Did You See Melody? by Sophie Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pushed to breaking
point, Cara Burrows abandons her home and family and escapes to a
five-star spa resort she can't afford. Late at night, exhausted and
desperate, she lets herself into her hotel room and is shocked to find
it already occupied - by a man and a teenage girl.
A simple
mistake on the part of the hotel receptionist - but Cara's fear
intensifies when she works out that the girl she saw alive and well in
the hotel room is someone she can't possibly have seen: the most famous
murder victim in the country, Melody Chapa, whose parents are serving
life sentences for her murder.
Cara doesn't know what to trust:
everything she's read and heard about the case, or the evidence of her
own eyes. Did she really see Melody? And is she prepared to ask herself
that question and answer it honestly if it means risking her own life?
Judging by the reviews on Goodreads this is a bit of a Marmite book. You either love it or hate. I enjoyed it although the overworked description of the spa resort at the beginning of the book was a challenge to get through.
It's told in the present but there are flashbacks in the form of written testimony that reveal the details of how Melody went missing and how her parents were subsequently charged and found guilty of her murder, even though her body was never found.
The uncovering of the mystery is a bit far fetched at times but there is a plot and there are twists. It kept me engaged and there is a sinister revelation at the end that will get you thinking.
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Hi Wendy! Thanks (always) for your great book reviews. This one sounds intriguing!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your book reviews. Adding this to the read list.
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