Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough #BookReview

When you think you’re safe,
YOU’RE NOT.

When you think the past is over,
IT ISN’T.

When you think you know someone,
YOU DON’T.

When you think you’ve guessed this twist,
YOU HAVEN’T.

One moment will change three women’s lives forever.

I’ve read a few domestic thrillers that really sucked lately, I’m pleased to say ‘Cross Her Heart’ was not one of them. It’s the utterly gripping, emotionally charged and believable story of three women whose lives are not what they make out. It uses the multiple narrator technique (which often I dislike) to good effect and has multiple twists and turns, a couple of which left me open mouthed with shock. To give much more of the plot away than that would spoil it, but there is a lot to enjoy here, although it should probably come with multiple trigger warnings.

The only disappointment for me is that it lacks the crazed mind-fuckery of the ending of Pinborough’s previous book ‘Behind Her Eyes’. ‘Cross Her Heart’ is in many ways a better book, the emotional side of things in particular is really well handled here, and it ends up feeling like a satisfying, mature thriller that wraps itself up very neatly in the final chapter. I worry though that the sheer brilliance of ‘Behind Her Eyes’ is something that Pinborough will struggle to achieve again, it’s certainly hard to see how one writer could pull such an audacious trick off twice, and that it will cast a shadow over her future work.

That’s something of a downer ending to this review, so let me turn it around again by saying it’s a great book and you should read it (and if you haven’t read ‘Behind Her Eyes’ read that too!)

4/5

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