OMG where do I start?

Maybe the beginning is the best place for a book so damn good it gave me whiplash and possible permanant injury to my jaw from it hitting the floor.

From the start it gave me ‘Rebecca’ vibes to read about an engagement party to which the bride to be, Claire, is not really engaged with. Following an excruciating speech by her father in law, and a brief description of her and Angus’ whirlwind romance you wonder where this book is going.

She obviously had a thing with a person named Daniel which hurt her really badly so is Angus a safe bet? He comes across as a complete tool and someone that Claire, with her high pressured, high profile job as an immigration lawyer would not connect with. I didn’t like him at all so when she begins a relationship with Mark, the Daniel look a like who owns the house she come to view for their marriage home, you raise your hand and squeak a cautious ‘you go girl!’

But he is far from a safe bet and as you reel from events happening now to events of 5 years ago, you begin to be teased with little details so as you are thinking ‘right so this happened then.. ok, I am getting it ..WAIT WHAT?!’

I cannot say too much without giving plot points away but honestly, it’s a great book, available in ebook and paperback now.

Good enough to keep my attention but no where near as good as I was hoping it would be, a little too predictable for my taste.

I was attracted to this book by the description but I was mainly disappointed by it. It was a dark domestic drama full of some pretty unpleasant characters but too easy to figure out. The lead detective was too good to be true and some of the other characters a bit unbelievable also. I am willing to give the next book she writes a try. If you are willing to suspend belief and just want an easy read go for it. I give this book three stars.

This is a brilliant psychological thriller it really is. Edge of you seat, nail biting story which I can't recommend highly enough. Amazing, huge 5 stars.

A compelling and fast paced read. This is a dark domestic drama with interesting characters.....
This was an addictive read that I didn’t want to put down. The ending was unexpected. I can’t wait for another book by this author

Cedar Close is a perfect place to live everyone looks out for each other and Laurie Mills meets her neighbours for the first time at their annual summer barbeque. While there she discovers her husband having an affair and threatens to kill him in front of all their neighbours so when she wakes up one morning a few days later after having a few drinks the night before after he stood her up and left her to eat the dinner she had made specially for them to find her husband dead with multiple stab wounds in their spare room and she herself covered in his blood it's no wonder everybody believes she did it. Detective Dan Riley believes there is more to the case than meets the eye and he sets about proving Laurie's innocence!!!
This book had me all over the place it was a truly awesome psychological thriller which I highly recommend and I can't wait for the next in the series.

Thank you to Bookouture Carla Kovach and NetGalley for the arc of The Couple On Cedar Close my review is honest and unbiased in any way.

Ok, this was good. I loved the writing, plot and characters. This pulled me in quickly and it was quite a ride!

The investigator, Dan Riley, is a great, sympathetic character. He is smart and self effacing. He is easy to like. His partner, Lucy Davis, is the perfect counterpoint. I didn’t read the first story of the series but this had so much character development and growth. I will look forward to more in this series!

The story itself was very good. That’s not to say that I didn’t figure out some things prior to the reveal but there were surprises too. I did figure out the villain prior to the reveal but that did not detract from the story. By this time I was so invested in the characters I needed to see how they ended up. Excellent, highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

THIS BOOK IS A SECOND IN A SERIES!
I had no idea that this was a second book, so I read it as a standalone, which seemed to be fine. Some books really are taken away from if you haven't read the first, but it doesn't seem that way with this one. This novel has very complex characters and there is a lot going on, which I really enjoyed. There were enough twists to keep me reading and overall I enjoyed this mystery/thriller.

Domestic thrillers have become my favourite type of thrillers over the year so I was excited to read The Couple on Cedar Close. The majority of the characters are very multi-dimensional with the exception of Laurie, who wasn't the most interesting of characters although it is understandable why given the circumstances. I enjoyed the flashback chapters and although I didn't twig the relevance of these to the main story immediately, it soon becomes apparent why and the rest of the book was fairly easy to figure out but this did not impair my enjoyment of it, The police scenes were another element that worked really well and felt authentic. Looking forward to reading more from Anna-Lou.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to.

This is the second book featuring Detective Dan Riley, it starts with the body of a man found murdered in his house and his wife covered in blood, it seems cut and dried but Riley is sure there is more to this than meets the eye. Really enjoyed this book kept me guessing all the way, definitely recommend.

One sunny August afternoon, the residents of Cedar Close throw their annual summer barbecue. Children play in the cherry-tree lined street, tables are laden with food, and the wine is flowing. For Laurie Mills, it’s her first time meeting the neighbours. And it’s the first time she discovers her husband Robert is having an affair.

Cedar Close has always been a nice place to live – a quiet suburban street where everyone looks out for one another and bad things don’t happen.

Until late one evening, when Robert Mills is found dead in his bedroom.

Downstairs, in their beautiful kitchen, his wife Laurie sits alone in the dark with her head in her hands.

She can’t remember the last few hours, but she knows she didn’t kill Robert.

The trouble is, no-one believes her…

I enjoyed this book so much, the characters were complex and just kept developing in themselves and their relationships all the way through. I found them completely believable and was able o have empathy with most of them - I also fell in love with the gentlemanly Dan Riley. The plot was dark and twisted, in all of the right ways!! The only thing was I guessed quite early on what was going on, but this really didn't stop me from enjoying the book at all! A definite worthy 5 star read! Thank you Netgalley for the chance for an ARC

A twisty suspense..... I really enjoyed this. Laurie was likeable character suffering after a tragic accident which killed her unborn twins - but was it really an accident and did she really kill her husband and if not who did?
The setting is a wealthy suburban cul-de -sac. I imagined it as a desperate housewives type of setting. This would make a great movie.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an arc.

Solid police procedural mystery, but the overall mystery is way too easy to figure out. I knew who the villain was almost right away, and it made me think the rest of the characters were too clueless to figure out what the villain was doing.
I really like the detective and would definitely read another book featuring him. The other members of his police squad were annoying--how many books have the growly chief who doesn't believe the detective when he says something is off and pushes him to solve the case even without evidence? Yeah, all the time and in real life I seriously doubt this happens.
Overall, it was a decent read, but kind of forgettable.

3.5 STARS!!!

Laurie and Robert Mills have anything but the perfect marriage and when Robert is found murdered and Laurie doesn’t remember a thing for many hours of that night She becomes the prime suspect. This is a fast pace thriller showing the point of views of detective Dan Riley whilst he works on the case, Laurie Mills and several other characters. The question is, is Laurie guilty or has someone else murdered her husband?

I enjoyed this book to a certain extent, it was well written, and I really loved Dan Riley as a character and as far as the plot I did think it was good, slightly average but enjoyable. The downfall and the reason I can’t rate this book any higher is because I knew right away who did this, who the killer was. There was chapters from the past and they linked to who the killer was and it was all very obvious, a little to obvious.

Would I read more from this author? Yes I would because like I said it was still an enjoyable read even if it was rather predictable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this arc.
Laurie and Robert are the new residents living in Cedar Close.
Laurie is recovering from a dreadful accident. They get to meet the other residents at the streets Summer Barbeque. But that's also the day Laurie finds out Robert is STILL having an affair and has a child with his mistress! Living across from them is laurie's long time friend Monica who has always been there for her.
But then Robert is found dead, brutally murdered, in there home. Anna is in the house at the time, but doesn't remember anything because she's totally 'out of it' with drink and medication. Events spiral out of control.
Its up to Detective Dan Riley to solve this one.
This is the second book in the series. Absolutely riveting. Just couldn't put it down until it was finished. Definitely recommend it and it deserves more than five stars!!!

Cedar Close is a quiet peaceful neighborhood to live where all the neighbors know and look out for each other. Until Robert Mills is found stabbed in his bedroom, and his wife Laurie sits downstairs covered in his blood. She has gaps in her memory and is pretty sure that she didn't kill her husband but nobody believes her as Robert was having an affair with another woman. Detective Dan instinctively believes that Laurie is innocent but when everything points against her can Dan really trust his gut ?

The Couple on Cedar Close is the second book in the Detective Dan Riley series. A fantastic police procedural with well developed characters makes it an enjoyable read .  

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

One sunny August afternoon, the residents of Cedar Close throw their annual summer barbecue. Children play in the cherry-tree lined street, tables are laden with food, and the wine is flowing. For Laurie Mills, it’s her first time meeting the neighbours. And it’s the first time she discovers her husband Robert is having an affair.

Cedar Close has always been a nice place to live – a quiet suburban street where everyone looks out for one another and bad things don’t happen. Until late one evening, when Robert Mills is found dead in his bedroom.

An interesting book, with a good plot and great characterisation. The interesting premise in this book is the fact that the police don’t agree on who the suspect is. One detective thinks the obvious suspect committed the murder and is keen to close the case and add it to the list of solved cases. However, the other, Dan Riley, is of a completely different opinion. Is he able to prove that Laurie Mills didn’t kill her husband? Read it and find out!

I finished the Couple on Cedar Close in one day. It was written in a manner that was easy to follow and easy to get engrossed in. I connected with all the characters and had empathy for them all, except for Robert. It really shows what love can do to people. How giving all of yourself to someone who doesn't reciprocate fully can break you, how loving someone in a twisted way can do to irrepairable damage to you, etc. This story is more than meets the eye. It runs deeper than just a jilted wife/lover.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The couple on Cedar close the perfect marriage or the perfect murder...
A suburban crime/psychological thriller, think Desperate Housewives meets Broadchurch.
It’s set in dual time past and present.
Cedar Close where nothing bad ever happens except it has, Robert Mills has been brutally murdered and his wife Laurie has been arrested. We first meet Laurie at the close’s annual summer BBQ, this is her first time meeting the neighbours even though they moved in 6 months ago and quite an impression she makes, she had promised not to drink and Robert had promised to stay by her side , neither had worked out. Laurie sufferers from depression and PTSD and uses alcohol as her coping mechanism but things had been getting better here a fresh start until she learns that day Roberts been hiding something from her again. Fast forward to present day when Laurie wakes to find herself in the dark her dress soaked in blood and discovers Robert’s body his throat cut and 3 words written on the mirror. Did she kill him? She can’t remember, she was angry furious that after all the work she had done cooking his favourite meal and making herself look nice he had stood her up , it was a last ditch attempt at keeping her husband. She remembers opening the vodka and opening the Prosecco then nothing until she woke covered in blood.
Daniel Riley is the investigating officer and the book spends a lot of time following the ins and outs of an investigation , I liked this element . As the next body is discovered it doesn’t look good for Laurie as the evidence is stacking up against her, Wood’s, Daniel’s superior is pleased this is an open and shut case,but Dan’s got that gut feeling that somethings not right and it hasn’t let him down in past and as he delves further into Robert past he makes some shocking discoveries. He promises Claire the second victims mum he would get the person who killed her and true to his word he does. The book gives away a big clue very early on and I am assuming that it was the authors intention for us to pick up on it , so the book can tell the story of the relationships between the characters and there lives rather than concentrating on just a who done it.
This is the kind of book I love , one thats written in such a way that I could come home from work and read it without having to think too much the story just flows. It’s definitely a page turner with a few twists along the way. The story portrays how strong women can be trapped in emotional and psychologically abusive relationships and the damage it can cause. The book made me feel I wanted more , I didn’t want it to end!
This book has it all betrayal, lust,lies, addiction, abuse, jealousy.
#thecoupleoncedarclose
Links attached to review on blog/goodreads/amazon