Dark and enthralling, Now You See Me is an amazing psychological thriller
Now You See Me
By Jean Bedford
Endeavour Press
Mystery & Thrillers
January 15, 2016
Review
Now You See Me is a gripping psychological thriller which keeps the reader guessing until the final page. While disturbing, the novel is skillfully written and the characters are richly detailed. This isn't your run of the mill murder mystery. Instead, it is a tale of interconnected lives, all affected by a sociopathic killer. It is a story of secrets and deception, and the dreadful legacy of physical and sexual abuse.
Abused children are being murdered. Naturally suspicion falls on the abusive parents, but Noel Baker, an investigative reporter, isn't so certain. Some of the evidence suggests someone else is targeting the children.
Noel's boyfriend, Mick is part of a circle of friends who have been together since university. The narrative switches between the daily lives of the group's members as the investigation progresses, and the killer's personal narrative. The more the killer reveals, the more obvious it becomes that the killer is a member of the group.
The closer Noel comes to the truth, the more their lives are torn apart.
The book is made all the more powerful by the unexpected ending. Jean Bedford is an amazing storyteller. Her characters are complex, affected both by the past and the present in believable ways. But Bedford's greatest skill lies in eliciting a wide range of emotions from her readers.
Now You See Me is not a book I would recommend for younger readers. The subject content is disturbing, though Bedford avoids gruesome details. If you like dark psychological thrillers, such as those by Ruth Rendell, you will be impressed by Now You See Me.
5/5
I received a copy of Now You See Me from the publisher and Netgalley.com.
—Crittermom
Description
Journalist Noel Baker is no stranger to reporting horrific and gruesome crimes.
But when a disturbing suggestion arises in a coroner’s report, she decides to look into her new case more closely.
Young Belinda Carey has been killed and with the parents the obvious suspects, the police are looking no further for the culprit.
But Noel senses a disturbing pattern with the deaths of other abused children and she realizes that Belinda’s death may not have been at the hands of her neglectful and abusive parents.
As Noel's investigation unfolds, the killer writes a diary.
The diary reveals a horrific childhood with unspeakable suffering, and these demons of the past rear their heads in the present...
It reveals that the killer is right amongst them, one of an old circle of university friends.
But which one?
Who could be driven to such deplorable acts?
Now You See Me is a gripping story of suspense and dark secrets from one of Australia’s finest writers.
