The Things You Didn't See

This is a tough review for me as i adore Ruth Dugdalls books and every one she's written so far has had 5 stars from me! But this one didn't quite work for me. This was mainly due to Hollys gift which I didn't feel was explained as fully as it could have been so that sometimes I actually felt like I was reading the second book in a series and had missed out on some vital information somewhere along the line! For me this would have worked better as a book just about Cassandra and her family-a messed up bunch of unreliable narrators and devilishly unlikeable characters who could have carried this book as a domestic Noir on their own.
Saying that I did adore Hollys "boyfriend" and his outlook on life especially his adoration of Ingrid Bergman! He worked well as a character and I thought his interactions with Holly were perfectly put together with a mixture of humour and drama.
But I struggled with the overall timeline of the narrative sometimes and was often looking back to previous chapters to check if I had missed something important. The blurb had also confused me a little and therefore some parts of the plot weren't as clear as I had expected them to be.
Ruth Dugdall writes beautifully with an expressive and atmospheric style that draws you in. I adore the way she slowly grabs the readers attention, enticing them with little clues until she is ready to uncover the truth.
Hollys part in the investigation into Cassandras mothers suspected suicide didn't work for me due to her unusual condition but this may just be personal taste and I await other reviews with interest to see how others react.

On Halloween night twenty years ago, a young girl witnesses a shooting. How do the events of that evening impact on Holly's present-day life? Fast-forward to now, and a shocking incident threatens to tear apart another family. Can Cassandra accept that her mother may have attempted to take her own life … or could someone else be responsible? And will both women – who have a shared history – find answers or only more questions? I was engrossed in this book,'keen to uncover the truth and figure out the connection between the opening chapter and the ensuing twists and turns. The author introduces the medical condition 'synaesthesia' which I admit I had to look up. It genuinely kept me guessing throughout; one moment convinced I'd figured it out, the next realising I was wrong. An excellent read from an author I plan to read more of.

Great plot, with lots of twists

20 years ago, as a child, Holly witnesses a shooting. Now the past cannot be avoided, as Holly becomes involved in another shooting, and this time she can't run away.

Set in Suffolk, in the UK, Holly is training to be a paramedic, and is called to attend an attempted suicide, at the farm where her brother shot someone 20 years before. Is it a suicide attempt, or a murder - and can Holly's synaesthesia help her uncover the truth?

Plenty of twists in this psychological thriller, and a great plot. Enough characters to weave a great story, but not so many as to cause confusion. However the writing style wasn't for me; I found it a little slow, though the last few chapters were exciting, fast moving and definitely 5* rating. The story is original, and interesting - some of it a little unbelievable.

This is the first book I have read by this author. On the strength of the plot and the final few chapters I will read another, but 3*s for this book as some of it seemed too wordy, and the use of character's thoughts to remind the reader what had gone before I found unnecessary.

Ruth Dugdall has introduced me to a world of synaesthesia - and it’s a strange one at that. This is the process by which JHolly can see and hear things in ways no one else can. Synaesthesia a kind of “union of the senses” whereby two or more of the five senses that are normally experienced separately are joined together -for me personally words have colours and sounds have smells - don’t ask me why. But apparently ‘quirky’ has a name! This wa a very unusual and neat plot line.
There was a few things in the novel I did find hard to understand however and it was the mix of narrators - some in the second person - and the timeline seemed a bit muddled to me as I struggled to follow all the time but this could have been the kindle’s fault as well.
IT didn’t read as a debut but rather a second or third in the series or was that because Cassandra and her family are the most dysfunctional people and unreliable narrators ever?

I’ll read more of Ruth Dugdall in the future as the writing was sharp, but I didn’t totally 'get' this one.

When Cassandra Hawke discovers her mother Maya’s motionless body with her Father’s gun laying by her side she refuses to believe the explanation given that it is an attempted suicide. An ambulance arrives along with trainee Paramedic Holly, who has history with the farm on Innocent Lane and bad memories come flooding back to haunt Holly. Holly is an interesting character who suffers from Synaesthesia, which I must admit I haven’t previously heard of so I did a bit of Googling and discovered what a fascinating condition it is to read about but does have pitfalls for the sufferer. It is basically where the person can feel the emotions of others as if they are their own, and in Holly’s case it is triggered by touch.



This is more than just a ‘who dunnit’ as it is full of twists and surprises that had me constantly changing my mind of who was responsible for the shooting as there are plenty of suspects!

My thanks to Ruth Dugdall for asking me to review this psychological suspense novel and to Julie for posting on her wonderful blog.

a very interesting look at the psychological impact that comes with a death. it had a lot of good points including Holly who had a lot of amazing parts and really enjoyed it.

If you are looking for a tense and surprising thriller this weekend, look no further than The Things You Didn't See. Ruth Dugdall leads you through the story, with all its twists and turns with great aplomb. It took me several chapters to get attuned to what was going on but once I had, I found I could not put it down. I thought that it was a brilliant device to give Holly, the paramedic, the gift (or is it curse?) of synesthesia. She experiences everything as if through several senses at once, perceiving people in terms of colours and feelings. She can sense intuitively what to ask or senses what may have happened and has visions attached to people she meets.

Set against Holly, we have the character of Cassandra who seems to be almost her opposite in that she is unaware of things she has experienced. It is difficult to know what is a true and what is a false memory with Cassandra. You do however have great sympathy for her as her story begins to be revealed, particularly concerning her daughter. Sorting out the other characters is tricky as there are so many red herrings to put you off the trail. I think at some point, I must have suspected most of them.

In short: An engrossing read which leads you up the garden path and back again! Superb.

Thsnks to the author for a copy of the book.

THE THINGS YOU DIDN’T SEE; AN EMOTIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

Watch out, The Things You Didn’t See is the new psychological thriller from award-winning crime novelist Ruth Dugdall; and it’s hitting book shops and Amazon very soon.

Out on 24 April 2018, The Things You Didn’t See tells the emotional story of Cassandra who is woken by a gunshot whilst staying at her parents’ farm. As her mother clings to life, Cassandra is told that it’s a suicide attempt. Yet she refuses to believe this; suicide is something her mum would never do.

Dugdall has told me that she is always interested in complex women; and Cassandra is no exception. Dugdall has created a very realistic character that is confused and vulnerable but is led by intuition. As a reader I felt real empathy towards Cassandra. She has a history mental illness, and as she continues to argue that her mother would never try to commit suicide, everyone around her tells her she is paranoid, even her husband and father.

As Cassandra feels isolated and struggles to be heard, she turns to Holly, a trainee paramedic for help. Holly has her own reasons why she wants to help Cassandra. Holly also has synesthesia. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of synesthesia – I had to google it. Dugdall wanted her ‘detective’ to have something different and she thought synesthesia would be quirky. She was right. As well as giving Holly a quirkiness, the synesthesia gives this character authentic depth and empathy.

The Things you Didn’t See is a psychological thriller, but it also a novel about friendship and the complexity of family relationships. Whilst reading it I did think I had worked the plot out; yet the brilliance in Dugdall’s writing is her subtilty which not only creates dramatic tension but is extremely thought-provoking. I finished the book a few days ago and believe me, I’m still giving the novel’s portrayal of family dynamics a lot of thought.

I don’t want to give too much away as it could be deemed a spoiler but The Things you Didn’t See also makes me want to go and watch Ingrid Bergman movies, especially one in particular. I’m saying nothing more; you’ll need to read the book to know what I’m on about.

Thank you to Ruth Dugdall and Netgalley for arranging for me to read and advanced copy of The Things you Didn’t See in return for an honest review. If you like psychological thrillers with depth and complex characters, then get on Amazon now and pre-order your copy of this raw and compelling novel. You won’t be disappointed.

This review is written with thanks to Ruth Dugdall, who provided my copy of the book via Netgalley.
Holly is a student paramedic. When she is called to a shooting near her childhood home, it looks like Maya Hawke attempted suicide. But Maya's daughter, Cass, does not believe her mother would try to take her own life. With Holly's help, Cass goes on a mission to find out what really happened on the night Maya was shot, meaning that Holly has to confront the demons from her own past.
The Things You Didn't See is told in alternate chapters from the perspectives of Holly and Cass, giving insight into both their characters. I found them to be ultimately likeable, but their life experiences and memories mean that neither of them are able to give the reader a full picture of what happened. This gives the book a mysterious atmosphere, which I really enjoyed, and I was constantly changing my mind about which characters had done what. The atmosphere is compounded by the fact that several of the characters do not tell the truth. It is here that I must mention Daniel. It is very rare that a fictional character makes my blood boil in the way Daniel did, and I can only applaud Dugdall for this. His arrogance just oozes from the page, and his disrespect of Cass' feelings made me really angry as I was reading.
Dugdall explores several issues through The Things You Didn't See, and I was especially interested in her portrayal of synaesthesia and mental illness. Both subjects are thoroughly researched, and this serves to give the characters a more "human" edge, as they battle their demons. I had not heard of synaesthesia before, so was fascinated by the descriptions of it and its impact on Holly's life.

Reading the blurb of The Things You Didn’t See by Ruth Dugdall I’m struck by how the focus is on Cass and what happens to her in the book. I think of the book quite differently, with the main character and the one that I will remember being Holly, the student paramedic who is called to Cass’ house early one morning.

Holly is the character in the book that felt real, she appeared to be a much more reliable witness than Cass was and it is her that I enjoyed reading about most. There’s also something about Holly that is different, a gift that she has (or a curse??) that was intriguing and something that I wanted to read more about.

I enjoyed reading this book, as always Dugdall writes well and keeps the reader engaged and wondering just what is going on and who is telling the truth. She definitely keeps you guessing and I love that in a book.

I’m a big fan of Ruth Dugdall, I’ve enjoyed every book of hers that I’ve read and I love how they always make me think and this book is no different. If you like to be kept guessing, unsure of who is telling the truth, then this author is for you.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A psychological thriller with twists, turns, and more lies than one can count. Positively addictive!

Wow. I am in love with THE THINGS YOU DIDN'T SEE. The book centers the shooting of Cassandra's mother and how the two main characters, Holly and Cassandra, are brought together because of this one event. As I greedy devoured this story, I was constantly turned upside down by the twists and turns. Some I saw coming and others took me by surprise. Nothing is ever exactly as it seems in this novel.

What I loved about this book was the flawed characters and the way they all interacted with each other. I know I have said this before, but this is something that I enjoy in a psychological thriller. It adds and extra layer questioning. The deception taking place in this novel was downright addictive.

The author weaved together misdirection, lies, and the unknown in such a manner it amplified the emotion and grit of all of the characters' lives. Dugdall used one event to propel a narrative with so many intricacies and nuances that it should have been a sensory overload. However, it wasn't. With each tidbit she gave me, I wanted more.

It is a crazy ride. I loved every page of this book!

When student paramedic Holly is called to a farm-house she knows that it isn’t the first time that she has been there. When she was a young girl she had followed her big brother and his friends to the farm on Halloween night, in the hope to see a ghost. When they saw a white figure crossing the farm-yard her brother shot a gun at it. Holly never knew the outcome of that night.
Holly had been bullied at school by Cass, the daughter of the woman at the farm who had reportedly attempted to commit suicide, Cass didn’t seem to recall it. One thing they both had in common now was that neither of them believed that this had been an attempt to commit suicide.
There is quite a quirky addition to this story as Holly has a condition called synaesthesia, which means she can see feelings and moods as colours. I really liked this side of the story, especially as it is a genuine condition. Holly knew that it was time to solve the mystery from the past as well as what had really happened in the farm-house, with Cass’s mum. If it wasn’t suicide then it had to be something more sinister.
The characters I felt were well-developed, I really liked Holly and there were plenty of wrong avenues to venture down. An entertaining read. I wish to thank NetGalley for my copy of this e-book which I have reviewed honestly.

I've enjoyed Ruth Dugdall's books in the past and this one was one of the best. Thoroughly entertaining. Super interesting characters who really come to life. Put Ruth's books on your regular author reading list. She's spectacular. Boy, I loved this book.