Who killed Ruby is a gripping psychological thriller which keeps you hooked from the first page.
An ordinary house and the peace is broken, a man lies dead on a bloodsoaked floor. The family around testify that the dead man is the man who killed Ruby, but is he? The flash forward starts the book and begins a roller coaster ride into the past.
Ruby and her unborn child are killed. Her younger sister Vivenne, who is eight, is found cowering in a cupboard in the same room. Her testimony catches the killer, Ruby's boyfriend Jack who is convicted. He always claimed he was innocent and Viv does not have a memory of what really happened.
Viv is now grown up and a sucessful cafe owner. She has a daughter of her own, Cleo. The anniversary of Ruby's murder comes around and Viv starts receiving mysterious pacakges. She believes Jack may have tracked her down. Unsettling memories start to surface and she is not sure she knows the truth about her sisters murder.
In a side story Cleo is messaging a supposedly 14 year old boy on her phone. She has not told her mother and is it really any surprise when the lad turns out to be something more sinister? Cleo is kidnapped. Everything depends on Viv remembering what happened when Ruby was killed.
This is a gripping thriller which is full of plot twists and turns that will keep you guessing right until the end.

Ruby was murdered 32 years ago but her death still affects her family – Stella her mother, Vivienne her younger sister, and Cleo, Vivienne’s 13 year old daughter. Who Killed Ruby? begins in a house in Peckham, London where the three of them are in shock, as a man lies dead on the kitchen floor. Whilst they wait for the police to arrive, Vivienne asks what they should tell them and Stella replies that they will tell them it is the man who murdered Ruby. This rather begs the question – is it?

The novel then rewinds two months describing the events that led up to that first scene and also reveals the events that led up to Ruby’s murder. It’s a complex tale told mainly from Vivienne’s point of view. She was just a child of eight when the murder happened and it was largely her testimony that convicted Jack Delaney, Ruby’s boyfriend. She had been alone in the house when she found her sister’s pregnant body splayed out on her bedroom floor. Jack has always protested his innocence and now he has been released from prison. But Vivienne is vague about the details of the murder, having blocked out her memories of what had happened and what she had seen. Plagued by nightmares ever since Ruby was killed, she is now terrified that Jack will come looking for her, wanting revenge.

The second viewpoint is Cleo’s. She is excited about the messages she’s exchanging online with Daniel, who she met on a gaming site. He tells her he is 14 and lives in Leeds. She lies to Vivienne about it and says that she is texting her friend Layla. Gradually Vivienne begins to remember what happened the day that Ruby died, but when Cleo disappears she becomes frantic, certain that Jack has taken her.

It is a tense and emotional mystery that kept me guessing to the very end. My suspicions about Cleo turned out to be partly correct, but as for who killed Ruby I was thrown off track by all the different characters who could be the culprit and I just couldn’t decide who I thought it could be. When the identity of the killer was revealed I was so surprised as it was someone I’d not even considered. I wasn’t convinced by some of the characters and thought they were too obviously there to confuse the reader. But overall I did enjoy the book. And I liked the emphasis on family relationships – particularly on the mother/daughter relationships.

Many thanks to the publishers, Harper Collins, for my review copy via NetGalley.

This is a rollercoaster of a read. Amazing twists that you will never guess! I will definitely be reading more by this authors & would recommend it to anyone.

Psychological thriller. Tense and enthralling. It shows how complex family relationships can be. What one family member is prepared to do to defend another.

All is not how it seems! As you walk along an ordinary street imagine what might be going on behind closed doors. As you pass by people day by day, some will have extraordinary things going on in their lives. This is what this book is about, the ordinary people with lives full of question, mystery and twists which will keep you guessing. Confusing at times and takes a few pages to get into but if you like a psychological tale then this is for you......

4 Stars from me

As the title suggests, this book is very much centred around the question 'Who Killed Ruby?'. Ruby was Vivienne's older sister who was murdered when they were children - with very young Vivienne's testimony being the key to the conviction of Jack Delaney.

We meet Vivienne as an adult with a 14 year old daughter and a string of failed relationships. At first life seems to be going pretty ok for Viv as on the surface of things she has a successful business, a loving daughter, great friends and nice home. However, as the anniversary of her sister's death approaches, things start to go wrong.

Who Killed Ruby follows Vivienne through a journey into the past which seems the only way to save her daughter from the same fate as her sister - but is the answer already in her head?

Clever little psychological thriller, packed full of red herrings and a proper thriller!

Synopsis:

The gripping new psychological thriller from Camilla Way, author of Watching Edie and The Lies We Told

You never know what’s going on behind closed doors…

If you passed it on the street, you’d see an ordinary London townhouse. You might wonder about the people who live there, assume they’re just like you.

But inside a family is trapped in a nightmare. In the kitchen, a man lies dead on the blood-soaked floor. Soon the police will come, and they’ll want answers.

Perhaps they'll believe the family’s version of events – that this man is a murderer who deserved to die.

But would that be the truth?

Wow ! I loved this book :) plenty of brilliant red herrings that twist and turn and lead up to a fab ending :)
9/10

Unconvincing

This thriller starts well with some of the characters standing over the corpse of a man covered in blood. Who is he and what is their relationship to him? The plot then rewinds a couple of months and gradually the reader discovers that the opening scene is not all that it seems at first sight.

Vivienne is a café owner and is Ruby’s sister. She is still in touch with their mother, Margo, and the history of their lives is played out over the pages of the novel. To give more away would spoil the story for those who are going to read it as not a lot of plot information is described in any of the promotional material.

The main weakness, in my opinion, is the central character, who is weak and vacillating. She is not able to “read” friends and acquaintances, nor is she able to see the obvious hurtling towards her like an express train. Some may, of course, find this true to life and endearing but for this reader, it was merely irritating. Additionally, the character of Alek was totally unconvincing and on reflection, his introduction into the plot was amateurish and contrived to suit the purposes of the author but was not well done.

The plot itself had interesting twists and turns but most were broadcast well ahead of time and were easy to predict although I do admit that the discovery of the murderer’s identity did surprise me. Camilla Way has a huge following and is obviously a popular author but her style of writing jarred with me, even though the writing itself, and the dialogue, was excellent. It’s a good job that we don’t all enjoy the same things in life.

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Three generations of a family stand over a dead body. The story moves to two months earlier where the reader is slowly introduced to Vivienne, mother of Cleo, daughter of Stella and the emerging story of their tangled lives. Closely involved and dependant on each other, the troubled family cannot move on from a catastrophic murder of a pregnant sister and daughter that has affected every part of Viv's life and subsequent relationships. Confused memories, post traumatic stress and escalation of current threatening events lead the reader into a mystery where several characters all become suspects in both a past and current crime. The premise of this story is an edge of the seat thriller. However several of the characters were often acting so strangely and out of context to allow the story to appear overly contrived in an obviously calculated effort to confuse who was the perpetrator. This is an enjoyable enough read if many of the suspects seem to be too bizarre to accept as believable characters. Therefore to some extent, a contrived conclusion leading to a shock ending. Perhaps less tying up of all loose ends and a degree of ambiguity and normality related to the potential suspects involved may have resulted in a more realistic and believable ending. Many thanks to Net Galley and author for allowing me to review this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Camilla Way for my arc of Who Killed Ruby? In exchange for an honest review.
Title: Who Killed Ruby?
Author: Camilla Way
Format read: Ebook
Publication date: 30th May 2019
Page Count: 400 Pages
Genre: Thriller
Star rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Synopsis: Inside an ordinary London townhouse, a man lies dead on the floor. The story is that this man is a murderer, a killer and deserved to die, but is that the truth? 32 years ago Viv's sister Ruby was Killed in a horrible attack, Viv has never got over her death and memories still haunt her, after all, it was her testimony that put the killer away. But as the events from the past begin to catch up with the present Viv begins to realise that maybe the truth all those years ago was not really the truth at all.

This was the first of Camilla Way's books that I've read and I really enjoyed it. It was fast paced while keeping its secrets. I finished it in one sitting unable to put it down until I'd unravelled what was going on. I didn't guess the ending at all and there were actually three mysteries at its heart! Thoroughly enjoyable and unputdownable, I'll definitely be reading more from this author in future!

Vivenne's sister Ruby was killed thirty two years ago, she still has nightmares about it. Vivien was a key witness in the murder trial as she saw the man run away from her home. The book centres on the three women, Stella (the mother), Vivienne and her daughter Cleo. Now, the man convicted of Ruby's murder has been released from prison. The book starts off with three people standing over a dead body saying "what are we going to tell the police". This part is told in the future. We then go back in time where the story unfold and the tension builds up.

This was one quick roller coaster of a read. There are red herrings galore. I could not read this book quick enough, wanting to find out exactly what had happened to Ruby. This book has been well researched, especially the part about EMDR treatment, which is well explained. I never once guessed the ending. I had no idea at all. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Camilla Way for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a great totally addictive read and would highly recommend to other readers. 5 stars all the way

The first thing that we learn is that 16-year-old Ruby is dead. Her little sister Viv is the only witness and her evidence secures the conviction of Ruby’s boyfriend, the father of her unborn child. But Viv struggles with what really happened that day. Why can’t she actually remember the things that she said she did?
Years later, Viv is living with her daughter Cleo when the past comes back to haunt her. She must find a way of reliving that dreadful day if she is to save her family and find out who really did kill Ruby.
Easy to read because I wanted to find out what happened next. A real page turner.

This book had everything for me. I could not put it down. It captured my imagination from the very first page. The ending was, for me unexpected. I found myself thinking about the book when I was not reading it and that is always a good sign. The book starts with a flash forward and this sets the scene. The characters are interesting and the book is well written. What more is there to say. One of the best.

The book begins with three people staring at a body on a kitchen floor drenched in blood and one of them asking what they should tell the police. The truth will be the simplest answer. What is the truth and how will telling the truth affect the witnesses? These are questions that came to mind after reading the book. Who killed Ruby is the real question and the body they are staring at is not Ruby's. The book tells the story of Vivienne whose sister Ruby was murdered thirty-two years ago. Vivienne is still having nightmares about the murder and the body they are staring at should provide closure but does it? This book was difficult to put down and I can only describe the feeling as being taken on a journey with many bends and turns and waiting to see what is around the next bend. The red herrings and twists in this book make it a compelling read

A dead man on the kitchen floor with a knife in his back, a grandmother, mother and daughter in the room, what and who killed him?
When Vivienne was just eight years old she found her sister Ruby and her unborn son Noah dead in her bedroom.
Who killed Ruby is a intense thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.

Brilliant book couldn’t read it fast enough it was very exciting especially at the end loved all the characters and would never have guessed the ending what a shock that was would definitely recommend this book and can’t wait to read other books by this author.

What a brilliant book. This book has a fantastic story line, excellent characters and is just wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and I enjoyed it immensely.

I'm a huge fan of Camilla Way so I couldn't wait to start reading her latest book. I really enjoyed this mystery of who killed Ruby. There are various suspects to choose from but I didn't want to guess who done it, I just loved the flow of it.

If you passed it on the street, you’d see an ordinary London townhouse.

You might wonder about the people who live there, assume they’re just like you.

But inside a family is trapped in a nightmare. In the kitchen, a man lies dead on the blood-soaked floor. Soon the police will come, and they’ll want answers.

Perhaps they'll believe the family’s version of events – that this man is a murderer who deserved to die.

But would that be the truth?

****
I've needed a good book, to get me out of a book slump, and job done with this book!!

I really enjoyed it. It was a good well written story with plenty of twists and turns, and plenty of red herrings to get you thinking. Definitely recommended by me!