Monday, July 5, 2021

Forgive Me by Kateri Stanley - Book Tour & Review

 

Forgive Me

A secret video tape. A painful truth. A quest for revenge.

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?

Purchase Link - http://mybook.to/forgiveme

My Review
Forgive Me is one of those books where you think you know what you're getting into when you read the synopsis, but once you dive into the story, it becomes something you weren't quite expecting. At least that's how it was for me. 
The synopsis intrigued me and drew me in, and while I wasn't quite sure how everything would play out, I was curious and eager to see what would happen. Although, now, having finished the book, I'm not quite sure I really know how to review the book. 
This was a bit strange and confusing at times. There are quite a few time jumps, although they're labeled with the year so it doesn't get too confusing. There are also some POV shifts, but they're written in a way that readers can understand whose POV it is.
The story follows Susan (Stripe) McLachlan as she discovers the truth behind her father, his job, and why he was murdered. But he's not the only one to have been killed by someone called The Night Scrawler, and soon, horrific secrets come to light, and Stripe's life will never be the same. 
I did enjoy this novel, but I also struggled a bit with it. Sometimes it got a bit confusing keeping track of who was who, who was related to whom, etc. It also got a bit convoluted at times, although I did expect that, considering this is horror/supernatural/paranormal.
The story is a bit dark, involving horrific things being done to innocent people, but there are some lighter moments to help break up the awfulness. There is also quite a bit of romance (including steamy scenes), but that didn't detract at all from the story. Most of the scenes were essential to the plot, so there was no reason to be bothered by them.
Overall, this was definitely an interesting story, and I did like it, even though it was a bit confusing and a bit out there at times. 
3.5 stars from me. 


Author Bio – Kateri Stanley graduated from The Open University with a degree in Arts and Humanities and worked for the National Health Service for eight years. She started off writing fanfiction as a kid, moved to short stories, created some audio plays and eventually sat down to write her first novel. When she’s not writing, you can find her binge-watching films and TV shows, making tons of playlists and dabbling in the occasional video game. She currently resides in the West Midlands, United Kingdom with her partner, they are hoping to be cat parents.

Social Media Links –

My website: http://www.kateristanley.com  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sal_writes

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sal_writes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salwrites2/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21272876.Kateri_Stanley   

 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.