I have previously read The Widow and The Lodger by Valerie Keogh and was excited to read another of her books – The Librarian – which is her latest release.
We first meet 29-year-old Ava Warrington when she is babysitting for her sister Judy and her husband Harris’s children – their son Cody and daughter Melissa. The next day, Ava is talking to her friend Poppy about how often her sister takes advantage of her and Poppy tells her she must start to say no. We discover the same is happening at work. Ava is head librarian at the Tate Modern.
When Ava and Poppy go to a restaurant together, Ava feels ill and leaves early, but is asked to go for a drink with a handsome stranger. Recalling her discussion with Poppy about being a pushover, she repeatedly tells him no, she doesn’t want to. As she walks away from him, he warns her “You’ll be sorry.”
Following this, strange things keep happening to Ava and she wonders if Bistro Man (as she calls him) is behind it all…
The start of the novel immediately draws you in and you feel Ava’s anxiety and tension. When you read that something happened a decade before at University, involving a man called Simon Loder, it is intriguing and you want to find out more about this secret Ava is carrying.
There’s a constant kind of tension and unease about the story, which makes you feel unsettled. It keeps you reading to find out what is happening and find the answers to all the many questions. I really felt sorry for Ava and wanted her to have a happy ending, but also knew she was keeping secrets of her own which would have to come out sometime too…
BLURB
The Librarian
Since that fateful night I have always kept myself to myself. Reserved. Private. Alone.
Some people think I am too quiet. That life is passing me by. But I know there is safety in my own company. That no one can hurt me if I don’t let them get too close.
Until the day I meet him. A handsome, charming stranger. A chance for me to take a risk…finally?
Or a man who threatens everything I’ve worked so hard for?
You’ll be sorry…
And that’s when my whole life begins to fall apart….
Don’t miss the brand new thriller by Valerie Keogh! Perfect for fans of Sue Watson, Shalini Boland and K.L. Slater.
Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3XwIaWF
Author Bio –
Valerie Keogh is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and crime series, most recently published by Bloodhound. She originally comes from Dublin but now livesin Wiltshire and worked as a nurse for many years. Her first thriller for Boldwood will be published in August 2022.
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