Was unable to read this book as the format was not good. The sentences keep repeating themselves but it sounds like a good book and may well buy it.

When Jim Maguire is released from prison for murder, he is pursued by his victim's sister.

Having very much enjoyed her debut novel 'The Lamplighters' I was keen to read this, the latest book by Emma Stonex, published this week. And a promising title and interesting cover, I thought.

It was a very good read, though not as sunny as the title might suggest. This is a thriller - a man accused of murdering the narrator's sister is being released from prison.

The story is of Birdie, a wife and mother, whose half-sister Providence was murdered 18 years previously by Jim Maguire.

Maguire is due to be released and Birdie leaves her husband and children in order to exact revenge. She has a gun and she intends to use it.

Birdie follows Maguire when he's picked up from prison and we follow both their thought processes in the subsequent hours and days. Will Birdie kill Maguire? Will Maguire ever admit to his crime? What really happened all those years ago?

It's a compelling story of loyalty and betrayal, guilt and revenge, truth and lies. What's more, the author says in her notes that she based her prison on a real place where a particular rehabilitation programme has been adopted. This adds another layer to a very interesting and thought-provoking thriller.

It's thought provoking that was emotional and about family dynamics. Follows 2 povs with one in the past and one in the present. I really enjoyed this book and its premise.

A great read - this is a fantastic pacy thriller, following a woman hell bent on revenge to avenge her murdered sister. Looking at how our childhoods affect us this is a great fast paced read

A quiet, powerful read.

After her sister’s murder, Birdie is set on revenge. When the man convicted, James Maguire, is released, she follows him, gun in hand. But as the story unfolds, we see both their pasts, full of pain, neglect, and lost chances.

Told from both perspectives, The Sunshine Man is a moving, thoughtful novel about grief, guilt, and whether people can truly change. Sad, slow-burning, and beautifully written.

Found this rather a slog to get through which was very disappointing. It's rather long and drawn out, telling the same story from the perspective of Bridget whose sister is murdered and the man accused who has just been released from jail.

Some aspects of the story are repetitive and I felt I'd had to read most of the book before anything major was revealed

I thought this was a great read but I didn't enjoy it as much as The Lamplighters. I listened to the audio and the narrators were brilliant.

Quite a long and drawn out read, it is gradually revealed why Bridget left her husband and children to resolve a personal issue. The other narrator is a man just out of gaol. Both points of view reveal a plot from different angles and across 20-30 years. Bridget was born in 1947, so I would guess in the 90's.. The book is dominated by Bridget's grief and Jimmy's neglect during childhood. Perhaps a little repetative and the plot is fairly slow moving up until the last couple of chapters. Afterwards I can say that I enjoyed the book, but had times when reading that I found it a slog to read.
Thanks to Net galley for the ARC

The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex is a stunning literary thriller that explores the raw edges of grief, guilt, and redemption. For those who loved The Lamplighters, this follow-up feels even more assured, sharper, bolder, and emotionally deeper.

The novel opens with a jolt: “The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other.” It’s a line that grabs you instantly, and Stonex doesn’t loosen her grip. The story follows Birdie Keller, whose life was shattered when her younger sister, Providence, was murdered. Eighteen years later, the man convicted of the crime, Jimmy Maguire, is released from prison. Birdie, convinced of his guilt and consumed by long-buried rage, sets out to exact her own justice.

While the premise might suggest a straight cat and mouse chase, The Sunshine Man is more layered than that. The narrative shifts between past and present, Birdie and Jimmy, gradually revealing the events leading up to the crime and the impact it had on everyone touched by it: Birdie, her grandmother, and Jimmy himself. Some readers may spot the twist coming, but its emotional resonance still lands with power.

Stonex’s prose is luminous and poetic. Her descriptions never overwhelm; instead, they elevate the emotional landscape, peeling back the characters’ defenses with elegance and empathy. What emerges is not just a thriller but a compassionate portrait of people shaped by tragedy, two damaged individuals circling the same grief, each with their own fractured truth.

This isn’t a story about simple justice. It’s about what happens when the truth is murky, when the past won’t stay buried, and when pain seeks resolution in unexpected ways. With its richly drawn characters, lyrical writing, and emotional depth, The Sunshine Man is a standout novel from an author in full command of her craft.

Highly recommended.

'The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other.'

With an opening line such as this, reminiscent of Orwell and Marquez, I'm already invested.

The book opens showing the mundane happy and typical life of a family in Wiltshire: the father getting ready for work, the children for school, having breakfast - yet that first sentence keeps jabbing. Then the news comes though that the man who murdered the narrator's young sister is being released from prison. There is a revenge killing already planned.

From here, the trail moves back to rural Devon, to the village,fields and moors, where the murderer and victim have been brought up. However, as this tale remains tense, the sense of a vengeful thriller morphs into a distressing vision of neglected children who yearn for love and connection yet only find abandonment and exploitation.

Beautifully written in a dual timeline (childhood and the present) from the perspective of the two central characters. Stonex's skill at picking out unique details is exceptional, making people and scenes memorable. The only negative point is that the swearing was blanked out, possibly because the text was reported script, perhaps, but it was distracting and spoilt the flow.

A powerful story, deeply psychological, demonstrating how perpetrator and victim are searching for the same things, such as belonging, compassion and justice. A very talented writer.

Thanks Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for ARC.
This hinges on the events of a lifetime ago - a young girl is brutally murdered and her half-sister Birdie grows up in the shadow of that awful event. When the convicted killer is due to be released, she is set on tracking him down and confronting him for purposes of her own. What elevates this from the average revenge journey/thriller is that the story is told from two perspectives from the outset and Jimmy tells his own story as well as he can. He's always asserted that he wasn't guilty, but it's complicated. Beautifully told and carefully placed this unfolds like an antique map to show the relationships between all the key players and the journeys they've taken to get to the final denouement.
Outstanding in every way.

A story split between Birdie and Jimmy. As Jimmy is released from prison, Birdie follows him determined to kill him. As she follows him they are both remembering her younger sister Providence. Birdie and Providence lived with their grandmother, they tried to help Jimmy as a child with devastating results.

I normally enjoy a dual narrative, a 1980s setting and a murder based mystery. There are some interesting themes about nature Vs nurture and whether 'evil' children are beyond hope, also about poverty and parent influence. Despite that however it's quite a bleak novel.

The opening line of this book will grip you from the start. It is very emotional, a story about a woman who follows a man after he is released from prison for killing her sister. Lots of strong language, written in two parts over different timelines. I was really looking forward to this and I wasn't disappointed

I enjoyed the dual aspect of reading both sides of the story- from James as he adjusts to leaving prison and getting to know his daughter and from Birdie as she seeks to find him. However for me the flow of the story was marred by the redacted swear words- represented by lines, in much of James dailogue. I think the story would have flowed better if the words were writtne in full, or left out altogther and a differnt way found to get the character of the man across to the reader.
The different timelines were skillfully written however and the insights into the childhoods of both characters lent weight to the actions in the present.

From a writer intent on telling both sides of the story comes this tale of revenge, loss and redemption. For years, Bridget has waited for the man responsible for killing her sister to be released, so that she can come to terms with the past.

James Maguire is now free. But for how long? This is a story that deals with some memorable themes, delivered in a haunting, elegiac tone. It will remain with you for a long time. It gets 3.5 stars.

“The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other…”

I don’t think it’s possible to read such a haunting opening line and not feel desperate to devour the rest of the book. I know I was powerless to resist, staying up until the wee hours in an anguished need to know the conclusion. Dark, unsettling, heart-stopping and thought-provoking, Emma Stonex had me in her thrall from the first page of this magnificent cat-and-mouse revenge thriller.

The story opens with Bridget describing her ordinary morning with her family before she sets out to kill James Maguire, the man convicted of murdering her sister, Providence, eighteen years earlier. The juxtaposition between her mundane actions and her murderous plan is striking, creating an overwhelming sense of dread that increases with every step she takes. The story then moves between timelines and narrators, following James as he adjusts to life outside prison, and Bridget as she travels towards him…

Exquisitely written and expertly choreographed, Stonex shows no signs of the dreaded ‘sophomore syndrome’ with this superb story. An unforgettable tale of murder, vengeance, love, family and redemption, this isn’t for the faint heart. Despite its sunny title, there are heavy topics on these pages, and while Stonex doesn’t shy away from their brutal truths, she also writes with compassion and sensitivity. It is powerful but also delicate, finding its strength in its layered gossamer threads. Stonex skillfully teases her reader by choosing not to reveal the full picture, exploring themes of memory, asking how much we can trust our recollections, and what we choose to forget; the truth lying in that space between what we know and what we think we do.

It’s easy to root for Bridget. To feel her anger and understand her need for revenge, even if it isn’t something we would do ourselves. It is harder to root for James, and it is in him that Stonex forces us to confront the humanity and shades of grey that exist even in those we want to villainise. It would be easy if it was black and white, if he was evil and Bridget was good. But by hearing his story he becomes human, we gain compassion and it is hard to blindly hate him. Providence is brought to life in the flashbacks, making her feel as vivid and three-dimensional, allowing the reader to connect with her. It gives us an emotional response to her death, a desire to know the truth and a wish to see justice served. And as we finally approach the night of her murder, Stonex moves between flashbacks and current events, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I awaited the big reveal and Bridget’s moment of vengeance. There’s a rising sense of dread that gets under your skin and makes your heart race. I couldn't have stopped reading at this point even if my house had been on fire.

The Sunshine Man is a masterpiece. A moving, nerve-shredding and addictive thriller that is impossible to forget. Read it now!

Great book. I recommend reading this one ASAP. Great storyline, kept me reading all night ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other." From this opening line the tension within the story is a constant undercurrent. It pushes the reader through a read that doesn't deliver at breakneck speed, but it does deliver. A perfect exploration of guilt and retribution, The Sunshine Man is a brilliantly written thought-provoking read.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillian for an early read.

A young girl Bridie is abandoned by her mother Mary and left in the care of her grandmother (Mrs D). A few years later Mary arrives with another baby Prudence and shortly after leaves and again leaves her mother in charge of the girls. .Bridie dotes on Prudence and looks after her for years.In the meantime Mrs D has been given a piano and Prudence becomes proficient in playing.
When she is about 13 Mrs D gives shelter to James , who comes from a tough background.He and Prudence become inseparable much to Bridies disgust.Eventually James is found guilty of her murder after she is found badly smashed up in a field near their home, although James blames his friend Floyd.
Whilst in prison James finds out he has a daughter, Donna, from a relationship he had with the daughter of a rich family.
18 years later he is released from prison, being collected by Donna , and Bridie leaves her husband and children to track him down for revenge for Prudence.
Jamie goes with Donna to find people from his past, his mother and brother , but eventually needs to go back to where Prudence was killed, where he is confronted by Bridie. An unexpected twist at the end.
Unfortunately although the story was good I found the writing style hard work to bond with , in particular the lines in vocabulary spoken by James signifying swear words ,in order to show the type of man he was.By the way I am no prude and think it would have been less annoying using the words themselves.

This book is phenomenal and I loved everything about it. The writing is superb, story, perspectives, and setting, I couldn’t put it down. Now I need to go and read The Lamplighters!