Brilliant story

An intelligent and creative author. I loved it from beginning to end, will look for more books from Ms Magillen

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Sparkling prose, dark drama

When I stumbled across ‘When He’s Not Here’ a few months back I knew I’d found an author I was going to love. While the other story was very physical – maybe even a bit too much for me at times, this one is much more cerebral with a super clever plot construction that really grabbed me.

Splitting the narration between two famous voices was a great touch too – like two friends telling me their side of a family drama – I felt invested in their fear and was rooting for them.

It’s a rare book that can bring a tear to my eye for the sheer elegant craft of it and I reckon, for a new-comer, this author is right up there with the big-hitters.

Way more thrilling than ‘Before I go to Sleep’ and 100 times smarter than ‘Behind her Eyes’, this book puts the psych into psychological thriller.

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Fabulous read

Just finished this book and absolutely loved it, psychological thriller kept me guessing till the end. A woman in a very intense marriage is caring for her comatose sister and begins to question if her new husband is all he seems. The other sister is battling to keep her family and sanity in one piece. Gripping and addictive - couldn’t put it down !

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A brilliant read

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The story captures your attention from the start and holds it until the very end. No spoilers but loved the twist with the sisters. Beautifully read by both narrators and a haunting ending. I thoroughly recommend this book.

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Intriguing

I loved the twisty plot that kept me guessing ! Brilliant twists . I loved all the characters, I was convinced about the ‘three ‘ sisters and worried for them all , especially Rose . Fantastic narration .

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Absolutely breathtaking

What a journey this takes you on .
Incredible writing and superb narration. I got to the end and wanted to start right back at the beginning again!

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Just brilliant

Fantastic book, beautifully narrated. Thought provoking, wonderful book. Enjoyed every minute. I’ll look out for others by this author.

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Intriguing and beautifully narrated

An eerie, intriguing story that kept me on the hook throughout….lovely narration ..highly recommend

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Excellent!!

Very clever…couldn’t wait for each chapter for the next twist/turn to the story!!

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Even better than her brilliant debut!

Having read and loved Magillen’s debut thriller, When He’s Not Here, I had high expectations Stone the Dead Crows, and I am happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed.

Narrators Joanne Froggatt and Louise Brealey did an outstanding job of bringing Magillen’s carefully-crafted cast of characters to life.

The book follows the lives of three sisters: Rose, Maggie and Daisy. Rose is newly-married to Nathan, a handsome doctor who swept her off her feet in a whirlwind romance. Maggie is on a sabbatical in a cabin in the woods with her husband Luc and their young son Alfie. And Daisy has spent the last three years in a coma in the very hospital where Nathan works.

Rose and Maggie’s lives are – on paper at least – picture-perfect. But Rose’s new husband is growing increasingly jealous and controlling, and Maggie is becoming fixated by a sinister hooded man in the woods who she is convinced is a threat to her little family.

At first, Rose and Maggie are following very different paths, and it’s hard to see how their stories will intertwine. Daisy is the common denominator, the link in the Venn diagram of their lives. So, when Daisy’s doctor announces that her condition is worsening and they must consider turning off her life support, the two sisters must come together if they are to save her.

Magillen weaves the threads of Rose and Maggie’s stories together so skilfully that you don’t even realise she’s doing it until she reveals the final, stunning twist.

I did begin to guess which way the story was heading, but only when I was about three-quarters of the way through the book, and only because I was listening very closely for clues because I knew from her first book that Magillen is the queen of great twists and I had challenged myself to see if I could spot the revelations before she revealed them to me.

Even so, the sheer cleverness of the plot took my breath away.

Once again, Magillen does not shy away from some extremely emotive subjects, but she handles them all with compassion and empathy. And once again, the book is extremely well researched.

I was hooked from the first few pages to the very satisfying conclusion, and can say without hesitation that Stone the Dead Crows is even better than When He’s Not Here.

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2 people found this helpful