By day, Rita Marsh runs a care home, but by night she poses as a teenager, using fictional personas to lure paedophiles into the open. The ringleader of a vigilante group known as Raven Justice, she strives to help the police apprehend these child abusers and bring them to justice. Okay, so the rage that fuels her sometimes makes her act rashly, but the ends justify the means, right? When a sting ends in tragic consequences, Rita reevaluates her life and decides to walk away from Raven Justice. But then she reconnects with an old friend, and Rita finds herself drawn back into the hunt for a predator.

Author Nilesha Chauvet quickly establishes that Rita herself was preyed upon as a young girl, and she projects her own feelings onto other victims: seeking justice for them instead of confronting her own trauma; being the champion she feels she never had.

The theme of inhabiting dual, overlapping identities has a lot of potential. As well as being both a care home manager and a vigilante, unable to share her whole self with anyone, Rita has long felt unmoored by her mixed heritage: considered too Indian to be white and too white to be Indian. It would have been interesting to understand more of how she feels marooned between disparate cultures, but this is underdeveloped in comparison to the more obvious 'two lives' of the tagline.

The characters feel unrealistic and inconsistent. Although Rita's motivation is clearly established, she often behaves in ways which hugely undermine her intentions. She has spent five years patiently cultivating relationships in order to gather sufficient evidence for charges to be brought, which doesn’t jibe with the Rita we meet now: impulsive, reckless and unable to grasp the basics of police procedure. She also consistently fails to summon an iota of empathy for anyone else, not even her supposed best friend, Leila. She is driven by such a rigid set of morals that she cannot respond with nuance in any situation. Leila herself oscillates regularly between declarations of devotion to Rita and viciously lashing out at her. In another book, I might have inferred that she had an agenda, but here it just feels like uneven characterisation and plotting. Javid has the makings of an interesting character, but we are very much told rather than shown what he is like, dilluting him somewhat. And don't get me started on the author's treatment of queer characters.

On more than one occasion, young Rita is described as having no friends at school, so has she exaggerated her closeness with Leila and Javid or is this a continuity error? On the one hand we are to believe in an all-consuming female friendship (one in which one friend was in love with the other) and then to accept that Rita had no idea Leila was having an affair with their teacher for four years. Flashbacks reveal overhead exchanges and witnessed interactions which would seem suspicious to all but the most naïve teenager. In other places, plot lines are underdeveloped or abandoned, such as Rita's beginning therapy. The care home setting and its residents too are woefully underutilised, to the point where it felt like the author had just given Rita this job because it seemed like a jarring juxtaposition with her nighttime pursuits.

The plot is at times unpredictable, but only because the characters behave in ways that defy logic. I appreciate that Nilesha Chauvet is a first-time author, but when I compare The Revenge of Rita Marsh to some other 2024 debuts (such as Leo Vardiashvili's Hard by a Great Forest and Kaveh Akbar's Martyr!) It comes up short by a long way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dark and not for the faint hearted.
This is definitely not a cosy read. It deals with some very disturbing subjects like sex with minors, child grooming and trafficking, mental illness and a killing.
Rita Marsh is a thirty five year old single woman, who runs care home for the elderly and infirm that she had inherited from her now deceased parents. She also runs Raven Justice where she and two others hunt down paedophiles, entrapping them and then turning them over to the police.
When one of these cases tragically goes wrong she starts to re-evaluate her life. She comes across a grooming case a lot closer to home and then the story gets a lot darker and disturbing.
This is not an easy book to read, but it is well worth persevering with. The author crams a lot into this book which raises a lot of issues.
Now available as Her Two Lives.

A story that gets more and more complex and never lets up with the tension.

It begins with Holly aka Rita and two colleagues carrying out their form of justice, but the police really don't see it that way. Rita's life begins to unravel when the suspect, released without charge, takes his life.

Rita begins therapy and decides she needs to find herself and step away from vigilante justice. But a school reunion brings a face from the past back into her life and this is where things really take a dark turn.

This book is dark and nobody is likeable. There are rights and wrongs and everything in between and as compelling a read as it is, I definitely felt a heaviness throughout, but with the subject matter of this story, it couldn't not be a difficult read.

Thought provoking and intriguing. A thriller which is also reflection on good/evil, who we really are and our life
Never preaching or dragging, a page turner that can be triggering due to some topics

In The Revenge of Rita Marsh by Nilesha Chauvet, our titular character has a lot on her plate. By day, she runs a small care home, looking after two elderly residents. By night, she arranges to meet men online - but not as herself. She is part of a vigilante group who pose as young children and teenagers in order to catch predators.

She enjoys her work, and usually has the police on her side (though they don't always agree with her methods) - until one night, when things go to far, and there are consequences for Rita.

As her world becomes more and more complicated, a face from the past makes a reappearance. This could be the chance Rita has been waiting for - this could be her fresh start. But which will she choose - justice, or revenge?

I started reading this in a waiting room one evening, and couldn't put it down. The writing is sharp, the story has a great flow to it, and Rita is a truly intriguing character. I did feel for her at times, I could see where she was coming from, trying to fix everything.

However, I also felt that the plot went a little bit daft towards the end and I thought there was so much going on that it became a little bit panto-villain at certain points, especially with Leila.

I really enjoyed the overall ending, and felt that there was room for a sequel or series, which I'd happily read.

If you like fast-paced drama/crime/thriller/mystery books or TV shows, then you might enjoy this one. I haven't seen it mentioned much and I think it's one of those ones that could slip under the radar, which would be a shame. I found it really enjoyable.

I couldn’t stop thinking about this book even after I finished it. The plot was so intricate and well-crafted, and the characters felt incredibly real. This was an unforgettable book and a must read for anyone who loves this kind of book, 5 stars from me and more!!

I really wanted to like this book so much more than I did. The premise suggested that I would race through this multi-layered story but instead it was too slow for me and did not have enough for me to remain interested.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Brilliant book that angers you so much! To know that these things are happening to this day and aren’t always caught.

This book gets you angry, upset, totally involved and relating to Rita’s character. Brilliantly written!

Rita Marsh is a woman living two lives, and she is furious, just bubbling away under the surface, where nobody can see. Rita is the owner of a nursing home, single handedly looking after her last two remaining residents. In the hidden part of her life, she is part of vigilante group. Seeking justice for children, who have been groomed, taken advantage of, and damaged in the worst possible way.

This revenge thriller examines a very tricky, controversial area. Is Rita a hero, or a villain herself? There will be many strongly arguing for both sides. She is a very complex character, certain areas of which could have been examined more closely.

My attention was piqued by the premise, but somehow the book didn’t deliver as I hoped it would. I found my mind wandering while reading, I wasn’t gripped as I hoped I would be. Just 3⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

A great fast paced read that I found hard to put down once I had started to read. I read it in one sitting. Really enjoyed the characters in this book.

With an exciting premise - a care home owner who moonlights as a child abuse vigilante - this novel just does not at all keep up the pace it promises. Rita’s life goes off track quickly when a school reunion brings back bad and forgotten memories but from that moment onwards the plot slows to a crawl and becomes a series of stupid decisions I couldn’t get behind at all.

The Revenge of Rita Marsh by Nilesha Chauvet is the must-read revenge thriller of summer 2024. Crafting a novel with a truly original concept takes dedication, and Chauvet delivers a fresh and compelling story.

Rita Marsh, formerly Rita Patel, is a half-Indian woman who has distanced herself from her Asian heritage. She manages two contrasting roles: running a care home by day and engaging in a top-secret operation by night. Driven by her hatred for online predators targeting young girls, Rita, under the alias Holly, takes matters into her own hands. Her mission is to expose and bring to justice those seeking to exploit minors.

Using the codenames Spider and Spike, Rita orchestrates sting operations to trap offenders, capturing their actions on film and posting the evidence online. However, her efforts to bring these criminals to justice are met with unexpected backlash from social media users.

Rita Marsh is a memorable and well-crafted character, and The Revenge of Rita Marsh stands out as an exceptional debut. Chauvet’s storytelling is engaging and impactful, and I look forward to whatever she writes next. This book is a must-buy and a must-read for fans of gripping revenge thrillers.

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“She’ll get them in the end, she always does”
Rita is a complex character- running a care home during the day and the leader of a vigilante group at night.
It’s an interesting premise as when a case close to home catches Rita’s attention she is torn between inaction and revenge.
The lines are getting blurred and her mission for justice is starting to land her in trouble with the police.
A fabulous debut revenge thriller, that’s pacy and we’ll plotted and kept you on the edge of your seat, with lots of dark themes.
Thanks @nileshachauvet @faberbooks & @netgalley for the tense, thrilling read

A good read for a debut author. There’s lots going on in this book with some difficult and thought provoking topics. Maybe not for some people!

Thank you NetGalley for this copy

What a wonderful debut this book is. Rita Marsh has a double life, by day she runs a care home and then at night she is part of a group that tracks down paedophiles. I was not sure how I would get on with a story that involves paedophiles, but the author has tackled the subject sensitively and made mentions of general things rather than going into more detail. This book is more about Rita's understanding of who she is and how the edges of her life have blurred.

Rita has never been one of those girls with lots of friends, so her friend Javid, convinces her to go to the school reunion. When she leaves she bumps into another old friend, Leila. When they were at school there was a rumour going around about a teacher having a relationship with Leila. A recent update about the teacher sets Rita on a path that she believes will help her friend and also gives her a chance to get close to her again.

Rita is a character that has a troubled past, it is mentioned during the story and gives a sense of purpose to why she does what she believes is the right thing. She has been approached by the police to work with them to help increase the convictions rather than just gathering evidence and setting up the perpetrator. This is more important as her previous case did not end well.

When Rita and Leila reconnect there is something there that hints at things not being quite what it seems. While the author brings more to her characters then you learn more. The story gradually gets more tense and the suspicions rise and then suddenly things are unravelling at a fast rate for Rita. There is conflict, drama, and manipulation with some lines being crossed.

The storyline for this story starts as one thing, but the focus changes to being about Rita, those she knows and also how she sees herself. She has become accustomed to seeing herself in a certain way but when she is using different names to catch criminals then things are not as clear as they once were.

This is a story for those who want a dramatic and suspense-riddled story. There is a mystery that runs through this and then there are several moments of drama and tension. This is more of a crime and mystery story it does have a thriller element as well. Fabulous debut and I look forward to seeing what else the author has in the future. It is a book that I would happily recommend to readers.

This is a clever, well constructed story of a mixed race woman who is both a carer for two residents (in a home left to her by her deceased parents ) and a vigilante against child exploitation.

What I enjoyed :
The character of Rita was a conundrum and it was interesting to read about her family history, mixed race challenges and her friction with the police. It is a very different subject matter, not often explored and very relevant. There was also the sinister side of Rita’s life and her dark colleagues in crime.

What I didn’t enjoy:
I felt the whole storyline lacked something. The character of Leila was so frustrating and I felt let down as the book progressed, in that, it was repetitive and slow paced at times. The character of Rita seemed partly, but, not fully explored.
Overall though, as a debut it is an interesting read and I wish the author success.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the opportunity to preview.

Wow. There is so much going on in this book! This is an addictive read as we follow protagonist Rita Marsh, through the relationships and traumas of her past, to her role as a vigilante entrapping internet groomers, the toll this takes and the consequences for all involved. There are some hard topics at play but they are adeptly handled making this an exceptionally worthwhile read.

An interesting and thought provoking story from a debut author. The main character Rita runs a failing care home left to her by her parents and is also an online peadophile hunter trapping men grooming online.
Following a school reunion Rita’s life takes a turn for the worst and soon spirals disastrously out of control. After a strong start I found that the story rambled a bit and lacked something in the decision making of the characters. That being said it tackles a very topical ,dark and difficult subject without being offensively graphic and worth reading to the end.

An intriguing story of a woman who is trying to find paedophiles, who are targeting young girls online. She is quite a complex character with an interesting back story and you can’t help rooting for her, despite some of her actions
A compulsive read

Rita Marsh is not in a good place right now. By day, she continues to run the private care home left to her when her parents died. In her spare time, she tracks paedophiles. The latest one she tracked committed suicide soon after she exposed him. Not only does she feel bad about that, the police are on her back. Meanwhile Leila, Rita's best friend from schooldays, has reappeared in her life after a school reunion. And their former English teacher has been accused of having underage sex with a pupil.

As Rita becomes increasingly enmeshed in Leila's trauma, her own traumatic past is rising to the surface, together causing Rita to spiral out of control.

The Revenge of Rita Marsh is a well-plotted and skillfully told story. The characters are well rounded and their actions ring true. On one level, it's a decent revenge thriller — surprisingly good for a debut novelist. At a deeper level, it's distressing and sad, leaving the reader with many questions about justice, morality, trauma and friendship, and about just how much you can accept from someone who does the wrong thing for the right reasons. Or at least understandable reasons. It also leaves one very sadly contemplating the overwhelming prevelance of paedophiles, the difficulties faced by those trying to stop them and the lifelong damage they inflict on their victims. It's intense.

Thank you to @NetGalley_UK, @NileshaChauvet and @faberbooks for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

#NetGalley_UK #bookreview #TheRevengeofRitaMarsh