Olivia is a memory expert and sadly her grandmother has dementia. One day she confesses to a murder that occurred just after the war. Olivia cannot believe it so she tries to find out the truth. Really interesting read well written and it keeps you guessing throughout.

Olivia Finn a memory expert returns to Paris when her grandmother makes a shocking confession. This confession brings in to question everything Olivia thought she knew about her family.

Whilst the storyline itself is gripping, the book was quite slow paced and repetitive in places. I did ultimately enjoy it but guessed the ending pretty early on and while this isn't necessarily a major problem I don't know if I feel the rest was exciting enough to make up for it.

I loved this book and couldn’t wait to find out what happened to the characters so read it as quick as I could. Part of the story was set in 1945 which I hadn’t realised when I requested the book and I found this part interesting. I didn’t guess the twist at the end which was a bonus. The only thing I didn’t like was that the relationship between Tom/Myles felt unfinished. A very good read otherwise. Thanks for my ARC.

I did enjoy this book, and definitely more than the author’s Anna O, but when I reflect back on it, there is a lot of downsides. There is a lot of repetition, how many times were we told by Olivia that Louis had saved her. I thought it was obvious from the beginning who the baddie was, so when we found out, it was an anti-climax. And it was a bit too convenient that the small number of characters played many roles (a mentor and therapist). The whole memory thing is core to the story, but it never went into it in convincing detail. I thought Olivia and Edward’s relationship was left unfinished, how did Olivia forgive Tom? And the Ingrid story was just left up in the air, I never understood why or how she died. Having said all that , the story did keep me engrossed till the end, it just left me feeling that somebody else would have written it sharper.

Absolutely wonderful book. Crossing the generations and always drawing back to WW2 and the enormous difficulties that people had to come to terms with. So happy to have read it thx

Not normally a fan of historical fiction, I decided to give this a go regardless and I am so glad I did! This is an intricate story that weaves through generations and changes the playing field at different points.

Dr Olivia Finn is a psychotherapist at Charing cross hospital; she is a memory expert at the memory unit trying to recover people memories who have mental health issues. She is also a mum to six-year-old TJ. They both live in London.
Whilst on the school run, she get a call from the police in Paris about her grandmother who once a famous artist now suffering from dementia. She is in the foyer of the Hotel Lutetia saying that she committed murder in 1945. The hotel resided survivors of the Holocaust in WW2 but in Room 11 they find someone murdered.
This is another cleverly written and atmospheric thriller set in Paris going back and forward in time, with several P.O. V’s and quite fast paced as I read it in 24 hours. I did enjoy this tale the mix of the historical and the modern-day tale. Maybe because I am a fan of both. I did read the authors previous novel Anna O and for me personally thought this was better. It did though take a lot to keep up with all the characters in this story, but I enjoyed it regardless. 4 stars from me.

I loved “Anna O” and was excited to read this novel.
I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as brilliant as the previous book.

The two story lines and the war time for French Jews was an interesting part, because I had no idea how it was in France back then.
The plot was surprising, and the concept of false memories and recovered memories was fascinating.

One thing I didn’t like about the book is that the main character could have been a successful strong woman, not a single mother. Her child added absolutely zero value to the story (in my opinion), and I think it’d have been better without him in it.

A very interesting premise for a book and the blurb had me hooked. Unfortunately for me the book didn't live up to it. It seemed very repetitive at times and the constant jumping from time period to time period had really started to get on my nerves by half way through the book. Olivia the main character is written as a very strong intelligent woman. However she seems very reliant on the opinions of the men in her life. All her internal conversations seem to revolve around what Tom and Louis and Kyle and Edward did to or with her. Not my favourite Matthew Blake book but I'm sure others will feel differently.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up. A murder mystery thriller that spans time from the horrors of WW2 concentration camps and The Resistance to modern day Paris. The little reveals from multiple characters, jumping back and forward from 1945 to the present give just up just enough secrets to keep the mystery alive to the end if the book. The only little detraction from the full five stars is the very final rounding up. Which seems like a hurried TV plot resolution with the villain of the piece. Thank you to Harper Collins, Harper Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I loved Anna O by Matthew Blake and if you did, I think you will love this too. It's part historical /ww2, part murder mystery, very engaging and the characters are a wonderful mix of ones you love to hate and ones you just love. The story is told from the pov of a psychotherapist Liv, who specializes in memory and recovered memories, and it is told in a dual timeline between the end of Occupied Paris in 1945 and the present Day. I found it a compelling and emotional read and highly recommend it.

I mean, Matthew's previous book Anna O was a revelation and he immediately became an author to watch, and so I was thrilled to receive this copy of his new one. He sure knows how to open a book with a bang. He hooks you in instantly and it doesn't let up for one minute.

It is a thriller, yes, but whist it's mainly set in the modern day it had a very strong historical novel feeling about it. There's also a bit of romance, there's crime and a detective, adventure - it's got a bit of everything.

Like I say, it's mostly set in the present day in Olivia's point-of-view. But we do get the odd flashback from 1945 from her grandmother Sophie's point-of-view. And we also get a couple of viewpoints from mysterious men, one of them who appears to be quite the troublemaker (understatement of the century).

I didn't realise it had such a connection to WW2. I admit, I requested an early copy of this book because of who the author was, assuming it was another traditional (but fabulous) thriller - which I read much of and love. But this has such a consciousness about it, such emotion, such heart an soul that adds an extra layer to the generic thriller.

It may be 400 pages but I read I in a day as I was so invested in the characters. They are all very well written. They're not always nice characters, and at times you are unsure who you can and should trust, but they do wonders for Olivia's storyline, as well as their own.

I've have loved a bit more set in the 1940s because I was obsessed with those scenes - perhaps a short story or novella is needed? Because I would read these scenes for ever.

I don't know what Matthew's background is, but this is the second book that revolves around someone with a memory issues - only this time it's down to dementia, and he's depicted it in such a sensitive way but without hiding the difficult elements of the illness.

Another cracker of a book and I cannot wait for what comes next - Matthew Blake will definitely be a go-to author going forward.

Moving between 1945 France and present day London an elderly women confesses to a war time murder and claims a different identity. It appears a case of dementia - or is it a case of manipulated memory? Set against the reality of the Holocaust, a gripping novel.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This is a story set in two different times as it crosses between Olivia and her grandmother. It is set in Paris and begins with a call to Olivia to say her grandmother has confessed to murder and is at a Paris hotel. Olivia embarks on a journey in more than one way, she follows the trail of her grandmother's crime that links back to 1945 and the mysteries and secrets that have been hidden for many years. This is an enthralling, entertaining tale and is engrossing and captivating.

If you enjoyed Anna O, you’ll love this. Whilst the subject matter is quite different, it has the same vibe and keeps the reader gripped as the mystery unfolds. In this novel we follow Olivia, a therapist specialising in memory and recalling lost memories from trauma.
It is set between modern day and Paris during WW2 and does a thorough job of painting the scene of both. Really evocative and informative too.
I’ll look forward to seeing what the author introduces us to in his next novel!

This is the story of Olivia and her grandmother. Olivia is a psychologist, living in London with her 6 year old son, who specialises in memory retrieval and her grandmother a famous French artist who lives in Paris. One day Olivia receives a call from the French police stating that her grandmother has been found in the foyer of a large and very posh hotel, (The Hotel Lutetia) staying that she committed a murder there back in 1945 and that she really has another identity. Olivia get straight on the train and heads to France, knowing that her grandmother has the start of dementia and she needs to be there to help.

The story then follows the events that occur after Olivia reaches France and her Grandmother, as Olivia then delves into the past and tries to unravel what is the truth and what are the lies, who her grandmother really is and what she has really done in the past.

The story delves deeply into the occupation of France during World War 2 and the fact that French citizens were sent to Auschwitz and there is some description of what happened to them there. but most of it is set in and around Paris and in the hotel where French concentration camp victims were brought to on their return to France.

The story is brilliant, fast paced and I was eager to read on and find out what Olivia's grandmother had done in her past. The characters were all really well written and likeable from the outset. I liked the fact that some of the story is based on true events that happened at the end of WW2 and these were integrated into the story beautifully. I had no idea what the outcome would be and how the story would end and so the ending was a bit of a surprise.

I read Anna O by this author in January and gave that 4 stars, so if you haven't yet discovered this author I highly recommend that you have a look.

A brilliant read. I really enjoyed it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I loved Matthew’s last book and was excited to read another. This was something I maybe wouldn’t have picked up off the shelf but I’m glad I got to read it. The story spans three timelines, modern day, a few years ago and at the end of World War Two. Olivia Finn is a memory expert working in London and parenting her small son. She receives a call one night from the police at one of Paris’s most fanous hotels saying that a lady is claiming to be her grandmother and has just confessed to a murder. Her Parisian grandmother is one of France’s most well known painters, her most popular work is hung in the hotel in which she now sits claiming to have stolen a woman’s identity and committed murder. Olivia travels to France, only for others to die in the present day. Olivia is in a race to find if her grandmother really has recovered memories (Olivia’s specialty) or suffering from dementia.

One thing that really stayed with me was the comment that everyone we access a memory we change it, we filter it and that memory is never a constant and reliable. I enjoyed the different time periods and the insight into post war Paris, some of which I had no idea. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This just didn't quite live up to my hopes after reading the authors first book, Anna O, which I loved.
The setting for the story was great. I could imagine myself there,but for me, something was missing,some characters felt underdeveloped, and it dragged in places.
If just didn't hit the mark for me,I hope others enjoy more.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the Arc.

I loved this from the start. Part historical fiction, part psychological thriller and part whodunnit

Matthew Blake spins a yarn as well as any spider spinning a web. Th characters all feel so real that you have an affinity for each of them that is then found to be undeserved. Without rewriting the blurb simply put, Olivia is called to Paris as her grandmother who is displaying symptoms of dementia, has confessed to a murder in 1945. On arriving in Paris things escalate very quickly and Olivia finds herself in danger and trying to decide who she trusts.

The book gathers pace throughout to a wonderful finish.