Michelle Posted April 1, 2008 Posted April 1, 2008 (edited) Blood Ties It is January 1992. A baby girl is left alone for a moment; long enough for a mother to dash into a shop, and long enough for a child to be taken. Thirteen years later, solicitor Robert Knight's stepdaughter wins a place at a prestigious London school for the gifted. The only puzzle is his wife Erin's reaction. Why is she so reluctant to let Ruby go? Doesn't she want what's best for her? As Erin grows more evasive, Robert can't help but feel she has something to hide, and when he stumbles on mysterious letters, he discovers she has been lying to him. Somewhere in his wife's past lies a secret; a shocking secret that threatens to destroy everything.. Wow! This is an absolutely gripping thriller, which I found hard to put down. The various parts of the story are gradually unwrapped, until they all come together.. but probably not in the way you expect. There is an interesting mix of characters in this book, all with their own story to tell, and all lifelike and believable.. I found myself involved with each and every one, concerned for their outcome. The strands of the story are told from the viewpoint of these characters, combining present and past, culminating in a satisfying finale. A fast-paced thriller, that will stay with you after you finish. Edited November 29, 2009 by Michelle NB: various threads have been brought together :) Quote
Heather Posted April 1, 2008 Posted April 1, 2008 Sounds a great book Michelle I have never read any books by that author so that is a new one to add to my list. Quote
Michelle Posted April 1, 2008 Author Posted April 1, 2008 It's her debut book, Heather. She approached me to do an interview, which is the only reason I picked up the book.. but I am so glad I did. Quote
Esiotrot Posted April 1, 2008 Posted April 1, 2008 Great review Michelle - I really want to read this now!! Kx Quote
madcow Posted May 4, 2008 Posted May 4, 2008 Finished this yesterday and loved it from start to finish, a real page turner to the extent that I found myself a quiet room in the youth hostel we were staying at to curl up on the sofa and read undisturbed . I even read the first chapter of her next book Unspoken and can't wait to get hold of that. This is one author I'll be watching out for in the future. Quote
Karen1 Posted May 18, 2008 Posted May 18, 2008 I finished this book yesterday and I also thought it was a great read. I loved how the different aspects of the storyline were interwoven with each other and I think the subject matter was dealt with brilliantly. It could have turned out to be a really hard going book what with the suject matter and all but it was written in such a way that made it easy to read...if you know what I mean. Quote
Michelle Posted June 19, 2008 Author Posted June 19, 2008 (edited) Unspoken A secret is about to destroy a family in Sam Hayes’ breathtaking follow-up to BLOOD TIES…Mary Marshall would do anything for her daughter Julia. A devoted grandmother to Julia’s children, she’s always been the rock her family can rely on. Until now. Mary has a past Julia knows nothing about, and it’s come back to haunt her! Murray French is walking a tightrope. A solicitor struggling with an alcohol problem, he’s about to lose his wife Julia and his children to another man: someone successful, someone they deserve. Someone who’s everything he’s not. Can he ever get his family back? Just when Julia Marshall thinks life is starting to turn around, she stumbles upon the brutalised body of a girl she teaches. And as the terrible present starts to shed light on her mother’s past, Julia realises her family’s nightmare is only just beginning… For me, the allure of Sam’s previous book, Blood Ties, was that just when you thought you knew where the story was going, Sam spun it around, and presented you with something different. The same is true of this story, but in a much more subtle way. Although the bulk of the story evolved the way I felt it would, Sam still surprised me with the details, motives etc. Blood Ties had some good characters, but the pull was in the fast paced story. Unspoken was also a ‘page turner’ for me, but more because I was interested in the characters, and wanted to follow their journey. Sam explores a family dealing with seperation, a husband trying to survive alcoholism, as well as Mary’s secret past. In the midst of all this is Julia, trying to cope with her mother’s silence, her husband and the impending divorce, as well as her own children. There are also some thought-provoking issues brought up, including part of the ending that I didn’t expect. Edited November 29, 2009 by Michelle Quote
Kate Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Ooo this sounds good. I'll keep my eyes open for it Quote
madcow Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 (edited) Michelle you keep doing this to me (big sigh!) yet another book to look out for. Seeing as I really enjoyed Blood Ties this one sounds like another one I'll enjoy. Pa Great review Gotta love talisprism - put a reserve on this one Edited June 19, 2008 by madcow added a bit Quote
Loopyloo100 Posted July 27, 2008 Posted July 27, 2008 I read your review and thought that I recognised this story and I know I've definitely read it, but it's really bugging me that I can't remember where I got the book from as it isn't one I own. I certainly agree that it was a gripping read! Quote
whispering_pines Posted July 27, 2008 Posted July 27, 2008 Wow Michelle! This sounds like a really good read. I'm going right now to get the book. I cant wait 2 read it. Quote
Lilywhite Posted August 10, 2008 Posted August 10, 2008 A great read, although a bit tough to get through in parts. When you get half way through you start to build up your own conclusions and it's great to read to the end to see if you were right or wrong. Not too sure if the ending was a bit too neat for my liking. Quote
Inver Posted August 27, 2008 Posted August 27, 2008 Phew...finished this one. Great read although I was finding if difficult to keep track of who was who at some points, but thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for letting us read this one via the bookring Michelle. Quote
Purple Princess Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 I really loved this book - I found so interesting even thought there were alot of characters to keep track of! I found myself thinking about them at work wondering what was going to happen next I have her next book, Unspoken, on my TBR pile so am now looking forward to that Quote
SueK Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 I've just started this one this morning and already can't put it down. It's a pity that work gets in the way. I have to say I haven't a clue where this book is going and I don't want to do any second guessing, I shall just go with the flow and hope I am suitably "thrilled". Quote
SueK Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 Finished this yesterday and have to say it was great. Not normally my genre (I bought it on the back of reading reviews here:)) it was a very tense, well written book and I look forward to reading her next offering - there was a teaser at the back of Blood Ties. I thought the plotline was very real, there was nothing that came across as unbelievable or incredible except, perhaps the previous wife of Robert being of a similar persuasion to his present wife (won't go into details for those who haven't read it), I wonder if that was a necessary sub-plot? That's me just being picky though. I loved it and couldn't put it down AND it did leave me guessing right through to the end. It's one of those books that I will remember for a good while. 10/10 Quote
Michelle Posted November 29, 2009 Author Posted November 29, 2009 Tell Tale What do you do … A woman stands on a bridge, the water rushing below. In a few seconds she will jump, plunging more than two hundred feet to her death. Who is she? And what has driven her to take her own life? When there’s no way out … Nina Kennedy, a wife and mother, is afraid. A man is following her, threatening her family, toying with her sanity. What does he want? And how long will it be before he strikes? And nowhere left to hide … Eight-year-old Ava is waiting for her daddy. But, just like the others in the children’s home, her father never comes. The home is a place of whispers and shadows. But no one dare tell the truth. Until now… It’s very difficult to discuss the plot of this book, without giving too much away – something I hate seeing in a review. The only thing to say is that it takes the three strands mentioned above, and blends them together, gradually bringing all the connections together.If you’ve read Sam’s previous books, Blood Ties and Unspoken, you’ll have an idea of what to expect, both in style, and pace. Everything that I’ve enjoyed with those previous books carries on in this one, there was no disappointment.Sam’s books are all thrillers – they are fast paced, and very difficult to put down. However, they don’t rely on being plot driven books – the characters within are always interesting and believable. As well as wanting to know where the story in general is going, I also find myself wanting to know what’s going to happen to the characters too.If you have already enjoyed Sam’s previous books, I would strongly advise this one. If you haven’t, and you enjoy emotional thrillers, I would strongly advise that you give one a try! Quote
JudyB Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 I enjoyed both of Sam Hayes' books so was interested to see that there's a third - I'll be sure to look out for it at work - thanks Michelle. Quote
Michelle Posted December 3, 2009 Author Posted December 3, 2009 I've just published an interview with Sam, with some extra info about Tell Tale. Quote
Inver Posted July 18, 2012 Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) Reading Tell Tale at the moment and whizzing through it. -------------------------- Just finished it...loved it. Edited July 21, 2012 by Inver Quote
Argon9 Posted July 24, 2012 Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) One question. *raises hand* Are they a trilogy or separate books? Edited July 24, 2012 by Argon9 Quote
Michelle Posted July 25, 2012 Author Posted July 25, 2012 They're all separate books, can be read in any order. Quote
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