Cover Image: And Then She Ran

And Then She Ran

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Member Reviews

Grace flees from New York with her baby, Lily, to hide in a remote area in Wales with her Aunt. This story follows the secrets and horrors of Grace, her Aunt and even her mother. The story explores family relationships within a tense mystery. Well written, a good pace with interesting characters. Add to that a few twists and turns. A good read.
Three and a half stars!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Karen Clarke/HQ Digital for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Publishing for the opportunity to read this advanced copy for my honest opinion.

"And Then She Ran" is a tense, high-stakes psychological thriller.

Grace is living in New York working as a chef when she starts a relationship she should not have started. When she becomes pregnant and becomes a mother, she decides to keep her and her baby safe to flee America and go to Wales to live with her aunt. Throughout this story, I was questioning what exactly she was running from and is Grace and her baby being followed, did the baby's father find them?

I highly recommend this book if you like fast paced thrilling stories.

This is the first book I have read by Author: Karen Clarke

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This was an addictive chilling read, i couldnt put it down, loved the twists. I thouht i had got the ending but no bam it went a different way and kept me guessing until the end...
Lots of emotion loved the characters they all played their part wll in th book.

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Grace struck a deal with the father of her baby, let her leave with their baby and she will keep what happened a secret forever. He agreed and then she ran... She thinks she's safe and hasn't been followed, but then she feels eyes watching her, sees headlights in the rear view mirror, and someone has cut the phone line. Has her baby's father found her and is making sure she keeps her word?

I really like this book. It was a nice, easy read. I definitely was not expecting the ending and all of the twists and turns it took. It's always nice when a book surprises me. It did have some slower parts, but it was an enjoyable book that I would absolutely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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And then She Ran...
Grace flees America with her tiny baby, leaving behind secrets that she promises to keep on the condition she gets to keep he baby.
What secrets is she keeping? Why is she so scared of her ex Patrick? Will her and Lily be safe with her Aunt Morag in a tiny Welsh village ?
An easy to read book, with a decent plot. Although I wasn’t surprised by any of the “twists” I did enjoy reading this.
Grace’s love for her child was obvious, as were her tension and panic.
Morag is an interesting character who you can’t help but like as are the secondary male characters
I would be interested to read more from this author as she has great potential
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

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Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Publishing for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

I would consider And Then She Ran I lighter mystery/ suspense novel. This story did also touch upon family dynamics/ family drama, which I did very much enjoy.

Grace is living in New York working as a chef when she starts a relationship she should not have started. When she becomes pregnant and becomes a mother, she decides to keep her and her baby safe to flee America and go to Wales to live with her aunt. Throughout this story, the reader is questioning what exactly she was running from and is Grace and her baby being followed, did the baby's father find them?

I really enjoyed the relationship between Grace and her aunt. Her aunt lived in a very isolated location and was very much self-reliant. I really enjoyed getting some back story of these women, and what affected them in their past.

Shortly after Grace arrives strange things start to happen; she finds an ominous note, the phone lines are cut, and she feels like she is being followed. What happened when she fled New York? Is Grace the only one that is hiding something? You can feel the despair and uneasiness that Grace has. Always looking over her shoulder to make sure that she and her baby are safe.

I did find this to be a quick, enjoyable read. I did wish there was more of an after, what happens next with these characters. If you are looking for something on the lighter side of suspense, this one may be for you!

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I really enjoyed the fast pace of this story, straight into the characters, turmoil, scenery, intrigue and thrills. A young woman fleeing from one continent to another with a very young baby, straight to a hidden cottage in the middle of the woods...to be with her estranged aunt. A perfect one sitting book that will captivate. Do not be put off by the “well, I saw that one coming” plot line, as there are others that creep up on you and make you reconsider what you have already read...
Most enjoyable, light enough to distract, but heavy enough to keep you turning the pages.
Thank you.

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Thank you Netgalley for this ARC copy.

When Grace grabs 8 week old daughter Lily and dashes from New York she hopes ex partner Patrick will finally let her go. With a fractious relationship with her mother her aunt's remote farmhouse in Wales seems to be the best place to disappear and she books herself onto the first flight. After a shaky start Grace and Aunt Morag start to find some common ground and rub along nicely. That is until unexplainable events begin to happen and Grace has the inexplicable notion that she is being watched and followed. Has Patrick broken his promise and coming looking for her? And what will happen when he finds her?

Although I guessed where this was going quite early on it still threw out some good twists and turns. As well as being a good suspense/psychological thriller it also tells three different tales of the power of a mothers love and the length they will go to to protect their children. Would definitely recommend.

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I couldn't put this one down! I don't know where to begin with this thriller thrill ride. Twists and turns, surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat. Karen Clarke knows how to keep readers engaged.

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Following the story of a woman and baby fleeing to seek safety, this novel slowly uncovers layer upon layer of secrets. After a promising start, the level of detail and repetition sadly begins to slow down the narrative rather than building suspense. There are moments of simmering intrigue and our patience is rewarded with a number of twists, some predictable but others less so. Unfortunately much of the background is not finally revealed until very near the end, when all of a sudden multiple revelations rush to be crammed in. But overall, a great story and original concept. This is my first novel by this author but I would be interested to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you NetGalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And Then She Ran follows Grace and her baby Lily fleeing New York. They go to stay with Grace’s aunt Morag in remote Wales, but Grace soon becomes aware of someone watching...

This book is well written and I was shocked by the twists towards the end, however it seemed very elongated. The reader spends a lot of time in Grace’s thoughts, worrying about Lily and being extremely paranoid, but annoyingly choosing to ignore physical signs of someone being in the house. It does start to feel repetitive and dragged out until the twists finally come over 75% of the way through.

I’m glad I stuck with it because it did become very interesting and at the end I was hooked and didn’t want to put the book down. I just wish it was more gripping from the start.

3.5

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Right away the book had me hooked, it was a quick start delving straight into the story. I was intrigued straight away! However I felt the middle dragged a bit, a lot of the same thing - mysterious things happening, someone following/watching, someone breaking in etc etc. But the end more than made up for it, with 3 twists!! All incredibly great. Although not all unpredictable, I had it a bit sussed out. Overall it was a really great read, if you love a twist this is the book for you. Brilliant.

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I found this book slightly slow to start then picked up a steady pace with the last few chapters being fast.

Having read many thrillers/suspense type stories I wasn’t overly surprised with the outcome but there were some red herrings on the way!

Overall I enjoyed it and found it an easy read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review #AndThenSheRan

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Another great psychological thriller from Karen Clarke. This one will keep you guessing until the very end.

Grace has fled New York with her eight week old daughter, Lily. She is trying to keep her baby safe but what is Grace running from ?

Grace travels to a remote Welsh village and stays with her reclusive Aunt Morag. They soon settle in to a little routine but Grace is still very reluctant to let Lily out of her sight, even if it is with Morag. Then Grace starts to feel as if someone is watching her and she then finds a note on her bed ‘Keep her close. Anything could happen’. Could this be Grace’s life in New York catching up with her ? Can Grace find out who is watching her before anything happens to herself or Lily ?

This is a great psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. The setting of this book is absolutely lovely and I really felt the characters came alive off the pages. This really is a great book with characters you will be backing all the way.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

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I’d like to thank HQ and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘And Then She Ran’ by Karen Clarke in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Grace and her eight-week-old daughter Lily are on a flight from New York to Heathrow en route to Fenbrith in Wales where they’re staying with her aunt Megan. Grace knows that Lily’s father Patrick will go to any lengths to track her down and take Lily back to New York and it’s not long before she becomes convinced someone’s watching her. Can Grace keep her daughter safe and make a new life for them?

‘And Then She Ran’ has an interesting plot with a few twists and turns but I found it a slow and fairly average read with a bit of mystery but very few thrills, although it became more interesting three-quarters of the way through. I would class it to be more women’s fiction about a woman hiding away with her baby in a remote cottage who doesn’t even think to forewarn her aunt when unusual events occur. I have no doubt that Ms Clarke is a more than capable author but I don’t think this novel does her justice.

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Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was easy to get straight into and flowed well. The plot was intriguing, which kept me gripped throughout. Each character had their own little mysterious history which provided endless twists and turns alongside the main story. The intensity grew gradually throughout the book, and then exploded during the last few chapters.

I loved all the twists and turns, and thought this was a great book.

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And Then She Ran by Karen Clarke is definitely a fast paced story with plenty of red herrings and twists along the way.
Grace and her baby Lily flee their family home in New York leaving husband Patrick. Grace and her 8 week old daughter find themselves in a cottage in Wales with Grace’s Aunt Morag.
Thinking she is somewhere Patrick will not find her initially Grace starts to relax until she finds the note.
You don’t find out why Grace leaves Patrick initially the full story is dotted in through the chapters. I felt like it took a while to really get the story going, in some parts I felt my concentration dwindling. The last 15-20% of the book really made sticking with it worth it. If you enjoy a slower paced book this one is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and the author for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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And Then She Ran is a tense, high-stakes psychological thriller novel.

The story focuses on Grace, a new mother on the run from her baby's father. Grace is forced to flee her home, leaving behind her friends, her job, and all reminders of her old life. Caring solely about protecting Lily, her baby, it isn't long before Grace finds out that you can't outrun everything.

This book is engaging and interesting, well-paced throughout. The full picture behind Grace's sudden flight gets slowly revealed during the story but there are plenty of twists and turns too. This makes for an unpredictable, heart-in-your-mouth story.

Grace and her aunt Morag make an unlikely pair, yet their relationship is charming to read about. Grace is used to a fast-paced lifestyle in a big city, whereas Morag has chosen a solitary, self-sufficient life in rural Wales. Despite their initial differences, though, it soon becomes clear that Grace and Morag are drawn together by more than just their family ties. This book is about bringing people together and strengthening bonds, as much as it is about fleeing to start anew.

This is a thriller novel but there are multiple themes running through the book. From mystery to romance, there's a little bit of everything in this story. It's enjoyable, easy-to-read, and definitely picks up the pace towards the end for a thrilling conclusion.

Although the premise is intriguing, certain elements of the story feel a little far-fetched and unrealistic for my liking. While it does succeed in creating a sense of danger, some of the events don't seem very true to life.

Despite this, And Then She Ran is a great page-turner with a unique premise.

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Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy.
I enjoyed this book at the beginning. There were lots of interesting characters, the setting was idilic and plenty of plot lines were set up.
However, I felt the pace in the second half slowed down somewhat. It seemed that the same things were happening again and again.
I was almost going to give it 3*s but the last part of the book really saved it for me.
Whilst most stories will give you one great plot twist, there were three at the end of this.
Two I had mostly guessed but the third one took me completely by surprise.
If you can keep with it, this has a good ending.

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The fist flew past Grace’s face and smashed into the wall behind her, flicking a switch in her head. Grace bundled her eight-week-old daughter into her carry cot, opened the door and ran.
Her life in New York faded into the background – she needed to keep her baby safe. She needed to get as far away from Patrick as possible.
Now, staying in a remote cottage in Wales, Grace is trying to start again. But she can’t shake the uneasy feeling that she’s been followed.
And then she finds a note. Left on her bed. A tiny scrap of paper with scrawl in bright red pen.
Keep her close. Anything could happen.
She’s been found. Patrick wants his baby back.
But Grace will do everything to stop him.

This is yet another book that I have enjoyed by the author. The book is a quick and easy read.

The book is a clever story and I was invested in the storyline, but I felt that the twists and turns of the book came in the last 80% of the book and this disappointed me a little.

However, I would still highly recommend this book and will look out for more by this author.

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