Study When I Was Ten Author Fiona Cummins Accessible As EPub
enjoy the writing of Fiona Cummins but unlike a lot of other positive reviewers the book failed to grab my attention the way many of her other books have.
It was well written and difficult to say what didnt work for me but I felt it was good not great.
The story seemed to drag a fair bit and lacked the excitement I was hoping for,
She had lived a lie for thirteen years, and the perfect life as she had known it was about to change forever.
Everyone remembered Sara and Shannon Carter, the little blonde haired sisters, Their Dad was the local GP and they lived in the beautiful house on the hill, Their best friend, Brinley Booth, lived next door, They would do anything for each other but everything shifted on that fateful day when Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela were stabbed fourteen times with a pair of scissors in what has become the most talked about double murder of the modern age.
The girls were aged ten and twelve at the time, One, nicknamed the Angel of Death, spent eight years in a childrens secure unit accused of the brutal killings.
The other lived in foster care out of the limelight and prying questions, Now, on the anniversary of the trial, a documentary team has tracked down one of the sisters, persuading her to speak about the events of that night for the first time.
Her explosive interview sparks national headlines and Brinley Booth, now a journalist, is tasked with covering the news story which brings to light fresh evidence and triggers a chain of events which will have devastating consequences.
I would like to thank both Netgalley an Pan Macmillan for supplying this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Fiona Cummins has fast become one of my favourite authors, I have read all of her books and hand on heart Ive loved everyone of them.
Im not sure about you but when I have been looking forward to an anticipated read for so long I tend to drag my heels on starting it, theres always a niggle that I wont enjoy it as much as I expected.
Was a disappointed, its a hell no with bells on! The author has written a intricately woven, on a difficult subject.
What drives a child to kill their parents And what are the lifelong repercussions for a child murderers family and friends
When I was Ten tells the story of two sisters, Shannon and Sarah, and their best friend and next neighbour Brindley.
Three women who will be forced to confront their horrifying past on what really happened one bloodsoaked night.
Told flawlessly across two timelines the reader is taking on a roller coaster of a journey, A journey thats emotive, horrifying and yet compelling In equal measures, Sarah now named renamed Catherine has started a new life for herself, once known as the The Angel Of Death she is better known for the infamous and gruesome double murder of her parents, GP Dr Carter and his wife.
Catherines life is turned upside down when to mark thest anniversary of her parents, her sister Shannon decides its time to make a warts and all documentary.
Brinley is one of the journalists reporting on the case, its evident she knows more about the events leading up to the murders than shes letting on.
The story alternates between Catherine and Brinley, two perspectives which give an insight into their childhood, one thats marred by humiliation and fear, they slowly but surely reveal the shocking truth of what happened all those years ago.
As the story unfolds the book becomes much darker, and I felt an overwhelming sense of dread building at each turn of the page.
When I Was Ten is a story of sacrifice, loyalty, murder and sibling love, its a chilling pageturner that I devoured in a matter of hours.
This has to be one of the best psychological thrillers Ive had the pleasure to read this year, and will more than likely appear in my top reads of the year.
Absolutely brilliant.
Crime thrillers arent just crime thrillers anymore: its impossible for fiction writers to ignore our collective obsession with true crime journalism.
When I Was Ten will not satisfy the diehard fans of the oldfashioned whodunnit, because the answer is abundantly obvious from the start and the redherrings halfhearted at best.
However, the political ramifications of the crime and the resurgence of media interest upon its anniversary are resonant and timely.
My extended review has been posted on sitelinkKeeping Up With The Penguins, She had lived a lie for thirteen years, and the perfect life as she had known it was about to change forever.
Everyone remembered Sara and Shannon Carter, the little blonde haired sisters, Their Dad was the local GP and they lived in the beautiful house on the hill, Their best friend, Brinley Booth, lived next door, They would do anything for each other but everything shifted on that fateful day when Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela were stabbed fourteen times with a pair of scissors in what has become the most talked about double murder of the modern age.
The girls were aged ten and twelve at the time, One, nicknamed the Angel of Death, spent eight years in a childrens secure unit accused of the brutal killings.
The other lived in foster care out of the limelight and prying questions, Now, on the anniversary of the trial, a documentary team has tracked down one of the sisters, persuading her to speak about the events of that night for the first time.
Her explosive interview sparks national headlines and Brinley Booth, now a journalist, is tasked with covering the news story which brings to light fresh evidence and triggers a chain of events which will have devastating consequences.
A lot of inconsistencies,not enough tension,doesnt quite come together,irrelevant storylines, Not a good read. Actual rating./stars.
Sara and Shannon were the blondehaired daughters belonging to the picture perfect Carter family, Their house was the prettiest on the block and their parents respected by all in the community.
But when mum and dad were stabbed fourteen times with a kitchen scissors and the one daughter, named by the media as the Angel of Death, was reported as the culprit, it revealed that you can never know what occurs behind closed doors.
Sara and Shannon had their secrets but maybe their parents did as well,
This was one of the darkest and saddest thrillers I have ever read! Events unfolded across three perspectives and each told their tale in both the present and through flashbacks to their childhoods.
There was so much trauma within these pages and every scene of suffering had me more invested and appalled, in equal measures.
The reader was, very early on, led to understand that all that occurred was not as was reported and I did go some way to guessing what the concluding twist would be, but I did not see all that this contained coming.
I remained absorbed by this sinister and thrilling story all the way throughout and am eager to see what else this author has published, if they are anything as brilliantly paced and penned as this.
A gruesome double murder made national headlines at the time, sensationalised by the fact that the killer of the respectable GP and his wife was one of their daughters.
One, nicknamed the Angel of Death spent years in a children's secure unit after confessing to the killing, while her sister made her way through the foster system.
Years later, a documentary team tracks down one of the sisters and as she speaks about the events of that night, they come back to haunt everyone involved.
Let's start off by saying that I'm writing this at goneam, having stayed up to finish this book after it turned into a monster of a page turner about a third of the way in.
The start may have been a little difficult to get into, due to the vagueness of the writing, however the reward when the twists and the drama truly start hitting were worth it.
I won't go into much detail in terms of plot for fearing
of spoiling anything, but will say that I had a more than one real double take moment, almost exclaiming "wait.
. . what!" out loud. The mysteries unfold at a perfect pace, drawing the reader in further while keeping some tantalisingly out of reach.
I wouldn't normally mention the cover in a review unless it was a really great one, but in this case I don't like it.
It didn't draw me to the book, and it didn't really suit the mood either, I felt.
Definitely recommend this for thriller fans, although it's not for the faint of heart,
Content warning for child abuse, which made for some difficult reading, However, it's not gratuitous and is important for the story,
.stars, rounded up Ten comments about "When I was Ten",
Brilliant cover!
Very compelling premise:
Twentyone years ago, a prominent doctor and his wife are stabbed to death with a pair of scissors by theiryear old daughter.
After spending eight years in a children's secure unit after pleading guilty to "the most infamous double murder of the modern age" the convicted daughter is living quietly under an assumed name with a family of her own until her new identity is revealed to the press on the anniversary of the trial and the release of a new documentary about the murder.
WARNING: This is a very, very, very troubling and disturbing book about child abuse and mental illness.
Many times I had to push the "stop" button and almost completely abandoned DNFed the book.
"You Never Know What Goes on Behind Closed Doors" could have also been a terrific title for this book.
If you are a fan of author Lucinda Berry, this book is for you, This book was very similar in plot/structure/character development/theme/premise to the ultratraumatizing books written by author Lucinda Berry.
The bond between sisters, friendships, "mean girls", dysfunctional families, and betrayal are just a few of the many topics portrayed in this book.
At times, the book dragged, Also, it included an unnecessary thread about a slimy politician that had little relevance to the storyline.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was good, but not great,
The book unfolded from three different POVs and would have benefited from at least one additional narrator.
Many times it was difficult to discern who was saying what,
This book earnedfrom many of my trusted GR reviewers,
Once again, I am an outlier, Perhaps it was the solo narrator or the huge similarity to Lucinda Berry that turned me off I like fresh content!, but this book earnedfrom me and that was just because I was feelingX more generous than usual.
If youve already had the pleasure of reading Fiona Cummins previous books then you know to expect a dark, twisty and uncomfortable story and When I Was Ten is no exception.
The book opens inwith a young girl fleeing from a double murder scene having witnessed a traumatic and horrific event.
Fast forward toand the story introduces us to Catherine, happily married to Edward and loving mother toyear old Honor, whose lives are about to be turned upside down and inside out when her Catherines sister, Shannon Carter, appears on live TV to talk about the brutal murder of her parentsyears ago.
Catherine hasnt told anyone about her past and now watches as her family is dragged into the media spotlight.
Brinley Booth grew up with Catherine and her sister Shannon, living next door and is now a reporter who has been assigned to cover the story and get an “exclusive” however the past still haunts her and she narrates some of the story taking up back to.
There are some really uncomfortable topics covered in this book child abuse, domestic abuse and whilst they are an important aspect of why Catherines parents were murdered and what drove the sisters to commit these violent acts, there are scenes that are deeply disturbing.
As usual the author provides the reader with a rollercoaster of a ride full of twists and turns.
When I Was Ten is a fast paced, gripping thriller and I thoroughly enjoyed it, .