LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
Longlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger 2016.
March 2016 Book of the Month.
A powerful thriller with a knack for riding the tightrope between scaring the hell out of you and making you feel compassionate for its harried heroine, Heaberlin's crime debut is to be applauded. Sixteen year old Tessa survived a serial killer while her friend didn't and she woke next to a corpse in a shallow grave. Her testimony put Terrell Goodwin on death row and his execution is now imminent, but who has been planting clumps of flowers by her house, indicating that perhaps she was wrong and the 32 hours she forgot are key to the answers. Did he or didn't he? With a fairy-tale-like atmosphere, the creepy thriller works insidiously on the senses and proves profoundly discombobulating as sympathies jump between characters and new possibilities pop into mind. Clever, ingeniously manipulative and elegant. ~ Maxim Jakubowski
Maxim Jakubowski
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Black-Eyed Susans Synopsis
This is a chilling new thriller that gets into the heart and mind of the killer, and the victim...Seventeen-year-old Tessa, dubbed a 'Black-Eyed Susan' by the media, became famous for being the only victim to survive the vicious attack of a serial killer. Her testimony helped to put a dangerous criminal behind bars - or so she thought. Now, decades later the black-eyed susans planted outside Tessa's bedroom window seem to be a message from a killer who should be safely in prison. Haunted by fragmented memories of the night she was attacked and terrified for her own teenage daughter's safety, can Tessa uncover the truth about the killer before it's too late? Praise for Black-Eyed Susans: A tense, beautifully written novel of survival and hope. Highly recommended. (William Landay, bestselling author of Richard and Judy-selected Defending Jacob). A truly compelling tale of the fragility of memory and elusive redemption. (Kirkus Reviews). An absorbing character study and a good choice for readers who want to really sink into a psychological thriller. (Booklist). Gripping...The suspense builds as Tessie uncovers devastating secrets from the past en route to the shocking ending. (Publishers Weekly). A spellbinding tale, at once both completely believable and utterly suspenseful - and once you reach the novel's perfect ending, you will want to read it again. (David Dow, Death Row investigator and author of Things I've learnt from Dying). With vivid, original prose that never misses its mark, Julia Heaberlin lures you into this psychologically astute and utterly riveting story of a victim left for dead by a serial killer, whose forgotten memories may hold the key to finding 'her monster. 'As this dark journey into her past unfolds, you will race through the pages to discover the shocking secrets she thinks she wants to remember - only to find the truth lingering in your own mind long after you're done. A fascinating, twisted book. (Koethi Zan, author of Richard and Judy-selected The Never List).
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9781405921275 |
Publication date: |
10th March 2016 |
Author: |
Julia Heaberlin |
Publisher: |
Penguin Books Ltd |
Format: |
Paperback |
Pagination: |
402 pages |
Primary Genre |
Thriller and Suspense
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Other Genres: |
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Recommendations: |
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Press Reviews
Julia Heaberlin Press Reviews
'It's a terrific plot, matched by the quality of the writing and superbly paced tension' The Times BOOK OF THE MONTH
'Black Eyed Susans is a compelling read, especially for Serial fans' Cosmopolitan
'One of the classiest thrillers you'll read this year Charlotte Heathcote About as good an example of Grip Lit as you could read' Sunday Independent
'Sophisticated, disturbing and with plenty of red herrings' Woman and Home
'We can't remember the last time a thriller burrowed under out skin like this. Sparkling characters, authentic emotion, and an unpredictable plot makes this a terrific read from start to end' iBook, Books of the Month
'An absorbing character study and a good choice for readers who want to really sink into a psychological thriller' Booklist
Author
About Julia Heaberlin
Julia Heaberlin is an award-winning journalist who has worked for such newspapers as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram,The Detroit News and The Dallas Morning News. She was inspired to write her first thriller, Playing Dead, after receiving a letter from a stranger who wondered if she was her daughter, who had been kidnapped years before. Julia lives in Texas near Dallas/Fort Worth with her journalist husband and a son.
Author photo © Jill Johnson
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