This is everything a great thriller should be; tense, gripping, dark, believable, fast-paced and when I was up to 80% of the way through I still had no idea what was going on (in a good way)! There are some great twists and turns - it’s a real rollercoaster of a ride. May thanks to Pigeonhole and Katherine Faulkner for the opportunity of reading and commenting online with other readers and also thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park starts with a bang and just keeps giving until the end! From the very first page, there are so many questions and so much going on and I had to find the answers. The short chapters also help to make the pace relentless.

The chapters are written from several different perspectives and I think this adds to the sense that there is lots happening. It sometimes meant that I found it a little difficult to keep up! I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable, but they are well constructed and they did get under my skin.

The novel is well plotted and I thought it was really clever how the author sprinkled lots of little clues in the text to point us in the right direction. I never did guess though and the twists and turns kept me intrigued until the end!

Possibly one of the best final lines of a book ever! With the tension of the story and the last few chapters in particular turning the screw, it was the perfect release. I left the book completely satiated. Greenwich Park starts quite slowly introducing us to the Haverstocks, a privileged family. Two pregnancies and a history of intertwined relationships: friends, lovers, partners, colleagues, siblings. Enter Rachel, the biggest nuisance ever. If the Haverstocks are unlikeable and unsympathetic characters, Rachel is doubly so. She latches on to poor Helen and worms herself into her family. What is she hiding? Who is the father of her baby? Where do all the fifties come from? What are the Haverstocks hiding from their past? What happened in the boat house. Helen's lovely ancestral home becomes a crumbling wreck, ostensibly being renovated but neatly mirroring her descent into confusion and loosening her grip on her marriage, her family, her pregnancy. Thank goodness for Katie, on the periphery of the family but a story seeker and the only one with Helen's best interests as a priority.

This is nothing short of an amazing debut novel. I did find it a slow start and it took a while to fully follow all the main characters. Having said it was a slow start once I was in there with the characters I cooud not put the book down at all.The twists abound throughout as more information is slowly fed to the reader. It is an excellent psychological thriller. Katherine Faulkner had from very early on identified Rachel as a person of great interest who had ulterior motives as her suspicious behaviour demonstrated that she was after somehing, but what? As the story progresses hints abound and gradually the confessions begin to unfold. The ending however is nothing short of genius with a totally unexpected twist right until the last sentence.
Loved this and cannot wait for more by this extremely talented writer.

The murky characters in this compelling story propel a plot filled with dark secrets which in turn drive the characters to compete, feel inadequate, control and manipulate people who are supposed to be close friends and members of their own family. There are liars and thieves acting in their own best interests.
Deep and dark secrets are alluded to, yet each person with the exception of Katie and Helen, seem to not be who they pretend to be. Investigative journalist Katie starts to discover information which exposes the true identity of Rachel, Helen’s new friend. At this point, many relationships, and lives begin to unravel. The dark secrets are revealed.
This is a twisty-turny psychological thriller with a difference.
Well done to Katherine Faulkner on a great attention grabbing book.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

Oh my god! Where do I start?!?
OK, firstly, when I got started on this book, I felt it suck me in, twist my mind and kill me with curiosity!
I thought of lots of possible ways that it was going to end and I did work it out at the beginning BUT then I changed my mind 100 times as there was always so much going on and so many twists and turns in it. The main character Helen got on my nerves as anyone like her would do with the things she did but that was the character and she was well written just like all the others. Fantastic story, highly impressed. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers and the author for the privilege to read this book for my honest opinion

Helen lives in a beautiful house in Greenwich with her successful architect husband, Daniel. Her brother, Rory lives across Greenwich Park in a similarly stunning house with his wife, Serena. The two couples are close friends after studying at Cambridge together, so much so that Rory and Daniel work together and the foursome regularly meet up. Helen, after multiple miscarriages and years of heartbreak is finally pregnant and is on maternity leave, having finished work early due to high blood pressure and being at risk of pre-eclampsia. She books places at a local ante-natal class which is being held upstairs at a local pub, for her, Daniel, Serena (who is also pregnant) and Rory, but Daniel gets held up at work and Serena sends a last minute text crying off. So when Rachel, a young, brash and overwhelming woman arrives late she makes a beeline for one of the spare seats next to Helen.

Rachel seems to cling to Helen, cutting her off from the other parents to be at the class. Her loud voice and inappropriate actions distance them from the well-to-do couples who want to keep their distance from a pregnant woman who both drinks and smokes. After the end of the class Helen hopes that’s the last she will see of Rachel, but when she bumps into her a day or so later she realises she won’t be that easy to get rid of. Soon, Rachel is everywhere Helen is and she somehow manages to ingratiate herself into Helen’s life.

This is a book of exceptional characterisation of this group of upper middle class people in their thirties, living in huge houses with beautiful décor and an Oxbridge education behind them. They leap from the pages; boorish Rory, glamorous Serena, quiet and bookish Daniel and too eager to please Helen are all living breathing people. Rachel in particular is incredibly well-written. She is one of those women, who we all have met, who you don’t really want to judge but end up raising an eyebrow at her antics nevertheless. There is always an edge of danger and threat when she is around.

Helen, unable to extricate herself finds Rachel taking over huge swathes of her life, turning up at her house unannounced, borrowing clothes and helping herself to food but with everybody in her life busy with work she needs a companion. Unfortunately for her, Rachel doesn’t really do boundaries and the lines between what is acceptable and not become increasingly blurred. Helen is a very weak woman who seems to have little agency over her life, things seem to happy to her and she wilfully ignores the huge, massive, red flags that something very bad is happening.

Although it is exceptionally written, I did have an issue with the depiction of women who were childfree. There were one or two comments that implied women without children were unable to discuss babies/had any knowledge of pregnancy etc. For example, there is an elderly neighbour who has never had children who “looked blank whenever I said anything about my pregnancy” which, to be honest, got my back up. It is such a lazy generalisation (and dare I say it, a little smug) to imply that not having children renders you mute around the subject. This isn’t the first time I have bumped into this issue in a book, and I dare say it will be the last, but I’m looking forward to a change in the narrative around this subject. It didn’t make me dislike the book but I did wince a little when I read it.

Saying that though, this is a really great thriller filled with tension and an ominous sense of foreboding. Faulkner does a great job at disorientating the reader, dropping hints and red herrings into the narrative to imply one thing whilst actually showing us something else entirely. It is an incredibly accomplished mystery which just oozes suspense, is wonderfully plotted and features quite possibly one of the most satisfying denouements I have ever read. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel due to its intricate and complex plotting which took me in directions I was not expecting. It’s also a whole heap of fun to read, I just had to know what happened next and was furiously trying to work out what was going on just under the surface. It is also nigh-on possible to review as it is one of those books where the slightest thing can be a spoiler, so what I will say is, grab yourself a copy and settled down to read a book which is most definitely unputdownable.

Helen is pregnant and attending her first antenatal class alone. She ends up chatting to another young woman on her own and soon finds she can't seem to escape her. Before long Rachel has moved in but theres something suspicious going on then Rachel disappears but what is really going on and how many secrets will be revealed.

Well that was quite a twisty tale. I could predict what happened to Rachel and where she was, I also figured out her killer but some of the other twists caught me out. The plot is steady but flows well. It jumps from different people which I like. The ending was good but the big showdown was a little short for me. It does get explained though. The very last scene was good though. The writing was well done and descriptive. A twist filled thriller.

Helen has it all....
Daniel is the perfect husband
Rory is the perfect brother
Serena is the perfect sister in law
And Rachel she is just a nightmare

This book is an amazing Thriller which has you guessing.
it has a good storyline, and characters you love and also hate.

As a debut novel this author should be commended it is a really good read

Helen has the perfect life, well the life that most people would want - perfect family, nearing the end of her pregnancy etc - and just like that, like the flick of a switch it completely changes. It becomes a nightmare. I love a good thriller and I could not put this book down, it had me hooked right from the get-go.

It was told in 3 different perspective, 1 of which we didn't know and really did keep me guessing. I honestly couldn't put this down. I binged it in 2 days - I haven't done that with a book in a while.

Definitely not the last book I'll read from Katherine. Thank you Netgalley and Katherine for allowing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Helen has the perfect life, living in a beautiful home with her husband, Daniel. She has a wonderful brother, Rory, and a fabulous sister-in-law, Serena. Helen is now pregnant with a longed-for baby. Everything is perfect. Until she meets Rachel, a single mother-to-be, at her first antenatal class. Then everything becomes a nightmare.

Wow! I could NOT put this book down! Amazing! I'm stunned this is a debut; I was on tenterhooks, feeling impatient and wanting to get to the end as soon as possible. I kept thinking I was certain where the story was going and a massive curveball would be thrown in, turning everything upside down again.

The story is told from three points of views: Helen, Serena, and an unknown person, which left me not knowing who to trust and meant it got to the point I didn't trust anyone in the end! Helen is a great character; extremely complex, and I didn't know whether to root for her or if she was the sort of person, in a real-life situation, I would keep at arm's length.

Definitely a page-turner and a standout of 2021. I look forward to reading more from Katherine Faulkner.

I really enjoyed this debut novel from Katherine Faulkner. The story is well written and tells the story from different peoples perspectives. It kept me guessing until nearly the end. I could easily see this adapted for a drama series.

Really well written but I found it too slow I'm afraid and as I didn't really like any of the characters I didn't care who did it!

Full of twists!

Helen is in the last stages of her much-wanted pregnancy. The home she inherited from her parents is upside down having major refurbishments, and her husband is busy with work commitments. So, when Helen meets Rachel at her ante-natal class it’s good for her to finally have a friend to share time with.

But at every corner Rachel is there – at the right time, the right place very conveniently! It’s all a bit too much too quickly, but that’s Rachel – who infiltrates more and more into Helen’s life, and becomes a regular fixture.
I don’t want to give too much away in my review, but as the story develops we start to question what Rachel’s motives are and who she really is.

I enjoyed this book by first time author Katherine Faulkner but found Helen’s reaction to Rachel a little light-hearted and wondered if someone really would put up with the behaviour of someone they had not long knew. I know I certainly wouldn’t! At times it did really grate on my nerves how Helen was letting herself be walked over and let her friendship take precedence over her marriage.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest unbiased review.

This is a fantastic debut novel from Katherine Faulkner. I love a good psychological thriller and this one was gripping and set at a good pace. I loved the setting: the beautiful big house, a leafy part of wealthy London, a thriving architectural company. However, we know immediately that things are going to go badly wrong some how from the introductory letter, sent from a prison.

Featuring lots of pregnant women, and slightly flaky/dubious male characters this is an original domestic thriller which starts off with an antenatal class and a tenuous budding friendship forged there. But who is Rachel? And why is she determined to become Helen's new best friend? I'm sure other readers will enjoy finding out as much as I did.

A carefully plotted thriller that gradually reveals its secrets. We know from the start that things are not going to turn out well for the privileged families in this story from a letter sent from prison sometime after the action in the story takes place.
Helen, Rory and Charlie are the children of a well known architect who died when his wife deliberately drove their car into a central reservation.
Helen, who now lives in her parents home with her partner, is expecting a child and at antenatal classes she meets Rachel who makes a point of befriending her. One night Rachel turns up unexpected on her doorstep claiming she’s been assaulted, Helen allows her to stay at her home although Helen doesn’t know the details of the assault.
Why does Rachel want to get close to Helen and has she previously met her brothers Rory and Charlie? Why is Helen receiving strange phone calls from a mortgage company. I shan’t introduce any spoilers but needless to say there is much misinformation and misdirection before the final reveal.

What a well written, absorbing, debut this is. Using the countdown of the last few weeks of Helen's pregnancy adds to the tension. As I read this title there were definite clues to be picked up along the way. Despite this there were still one or two surprises. The characters were well drawn - Helen was surrounded by thoughtless 'friends' and family and had a low opinion of herself, which came across well and made her someone to feel sorry for and yet she was a generous person with a conscience, which helped with the plot. Most of the other characters all had their own agenda.
Can't wait to read more by this author.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Katherine Faulkner/Bloomsbury Publishing for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Katherine Faulkner for the eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Greenwich Park is definitely a slow-burner. The tension builds throughout, and climaxes with a satisfying (unexpected) ending, but unfortunately I never felt completely gripped.

I couldn’t engage with, or warm to any of the (mostly pompous, pretentious) characters.
Helen - the main protagonist, is whiny and self-centred, with no backbone whatsoever, so I found it hard to muster up any sympathy for her.

Overall - a solid, well written debut novel. I liked it, I just didn’t love it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my first Katherine Faulkner book that I've read and O M G it was so good. Been in a bit of a book slump recently but this had characters galore, great storyline and characters to love & hate. Right to the final chapter it was a great read and would really recommend.

This is a clever thriller that is built up superbly. I could definitely see this being made into a BBC drama series in the same vein of Apple Tree Yard.

The name drew me in, being one of my favourite parts of London, the synopsis convinced me and it did not let me down.

Helen is about 30 weeks pregnant when we meet her, on maternity leave due to high blood pressure and after having had multiple miscarriages, is rightfully taking every precaution. After being stood up by her husband, brother and sister in law (also pregnant) for their first anti natal class, she meets Rachel, a strange girl, who seems wreckless from the start (alarm bell). She befriends Helen immediately, if not awkwardly. From that moment on the friendship will change Helen’s life for ever.

The story centres around 7 characters; 6 who are couples, 3 who are siblings; Helen and Daniel, Rory and Serena, Katie and Charlie, and of course Rachel. The story in the main is told by Helen and Katie, with smaller episodes from Serena, plus short exerts from an unknown voice. The tale unravels in the form of counting the weeks of Helen’s pregnancy which was a nice touch.

Helen’s vulnerability is there all the way through the book, this is played on by all of the other 6 at various levels. The story is steeped in wealth, elitism and entitlement.

The story is set up so well, although, you can see where it is heading, but you still aren’t quite sure how things fit together due to plenty little red herrings being sewn in there to keep you guessing.

For a debut novel, I was really impressed, I will definitely look this author out again in the future. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley who gave me this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. I give this 4.5/5 rounded up to 5.