Louisa de Lange

Domestic psychological thrillers are my favourite kind to read in the genre. This book is really no different from others I've read. The story is about Annie who is married to an abusive husband David and they have a two year old Johnny.

The domestic thriller has literally been done to death. I have read plenty of them and although they all have the same theme, they can be different too. In this one Annie escapes into a dream world when she sleeps and this is her escape.

I read this book quite quickly and for the majority it did hold my interest and I wanted to see what happened. The dream sections of the story was a little different and I was ok with it, I knew what was what, until the end. The end I did find a little confusing and I'm not too sure which part was dream and which was the reality. I did guess a major part of the dreams very early on too.

Overall I found the book enjoyable and it passed a couple of hours. I would try this author again in the future.… (més)

I was a huge fan of The Dream Wife, Louisa de Lange's first book, in particular its clever curveballs. I was excited when I heard she had a new book out, but have to confess I was nervous about the fact that it's a police procedural introducing DS Kate Munro. It seemed like it might be very different to The Dream Wife and I wondered if all the things I liked about that book might be lost in Ask Me No Questions.

Well I can happily report that this is just as twisty as I hoped, even if it doesn't quite have the wow moment of the first book. We meet identical twins, Gabi and Thea and as the book begins Gabi has just been attacked and left in a coma. Things are difficult between the two of them and they have been estranged for a number of years following a shocking incident in their childhood. We also meet Harry, their childhood friend, with whom they have a lifelong connection.

In chapters alternating between Kate's investigation into Gabi's attack and the story from the viewpoint of the twins, we delve into the days before the attack and also discover more about what happened fifteen years earlier.

I don't want to say a single other thing about the plot as the blurb doesn't even touch the surface but I can say that it's such a well put together story and just when I thought I knew where it was going de Lange threw in one of her famous curveballs. Yes, they do exist in this book too, I'm pleased to say.

I rather liked Kate. She's a bit prickly and has many problems of her own but I think there's lots of potential there and if this is the first in a series featuring her then I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next for her.

Ask Me No Questions is a fabulous story, a cut above some of the other police procedurals I have come across. Kate is a gutsy protagonist and the story of the twins made for a brilliant first outing for her. I found it such a gripping read and it really kept me guessing all the way to the end.… (més)

Wow, this is quite a book! Never in my wildest dreams (see what I did there?) could I have predicted the turn it would take.

Annie is married to David. Her life before she met him wasn't always plain sailing but she was leading a pretty ordinary sort of life. David took an interest in her and made her happy until they were married and she had baby Johnny, whereupon David became controlling, overbearing and thoroughly unpleasant. Annie's world gets smaller and smaller until it comes down to doing all the little things that make David happy and nothing that makes her happy, unless you count looking after her son who is the light of her life.

So far, so fairly textbook psychological thriller. But then Annie discovers something that means she can do something to change her life in a pretty amazing and incredible way. And from now on I can't tell you anything else about it - you absolutely have to find out for yourself. A spoiler would be disastrous!

I read fairly steadily up to the 50-60% mark and after that I just couldn't put it down. It completely pulled me in to Annie's life, her plight, and her way of dealing with it. Her life with David shocked me to the core. What a horrible, nasty little man! But things started to change and I was totally rooting for Annie and Johnny to have a better life.

Just when I thought I had a handle on all that was going on, the author threw me a curveball that left me reeling. I'm still thinking about it and recalibrating all that I thought I knew. In terms of twists it's fantastic.

The Dream Wife is such an impressive debut. If you want a book that takes everything you know and turns it on its head then this is it. If you want a book with a thoroughly cruel and vicious character for you to hate then this is it. And if you want a book that leaves you with your mouth hanging open at the end then this is it. It's brilliant.… (més)