We all see what we want to see… Readers love B P Walter: ‘Character driven, tense and skilfully woven over two timelines, this is a brilliant read.’ Amazon Reviewer ‘The writing is tense and atmospheric.’ Amazon Reviewer ‘A cleverly plotted, tense and addictive read; once you pick it up you won’t be able to put the book down.’ Amazon Reviewer ‘I loved this book. You will not be disappointed.’ … loved this book. You will not be disappointed.’ Amazon Reviewer
2019: Julianne is preparing a family dinner when her son comes to her and says he’s found something on his iPad. Something so terrible, it will turn Julianne’s world into a nightmare and make her question everything about her marriage and what type of man her husband is or is pretending to be.
1990: Holly is a fresher student at Oxford University. Out of her depth and nervous about her surroundings, she falls into an uneasy friendship with a group of older students from the upper echelons of society and begins to develop feelings for one in particular. He’s confident, quiet, attractive and seems to like her too. But as the year progresses, her friends’ behaviour grows steadily more disconcerting and Holly begins to realise she might just be a disposable pawn in a very sinister game.
A devastating secret has simmered beneath the surface for over twenty-five years. Now it’s time to discover the truth. But what if you’re afraid of what you might find?
lly is a fresher student at Oxford University. Out of her depth and nervous about her surroundings, she falls into an uneasy friendship with a group of older students from the upper echelons of society and begins to develop feelings for one in particular. He’s confident, quiet, attractive and seems to like her too. But as the year progresses, her friends’ behaviour grows steadily more disconcerting and Holly begins to realise she might just be a disposable pawn in a very sinister game.
A devastating secret has simmered beneath the surface for over twenty-five years. Now it’s time to discover the truth. But what if you’re afraid of what you might find?
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I have a hard time writing a review for this one. It wasn’t that I didn’t like what I was reading but I still have the feeling it could have been something more, better. Plus, there are a lot of triggers in this book some needs to be addressed to the reader before starting the book. Rape and violence being two of them. My feeling throughout the whole book was: I really hope this isn’t what it’s like going to Oxford.
I have struggled with my thoughts on this book since I finished it. It’s such an intriguing book. It’s a heavy book. In a way, I can see (kind of, but not really) why people had a hard time reading it. It definitely doesn’t fluff over “sensitive” subjects and how demeaning people are. No sugar coating with this book. In that aspect, kudos to this author.
This book goes back and forth between two time periods… what happened in the past that lead to where things are in present day. I admit I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where things were going to go and why the different characters. It was all revealed as the stories played out. The slow build to the real issues was wonderful. It kept me on my toes. I was right there with the story…
I will divulge that even though we get quite a bit of insight to these characters, I had a hard time connecting to them. Maybe it’s because of who they are, how they act. They are the complete opposite of me. It’s hard to connect to things you aren’t or don’t necessarily want to know. I am not sure what the cause of the disconnect with these characters is, but there was one for me.
I am sitting here trying to figure out how to convey where the story fell apart for me. I don’t want to spoil it for others who plan to read this. It was definitely the big ending. I was so disappointed. There was this HUGE build up. This rage the author creates within his reader. The need for revenge and karma. And then that’s the ending? I felt ripped off. I felt duped. I felt it completely took away everything that happened in the book in one fell, disappointing swoop. I won’t lie. That ending completely ruined the entire book.
Would I recommend this book? Maybe. If you can look past the weak, dissatisfying ending and can stomach some brash subjects, I would suggest reading this one. The rest of the book was pretty darn good.
This is a debut novel for B.P. Walter. The story was well developed and the characters were interesting, though a bit predictable. The reader gets a seed planted from the very beginning in regard to a specific characters and it is just left there to sprout with no big surprise. The writing is good and the author has potential but when looking at thrillers or suspense novels, the reader needs that moment of shock or surprise, and an anticipatory, quicker moving plot, without it the books are just good fiction at best. Okay read. 3 stars.
A Version of the Truth by B P Walter
February 2019
Fiction, psychological
I received this digital ARC from NetGalley and Avon Books UK in exchange for an unbiased review.
Harper Collins published in USA for Nook Book
The Couple’s Secret
It isn’t often that I encounter a story so utterly disturbing that I’m captivated to the end. This is such a book that people will either abhor or vicariously partake of the disconcerting journey. With that said, this is not a book for those easily offended by controversial, morally corrupt characters. The themes addressed in this novel are unsettling: homophobia, sexual abuse, debauchery, and perversion.
The story is told through the alternating time lines of Julianne Knight in London 2018 and Sophie at Oxford 1990. Initially, the connection between the two women is vague until their stories begin to unravel. Both women seemingly different, ultimately discover how they share a traumatic experience with mutual classmates at Oxford. This drives their desire to seek redemption once they acknowledge their denial of involvement.
In London 2018, Julianne’s world is turned upside down when her 17-year old son, Stephen exposes incriminating information found on the family Dropbox account. She learns that her husband James is involved with unthinkable crimes dating back to their years at Oxford.
Ignoring past regressions and deplorable mistakes doesn’t erase the sins. Some unethical decisions have everlasting consequences which eventually seek resolution.
This is a well written book with developed characters deplorable in nature.