Unfortunately the ratings on this one aren’t wrong.

Firstly I don’t think there was any real need to set the story in past and present. Unnecessarily confusing at times and added nothing to the feel of the book.

I found the story sooooo padded with page after page of unnecessary ramblings and repetitive information.

The characters were all unlikable and un relatable.

I haven’t read the authors first book yet, it’s on my to read list. Judging by the reviews this book may just be a blip!!

This is the story of Claire, her husband Duncan and their son Joe. It is told from the perspectives of Claire and Duncan, Before and After a series of events happens to them. I’m sorry to say that I did not particularly enjoy this book for a number of reasons. First of all, the story did not flow well from the Before and After and from character to character and I found the storyline at times very confusing. The writing style is all over the place as Claire’s story is told in the first person and for the most part in the present tense but Duncan’s isn’t. Some of the sentences are so short that it felt too staccato and jerky. The format also means that there is an awful lot of repetition that it becomes tedious. There are a lot of statements of the obvious too. Did we really need to know so many times that Joe is Claire’s son?? The story seems to be full of unnecessary details that adds little to the storyline except to fill pages and detract from the point of the story, it becomes boring and any sense of menace or suspense is lost. The characters are not very likeable especially Duncan who is downright unpleasant, so much so that he seems a caricature of an angry man. Overall, this is a disappointing book.

I had previously read Cuckoo by the same author and enjoyed the atmospheric writing but found the storyline to be somewhat lacking. I decided to take a chance on this book being an improvement. Unfortunately, although some of the writing was absorbing the story was quite dull. It never seemed to get anywhere and while there were a couple of twists at the end, one at least was predictable. It was little more than a love story rather than a thriller. Some parts promised excitement and tension but this tended to fade into nothing. As a reviewer I am always reluctant to give a poor summary of a book that has taken many months to evolve. However, as a reader, while I appreciate beautiful writing, it is more important to have a reason to keep turning the pages.

A story about a marriage breakdown, a tragedy that shakes a marriage to its core. An autistic son who goes missing and an abandoned, once sunken village.

The marriage has gone very bad indeed and the two in it aren't that likeable, but their son has gone walkabout and the novel looks at the reasons behind his disappearance and search for him. Next to the home where they have just moved is a sunken village and so that's the first port of call. Except this village was supposed to be abandoned yet there seems to be people there...walking about....

The story about the sunken village and the coins - I would have liked more of this and think it would have made a more gripping novel. Magpie was a slow burn and not really a thriller as we experience the marriage breakdown and the search for a missing boy. The landscape is unusual and I think more could have been made of this. For me at least - sunken villages have been in a few things I've read recently and they never fail to interest me. There was a lot of information about the coins and this was interesting but did get a bit repetitive at times. The atmosphere was well done throughout however and the writing cranks up an increasingly chilling atmosphere.

I felt it was a mix of two books - one about a marriage and the other a chilling ghostly suspense novel. I much preferred the second.

Sorry but this book wasn't for me, too long and drawn out and couldn't really get a grasp of the story line.

I did do a fair bit of skim reading to get to the end so I won't read any more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I was so bored by this - the story was going round in circles, the before and after chapters were confusing and there were endless, endless descriptions of everything - thoughts and feelings, scenery, weather, the state of the kitchen, a whole paragraph on someone opening a packet of chewing gum.....(zzzzzz). I did manage to get to the end by skipping and skimming most of it, and the two twists did surprise me, but it was not worth the couple of hours getting there.

I think too many people get bogged down in what places a book within a genre. Many, many books cross genres, having elements of thriller, horror, crime, etc., and so I find it simpler to ignore the genre and just read.

Draper's debut, Cuckoo, was one of those books that everyone was talking about. And now, with the dreaded second novel, Magpie appears to be the subject of some harsh reviews, some of which are unnecessarily so.

Magpie is one of those slow burning thrillers, one which demands your full attention as a reader. Draper has a way with words, able to draw you in and hold you there, breathless, while the story unfolds.

This was a good story, but was a bit too long and drawn out. I did finish it but skipped ahead and skimmed much of the text. Would make a great film though; could just imagine NicoleKidman playing Claire.

Magpie was a disappointing read for me for a number of reasons. The blurb states it's a 'haunting twisty new psychological thriller' butt while it is haunting and the descriptions creepy, it is not a psychological thriller, it's domestic noir, a story of a marital breakdown caused by a tragic event (the secret was easy to guess but didn't spoil the story for me).

Claire and Duncan are stuck in an unhappy marriage with their son Joe who is 18. They live in a stylish barn in the country where Duncan has his veterinary practice. For years he has been unfaithful to Claire, who gave up her own career and became a SAHM to Joe who appears to perhaps be on the autistic border. This is never clearly explained so the reader has to assume it. Joe is fascinated by metal collecting and one day discovers an unusual coin which Claire recognises.

I disliked the jumping around 'before' and 'after' in the first person from one character and the third person from another. Towards the end the third person narrative went into the first person, leading to more confusion on my part. The ending was rather dark and unusual.

Barely three stars from me, mainly because of the descriptions which even then seemed repetitive, but also because the breakdown of the marriage betweem two rather unlikeable characters was well portrayed. Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The synopsis of this book led me to believe I was going to get a domestic thriller, but I'm not sure that's how I would categorize this interesting novel. While it does have some of the qualities of a domestic thriller, it's a slow burn and there's more emphasis on character than the typical plot-driven thriller.

The story is told in a back-and-forth fashion that occasionally confused me. We're also given the different perspectives from the husband and wife. I was always trying to figure out which character and which timeline I was reading about. (This is clearly indicated in the chapter headings, but I still got confused.) But by the end of the book, when the big revelation is revealed, I regretted not paying closer attention to some of the clues. The twist is actually quite fascinating and made me want to go back to read the book with a different set of expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased opinions.

The book “Magpie” was hard to follow as it switches between times and characters. I gave the book a 3-star rating because the idea behind the story was good and the characters were equally hateable, but it was slow and hard to get in to. To me, it wasn’t a thriller it was more a story of what happens when life gets to be more than we can handle.

Libby is shocked to find out that she has inherited a huge house in Chelsea from her birth parents on her 25th birthday. She soon realises that the house of full of secrets and a dark history. When Lucy and Henry were little their parents killed themselves as part of the cult, or so it seems. Libby is desperate to find out what happened to her parents.

This story is told in three different points of view, Libby, Lucy and Henry. You find out about the tragic history and dark secrets of the house and the people that lived in it. Even though it is told by different characters it is hard to not get embroiled in the story. The book is fast paced and certainly a page turner. I really enjoyed Lisa's style of writing.

Claire and Duncan are married, but it’s not really a marriage anymore. Their son Joe, now 18, is a difficult child, never diagnosed, but possibly somewhere on the spectrum. He is fascinated by ancient Roman coins which leads him to take up metal detection. The family lives in a renovated, contemporary “barn” along a reservoir. It’s a lovely location, however, Claire and Duncan had two different views of what would be the perfect home. Perhaps that’s where their troubles began.

Duncan is leading what he thinks is a secret second life. Claire suspects and then confirms this second life. She is planning her escape from Duncan when Joe finds a very rare coin on their property, he thinks it’s a brilliant discovery, while Claire disagrees. So many secrets are hidden on the property and in their lives. Can this family be fixed? Once Claire escapes Duncan, will her life improve?

The novel is told in “before” and “after” segments by Claire and Duncan. We are led to believe that the before segments are before Claire leaves Duncan. I was surprised by the low ratings for this book, as I did find it rather compelling. It definitely is slow paced. With the back and forth between before and after, you are slowly building to what is present, and what really happened to this family.

All three people are broken in their own ways. While others found the characters rather unlikable, I found them to all have redeemable qualities. Duncan is a vet and truly cares for the animals, perhaps not the people, he treats. Claire is dedicated to her son, and like any mother, did her absolute best to raise him. Joe struggles, but only because he may have some underlying, undiagnosed issue that makes him less likely to be social.

Magpie is well written and Draper has a way with prose. She is able to describe details in a beautiful way. I was not disappointed by this novel at all and would recommend it to people that aren’t in a hurry to get to the finish. You’ll find some beautiful words along the way.

This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 14 November 2019 .
This review has been cross-posted to Goodreads on 4 September 2019.

The premise for this story sounded great. The first third of the book actually captivated me. After that - I found myself having to look back to see if something was "before" or "after". I don't know who of the three main characters I wanted to hate the most. Maybe it was me, but the Hall and the Estates behind gates was confusing and not interesting to me.

I am sorry to only give 2 stars to this book. Even the ending did not seem as a "thriller" or "suspense" story to me.

I truly appreciate the ability to have reviewed this book.. Thank You to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.

Claire is divorcing her philandering husband. Ever since he has reached the pinnacle of his career he has become a veritable ass. He doesn't have patience with her or with their son Joe. She also knows of the various affairs he's had.
To hold on to her sanity she has moved herself, Joe and their beloved dog to a cottage where Duncan will not find them.
Joe has disappeared. He is eighteen years of age and he has been gone before. This time has been way too long. Traipsing through the supposedly abandoned village near her cottage, she has looked everywhere that she can imagine.
Every so often as she goes through the village she can see people. It is scarce and far between. Odd being that it was said to be abandoned.
A story of intrigue and mystery. With a smashing ending.

I'm going to give this one only two unfortunately. The first half of the book was good, I didn't love the main character, but it held my attention and I was wondering where it was going. But by the second half I was bored.
A mix of unlikable characters, reputation and the fact this book was too long is what has made me give 2 stars

Magpie by Sophie Draper sounded like a book that I would love from the beginning. The description is wonderful and I couldn’t wait to see what twist and turns were going to happen.

Draper writes about Claire and Duncan, two people who are married but living separate lives and then living separately. Duncan has been unfaithful to Claire, and Claire take care of their son Joe full time. Joe goes missing and the main focus of the book is finding him.

This book is told in multiple perspective. Claire, Before and After and Duncan, Before and After. Each change is labeled clearly but keeping the story straight and jumping between the before and after between 2 characters is difficult at times. I feel as this format really detracted for the overall story. I did get used to the formatting by the middle of the book and my pace of reading was able to pick up.

Overall the writing is decent, the story is haunting and will give you the satisfaction of a decent twist at the end.

Thank you to Avon Books UK via Netgalley for sending me an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. There are some positives with this book. The imagery and metaphors woven into the narrative are clever and atmospheric and the overall story concept is good.

Unfortunately the pace was too slow for me and it all took far too long to get to the point even though I’d long guessed what was happening to Claire. Claire, Duncan and Joe are all unlikeable. In fact, Duncan, despite all his flaws and adultery is the most likeable character if only for his ability to ‘get on with things’. Claire’s continual moping, inactivity and failed career frustrated me and the fact she blames everything on Duncan shows an astonishing lack of self-awareness.

I think this book is really being mis-sold as a thriller because it really isn’t. It is more of a spooky exploration of the psyche of a failing marriage.

2* is being generous.
I really enjoyed the first book by this author but this one falls below par massively. I skim read chunks because it's repetitive and much of it irrelevant. It's a bit of a confusing read too, far to many quick changes of time and narrators. The worst book I've read in sometime.

Claire and Duncan have the worst type of relationship, it is angry and resentful. This book was fast paced, twisty and turny. I would definitely read another of her books. She is a great author and they was she wrote the characters sucked me in. All the characters were terrible, and I love feeling like I hate someone in a book. The author can write, I will read anything else she puts out.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest review.