it wants to destroy her.

My review

I was engaged by the concept that electronic Assistants in the home (this one’s Electra) may work with a sinister purpose. I was blown away by the execution of the story. There was a relentless feel to the way it evolved and I couldn’t see a way out for poor Jo. It’s a fear many of us have, that we don’t want to put our life in the hands of a piece of technology. In a way, Jo has had no option as she’s living in a friend’s flat and these things are part of the deal. The last part of the book is very exciting. I read the ending breathlessly and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to you.

About the author

Sean Thomas is the real name of thriller author S K Tremayne. Sean writes books where real places becoming menacing, and where ordinary people experience something extraordinary.

Born in Devon, Sean now lives in London, but he travels a lot in his second job as a journalist, sometimes visiting places which inspire the books. His first S K Tremayne thriller, THE ICE TWINS, was a number one Sunday Times bestseller. The S K Tremayne novels have been translated into thirty languages, and have been bestsellers around the globe.

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Just a thought

A good book should leave you....slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it.
― William Styron

S K Tremayne

This is the second book I've read by this author and I think it's particularly good.

The Fire Child

At the time of writing this is not available on Amazon.com as a kindle book

My review - 

I enjoyed SK Tremayne’s The Ice Twins and jumped at the chance to read this when it was offered by the publisher, via Netgalley, for review. Thanks for this opportunity.
Rachel is newly married to David Kerthen, the wealthy owner of Carnhallow House, hub of the Kerthens’ Cornish lands and mines, though he now makes his money in legal circles in London. Rachel has it all – a real rags-to-riches story. She has the handsome, rich husband, the beautiful surroundings and a gorgeous young stepson, Jamie, for whom she falls deeply. Slowly, it all starts to go wrong. 

I really loved the fact that, with the ex-wife’s echo everywhere, it was almost a cliché – shades of Rebecca. It changed, though, and I was gradually drawn in to the family’s history, both David’s and Rachel’s. Jamie, the child who appeared to be a catalyst for supernatural activity within the house, was an appealing character and towards the end I became truly afraid for him and for Rachel, undergoing her own personal nightmares. I loved the story and I found some of the writing stunning. A big five stars from me.