About this deal
I was completely blown away by this book, the plot is a quite a simple plot but the way the storylines are fed, and intertwined (as one story line is present currently, whilst another running alongside but occurring in 1995) added to the mystery. The way they behaved, their interactions and the moments of tension that ensued, all added to the pull of the story and kept the tension high even in the most seemingly banal moments.
When a nature trail is being built on an area that has been disused for year's Alex starts to worry. Rick meets a woman named Mariana and falls head ber heels for her and would do anything to protect her. OUR HOUSE is the one you may be most familiar with as it's on our screens as a major four-part ITV drama starring Martin Compston, Tuppence Middleton and Rupert Penry-Jones.Rolling out in two separate timelines, the mid-nineties and today, we get transported straight into the lives of two men, Alex and Rick, whose lives will spectacularly intersect later in the book. The only downside was that the ink smudges too much and some was transferring to my hands/ fingers, which is why I knocked off half a star.
Tweede leven' is niet echt een superspannende thriller en ik zou ook dit verhaal eerder psychologisch noemen. It was also longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the Specsavers National Book Awards. Black skies would have made a more fitting backdrop, some monstrous winter storm that tore the house from its foundations, but as it transpired the moment he'd been dreading for twenty-five years came on a still, gentle morning in May. I loved The Only Suspect: a heady dose of mid Nineties nostalgia, with trademark whiplash twists and satire.Why does the councils decision to give the go-ahead for a nature trail on a track behind Alex and his wife Beth‘s home turn his limbs to dust and horror fill his heart? Another character in 1995 is Rick’s flatmate Rollo, upper class but always short of cash and a party boy. One aspect of this title I did enjoy was the past narrative being set during 1995, I really appreciated so many of the cultural references of the time. His past includes Marina who is not who she seems and as the story goes on we find out that there is a reason why Alex wants to keep a low profile as there is a twist. THE ONLY SUSPECT, THE HEIGHTS, THE OTHER PASSENGER, THE SWIMMING POOL and THE DAY YOU SAVED MY LIFE have all been optioned for the screen - I'll share development news as soon as I can.
Told over 2 timelines with 2 different POV’s the present follows Alex and the 1990’s where we are introduced to Rick.Nothing gets me giddier than a crime fiction novel that requires the reader to use their brain and their wit to get to the conclusion. Candlish takes us directly to the events in both time stages and I was fully immersed in the action of each respective era.
Soon his mood and character change to the point that Beth no longer recognises the man he is becoming.Something is putting him on edge and, as the chapters progress, we get insights into Alex’s early years and the secrets he has kept buried, hidden from Beth and others. Candlish explores how well we really know those we love and what lengths we'll go to get what we want. But he never quite anticipated just how disastrous his life would become after becoming embroiled in her personal problems. Fine, so he’s not the most extrovert guy on the street, he prefers to keep himself to himself, but he’s a good husband and an easy-going neighbour.