“[Barbara] makes the chilling and dark, the absurd and horrific into easy reading”
It seems hard to believe that I only came across Anne, of the wonderful blog, Being Anne, a little over a year ago. Ever since, she has been such an incredible cheerleader for both Invisible and Flowers For The Dead, and her support means so much to me. Not only does Anne run Being Anne, she is also an Amazon top 500 Reviewer, hosts a monthly book review slot on local community radio, Tempo FM in Wetherby, and also runs the local U3A Book Group. Anne’s first passion has always been reading, and since taking early retirement in 2014 she has really been able to indulge in it.
Knowing all this, it was a little nerve-wracking waiting to hear what she thought of Flowers For The Dead – and when I first read this review it made me burst into floods of tears. I stood in front of my partner, Paul, trying to read bits out to him, but could barely get the words out between sobs of joy!
Anne wrote: “There’s a small number of books that – in my eyes – set the standard for what I expect when I read a thriller. Definitely Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes. Most certainly Nearest Thing To Crazy by Elisabeth Forbes. Her by Harriet Lane and Paula Daly’s Just What Kind Of Mother Are You? maybe? But Barbara Copperthwaite’s Flowers For The Dead more than deserves to be included in that company – I found it mesmerising, terrifying, intriguing, very unsettling, totally compulsive and a fantastic read.
“That blurb tells you the story, but it really doesn’t wholly prepare you for Adam. He’s a monster – but one of the most attractive and likeable monsters I’ve ever encountered. You share his thoughts, you know what made him what he is, you know what he plans to do – but you can’t help being on his side. There’s a real discomfort in that, but it’s quite perfectly handled…” TO READ THE REVIEW IN FULL, PLEASE CLICK HERE
