Psychological Thrillers that are not for the faint-hearted: Deadman’s Pool by Kate
Deadman’s Pool by Kate Rhodes (Orenda Books £9.99, 300pp)
It’s always a bonus when a story gives a psychological insight into a place as well as the minds of the characters.
In this case it’s the slightly claustrophobic intensity of the Isles of Scilly that is expertly revealed through the eyes of DI Ben Kitto in the latest of this superb series.
Kitto takes the islands’ priest to live as a hermit in the ruins of an ancient church. The body of a girl is discovered in the ruins of an old isolation hospital. But nobody has been reported missing.
Meanwhile, rumours are circulating about strange goings-on. It emerges that the killer is still at large just as major storms cut the islands off.
One for suspense lovers but not the faint-hearted as the plot can be disturbing.
Trapped on an isle with a killer on the prowl
The Psychiatrist by Emma Curtis (Corvus £9.99, 416pp)
Turning the tables on the psychiatrist is always a good trick in a psychological novel and Curtis succeeds in giving her story a twist that saves the plot cliché.
The psychiatrist is Dr Geddes. She has been blindsided by a young male client who suddenly told her she is beautiful. But that’s just the start of her unravelling.
Soon the young man is the catalyst who could destroy her future.
Geddes is a relatable, vulnerable character. Abandoned by her husband because she didn’t want to be a mother, she has failed to ‘move on’ and she knows it.
Meanwhile, a few roads away and soon to be connected is Lorna, a young social-climbing estate agent, who can’t believe her luck in becoming friends with the glamorous Elise.
Elise’s husband is a secret from Lorna’s past. Curtis rather ingeniously brings the two stories together with real suspense and drama.
Bite-sized scenes and smart characters make this an easy and enjoyable read.
The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin (Viper £ 9.99, 384pp)
When Effie was growing up in the New Zealand wilderness she thought she was being protected from a sinister outside world. Instead she was actually a prisoner of shocking neglect.
She finally escaped when she was 15 to make a new life after a particularly traumatising incident.
But the shocking appearance of a bloodied young girl coming out of the bush after witnessing a murder compels Effie to return and face her demons.
Not least because this child bears a startling resemblance to her as a child. Raw, emotional and haunting.