I absolutely devoured this book in two days as I simply had to know what would happen and what really happened in the past. The mystery is incredibly intriguing, as is the family's backstory. Flynn Berry is quickly becoming a must-read author and I can't wait to see what she writes next. My only small quibble with this book was the structure where it jumped around between time periods and perspectives. There was no indicator at the beginning of each chapter to tell the reader what time period we were in, so there were always a few seconds of trying to figure out the setting and the age of the characters before jumping in to the rest of the chapter. Other than that, I loved this book and would definitely recommend.

Unputdownable! Thoroughly engrossing and all the more so as it was based on an actual true story. Definitely recommend!!

Loved this book, even when I was not reading it I kept thinking about it and couldn’t wait to pick it up again and I finished it in a day. Would definitely recommend to others and can’t wait to read other titles from this author.

Highly recommend!!

This book is a fanatical, psychologically intense book about obsession. Claire has been preoccupied most of her life with her father's disappearance after supposedly trying to kill her mother when she was just a child. She wants the truth and nothing is going to stop her from finding out if the man she loved and was well thought of in the community could do this kind of thing. It will take her on a journey where what she seeks hits her full force.

Well written, but lapsing in some places it does conclude with a thrilling ending.

Expected release date, July 31, 2018.

This mystery kept me thinking and turning pages for the first half of the book; a young woman continuously searches for clues to her father's existence, the father who murdered her nanny and violently attacked her mother while both children were in the home. Claire is a well-educated doctor who loves her drug-addicted brother and seems to be mildly interested in helping her patients, yet she is obsessed with the idea of finding her father, the only sitting Lord accused of murder, who fled the country years ago. Unfortunately the plot line takes a turn towards the implausible and ridiculous side of things in the last half and at times the constant switching of time periods is hard to follow needing smoother segues. And honestly, the last twenty percent just seemed rushed, as if the author just didn't care about a thoughtful conclusion or was not sure how to wrap it up creatively yet thoughtfully - very disappointing. Thanks to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Viking for the ARC. Unfortunately, this was not for me. I felt as if I was in a bumper car being hastily jerked back and forth. A lot of the time I found myself questioning, wait, who is this person? Did I miss something? What is going on? Possibly only to realize the narrators were switching? I’m not sure. To be honest, the copy I received sent to my Kindle very sloppily. There were pages half cut, the title and author randomly written in bold in the middle of a sentence, odd paragraph spacing, it was very messy. I hope that was what made me so confused and not just the book itself, because this was one I had really wanted to enjoy. Maybe next time.

This was a three star for me. I can't figure out what didn't click. It was fast paced but I guess I had figured it out well before half way through. Thanks to Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you for this ARC!

This was a very slow burning, intense read! One woman's journey to solving a mystery from her childhood which will transport you all through Europe.

Honestly, the ending was a little flat compared to the leading up of the climax. Still enjoyed it and do recommend!

A Double Life by Flynn Berry was a fast paced, exciting read. Fans of her first novel, In The Harrow, will definitely enjoy this one! Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“A Double Life” by Flynn Berry is a page turning mystery based on a true crime story. Claire is a London doctor who has been living with a big secret. As a child, her father killed their nanny and badly injured her mother and then disappeared. His reappearance opens up the case and there’s many twists and turns that you won’t want to miss.
This was a quick, enjoyable thriller. Thanks to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy.

Flynn Berry’s debut novel Under the Harrow was one of the more pleasant reading surprises I’ve had this year; I felt like I’d found a hidden gem that ticked all of my thriller boxes (atmospheric, dark, is more of a character study than a fast-paced page-turner). A Double Life just reinforced my appreciation of Berry’s style. I can see where her books won’t work for all thriller lovers, but they really work for me.

Loosely based on the Lord Lucan case, A Double Life follows Claire, whose father murdered her nanny, beat her mother, and vanished without a trace when she was a child. Now Claire is a successful doctor in London, but each possible sighting of her father sends her into such a state of anxiety she finally decides to seek answers for herself.

A Double Life is first and foremost a psychologically driven character study, which examines class and privilege and the role that plays in the crime that was committed. This kind of reminded me of something like The Secret History or Social Creature or The Riot Club, but instead of telling the story from an insular perspective that indulges in the fantasy of living that kind of possibly elite life, it’s like if The Secret History had been narrated by Richard’s mother, or someone else who was close enough to touch that lifestyle without actually living it. Consequently it’s not quite as glitzy and glamorous as any of those other stories mentioned, but it gives us a protagonist who’s easy to relate to and root for. The plot is gripping as well, though it’s not particularly twisty – but that’s fine as Berry’s writing keeps you engaged throughout.

Overall I have to say that I did prefer Under the Harrow to A Double Life since the former had more to offer in the way of atmosphere with its setting in the English countryside, but I did really enjoy this as well. If you prefer your thrillers to be character-driven and lean a bit more toward the literary side of things, I’d highly recommend giving Flynn Berry a try.

Thank you to Netgalley, Viking, and Flynn Berry for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book intrigued me: Did a powerful, modern day British Lord and father of two murder the family's assistant, and attempt to murder his wife? And if he did then why, and how did he escape justice? These questions are the essence of the story and are ones which consume Claire's (said Lord's daughter) life.

We meet Claire at the very start of the tale and it is through her perspective that we learn of her parents' relationship and events that led to the actual murder and attempted murder. I appreciated Clair's insight but felt that it limited other characters development. as we never really get to know what they were thinking or feeling. And because I couldn't understand their thought processes I struggled connecting with many of them with the one exception of Clair's mom. She came across very clearly to me as a strong, independent, and insightful woman and I felt sad to learn what her fate was.

For me, this was a mystery built on the details and for Claire to do this a descriptive process was put into place. For this story is about Claire and her near obsession to find out the truth about that night and her father's role in it.. If you are a fan of a mystery that is more descriptive and character focused then this is the book for you. I find that I gravitate towards the more action filled mystery and so at times I find this to be a bit slow paced for my taste.

Having stated that, I still found that this book kept me engaged and interested in finding out what really happened all those years ago. The ending was well done and satisfied my what will happen next curiosity.

I received a review copy via NetGalley from Viking Books. I appreciate the opportunity but note that all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a really good mystery/thriller. It does not take long for you to get to the meat of the story and it is a very quick and intense read!

My thanks to netgalley and Penguin Group/Viking for this advanced readers copy.

I was given an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. This book was so very well written. It captivated me the entire time!

Pretty good read. I enjoyed it. Not too much of a surprise ending though. Pretty good read. I enjoyed it. Not too much of a surprise ending though.

3.5-4 stars. I did enjoy this book, a quick read, that kept me interested enough to want to know everything, but did feel it was written a bit confusing. I definitely will be recommending to those in Chapter Chatter Pub,

I so enjoy Flynn berry books. Short and sweet and perfect just perfect Thought this was an amazing second book. . So good. Enjoyed writing and characters and development so very much

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars. At 20% this was in danger of being a DNF for me but by 25% it got a little better, enough so to keep reading. I found the flashbacks to be presented in a very confusing way. I would be well into the flashback and just generally confused about what I was reading before I even realized it was a flashback. I also thought there were a lot of character names past and present to keep track of and that added to the confusion. At the end of the day, I just didn’t feel like there was much to this story. The father may have murdered the nanny and tried to murder the ex wife, he had possibly been spotted several times over the years after he disappeared, the daughter befriends someone who may have info and tries to find him and then there is a little bit left to the story after that. It was all pretty boring for me really. No big suspense and no real twists or turns. I think the premise was interesting, which is why I read it, but there wasn’t much behind it. The best thing about this book is that it was short.

I really enjoyed Under the Harrow by this same author and highly recommend it. I struggled a little with this one. It might be because I couldn't help seeing the connection to the Earl of Lucan.
(For details on the Earl of Lucan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bingham,_7th_Earl_of_Lucan)

It's a fascinating true crime story. In this case, though, I had a hard time connecting with the main character's drive to hunt down her father. To me, it seemed clear that he was guilty in some way from the very beginning, whether in committing the crime or simply organizing it. Understanding why--her motive for seeking him out--is understandable. But the reasoning behind the crime just didn't work for me. Again, it might be just me on this one as, like I said, I really enjoyed Under the Harrow.

This is an interesting story, but I didn't care for the way that it's written. There is nothing wrong with the writing itself, but there is too much detail for my taste. Claire's father murdered her nanny after confusing her with her Mom. Mom got away, but badly hurt. This destroyed Claire's life and her brother's, who was just a baby. She is now a doctor in her thirties and has spent decades expecting but fearing the day when her father is arrested. He is protected by his rich friends, so the police haven't been able to find him. Then again, he may be innocent. Claire will try to find him on her own. I was interested in all this, what happened in the past and what Claire is doing to find him. Her brother's sad story was also compelling, but the novel failed to grab my attention completely. You know when you have to keep reading because you need to know what's going o happen? I didn't get to that point. Maybe it's the excessive details, including what all characters are wearing or eating, whether it matters to the plot or not, or what happens in Claire's life even if it's unrelated to the story (ie. the maladies and attitudes of her patients.) Other readers may like this style and they will enjoy this novel. I guess I'm easily distracted when there's not enough action.