My latest book recommendation is 'Believe Me' by Dreda Say Mitchell and Ryan Carter. It is a gripping psychological thriller concerning a mystery illness, a charlatan healer, murder and the secrets held within a derelict old building.

Believe Me

By Dreda Say Mitchell and

Ryan Carter

(Published by Thomas and Mercer)

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Dreda an MBE in her New Year's Honours' List, 2020. She scooped the CWA's John Creasey Dagger (New Blood) Award for best first-time crime novel in 2005 – the first time a Black British author has received this honour. Ryan and Dreda write across the crime and mystery genre – psychological thrillers, gritty gangland crime and fast-paced action books. 'Spare Room', their first psychological thriller, was a number one UK and US Amazon Bestseller. Some of their books are currently in development as TV and film adaptations.

THE AUTHOR

PLOTLINE  

With a cruel and controlling father, Gabby Lewis did not have a happy childhood and could therefore not wait to get away from home, leaving behind her younger brother and sister. Now a successful lawyer, she is unfortunately forced to return to her childhood home when her widowed father is attacked and hospitalised. Coincidentally working on a case involving an ownership dispute of a large rundown house nearby, she decides to make use of her time by combining the two.

The house happens to have a chequered history. Twenty-five years ago, it was used as a clinic by a discredited medical practitioner to con desperate people into believing he could heal their various illnesses. With her mother, Marcia, having died of an undiagnosed illness, Gabby is understandably shocked and concerned when she discovers her late mother's signature on the deeds of ownership.

Desperate for answers, Gabby is determined to get to the truth, especially as she herself is now experiencing the same symptoms as her mother. However, when her sister's husband suddenly purchases the house, and the builders uncover a body buried in the grounds, Gabby realises her family know more about what happened to her mother than they are willing to admit.

MY REVIEW

Once again, Dreda Say Mitchell has come up trumps with this gripping psychological thriller. As with her previous novels, 'Believe Me' grips the reader from start to finish and keeps them guessing to the very end with a variety of twists and turns.

By alternating between the present and the past, the truth slowly emerges as to not only what happened at the house, but also how Marcia came to be involved with the clinic. Each revelation brings new surprises until, just when you think you know what really happened, all theories are blown out of the water with a shocking finale. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and can thoroughly recommend it.

'Believe Me'' is published by Thomas & Mercer and is available in eBook, paperback and audio formats from Amazon, and paperback from Waterstones and Foyles.

Dreda is a passionate campaigner and speaker on social issues and the arts. She has appeared on television, including Celebrity Pointless, Celebrity Eggheads, Alan Carr's Adventures with Agatha Christie, BBC Breakfast, Sunday Morning Live, Newsnight, The Review Show and Front Row Late on BBC2. Ryan and Dreda performed a specially commissioned monologue for the ground-breaking Sky Arts' Art 50 on Sky TV.

Dreda is one of 12 international bestselling women writers who have written a reimagined Miss Marple short story for the thrilling new anthology, 'Marple'.

Dreda has been a guest on many radio shows and presented BBC Radio 4's flagship books programme, Open Book. She has written for a number of leading newspapers, including The Guardian, and was thrilled to be named one of Britain's 50 Remarkable Women by Lady Geek in association with Nokia. She is a trustee of the Royal Literary Fund and an ambassador for The Reading Agency.

Dreda's parents are from the beautiful Caribbean island of Grenada. Her name, Dreda, is Irish and pronounced with a long vowel ee sound in the middle.