BEYOND THE SMILES by MINNIE LEWIS.
Genre ... Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Relationships, Suffolk Coast, Female Lead.
Publication Date ... 24th June 2024
Estimated Page Count ... 458
Standalone Novel
When Laura Eastwood receives a call from Father Mallory, a priest in the remote Suffolk seaside town of Blythwold, the news he delivers is of little interest to her. And why should it be? Her birth father never wanted to be a part of her life, so why should her feelings towards him suddenly shift, just because he’s died?
Nevertheless, the passing of Billy McKenna changes everything for Laura, drawing her into the sinister world of the sleepy Suffolk town; with its assortment of outlandish characters, the most menacing being her grandmother, Mary.
As Laura delves deeper into the past, almost everything in her life comes into question; her parent’s honesty, her best friend’s loyalty, the support of her boss and mentor, even the motives of her apparently loving boyfriend, Kieran, may not be as they once appeared.
Will Laura get answers to the mysteries she finds lurking in the seemingly dull, East Anglian town?
And who can Laura truly trust?
Well! Despite some what I considered 'oddities' {more of them later} and that I felt like the book could have done with a better editing, Beyond The Smiles is my favourite read of 2024 ... thus far.
Easy to become engrossed in, I cannot remember the last time I sat and read 100+ pages in one fell swoop. The characters, whether totally likeable or deliciously manipulative {not that its always at first apparent quite which they are} all making for great reading.
Told in two parts. The first concerned with main character, Laura's life in London post her move to the sleepy, seaside town of Blythwold; the second, her move to the town and the revelations that follow.
Very much Laura's story, however, there are parts of the book that though they feature the same aspect of the story are re-told from another's point of view. An interesting and brave move by the author and one which had the power to drive the narrative forward by putting forward the motives of some of the other key characters. Alas, at other times it didn't quite work for me and I struggled to see the point of it. What I felt was really odd though was that it was a feature that was largely dropped in the second part of the book when I longed to know more of the motives of some of the characters.
An original and entertaining read, rich in detail and if you are anything like me, with the capability to keep you reading well into the small hours. Please, please tell me there is another book in the pipeline.
With thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for organising a paper copy. One of several bloggers participating in the Blog Tour of this book, agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own; no financial compensation was asked for nor given; threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.
PLEASE NOTE ... This is the second of my reviews to be posted today, if you haven't already done so be sure to read my first, Maggie's Red Circus Bus. Thank you.
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