#BookReview of #GreenwichPark by Katherine Faulkner | @BloomsburyRaven @k_faulkner

‘A fantastically addictive read’  ~ ABIGAIL DEAN
‘Razor-sharp … I raced through it’ ~ HARRIET TYCE
‘Deliciously dark and deftly plotted’  ~ LESLEY KARA
‘Meticulously crafted and deeply satisfying’  ~ CHARLOTTE PHILBY
– Greenwich Park

[ About the Book ]

Helen has it all…

Daniel is the perfect husband.
Rory is the perfect brother.
Serena is the perfect sister-in-law.

And Rachel?

Rachel is the perfect nightmare.

When Helen, finally pregnant after years of tragedy, attends her first antenatal class, she is expecting her loving architect husband to arrive soon after, along with her confident, charming brother Rory and his pregnant wife, the effortlessly beautiful Serena. What she is not expecting is Rachel.

Extroverted, brash, unsettling single mother-to-be Rachel, who just wants to be Helen’s friend. Who just wants to get know Helen and her friends and her family. Who just wants to know everything about them. Every little secret…

[ My Review ]

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner was published April 15th with Raven Books (Bloomsbury Imprint) and is described as ‘masterfully plotted and utterly addictive…a dark, compelling look at motherhood, friendships, privilege and the secrets we keep to protect ourselves.’ When I mentioned on Twitter that I was about to start Greenwich Park, the reaction from fellow readers/bloggers was unanimous – I was going to get nothing else done! And they were correct. I just love a thriller that grabs me unreservedly like a dog with a bone and does not let go. Greenwich Park was one such book.

Helen, Daniel, Serena and Rory have been hanging out together for years. Helen and Rory are siblings. Daniel and Serena are their respective partners. All attended college together and they became a natural, and expected, foursome. When Helen and Rory’s parents were tragically killed in a car accident, Helen, with Daniel her husband, remained in the family home and Rory took over his father’s well-established and successful architectural firm. Daniel went into partnership with Rory as it was generally agreed that he had the appropriate skills and was more astute business-wise than Rory. Serena was self-employed as a photographer with her own studio locally situated. Helen, due to complications with previous pregnancies, was on doctor-prescribed early maternity leave. They all live nearby in Greenwich Park. There is a side friendship in the story and that is between Helen and her old childhood friend Katie, now a journalist. Katie is also on-off dating Helen’s other brother Charlie, who is generally considered a somewhat less driven individual.

Helen is a bit frustrated at home. With Serena also pregnant, she suggests they all attend an ante-natal class together. On the first night she is very disappointed to arrive at the venue with none of the others there. Daniel had to work late and Serena had a last-minute change of heart. Helen is annoyed but remains at the class and meets Rachel. Rachel is also on her own. A bit hot-headed and erratic in her behaviour, Helen is initially sceptical of Rachel but, after a while, she warms a little to her. Helen is feeling very much abandoned by all her busy friends and this new injection of life into her otherwise boring world might be just the distraction she needs. Daniel is working long hours and Helen is lonely.

Helen thought she had life sorted. A perfectionist in many ways she dreamed of the perfect life with Daniel and her new baby, surrounded by friends and her remaining family. At times quite needy, she had aspirations to be hip, cool, that friend that draws people in, like Serena. But Helen was never that person and Rachel’s attention, although at times a little suffocating, appeals to Helen. Why not embrace this friendship? Why not try something a little different?

What transpires is a twisty, sinister and very compelling story with an array of wonderfully depicted characters. Katherine Faulkner has written a book that is both riveting and tense, a proper page-turner that really is an addictive read. A cracking debut by any standards, Greenwich Park is packed with deviousness and lies. There are so many layers to this plot that just keep peeling away throwing you into disarray as you attempt to unravel who is behind the trail of destruction that ensues. This is a volatile tale, one that takes the reader on an exciting journey, a psychological thriller that will set you on the edge of your seat. I don’t normally comment on an ending of a book but Katherine Faulkner BRAVO!!

[ Bio ]

Katherine Faulkner studied History at Cambridge then completed a postgraduate diploma in Newspaper Journalism. After working as an investigative reporter, during which time she won the Cudlipp Award for public interest journalism, and as an editor, she is now joint Head of News at The Times.

Katherine wrote her debut novel while on maternity leave, juggling a newborn with completing the Faber Academy novel-writing course. She lives in Hackney, where she grew up, with her husband and two daughters.

Twitter ~ @k_faulkner
Website ~ Katherine Faulkner