Title:- Rewind
Author:- Catherine Ryan Howard
Date published:- September 5th 2019
No. of pages:- 359 pages
Genre:- Psychological Thriller
Rating:-
Plot:- 4/5 Writing:- 4/5
Overall rating:- 4/5
PLAY
Andrew, the manager of Shanamore Holiday Cottages, watches his only guest via a hidden camera in her room. One night the unthinkable happens: a shadowy figure emerges on-screen, kills her, and destroys the camera. But who is the murderer? How did they know about the camera? And how will Andrew live with himself?
PAUSE
Natalie wishes she’d stayed at home as soon as she arrives in the wintry isolation of Shanamore. There’s something creepy about the manager. She wants to leave, but she can’t-not until she’s found what she’s looking for …
REWIND
Psycho meets Fatal Attraction in this explosive story about a murder caught on camera. You’ve already missed the start. To get the full picture you must rewind the tape and play it through to the end, no matter how shocking …
The story starts with the manager of Shanamore Cottage, Andrew watches a tape on the TV. The tape is hidden in the guest’s room–the bedroom. Andrew sees a figure clad in black approaching towards the bed where the guest was sleeping. But soon Andrew sees the figure in black stabbing the guest numerous times until the guest dies. Then before the incident, we see an Instagram influencer, Natalie O’Connor checking in at Shanamore Cottage as she believed that her husband Mike has recently stayed in Shanamore Cottage with someone. A week later, her husband Mike reported her missing and the amateur journalist, Aubrey takes in the story as she investigates what really happened to Natalie O’Connor.
This was a very intense and fast paced story. I simply couldn’t put the book down. The story REWIND part talks about Natalie before her ultimate death, FAST FORWARD which involves Aubrey investigating Natalie’s disappearance. PLAY of course the overall of what happened at Shanamore Cottage and STOP is the end. There were some twists and turns and although the characters are not very interesting, dull in my opinion. I do like the concept of the story though. Andrew, the manager of Shanamore Cottage gave Norman Bates vibe and this is more like the Psycho meets Fatal Attraction. The descriptions of the Irish countryside made me feel like I was also in the small town of Irish countryside as well. I thought the last chapter of the book was unnecessary.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad thriller but not really the best thriller. Worth overall four stars.
Catherine Ryan Howard is an internationally bestselling crime writer from Cork, Ireland. Her debut novel, DISTRESS SIGNALS, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey/New Blood Dagger. THE LIAR’S GIRL (2018) was shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. REWIND (2019) was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year and is currently being developed for screen by Clerkenwell Films (Misfits, Lovesick, The End of the F***ing World.) THE NOTHING MAN was a no. 1 Irish Times bestseller and a no. 1 Kindle bestseller (UK) and was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year. Her latest novel, 56 DAYS, was published in August 2021. It is a thriller set in lockdown that Catherine wrote while she was in lockdown.
Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up
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