Sadly, I couldn't get into this book at all, and really didn't care what happened to any of the characters. At times it felt like I was reading two separate books, one about a stressed and traumatised police officer trying to come to grips with her own demons and mental health issues and a second one about a teenager who's trying to come to terms with psychological and physical trauma and may be a murderer. The main link appeared to be that the police officer was still allowed to work with troubled adolescents whilst refusing to continue her own counselling.
Thank you to netgalley and penguin books for an advance copy of this book

This is a dark book.

Jenny, 14 year old, has been found covered in blood and in shock and there is a man missing maybe badly injured. Laura and Niamh are police officers in the Guarda sent in to interview her and find out what's happened. Jenny in turn protects herself by converting her trauma into fairy tales.

It's a really slow book, not a lot happens and it's quite disturbing in parts. I didn't really take to the characters and I got a bit bored although I kept reading as I wanted to find out what happened

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC

Interesting premise and gripping in places, and the mystery is successfully kept until the end. However it felt like the book lost its way two thirds of the way through and became repetitive and monotonous. It really could have done with being shorter in order to maintain interest in my opinion. Thank you to the publisher for giving me access to this ARC in return for an honest review.

Who is going to fall apart quickest - the abused 14 year old Jenny in the interview chair or the detective with mental health issues, Laura? A harrowing debut from Gill Perdue is a race against time. Not only is there the question of who is going to crack first but the the supposed abuser, the stepfather, has gone missing from the scene of a car crash and there was a lot of blood. The Interview has all the ingredients although the subject matter may prove to be difficult reading for many but ultimately for me the characters let it down. On the face of it Laura has it all, a beautiful daughter and a doting husband but she has too few redeeming features to make me care about her. She treated her husband like a doormat and had so little time for her daughter. Her colleagues seem to despair of her even though her partner Niamh cites her as an amazing mentor. There was very little light and shade in the story aside from Niamh who provides the only levity but maybe that was the whole point. This is not a book I would have read had the abusive content been highlighted better in the synopsis but I can appreciate how well researched it was. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this read, it was quirky and unusual and although a little slow at the start I found I was gripped and couldn't put it down, I needed to know how it ended.
It had quite dark themes and could be triggering for some.
I loved the irishness of it and really liked Niamh and found I was rooting for Laura and Jenny.
I'd like to read more about Niamh and Laura in a future story, I would have preferred if the ending had been more final and less open to interpretation.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

Although an interesting attempt to see into the mind of a damaged child via a series of clinical interviews, I'm afraid I just couldn't get into this book and, as I was not enjoying it, only managed to read around 12%. It was difficult to follow - however, given the other reviews, I suspect there might be something to be gained from persevering with it if you feel inclined.

This book is quirky and thought it was quite original too. The characters are unreliable and the plot is well paced and gripping a really good book.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at around 10%. I felt like I had read so much already yet the plot had gone nowhere and it wasn't 100% clear on what was happening. None of the characters were likeable which just made it even more difficult to read. I got annoyed with Jenny's 'dumb bitch' routine pretty early on as it just seemed like an easy plot crutch. The dynamic between Laura and Niamh was so so strange and it seemed like Niamh was trying to get one over on Laura despite them supposedly working for the same team? And they both just seemed so miserable and whiny - I wasn't enjoying it at all and felt there was just so clear plot line or idea what was happening so had to DNF.

The relationship unfolding between the detective and the fourteen year old assault victim is the foundation of the excellent novel. Mysterious and surprising!

This was a fantastic debut novel. It was a wee bit slow at the beginning but it never felt dull. I was always captured by the writing.
I enjoyed the three different viewpoints. There were occasions when Jenny was talking it was difficult to work out if it was inner dialogue. That was a tiny niggle though.
It was a difficult read in some parts with descriptions of rape and domestic abuse.

It was so interesting seeing the character development of Jenny. I think it was pretty accurate about how a child shuts down when they are faced with this sort of issue. It was heartbreaking.

I was also really interested in Laura's story and I thought her story was also pretty accurate and I could understand a lot of her feelings.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in order to review. Here is the blurb

"A girl covered in blood. A missing man. A cryptic fairy tale.
Detective Laura Shaw seems to have it all: a supportive husband, a happy two-year-old and a great career. She is her team's top interviewer, brilliant at coaxing victims to open up.
Then, she meets Jenny - a 14-year-old assault victim - and the façade crumbles. Jenny's stepfather is missing, the blood on her clothes is not her own and Laura can't interpret the fairy tale she keeps repeating.
But Jenny isn't the only one with secrets. With every hour that passes, Laura loses more of her grip, grappling with the biggest question of all:
Is every life worth saving?"

I have to say overall I enjoyed this book, however, it took some perseverance at times to carry on. Niamh (probably spelt that wrong!) was my favourite character and I could hear her accent in my head. I didn't really warm to Laura's character at all..

The book is written from the perspective of three main characters. Their name is written at the top of each section so you know who’s “talking”. I really like this style of story telling. The plot flows well and the book is well written. If I had known that the theme of child abuse was going to be featured heavily in the story, I wouldn’t have chosen to read it. I wasn’t completely happy with the ending, which is why it’s four stars. Thank you #netgalley

14 year old Jenny is found covered in blood. There has been a car crash and her mother and brother are unconscious. Her stepfather is missing and Laura and Niamh are the detectives trying to find out what has happened. Jenny is telling her story through fairy tales and it seems to be a very challenging route to the truth. An intense and original read.

I spent a lot of my working life working with damaged children and parts of this rang so true it had me in tears. An excellent book although challenging is well worth the read.

What a great read! i loved this book from the start.
i loved Laura Shaw she was a real character you could identify with. I liked her personality and also how real she is.
Everything is not as it seems and things start getting harder with each interview. You start to question what is real and what is made up.
Fans of those who love Cara Hunter and Lucy Foley.

Jenny is a fourteen year old girl who has been found covered in blood. Laura and Niamh are specialist interviewers who need to draw out of her what happened.
Her mother and younger brother have been found in a car wreck seriously injured and are in intensive care.
Her stepfather is missing. There was also a knife found in the car.
Because of a lack of beds, Jenny is in the psych ward. She has retreated into her head and the stories she has made up to protect her sanity from abuse at home.
Laura and Niamh have to tease the truth out of her, from the examination that took place when she was brought in they have a good idea what has happened to her, but they need to hear it from her.
In the meantime, Laura is having issues herself. The case is bringing back unwanted memories of something that happened to her when she was young and it impacts her judgement. She is now a mother herself and constantly worries that something will happen to her little girl.
At first the story seems a little fractured, but it all comes together in the end.

This book actually took me some time to read. Not because it was boring, but because it was rather hard hitting, a family living through abuse.
It was well written and very emotional, loved the characters and the strange way that they interact together.
I look forward to reading more by Gill Perdue.
Thank you netgalley

Fourteen year old Jenny is found at the side of the road covered in blood. She is rushed to hospital but no obvious injuries are found. She is admitted to a psychiatric ward at Abbot’s Hill hospital. Laura Shaw and Niamh Darmady Specialist Victim Interviewers from the Irish Garda as sent to interview Jenny to find out exactly what has happened. To make the case even more complicated Jenny’s mother and younger brother have been found injured after a car crash and Jenny’s step father Stuart is missing. But Jenny is refusing to speak.

The story is told through three points of view, Jenny, Laura and Niamh which I really liked as it gave a better insight into what is going on both with the case and what’s going on in the characters heads.

The plot is well written, although I did find it a little difficult to get into and is slow in places but at the same time there was something about the plot that kept me wanting to read on.

The characters are also well written, again I wasn’t a fan of all of them. I don’t really know how I feel about Jenny’s character. But, my favourite character was definitely Niamh. She’s caring and funny, while being serious when she needs to be. My least favourite was Laura, yes she has problems of her own to work out but I just didn’t take to her character.

The author has done a really good job covering the sensitive topics that are covered with some really good research being done.

Now, one thing I was a little disappointed about was the ending. It could have been a little better in my opinion. I felt the plot wasn’t round up and left a little too open, which means that I was left with a few unanswered questions.

As a whole a very solid debut novel and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this author.

A little heads up, this book may be triggering for some so please check out trigger warnings before picking up!!

Trigger Warning: Child Abuse, Rape, Domestic Violence, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

I’d like to thank Penguin General UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Interview’ written by Gill Perdue in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Fourteen-year-old Jenny is admitted to the psychiatric ward at Abbot’s Hill Hospital and as Detectives Laura Shaw and Niamh Darmody are experienced in questioning vulnerable young people they’re sent to the hospital to talk to her. They soon realise she’s listening to voices in her head and can only tell them what happened by associating her experiences with fairy tales. As Jenny starts speaking it soon becomes apparent she’s suffering from trauma following an incident with her stepfather Stuart.

The subject matter covered in ‘The Interview’ isn’t mentioned in the book’s description, if it had been I probably wouldn’t have chosen to read it. Although well written, I struggled to immerse myself with the characters of Laura or Niamh and found it incredibly difficult to read the internal conversations in Jenny’s mind and her experiences. There’s no doubt that the topics have been handled sensitively and although I read as much of the story as I could, I’m sorry to say that I was unable to finish it to the end. This won’t put me off reading more by this author and while I’m sure other readers will have more positive comments to make I’m afraid this book wasn’t one I’ve enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
Overall, it was a good read. I struggled to get into it at first as I felt it was slow and the build up wasnt there however when it started to amp up a bit it was hard to put down.
I didnt like the ending too much- it was left too open for me and I feel like it could have been closed a lot better.
Lauras story was very much left open.