When Liam Buckley left his wife Jenny and their two children for his lover, he had no idea that Jenny would be diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease shortly after. Known as the 1000 day disease due to the average time from diagnosis to death, Jenny is now nearing that figure. Outspoken about her desire to have the choice to end her own life when the time comes, Jenny nevertheless requires help around the house, and the two decide it would be best if Liam moved back in to help care for their children. But when Jenny is found dead with an empty syringe just two days after Liam moves back in, the finger of suspicion is pointed directly at Liam. Did jenny take her own life...or did Liam want to take back his own?

I loved the premise of this novel, and was interested to see how the author would tackle the controversial issue of euthanasia within the confines of a thriller, but it wasn't tackled at all really except for people repeatedly stipulating that Jenny wanted to be able to make that choice for herself.

The timeline was all over the map, which I found hard to get grips with. We start off just after Jenny has died, then there's lots of exposition and character introduction...and then out of nowhere we hear that Liam has been charged with the murder (though we don't actually see this take place, which I felt was a bit of a strange decision after the author had invested so much time developing the characters and the plot up to that point) and then we skip forward to the start of the trial, at which point we almost immediately skip back again to three days before Jenny's death. 

I do enjoy a split narrative but there were so many narrators in this one that it felt like overkill - Jenny, Liam, Abbie, Josh, Alex, Louise - not enough time was spent with any one of the characters to feel sufficiently interested or invested in them, and time is spent on each of them on various plots that have nothing to do with the main story, such as Louise's miscarriage, which just takes the reader away from the central storyline. It just felt unnecessary, especially as she then ended up being an almost redundant character and not the investigating officer she was initially billed as. I think the story would have been stronger with just two narrators, my attention felt like it was stretched a bit too thin. 

The dialogue could definitely have done with an edit as well -there was a lot of unnecessary conversation and repetition. There is one conversation in particular, after Alex and Louise have been to a yoga class, that is almost painfully dull. The story as a whole could have been fleshed out a lot more - a lot of it fell very flat, particularly in the second half of the book, which was very repetitive with a lot of scenes running on and on with very little happening other than a single point being laboured. 

Ultimately this one fell short for me. It was a very average thriller with cardboard characters, and one I'm not likely to remember. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

a very hard hitting and interesting read, this novel deals with a suffer of motor neurone disease and those around her

Highly recommended read

Her husband says it's suicide. The police say it's murder.

Liam Buckley was a married man with two teenage children when he moved out of the family home to start a new life with his lover. His wife Jennifer never forgave him, but now she needs him to come back: she's been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and the kids can't cope alone.

One day after Liam moves home, Jennifer is found dead. Liam thinks it's suicide. But the police, led by DS Louise Kennedy, are convinced it's murder.

Liam hires a retired detective to help prove his innocence, but it's no easy task. The children are distraught, and Jennifer's best friend, Sarah, is waging a campaign against Liam, determined to expose him for a liar and a cheat.

As secrets surface from the complex web of Buckley family life, DS Kennedy must decide. Did Jennifer Buckley end her own life, or did Liam take it from her? The answer, when it comes, will shock them all...

The book was good. I wished there were more on Liam. It seemed to run slow in my opinion..even rushed in parts that needed to be be sorted out. I did finish and felt there was much, but needed more.

Thanks, to NetGalley for the advance copy to review.

The premise of the book sounds really interesting - did Jenny Buckley commit suicide before Motor Neurone Disease renders her completely incapacitated or does her husband Liam help her, in which case it’s murder.? This seems intriguing and very relevant as debates about Assisted Suicide do feature in the news from time to time. The case is investigated by DS Louise Kennedy and comes to court with Liam facing a murder charge.

There are some good descriptions and initially I think the story unfolds well and it held my interest for about 50%, however, it’s more about the family and relationships than it is about an investigation. I feel that takes a back seat in the story and only surfaces from time to time. The emotions the characters feel are well described and I think the ripple effects of a rapidly advancing and incurable disease on family and friends is done well. I think the impact on Jenny and Liam’s children Josh (17) and Abbie (15) is particularly good as they are very different and so cope differently. They have a lovely bond which comes across well in the story. Jenny is adamant that when the time comes she will choose to end her life and she has made that clear via the media and I like and admire her determination. However, so many unnecessary things get in the way of this central premise that I began to lose some interest. There are conversations between characters that in my opinion did not advance the story at all and sadly Louise suffers a miscarriage during the investigation and there is a lengthy section on this. It feels it detracts from the focus on Jenny. Frankly, there is very little about the investigation.

Part three is the section I feel works least well. There’s a big jump first of all to Liam’s trial which is part of the focus and is interspersed with various characters three days before Jenny dies. There is a lot of over detail and repetition and although we learn some crucial things on this section I feel the storytelling doesn’t flow.

Overall, there are some good things in this book but I would have liked more prominence given to the issues raised via Liam’s trial.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria Fiction for this ARC in return for an honest review.

This was hard hitting and close to home - having a cousin with motor neurone disease, I know all too well what effects the condition can have on not only the person with it but also the family and friends of those around them.

The book starts with Liam Buckley, estranged husband of Jennifer (the person suffering with motor neurone disease) visiting his local police station to protest his innocence in relation to her death. The police currently think it is a suicide, pending post mortem results so why would he appear and tell the police this unless he had a guilty conscience?

What follows is a well woven tale about the lead up and the aftermath of Jennifer’s death for a number of characters. I always believed Liam that he had nothing to do with his estranged wife’s death and although I had an inkling that someone was involved with it, I was still a little surprised by the ending.

An emotional, tense read. One I’d definitely recommend.

As I told my "educator review" folks, this is "A Brilliant Suspense Read". I personally recommended this to former students, as well. Liam takes himself to the police station in Dublin - this to explain to his lover's twin (DS Louise Kennedy) about his ex-wife's death. Louise's twin, Alex, has been living with Liam for 2 years. Abruptly, Liam has to leave Alex (for a while) to be with jenny and his kids, Abbie (15) and Josh (17). Liam arrives on the day prior to when Jenny, his ex, passes away.

After Liam's side of the story is told to DS Kennedy, Liam goes home to find (his enemy?) Sarah, Jenny's best friend, comforting his children.

Meanwhile, pregnant DS Kennedy and her husband, Kelly, have recently moved - and the DS is pregnant. Sure that she will be taken off the case due to Alex's involvement with Liam, DS Kennedy gives her all to investigate Jenny's death.

Oh, yes, Jenny had made it known to the public that she supports assisted suicide...

And from there we weave a web that is painful and surprising. Adele O'Neil has presented a wonderful case story in the realm of domestic thrillers!

Many Thanks to Aria and netGalley for the opportunity to read "this cannot put down" book.

When the Time Comes by Adele O'Neill is a twisty domestic drama that pulled me in from the very start. I was immediately drawn in by the compulsive readability of this novel, and could not put it down until I uncovered the elusive truth of what had really happened to Jennifer Buckley on that fateful night in June.

Liam Buckley has left his wife, Jenny, and teenage children to live with his mistress, Alex, when Jenny is diagnosed with a degenerative, life limiting disease. Wanting to support his children through their mother's terminal illness, Liam returns to the family home, though the decision is a controversial one for those who are the most closely invested. When Jenny dies suddenly, Liam claims that it must have been suicide, yet others suspect Liam himself of having a hand in ending his wife's life. What really happened that night at 26 Oakley Drive?

Ms O'Neill is a new author for me, but I can definitively say that she has acquired a new fan. Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria for this ARC.