S. F. Prescott

A dark and twisty psychological thriller!

My latest book, UNRELIABLE NARRATOR, asks what you would do if you found your worst secret on the pages of a best-selling novel. It looks at the world of privilege and how some people get to tell their stories, whilst others don’t. It asks how far you’d go to protect your own narrative and if there’s ever one true version of events.

My 2020 novel, IMPERFECT WOMEN, is right now playing on Apple TV worldwide. It has been made into an eight part limited series staring Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara. And there’s a gorgeous tie-in jacket available now.

This isn’t my first Araminta Hall novel. I’m a huge fan of her work. I loved Imperfect Women, Our Kind of Cruelty, and One of the Good Guys. So, I was thrilled to receive a copy of her latest, Unreliable Narrator.

I devour psychological thrillers, and this book did an amazing job at keeping me guessing from the start. The structure was one of my favorite elements of the story, starting with Hope’s diary and switching to dual POV after the midpoint. It’s always nice to get some variety, especially with character-driven narratives. And when it comes to the characters (except DI Evans), they all felt like victims of author, Ambrose Glencourt, in his twisted games of manipulation, which he framed as part of his creative process for inspiration. The gaslighting was next level and I was gripped. The crime Hope was involved in kept replaying in my head as its validity, and her trauma/memory, were challenged throughout. The idea that memory cannot always be trusted was a strong theme, and I thought it was explored in such a dark way, along with power, privilege, and revenge.

My favorite chapter was the end, and it felt very satisfying after everything the protagonist had to fight for. The pacing was slow at times in the second half, but Hall’s voice was so compelling I kept turning the pages because I love her style and always trust her endings will leave nothing unanswered. I can’t wait to read her next book!

Synopsis:

It’s his story. But it’s her life.

When twenty-three-year-old Hope Jenkins arrives at the isolated, otherworldly Shadowlands estate, she’s certain her life is finally about to begin.

Hope is eager to spend her summer assisting the up-and-coming literary star Ambrose “Rosie” Glencourt, but at Shadowlands, art and danger blur into one. Rosie and his enigmatic wife, Delia, preside over a circle of glittering guests with morals as questionable as their wealth. Hope is transfixed—by their beauty, their brilliance, and by Tom, the elusive young man who resides on the sprawling property and has captured Hope’s heart for the very first time. Hope quickly realizes she’s willing to do anything to secure her place among them—even if it ends in fatal disaster.

Ten years later, Hope lives in self-imposed exile. She has no family, no friends, and no future . . .until she opens Rosie’s runaway bestseller and discovers it’s an almost exact retelling of her story: the work, the sex, and the gunshot that ended it all. It is everything Hope swore to keep hidden, dragged out onto center stage. But this time, Hope isn’t going to stay quiet.