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The Life I Left Behind
Six years ago, Melody Pieterson was attacked and left for dead. Only a chance encounter with a dog walker saved her life. Melody's neighbor and close friend David Alden was found guilty of the crime and imprisoned, and the attack and David's betrayal of her friendship left Melody a different person. She no longer trusts her own judgment, she no longer trusts her friends. In fact, she no longer really has any friends. She's built a life behind walls and gates and security codes; she's cloistered herself away from the world almost entirely. And then, soon after David is released from prison, Eve Elliot is murdered in an attack almost identical to Melody's. With the start of a new police investigation, Melody is suddenly pulled from her ordered, secluded life and back into the messy world around her. But as she learns more about Eve's murder, Melody starts to wonder if perhaps David hadn't betrayed her after all...if perhaps the killer is someone else entirely, someone who's still out there, preparing to strike again. Narrated alternately by Melody and by Eve's lingering ghost, The Life I Left Behind is a taut thriller and an intimate look at two young women bound together in ways neither of them could ever have predicted. Colette McBeth has proven once again that she is a master of suspense.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2015
About the author
Colette McBeth
10 books181 followersColette McBeth had been a BBC News reporter for 10 years when she won a place on the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course and started her first book, Precious Thing. She lives in London with her husband and three children but dreams of being beside the seaside.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 423 reviews
August 13, 2020
This is a murder story with a cast of characters who are well-to-do thirty somethings participating in a consumerist lifestyle in a wealthy London suburb.
One of their number has survived a vicious attack on her life, and has become a nervous wreck as a result.
The story is told from the points of view of different female characters, including a Detective Inspector in the local branch of the Met. One of the other young women narrates her tale in the first person, and differs from the others in that she is dead. This approach could fail dismally, but Colette McBeth handles it skilfully and you can almost believe it.
The body of a young, beautiful blonde woman is discovered by a man walking his dog on Ham Common. In her hand is a gold chain necklace with a bird in a cage as a pendant. The crime appears to be a copycat version of another a few years earlier upon Melody, who not only bears a close physical resemblance to the new victim, but was also found with a gold birdcage chain identical to the one on the murder victim. The difference is that this woman is dead, whereas Melody miraculously survived.
Melody from the time of her attack is a totally changed character from the happy-go-lucky girl that she was before.
She now lives in a very expensive house in the country, built for her by her fiancé, Sam, a wealthy young specialist at a nearby hospital. They plan to marry in a few months. But Melody won't go outside the house on her own, and Sam has built a high wall round the house and garden so that she cannot even see the outside world. She spends her days buying household goods she doesn't really want on the internet, and her only company apart from Sam, who works long hours anyway, is a female personal trainer who keeps her physically fit.
The police arrested David, Melody's next-door neighbour at the time, but were unable to prove attempted murder because the evidence was mainly circumstantial. He has nonetheless spent several years in prison for grievous bodily harm. He was released a few days before the murder. The police draw the obvious conclusion and he is re-arrested.
The ensuing drama is completely absorbing, but personally I found the participants rather hard to take, due to their lifestyles which seem to lack any sort of morality or empathy. Otherwise a very engaging read!
One of their number has survived a vicious attack on her life, and has become a nervous wreck as a result.
The story is told from the points of view of different female characters, including a Detective Inspector in the local branch of the Met. One of the other young women narrates her tale in the first person, and differs from the others in that she is dead. This approach could fail dismally, but Colette McBeth handles it skilfully and you can almost believe it.
The body of a young, beautiful blonde woman is discovered by a man walking his dog on Ham Common. In her hand is a gold chain necklace with a bird in a cage as a pendant. The crime appears to be a copycat version of another a few years earlier upon Melody, who not only bears a close physical resemblance to the new victim, but was also found with a gold birdcage chain identical to the one on the murder victim. The difference is that this woman is dead, whereas Melody miraculously survived.
Melody from the time of her attack is a totally changed character from the happy-go-lucky girl that she was before.
She now lives in a very expensive house in the country, built for her by her fiancé, Sam, a wealthy young specialist at a nearby hospital. They plan to marry in a few months. But Melody won't go outside the house on her own, and Sam has built a high wall round the house and garden so that she cannot even see the outside world. She spends her days buying household goods she doesn't really want on the internet, and her only company apart from Sam, who works long hours anyway, is a female personal trainer who keeps her physically fit.
The police arrested David, Melody's next-door neighbour at the time, but were unable to prove attempted murder because the evidence was mainly circumstantial. He has nonetheless spent several years in prison for grievous bodily harm. He was released a few days before the murder. The police draw the obvious conclusion and he is re-arrested.
The ensuing drama is completely absorbing, but personally I found the participants rather hard to take, due to their lifestyles which seem to lack any sort of morality or empathy. Otherwise a very engaging read!
April 11, 2023
Melody Pieterson ist vor fünf Jahren überfallen worden. Nur knapp kam sie mit dem Leben davon. Der Täter wurde gefasst und kam ins Gefängnis, doch nun - nach fünf Jahren - ist er wieder frei. Da wird eine weitere Frau überfallen und ermordet. Alles weist auf David Alden als Täter hin, der auch für den Überfall auf Melody schuldig gesprochen wurde. Doch dann kommen Zweifel auf; war er es wirklich?
***
Mein Leseeindruck:
Dieser Thriller wird aus drei verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt: Einmal aus der Sichtweise von Melody, dann aus der Sichtweise der ermittelnden Polizistin, und dann - und das war das Ungewöhnliche für mich - aus der Sichtweise des zweiten -toten- Opfers.
Zunächst musste ich mich an diese doch eher untypische Erzählweise gewöhnen, aber es hat nicht lange gedauert, dann war ich von der Geschichte sehr gefesselt. Dabei haben mir die Abschnitte, die von der toten Eve handeln, sogar besonders gut gefallen. Es war einfach mal etwas anderes, dabei aber sehr spannend.
Die ganze Geschichte empfand ich als sehr durchdacht, komplex und packend. Die Figuren waren überzeugend und wirkten authentisch.
Ich habe diesen Thriller sehr gerne gelesen. Er hat mir schöne und spannende Lesestunden geschenkt, und ich lese nun gerne weitere Bücher der Autorin.
***
Mein Leseeindruck:
Dieser Thriller wird aus drei verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt: Einmal aus der Sichtweise von Melody, dann aus der Sichtweise der ermittelnden Polizistin, und dann - und das war das Ungewöhnliche für mich - aus der Sichtweise des zweiten -toten- Opfers.
Zunächst musste ich mich an diese doch eher untypische Erzählweise gewöhnen, aber es hat nicht lange gedauert, dann war ich von der Geschichte sehr gefesselt. Dabei haben mir die Abschnitte, die von der toten Eve handeln, sogar besonders gut gefallen. Es war einfach mal etwas anderes, dabei aber sehr spannend.
Die ganze Geschichte empfand ich als sehr durchdacht, komplex und packend. Die Figuren waren überzeugend und wirkten authentisch.
Ich habe diesen Thriller sehr gerne gelesen. Er hat mir schöne und spannende Lesestunden geschenkt, und ich lese nun gerne weitere Bücher der Autorin.
January 1, 2019
THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND is the second book I read by Colette McBeth, and in my opinion, the superior one. The story unfolds slowly, told by Eve and Melody, the two women attacked by the same killer, yet only one has survived. I really enjoyed the back and forth between characters and times, though this may annoy some readers, it certainly added to the sense of confusion felt by both women.
I won't go too much into the plot, that is done very nicely already. The story is essentially a murder mystery, with a splash of the supernatural (ghostly narration by one of the women), and a chill of psychological creepiness. This book would be enjoyable for fans of Elizabeth Haynes, Sabine Durrant, Samantha Hayes, or Tana French.
The mystery is well thought out, the voices believable and sympathetic, and I liked that this was not overly romantic, which often feels totally ill-at-place in a psychological thriller.
All in all, I cannot wait for McBeth's next effort!
I won THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND in a First-reads giveaway and have written what I feel is a fair and honest review. Thanks!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
I won't go too much into the plot, that is done very nicely already. The story is essentially a murder mystery, with a splash of the supernatural (ghostly narration by one of the women), and a chill of psychological creepiness. This book would be enjoyable for fans of Elizabeth Haynes, Sabine Durrant, Samantha Hayes, or Tana French.
The mystery is well thought out, the voices believable and sympathetic, and I liked that this was not overly romantic, which often feels totally ill-at-place in a psychological thriller.
All in all, I cannot wait for McBeth's next effort!
I won THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND in a First-reads giveaway and have written what I feel is a fair and honest review. Thanks!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
August 21, 2022
THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND by Colette McBeth is an exceptional ghost fiction novel that makes my favorites' list.
MY TEASE… (no spoilers)
Two parallel lives. One mutual friend. One patient murderer.
Melody and Eve both know David Alden.
Six years ago, David was Melody’s friend. When Melody stumbled home from a bar one night, something went terribly wrong. She was found comatose in a wooded park, having been strangled and left for dead with a pendant of a caged bird in her hand. If only Melody could remember.
Melody’s life has resembled that caged bird after she woke up to learn evidence proved David was her attacker.
Fast forward, David has served his jail time but still professes his innocence. Eve specializes in overturning wrongful convictions and she believes she can help David. She interviews everyone connected to Melody.
If only Eve could’ve reported her findings. But she’s found strangled to death with the murder’s calling card pendant in her hand. Now she’s a restless spirit watching the truth try to flap its wings.
Will Melody unravel the mystery and free herself from the bird cage? Or will the murderer squeeze tighter until unfinished business has finally been successfully executed?
THOUGHTS…
Every aspect of THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND was exceptionally done, especially the writing. For example, Melody has anxiety triggers from her attack, one of which is crowds. Here’s a writing sample:
“It was the shoes she noticed first. All black, like cockroaches scurrying around her. So many. Too many. They were going to start crawling over her body. Stamp, stand, stamp. The place was teeming with them.”
The author also used a narration strategy that I thought was fresh. Melody’s voice was told in third person, close. Eve’s voice is told in first person. I thought this was brilliant!
THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND impressed me! I think it would make an awesome movie. I highly recommend this book and my quickfire ratings show why! This one makes my favorites list!
QUICKFIRE RATINGS from 1 (ugh) to 5 (woo-hoo)…
Plot (the story): 5+
Main character’s likability: 5+
Development of supporting character(s): 5+
Settings/Atmosphere: 5
Pacing (how fast did I turn the pages): 4.5
Believability (in the context of the story): 4.5
Satisfying ending: 5+
Tension of the story: 5+
Stirs the heart (romantic elements): N/A Note: There is plenty of relationship dysfunction, just no healthy romance to stir the heart!
Did I solve the mystery/guess the ending before the reveal? No!
OVERALL:
THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND made my favorites' list as it excels on all marks, including exceptional writing.
MY TEASE… (no spoilers)
Two parallel lives. One mutual friend. One patient murderer.
Melody and Eve both know David Alden.
Six years ago, David was Melody’s friend. When Melody stumbled home from a bar one night, something went terribly wrong. She was found comatose in a wooded park, having been strangled and left for dead with a pendant of a caged bird in her hand. If only Melody could remember.
Melody’s life has resembled that caged bird after she woke up to learn evidence proved David was her attacker.
Fast forward, David has served his jail time but still professes his innocence. Eve specializes in overturning wrongful convictions and she believes she can help David. She interviews everyone connected to Melody.
If only Eve could’ve reported her findings. But she’s found strangled to death with the murder’s calling card pendant in her hand. Now she’s a restless spirit watching the truth try to flap its wings.
Will Melody unravel the mystery and free herself from the bird cage? Or will the murderer squeeze tighter until unfinished business has finally been successfully executed?
THOUGHTS…
Every aspect of THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND was exceptionally done, especially the writing. For example, Melody has anxiety triggers from her attack, one of which is crowds. Here’s a writing sample:
“It was the shoes she noticed first. All black, like cockroaches scurrying around her. So many. Too many. They were going to start crawling over her body. Stamp, stand, stamp. The place was teeming with them.”
The author also used a narration strategy that I thought was fresh. Melody’s voice was told in third person, close. Eve’s voice is told in first person. I thought this was brilliant!
THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND impressed me! I think it would make an awesome movie. I highly recommend this book and my quickfire ratings show why! This one makes my favorites list!
QUICKFIRE RATINGS from 1 (ugh) to 5 (woo-hoo)…
Plot (the story): 5+
Main character’s likability: 5+
Development of supporting character(s): 5+
Settings/Atmosphere: 5
Pacing (how fast did I turn the pages): 4.5
Believability (in the context of the story): 4.5
Satisfying ending: 5+
Tension of the story: 5+
Stirs the heart (romantic elements): N/A Note: There is plenty of relationship dysfunction, just no healthy romance to stir the heart!
Did I solve the mystery/guess the ending before the reveal? No!
OVERALL:
THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND made my favorites' list as it excels on all marks, including exceptional writing.
September 5, 2018
This book just got better and better as we went along and by the end I was almost doing star jumps but with tears in my eyes. This is a powerful novel, part crime book, part taut psychological thriller, part ghost story, what more could you ask for in your next book to read? I was uber excited to get my eyes stuck into this one.
Told from several points of view – Eve who is dead, Melody who has survived a vicious and violent attack and Victoria the Police Officer in charge of investigating Eve’s murder. It fantastically starts out with Eve's voice as we share the intimacy of her death and the moments after with her, and it's not done in a cheesy way at all.
Melody is living walled up in a big beautiful home, after years of being afraid to go outside alone since her violent attack that changed her from the inside out, it's a really sad way to live.
The synopsis of this book gives a lot to the reader so I am not going to go into it very much. But what this book does is seamlessly moves between events, thoughts and feelings between the three women, bit by bit you see WHY they are connected but by the time the final destination is revealed and intersection occurs you are out of breath and desperate for answers.
It's incredibly well written with a tight plot, it's interesting and piques the curiosity of the reader, I was becoming part investigator into Eve's death and once Melody get hold of information about Eve's death and what she was investigating at the time I wanted to see all the paperwork and research too!
There are other characters of the male variety who play strong roles in this novel, some you will like, some you will hate and you might even change your mind a few times along the way. One thing is for certain the answer to this psychological thriller does not hit you early in the book. For me I worked it out before the reveal but I don't think everybody will, it's very well covered up, with lots of red herrings.
I thought of The Lovely Bones with the voice from the other side leading the living to find the answers. I also thought of many psychological thrillers read recently that were good, but this book is all of them rolled into one.
It's taut, terrific, terrifying at times and just a darn good novel. It's one you can read from cover to cover as more and more secrets are revealed you will want to go on to the next chapter, and the next, and the next.
Highly recommended for any reader of tasty fiction. An easy 5 stars!
Told from several points of view – Eve who is dead, Melody who has survived a vicious and violent attack and Victoria the Police Officer in charge of investigating Eve’s murder. It fantastically starts out with Eve's voice as we share the intimacy of her death and the moments after with her, and it's not done in a cheesy way at all.
Melody is living walled up in a big beautiful home, after years of being afraid to go outside alone since her violent attack that changed her from the inside out, it's a really sad way to live.
The synopsis of this book gives a lot to the reader so I am not going to go into it very much. But what this book does is seamlessly moves between events, thoughts and feelings between the three women, bit by bit you see WHY they are connected but by the time the final destination is revealed and intersection occurs you are out of breath and desperate for answers.
It's incredibly well written with a tight plot, it's interesting and piques the curiosity of the reader, I was becoming part investigator into Eve's death and once Melody get hold of information about Eve's death and what she was investigating at the time I wanted to see all the paperwork and research too!
There are other characters of the male variety who play strong roles in this novel, some you will like, some you will hate and you might even change your mind a few times along the way. One thing is for certain the answer to this psychological thriller does not hit you early in the book. For me I worked it out before the reveal but I don't think everybody will, it's very well covered up, with lots of red herrings.
I thought of The Lovely Bones with the voice from the other side leading the living to find the answers. I also thought of many psychological thrillers read recently that were good, but this book is all of them rolled into one.
It's taut, terrific, terrifying at times and just a darn good novel. It's one you can read from cover to cover as more and more secrets are revealed you will want to go on to the next chapter, and the next, and the next.
Highly recommended for any reader of tasty fiction. An easy 5 stars!
August 6, 2019
Wowza! What an imaginative way to write a story! And that ending? Pure genius!
Colette McBeth is definitely a favorite author of mine!
Eve
"There would be benefits to dying, I figured, like finding my dad in heaven listening to Dire Straits and playing his air guitar. My real death was nothing like that. There was the pain that accompanied it. And there was this. The thing it had transmitted into. This pain had teeth and venomous glands. It fed off everything I saw and everything I knew had ended."
I had regrets. And yes, right at the top of my list I would have liked to tell everyone who killed me. But the thing you need to understand about death is that it's sneaky. It doesn't give you time to prepare. It springs up unannounced. Everyone thinks they'll get a warning. And maybe you will if you're lucky. But talking to people here, this isn't the case. You are there. And then you are not. It's that brutal."
Eve Elliott had been a producer for a television program called APPEAL, a true crime program on cases that have been miscarriages of justice. Until they pulled the show from the network. Since it's cancelation she's been resigned to cases about dodgy resort hotels, poor health standards in restaurants and the like.
When Eve Elliott is approached by Annie and David to review his case she accepted. She couldn't resist an actual case.
How was she to know what it would cost her. Cost Melody?
DI Victoria Rutter
Detective Inspector Victoria Rutter is in charge of the investigation into the murder of Eve Elliott. The suspect they have in custody is David Alden.
When she does the press conference she tries to skirt around this fact but reporters are not to be underestimated. They hunt in packs but once they smell blood they become a single apex predator, stopping at nothing to gain an edge over other members of the pack. A hierarchy if you will. So inadvertently they do learn that the man in custody being questioned is indeed David Alden, the same man who was convicted after attacking and nearly killing Melody Piederson five and a half years ago. The necklace was found in her hand was the same.
Victoria is having difficulty in believing that David Alden is guilty of killing Eve Elliott. Why, after just serving time for the first attack on Melody, an attack he claims he didn't do. Just the night before Eve was to give him news that she'd found proof of his innocence in Melody Peterson's attack. Why would he do it again? This time killing her.
Melody
Six years ago Melody was attacked and left for dead. But she'd survived. She's a survivor. Everyone says so. She copes by locking the memories of that day into a deep, dark box in the corner of her mind. Now she has a personal trainer, learned to cook, the wedding is only a few months away, and she's going to have a baby.
Then her phone rings. She sees that the caller is Polly. She ignores it the first time, is relieved when it stops ringing. But it rings a second time. When she answers she's hoping that Polly is just calling to see how she is. She's not.
"What has happened?"
She wants to know. But she doesn't want to know and yet, she does.
"A body, Melody. We've arrested him."
'Him' is all the name they need to say for 'he' is the reason they know each other in the first place.
We've arrested him. He's in custody". This happened before, Melody knows only too well when he was found guilty of "'grievous bodily harm with intent'" which made it sound like a scuffle outside a bar at closing time"
Justice - the upholding of what is just according to the dictionary. But in reality it doesn't mean anything of the sort.
'He' was given nine years behind bars but, of course, it's been seven months, two days, and three hours since his release, Melody knows.
Now, another woman has been murdered.
So how is this "Justice"? Justice for whom?
I was held hostage by Colette McBeth's The Life I Left Behind, narrated by Imogen Church. If you've read my reviews you're probably aware that I'm a big fan of audiobooks and am always ready to rave about the author's writing and the quality of the narrator.
The reason being is because by taking out the physical part of using your eyes to read the words you have the advantage of just hearing the story, absorbing more about how the words flow together, hear the inflection and emotions of the characters. If you have a talented, accomplished writer paired with a gifted and skillful narrator the result you get becomes pure gold.
That's what this audiobook is. Pure gold. That is why I quote phrases from novels. Small teasers if you will. To showcase great authors and narrators.
What struck me throughout the book was
Colette McBeth's writing. The words that make up the story are so beautiful, colorful, and creative that when strung together flowed along silkely and smooth on the surface but the depth of suspense roils underneath. Then because this is an audiobook you can close your eyes and immerse yourself fully while my favorite narrator, Imogen church, adds individuals voices and inflections and even deeper emotions felt by each character I found it nearly impossible to pause the book. Life is very irritating in the way it often madenly interrupting 'storytime'.
There are always red herrings in good crime, mystery thrillers and this was no exception. Some I fell for, some I didn't. Thinking I had this all worked out I was caught dead in the trap of the twist. Completely stunned. That's what makes it so great!
Colette McBeth is definitely a favorite author of mine!
Eve
"There would be benefits to dying, I figured, like finding my dad in heaven listening to Dire Straits and playing his air guitar. My real death was nothing like that. There was the pain that accompanied it. And there was this. The thing it had transmitted into. This pain had teeth and venomous glands. It fed off everything I saw and everything I knew had ended."
I had regrets. And yes, right at the top of my list I would have liked to tell everyone who killed me. But the thing you need to understand about death is that it's sneaky. It doesn't give you time to prepare. It springs up unannounced. Everyone thinks they'll get a warning. And maybe you will if you're lucky. But talking to people here, this isn't the case. You are there. And then you are not. It's that brutal."
Eve Elliott had been a producer for a television program called APPEAL, a true crime program on cases that have been miscarriages of justice. Until they pulled the show from the network. Since it's cancelation she's been resigned to cases about dodgy resort hotels, poor health standards in restaurants and the like.
When Eve Elliott is approached by Annie and David to review his case she accepted. She couldn't resist an actual case.
How was she to know what it would cost her. Cost Melody?
DI Victoria Rutter
Detective Inspector Victoria Rutter is in charge of the investigation into the murder of Eve Elliott. The suspect they have in custody is David Alden.
When she does the press conference she tries to skirt around this fact but reporters are not to be underestimated. They hunt in packs but once they smell blood they become a single apex predator, stopping at nothing to gain an edge over other members of the pack. A hierarchy if you will. So inadvertently they do learn that the man in custody being questioned is indeed David Alden, the same man who was convicted after attacking and nearly killing Melody Piederson five and a half years ago. The necklace was found in her hand was the same.
Victoria is having difficulty in believing that David Alden is guilty of killing Eve Elliott. Why, after just serving time for the first attack on Melody, an attack he claims he didn't do. Just the night before Eve was to give him news that she'd found proof of his innocence in Melody Peterson's attack. Why would he do it again? This time killing her.
Melody
Six years ago Melody was attacked and left for dead. But she'd survived. She's a survivor. Everyone says so. She copes by locking the memories of that day into a deep, dark box in the corner of her mind. Now she has a personal trainer, learned to cook, the wedding is only a few months away, and she's going to have a baby.
Then her phone rings. She sees that the caller is Polly. She ignores it the first time, is relieved when it stops ringing. But it rings a second time. When she answers she's hoping that Polly is just calling to see how she is. She's not.
"What has happened?"
She wants to know. But she doesn't want to know and yet, she does.
"A body, Melody. We've arrested him."
'Him' is all the name they need to say for 'he' is the reason they know each other in the first place.
We've arrested him. He's in custody". This happened before, Melody knows only too well when he was found guilty of "'grievous bodily harm with intent'" which made it sound like a scuffle outside a bar at closing time"
Justice - the upholding of what is just according to the dictionary. But in reality it doesn't mean anything of the sort.
'He' was given nine years behind bars but, of course, it's been seven months, two days, and three hours since his release, Melody knows.
Now, another woman has been murdered.
So how is this "Justice"? Justice for whom?
I was held hostage by Colette McBeth's The Life I Left Behind, narrated by Imogen Church. If you've read my reviews you're probably aware that I'm a big fan of audiobooks and am always ready to rave about the author's writing and the quality of the narrator.
The reason being is because by taking out the physical part of using your eyes to read the words you have the advantage of just hearing the story, absorbing more about how the words flow together, hear the inflection and emotions of the characters. If you have a talented, accomplished writer paired with a gifted and skillful narrator the result you get becomes pure gold.
That's what this audiobook is. Pure gold. That is why I quote phrases from novels. Small teasers if you will. To showcase great authors and narrators.
What struck me throughout the book was
Colette McBeth's writing. The words that make up the story are so beautiful, colorful, and creative that when strung together flowed along silkely and smooth on the surface but the depth of suspense roils underneath. Then because this is an audiobook you can close your eyes and immerse yourself fully while my favorite narrator, Imogen church, adds individuals voices and inflections and even deeper emotions felt by each character I found it nearly impossible to pause the book. Life is very irritating in the way it often madenly interrupting 'storytime'.
There are always red herrings in good crime, mystery thrillers and this was no exception. Some I fell for, some I didn't. Thinking I had this all worked out I was caught dead in the trap of the twist. Completely stunned. That's what makes it so great!
March 14, 2017
This book begins with an unnamed 10 year old who finds his mother dead in their home. As a reader I figured this person would resurface later as an adult. And he does. But the story is not told by him. It is told by Eve, who has already been killed. This was my first problem. I am not keen on dead narrators. But I was prepared to accept that Eve was killed for trying to uncover the killer and help Melody who was attacked six years earlier and left for dead but survived. David, the man convicted of this attack has just been released from prison not long before Eve is murdered, so he is immediately suspected. The third narrator is DI Rutter, who is investigating. Unconvinced that David is responsible for Eve’s death, she is trying to apprehend the real killer.
Again this is a novel billed as a psychological thriller. Like so many other novels at present, it seems to follow the pattern of having a share of unlikeable characters and the use of crude language. Although there were twists and turns designed to lead the reader away from the real killer, I picked it early on and never changed my mind despite the attempted red herrings. I’m thinking maybe the reality is I should steer clear of these type of books, because despite the fact it was readable, I never found myself gripped by the story. I could easily put it down. It just seemed a bit too formulaic to me. But the best idea is make up your own mind as others seem to have reacted more positively than me.
Again this is a novel billed as a psychological thriller. Like so many other novels at present, it seems to follow the pattern of having a share of unlikeable characters and the use of crude language. Although there were twists and turns designed to lead the reader away from the real killer, I picked it early on and never changed my mind despite the attempted red herrings. I’m thinking maybe the reality is I should steer clear of these type of books, because despite the fact it was readable, I never found myself gripped by the story. I could easily put it down. It just seemed a bit too formulaic to me. But the best idea is make up your own mind as others seem to have reacted more positively than me.
November 21, 2014
I was a huge fan of Colette Mcbeth’s first novel Precious Thing, so I was very excited to receive an advanced copy of her new story “The Life I Left Behind” and if anything it was even better – I read it in about 4 hours, it really was hard to put aside once started.
Told from several points of view – Eve who is dead, Melody who has survived a vicious attack and Victoria the Police Officer in charge of investigating Eve’s murder, it is an emotional and very addictive read with some loveable (and not so much) characters, a terrifically intriguing story and just a little twist in the tale, hearing as we do from the murder victim.
From the very beginning you will get sucked in as Eve is discovered dead and she starts to tell us how it all came to happen. Then enter Melody, who thinks she is hiding her post traumatic stress from her loved ones but maybe is not doing as well as she thinks – she is tied to Eve in ways she cannot yet imagine. Add into the mix Victoria, who starts to question the original conviction in Melody’s case and we are off with a fascinating, poignant and often quite touching tale of a life lost and another hanging in the balance.
There is a mystery element of course – is the same person responsible for both crimes, who is it and why. In a way though this is very much a layer to the story rather than the story itself which is absolutely focussed on the people, the aftermath, how it affects them and explores, almost quietly, themes of grief, loss and the ever changing nature of relationships. Ms McBeth writes with a very haunting prose that can tug on your heartstrings one minute and have you hanging on the edge of your seat the next.
As the separate worlds of Eve and Melody collide you will not be able to stop turning the pages to find out what is next – there is a terrific emotional resonance to knowing that there is nothing to be done for Eve, she was my favourite character and I almost kept wishing that this was a fantasy novel where she could miraculously be brought back to life. Melody invokes a lot of sympathy, her efforts to heal both mind and body are emotionally engaging and realistically based. Sometimes helped by those around her, sometimes hindered, you will root for her all the way.
Overall then a really really excellent read, a tense psychological thriller that also manages to gently pull you along towards the truth of the matter and will give you a lot to ponder along the way about the nature of life, the universe and humanity. Highly Recommended.
Told from several points of view – Eve who is dead, Melody who has survived a vicious attack and Victoria the Police Officer in charge of investigating Eve’s murder, it is an emotional and very addictive read with some loveable (and not so much) characters, a terrifically intriguing story and just a little twist in the tale, hearing as we do from the murder victim.
From the very beginning you will get sucked in as Eve is discovered dead and she starts to tell us how it all came to happen. Then enter Melody, who thinks she is hiding her post traumatic stress from her loved ones but maybe is not doing as well as she thinks – she is tied to Eve in ways she cannot yet imagine. Add into the mix Victoria, who starts to question the original conviction in Melody’s case and we are off with a fascinating, poignant and often quite touching tale of a life lost and another hanging in the balance.
There is a mystery element of course – is the same person responsible for both crimes, who is it and why. In a way though this is very much a layer to the story rather than the story itself which is absolutely focussed on the people, the aftermath, how it affects them and explores, almost quietly, themes of grief, loss and the ever changing nature of relationships. Ms McBeth writes with a very haunting prose that can tug on your heartstrings one minute and have you hanging on the edge of your seat the next.
As the separate worlds of Eve and Melody collide you will not be able to stop turning the pages to find out what is next – there is a terrific emotional resonance to knowing that there is nothing to be done for Eve, she was my favourite character and I almost kept wishing that this was a fantasy novel where she could miraculously be brought back to life. Melody invokes a lot of sympathy, her efforts to heal both mind and body are emotionally engaging and realistically based. Sometimes helped by those around her, sometimes hindered, you will root for her all the way.
Overall then a really really excellent read, a tense psychological thriller that also manages to gently pull you along towards the truth of the matter and will give you a lot to ponder along the way about the nature of life, the universe and humanity. Highly Recommended.
February 26, 2015
This is one book I have wanted to read, I couldn't wait until it came further and further up my pile.
Colette McBeth has written a superb book! Its a unique story line that keeps you on tender hooks, flicking page after page right from the beginning.
We have a woman here who was murdered. She was found by her son, he at first didn't realize she was dead, went off found a blanket and covered himself and his Mom up. Then his Father arrived......
Eve Elliot is the woman murdered. We find that something went on similar prior to her murder several years previously.
Eve Elliot is the one that is leading us to her murderer. BUT SHE IS DEAD! I hear you say. That is what makes this book unique, its so cleverly done, you don't even realize that she's dead, it goes from your memory sometimes and then you need to remind yourself.....oh yes, she's dead, she's relating this story. The thing is, its NOT straight forward and everything you think will happen, doesn't.
The life left behind belongs to Eve Elliot.
The finding out who murdered her lies in her hands.
The future is for us to know.
I really want to thank St. Martin's Press via Net Galley for allowing me the pleasure of reading this superb piece of work. AWESOME
November 11, 2015
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this murder mystery told predominantly by two main characters - the girl who escaped being murdered and the girl who was murdered!
The stories converge beautifully to the big reveal. The joy is in the exploration of the characters and everything they've been through rather than the ending (if this is your main focus you may be disappointed).
I found the two girls relatable and realistic. The book has a good pace and I didn't get 'stuck' at any point.
I would like to read more from Colette McBeth.
I really enjoyed this murder mystery told predominantly by two main characters - the girl who escaped being murdered and the girl who was murdered!
The stories converge beautifully to the big reveal. The joy is in the exploration of the characters and everything they've been through rather than the ending (if this is your main focus you may be disappointed).
I found the two girls relatable and realistic. The book has a good pace and I didn't get 'stuck' at any point.
I would like to read more from Colette McBeth.
January 2, 2015
Thanks to Bookbridgr.com for the review copy of this title...
When the body of a young woman is found in a London park, there are similarities to a previous case of attempted murder. The previous victim, Melody, may be alive but she is barely a shell of her old self. When she hears that the man has actually been successful this time, she fears the worst, as he has been released from prison and come be coming back to finish what he started, all those years ago. When she sees a photo of the dead girl, it is almost like looking in a mirror. There is also a necklace found in the latest victims hand, that is identical to the one found with Melody. Bu,t despite her best efforts, Mel has always struggled to remember the night of her attack. Selective memory perhaps, or is there a more sinister reason?
This is the second novel from Colette McBeth and is another psychological thriller with a strong female presence. The narrative is one which is both believable and frightening, all the more so for its setting, characters and multiple view points. Through the victims thoughts, we see how she ended up disguarded in a park, almost as an afterthought. From Melody, we see how some women can be controlled by the men in their lives, sometimes without it being very obvious at all. DI Rutter is a great example of a career woman, trying to get the home/work balance right and hoping her life doesn't pass her by too quickly.
The writing is eloquent, descriptive and dialogue is minimal. Direct access to the female characters thoughts gives the reader an insight that is not there for the male characters, as the author chooses to focus just on the females. This hopefully means there will be no comparison to Gone Girl, as the tag lines that have appeared on the vast majority of female crime fiction and thrillers are becoming a real bore. This novel would be better compared to Sophie Hannah, who also uses strong female protagonists to bring her stories to life. I would like to know more about DI Rutter and how her colleagues reacted to her investigation. Maybe there will be more books featuring this DI?
This is a great thriller, a real page turner with lots of twists throughout. A little slow in the middle section, but, thankfully, picks up pace again with a fantastic crescendo to finish. It's also worth noting, that it is not part of a series, so there is no need to read the authors two books in order.
This is an author who will be around for a while, so make room on your bookshelves...
The Life I Left Behind is published by Headline Review and is available in Hardback and ebook format.
When the body of a young woman is found in a London park, there are similarities to a previous case of attempted murder. The previous victim, Melody, may be alive but she is barely a shell of her old self. When she hears that the man has actually been successful this time, she fears the worst, as he has been released from prison and come be coming back to finish what he started, all those years ago. When she sees a photo of the dead girl, it is almost like looking in a mirror. There is also a necklace found in the latest victims hand, that is identical to the one found with Melody. Bu,t despite her best efforts, Mel has always struggled to remember the night of her attack. Selective memory perhaps, or is there a more sinister reason?
This is the second novel from Colette McBeth and is another psychological thriller with a strong female presence. The narrative is one which is both believable and frightening, all the more so for its setting, characters and multiple view points. Through the victims thoughts, we see how she ended up disguarded in a park, almost as an afterthought. From Melody, we see how some women can be controlled by the men in their lives, sometimes without it being very obvious at all. DI Rutter is a great example of a career woman, trying to get the home/work balance right and hoping her life doesn't pass her by too quickly.
The writing is eloquent, descriptive and dialogue is minimal. Direct access to the female characters thoughts gives the reader an insight that is not there for the male characters, as the author chooses to focus just on the females. This hopefully means there will be no comparison to Gone Girl, as the tag lines that have appeared on the vast majority of female crime fiction and thrillers are becoming a real bore. This novel would be better compared to Sophie Hannah, who also uses strong female protagonists to bring her stories to life. I would like to know more about DI Rutter and how her colleagues reacted to her investigation. Maybe there will be more books featuring this DI?
This is a great thriller, a real page turner with lots of twists throughout. A little slow in the middle section, but, thankfully, picks up pace again with a fantastic crescendo to finish. It's also worth noting, that it is not part of a series, so there is no need to read the authors two books in order.
This is an author who will be around for a while, so make room on your bookshelves...
The Life I Left Behind is published by Headline Review and is available in Hardback and ebook format.
January 1, 2015
I still have Colette’s debut ‘Precious Thing’ waiting on my bookshelf to be read but when given the opportunity to read and review this, her second novel, I wanted it immediately!
It sounded so intriguing, a story narrated by a murder victim. Whilst reading reviews for this, I’ve seen many references made to The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I must be one of the few people in the world who really didn’t like that book so I was hoping that this wouldn’t be a disappointment. I needn’t have worried. Eve, the murder victim, who is one of 3 narrators is not a wishy-washy character of the afterworld. Her voice is clear and believable and I felt quite sad that she was dead as she was a character that I would have loved to have known more about.
Eve’s murder has a very similar MO to that of Melody’s attack, 6 years previously. Melody was left in a coma and although she has physically recovered, mentally she is still a mess. A friend and neighbour was found guilty of her attack but has since been released from prison. Has the same person committed another crime?
Investigating Eve’s murder is DI Victoria Rutter. Rutter was a member of the original team investigating Melody’s attack but whilst delving into Eve’s case; she begins to have doubts about the way Melody’s investigation was carried out.
The three narrations of Eve, Melody and DI Rutter worked very well together. With alternating chapters you get to know the main characters well and even the more minor parts are fleshed out enough to enable you to form an opinion about them. I was pretty sure that I had worked it all out but with each chapter, another clue (or red herring) – you will have to make up your own mind, put doubts into my mind.
The two crimes are a significant part of the story but so is Melody’s traumatised mind. She knows that she can’t be a victim forever but doesn’t know to make herself feel safe again. Although I didn’t particularly like her character, I was hoping that she would find the strength to help find Eve’s killer and be able to lay her own ghosts to rest.
This was a fabulously twisty thriller that worked so well, despite the unusual narration. It had a well written storyline, tension and pace and I really didn't want to put it down. A definite 5* read for me
It sounded so intriguing, a story narrated by a murder victim. Whilst reading reviews for this, I’ve seen many references made to The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I must be one of the few people in the world who really didn’t like that book so I was hoping that this wouldn’t be a disappointment. I needn’t have worried. Eve, the murder victim, who is one of 3 narrators is not a wishy-washy character of the afterworld. Her voice is clear and believable and I felt quite sad that she was dead as she was a character that I would have loved to have known more about.
Eve’s murder has a very similar MO to that of Melody’s attack, 6 years previously. Melody was left in a coma and although she has physically recovered, mentally she is still a mess. A friend and neighbour was found guilty of her attack but has since been released from prison. Has the same person committed another crime?
Investigating Eve’s murder is DI Victoria Rutter. Rutter was a member of the original team investigating Melody’s attack but whilst delving into Eve’s case; she begins to have doubts about the way Melody’s investigation was carried out.
The three narrations of Eve, Melody and DI Rutter worked very well together. With alternating chapters you get to know the main characters well and even the more minor parts are fleshed out enough to enable you to form an opinion about them. I was pretty sure that I had worked it all out but with each chapter, another clue (or red herring) – you will have to make up your own mind, put doubts into my mind.
The two crimes are a significant part of the story but so is Melody’s traumatised mind. She knows that she can’t be a victim forever but doesn’t know to make herself feel safe again. Although I didn’t particularly like her character, I was hoping that she would find the strength to help find Eve’s killer and be able to lay her own ghosts to rest.
This was a fabulously twisty thriller that worked so well, despite the unusual narration. It had a well written storyline, tension and pace and I really didn't want to put it down. A definite 5* read for me
October 24, 2014
Reading this book is like digging my clay garden - time consuming and heavy going, and not something I want to do again.
Eve is dead, having been murdered and dumped in a field. but she's also narrator of this wordy, heavily padded story. Melody is a survivor with "issues", and bringing up the rear we have DI Victoria Rutter who tries to fit the pieces together, having suddenly realised the one Who Dunnit is possibly not the one Who Dunnit. What a surprise!
This author goes in for so much padding; she just loves words and crams in as many as she can, most of which are unnecessary and immensely irritating. The characters are one-dimensional despite the author's attempts to flesh them out by telling us what songs they listen too, the products they buy, celebrity cook books bought, mobile phones used, films seen but it doesn't work. References to present day are fine, in moderation, but liberally sprinkled, especially in the first few pages is just padding, and, to me, indicates the author's desire to be seen as an up-to-the-minute person In The Know; it didn't add anything to this long, boring, entirely predictable story. Oh - since when was London a "town"! Grammatical errors aside, the writing is clunky and almost juvenile, and way too long at 375 pages.
There is nothing new here - the premise of the story reminded me of Sebold's "The Lovely Bones", but it's nowhere near the same standard.
I hadn't realised this was written by the same author of "Precious Thing", until I started reading, and saw a reference to it on the inside cover., so I came to this completely unbiased. Having now read both, I will not be looking for any further offerings, in fact, Had I not been reading it specifically to review for Amazon Vine, I doubt I would have finished it.
Eve is dead, having been murdered and dumped in a field. but she's also narrator of this wordy, heavily padded story. Melody is a survivor with "issues", and bringing up the rear we have DI Victoria Rutter who tries to fit the pieces together, having suddenly realised the one Who Dunnit is possibly not the one Who Dunnit. What a surprise!
This author goes in for so much padding; she just loves words and crams in as many as she can, most of which are unnecessary and immensely irritating. The characters are one-dimensional despite the author's attempts to flesh them out by telling us what songs they listen too, the products they buy, celebrity cook books bought, mobile phones used, films seen but it doesn't work. References to present day are fine, in moderation, but liberally sprinkled, especially in the first few pages is just padding, and, to me, indicates the author's desire to be seen as an up-to-the-minute person In The Know; it didn't add anything to this long, boring, entirely predictable story. Oh - since when was London a "town"! Grammatical errors aside, the writing is clunky and almost juvenile, and way too long at 375 pages.
There is nothing new here - the premise of the story reminded me of Sebold's "The Lovely Bones", but it's nowhere near the same standard.
I hadn't realised this was written by the same author of "Precious Thing", until I started reading, and saw a reference to it on the inside cover., so I came to this completely unbiased. Having now read both, I will not be looking for any further offerings, in fact, Had I not been reading it specifically to review for Amazon Vine, I doubt I would have finished it.
March 3, 2017
I should have learned by now to steer clear of novels described as psychological thrillers. Two things about this one put me off as soon as I picked it up - the recommendation by Paula Hawkins on the cover and one of the narrators being Eve, a murdered girl observing events from beyond the grave (I was not an admirer of The Lovely Bones). However, in its defence, I didn't find Eve's post-death narration off-putting, although it could just as easily have been a simple flashback.
The problem for me of all these Girl on a Train/Gone Girl type thrillers is that they are so formulaic. They tend to contain:
- hysterical women psychologically disturbed by an incident in their recent past.
- their psychological disturbance always results in memory loss of the key crime/incident in the novel (a very convenient plot device).
- men who are all overly controlling, if not abusive (the only exception in this novel is gay).
- plot twists that are drive by somewhat unlikely coincidences.
- very similar,overly dramatic endings which I won't go into to avoid plot spoilers.
I should put in my usual disclaimer about my possible jealousy of more successful crime writers. But I have still given it 3 stars and Colette McBeth is a good writer. It's just a pity she couldn't have avoided the predictability of this particular sub-genre.
The problem for me of all these Girl on a Train/Gone Girl type thrillers is that they are so formulaic. They tend to contain:
- hysterical women psychologically disturbed by an incident in their recent past.
- their psychological disturbance always results in memory loss of the key crime/incident in the novel (a very convenient plot device).
- men who are all overly controlling, if not abusive (the only exception in this novel is gay).
- plot twists that are drive by somewhat unlikely coincidences.
- very similar,overly dramatic endings which I won't go into to avoid plot spoilers.
I should put in my usual disclaimer about my possible jealousy of more successful crime writers. But I have still given it 3 stars and Colette McBeth is a good writer. It's just a pity she couldn't have avoided the predictability of this particular sub-genre.
February 5, 2015
This review was originally posted on Between My Lines
Hello gritty, whimsical book! Now they are two words you don’t often see to describe one book but both apply equally to The Life I Left Behind.
First Line of The Life I Left by Colette McBeth:
My Thoughts on The Life I Left by Colette McBeth:
Two lines on the back of the book intrigued me and made this a must-read for me.
“I know exactly who attacked her.
He’s the same man who killed me.”
I immediately thought, well that’s different! And I had a feeling this book could either be twisty and compelling or silly and twee. Thankfully it was the former. You have two main characters; Eve who is dead and Melanie who survived a vicious attack in the past and is very emotionally scarred from that ordeal.
Both characters have really interesting back stories and the whimsical element added by Eve fits really well. The book is harsh and violent at times but then funny and heart-warming at others. It’s a strange mash-up but it really, really works. The connections between the characters are sinister and chilling and it’s definitely a book that raised my blood pressure while reading it! If tense and scary are what you want from your psychological thrillers, then this will provide them in abundance.
Initially I was afraid the book was going to be similar to The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold but the dead narrator and a vicious attack are the only similarities. This book stands on its own two feet and has its own very tense, twisty story to tell.
The suspense was really well drawn out and I spend many hours happily occupied in trying to fit all the pieces together. Actually I wasn’t trying to fit them together; I was trying to force them into position. I did have my suspicions but not in the exact picture that they all eventually formed.
Two things stand out for me about this book. I loved the writing style; it’s chatty and it brings in random topics in a way that makes me think and think and think. I feel the author puts a lot of her personality into her writing and it shows. And the second standout thing for me was the characters. I was absorbed in their lives and couldn’t wait to read more.
Overall I really, really enjoyed this one as it just offers something different to all the other thrillers out there at the moment.
Who should read The Life I Left by Colette McBeth?
I’d highly recommend this to you if you are a fan of thrillers with a domestic setting, a pace that is gripping and rich character development. The inclusion of a narrator who is dead added a whimsical quality so that is something to be aware of but I loved it. If you enjoyed the author’s debut novel Precious Thing then I think you’ll also like this one. Fans of Samantha Hayes and Sophie Hannah should also enjoy.
Thanks to Bookbridgr and Headline for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Hello gritty, whimsical book! Now they are two words you don’t often see to describe one book but both apply equally to The Life I Left Behind.
First Line of The Life I Left by Colette McBeth:
“The first thing that strikes him is the cold.”
My Thoughts on The Life I Left by Colette McBeth:
Two lines on the back of the book intrigued me and made this a must-read for me.
“I know exactly who attacked her.
He’s the same man who killed me.”
I immediately thought, well that’s different! And I had a feeling this book could either be twisty and compelling or silly and twee. Thankfully it was the former. You have two main characters; Eve who is dead and Melanie who survived a vicious attack in the past and is very emotionally scarred from that ordeal.
Both characters have really interesting back stories and the whimsical element added by Eve fits really well. The book is harsh and violent at times but then funny and heart-warming at others. It’s a strange mash-up but it really, really works. The connections between the characters are sinister and chilling and it’s definitely a book that raised my blood pressure while reading it! If tense and scary are what you want from your psychological thrillers, then this will provide them in abundance.
Initially I was afraid the book was going to be similar to The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold but the dead narrator and a vicious attack are the only similarities. This book stands on its own two feet and has its own very tense, twisty story to tell.
The suspense was really well drawn out and I spend many hours happily occupied in trying to fit all the pieces together. Actually I wasn’t trying to fit them together; I was trying to force them into position. I did have my suspicions but not in the exact picture that they all eventually formed.
Two things stand out for me about this book. I loved the writing style; it’s chatty and it brings in random topics in a way that makes me think and think and think. I feel the author puts a lot of her personality into her writing and it shows. And the second standout thing for me was the characters. I was absorbed in their lives and couldn’t wait to read more.
Overall I really, really enjoyed this one as it just offers something different to all the other thrillers out there at the moment.
Who should read The Life I Left by Colette McBeth?
I’d highly recommend this to you if you are a fan of thrillers with a domestic setting, a pace that is gripping and rich character development. The inclusion of a narrator who is dead added a whimsical quality so that is something to be aware of but I loved it. If you enjoyed the author’s debut novel Precious Thing then I think you’ll also like this one. Fans of Samantha Hayes and Sophie Hannah should also enjoy.
Thanks to Bookbridgr and Headline for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
January 30, 2015
The Life I left Behind is a clever psychological suspense story which takes the concept of a gross miscarriage of justice and turns it completely on its head by allowing the principle narrators to be the voices of two women, one of whom has already died and the other who is so badly damaged by a traumatic incident that she has no recollection of what has happened to her.
The story is compelling on two levels. The first is that the woman who has died gives a unique insight into the whys and wherefores of the case and second, is that the unreliability of the other narrator ensures that you are never really sure if her version of events is credible or not. Fleshing out the police procedural part of the story is a female DI who has more than enough domestic angst in her private life to make her question her judgement once the case is reopened in light of new evidence.
I love books which allow me the luxury of reading something which keeps me guessing from start to finish, with characters that perplex and beguile in equal measure and with dramatic content that makes me want to read on and on and on....
This is a real roller coaster of a read with more than enough twists, turns and red herrings to keep you turning the pages. So many times, I thought I had figured out who the perpetrator was, only to have another spanner thrown into the works and for me to reconsider and go in a completely new direction.
I am fast becoming a real fan of domestic noir and there is no doubt that The Life I Left Behind is up there with the best of the genre.
The story is compelling on two levels. The first is that the woman who has died gives a unique insight into the whys and wherefores of the case and second, is that the unreliability of the other narrator ensures that you are never really sure if her version of events is credible or not. Fleshing out the police procedural part of the story is a female DI who has more than enough domestic angst in her private life to make her question her judgement once the case is reopened in light of new evidence.
I love books which allow me the luxury of reading something which keeps me guessing from start to finish, with characters that perplex and beguile in equal measure and with dramatic content that makes me want to read on and on and on....
This is a real roller coaster of a read with more than enough twists, turns and red herrings to keep you turning the pages. So many times, I thought I had figured out who the perpetrator was, only to have another spanner thrown into the works and for me to reconsider and go in a completely new direction.
I am fast becoming a real fan of domestic noir and there is no doubt that The Life I Left Behind is up there with the best of the genre.
October 9, 2014
I had to abandon about a quarter of way in. On the back of a good run of books. Just a bit too disposable for me. I appreciate more and more books that stand the test of time and not littered with modern day references to specific songs, social media channels, mobile phone types, specific tv programmes or films etc etc. In a few chapters I got all in this book. Overkill. And the mystery / suspense... All felt quite predictable
I had to continue this review on web, as the Good reads app is so shocking!
My review above probably sounds really pedantic. But I don't think mentioning going to see Despicable Me 2, watching Breaking Bad on TV, mentions of Facebook updates and 140 character counts on twitter, blackberry phone checking etc is the way to make a book stand the test of time, and I just don't want to read disposable fiction. I love to find a book that I can hand on again and again, and recommend to friends even 5 years down the line.
Having said that it was a kind of interesting premise having one of the characters speak from beyond the grave so to speak. Although it became a bit like "Ghost" - the 80s film (yes, that's me getting dated references in!!) - the dead / spirit helping to solve the crime.
And may well have been a Faber academy classmate of SJ Watson - but this is no "Before I go to sleep"
I had to continue this review on web, as the Good reads app is so shocking!
My review above probably sounds really pedantic. But I don't think mentioning going to see Despicable Me 2, watching Breaking Bad on TV, mentions of Facebook updates and 140 character counts on twitter, blackberry phone checking etc is the way to make a book stand the test of time, and I just don't want to read disposable fiction. I love to find a book that I can hand on again and again, and recommend to friends even 5 years down the line.
Having said that it was a kind of interesting premise having one of the characters speak from beyond the grave so to speak. Although it became a bit like "Ghost" - the 80s film (yes, that's me getting dated references in!!) - the dead / spirit helping to solve the crime.
And may well have been a Faber academy classmate of SJ Watson - but this is no "Before I go to sleep"
August 18, 2017
I found this quite a gripping read, if a bit slow in places. I'm not keen on dead narrators, but it worked ok here, as there are also other points of view.
December 13, 2014
After reading Ms McBeth's previous works, A Precious Thing, and loving it, I was really looking forward to this one. I was lucky enough to be granted a copy via Netgalley, so thank you to the publisher and the author for the ARC.
The story is one of Melody, a survivor of a vicious attack who is trying to live with the aftermath as best she can. Then we have Eve, the victim who wasn't so lucky and Victoria, the investigating Detective Inspector. Three viewpoints throughout, what's different is that Eve is talking from her state of limbo, dead, but not quite gone. Billed as a psychological thriller whodunnit, this is less focused on the whodunnit aspect, and more an insight into the effects of severe post traumatic stress as told by Melody. A character who thinks she's coping living with her doctor boyfriend and fooling everyone with her coping mechanisms, but where the reality is very different. She's not coping at all, has become almost frightened of her own shadow, trusts no one and has holed herself up in her fancy home for years.
Eve's character is probably the most interesting because as I said it's her ghost form that's speaking to the reader, leading us gently to the reality of her demise. A feisty young woman who's job had been to investigate miscarriages of justice in a tv programme and had been carrying out a private investigation of her own before her death.
Victoria's character was probably the least fleshed out, a straightforward mother of two, trying to valiantly balance home and work life, investigating what is increasingly looking like a wrongful arrest and imprisonment. They got the wrong man, or did they?!!
The positives are good here, the focus is very much on Melody and Eve and how they're linked without Melody initially realising but who comes to rely on the further the book goes on. The emotional decline of Melody is done well and Eve's build up to her murder is for me the book's strength. I did, however, think there was too much padding out of story at times, pages that added nothing to events became wearing. There were a lot of modern references throughout, a lot of 'in the know, with it' moments. Current music, news affairs, technology, etc., quite a bit dropped in here and there. The weakest aspect was probably the whodunnit itself. It became pretty clear from the outset that there were only going to be a couple of 'suspects' so on occasion it did feel like a bit of waffling to get to the endgame, which is revealed before the end.
The Life I Left Behind is essentially that, the life Melody had before her attack and the life Eve did have before her murder. It's done well in parts, not so great in others. A good emotional read that did have me thinking how would I cope if I was in Melody's shoes. A place where no one wants to go or think about.
A book where if only people had done the right thing at the right time and others had done their jobs properly, it would have been a very different outcome. Quite sad really. If only people would learn!
Recommended.
The story is one of Melody, a survivor of a vicious attack who is trying to live with the aftermath as best she can. Then we have Eve, the victim who wasn't so lucky and Victoria, the investigating Detective Inspector. Three viewpoints throughout, what's different is that Eve is talking from her state of limbo, dead, but not quite gone. Billed as a psychological thriller whodunnit, this is less focused on the whodunnit aspect, and more an insight into the effects of severe post traumatic stress as told by Melody. A character who thinks she's coping living with her doctor boyfriend and fooling everyone with her coping mechanisms, but where the reality is very different. She's not coping at all, has become almost frightened of her own shadow, trusts no one and has holed herself up in her fancy home for years.
Eve's character is probably the most interesting because as I said it's her ghost form that's speaking to the reader, leading us gently to the reality of her demise. A feisty young woman who's job had been to investigate miscarriages of justice in a tv programme and had been carrying out a private investigation of her own before her death.
Victoria's character was probably the least fleshed out, a straightforward mother of two, trying to valiantly balance home and work life, investigating what is increasingly looking like a wrongful arrest and imprisonment. They got the wrong man, or did they?!!
The positives are good here, the focus is very much on Melody and Eve and how they're linked without Melody initially realising but who comes to rely on the further the book goes on. The emotional decline of Melody is done well and Eve's build up to her murder is for me the book's strength. I did, however, think there was too much padding out of story at times, pages that added nothing to events became wearing. There were a lot of modern references throughout, a lot of 'in the know, with it' moments. Current music, news affairs, technology, etc., quite a bit dropped in here and there. The weakest aspect was probably the whodunnit itself. It became pretty clear from the outset that there were only going to be a couple of 'suspects' so on occasion it did feel like a bit of waffling to get to the endgame, which is revealed before the end.
The Life I Left Behind is essentially that, the life Melody had before her attack and the life Eve did have before her murder. It's done well in parts, not so great in others. A good emotional read that did have me thinking how would I cope if I was in Melody's shoes. A place where no one wants to go or think about.
A book where if only people had done the right thing at the right time and others had done their jobs properly, it would have been a very different outcome. Quite sad really. If only people would learn!
Recommended.
March 4, 2015
I enjoyed Precious Thing & this story was even better because I cared so much for the narrators, all three: Melody, Virginia, & Eve. They're the sort of people you'd like to have as friends. I'm always drawn to such vulnerable characters as Melody & I liked having a detective who is not a male middle-aged divorced alcoholic (unlike her nominal superior who is & belongs to the frame-the-first-likely-suspect-&-close-the-case school of policing). She is a good & harried mum as well. Of course Eve is a particularly poignant & touching character because she's dead - murdered most undeservedly whilst doing good. Which does not make this a paranormal. All first-person narrators (unless the book is supposed to be a diary or memoir) are completely unreal voices from nowhere & talking to nobody. It's only a paranormal if the dead people are talking to people who happen to be alive. (And not always then. It's pretty common if you work with the dying to find a patient carrying on an animated conversation with friends or relatives who you can't see because they've passed on before.) Usually I don't particularly like thriller ending, but in this one we're literally holding our breath to see if the cavalry will show up on time. No fifth star because there aren't any real spiritual or moral questions to ponder & the villain seemed under-motivated, but an engaging story.
January 8, 2015
I read and reviewed Precious Thing and totally loved it. When I found out That Colette McBeth had another novel I needed to read it.
The Life That I Left Behind is a great who done it.
A man walking his dog in Ham Common Woods Richmond Park discovers the body of 30 year-old Eve Elliot. Her body had lain here for up to a week before being discovered. Eve worked as Senior Producer for a TV programme Appeal that investigated miscarriages of justice. The question is who killed Eve Elliot and why?.
The Life That I Left Behind is a great who done it.
A man walking his dog in Ham Common Woods Richmond Park discovers the body of 30 year-old Eve Elliot. Her body had lain here for up to a week before being discovered. Eve worked as Senior Producer for a TV programme Appeal that investigated miscarriages of justice. The question is who killed Eve Elliot and why?.
May 23, 2015
This is another great book by Colette Mcbeth. An interesting concept with the 3 narratives and I thought that I had worked out who "dunnit" half way through and was pleasantly surprised when I realised I got it wrong. Great book.
November 9, 2014
Absolutely gripping psychological thriller. Fantastic. Will definately be reading more from this talented author.
Thank you to Lovereading.co.uk for my advance copy.
Thank you to Lovereading.co.uk for my advance copy.
January 4, 2015
I was given an advance proof copy of this book by Georgina Moore at Headline in exchange for an honest review which I'm more than happy to give. I had devoured Colette's first novel Precious Thing, staying up late then setting the alarm for early the next morning so I could finish it off before work. Shortly after I had read it I met Colette at a book launch for another author's book and she told me about the book she was writing writing - I have literally drummed my fingers, impatiently waiting to get my hands on it since then.
The two main characters in this book are Melody and Eve, both were attacked and left for dead in very similar circumstances. Both happen to look quite similar and outwardly both appear to have been attacked by the same person. There's only one main difference one died and one survived.
The book begins when Eve's body is found by a dog walker, what we don't know at the time is the tenuous connection between the two women. The detective in charge of the case is Victoria Rutter, her ex-boss was the person in charge of the original case where a friend of Melody's was charged for her attempted murder and it's shortly after his release that Eve's body is found. Victoria is nothing but thorough and her gut instincts hold her back from making rash, impulsive decisions - despite pressure from her soon to be retired ex boss.
What a book, for such a lovely, gentle, person Colette has a disturbingly, dark imagination. She did it again, gave me a book I couldn't put down. The story is told from both Eve and Melody's perspective and very quickly I forgot that one of them was actually dead.
Initially I wasn't sure how I felt about half the narrative coming from a 'dead person'. It would have been so easy for Eve's narrative to have come across as far-fetched but Colette didn't over milk her part in the story. She was never seen or heard from the grave, something I would have had difficulty with, she just dissected the original case layer by layer, revealing inaccuracies and facts missed.
After the first couple of chapters the story gathered momentum and moved like a rapidly, flowing river that suddenly hits a wall, forcing me to hold my breathe and read faster and faster, then just as quickly receding to calmer moments. The characters growing and evolving at the same pace until the veneer that held them together shattered allowing their true selves to emerge.
Colette gave us characters that on the surface appeared to blend into the background, were not striking in any significant way, until the story about life before the attacks on both Melody and Eve begins to unfold through information drip fed to us by Eve through transcripts and by memories and feelings that evolve in Melody's mind as she re-visits her life pre her attack trying to fill in the blanks about how, why she came to be left for dead. Time and information attaching itself to her life a shield, bolstering her character, enabling her to fight back.
The book is full of tension. My opinions forming and changing with every twist about Melody's friends and family and Melody herself as I tore through the pages. Nobody, it appeared was exactly as they seemed. The stress felt by Melody caused by the second attack, Eve's murder was palpable, the facts stacking up only to be shattered in an instant. I felt I was walking the tight rope with her as her character appeared to crumble and her true day to day existence emerged.
As ever with a thriller I try to guess who-dun-it and as the facts stacked up I thought I had it in the bag only for another twist to emerge forcing my opinion to change. I did briefly guess the murderer only to dismiss the idea as ludicrous, swinging back and forth many times between others. This book really was a thrilling read, with more victims than Melody and Eve - the psychological effects of the case putting me on the wrong foot, time and time again.
This book has left me with a few questions. Who can you trust, who is the victim, the person attacked or everyone around them, do we ever really know our friends, are they always showing their true self? Is it right to chase justice or should we turn a blind eye if it doesn't directly affect us - would Eve still be here if she hadn't, seen one small, seemingly insignificant object?
Colette played ping pong with my mind, dragging me back and forth out of my comfort zone into the heart pounding, breath holding, silent pleading, finger crossing world that only ever occurs when your imagination has been over worked and pulled tight with psychological tension.
She has once again struck gold for me, an addictive read, with characters that emerged and grew along with the story, each tied together by the crime and the victims, yet each having their own story and their own reasons for not showing their true cards. Friendships, solid and tenuous affected by life events and communication or sometimes lack of it. Even DI Rutter has her reasons not to take the easy route, wanting justice at the same time as a conviction.
In the end who would have thought that a childhood game would have such a life changing and important role when murder was on the menu, saving a life not once but twice? I highly recommend The Life I left Behind as well as Precious Thing, two very cleverly, but different reads by the hugely talented Colette McBeth - NEXT!!
The two main characters in this book are Melody and Eve, both were attacked and left for dead in very similar circumstances. Both happen to look quite similar and outwardly both appear to have been attacked by the same person. There's only one main difference one died and one survived.
The book begins when Eve's body is found by a dog walker, what we don't know at the time is the tenuous connection between the two women. The detective in charge of the case is Victoria Rutter, her ex-boss was the person in charge of the original case where a friend of Melody's was charged for her attempted murder and it's shortly after his release that Eve's body is found. Victoria is nothing but thorough and her gut instincts hold her back from making rash, impulsive decisions - despite pressure from her soon to be retired ex boss.
What a book, for such a lovely, gentle, person Colette has a disturbingly, dark imagination. She did it again, gave me a book I couldn't put down. The story is told from both Eve and Melody's perspective and very quickly I forgot that one of them was actually dead.
Initially I wasn't sure how I felt about half the narrative coming from a 'dead person'. It would have been so easy for Eve's narrative to have come across as far-fetched but Colette didn't over milk her part in the story. She was never seen or heard from the grave, something I would have had difficulty with, she just dissected the original case layer by layer, revealing inaccuracies and facts missed.
After the first couple of chapters the story gathered momentum and moved like a rapidly, flowing river that suddenly hits a wall, forcing me to hold my breathe and read faster and faster, then just as quickly receding to calmer moments. The characters growing and evolving at the same pace until the veneer that held them together shattered allowing their true selves to emerge.
Colette gave us characters that on the surface appeared to blend into the background, were not striking in any significant way, until the story about life before the attacks on both Melody and Eve begins to unfold through information drip fed to us by Eve through transcripts and by memories and feelings that evolve in Melody's mind as she re-visits her life pre her attack trying to fill in the blanks about how, why she came to be left for dead. Time and information attaching itself to her life a shield, bolstering her character, enabling her to fight back.
The book is full of tension. My opinions forming and changing with every twist about Melody's friends and family and Melody herself as I tore through the pages. Nobody, it appeared was exactly as they seemed. The stress felt by Melody caused by the second attack, Eve's murder was palpable, the facts stacking up only to be shattered in an instant. I felt I was walking the tight rope with her as her character appeared to crumble and her true day to day existence emerged.
As ever with a thriller I try to guess who-dun-it and as the facts stacked up I thought I had it in the bag only for another twist to emerge forcing my opinion to change. I did briefly guess the murderer only to dismiss the idea as ludicrous, swinging back and forth many times between others. This book really was a thrilling read, with more victims than Melody and Eve - the psychological effects of the case putting me on the wrong foot, time and time again.
This book has left me with a few questions. Who can you trust, who is the victim, the person attacked or everyone around them, do we ever really know our friends, are they always showing their true self? Is it right to chase justice or should we turn a blind eye if it doesn't directly affect us - would Eve still be here if she hadn't, seen one small, seemingly insignificant object?
Colette played ping pong with my mind, dragging me back and forth out of my comfort zone into the heart pounding, breath holding, silent pleading, finger crossing world that only ever occurs when your imagination has been over worked and pulled tight with psychological tension.
She has once again struck gold for me, an addictive read, with characters that emerged and grew along with the story, each tied together by the crime and the victims, yet each having their own story and their own reasons for not showing their true cards. Friendships, solid and tenuous affected by life events and communication or sometimes lack of it. Even DI Rutter has her reasons not to take the easy route, wanting justice at the same time as a conviction.
In the end who would have thought that a childhood game would have such a life changing and important role when murder was on the menu, saving a life not once but twice? I highly recommend The Life I left Behind as well as Precious Thing, two very cleverly, but different reads by the hugely talented Colette McBeth - NEXT!!
January 19, 2015
Woe, woe and thrice woe!
A dogwalker discovers the body of a young woman, strangled to death, in a park. Oddly, we are told this by Eve, the dead woman, herself – her ghostly narrative forming one of the voices in the book. The main focus of the book, however, is on Melody, a previous victim of the murderer, it is assumed. Melody lived, but has lost all but the vaguest memories of that night and so can't identify her attacker. Six years on, she is still trying to get over the psychological effects of her experience, and this new attack brings all the original terror back to the surface for her. The third viewpoint is that of the detective in charge of both cases, DI Victoria Rutter, who starts out convinced that the man she put away for the first crime must be guilty of the second too. However, events soon cast doubt on that and both Melody and Victoria have to consider that the first verdict may have been wrong.
I hold my hands up – I abandoned this book not far past the halfway point, and flicked ahead to see whodunit. Not that I cared, except to feel a little sorry that he hadn't managed to finish the job properly on Moaning Melody. But I seem to be in a tiny minority – the book is garnering 4 and 5 star reviews, so I wouldn't let my reaction put you off.
It was always going to be a big ask for me to take a ghostly narrator seriously – it's becoming another of these tediously clichéd bandwagons that crime fiction seems to create so often these days. But Eve revels in her tragedy, constantly telling us of how devastated her friends and family are – how broken and lost they are without her. OK, this would probably be a true reaction, but it really doesn't sit well coming from the mouth of the dear departed. I fear I got the image in my head early on of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn attending their own funeral, and every time Eve told me gloatingly of how her mother was drowning in grief, it made me giggle. Not the intended reaction, I suspect.
Miserable Melody, on the other hand, plunged me into dismal depression every time she opened her mouth. In real life, I would hope to have a good deal of sympathy for a survivor of a dreadful attack, but in crime fiction I feel there ought to be a limit to how much time we are asked to devote to listening to a monotony of woe. At one point, she says she knows the people around her want her to move on and stop wallowing in the past, and I felt rather guilty since that was pretty much my own feeling. It seemed strange that the dead girl seemed so much cheerier about her lot than the live one. Melancholy Melody's relationship with her soon-to-be husband seemed most odd too – given that she was terminally depressed, more than a little obsessive, and absolutely no fun to spend time with – a thing acknowledged by both of them – I couldn't help wondering why he wanted to marry her. That was more mysterious than the question of whodunit, actually.
I didn't get any feel for DI Rutter's character at all – perhaps she was developed more in the second half of the book. The writing is OK for the most part, but not special enough to make the pseudo-psychobabble bearable – for this reader anyway. Sometimes a book works for you, sometimes it doesn't...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Headline.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
A dogwalker discovers the body of a young woman, strangled to death, in a park. Oddly, we are told this by Eve, the dead woman, herself – her ghostly narrative forming one of the voices in the book. The main focus of the book, however, is on Melody, a previous victim of the murderer, it is assumed. Melody lived, but has lost all but the vaguest memories of that night and so can't identify her attacker. Six years on, she is still trying to get over the psychological effects of her experience, and this new attack brings all the original terror back to the surface for her. The third viewpoint is that of the detective in charge of both cases, DI Victoria Rutter, who starts out convinced that the man she put away for the first crime must be guilty of the second too. However, events soon cast doubt on that and both Melody and Victoria have to consider that the first verdict may have been wrong.
I hold my hands up – I abandoned this book not far past the halfway point, and flicked ahead to see whodunit. Not that I cared, except to feel a little sorry that he hadn't managed to finish the job properly on Moaning Melody. But I seem to be in a tiny minority – the book is garnering 4 and 5 star reviews, so I wouldn't let my reaction put you off.
It was always going to be a big ask for me to take a ghostly narrator seriously – it's becoming another of these tediously clichéd bandwagons that crime fiction seems to create so often these days. But Eve revels in her tragedy, constantly telling us of how devastated her friends and family are – how broken and lost they are without her. OK, this would probably be a true reaction, but it really doesn't sit well coming from the mouth of the dear departed. I fear I got the image in my head early on of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn attending their own funeral, and every time Eve told me gloatingly of how her mother was drowning in grief, it made me giggle. Not the intended reaction, I suspect.
Miserable Melody, on the other hand, plunged me into dismal depression every time she opened her mouth. In real life, I would hope to have a good deal of sympathy for a survivor of a dreadful attack, but in crime fiction I feel there ought to be a limit to how much time we are asked to devote to listening to a monotony of woe. At one point, she says she knows the people around her want her to move on and stop wallowing in the past, and I felt rather guilty since that was pretty much my own feeling. It seemed strange that the dead girl seemed so much cheerier about her lot than the live one. Melancholy Melody's relationship with her soon-to-be husband seemed most odd too – given that she was terminally depressed, more than a little obsessive, and absolutely no fun to spend time with – a thing acknowledged by both of them – I couldn't help wondering why he wanted to marry her. That was more mysterious than the question of whodunit, actually.
I didn't get any feel for DI Rutter's character at all – perhaps she was developed more in the second half of the book. The writing is OK for the most part, but not special enough to make the pseudo-psychobabble bearable – for this reader anyway. Sometimes a book works for you, sometimes it doesn't...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Headline.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
January 15, 2015
Colette McBeth made quite a splash with her first novel, Precious Thing, a roller coaster of a read with so many twists and turns that it almost made you dizzy. If you're a fan of what people now seem to be calling "domestic noir", that's one you really shouldn't miss. So, now we have the second novel: does it live up to the promise of the first?
The story is told from the viewpoints of three separate women. Melody has been profoundly changed by her attack five years earlier - formerly a wearer of scarlet lipstick with a vibrant social life, she now lives behind a high fence in an ultra-modern home in the middle of nowhere with her soon-to-be-husband Sam, buying goods on the shopping channel, only leaving the house to run with her personal trainer. Then there's Victoria Rutter - a very conscientious Detective Inspector, a lowly constable at the time of Melody's attack, whose discovery of CCTV evidence brought about a conviction. She is absolutely determined that she will not jump to conclusions on the second attack, and sacrifices her family life to ensure that all the evidence is properly considered. And then there's Eve - Eve is dead.
The characterisation is excellent - which might seem a slightly strange statement when one of the narrators is dead, but the way in which the story is told really enables the reader to stand back from the story and draw their own conclusions. Much of the story is told in flashback - Eve is an absorbing character, forensic in her research of the evidence from Melody's attack, chaotic in her personal life, eminently likeable. Telling the story from her viewpoint, after her death, really works well.
I loved DI Rutter too - the glimpses of her home life which she has to neglect to do her job well, her interactions with her soon-to-retire senior officer, her taste for vending machine coffee while at work, her personal conviction that she has to get things right. The lesser characters were excellent too - David (convicted for the first attack), Melody's partner Sam, Eve's friend Nat.
When reading a thriller like this, you can't help trying to second guess the outcome. I was thoroughly convinced from halfway through the book that I'd worked it out - but my view changed half a dozen times before the book's climax. I must admit that the first half of the book didn't grip me as much as the second - I found the different viewpoints a little confusing, but partly put that down to the formatting of the ARC that I read, partly to the fact that I read it in short bursts. I read the second half in one sitting, and found it impossible to put down until the last page. I'll be honest - I think I enjoyed Precious Thing a little better. But there's nothing of the "difficult second novel" about this one - Colette McBeth is a very accomplished story teller, and this book won't disappoint anyone who likes to be kept awake until the early hours to read just one more page. Looking forward to her next one already.
My thanks to netgalley and publishers Headline Review for my advance reading e-copy.
The story is told from the viewpoints of three separate women. Melody has been profoundly changed by her attack five years earlier - formerly a wearer of scarlet lipstick with a vibrant social life, she now lives behind a high fence in an ultra-modern home in the middle of nowhere with her soon-to-be-husband Sam, buying goods on the shopping channel, only leaving the house to run with her personal trainer. Then there's Victoria Rutter - a very conscientious Detective Inspector, a lowly constable at the time of Melody's attack, whose discovery of CCTV evidence brought about a conviction. She is absolutely determined that she will not jump to conclusions on the second attack, and sacrifices her family life to ensure that all the evidence is properly considered. And then there's Eve - Eve is dead.
The characterisation is excellent - which might seem a slightly strange statement when one of the narrators is dead, but the way in which the story is told really enables the reader to stand back from the story and draw their own conclusions. Much of the story is told in flashback - Eve is an absorbing character, forensic in her research of the evidence from Melody's attack, chaotic in her personal life, eminently likeable. Telling the story from her viewpoint, after her death, really works well.
I loved DI Rutter too - the glimpses of her home life which she has to neglect to do her job well, her interactions with her soon-to-retire senior officer, her taste for vending machine coffee while at work, her personal conviction that she has to get things right. The lesser characters were excellent too - David (convicted for the first attack), Melody's partner Sam, Eve's friend Nat.
When reading a thriller like this, you can't help trying to second guess the outcome. I was thoroughly convinced from halfway through the book that I'd worked it out - but my view changed half a dozen times before the book's climax. I must admit that the first half of the book didn't grip me as much as the second - I found the different viewpoints a little confusing, but partly put that down to the formatting of the ARC that I read, partly to the fact that I read it in short bursts. I read the second half in one sitting, and found it impossible to put down until the last page. I'll be honest - I think I enjoyed Precious Thing a little better. But there's nothing of the "difficult second novel" about this one - Colette McBeth is a very accomplished story teller, and this book won't disappoint anyone who likes to be kept awake until the early hours to read just one more page. Looking forward to her next one already.
My thanks to netgalley and publishers Headline Review for my advance reading e-copy.
February 23, 2015
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Nice cover. 4.5 stars
Colette McBeth’s psychological thriller THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND will keep you glued to the pages until end, with this suspenseful crime mystery of two women.
Told from three perspectives and voices there is Eve, a murder victim, and Melody who was left for dead by Eve’s attacker from previous years, and detective Victoria Rutter, the investigating officer on Melody’s case, along with some secondary characters.
Over six years ago Melody was attacked and left for dead. She was found and her close friend and neighbor David was found guilty and put away in prison. Melody was devastated, and soon thereafter grew very untrustworthy of everyone and built a shell around herself with security systems and quite the recluse.
Then David was released, from prison and Eve was murdered very similar to the same way Melody was attacked and a new investigation started. Is David killing again or a copycat? Even though Melody lives the life of seclusion, now she is forced to be in the center of the investigation and possibly David was not the real killer? If not, whom and when will they strike next? Who can she trust?
What happened to the original investigation and was David set up? The similarities between the two gals are creepy, as both blonde and slender and both with a necklace. How are the two connected?
A gripping crime thriller, leaving you guessing until the end. Of course, Eve is dead but we still from her and there is much emotional drama and intensity from all three voices. Readers also experience the fear and anxiety from Melody with her PTSD, as she tries to appear cool on the outside, when she is not after spending time shut away in her haven. Her journey to finding her way back before the tragic event in her life, so the emotional intensity is there.
I really enjoyed THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND better than the first book, Precious Thing, as listened to the audiobook, so may not have been wild about the narrator. This was was more of a page-turner and hard to put down, in my opinion.
I liked the storyline much better as more of a true fast-paced crime thriller and allowed for the writer to shine through her well-paced writing and nicely developed characters with many twists and turns to keep you intrigued until the end with the different voices, adding to the mystery.
Look forward to reading more from this author!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
Colette McBeth’s psychological thriller THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND will keep you glued to the pages until end, with this suspenseful crime mystery of two women.
Told from three perspectives and voices there is Eve, a murder victim, and Melody who was left for dead by Eve’s attacker from previous years, and detective Victoria Rutter, the investigating officer on Melody’s case, along with some secondary characters.
Over six years ago Melody was attacked and left for dead. She was found and her close friend and neighbor David was found guilty and put away in prison. Melody was devastated, and soon thereafter grew very untrustworthy of everyone and built a shell around herself with security systems and quite the recluse.
Then David was released, from prison and Eve was murdered very similar to the same way Melody was attacked and a new investigation started. Is David killing again or a copycat? Even though Melody lives the life of seclusion, now she is forced to be in the center of the investigation and possibly David was not the real killer? If not, whom and when will they strike next? Who can she trust?
What happened to the original investigation and was David set up? The similarities between the two gals are creepy, as both blonde and slender and both with a necklace. How are the two connected?
A gripping crime thriller, leaving you guessing until the end. Of course, Eve is dead but we still from her and there is much emotional drama and intensity from all three voices. Readers also experience the fear and anxiety from Melody with her PTSD, as she tries to appear cool on the outside, when she is not after spending time shut away in her haven. Her journey to finding her way back before the tragic event in her life, so the emotional intensity is there.
I really enjoyed THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND better than the first book, Precious Thing, as listened to the audiobook, so may not have been wild about the narrator. This was was more of a page-turner and hard to put down, in my opinion.
I liked the storyline much better as more of a true fast-paced crime thriller and allowed for the writer to shine through her well-paced writing and nicely developed characters with many twists and turns to keep you intrigued until the end with the different voices, adding to the mystery.
Look forward to reading more from this author!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
September 2, 2015
The Life I left Behind is a cleverly crafted story that's a little bit different. An excellent and intriguing read narrated by three women from different perspectives. There's Eve, whose already dead, murdered by the person responsible for nearly killing Melody, and then finally there is DI Victoria Rutter who is in charge of finding the attacker. Quite simply a terrific psychological thriller that is a little bit chilling and creepy with unexpected twists. Great storytelling and a book I can happily recommend.
Eve is dead but she hasn't moved on and she doesn't yet know why. But she is told she will know when and what the reason is when the time comes. Melody is recovering from an attack that left her for dead. Her killer is still out there and she will survive if follows some of the clues that Eve has left behind. There is already a suspect and DI Rutter is investigating who attacked Melody, but she isn't totally convinced she has the right man which is causing her some concern.
Eve is my favourite character and her narrative is the most compelling as we learn how her body was found and she gradually through the book reveals to us how and why she was killed. It gets quite emotional and as a reader I became quite attached to her. It became sad and frustrating that poor Eve was already dead and she couldn't be saved. Meanwhile, Melody is trying to convince herself that she has recovered from her ordeal and that her life is getting back to normal. But she finds that maybe it's not quite over yet and things take some surprising and shocking turns. Our author Colette McBeth brings this to a breathtaking finale and as Eve's and Melody's existence comes crashing together.
October 30, 2014
The Life I Left Behind is another psychological thriller, with a dark, twisty-turny plot narrated by characters who are both alive, and dead.
Eve has been murdered, and begins the story as her body is discovered. This discovery turns Melody's world upside down. She too was attacked by the same man, and left for dead, and the years since then have been hard. Afraid to leave the house, questioning herself and her relationships, the news that he has struck again is enough to tip her over the edge. The third narrator is DI Victoria Rutter, in charge of the investigation and part of the original prosecution; she too will question and wonder.
Don't expect to like the characters, I'm not sure that the author intends the reader to fall in love with them, I certainly didn't. Eve and Melody are intriguing though, and as Melody's life story unfolds, with flashbacks to the woman she was before the attack, I began to dislike her more and more, yet I was intrigued by her story and desperate to get to the bottom of the mystery.
This is what Colette McBeth does best; create mystery and tension. This is a very clever story, with the three viewpoints emerging at the same time, changing the reader's viewpoint, altering the emphasis and controlling the plot incredibly well. Having a dead narrator is not a new or unique selling point for a novel, in fact, for me it was a little off putting, as I'm one of the few people that hated Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, and I have no doubt that this will be compared (unfairly) with that novel. I'd advise readers to discard any preconceptions, any comparisons, and read The Life I Left Behind with fresh eyes, and enjoy it. I really did
Eve has been murdered, and begins the story as her body is discovered. This discovery turns Melody's world upside down. She too was attacked by the same man, and left for dead, and the years since then have been hard. Afraid to leave the house, questioning herself and her relationships, the news that he has struck again is enough to tip her over the edge. The third narrator is DI Victoria Rutter, in charge of the investigation and part of the original prosecution; she too will question and wonder.
Don't expect to like the characters, I'm not sure that the author intends the reader to fall in love with them, I certainly didn't. Eve and Melody are intriguing though, and as Melody's life story unfolds, with flashbacks to the woman she was before the attack, I began to dislike her more and more, yet I was intrigued by her story and desperate to get to the bottom of the mystery.
This is what Colette McBeth does best; create mystery and tension. This is a very clever story, with the three viewpoints emerging at the same time, changing the reader's viewpoint, altering the emphasis and controlling the plot incredibly well. Having a dead narrator is not a new or unique selling point for a novel, in fact, for me it was a little off putting, as I'm one of the few people that hated Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, and I have no doubt that this will be compared (unfairly) with that novel. I'd advise readers to discard any preconceptions, any comparisons, and read The Life I Left Behind with fresh eyes, and enjoy it. I really did
May 31, 2016
I listened to this in audio format.
I will be honest I did not enjoy this book, it didn't grab me from the first page. It took me 10 days to listen to this book which is unusual, sometimes had to force myself to listen. However I have read other people's reviews for this book, and I appreciate that I am in the minority here.
My main reason for disliking The Life I left behind was it was slow. I also did not feel any sympathy for the first victim Melanie Pieterson. She had no memory of the events leading up to the attack. I can appreciate she was numb after being left for dead, but I did find her boring.
I did like investigative producer,Eve Sturridge. She met Melanie's next door neighbour Alan Sturridge after he was released from prison for attacking her. Alan told Eve he was innocent and would never hurt Melanie. Eve believes Alan and interviews Melanie's friends and looks at the old police records from the case. She writes a detailed record of her investigation and for safety e mailed a copy to her best friend Niles. However Eve gets to close to finding the attacker and ends up murdered. Eve's body was dumped at the exact place Melanie Pietersen was found.
Nile's sends a copy of Eve's case file to Melanie and she discovers all sorts of secrets in the aftermath of her attack. I have awarded this book 3 stars because the storyline was interesting it just could of been better.
I will be honest I did not enjoy this book, it didn't grab me from the first page. It took me 10 days to listen to this book which is unusual, sometimes had to force myself to listen. However I have read other people's reviews for this book, and I appreciate that I am in the minority here.
My main reason for disliking The Life I left behind was it was slow. I also did not feel any sympathy for the first victim Melanie Pieterson. She had no memory of the events leading up to the attack. I can appreciate she was numb after being left for dead, but I did find her boring.
I did like investigative producer,Eve Sturridge. She met Melanie's next door neighbour Alan Sturridge after he was released from prison for attacking her. Alan told Eve he was innocent and would never hurt Melanie. Eve believes Alan and interviews Melanie's friends and looks at the old police records from the case. She writes a detailed record of her investigation and for safety e mailed a copy to her best friend Niles. However Eve gets to close to finding the attacker and ends up murdered. Eve's body was dumped at the exact place Melanie Pietersen was found.
Nile's sends a copy of Eve's case file to Melanie and she discovers all sorts of secrets in the aftermath of her attack. I have awarded this book 3 stars because the storyline was interesting it just could of been better.
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