I do love a good book - esaping the real world with all the essays, deadlines and stresses that seem to grow daily is a constant goal of mine. And books are the best way to do that, finding a new world with different places and people to get invested in. If you haven't already seen my previous book reviews on Under The Scottish Rain, then you may not know that I am a sucker for a good thriller. I was very kindly sent a preview copy of Heidi's newest book 'Beneath The Surface' so that I could read & review it, and hopefully encourage all you lovely lot to go and buy it when it is released this Thursday!
Right from the first chapter, I was hooked on this book and couldn't put it down - I read it in a day straight, and for a slow reader like me that is impressive.


Here's a wee synopsis: 
The book is about a girl, Abigail, who looses touch with her mother Kathryn and two younger twin sisters, Hannah and Lauren, and is the story of her trying to find them again. 
It starts off with us, as the readers, discovering that Abigail has come home to a empty home after returning from school. Empty in every sense - her family missing and many belongings too. After calling the police and answering questions, Abigail's grandma arrives and takes control of the situation. The story then moves on to 14 years later and we see Abigail's point of view through the use of letters to her husband, Adam, and how she's coping since her family went missing. More is learnt about her life, and it is made clear quickly that she hasn't found her family yet. We also get to see things from Hannah's and Kathryn's point of view, learning what they remember from those years ago, and what they're doing now.
I throughly enjoyed reading this book because something happened in every chapter that seemed significant to the plot, and you're lead on the trail of finding out what happened to make Abigail's mother vanish with the twins. I always think that a good crime novel should leave hints throughout the book, so the reader can guess what happened / why, and should also leave cliff hangers throughout, so tension can grow. And this book did exactly this.
Throughout the book, hints are dropped of what really happened, leaving us guessing what's happened and why Abigail's mother left her all alone. We learn about each characters past within the chapters, as they remember their past, and even what lead them to do what they did. Personally, I figured out what had happened before the plot twists were revealed, but it was literally just as we as readers were told the truth that I had clicked. And I also figured out the ending of the book, but again, it took me a while to guess what it would be - still I was shocked with what all the twists turned out to be! Each chapter is also left on a cliff hanger of part of the story within the book - the past or the present - leaving me wanting to read more and more to find out what's going on. 
This book left me thinking after I finished it, and as soon as I was done I wanted to re read it to see what clues and hints I had missed and would be able to pick up on a second time round. This novel has many twists that are totally unexpected and you will gasp while you read. As well as this, there is a slightly sad ending, making it a very moving story. 
Personally, my favourite character had to be Abigail. I really admired the way she managed to pick herself up from what had happened in her youth. Although I didn't agree to everything she did, I do understand why she did what she did. 
This novel has a very moving storyline, and will leave you thinking after you've finished. I strongly recommend this book to everyone to read. Whether you like crime or not (even though there isn't a lot of court rooms, or police drama) it's a must read.
So get on down to the shops on Thursday morning and pick up a copy for yourself!
Find Beneath the Surface on Amazon
Find Heidi Perks on Twitter

Love, Emily
xxx