Close your eyes…and count to ten.‘I was gripped by this taut and emotional thriller.’ Louise Jensen, author of The Sister.‘A well crafted, nail biting thriller crammed with unpredictable twists. It wrong foots you with a killer twist that will have you re-reading because you can’t believe you didn’t see it coming.’ John Marrs, author of The One‘I thought it was absolutely brilliant – really … coming.’ John Marrs, author of The One
‘I thought it was absolutely brilliant – really fast-paced, and packed full of action.’ Lisa Hall, author of Between You and Me
He doesn’t know his name. He doesn’t know his secret.
When Daniel woke up from a coma he had no recollection of the life he lived before. Now, fourteen years later, he’s being forced to remember.
A phone call in the middle of the night demands he return what he stole – but Daniel has no idea what it could be, or who the person on the other end is. He has been given one warning, if he doesn’t find out his family will be murdered.
Rachael needs to protect her son. Trapped with no way out she will do anything to ensure they survive. But sometimes mothers can’t save their children and her only hope is Daniel’s memory.
Perfect for fans of Holly Seddon, Gillian Flynn and BA Paris.
From the best-selling author of Our Little Secret comes a new psychological thriller with a shocking twist.
Praise for Darren O’Sullivan:
‘Immensely talented new author.’ John Marrs, author of The One and When You Disappeared
‘Engrossing, compelling and twisty from the first page to the shocking ending. This book grabbed me and didn’t let go.’ Michele Campbell author of It’s Always the Husband
’Unique and utterly compelling. This twisty psychological thriller will chill you to the bones.’ Gemma Metcalfe author of Trust Me
‘A stellar and original concept, brilliantly executed. The final chapters had my heart in my throat! O’Sullivan is certainly one to watch.’ Phoebe Morgan, author of The Doll House
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Hard to put this book down. The characters really draw you in.
I just love books that you can’t put down, the characters are so real, and pretty soon it’s 3AM and you have to work! So totally worth it.
This book was hard to put down. Excellent author.
This was a fabulous edge of your seat read that I can’t really say too much about without giving away the whole plotline so I’m going to try to keep it as vaguish as possible.
So this was my second book by this particular author and “Close Your Eyes” had the slight edge for me in terms of enjoyment.
It was a fast-paced race against the clock as Father and family man Daniel attempts to unravel the Mystery that is his past.
If he fails; well the cost will be the ultimate punishment; his family.
Daniel suffering from amnesia from an accident fifteen years previous is sent on an action-filled journey of self-discovery where everything he thought he knew and more might just be the biggest lie of them all.
This is told from dual POV alternating Daniel then Ex-wife Rachel and later we also get a brief glimpse into the head of Daniels Son Thomas.
The main characters here are few with “Close Your Eyes” keeping the main focus on Daniel, Rachel and Thomas.
These three are also joined initially by the supporting cast of Rachels husband Sean and Daniels girlfriend Katie as they have formed for the sake of Thomas’s happiness an almost unconventional family setup that seems to work for them.
everyone else involved is then just thrown right into the mix also stirring and muddying the already churned waters causing a sense of confusion and even doubt especially for Daniel himself.
This was ramped throughout and as each new lead and corner was turned my heart was totally in my throat; I felt almost like I was undertaking this path with poor Daniel the helplessness he must have felt alongside his own fear and panic.
The emotions experienced by Daniel as well as Rachel and Thomas, well I felt like I was there in the moment with them, so fantastically did this portray the rawness and brutality of feeling here.
This went to places I wasn’t expecting shocking me completely.
Dipping me so low at times with where this dared to venture I couldn’t help but think the worst.
This truly sank to depths of darkness that I wasn’t quite expecting leaving me bereft in my feelings of despair.
I did have kinda an inkling where things seemed to be heading, but this didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment.
I also really liked the eventual conclusion here it gave me a much-needed sense of satisfaction; Much more so than using some clever gimic to devastate and shock the reader.
The ending here gave me an overall sense of justice which was ultimately want I wanted most.
Why then a rating of four over five you may ask if I liked this so much?
Well, two things really and I will try to explain without letting any cats out the bag; the first one here is relatively easy The Son Thomas; I thought he seemed much younger than what his actual age was.
I’m a mother of Five myself so hardly a novice when it comes to kids and in my opinion, Thomas didn’t seem like any six-year-old that I have ever met.
If I had to pinpoint his actual age from his behaviour and actions it seemed to me more like four; just an opinion though.
The second thing and this is more tricky to explain without disclosing too much but I’ll try; I never quite understood the timeline here; why this particular moment over any other logically it didn’t really make sense why this is happening now rather than another moment past or even future.
Especially with Daniel starting to recall moments from his past.
This really bugged me like a lot and I couldn’t stop myself overanalyzing the whys.
And while I’m on a roll the reasons behind all this for me were frankly lacklustre in nature and I wanted a more satisfying overall explanation for the completely unnecessary reactions and actions here.
But I suppose there wouldnt be much of a story if it was actually done my way with some bloody logic.
You will get more of what I’m trying to convey here when you’ve read this for yourself.
Over than the above I really did enjoy this it was a really engaging piece of fiction that kept me on my toes throughout; happy to recommend this.
So I was provided with an ARC of “Close Your Eyes” By Netgalley of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9460945-bex-beckie-bookworm
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I read this in stops and starts on my lunch hour (which sometimes got extended…). Excellent beginning, and some of the characters were very attractively drawn. Story of a likeable amnesiac who needs to remember something in order to protect his family. I did spot the villain fairly early in the book, but I kept reading to be sure! Still, some unexpected events made it worth reading. Mr. O’Sullivan, I do not like the last line.