Keep Your Friends Close by Paula Daly

 

Natty and Sean Wainwright are married; as far as she's concerned happily, and work together running their successful hotel in the Lake District. They've been together since they were teenagers and have two daughters, Alice and Felicity. Natty's friend Eve who she's known since  University has come to visit when they receive the news that Felicity has collapsed while on a school trip to France. Natty rushes to be at her bedside while Sean stays to look after the business and Eve offers to stay at the family home so she can help. When Natty returns with her daughter a few weeks later her world is turned upside down; Sean tells her their marriage is over, he has fallen in love with Eve. And when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Eve has done this before, she begins looking into her so called friend's life and background, it doesn't match what she was led to believe.

Sean is obviously a weak and annoying character, getting together with his wife's oldest friend almost as soon as her back is turned. Eve is a really nasty piece of work, someone who has no redeeming features at all and knows exactly what to do to manipulate Sean. As in the author's first novel DC Joanne Aspinall and her mad Auntie Jackie make a return in this, I love them both and hope we get to meet them again in her next.

I loved Paula Daly's debut Just What Kind Of Mother Are You? so was very pleased to get a review copy of this from Netgalley. It's another gripping psychological thriller, as more facts become known and family secrets revealed the tension builds and it becomes almost impossible to put down. I had to force myself to on Tuesday lunchtime as I was reading at my desk and had to get back to work. I'm already eagerly awaiting her third novel.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5