* i received a copy of this through netgalley in response of an honest review*
The novel begins with Margaret Allan, Maggie, entering a plea to a crime of manslaughter. The story itself then begins with Maggie waking up from a coma, which she has been in for six weeks since the day of the accident.
She is told that her daughter, Elspeth, was killed in the accident and her husband has since disappeared.
this book was a thrilling read that had me hooked from beginning to end.
4/5 stars
thank you netgalley, penguin UK and the author.

Fantastic book. Great twists and good characterisation. Enjoyed the differing characters viewpoints throughout

When Maggie wakes up from a coma, the police tell her that her daughter Elspeth is dead. That she drowned when the car Maggie had been driving plunged into the river but Maggie remembers nothing.
When Maggie begs to see her husband Sean, the police tell her that he has disappeared. He was last seen on the day of her daughter's funeral. This is bad enough but the drama is not finished yet. No spoilers here but hang onto your seats as the suspense is not finished yet! I enjoyed this book and for once, I was content with the ending. Try it!

An engaging and well thought out story. From the waking up from a coma and not knowing what has happened to you or where your daughter and husband are. Maggie struggles with reality as she tries to recover from an ordeal that she cannot fully remember. A haunting story that I found quite harrowing. Letters written that describe a child lost in a world she does not understand, is this Elspeth writing or Maggie.

If you liked Hawkins’ “The Girl on the Train” this might be your next read. The same sense of ongoing confusion runs throughout, with a flawed character who is a little more likeable than Rachel. I wasn’t entirely satisfied at the end but it did the job.

Nualla Ellwood has leapt the hurdle of the sophomore novel effortlessly and gracefully. The Night of the Accident is an intriguing, compelling and surprising thriller, with a deliciously complex plot, and realistic characters I didn’t exactly trust, but liked and rooted for nonetheless. It was like drinking hot chocolate before bed – it kept me awake for hours. I simply couldn’t put it down.

When Maggie wakes from a coma, she learns she was in a horrible car accident and her daughter Elspeth is dead. But she can’t remember what happened that night. Struggling with her fragmented memories and her heart-breaking past, this twisty novel seamlessly moves between Maggie’s search for the truth and letters from a child to her mother, pleading with her to come and take her home from the place she’s been left at.

This is one of those books you just don’t want to end but will stay up well into the night because you need to know what happens. I have no doubt it will be on many top thriller lists for 2018.

Enjoyable but not riveting l think the plot was a little contrived lots of characters with agendas and l found the ending weak and a little too “neat”for my liking:

This is a really tight thriller, it zips along at pace. You really can't help but feel sorry for Maggie's situation as it unfolds and I found the description of the icu experience and the subsequent helplessness once released really compelling. A perfect summer read guaranteed to keep you entertained.

What a read! 5 stars.

This book hooks you from the get go and keeps you guessing throughout. It is full of mystery, secrets, twists and reveals to keep you gripped - thoroughly captivating.

This will no doubt be featuring on top thriller lists of 2018.

Thanks to NetGalley, Nuala Ellwood and Penguin Random House for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie wakes from a coma to find that her young daughter has drowned and her husband has left her. She needs to piece together the little information she has to find out what happened. Although the premise is interesting, there are an awful lot of books like this out just now and as a result they're trying to be more and more shocking with unbelievable twists. I found that this book got a bit silly at points and was trying far too hard. It was a reasonably enjoyable nonsense read but I wouldn't really recommend it.

I found this a little difficult to get into go start but I persevered and then the pace gathered speed.
A compelling read, heartbreaking, thought provoking and sad characters of all descriptions and plenty of plot twists.

Brilliant read.

The novel begins with Margaret Allan, Maggie, entering a plea to a crime of manslaughter. The story itself then begins with Maggie waking up from a coma, which she has been in for six weeks since the day of the accident.

She is told that her daughter, Elspeth, was killed in the accident and her husband has since disappeared. To add to her trauma she discovers that he sold their family home some years back and they have been renting it from a property company ever since. He gave notice to the company after their daughter had been buried and she has nowhere to live. Devastated, she tries to recall what happened the night her car went into the river with her daughter locked inside.

Struggling with memory loss Maggie begins to hear and see certain things from that night. Gradually throughout the novel snippets from her past are fed into the plot providing numerous twists and turns.

During the course of the novel there are heart wrenching letters from a child to her mother which plead for her mother to collect her and take her home.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Books UK and Nuala Ellwood for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Highly recommended.

A slow fumbling suspenseful start that cascades so fast into a nigh-terror so deep, dark and soul destroying it has you fighting hard to get out of it.
A violating, fearsome and mind challenging read with a complex plot and a mother lost in it all just doing what any mother would - everything!

I was scared going into this read as I am a huge advocate for Nuala’s debut novel My Sisters Bones, but luckily with a skill, precision and mind of absolute horror she has done it again. Clever. Original. Inventive. Exhilarating.

5/5

Two careless mistakes and Maggie Allan causes a lifetime of heart ache for herself and those around her. We find Maggie in a 10 week coma after a car accident. There are lots of mysteries surrounding the accident including why she was where she was, how her daughter drowned (if she did) and why her husband Sean suddenly did a runner not long afterwards. The past had caught up with her and it's a complex matter trying to unravel the complex factors of truth, action, glaring omissions, strange happenings and blame. A very compelling read; neatly executed. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK.

Thanks to publishers and NetGalley for ARC.
First publication I have read by this author and wouldn't hesitate to read another.
Felt that it took a little while to get going, but once it did it gathered pace.
Saw through a couple of the twists of which there were many.
Remember things are not always as they may first appear.

Thank you for letting me read this book. An intriguing read and it took me a while to figure out the twist! Recommend this book.

I found this difficult to get into but as the story progressed it became more interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and definitely recommend it.

Great book that I ended up reading in just a few sittings. The story had me gripped from the beginning, there were a lot of mysteries to be solved and I really didn't see the ending coming, despite the signposting that makes it all the more satisfying. New information about past events get drip fed at just the right pace to not be frustrating, but not too fast to ruin the mystery.

Oh this is a fabulous book! It was full of suspense and I never guessed the ending even though I invariably do. Great writing style by this author, and it kept my interest all the way. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie wakes up from a coma with no recollection of wahat has happened. The police inform her that she was involved in a car accident and her daughter died. She is devastated and tries desperately to remember what happened and whether she was at fault. Her world is falling apart before her eyes, her husband Sean has disappeared and she discovers the house they lived in is no longer theirs. Her road to recovery is slow and tortuous. She begins to discover some things about her past which are upsetting and people whom she meets or once knew are not necessarily who they seem.
I found this compelling reading with some interesting twists, I’d really recommend giving it a go.