This book felt personal. My sister was sectioned for a while, so from the start, it raised the hairs on my neck.
Rachel has voluntarily been in a mental institution for 15 years, and decides it is time to tell her story. Was she really responsible for her parents' deaths?

The story felt crowded with filler at times. For example, her ability to talk to animals and some of the natural history information felt unnecessary. However, the story itself was good. There were enough twists and turns to keep me entertained, and the ending was great.

A gripping read but one which is definitely not for those of a squeamish nature. The story kept me guessing but it was very graphic in parts (I must confess that I skipped over some of the worst ones).

I will not post (reveal) the triggers this book has, but I think it might be too graphic for some readers, since it upset me, and spoiled the book in some way. It was however still a solid read, and I will read more by Karen in future.

I struggled to get into this novel as there were a lot of numbers punctuating the.narrative copy and spoilt my reading. This meant I was unable to finish the novel.and is no criticism of the author.

Sorry this wasn't for me and animal cruelty shouldn't have been in the book it was unnecessary - hence the 1 star!

I really did enjoy this book, the story took you to the past and present. Great characters, I just wanted to keep reading. The ending was really good, great book all round.

This is a very dark story featuring an 11 year old placed in an asylum following the death of her parents. Fifteen years later she is beginning to find out what happened. Kept me guessing right to the end.

Wow what a debut novel. I loved this book. A gripping read that I could not put down. Definitely not for the faint hearted. Very cleverly written. An absolute must read.

A great suspenseful read which really raises the question regarding nature v. nurture. Are some people just born evil?

In regards to the animal cruelty, I wish there had been some form of warning as I found it really graphic.

The e-ARC copy I received was rather difficult to read, with each sentence book-ended by numbers which really took me out of the novel.

Failed to connect with this one, and as soon as I got to the animal cruelty, just couldn't get past (this should have come with a trigger warning in the blurb, seriously!) The read was very repetitive, and it also didn't help that the Kindle ARC I downloaded from here before the book was archived was one hot mess of numbers bookending every line and the story looking like some sort of code where you have to determine which is prose and which is formatting gibberish

The Body in the Midst by Nick Louth
Rating 4.3/5
Set in the beautiful Exmoor National Park and Barnstable this is the third novel in the DCI Craig Gillard series but can be read as a stand-alone. However, it did have me looking at the other novels by the talented Nick Louth.
A badly damaged body is found, seemingly a victim of a hit and run. DI Jan Talantire, of the Barnstable and Cornwall police force is sent to investigate. She is helped/hindered by DCI Craig Gillard who is reluctantly in the area because of family matters.
Who is the dead man and why has no-one been able to identify him? Why has he no ID, no phone? Who wanted him dead?
As the investigation and leads develop, dark shocking secrets unfold.
A thriller full of twists and turns, family relationships and manipulation all leading to a horrifying conclusion. But the ending brought shivers to my spine.
Recommended.
Thanks to Nick Louth, Canelo and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel. The review I have written is totally unbiased and honest.

This was a great read, enjoyed it thoroughly, was hooked from the first page, loads of twists and turns, would recommend it and buy it

This was a new author for me, but after enjoying this one I will be searching out her other books. A woman is in a mental institution thinking she murdered her parents some years before, when she finds evidence that questions this., aided by a journalist. Is she taking the blame for something she didn’t do?

Loved the telling of the book with the alternate dual timelines, which I think were done very well. Definitely a character you could buy into, a great storyline, tension and suspense as the book builds. Also loved the ending to this book, plenty of action as the story came to completion.

I am very happy to recommend this book if you like good mysteries. I would give this 4 1/2 stars and look forward to reading more by this author. I would like to say thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book to me for an open and honest review.

I did enjoy this book and it’s a good psychological thriller, I just found it slow in places and thought it was pretty predictable. That being said I did really enjoy the ride and the controversial world of child psychopaths and if people are born evil is such an interesting topic. The characters are written extremely well and you really get a feel for their personalities. Some chapters are written from Rachel’s mums POV in the past so we get to see what it was like for the family as the kids grew up which definitely added to the story. If you love psychological thrillers and don’t mind knowing the general gist of what is going to happen then definitely check this one out.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great thriller based on the question - "Are we born evil or made that way over time?"

Focuses on the relationship between two very different sisters, one good, one evil

Really enjoyed this book, easy to read and the tension built nicely. Would recommend

This was a book that, when I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to! The story is told by a mother and daughter. When the reader first meets Rachel, the daughter, she is in a psychiatric hospital as a voluntary patient because she believes that when she was an 11 year old, she killed her parents. Jenny, Rachel's mother, is the other story teller and it is from her that we learn of the other family members, her husband Peter, her sister Charlotte, and her other daughter, Diana. The chapters go from Jenny telling her story, to Rachel telling her story and it could be confusing - but it isn't. Although Diana is the main 'wicked sister', Charlotte is equally a wicked sister! I thoroughly recommend this book.

This was a very interesting story. I initially wasn't hooked and found it slow but I made it through and actually enjoyed my read.

I was thoroughly thrilled

This is undoubtedly a really well written book and I did enjoy reading it. But for myself I really enjoy a good whodunnit where I can untangle a mystery as I go along and in this I had a good idea of where the story was headed. Still an enjoyable read though!

Rachael Cunningham has spent the last 15 years self admitted in a mental hospital following the tragic death of her parents which she feels guilt over. She then returns home to the family lodge where the incident happened where her sister and aunt still live. Piece by piece the real events of that day start replaying in her head. Watch out, not all families are safe havens.
A real page turner. Loved the two person perspective in which the story is told.

I loved Karen’s debut novel The Marsh King’s Daughter (now retitled Home) so was very excited to see a new book was out and the blurb really appealed to me as I love books based in psychiatric facilities and featuring murdering kids… (don’t judge me!).

The Wicked Sister is a very dark and disturbing story told from two points of view. In the present we meet Rachel, now 26 years old and has lived in a mental institution since she was 11. She’s there because 15 years ago her mother and father were brutally murdered and she’s convinced she’s responsible for their deaths and deserves to be locked away.

The other main narrator is Rachel’s deceased mother Jenny, telling her story from the past, from the moment she met her husband to her untimely and violent death and boy, oh, boy.. if you like creepy, damaged and dangerous children then you will LOVE this book.

I don’t want to give anything away or spoil the book, so I will be brief and to the point – this is a really chilling and gripping story of how far we will go to protect our children, throughout the book I had a very uncomfortable feeling of dread and discomfort (which I actually LOVE!). It’s a complete page-turner and I would definitely recommend it to fans of dark, psychological thrillers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐