I really enjoyed this book! A great story line that kept me hooked and excellent main characters. I would highly recommend this book.

I do find books about child murderers fascinating so was excited to read and review this book. I thought the book was well written, and intriguing. I enjoyed how there were narratives from both past and present. It touches on some difficult topics such as abuse but is also an important reflection on impact of early trauma on people. I was not surprised by the ending but enjoyed in nonetheless.

I've loved everything Fiona Cummins has written and When I was Ten is no exception. An utterly mesmerising and suspenseful piece of work; chilling, sinister and flawlessly written, it kept me reading in to the wee hours of the morning! Fiona Cummins is a wonderfully talented storyteller. Highly recommended.

Absolutely loved this gripping story, couldn’t wait to get to the end lots of twists and very cleverly written. The story is split into two parts before and after the event , both parts came together in the unfolding of this thrilling book .

3.5 stars


Three women,or actually girls,know the truth of what happened the night Dr and Mrs Carter were murdered brutally with a pair of scissors.
This whole book leads up to us knowing the truth.
It kept me hooked for the best part of the book,trying to figure out what exactly was going on with the messages.
Shannon reaching out to find her sister to make amends? Something more sinister.
The scenes set where the parents abuse the girls,I felt were so good. Despite being minimal in description,they were tension packed.
I found the story line of the mp a distraction,and indeed of Catherine's husband's suspicious behaviour.
However,the story threw twists after twist at me,and they all seemed to fit perfectly.

When I was Ten was such a thrilling read. I wanted to close it at times such was the eeriness I felt because of the tale Fiona Cummins told. The subject matter was evil, through and through, but hidden behind such ordinariness. It makes you wonder what's living around the next corner from you. Dr. Carter and his wife Pamela were killed and twenty one years later their daughter are made to relive their experiences of that night. Their lives will never be the same again. This was a tough read, but it kept me hooked. I won't forget it in a hurry!!!

I enjoyed this, it was a quick easy read. I didn’t think it was as edge of the seat as I was expecting but it had a couple little twists. I did guess what was going to happen but there were a couple little things that were a surprise. Worth a read

Loved the storyline. It had me hooked with a delishous twist.
This was a refreshing change to the usual storylines for psychological thrillers.
It was also easy to read a few chapters and pick it up again a few days later.

Wow what a chilling heart in mouth book a few twists and turns but kept you reading to the end. Read it in a day as wanted to know the ending so badly

'In eleven minutes and fourteen seconds, Catherine Allen, who only wants to be ordinary, will be dead.'

I was intrigued by this opening line. We are introduced to Catherine, her husband Edward and her daughter, Honor. The other main protagonist is Brinley Booth, a journalist. The author has chosen a multi narrative point of view alternating between the perspectives of Catherine and Brinley.

Seeds are sown from the beginning to let us know that everything is not quite as it seems. Catherine has been living with a new identity for many years, but it looks like she won't be able to hide much longer. Brinley has been asked to investigate the 'Hilltop house murders., but she already knows more than she's letting on.

The story came alive for me in the second section, where we learn about sisters Shannon and Sara Carter and their next-door neighbour, Brinley. The real circumstances of the Hilltop house murders are revealed and there's a climatic event which pulls past and present and both protagonists together.

Throughout the book, there are online messages in italics. Although this was revealed later, I did find they pulled the reader out of the story and I wasn't sure we needed the chapter about the justice secretary.

However, I found this to be an engaging read with an interesting premise and would recommend it.

This is one of those books that will stay with me. Thoroughly enjoyed every chapter and was sad once I finished. Loved the twists throughout the book and would 100% recommend

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book dealt with a very difficult topic and it's impacts. Very unsettling. Loved it!

When I Was Ten is about a childhood crime: a preteen killing their parents, the effect on her sister and the aftermath for both siblings. The focus is on the recent publicity that threatens to create another media frenzy and hound the convicted killer out of hiding.

Goodness what an exhilarating rush, the twists and turns kept me almost constantly on the back foot. It was a literal page turner that I read in one sitting as I couldn't bear to wait the following day to find out what happened next.

This is a clever book. Clever in the sense that it keeps you questioning what is said, and done and who to believe. The format of telling the story from the point of view of the girls directly affected by the death of their parents and the reporter investigating, with flash backs to flesh out the detail was ideal. It made you pay attention, as the more information you found out, the likelihood conclusions you had just come to had to be adjusted. My opinions and emotions switched frequently notably but not limited to anger, justification, righteous vengeance, incredulity, amazement and then back again to something else.

Fiona Cummins skilfully highlighted the reality that abuse in the home by those resolved to hide it can be successful if the abuser is adept and/or perception of character is based on a promoted fictitious ideal. It reminded me that people who enjoy terrifying others especially vulnerable ones, those they have authority over, are inhuman; there is something broken in them which they want to break in others.

It showed that there are many ways to be cruel. The most obvious being the suffering that the girls went through to maintain their parent’s standards of perfection, was crushing, heart breaking even and in places a tough read. Ultimately culminating in a trail of tragedy.

When I Was Ten is firmly about the rippling effects of abuse and how it affects every part of your life, whether you were directly or tangibly related to the event. Together with he impact it has on your developing character and future. It also exposes parental relationships showing the bad and good: how parents can let us down badly, and conversely when there is love and care.

This book is a must for those who love well written psychological thrillers, that pulls on the heartstrings but not gratuitously so and with characters that you are rooting for. It will make you feel big emotions, be judgemental and sincerely consider your views on several serious issues. What a gripping read!

4 Stars - Really Liked It

Dr and Mrs Carter are brutally murdered by one of their young daughters. In the present day we are introduced to Catherine, her sister Sharon, and a reporter called Brinley. The story goes between the past and present and we start to find out about the events that happened and how this has impacted on the present. A good story with great twist at the end, though I didn't enjoy it as much as some of Fiona's other books and I did find some parts a little confusing. Still a good read - recommended.

Thank you netgalley for this advanced copy. I wasn’t sure if I would like this book but others by her looked really good. Too muddled for me. Couldn’t get into it.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I really enjoyed it! She writes so beautifully, with really evocative similes and descriptions, and it’s very easy to read. There’s also some great twists (as someone who reads a lot of thrillers, I’m not shocked by twists very often, but I totally was here!). I particularly enjoyed the first three quarters of this book - I wasn’t 100% sure about the ending, but it didn’t impact my overall enjoyment of the story. In 1997, a shocking act happened in a small village, affecting three young girls - but the past never truly goes away, and it’s about to catch up with them now. I’ll be keeping an eye out for other books for this author for sure now. Oh, and even though this book is released in August, if you like seasonal reading, save it for winter - thank me later 😉.

Twisty. Dark. Uncomfortable.

This was my first book by Fiona Cumins and I ha a to say It was really interesting.

It starts why a girl leaving a murder scene having been the witness of an awful event. We are then transported to the present, and meet Catherine whose life is now being dragged into the spotlight by her sister Shannon and a TV reporter, Brinley.

This book had some very uncomfortable topics including child abuse that can be a bit disturbing to read about.

This book is fast paced and thrilling with plenty of twists that will stop you from putting it down, even when the emotions are so high and difficult to read.

The characters are intense and really well written and the plot was really interesting and very well planned.

Overall I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more thoughts about this book and this author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Panmacmillan for the opportunity of reading this book prior to its release date.

Sara and Shannon, two sisters that live in a world many of us cannot, and would not, want to imagine.
They are bound by blood and lies.
I found the beginning of the book a little slow to start but I persevered and I'm so glad I did as the story became more intriguing and interesting the further into the book I read.
The lengths people will go to to protect family is extraordinary.
I found the ending surprising.

An absolutely gripping murder mystery type novel that you won’t be able to put down! Can become a bit blurred in places as to which character is talking but you soon get used to it!

10-year-old Sara Carter admitted to killing her parents in order to protect her older sister, Shannon.
Having spent 8 years in a children's secure unit, she was given a new identity and reintegrated into society.
Now, married and with a 12-year-old daughter, she has a new life and doesn't want to revisit her past. But her sister seems to be intent on digging it up.

This was yet another book that put me on the fence about the rating.
The story follows Sara, now living as Catherine, and Brinely, a former best friend of the Carter sisters, now a journalist. Interspersed with one side of a conversation between two unidentified persons, the story starts off very promising only to slow down along the line. It picks up later, and at this point, it got me so hooked that I was racing to find out what happened. Up to this point, I was sure I'd give it 4 stars.
However, the ending left me unsatisfied. Without giving away spoilers, I just couldn't understand why Shannon did what she did ( and I don't mean killing her parents! ).
Also the politician subplot - I have no idea what purpose it served, it seemed completely unnecessary.
This was my first book from Fiona Cumins, but despite the rating I decided to give this book, I will be on the lookout for her other books.