Really enjoyed reading this book. It was well paced and had an interesting mix of characters, though thankfully to too many. So many books seem to have endless people i them and sometimes it is just too confusing. This book had the right mix, the geographical situation was great and there was a lovely feeling to it all, despite the murderous content.
There is the undercurrent running throughout that you know is going to come to a sticky end, but the plot is so well thought out that at no time did you feel that you could not believe it.
A great book by an author that I would like to read more of. Thank you Netgalley.

This book is brilliant. Evie Clarke starts a relationship with famed photographer Marcus North after seeing his photographs in his gallery. Marcus was in a deep depression following the death of his first wife. Marcus' sister Cleo is fiercely protective of her little brother.......but does she have reason to be??

But what happens in this book you will not believe. You will experience anguish for the characters and anger for them also. You will love them and hate them at the same time. Its a sensitive subject that Rachel Abbott covers in this book but the twist and how it ends I didn't see coming, which is the mark of a great book.

I absolutely love Rachel Abbott's books and her latest did not disappoint. A riveting page turner with lots of twists along the way and an even bigger shock at the end. I really loved it and cannot wait to recommend it to my customers. I'm looking forward to her next book already!!

This is Rachel Abbott's standalone pyschological thriller with brilliant characters and a story line full of twists and turns.

I was gifted this book to review by netgalley, I do enjoy a good book that grips me from the off but sadly I didn't get this with this one, I found it very slow starting but did push through hoping it would get more gripping and it did a little bit, I didn't feel the need to give up on it but can't say I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The storyline was ok, can't say I was surprised at the twists but I liked the way it was written, just not my cup of tea unfortunately.

I am not sure what to say about this book, I have read all Rachel's books, enjoyed them all but was disappointed with this one.

I found it slow to start and it just didn't hold my attention I am sorry to say. I am sure I will be in the minority with this book but for me it just didn't 'hit the spot'.

Wow - this book was awesome. It had all the components of a good psychological thriller – unreliable narrators, intriguing backstories, oppressive setting etc – but somehow managed to amalgamate all of these elements in a new and interesting way. I can't exactly put my finger on exactly why this book seemed different to other thrillers, I just know it was. Perhaps it was Abbott's unique tone of voice, or maybe it was the way she created the main characters. Either way, this book is full of conflict, intrigue, and twists. During reading, my heart was either hammering with anxiety (the good kind!) or sinking with empathy. I will recommend it to everyone!

This is a chilling read with many twists and turns. Evie lives with Mark, a photographer and their baby daughter Lulu.
Mark’s sister Cleo lives nearby but although Mark is very close to her Evie keeps her at a distance.
Mark’s first wife Mia died in a tragic accident which has left him in a dark place but Evie seems to be bringing him out of himself.
However Cleo doesn’t trust her and when Evie starts having strange accidents, Cleo cannot work out what is going on.
Finally Stephanie the police detective discovers two blood covered figures entwined on the bed in Mark’s house. Someone has been murdered but who is it?
As the novel progresses we see things from Evie’s view and also from Cleo’s. Is Evie a battered wife or is there something else going on? Does Mark have a violent side or is it all an elaborate plot on Evie’s part?
This is a compelling read and it was impossible to guess what was really happening. The end was so spectacular I wasn’t really sure what had happened until the last page.
This is a cleverly written and plotted book which I’m sure will be a big hit.
It is impossible to work out what is going on as Rachel Abbott is very careful not to reveal too much and this certainly keeps the reader on their toes.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a stand-alone psychological thriller rather than the next in the author's Tom Douglas series. And what a corker. This author sure knows how to write a gripping book.

Well to say I am super impressed and a bit disappointed with myself for not reading any Rachel Abbott books before now, is an understatement, and I now need to catch up on previous books.

The two main characters Evie and Cleo are both flawed in their own ways and my opinions about them both kept on changing throughout. Cleo is a strange woman and it seems that the only two people she truly cares about are her brother Mark and niece Lulu.

Evie confesses to killing her partner, so there is no investigation into finding the killer. The second part of the book is all about the court case and when I really couldn’t put the book down and kept me guessing and constantly changing my mind.

I highly recommend And So It Begins and now look forward to starting the DCI Tom Douglas series.

This was a real page turner that I just could not put down.
It certainly had me wondering which way it would turn and kept you wondering right to the last page.
Great.

Rachel Abbott knows how to grab a reader on the first page and spit them out on the last page. And So It Begins did just that to me.
An edge of your seat, unputdownable tale with well-developed characters and a clever plot which was highly enjoyable to read.

I received a copy of the novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Rachel Abbott books and she never disappoints with the perfect pace and plot. I really enjoyed, thanks.

Dead clever...literally.

Oh, this is a great story. You genuinely don't guess who's who or what's what till it's spelled out for you - which doesn't happen soon, I assure you.

Author Rachel Abbott plays on our own tendency to make assumptions based on certain 'clues': battered wives don't always show the bruises, abuse isn't limited to the poorest homes and artistic types have fiery temperaments.

What seems at first glance to be a fairly straightforward story of a marriage gone wrong soon ascends to something far darker, far more clever and so far more enjoyable.

And when I say you'll be flipping pages into the dawn hours when faced with a cliffhanger, you'll know exactly what i mean when you get there...

Fantastic. I genuinely couldn't tell who was telling the truth, to us or to themself, and who was lying. The twists and turns continue right to the very end, and are rarely predictable. The characters are well drawn and believable.
I loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I love Rachel Abbott, the Tom Douglas series are among my favourite books so I was really looking forward to this and it didn't disappoint.

Marcus North is found dead in bed with his partner Evie who admits to killing him. Evie is put on trial for murder and what follows is a story of twists where the reader has no idea what is true and what isn't. I was gripped reading this book, there was no way of working out how it was going to go and the end was a real surprise.

Absolutely fantastic read. Thank you NetGalley!

A well written book that makes you want to read the next page to see what happens. Gripping and tense. Such a good twist that you don’t expect

Wow, just wow ! Absolutely loved this one. Could not put it down.

A well paced psychological thriller centring around the relationships between Mark and Evie (who have a baby girl together) and Marks jealous sister Cleo.

The police are called to the family home to find Mark dead and Evie seriously injured. Where was Cleo? What happened? What also happened to Marks first wife who was found dead at the foot of the stairs by Cleo some time before?

There is a feeling right through this book that everything is not quite what it seems but it was hard to say what that was. No spoilers but this should be an enormous hit when it published!


Quite a few twists and turns in the story and an underlying feeling that everything was not quite as it seemed. I didn't predict the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley for this review copy.

I didn't love this book but it's had some fantastic reviews so I think I'm in the minority on this. It was definitely intriguing and I wanted to understand more but it felt a little clunky and I wasn't gripped. I think it would be a good holiday read perhaps.

A really addictive thriller that keeps you wondering who really has done what.
Evie and Mark are living in a stunning modern house with beautiful see views. They have a young daughter Lulu and Mark’s work as an artist is doing really well. But everything isn’t as idyllic as it should be. As far as Evie is concerned, Cleo, Mark’s sister is far too close. Marks wife died in the house under questionable circumstances that have never been properly explained. Evie has had a series of accidents in the house but are they accidents or is Mark responsible.
Seargent Stephanie King is called to a major incident at the house and the story takes a different turn.
I couldn’t put this down, a true page turner with lots of surprises.