The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker by Kerry Wilkinson is the sort of book that a reader like myself that enjoys many different genres craves. Even the author admits this one is tough to put into a genre as it’s a bit different for sure. I suppose I’d best describe this one as a young adult supernatural thriller that should appeal to many readers.

The story begins with seventeen year old Eleanor Parker waking up beside the river with no real memory of how she came to be there. As Ellie heads home and begins trying to piece together what happened to her she notices a lot of changes in herself. The feeling of being cold just won’t go away, food doesn’t seem to taste the same and she doesn’t smell the familiar scents around her. Ellie is quite certain that she died last night.

What is one to do when they are sure that someone must have killed them? Find the person responsible of course. With Ellie not knowing who to trust she steps back into her life and begins to investigate starting with the fact her brother’s girlfriend had been murdered the year before in the same river so she needs to know if there’s a connection.

After several books from the thriller camp not quite being overly thrilling The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker was a breathe of fresh air. I had a feeling going in though that I would like this one having read Kerry Wilkinson before but that was a straight up thriller and finding this one included so much was quite fun. In a way a character investigating their own death feels a bit cozy mysteryish without the laughs you might expect but whatever you want to call this one I found it very engaging and urge folks to give it a shot.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

An unusual blend of paranormal and thriller genres, this is a Young Adult book with more than enough bite to appeal to the wider market. The striking cover is definitely eye-catching , and really fits the book, making sense once you read the first couple of chapters.
Eleanor Parker comes to in a shallow river, cold and alone, and with no memory of how she got there in the early hours of the morning. Unable to figure it out, she heads for home, hoping to use social media to piece together the events of the night before. She soon finds out she has a bigger problem than she thought, she may not be entirely alive, and of course her thoughts immediately turn to identifying who may have wanted to kill her. There are a few potential suspects, and the fact that she is not the first girl to drown in that river suggests that something more sinister may well be afoot.
A clever and well crafted thriller, with clues and red herrings liberally sprinkled about, and a persuasive list of potential suspects, this book will definitely keep the reader guessing. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, the blend of mystery and paranormal is well handled, and cleverly balanced, the paranormal aspect is not allowed to overbalance or detract from the mystery , instead adding an interesting extra dimension to the story.. The pacing is very good, the book is a definite page turner, but at the same time the characters are allowed to grow and develop in interesting ways.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

This is my first Kerry Wilkinson book but it won't be my last. The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker was a fast paced thrill ride from beginning to end. I was immediately pulled in to the story, and love every second of this story. I had no idea what was going with Eleanor nor did I have an inkling who was killer. I loved the build up of the story, and the focus it placed on family. The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is intense, thrilling and hell of a ride.

Firstly, I am a big fan of this author and have been since the early days when he still self-published. I have read and loved all of his Jessica Daniel and Andrew Hunter series as well as his impressive back catalogue of stand alones. There is something about the way he writes, how he defines his characters, how he includes some great banter, humour and internal dialogue, all just hits home for me whatever the story he tells around them. With this book we also get an added supernatural element cleverly woven into the mix.
Eleanor Parker wakes up in the river in the wee small hours. She remembers some of the previous night but she has big gaps; how did she end up there? Picking herself up, she returns home, desperately trying to piece together the details of her movements the night before. She is more concerned however that her skin looks a bit grey and she has no appetite for food or fluid. And then there are the bruises, and the missing shoes. What could have happened? She is especially concerned with the fact that it is almost a year to the day since another girl, Sarah, was drowned at the same place. Sarah was her brother Ollie's girlfriend and, although he was questioned about her death, no charges have even been brought neither against him nor anyone else. Could what happened to Eleanor be linked with what happened to Sarah? And, if so, does Eleanor hold the key to getting justice once and for all? And then, another girl goes missing...
This was the best twisty turny plot which I avidly followed, desperate to get to the end. As with a few of this author's other books, this one did rely a bit on my trust in him to keep going. It did get a bit weird at times but I have never been let down before so I ploughed on. And I was rewarded with an ending that, wow, where did that come from!
As with all his books, here the author has provided the reader with a great cast of characters. Eleanor herself, her best friend Naomi, and both their respective boyfriends, brother Ollie, and the strange boy at the diner to name but a few. What a great place that diner was by the way - I want to go there and revisit my musical youth! But I digress... There are also the cool girls from school - The Ravens - and a bunch of adults, namely Eleanor's mother and her cop boyfriend. All of whom had their parts to play in the story and they managed them all very well.
I do love an unreliable narrator who is trying to solve a crime made against them; no spoiler, it's in the blurb. A bit of missing memory here, a false one there. All adds to the overall intrigue to be found in the best crime fiction. Specifically, I love how that can make the connection between reader and character stronger, as was the case here. I took to Eleanor almost immediately and, alongside her, I really need to know what had happened to her. Mostly just her but, as things went on, also what happened a year past. As for how her "behaviour" during that week is concerned, well, I can't explain exactly my feelings about that, just that, for me anyway, it really worked, especially how it ended. To understand what I mean, you'll have to read the book, I'm giving no spoilers here. I can understand how, for some, it wouldn't but, like I said, I have a track record with this author and I know that, occasionally, he does like to mix things up to keep his writing fresh and here, he has achieved just this, and very well indeed.
And the ending when it came was brilliant. Although I had that person on my list, along with a few others, I hadn't managed to completely narrow it down before it was revealed so, yeah, well done for that!
All in all, a cracking read to add to an already impressive back catalogue. If your reading this, Mr Wilkinson, can I put in my bid for more Andrew Hunter soon... and more Jessica, well, just more anything really!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kerry Wilkinson and Bookouture for my ARC of The Death & Life of Eleanor Parker. 
I've really been enjoying Kerry Wilkinson's stand-alone novels and this one was a great read. It's a little different to his usual style in that I think it skirts the edge of being YA while also still being a crime/thriller novel.
Eleanor wakes up in the early hours of the morning to find herself in the river on the edge of her village. She's freezing cold and wet and has no recollection of how she got there. All she knows is that now she's grey coloured, can't feel pain or touch, and her sense of smell has gone. Did she die in the river and how is she still here if she did? Who would want to kill a 17 year old girl with no enemies beyond the local mean girls and is it the same person who killed Ellie's brother's girlfriend last year?

As Ellie begins her own investigations the people in town continue to suspect her brother, the mean girls continue to bitch and everyone around her becomes a suspect in her eyes.

I found this story to be really interesting, I've not read anything written in this style or using this particular technique before and I really liked how different and intriguing it was. I liked Eleanor's character and I enjoyed reading about her suspicions and following the leads she came up with. The ending was a complete shocker to me I really didn't have it figured out at all!

I had high expectations going into the book because of the good reviews and the plot sounded interesting however i am disappointed. First, because i predicted who the murderer was early on and second the book was just boring and full of what felt like filler chapters. I did like the main character but most of what she did was just dead ends and I did feel the book was a weird mix of different genres that did not really go together. 

2/5

It wasn’t as suspenseful as I expected and I didn’t get everything, but still enjoyable!! I couldn’t guess the ending :P

The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is hard to categorize. It's part mystery, part suspense, part coming of age YA novel and part supernatural. Despite the seemingly mismatched themes, this book really worked for me.

It hooks you immediately when you are introduced to the main character, Eleanor, after she wakes up the morning she's been killed. Eleanor has no memory of the event and she spends the book trying to figure out what happened to her and whether or not it is connected to the murder of her older brother Ollie's girlfriend a year prior.

My main issue with this book is that the ending felt rushed to me. It wasn't a surprise to me to find out who was behind the death of Eleanor and the disappearances of the other girls but that's only because it seemed deliberate that it would be the last person you would suspect so of course, then I suspected that person. Since it was such a 'left field' kind of person there was a lot of exposition explaining their logic and why they did what they did. The reasoning behind their actions felt a little awkward and unbelievable to me.

That being said, I still enjoyed this read and will definitely pick up another book by Kerry Wilkinson in the future.

I received this ARC as a courtesy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and the Author for a copy of this book.

I really liked it and when I put it down I wanted to pick right back up again (always a sign of a good book in my opinion)!

Eleanor wakes up in the local village pond after a night out with bruising around her neck but is she alive or dead?

Ok, so I may have figured out who is kidnapping and killing local girls in the village a bit early but it didn't deter me from following Eleanor as she tries to piece together the night of her death, or find the killer of her brothers' girlfriend from the year before.

Good summer read - if you like this kind of thing for summer reading!

3.5-4 stars.
This was a good book, with well written areas, although at times it felt to be a bit slow. I did enjoy the premise of the story and thought that their were some good twists and turns, but definitely knew that the target audience was teens or young adult. I do think those who enjoy the thrillers that are written for a bit younger age would greatly enjoy this book. I will definitely read more by this author and be recommending this week in Chapter Chatter Pub!

Where to start? As a huge fan of the author’s Jessica Daniel series I always wonder if I will like his standalone novels, I’ve not yet been disappointed and this was no exception. That said this is totally different to any other of his books. I am not a fan of supernatural books and this at times has a feel of one, as the main character thinks she might be dead. Also from time to time I felt it was more a young persons book than an adult book. However this is a great read. It was a bit of a slow start for me but it gained my interest and held it and there is a cracking great plot twist. Never ever would I have guessed who the culprit was

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read 'The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker’ written by Kerry Wilkinson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Ellie wakes up in a river at 4.30am with bruises on her chest matching the shape of a hand where someone has been pushing her under, but she can’t remember what happened. Ellie returns home where she dresses with layers of clothing as she feels very cold, she’s unable to sleep, isn’t hungry, and has no feeling. She thinks she’s dead despite everyone being able to see her. As her brother Ollie’s girlfriend Sarah died at the same place in the river a year ago to the day, is the same person responsible for attacking Ellie?
This is an unusual novel, spooky with a supernatural atmosphere, and although I feel it would be better classed as Teen rather than Adult fiction, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It’s different to thrillers Kerry Wilkinson normally writes, and yet it has interesting characters that are out of the ordinary, a clever plot and a dramatic twist at the end that came as a surprise. ‘The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker’ is well worth reading.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

From reading the book's synopsis on Netgalley, I pretty much hit the request button instantly. This is pitched as a perfect book for fans of We Were Liars, Looking for Alaska and the TV show Riverdale. Well, I'm a fan of all three of them so that bold claim, coupled with the very intriguing premise, I really thought that I would love this one. That I did, to some extent.

Eleanor Parker, or Ellie, is our main character here. She has been through a lot, with people gossiping about her brother, not being able to eat or sleep, having no recollection of what happened to her, and not to mention that the person who tried to drown her was still out there. But she is just really dull for me. It's kinda hard to sympathize with the character when she lacks emotions and just goes on about stuff that I couldn't care less about. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike her. I just couldn't bring myself to care much for her.

There were also certain times in the book that, for me, felt like dragging. You know what I mean? Like, even though I kept reading, I kept wondering where the fun bits were.

Anyway, what I loved about this book though was the unpredictability. You know me, I try hard to act like Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew whenever I read or watch mysteries. I over-analyze each situation, thinking that it may be a clue to be one step closer in uncovering who the culprit is. But this book. I did not expect the plot twist here.

Overall, The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker was a fun read. Although I wasn't really biting my nails for the mystery in this one, I sure was blown away by the plot twist.

A very brilliant and entertaining thriller. It's fast paced, full of twists and turns and you're hooked since the first pages.
The plot is solid and kept guessing till the end.
I never read anything by Kerry Wilkinson and this was a very pleasant surprise.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC

Where to start with The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker? Where better than the cover and the title? The cover is very striking with the contrast between the leaves and the earth. And that title....such a twist on the established phrase and so fitting for this book!

I've only read one of Kerry Wilkinson's books before but I really enjoyed it so I was intrigued when I read the blurb to The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker. I was totally intrigued why Ellie was still alive and how she could possibly be linked to a death a year previous. Being a teenager is hard enough without being dead!

Mr Wilkinson definitely played his cards close to his chest when he wrote this. Even at half way through, I couldn't settle on a suspect. Everyone close to Ellie had a motive even if Ellie was finding these things out as she went along. Memory loss must be a pain when you're trying to solve your own murder!

I found this rather an addictive read, it helped me escape the real world which had its own problems. Shadowing Ellie as she solved the problems in her life totally captured my imagination. I could see this as a drama on TV, similar to the epic Pretty Little Liars....but not quite as long.

It's murder mystery with a difference, a touch of the paranormal. If you don't like anything of that ilk, I wouldn't suggest you read this. But if you keep an open mind, this is a cracking read. It may be a YA book but this not so young adult really enjoyed it. The YA label is such a wide-ranging genre, it can cover variety of topics so if you're attracted to the blurb but put off by the label, give it a try; you might be surprised!

This is the story about how Eleanor Parker ended up dead in the river. I did not know where this book was going and as much as I tried I could not work it out. This book was well written , easy to read. and descriptive, I thought it was a bit too descriptive at times and much too wordy, however I did enjoy the book a very good whodunnit with a twisted ending. I recommend you read this book.

This is my first Kerry Wilkinson novel, and WOW! This book had me hooked from page one. It is a psychological thriller,that says it all. I didn't expect any of the twists and turns in this book. I couldn't predict where the story would go, I would make a guess and within a chapter or two it would blow my mind. It's a quick read, but totally enthralling. I definitely will be checking out more of her books! THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR PROVIDING THIS ARC FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!

this book is so unique and so original and just funky enough to be a goodreads favorite and i’m so mad that it’s only coming out on kindle because it honestly deserves to be in the NYT bestseller’s list with a huge promo following and book tours and stuff and it deserves to have twitter and goodreads hype behind it and for the hardcover to be sold out in every barnes & noble in the continent. THAT’S how good The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker is.

and then again i think maybe just probably i might have a thing for necromancy as a subgenre. MAYBE.

this book follows—you guessed it—Eleanor Parker. Eleanor wakes up after a night of partying with some friends to find out that she died the night before, almost exactly a year apart from another girl, Sarah, who was killed in the exact same place as Eleanor. even though she knows for a fact that she’s dead—she’s lost her sense of taste, smell and touch, she’s not hungry, she’s not tired, she’s always cold and her fingers are starting to decompose a little—she’s strangely been given another chance at life, so she makes it her mission to find out who murdered her, and if whoever murdered her was also Sarah’s murderer.

so despite the fact that the plot is pretty heavily loaded, (investigating your own murder??!?!??!) this is surprisingly a character driven book, which i personally really liked because the characters were all honestly very compelling and flawlessly fleshed out. i do like me some well developed characters. Eleanor herself never felt like a tedious POV character. she was easy to follow and, for a book written in first person, she was surprisingly not whiny or annoying or boring or dumb, and i hate myself for saying this, but first person POV’s are like that most times and this book wasn’t like that at all. anyway, i loved Eleanor and i especially loved her mom and her brother. the rest of the characters were great, 10/10 would recommend.

this book was equal parts YA contemporary and murder mystery/thriller. (there was also surprisingly a teeny-tiny bit of sci-fi there right at the end and a lowkey religious vibe throughout, especially during some scenes where Eleanor’s talking about belief, and then again with that strange guardian angel thing near the climax of the book.) ANYWAY, i was kept completely at the edge of my seat all through the book and, dare i say, the twist at the end was very unexpected!! kerry wilkinson obviously has some experience in the mystery/thriller field, but i do like books that can take me by surprise in a non-outrageous way and still be completely in tune with the characters and general tone of the book.

ANYWAY so like i said before this book deserves to be a NYT bestseller and you can quote me on that later. even though it took me a really long time to get through because i didn’t have much time to read during the week, i was still holding onto my chest in shock every time i picked it back up because it was SO GOOD. gotta blast.

ALL THE STARS! 5 across the board!
Wow. I wasn't sure where this plot was heading at all through the entire book which made it that more intriguing and mysterious and thrilling. I was getting "Riverdale", "Twin Peaks", "The Lovely Bones" and "The Sixth Sense" vibes from the very beginning.
Kerry Wilkinson has done a really phenomenal job of NOT making this a cheesy horror/slasher/ghost plot which it could have easily become.
Instead, the writing is beautiful and somewhat poetic. The scenes, the feelings, the emotions were so full of emotion. The scenes at the river i could picture so vividly because of how well Mr. Wilkinson described them.
I realized at about 55% through what the author was trying to do with the main character and it made the plot even that much more addicting. I couldn't put this book down. And yes, what I thought, was what it was and it was so real and so believable, to me anyway.
And OMG the ending! WHOA! That was a huge "What the what??!!" moment!

This book comes out Jul 26 - I can't say enough good things about it.

Thank you to the Publisher and the author and #NetGalley for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!!!!

You should read this if:
-You like books by E. Lockhart, because I feel like We Were Liars is a decent enough comparison.
-If you’re cool with some paranormal elements.
-If, unlike me, you’re actually a Young Adult.

Eleanor Parker wakes up dead with no memory of how she got there. Inconvenient, but she’s still walking, talking, and is mostly corporeal, so off we go on a journey to figure out who left her drowned in a river. It happens to be the same river where a body of her classmate was found one year ago -- a crime that remains unsolved.

The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker definitely felt as if you were reading a YA book (which is valid, because it is a YA book). As an adult, the book felt lacking in areas of character development and intrigue. The plot rolled out quite slowly in the beginning, and failed to ever really rope me in. The amnesia plot device was a little too convenient for me, and I wasn’t thrilled with the ending.

Here’s what good: our protagonist, Eleanor Parker, has some of the witty charm of a Veronica Mars type. Kerry Wilkinson writes clever prose, and it’s a quick enough read that it certainly didn’t feel like a terrible use of my time.