Boo! Did I scare you? No? Then maybe this book will.
Goodreads Blurb
Forgive Me by Kateri Stanley
Investigative journalist, Susan ‘Stripe’ McLachlan, is constantly hounded by eager documentarians for interview requests about the Night Scrawler murders. One of the victims of the mysterious serial killer was a member of her own family, her father.
At the peak of her career, her services are sought by Isaac Payne who commissions her to write an article for his website. Usually, her projects delve into more uncomfortable, questionable topics, but there’s a deep, almost hauntingly familiar pull about her new client that intrigues her.
As she learns more about Isaac, Stripe digs up fresh secrets about the murders, arousing her suspicions. After an awkward confrontation, she wakes up in Isaac’s bed — with a chain around her ankle.
Isaac shows her harrowing footage on an old VHS tape. The contents hits close to home…closer than Stripe ever imagined. Now, she has to wrestle with her own moral compass and unpick the truth from the web of lies that turn into a crescendo where memories created from misery and suffering cannot be silenced.
Will Isaac ever lay the past to rest? And how will Stripe cope with the revelations that challenge everything she has ever known?
Review
I’m on the fence regarding Forgive Me. While it had the make up of a great horror story, there was something missing for me. Well, two things actually. The first thing is that I felt the story wasn’t right enough. The book alternates between characters and timeline, which sometimes had me feeling lost. I wasn’t sure whose perspective I was getting or when the chapter was taking place.
The second thing was the actual horror scenes. Forgive Me has elements of the supernatural and sci-fi but also some seriously good slasher scenes. However, I feel the author didn’t go into enough detail. I wanted more from the murder scenes and would have loved darker imagery to help me set the scene. As I was reading I kept thinking to myself that this would make a better Netflix show then as book so I could better visualise what was happening.
However, I did finish Forgive Me so it certainly has some things going for it. I liked Stripe and Issac and their developing story was good to follow. I also liked the mix of horror genres to present a somewhat unique story. This book wasn’t a total loss but it left me feeling lukewarm.
Forgive Me is available to buy now.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Joyful Antidotes 