I am a huge fan of this author whose work is frequently categorised as crime but although her books do have a crime element, often sinister, they are so much more. Here 23-year old Catherine, unable to get a job elsewhere, takes up her mother’s contact and becomes a carer in an old people’s home. She develops an attachment with an 82-year old, dementia suffering children’s writer and illustrator who is convinced something very nasty is happening in the home. No one believes her. What is truly horrific and how Catherine discovers the truth is startling. When her mother is involved the tale becomes heartbreakingly sad. The whole thing hits you in the stomach. Stunning.
Some people love goodbyes...23-year-old Catherine is mainly interested in Facebook and flirting, but she reluctantly takes a job at a local care home after her mother puts her foot down - and soon discovers that her new workplace contains many secrets. One of the residents at the home, 82-year-old Rose, is convinced that something sinister is going on in Room 7 and that her own life is under threat. But Rose has dementia - so what does she actually know, and who would believe her anyway? As Catherine starts investigating Rose's allegations, terrible revelations surface about everyone involved. Can Catherine find out what's really going on before it's too late?
Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of ten adult and young adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and adapted for a major BBC drama. Her 2019 dark-comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a Book of the Year in the Literary Review, Herald Scotland, Guardian and Daily Telegraph, shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and won the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award. Helen worked as a criminal justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria, Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband. Follow Helen on Twitter @FitzHelen.
