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Precious Thing
Remember the person you sat next to on your first day at school? Still your best friend? Or disappeared from your life for good?
Some friendships fizzle out. Rachel and Clara promised theirs would last for ever.
They met when Rachel was the new girl in class and Clara was the friend everyone wanted. Now in their late twenties Rachel has everything while Clara's life is spiralling further out of control. Then Clara vanishes.
Imagine discovering something about your oldest friend that forces you to question everything you've shared together. The truth is always there. But only if you choose to see it.
Some friendships fizzle out. Rachel and Clara promised theirs would last for ever.
They met when Rachel was the new girl in class and Clara was the friend everyone wanted. Now in their late twenties Rachel has everything while Clara's life is spiralling further out of control. Then Clara vanishes.
Imagine discovering something about your oldest friend that forces you to question everything you've shared together. The truth is always there. But only if you choose to see it.
384 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2013
60 people are currently reading
7,001 people want to read
About the author
Colette McBeth
11books184followersColette McBeth had been a BBC News reporter for 10 years when she won a place on the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course and started her first book, Precious Thing. She lives in London with her husband and three children but dreams of being beside the seaside.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 457 reviews
November 3, 2019
Damn! This book was so good! I mean from page 1 I was completely OBSESSED! It might not have been some earth shattering plot, tbh I think I’ve read 1 along some pretty similar lines (when I think of the name I’ll come back & put it here) but none of that matters- the writing was hypnotic. Certain things I guessed, certain aspects hit me like a brick to the face.. I only wish there was more. You know with certain talents like Tana French out there, when I read a book like this (perhaps not such a masterpiece,) I second guess myself.. Like am I raving about it too hard? But for me, the answer here is no. Different books offer different things, & I will absolutely remember this book & the women held inside.. What else can I say except it had me on page 1 & for I enjoy EVERY SINGLE WORD after. Just excellent.
*Thought I should stop back & add that I listened to this on audio.. I do think the book itself would be good too, but the audio was excellent so I just wanted to mention it. 😊
*Thought I should stop back & add that I listened to this on audio.. I do think the book itself would be good too, but the audio was excellent so I just wanted to mention it. 😊
March 5, 2014
My story start on a Monday morning in January- because it's the obvious place to begin. I used to think, 'Oh that was the day when everything changed'...but of course it's never that simple. The seeds of what happened then were planted years before.
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It was best friends at first sight the day Rachel and Clara met in grade school. Clara- confident beautiful and popular. Rachel- overweight, drab and quiet. Two very different girls...but Oh so close. Years later things couldn't get much better for Rachel- she's a T.V reporter- with a great flat and a handsome doting boyfriend...but for Clara- life has been a bit of a struggle and she hasn't been acting like herself lately. When Clara goes missing- Rachel drops everything to find out what happened- because that's what best friends do...isn't it?
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PRECIOUS THING is told from Rachel's POV in the form of a letter she is writing to Clara. The story flips back and forth throughout the women's lives- delving into the very complicated relationship the two have shared over the years. I can see fans of Rosamund Lupton or Elizabeth Haynes liking Colette McBeth's debut -psychological thriller- novel very much. I know I did!
It was best friends at first sight the day Rachel and Clara met in grade school. Clara- confident beautiful and popular. Rachel- overweight, drab and quiet. Two very different girls...but Oh so close. Years later things couldn't get much better for Rachel- she's a T.V reporter- with a great flat and a handsome doting boyfriend...but for Clara- life has been a bit of a struggle and she hasn't been acting like herself lately. When Clara goes missing- Rachel drops everything to find out what happened- because that's what best friends do...isn't it?
PRECIOUS THING is told from Rachel's POV in the form of a letter she is writing to Clara. The story flips back and forth throughout the women's lives- delving into the very complicated relationship the two have shared over the years. I can see fans of Rosamund Lupton or Elizabeth Haynes liking Colette McBeth's debut -psychological thriller- novel very much. I know I did!
August 6, 2019
EXCELLENT!
I'd not read any books by but she'll be an author whose books I'll certainly be reading more of.
I'll say it again. This was excellent!!
Right from the start, the story line captured my interest, continuing to gain speed until the very last page.
The words the author painted were vivid, creating pictures in my mind of the people and places. I felt like was right there, standing within the pages.
It was like someone had reached out and grabbed me but my wrist and was pulling me along even though I wasn't sure I wanted to go.
And yet, I couldn't resist wanting to see where I'd end up, either.
The emotions felt real, from happy to raw and relentless by the end.
"It felt like something was creeping up on me. The net closing in."
You'll have to read it for yourself to find out what happens next!
I'd not read any books by but she'll be an author whose books I'll certainly be reading more of.
I'll say it again. This was excellent!!
Right from the start, the story line captured my interest, continuing to gain speed until the very last page.
The words the author painted were vivid, creating pictures in my mind of the people and places. I felt like was right there, standing within the pages.
It was like someone had reached out and grabbed me but my wrist and was pulling me along even though I wasn't sure I wanted to go.
And yet, I couldn't resist wanting to see where I'd end up, either.
The emotions felt real, from happy to raw and relentless by the end.
"It felt like something was creeping up on me. The net closing in."
You'll have to read it for yourself to find out what happens next!
January 18, 2016
Some people are lucky enough to have a friendship that lasts forever. You learn to communicate without saying a word ... know what the other is thinking just by that twinkle in the eye. And as children, you promise ... you pinky swear ... that the friendship will last forever. But sometimes .. it's just not possible.
Rachel and Clara were such friends. Meeting in high school, they became each others' soulmates. Rachel was the quiet one, a little on the shy side. With a mother who drank constantly and didn't seem to have any concern about her daughter, Rachel was not prone to making friends.
Clare was the friend everyone wanted ... bright, bubbly, pretty...but she was very picky about who her friends were.
Now in their 20s, Rachel has everything she ever wanted ... a career in TV reporting, a wonderful man who loves her. She's as happy as she can be.
When Rachel's boss calls and tells her to attend a briefing about a missing woman, Rachel learns the hard way that the missing person is Clara. Is it abduction ... suicide.... or something more sinister?
The book is told in Rachel's voice .. remembering how close they used to be, the things that only best friends tell each other. She speaks to 'you' ... meaning Clara.
As Rachel seeks out what happened to her friend she discovers things that caused her to question her entire life .. everything they've ever shared. The truth does not always set you free.
This is a brilliant psychological thriller. Extremely well-written. The tension rapidly rises from the very first. By the middle of the book, I wasn't sure who was telling the truth .. if any of them were. The ending caught me by surprise. The characterization of Rachel and Clara and the people on the edges of their lives was spot on.
One line, in particular, caught my attention .... you must have loved me so much in order to hate me this much.
There is just nothing about this book that I didn't like. It's one of the best I've read in a while. Highly recommend to anyone who likes a really put-together-well psychological thriller.
Rachel and Clara were such friends. Meeting in high school, they became each others' soulmates. Rachel was the quiet one, a little on the shy side. With a mother who drank constantly and didn't seem to have any concern about her daughter, Rachel was not prone to making friends.
Clare was the friend everyone wanted ... bright, bubbly, pretty...but she was very picky about who her friends were.
Now in their 20s, Rachel has everything she ever wanted ... a career in TV reporting, a wonderful man who loves her. She's as happy as she can be.
When Rachel's boss calls and tells her to attend a briefing about a missing woman, Rachel learns the hard way that the missing person is Clara. Is it abduction ... suicide.... or something more sinister?
The book is told in Rachel's voice .. remembering how close they used to be, the things that only best friends tell each other. She speaks to 'you' ... meaning Clara.
As Rachel seeks out what happened to her friend she discovers things that caused her to question her entire life .. everything they've ever shared. The truth does not always set you free.
This is a brilliant psychological thriller. Extremely well-written. The tension rapidly rises from the very first. By the middle of the book, I wasn't sure who was telling the truth .. if any of them were. The ending caught me by surprise. The characterization of Rachel and Clara and the people on the edges of their lives was spot on.
One line, in particular, caught my attention .... you must have loved me so much in order to hate me this much.
There is just nothing about this book that I didn't like. It's one of the best I've read in a while. Highly recommend to anyone who likes a really put-together-well psychological thriller.
February 25, 2018
Murder mysteries are not my favorite reading genre, but the premise sounded like an appealing story. Brighton, England adolescents Rachel and Clara zoned in on each other when they met in school. Pudgy and gawky, Rachel was on life's periphery until the day Clara chose her as best friend. You see, Rachel felt very privileged to garner this attention from a person she held in such adoration. Clara lit up the world with her presence and decided that Rachel was worthy as her soul mate. They were as close as two friends could be. In fact, as the years rolled on, Rachel felt she knew exactly what Clara was thinking.
Rachel's mother Niamh drank her days away reeking of resentment at her daughter's existence. Rachel's father disappeared moments before her birth. The sight of Rachel was a constant reminder of Niamh's failed union. Rachel and Niamh barely tolerated each other. However, the family dynamics shifted the day Rachel brought Clara home. Clara and Niamh connected on a mother and daughter level never enjoyed with Rachel. It all came crashing down one fateful night, altering their friendship forever.
Now adult age, Clara is back in Rachel's life, a life much improved while Clara's is more rocky. When Rachel got a call to meet Clara at a club with some old school friends, she never imagined how events would unfold. Now Clara's missing, and TV news reporter Rachel is supposed to broadcast this breaking story with the cool, composed professionalism expected of her.
This story was mildly interesting until it really took off about 40% into the book. As in all good murder mysteries, there were surprising twists and turns, right up until the last page.
Rachel's mother Niamh drank her days away reeking of resentment at her daughter's existence. Rachel's father disappeared moments before her birth. The sight of Rachel was a constant reminder of Niamh's failed union. Rachel and Niamh barely tolerated each other. However, the family dynamics shifted the day Rachel brought Clara home. Clara and Niamh connected on a mother and daughter level never enjoyed with Rachel. It all came crashing down one fateful night, altering their friendship forever.
Now adult age, Clara is back in Rachel's life, a life much improved while Clara's is more rocky. When Rachel got a call to meet Clara at a club with some old school friends, she never imagined how events would unfold. Now Clara's missing, and TV news reporter Rachel is supposed to broadcast this breaking story with the cool, composed professionalism expected of her.
This story was mildly interesting until it really took off about 40% into the book. As in all good murder mysteries, there were surprising twists and turns, right up until the last page.
July 9, 2015
I had a bad reading experience just before picking this up, and wanted something easy to read, gripping but non-taxing, that could be devoured quickly: a palate-cleanser, if you will. So obviously, I headed straight for one of the crop of female-orientated psychological thrillers that have sprung up in the wake of 's success. Precious Thing is the debut novel of Colette McBeth, a former BBC News correspondent, and it sticks firmly to the template of this sub-genre - an unreliable narrator, a cast of dubious characters, dark secrets coming out of the woodwork, and loads of twists.
It opens as Rachel, a TV news journalist (surprise!) is called in to cover the disappearance of a young woman in Brighton. The girl who's gone missing, Clara, is known to Rachel - in fact, she refers to Clara as her 'best friend'. Yet she doesn't speak to the police about the fact that she was supposed to be meeting Clara on the night of her disappearance, and it soon becomes apparent that the relationship between the two women has hidden depths. A series of flashbacks to various points in the pair's lives builds up a picture of their friendship, one complicated by Rachel's neglectful, alcoholic mother and Clara's (according to Rachel) mental instability. Meanwhile, in the present day, Rachel becomes increasingly convinced Clara might be watching or even stalking her. The fact that her narrative is ostensibly written after the fact, and addressed to Clara, adds extra intrigue. I found Precious Thing gripping from the beginning, but I found a great number of things about it problematic. There were some issues with the style (not the author's fault: it really doesn't seem as if the book has been proofread or edited) but also several with the plot.
First, the stylistic flaws. Plenty of missing commas, and full stops where there should be question marks, and vice versa; even commas where there should be full stops. Quite a few small but irritating mistakes, for example 'just out' instead of 'jut out', and characters listening to a mixtape with All Saints songs on it four years before their first single was released! (I'm at that age now where a lot of debut authors are of my generation and are referencing the era of my ~youth~ in their novels, which is great. But if you're going to do that, get the details right, or your readers will notice and it will annoy them.) Rachel addresses things to Clara using her name far too frequently - admittedly I don't like second person anyway so I'm biased, but there's no need for the constant 'you were headline news, Clara. She was talking about you, Clara. You see, Clara, I only wanted to protect you, CLARA' ad nauseum. There are some odd descriptive passages too: one that particularly amused me was when Rachel's missing her boyfriend, wraps herself up in one of his shirts, and imagines that 'in the morning the shirt would be filled with bones and muscles and ligaments'... Maybe my macabre imagination is the problem here, but that just makes me envision a horrifying jumble of body parts wrapped in a bloody shirt. Not really the touching image I imagine she was going for.
Second, the plot. I should point out that this is my entirely subjective opinion, and other readers will no doubt interpret it differently. I also think my reaction to stories of this kind has become distorted simply because I've read so many that could be loosely categorised as the same sort of thing. Books like Gone Girl, , and others have raised the bar high, and I've come to expect mind-bending twists: now, when I read a psychological thriller, I'm on my guard from the first page, assuming that someone will be lying. When there's only one narrator and the book's tagline is 'don't trust a word she says', it doesn't seem much of a stretch to imagine the main character might be unreliable. On the other hand there's the possibility that the author has anticipated the reader's expectations and has deliberately made the whole story one big red herring. If that is the case, then it's a lot smarter than I'm giving it credit for. But even if that was what McBeth intended, I was anticipating something more complex and interesting, and either way I felt a bit short-changed.
Not a great read for me, but not without its merits either. It's compelling, and there are a few vivid scenes, particularly the one in which Rachel's anger bubbles over when Clara and Niamh wreck her garden. Worth a try, but don't expect too much.
It opens as Rachel, a TV news journalist (surprise!) is called in to cover the disappearance of a young woman in Brighton. The girl who's gone missing, Clara, is known to Rachel - in fact, she refers to Clara as her 'best friend'. Yet she doesn't speak to the police about the fact that she was supposed to be meeting Clara on the night of her disappearance, and it soon becomes apparent that the relationship between the two women has hidden depths. A series of flashbacks to various points in the pair's lives builds up a picture of their friendship, one complicated by Rachel's neglectful, alcoholic mother and Clara's (according to Rachel) mental instability. Meanwhile, in the present day, Rachel becomes increasingly convinced Clara might be watching or even stalking her. The fact that her narrative is ostensibly written after the fact, and addressed to Clara, adds extra intrigue. I found Precious Thing gripping from the beginning, but I found a great number of things about it problematic. There were some issues with the style (not the author's fault: it really doesn't seem as if the book has been proofread or edited) but also several with the plot.
First, the stylistic flaws. Plenty of missing commas, and full stops where there should be question marks, and vice versa; even commas where there should be full stops. Quite a few small but irritating mistakes, for example 'just out' instead of 'jut out', and characters listening to a mixtape with All Saints songs on it four years before their first single was released! (I'm at that age now where a lot of debut authors are of my generation and are referencing the era of my ~youth~ in their novels, which is great. But if you're going to do that, get the details right, or your readers will notice and it will annoy them.) Rachel addresses things to Clara using her name far too frequently - admittedly I don't like second person anyway so I'm biased, but there's no need for the constant 'you were headline news, Clara. She was talking about you, Clara. You see, Clara, I only wanted to protect you, CLARA' ad nauseum. There are some odd descriptive passages too: one that particularly amused me was when Rachel's missing her boyfriend, wraps herself up in one of his shirts, and imagines that 'in the morning the shirt would be filled with bones and muscles and ligaments'... Maybe my macabre imagination is the problem here, but that just makes me envision a horrifying jumble of body parts wrapped in a bloody shirt. Not really the touching image I imagine she was going for.
Second, the plot. I should point out that this is my entirely subjective opinion, and other readers will no doubt interpret it differently. I also think my reaction to stories of this kind has become distorted simply because I've read so many that could be loosely categorised as the same sort of thing. Books like Gone Girl, , and others have raised the bar high, and I've come to expect mind-bending twists: now, when I read a psychological thriller, I'm on my guard from the first page, assuming that someone will be lying. When there's only one narrator and the book's tagline is 'don't trust a word she says', it doesn't seem much of a stretch to imagine the main character might be unreliable. On the other hand there's the possibility that the author has anticipated the reader's expectations and has deliberately made the whole story one big red herring. If that is the case, then it's a lot smarter than I'm giving it credit for. But even if that was what McBeth intended, I was anticipating something more complex and interesting, and either way I felt a bit short-changed.
Not a great read for me, but not without its merits either. It's compelling, and there are a few vivid scenes, particularly the one in which Rachel's anger bubbles over when Clara and Niamh wreck her garden. Worth a try, but don't expect too much.
February 26, 2021
Entretenidísima esta historia de una amistad antigua con muchísimos secretos y a punto de explotar. El final me gustó,casi me había convencido,no diré más,para no hacer spoiler.
February 21, 2014
Thank you Minotaur Books for the privilege of reading Precious Thing in e-galley prior to its March 2014 release.
Today you'd call them BFF. Rachel and Clara were just that, friends for life as only children can believe. Rachel viewed Clara as the most precious thing in her life. They were as one until something comes between them, splitting them apart, causing wounds difficult to heal. But like a true friend the adult Rachel tries to regain what she and Clara once had. Agreeing to meet her lost friend for drinks, Clara never shows, truly lost this time; Clara is missing. Narrated solely by Rachel, her trustworthiness is questioned early on. A brooding, psychological account that will leave you guessing to the very end. Friendship poked and prodded from all angles make this a compelling read.
To say anymore would spoil an intriguing read!
Today you'd call them BFF. Rachel and Clara were just that, friends for life as only children can believe. Rachel viewed Clara as the most precious thing in her life. They were as one until something comes between them, splitting them apart, causing wounds difficult to heal. But like a true friend the adult Rachel tries to regain what she and Clara once had. Agreeing to meet her lost friend for drinks, Clara never shows, truly lost this time; Clara is missing. Narrated solely by Rachel, her trustworthiness is questioned early on. A brooding, psychological account that will leave you guessing to the very end. Friendship poked and prodded from all angles make this a compelling read.
To say anymore would spoil an intriguing read!
August 16, 2017
Rachel and Clara have been friends since childhood. They are as close as sisters, yet their friendship borders on being obessive and slightly toxic. The story unfolds in the letters Rachel writes to Clara after Clara goes missing. Alternating between the past and the present, the plot unfolds through timely revelations that left me wondering"What is the truth and what is a lie?". Are Rachel and Clara always honest with one another, telling each other their most private secrets? Who is manipulating who? There was enough tension and plot twists to keep me guessing until the end.
I enjoyed the voice of the reader of the audio book.
I enjoyed the voice of the reader of the audio book.
September 17, 2020
Un buen thriller con un final de esos que te dejan pensando. Explora temas como la amistad, los celos, la maternidad tóxica... Y el final es sorprendente. Una novela muy entretenida.
March 29, 2019
I was a bit sceptical before reading this as I didn’t know if I would like it. I’m glad I read it now as it was excellent. I loved the story of Rachel and Clara. I didn’t particularly like either of them but I found their story fascinating. I liked how it was told in the present and then back to the years of their friendship and how it began. There were a lot of surprises in the book which shocked me and made it even better. I really recommend this book and I look forward to reading more from the author.
July 28, 2013
First of all a huge thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.
Rachel and Clara meet at school and form an unshakeable bond. Best friends, they know everything there is to know about each other...or do they? Years later Rachel is a successful tv reporter with a loving boyfriend and a great life, while Clara has not had such a happy time of it. When Clara goes missing Rachel begins to question everything she thought she knew about her best friend.....
I loved this very much. The story is told by Rachel in the form of a letter, or diary if you like, to Clara and has a taut, expressive narrative that is not only terrifically compelling but is also quite dark in its tone - as Rachel hovers between obsessive worry about where Clara might be and slow forming terror as she comes to realise the horrific possibilities, you are drawn right into that place and time with her. Slowly revealing the course of their friendship from the day Rachel sat down next to Clara in the classroom and leading us up to present day you will never be quite sure what the outcome might be.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I DO love a clever book. This was clever and then some. Sadly I can't say very much because its difficult to tell you WHY it was so clever without giving anything away - And I am certainly not going to do that so you will just have to trust me fellow readers, it IS extremely clever. Intelligently written, almost poetic prose in places which changes depending on Rachel's mood - I love the slight bitchiness that sometimes enters her "voice" - if you love a good twisty tale that you really can get your teeth into then this one is certainly for you.
Brilliantly done from Ms Mcbeth I can't wait to find out what she has in store for us in the future.
Not part of the review as such but one readers opinion
Just a little personal opinion - this novel is getting the inevitable comparison to "Gone Girl". While I understand the marketing ploys that are used to entice readers of certain genres into purchasing a book, and that can work don't get me wrong, I'll let you into a little secret. The only book that is "like Gone Girl" or is as good as Gone Girl is Gone Girl itself. My belief is that THIS story - Precious Thing - will in years to come be quoted on the cover of many a twisty tale - I can see it now "This Years Precious Thing". Again though. The only book that will be "Like Precious Thing" or as good as Precious Thing is...yes...you guessed it...Precious thing itself. This book is going to get great reviews and I imagine a great reputation. Fellow readers please enter its pages with no preconceptions - you will have MUCH more fun that way I promise! Because this is terrific stuff.
Rachel and Clara meet at school and form an unshakeable bond. Best friends, they know everything there is to know about each other...or do they? Years later Rachel is a successful tv reporter with a loving boyfriend and a great life, while Clara has not had such a happy time of it. When Clara goes missing Rachel begins to question everything she thought she knew about her best friend.....
I loved this very much. The story is told by Rachel in the form of a letter, or diary if you like, to Clara and has a taut, expressive narrative that is not only terrifically compelling but is also quite dark in its tone - as Rachel hovers between obsessive worry about where Clara might be and slow forming terror as she comes to realise the horrific possibilities, you are drawn right into that place and time with her. Slowly revealing the course of their friendship from the day Rachel sat down next to Clara in the classroom and leading us up to present day you will never be quite sure what the outcome might be.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I DO love a clever book. This was clever and then some. Sadly I can't say very much because its difficult to tell you WHY it was so clever without giving anything away - And I am certainly not going to do that so you will just have to trust me fellow readers, it IS extremely clever. Intelligently written, almost poetic prose in places which changes depending on Rachel's mood - I love the slight bitchiness that sometimes enters her "voice" - if you love a good twisty tale that you really can get your teeth into then this one is certainly for you.
Brilliantly done from Ms Mcbeth I can't wait to find out what she has in store for us in the future.
Not part of the review as such but one readers opinion
Just a little personal opinion - this novel is getting the inevitable comparison to "Gone Girl". While I understand the marketing ploys that are used to entice readers of certain genres into purchasing a book, and that can work don't get me wrong, I'll let you into a little secret. The only book that is "like Gone Girl" or is as good as Gone Girl is Gone Girl itself. My belief is that THIS story - Precious Thing - will in years to come be quoted on the cover of many a twisty tale - I can see it now "This Years Precious Thing". Again though. The only book that will be "Like Precious Thing" or as good as Precious Thing is...yes...you guessed it...Precious thing itself. This book is going to get great reviews and I imagine a great reputation. Fellow readers please enter its pages with no preconceptions - you will have MUCH more fun that way I promise! Because this is terrific stuff.
July 18, 2015
I think comparing this book to Gone Girl is what made me disappointed with it. I thought Gone Girl was phenomenal, so I was expecting something full of unreliable narrators and plot twists and twisted characters. Precious Thing is not nearly so tightly plotted, and the characters are definitely twisted but lack the charisma of Gillian Flynn's. It's not that this is a bad book, it just tries too hard and doesn't deliver.
Rachel is a news anchor, and by a cruel stroke of chance she ends up reporting on the disappearance of someone very close to her - her best friend, Clara. Rachel and Clara have had a very close friendship; the two have grown up together and been so close that they know each other better than anyone else. Or so Rachel believes. As she investigates what happened to her friend, she discovers that there is a lot more to the story than she bargained for.
I usually like stories with unreliable narrators, but with this one I was unclear as to whether Rachel was even supposed to be unreliable. She kept saying things like "No one knows you like I do, Clara" and manipulate her friend, then freak out about how Clara was manipulating her. She insisted "I'm not crazy. You know the truth, Clara" and then did some pretty insane things. I honestly don't know if I'm supposed to question Rachel's judgement so much, because I am seriously questioning her sanity. And her common sense.
The "big twist" and consequent actions (especially the epiloge. don't get me started on that) were so convoluted. It seemed like the author wanted to make some big twisted shocking twist, something that would make me say "WHOA!" but instead made me think "What the hell?" The big twist was just so far-fetched as to be ridiculous instead of shocking, and as I said before, everything was just one big mess.
If you haven't read Gone Girl yet, maybe you'll like this one. But if you've read a bunch of psychological thrillers, skip this one.
*A free copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley*
Rachel is a news anchor, and by a cruel stroke of chance she ends up reporting on the disappearance of someone very close to her - her best friend, Clara. Rachel and Clara have had a very close friendship; the two have grown up together and been so close that they know each other better than anyone else. Or so Rachel believes. As she investigates what happened to her friend, she discovers that there is a lot more to the story than she bargained for.
I usually like stories with unreliable narrators, but with this one I was unclear as to whether Rachel was even supposed to be unreliable. She kept saying things like "No one knows you like I do, Clara" and manipulate her friend, then freak out about how Clara was manipulating her. She insisted "I'm not crazy. You know the truth, Clara" and then did some pretty insane things. I honestly don't know if I'm supposed to question Rachel's judgement so much, because I am seriously questioning her sanity. And her common sense.
The "big twist" and consequent actions (especially the epiloge. don't get me started on that) were so convoluted. It seemed like the author wanted to make some big twisted shocking twist, something that would make me say "WHOA!" but instead made me think "What the hell?" The big twist was just so far-fetched as to be ridiculous instead of shocking, and as I said before, everything was just one big mess.
If you haven't read Gone Girl yet, maybe you'll like this one. But if you've read a bunch of psychological thrillers, skip this one.
*A free copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley*
April 29, 2016
If you are looking for a psych-thriller with twists and suspense, this is not it.
If you want a drama with a somewhat unreliable narrator, and a story that develops through gradual reveals, this is the one.
I enjoyed the writing to a degree.
Some of it was compelling and beautiful, some was redundant and, well, a little boring. The overuse of the name "Clara" in the same sentence, over and over, kind of got to me.
The big reveal near the end was a bit of a let down. The scene itself- two women sitting on a couch talking about their feelings -was anticlimactic.
I know this was a debut novel, so I must give props for that. I think this is another author that may eventually find their stride. A little trimming down in narration, and beefing up in suspense or thrill.
A solid 3 stars.
If you want a drama with a somewhat unreliable narrator, and a story that develops through gradual reveals, this is the one.
I enjoyed the writing to a degree.
Some of it was compelling and beautiful, some was redundant and, well, a little boring. The overuse of the name "Clara" in the same sentence, over and over, kind of got to me.
The big reveal near the end was a bit of a let down. The scene itself- two women sitting on a couch talking about their feelings -was anticlimactic.
I know this was a debut novel, so I must give props for that. I think this is another author that may eventually find their stride. A little trimming down in narration, and beefing up in suspense or thrill.
A solid 3 stars.
May 29, 2017
Really enjoyed this and found it hard to put down. At first I did find the first person writing style where Rachel appeared to be talking/writing to Clara, somewhat hard to get into. By the end of the book I fully understood why it needed to be written in that way. I've been left feeling a bit haunted by how the story ended. I may be suspicious of seemingly good book characters for a while now.
January 20, 2015
Let me start off by saying that I have not read Gone Girl to which this book has been compared. If I had, perhaps my impression of this book would be different, in which direction I am not sure. As it stands, I really enjoyed this book, even though I could have enjoyed it just a little bit more. It was clear from the beginning that "things are not what they seem" and that theme prevailed throughout the entire book, all the way to ending that left me shaking my head. It is the head shaking and only the head shaking, that kept me from giving this book 5 stars. I guess you will have to read it to totally understand my review and I do recommend that you do just that. Precious Thing is a good book that will have you saying, "wait a minute", and will leave you saying well, "wait a minute".
July 27, 2014
4.5 stars. Very well done "Gone Girl-ish" psychological drama with tidbits parceled out bit by bit as the book progresses. You know from the get-go that the narrator is not all trustworthy and have no idea where it's going but it's unexpected.
Good for anyone who liked GONE GIRL (Flynn), BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP (Watson) and CLOSE MY EYES (McKenzie).
Good for anyone who liked GONE GIRL (Flynn), BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP (Watson) and CLOSE MY EYES (McKenzie).
June 12, 2015
Completely twisted. Very suspenseful read, and I really enjoyed it!
April 7, 2014
Wow!
That’s all I can say about this book. It is absolutely fantastic.
Precious Thing tells the story of Rachel and Clara � lifelong friends and keepers of each other’s secrets. They met when Rachel was the new girl at school and since then have been inseparable. Rachel has got it all, she’s a big shot TV reporter, has a nice flat and of course a gorgeous boyfriend whilst Clara’s life is beginning to unravel. When Clara goes missing, Rachel ends up questioning everything she once thought about her friend. Can we really know everything about our best friend?
This book was just insanely good. I read it in just one afternoon, not able to put it down for one second. It hooks you in, sinks its claws into you and won’t let go even after you’ve turned the last page. Precious Thing explores so many intriguing themes, the main one being friendship, and each one is explored in such detail.
The friendship between Rachel and Clara was a suffocating one � it was a really intense relationship which made for compelling reading. Rachel was a really interesting protagonist and throughout the novel I was on her side, struggling to see why someone like Clara should even be considered a friend. Likewise, I disliked Clara and was rooting for her to be found out! The character development in this novel is, well, it’s remarkable. By the end of the book, the characters seem so far removed from the ones we met in the beginning � it was incredibly well written.
McBeth, for a debut author, has got the pacing down to a fine art. It can sometimes be difficult to get the pace of a thrilling novel right, it either ends up moving too quickly or has some peaks and troughs of pure thrills and then moments of dullness! What McBeth does in Precious Thing is flawless. I was clinging onto each word, rapidly turning the pages, not once feeling bored of what was going on.
It’s really hard to go into any more depth about characters and plot because this book is one that needs to be read to be understood and one that will be spoiled if I give any more details away.
I must say though that this is potentially the best crime/thriller debut I’ve read in a very long time. The twists and turns, the heart stopping moments, the unpredictable plot…it was all sublime.
I cannot wait to read the next novel from Colette because I am certain that she will become a very big name in the writing world before long.
A must read debut that will shock, thrill and excite you.
That’s all I can say about this book. It is absolutely fantastic.
Precious Thing tells the story of Rachel and Clara � lifelong friends and keepers of each other’s secrets. They met when Rachel was the new girl at school and since then have been inseparable. Rachel has got it all, she’s a big shot TV reporter, has a nice flat and of course a gorgeous boyfriend whilst Clara’s life is beginning to unravel. When Clara goes missing, Rachel ends up questioning everything she once thought about her friend. Can we really know everything about our best friend?
This book was just insanely good. I read it in just one afternoon, not able to put it down for one second. It hooks you in, sinks its claws into you and won’t let go even after you’ve turned the last page. Precious Thing explores so many intriguing themes, the main one being friendship, and each one is explored in such detail.
The friendship between Rachel and Clara was a suffocating one � it was a really intense relationship which made for compelling reading. Rachel was a really interesting protagonist and throughout the novel I was on her side, struggling to see why someone like Clara should even be considered a friend. Likewise, I disliked Clara and was rooting for her to be found out! The character development in this novel is, well, it’s remarkable. By the end of the book, the characters seem so far removed from the ones we met in the beginning � it was incredibly well written.
McBeth, for a debut author, has got the pacing down to a fine art. It can sometimes be difficult to get the pace of a thrilling novel right, it either ends up moving too quickly or has some peaks and troughs of pure thrills and then moments of dullness! What McBeth does in Precious Thing is flawless. I was clinging onto each word, rapidly turning the pages, not once feeling bored of what was going on.
It’s really hard to go into any more depth about characters and plot because this book is one that needs to be read to be understood and one that will be spoiled if I give any more details away.
I must say though that this is potentially the best crime/thriller debut I’ve read in a very long time. The twists and turns, the heart stopping moments, the unpredictable plot…it was all sublime.
I cannot wait to read the next novel from Colette because I am certain that she will become a very big name in the writing world before long.
A must read debut that will shock, thrill and excite you.
April 10, 2014
So here we go with yet another book compared to Gillian Flynn's brilliant "Gone Girl" It is absolutely nothing like Flynn's book, which was excellent in plot, characterisation and writing. This is definitely not.
Rachel, a television reporter is sent to Brighton to cover the disappearance of a young woman; Rachel discovers, to her horror, that Clara, the missing woman is her "best friend". Does Rachel tell anyone? Does she report this to the police? Does she tell them that she, Rachel, was at the night club that last night and Clara wasn't? No. Why not? No plausible reason.
I was constantly irritated by Rachel to the point of not caring one way or the other what happened to her or any of her friends. I found it difficult to accept that Clara's disappearance would be such big news so soon - she wasn't a child. What was this "special friendship" all about? So special, such a precious thing, that there was a gap of seven years during which they hardly spoke or contacted each other? Hmmm. Hopping backwards and forwards in time works in some books, but in this particular instance it makes for very disjointed reading; repeating the same word in one sentence not only does NOT add emphasis, it also becomes irritating. The ending is no surprise at all - maybe the author got as fed up with it as I did.
The characters are flat and lifeless, the writing poor, almost juvenile - maybe this would be better aimed at a teenage audience - it is stuffed with so many adjectives it is overblown, possibly to disguise the thin, predictable plot. The occasional grammatical error can be forgiven, but this book is full of them which I found irksome. I would have thought that someone with the employment history of this author - News Correspondent with the BBC for ten years - could have produced better than this. I chose to read this because it is described as "menacing and suspenseful" so I was hoping for a real page-turner - there is more suspense in a trip to the local supermarket. It has School of Writing written all over it. I kept going in the hope that it would pick up the pace and just Get On With It - it didn't and deserves no more than one star I have awarded it.
Rachel, a television reporter is sent to Brighton to cover the disappearance of a young woman; Rachel discovers, to her horror, that Clara, the missing woman is her "best friend". Does Rachel tell anyone? Does she report this to the police? Does she tell them that she, Rachel, was at the night club that last night and Clara wasn't? No. Why not? No plausible reason.
I was constantly irritated by Rachel to the point of not caring one way or the other what happened to her or any of her friends. I found it difficult to accept that Clara's disappearance would be such big news so soon - she wasn't a child. What was this "special friendship" all about? So special, such a precious thing, that there was a gap of seven years during which they hardly spoke or contacted each other? Hmmm. Hopping backwards and forwards in time works in some books, but in this particular instance it makes for very disjointed reading; repeating the same word in one sentence not only does NOT add emphasis, it also becomes irritating. The ending is no surprise at all - maybe the author got as fed up with it as I did.
The characters are flat and lifeless, the writing poor, almost juvenile - maybe this would be better aimed at a teenage audience - it is stuffed with so many adjectives it is overblown, possibly to disguise the thin, predictable plot. The occasional grammatical error can be forgiven, but this book is full of them which I found irksome. I would have thought that someone with the employment history of this author - News Correspondent with the BBC for ten years - could have produced better than this. I chose to read this because it is described as "menacing and suspenseful" so I was hoping for a real page-turner - there is more suspense in a trip to the local supermarket. It has School of Writing written all over it. I kept going in the hope that it would pick up the pace and just Get On With It - it didn't and deserves no more than one star I have awarded it.
April 3, 2014
How can friends that have shared so many important moments recapture that closeness after circumstances have separated them? This is the root of the question that Rachel asks herself when her best friend returns home after an absence of seven years. Clara’s return to Brighton came after Rachel was already a successful crime reporter for television. Living in London with the man of her dreams she is perturbed that the previous closeness they’d shared was hard to recapture but she still classed Clara as her best friend so when she is sent to report on her sudden disappearance Rachel doesn’t know what to think.
Set between the present in 2007 and the past in the early 1990’s, the book is written in a form of a letter to the lost Clara. I like the way the time shifts were done, sometimes they can seem contrived but as this was a letter the memories that Rachel chose to mention seemed relevant. I have to admit I don’t normally like the second person in books, but again my fascination overcame my usual irritation.
I found the book a compelling read, watching how time has shifted the balance of power in the relationship, Rachel is no longer a shy schoolgirl and it is unclear for most of the book what changes Clara has undergone.
Colette McBeth has written a very clever book, the short punchy sentences kept me reading while I tried desperately to work out what had happened to Carla, and why. The cast of characters is quite small, wonderfully observed and seemingly realistic although I didn’t particularly like either of the two girls, they were definitely interesting.
To sum up; Precious Thing was a fairly quick read, not too taxing, but with plenty to think about this proved to be a great psychological thriller.
Set between the present in 2007 and the past in the early 1990’s, the book is written in a form of a letter to the lost Clara. I like the way the time shifts were done, sometimes they can seem contrived but as this was a letter the memories that Rachel chose to mention seemed relevant. I have to admit I don’t normally like the second person in books, but again my fascination overcame my usual irritation.
I found the book a compelling read, watching how time has shifted the balance of power in the relationship, Rachel is no longer a shy schoolgirl and it is unclear for most of the book what changes Clara has undergone.
Colette McBeth has written a very clever book, the short punchy sentences kept me reading while I tried desperately to work out what had happened to Carla, and why. The cast of characters is quite small, wonderfully observed and seemingly realistic although I didn’t particularly like either of the two girls, they were definitely interesting.
To sum up; Precious Thing was a fairly quick read, not too taxing, but with plenty to think about this proved to be a great psychological thriller.
August 8, 2014
Forget about comparisons with Gone Girl; publishers & booksellers are in business to make money & so long as the many readers are unadventurous & want to read the same bestseller or a knockoff, that’s what readers be offered. Precious Thing is not @ all like Gone Girl, except that the characters aren’t exactly too tightly wrapped mentally. Our narrator is a television crime reporter, which means she acts poised whilst having a Force 12 meltdown, & the victim apparently is her BFF. There are lots of twists & surprises. I did not figure this one out but didn’t feel @ all humiliated or jerked about - unlike in a Sophie Hannah story the reader gets the vital information @ the same point as the principal character. Tho� very enjoyable to listen to (delighted to have learnt how to pronounce ‘expletive�!), this one misses the fifth star because the principal character is likeable but not admirable or haunting.
I said it’s not like Gone Girl, but there is one similarity, one that bothers me with a lot of crime fiction. The police seem to arrest suspects, especially narrators, on remarkably flimsy grounds. With Gone Girl I could not figure out how Amy’s plan to convict Nick of murdering her was going to work in the absence of a corpse & there’s the same problem here. Now granted, in A Place of Execution Val McDermid not only carried it off but got the accused hanged for using a firearm as well. But that was a remarkable tour de force.
I said it’s not like Gone Girl, but there is one similarity, one that bothers me with a lot of crime fiction. The police seem to arrest suspects, especially narrators, on remarkably flimsy grounds. With Gone Girl I could not figure out how Amy’s plan to convict Nick of murdering her was going to work in the absence of a corpse & there’s the same problem here. Now granted, in A Place of Execution Val McDermid not only carried it off but got the accused hanged for using a firearm as well. But that was a remarkable tour de force.
March 31, 2015
This book was hyped up for all its contents and glory so I waited for the dust to settle before reading this.
I always liken it to watching a movie. People saying how good it is, raving about "you've not see it yet? boy or boy, go see it" So you do, and come out of the cinema, popcorn in had and say to yourself "ummm what was all that about". My theory is, because we are expecting more than what it is, so then we are let down, so learning from this, I do the same for my books.
I'm glad I waited because it took the excitement away, things in the book world calmed a little and I picked this book up.
I was given this as a complimentary copy from Headline Publishers via Net Galley. Thank you.
I loved the story. It wasn't just a straight forward two little girls growing up together, falling out as adults and getting back together again once they worked their problems out. It was oh so much more than that. Secrets and lies can so tear up a brilliant relationship, but what if you learn about it later? What then?
I would urge you to put this on your list to reads. Its very compelling.
I always liken it to watching a movie. People saying how good it is, raving about "you've not see it yet? boy or boy, go see it" So you do, and come out of the cinema, popcorn in had and say to yourself "ummm what was all that about". My theory is, because we are expecting more than what it is, so then we are let down, so learning from this, I do the same for my books.
I'm glad I waited because it took the excitement away, things in the book world calmed a little and I picked this book up.
I was given this as a complimentary copy from Headline Publishers via Net Galley. Thank you.
I loved the story. It wasn't just a straight forward two little girls growing up together, falling out as adults and getting back together again once they worked their problems out. It was oh so much more than that. Secrets and lies can so tear up a brilliant relationship, but what if you learn about it later? What then?
I would urge you to put this on your list to reads. Its very compelling.
June 26, 2017
My Take
I have a lot of different thoughts on this book.
Let me start with the structure.
The entire book was written like a long letter to Clara from Rachel, which I thought was a very interesting take on a thriller novel. You’re aware the entire book that the events have already taken place, and that Rachel is writing the story with the express knowledge of what happens at the end. She knows all the twists and turns of the plot, so she can portray them however she pleases.
This results in a lot of information about Rachel’s true personality being kept under wraps, except for a few places at the end where it leaks through. For most of the novel, she portrays herself as a successful career woman horribly wronged and accused of something she didn’t do. You really have to pay attention to the subtext of what Rachel is saying to get a glimpse at the hidden personality issues beneath the pity-me news reporter.
I really like this aspect of the book because you have always an underlying sense that something is very wrong with the protagonist’s depiction of events, but you can’t quite point out what it is until the final few chapters. It’s an eerie feeling, knowing that you, the reader, are being manipulated and can do nothing to resolve it until you reach the end of the book. I think the structure of the story lends quite a lot to the “thriller� aspect. It keeps you guessing. And mildly disturbed as the protagonist’s behavior and thoughts gradually reveal the truth.
However, the ambiguity of the plot’s resolution bothered me somewhat.
You’re led to believe that certain elements of the story have been deliberately (or not) falsified by the protagonist, but at the end, it’s revealed that most of the protagonist’s story is in fact true. I was expecting an incredible twist at the end, but then the plot backtracked and settled on Rachel’s version of events as the story’s canon. I thought this was a very strange choice, and while I do appreciate originality, the story’s conclusion left me feeling like I was missing out on some huge revelation. A lot of the “reveals� of the story are heavily foreshadowed, and I guessed most of them ahead of time, so when I reached the last page, I felt a bit let down. There was no “thrilling� element in the plot’s climax.
Now, the ending.
This ending is definitely a “love it or hate it� situation. Some readers are going appreciate the implications that the ending has, while others will feel like they’ve been cheated out of a definitive resolution to the conflict. I’m somewhere in the middle. I understand why the ending was the way it was. It makes sense, on many levels, given the nature of the story. However, because I felt like I missed out on some “big reveal,� the ending came off as a bit of a let down, too. I knew it was going to happen, as soon I reached the end of Rachel’s letter to Clara, so it wasn’t a surprise so much as it was a confirmation of the nature of the story itself.
Precious Thing is largely a psychological dissection of an obsessive friendship gone awry. And on many levels, it works. There are places where the story is sufficiently disturbing in its portrayal of Clara and Rachel’s personality issues. The way that their friendship ultimately self-destructs and how that destruction played into the plot was perfectly done.
My only real issues with the story are the way that the destruction is resolved: the inevitable showdown between Clara and Rachel, the one you expect for the entire story, lacks the excitement I would expect in a thriller. It just sort of…fizzles out. The final act that determines the story’s real conclusion is off screen. You see only a brief news report about it, and then the story ends. You are left with only with the implication of that final act. After an entire story of ambiguity and hidden truths, I wanted some kind of definitive conclusion, and I didn’t get it.
Overall, though, I thought the story had a lot of merit as a subtle thriller and a frighteningly possible dramatic account of how a friendship can go horribly, horribly wrong.
____
Writing
Since this book is written in letter format, it has a lot of long, winding sentences that are used to show certain emotional shifts and hint at the underlying truths of the situation. While this style portrays Rachel’s thoughts and feelings very well, there were times when I got lost in some of the ideas and had to reread. There were times the style worked beautifully, and a few places where it faltered. Ultimately, I thought the style choice worked for the story.
____
Is It Worth Reading?
The answer depends on what you want from a story. If you’re the high-octane thriller type, this is not the book for you. But if you like (or think you’ll like) gradually escalating thriller elements with a believable and dramatic portrayal of a toxic friendship weaved in, this will probably work for you. I’ve heard people say this is somewhat similar the bestselling Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, and though I never got around to finishing Gone Girl, I think that’s a fair assessment on many levels. So, if you like the story structure that Gone Girl and similar books provide, you will probably like Precious Thing, too.
____
Rating
3/5
____
// Disclosure
I received a free e-book copy of this title from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2018
This book took me to so many different places. Unreliable narrator for the win.
December 28, 2018
Bizarre but absolutely thrilling. Profound hate, endless trust and a perfidious plan to revenge make this thriller a great one!
4,5 stars
The cover caught my attention first. The cold blue, the plants, the water bubbles I couldn´t imagine what they had to do with the thriller content. And the summary sounded very haunting. Despite the fact, that the author was new to me, I was going into this read with curiosity, and no expectations at all. All I hoped for was to be well entertained.
Rachel has not seen her best friend Clara in ages and wanted to meet her in a small-town club. Instead, she meets some former schoolmates there � no sign of Clara. Shortly thereafter, Rachel has to realize with horror that her friend has disappeared and is being sought by the police. A murderous cat-and-mouse game takes its course, during which Rachel has to realize in shock that she has fallen victim not only to a cruel plan but also that from once infinite trust, has become absolute hatred.
The protagonist seems to conduct a kind of monologue with Clara without her being there, reminiscing-albeit in a negative way. In the course of the plot, a brutal truth comes to light that almost disrupts Rachel´s sanity and lets her life fall apart piece by piece. Colette McBeth writes refreshingly, unfussy and simple. Her vocabulary is gorgeous and incredibly varied.
The author has a very individual character to describe the scenes and places. I could smell the stifling air of the house where Rachel lived for a while, the way I saw the perfect sterility of her London apartment in front of me, or the storm-swept beach in the night as she braced herself against the gusts of wind, and finally stood in front of one of the beach huts.
Although Colette McBeth has a strangely restrained way of describing things, and Rachel recapitulates everything with a peculiar mixture of sarcasm and irony, her memory reminded me of everything very clearly. Nevertheless, I could not help feeling that I experience it all with a strange detachment and yet � grotesquely � in the action are fully in it. Sure, I did read each line carefully, but the thriller content did not really touch me. Maybe it was just this distance that did not let me put the book out of my hands � so fascinating was the content. Does that make sense?
Colette McBeth throws her characters into a murderous psycho game in which it is not always clear who is good and who is evil. Every character convinces and looks like taken from life.
There is the surgeon´s daughter Clara, who missed the mother in her life painfully and shows this in a corresponding behavior. Rachel grew up without a father and suffers from her mother´s alcohol excesses for as long as she can remember. When the two girls meet at school, the spark immediately jumps over, and a drama takes its course, which has a lot in it. Anyone who thinks that adult psychopaths are already dangerous has never seen such a teenager � and certainly not a female one.
Clara is a beauty like she is in the book. Her charisma and charm bring even the driest character to their knees. But she is also depressed and unpredictable. Must always be in the center of attention under all circumstances. She needs the submissive and admiring nature of Rachel. When Rachel eventually frees herself from the forced role and goes her own way, Clara does not fit at all and reacts accordingly.
A bizarre and thrilling story that tells of abysmal hatred and boundless trust, but also of perfidious revenge plans and the dark reasons of a female psyche. An incredibly fresh and eloquent novel. The psychology is brilliant and the plot extremely sophisticated. If you like to read a thriller that is a bit different from all the others, this is your book.
4,5 stars
The cover caught my attention first. The cold blue, the plants, the water bubbles I couldn´t imagine what they had to do with the thriller content. And the summary sounded very haunting. Despite the fact, that the author was new to me, I was going into this read with curiosity, and no expectations at all. All I hoped for was to be well entertained.
Rachel has not seen her best friend Clara in ages and wanted to meet her in a small-town club. Instead, she meets some former schoolmates there � no sign of Clara. Shortly thereafter, Rachel has to realize with horror that her friend has disappeared and is being sought by the police. A murderous cat-and-mouse game takes its course, during which Rachel has to realize in shock that she has fallen victim not only to a cruel plan but also that from once infinite trust, has become absolute hatred.
The protagonist seems to conduct a kind of monologue with Clara without her being there, reminiscing-albeit in a negative way. In the course of the plot, a brutal truth comes to light that almost disrupts Rachel´s sanity and lets her life fall apart piece by piece. Colette McBeth writes refreshingly, unfussy and simple. Her vocabulary is gorgeous and incredibly varied.
The author has a very individual character to describe the scenes and places. I could smell the stifling air of the house where Rachel lived for a while, the way I saw the perfect sterility of her London apartment in front of me, or the storm-swept beach in the night as she braced herself against the gusts of wind, and finally stood in front of one of the beach huts.
Although Colette McBeth has a strangely restrained way of describing things, and Rachel recapitulates everything with a peculiar mixture of sarcasm and irony, her memory reminded me of everything very clearly. Nevertheless, I could not help feeling that I experience it all with a strange detachment and yet � grotesquely � in the action are fully in it. Sure, I did read each line carefully, but the thriller content did not really touch me. Maybe it was just this distance that did not let me put the book out of my hands � so fascinating was the content. Does that make sense?
Colette McBeth throws her characters into a murderous psycho game in which it is not always clear who is good and who is evil. Every character convinces and looks like taken from life.
There is the surgeon´s daughter Clara, who missed the mother in her life painfully and shows this in a corresponding behavior. Rachel grew up without a father and suffers from her mother´s alcohol excesses for as long as she can remember. When the two girls meet at school, the spark immediately jumps over, and a drama takes its course, which has a lot in it. Anyone who thinks that adult psychopaths are already dangerous has never seen such a teenager � and certainly not a female one.
Clara is a beauty like she is in the book. Her charisma and charm bring even the driest character to their knees. But she is also depressed and unpredictable. Must always be in the center of attention under all circumstances. She needs the submissive and admiring nature of Rachel. When Rachel eventually frees herself from the forced role and goes her own way, Clara does not fit at all and reacts accordingly.
A bizarre and thrilling story that tells of abysmal hatred and boundless trust, but also of perfidious revenge plans and the dark reasons of a female psyche. An incredibly fresh and eloquent novel. The psychology is brilliant and the plot extremely sophisticated. If you like to read a thriller that is a bit different from all the others, this is your book.
February 17, 2014
Precious Thing by Colette McBeth is a psychological thriller that is highly recommended.
It is September 2007 and Rachel Walsh begins writing a letter to her very best friend, Clara O'Connor, in the opening of Precious Thing by Colette McBeth. Then the narrative jumps back in time to January 21st, the day Rachel, a news reporter living in London, travels to Brighton to cover the disappearance of a 28-year-old woman. Unbeknownst to Rachel, the missing woman turns out to be Clara, her childhood best friend. What on earth could have happened to Clara? It's true that the young women haven't done a lot together recently, but a friendship as strong as theirs is can survive anything, can't it?
Rachel writes: "SEPTEMBER 2007 Officially, I don’t think of you anymore. I am one hundred percent focused on the future. When anyone asks how I’m doing—and they do regularly—I’m fond of using the terminology of war—it adds drama don’t you think? I am conquering my demons; I am battling the dark thoughts that have been twisting inside me. Sometimes, if the situation lends itself to it, I’ll lean forward, fix them with a steely look and say with as much reverence as I can muster: I am a survivor, I will beat the past. In return I get a sympathetic nod, a concerned smile. I can almost hear the whissh of relief blowing through them. I can see the checklist of worries being ticked off in their minds. She’s making progress." Location 20
As Rachel clearly states for the reader the whole novel is a letter from her to Clara, telling their story, from her point of view. Rachel not only covers what is happening currently, but also tells us what has happened in the past and her perception of events. Rachel and Clara met in 1993 when they were 14 and 15. Rachel was the new girl at school and she and Clara immediately hit it off. They were fast friends until Clara was hospitalized in a psychiatric institution seven years ago. After that she traveled before returning home. Even through Rachel and Clara have gone their separate ways, their friendship is the kind that endures forever. Clara's disappearance is mind boggling.
Rachel writes: "I don’t blame you for thinking otherwise. I blame the people who’ve poisoned you with their lies. But listen to your heart. Trust your instincts. Think of the beautiful, precious thing that we have shared. Know that something so pure could never be bad. That’s why I’m writing to you. So you’ll understand. I don’t know how it will reach you, but I’ll find a way. No one knows about the letter; its content doesn’t fit with my “moving on� narrative. So if you do read it, let it be our secret. Just imagine me close to you, whispering it in your ear—our story, in my words. And maybe at the end we will work out how we lost each other and how we can find each other once more." Location 42
Clearly most readers will recognize that the narrow point of view can make for an unreliable narrator. As details of the girl's past emerge in Rachel's letters, astute readers will likely guess many of the secrets long before they are revealed. Certainly the tone of the novel gets darker as it progresses. McBeth does a nice job building tension as more information is disclosed and more suspicions about the truth arise.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Netgalley for review purposes.
February 16, 2014
A dark and brittle mystery filled with secrets, murder, jealousy and a twisted plot to seek revenge, Precious Thing by Colette McBeth weaves such a twisted path that the final resolution is not easy to arrive at ahead of time. Clara and Rachel met in school and the bond they forged went beyond best friends and confidants. They held nothing back, always trusting in each other, no matter what. But did they truly know everything about each other? Although they grew up to lead completely different lives, when they connected, they had that same sister-like bond, until one day Clara goes missing and Rachel hovers between frantic worry and assuming Clara is just in hiding. What secrets has Clara kept from Rachel? A brief glimpse of a collection of old photographs and papers will nip at Rachel’s thoughts until she gets answers, but who can she trust, her abusive mother is gone, her aunt knows something she is not sharing and Clara must be at the heart of it all.
Told through Rachel’s eyes, often in short missives to the missing Clara, she vacillates between fear and anger for what Clara is putting her through as she reminisces about their past and questions what was real. As her life slowly unravels, Rachel discovers truths and horrors beyond her wildest imagination.
Colette McBeth has nailed dark mystery in her debut novel. She writes with taut precision and a strong command of the tone she wishes to convey. Her characters are cloaked in mystery; I just knew there is more than meets the eye with each of them and could feel the webs they wove around the truth tightening around them. What I didn’t figure on was an ending that is still replaying in my head!
If you love dark mysteries with an ominous feel, Precious Thing has it in spades, no rainbows or fluffy clouds in sight!
I received an ARC edition from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9781250041197
Genre: Adult Mystery
Number of Pages: 300
Available from: |
Told through Rachel’s eyes, often in short missives to the missing Clara, she vacillates between fear and anger for what Clara is putting her through as she reminisces about their past and questions what was real. As her life slowly unravels, Rachel discovers truths and horrors beyond her wildest imagination.
Colette McBeth has nailed dark mystery in her debut novel. She writes with taut precision and a strong command of the tone she wishes to convey. Her characters are cloaked in mystery; I just knew there is more than meets the eye with each of them and could feel the webs they wove around the truth tightening around them. What I didn’t figure on was an ending that is still replaying in my head!
If you love dark mysteries with an ominous feel, Precious Thing has it in spades, no rainbows or fluffy clouds in sight!
I received an ARC edition from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9781250041197
Genre: Adult Mystery
Number of Pages: 300
Available from: |
December 29, 2014
Rachel and Carla became best friends when they were 14. It was an odd pairing - perpetual new girl and outsider Rachel with confident and popular Carla - but it worked and they were inseparable. Fast forward another fourteen years and their roles have reversed, with successful TV journalist Rachel being shocked to file a news report that the now troubled Carla is missing.
Told as a letter to Carla both now and in the past as the search for her continues, Rachel describes their friendship from the beginning as she tries to cope with the disappearance. We learn that Carla was absent for seven years, only returning eighteen months ago, and although they were keen to resume their lapsed relationship, it soon becomes clear that both girls are hiding dark and destructive secrets from long ago.
I really enjoyed this. Toxic and manipulative, it's a quick but clever read with twists and turns that are both guessable and surprising. I read it in a couple of sittings whilst being stuffed full of Christmas chocolate and the compelling but un-taxing pace of the book was the perfect accompaniment to a lovely lazy day!
Told as a letter to Carla both now and in the past as the search for her continues, Rachel describes their friendship from the beginning as she tries to cope with the disappearance. We learn that Carla was absent for seven years, only returning eighteen months ago, and although they were keen to resume their lapsed relationship, it soon becomes clear that both girls are hiding dark and destructive secrets from long ago.
I really enjoyed this. Toxic and manipulative, it's a quick but clever read with twists and turns that are both guessable and surprising. I read it in a couple of sittings whilst being stuffed full of Christmas chocolate and the compelling but un-taxing pace of the book was the perfect accompaniment to a lovely lazy day!
February 4, 2014
Fantastic psychological thriller. The friendship of Rachel and Clara is filled with long held secrets -- slowly their story unfolds and it is full of twists. A true page-turner, as soon as I started reading I didn't want to put it down.
Definitely check this one out if you're a fan of any of these:
Definitely check this one out if you're a fan of any of these:
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