Guilt

By: Amanda Robson

Narrated by: Emma Carter, Darren Benedict, Katie Scarfe, Damian Lynch

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Your sister. Her secret. The betrayal.

There is no bond greater than blood....

When the body of a woman is found stabbed to death, the blame falls to her twin sister. But who killed who? And which one is now the woman behind bars?

Zara and Miranda have always supported each other. But then Zara meets Seb, and everything changes. Handsome, charismatic and dangerous, Seb threatens to tear the sisters’ lives apart - but is he really the one to blame? Or are deeper resentments simmering beneath the surface that the sisters must face up to?

As the sisters’ relationship is stretched to the brink, a traumatic incident in Seb’s past begins to rear its head, and soon all three are locked in a psychological battle that will leave someone dead. The question is, who?

Claustrophobic and compelling, Amanda Robson is back in a knockout thriller perfect for fans of B. A. Paris and Paula Hawkins.

©2018 Amanda Robson (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"I absolutely loved it and raced through it. Thrilling, unputdownable, a fabulous roller coaster of a read - I was obsessed by this book." (B. A. Paris, author of Doors and the Breakdown)

"Obsession is a welcome addition to the domestic noir bookshelf. Robson explores marriage, jealousy and lust with brutal clarity, making for a taut thriller full of page-turning suspense." (Emma Flint, author of Little Deaths)

“What a page turner! Desperately flawed characters. Bad behaviour. Drugs. Sex. Murder. It's all in there, on every page, pulling you to the next chapter until you find out where it will all end. I was compelled not only to see what every one of them would do, but also how they would describe their actions - they are brutally honest and stripped bare. This is one highly addictive novel!” (Wendy Walker, author of All Is Not Forgotten)

162 choppy chapters and half-baked characters

Nothing about this book was enjoyable. While it is well-reviewed on line I just do not accept any of he praise this novel has received. The concept seemed interesting enough, but the build up was so drawn out that you found yourself wanting to skip entire chapters in search of plot/character development.

The biggest issue was the characters. For the plot to work on any level it was essential you felt some connection to the characters, but they were ultimately empty voices. Something about them was too formal, referring to their mum as ‘mother’ constantly, etc etc. It just did not feel real. The sisters supposedly love each other endlessly and yet there is no explanation as to why, other than it appears to be horribly sycophantic and unhealthy. Zara comes off as such a pathetically empty woman who’s life revolves around one man in an instant, while Miranda has no discernible character traits beyond the fact she is educated and an accountant. Sebastian on the other hand is a ridiculous caricature bad-guy who’s motives are so vague that even the nice tidy explanation you’re given at the end leaves you rolling your eyes. His chapters are written so short, in an attempt to keep him as mysterious as possible, and this only emphasises just how bland he is. I’ve read children’s books with more believable antagonists.

In general the book reads like bad young adult fiction, along the lines of Twilight (though I’d argue even Stephanie Meyer was less repetitive.) Within a few chapters I was so tired of reading about characters shared looks I was rolling my eyes every time said descriptions came up - I’m sure I almost gave myself eye strain.

Not only this, but the book deals with some incredibly dark themes and appears to just gloss over them. Rape and self harm dealt with in such an empty way they appeared to be injected purely for the novel to seem ‘gritty’ or ‘real.’ This supposed realness does not come across in the book at all. I mean if Amanda Robson expects me to believe a middle-class accountant based in southern England would listen to Kid Rock let alone own enough Kid Rock merch to select a favourite t-shirt then she is out of her mind.

Honestly, I consider the fact I finished the book to be a personal failure. Avoid at all costs.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful