This book was gifted to me via Netgalley by Avon Books.

It was a bad summer. Everyone remembers it. First the stranger arrived in town and then the first girl disappeared. At sixteen, Felicity fled to start a new life, knowing more than she ever told. But now sixteen years later, another girl has disappeared from the same town and Felicity must go back to face the past and find the killer.

The writing is told in a dual perspective. Firstly, you have Felicity in the present day in first person and then you have her friend Jasmine, sixteen years previously in the past. That did confuse me a little to begin with, but once I got into the story, I stopped noticing it and by the end you realise why it was written in such a way.

The story is slightly gruesome in parts and you feel the shock and horror that both Jasmine and Felicity went through, both now and in the past. It's such an addictive page turner, as you desperately hope for a good outcome.

I really like Jasmine as a character, but I did find Felicity a bit annoying. She comes across so self absorbed and I couldn't work out why she felt the need to solve the latest mystery, but by the end, I realised how necessary that is to the plot and I'd probably have a drinking problem too, if I'd witnessed all that she had seen. Also, I was amazed that the locals were so willing to tell Felicity everything they knew about the case, especially as she appeared as a stranger to the town. The teenagers she spoke to, gave up information so freely, which seemed a little unrealistic as they are more likely to be rude and aggressive than willing to talk. Tim, Jasmine's lodger, gave me the creeps from the start, he was so mysterious and dark.

I am really getting into these dark psychological thrillers. They are so gripping, I find it difficult to put them down. And this one wasn't any different. All the way through the book, I was following red herrings, convinced I knew who the killer was and each time I completely got it wrong.

This is the author's first standalone novel, as I understand, she normally writes about DS Imogen Grey. I don't really enjoy detective series, so I'm not sure I would read them, but I will look out for more standalone novels by Diamond.

On the whole, I did really enjoy the book and the ending was so unexpected, I felt the story really paid off.

I was looking forward to reading this book thinking it would be an atmospheric thriller. However, I found the writing a bit stilted and it didn't capture the imagination when it could have done so easily. A young girl has gone missing in a Devon seaside town replicating a similar event years ago. Jasmine saw something all those years ago so insists she must leave her husband and three children in the Lake District and travel to Devon to find out what has happened. This, I feel, isn't really explained well and seems quite unrealistic. She doesn't explain just why she has to go. When she gets there she seems to spend her time drinking and asking locals (including the missing girl's mother) questions about the missing girl. It flips between the previous case and recent one but doesn't ratchet up the tension as well as it could. Sadly, I didn't really enjoy it and found it a bit tedious. I do however appreciate having tge opportunity to read and review this book via NetGalley.

I loved this. For some reason I pictured one of my favourite places, Hunstanton, as the seaside town where this was set.
Lots of twists and unexpected turns.
I'm loving Katerina Diamond's work and look forward to much more from her.

A brilliant book by this author. A missing child trope always gets to me. A child disappeared abd Felicity went back home to search.
Told in multiple POV, the past and present were revealed slowly, giving me the entire picture, and at the same time, increasing the tension risen in me.

The writing was insidious slowly enveloping me with suspense. The author kept the pace swift bringing the story to an unexpected end, tying up all the subplots. A wicked read was this which kept me completely hooked to my kindle.

Twisty, confusing and ultimately, “What on earth?”. Those are the words that I would use to describe the latest novel from Katerina Diamond, ‘The Heatwave’.
The story commences in the present day with the kidnapping of a young girl called Mandy Green. In the Lake District, Felicity Musgrave is horrified to hear of the disappearance as long buried memories from 16 years ago begin to resurface. After hearing the news of tv, Felicity bids her startled husband farewell and returns to the hometown that she fled nearly two decades before.

Between regular flashbacks to the summer of 16 years ago, from the viewpoint of Jasmine and the regular updates to the current case by Felicity the case proceeds at a rapid pace. There is little time for the reader to take a breath as we try to connect the two series of events. From time to time, wondering if we can trust our two narrators and if they are who they say.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the free arc in return for an honest review.

A brilliant stand-alone by a very talented writer - I would say it’s more of a mystery than a thriller, but I liked it all the better for it.
You can feel that you’re in experienced hands from page one and you know the author will bring it home no matter what happens. Great read!

Intense and immersive, this psychological thriller is suspenseful and twisted. Told from dual points of view Felicity in the present and Jasmine in the past it reveals a shocking story of betrayal and horrific crime.

Felicity has anxiety and keeps secrets about her past from her husband and children. An incident in her hometown draws her into the past. Felicity is an unreliable protagonist. Jasmine is a young girl confused by her feelings. The dual stories twist as they gravitate together.

The pacing increases with the impact of the reveals. The similarities between the past and present increase the suspense and make the story claustrophobic in its intensity.

The final twists in the past and present unify the viewpoints in a climactic way.

Psychological suspense tinged with noir.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Absolutely bloody brilliant, could not put it down. This author has the power to get you so gripped to this story it is amazing. Definitely a best seller again.

This is a crime mystery. It features two timelines by two narrators that of Felicity in the current timeline and that of the author set 16 years ago about the arrival of Tim.

Felicity hears of another disappearance in her old hometown, which is similar to the one that had happened 16 years ago so she decides to go back to help as she feels she can now.

I found the central character of Felicity well developed by the author as despite having a lot of emotional scars left by what had happened in her past, she preserves to build herself and gets a new life. Due to the fact she is stabled, she feels she can deal with her past when something similar happened.

I liked how the author gave two narratives because it makes you have a greater understanding of all the characters, and it created suspense that kept me hooked. The author also used dialogues and realistic descriptions to interest her readers especially that of the kidnapping.

This book was not what I expected it at all and I could never have predicted the ending.

The characters cleverly linked together for a very dark reveal and a visit to Felicity’s past.

If you like unputtdownable fast-paced thrillers then this is the book for you.

Another great book from Katerina!

📖BOOK REVIEW📖⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
#thefoundling heheatwave by @katerinadiamondauthor @avon_books

OVERALL- a twisty and suspenseful ride!

REVIEW- following a crime that rocked her community, Felicity fled hanging onto her secrets. Sixteen years later, her new life is shattered by the news that another girl had gone missing in her home town. Felicity decides she must go back to face what happened all those years ago. Only she knows the answers and they are more shocking than anyone could imagine...
I’m a big fan of the authors other book series so was looking forward to this her first stand alone. And it didn’t disappoint. The story is lead through Felicity in the present day and best friend Jasmine in the past. The narration works seamlessly drip feeding you just enough information to keep you turning the page. The locations are excellent, just enough detail for the imagination but not all the blanks filled in so your head makes up the creepy dark sinister corners. The plot, not original, but presented and executed excellently coming to a satisfying conclusion. Some parts were predictable but I actually really enjoyed watching the parts I had predicted play out and found it very enjoyable!
I found the first few chapters a little hard to follow, Felicity seemed a bit scatter brained and a bit unrealistic and although as the book drives forward you become more accustomed to this, I really struggled at first to relate to her. I felt this continued on some level throughout the book, you were never allowed to fully immerse with the main character, always being kept at arms length but now completing the book I think that this was intentional by the author, very clever and worked well in the context of the story. I also felt Felicity’s part of the story was at times a bit waffly and definitely by the climax of the action you more than ready for that to be happening. However it wasn’t at any part boring and that is the main thing for me I was more than happy to continue reading.
Really enjoyed this book. Will definitely be on the look out for more by this author! Also want to say thank you to @netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!
-Emily

#the_book_girls_1

Loved this book so much, the end of each chapter just made me want to carry on reading. It had the right amount of suspense and kept you guessing until the end. A brilliant book.

An excellent read that kept me on the edge till the last page.
It's gripping and entertaining, fast paced and full of twists and turns. I loved the plot and the great characters.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Heatwave is a compelling suspenseful book you may just finish in one sitting. It's fast-paced & keeps you turning pages till the end. There are many good twists & turns that left me shocked. And its been a while since I saw a really good twist. I loved how the book started, the prologue reels you right in. The stories of Felicity & Jasmine got more & more intriguing as they developed. Although some lines at the start were confusing, it all makes sense after the big reveal. The characters were great & the plot was superb. The ending was shocking yet amazing, definitely didn't see that coming. I just had some unanswered questions at the end that left me feeling a bit disappointed as I like my stand-alone stories to be tied up in a knot that makes sense in the end. This was a good one-time read & I liked the author's style of writing. I will keep an eye out for Katerina Diamond's other books. In all, I would recommend picking up this book!

Thank You, NetGalley, Avon Books & Katerina Diamond for an arc!

A dark and twisty psychological thriller packed with suspense


When a teenage girl went missing from her hometown when she was a teenager, Felicity fled her old life and vowed never to look back. Several years later, while happily married with two children, she sees on the news that another girl has vanished from the same small sleepy Devon coastal town. Knowing that she is the only person who realises the truth about what happened during that summer, Felicity decides that she must face her fear and return to Sidmouth to investigate the disappearance and confront the dangers and darkness of her past.


I am a massive fan of this author and have read every book in her ongoing series featuring DS Imogen Grey, so when I picked up her first standalone novel, my expectations were high. I am pleased to say that I was certainly not disappointed. There are two narratives, present-day; guilt-stricken Felicity. That summer during the titular heatwave; memories of her sixteen-year-old best friend, Jasmine, back in the summer of the first disappearance. Gradually the suspense builds as more is uncovered about what happened.

As the novel progresses, Felicity’s reasons for feeling so invested in the missing girls become gradually more and more disturbingly clear, and how Jasmine fits into it all adds to the tension. The characters are well-written and believable, and the author manages to include many false alarms and red herrings so that when the twists start coming, they are genuinely unexpected and shocking. The suspense builds well to a very fast-paced and disturbing ending that left me reeling with surprise.


I found the characters, on the whole, to be empathic and realistic, although some aspects of their personality were a little disjointed. For example, Jasmine’s behaviour didn’t always tie-in well with some aspects of her personality, particularly in her attitude towards Tim, her family’s lodger. Some of the plot, was a bit far-fetched and unrealistic. On the other hand, that added to the shock factor of the story. Overall, the characters are not quite as well fleshed out as those in the author’s series of books. Still, she does a fantastic job of building their personalities in a short time so that the reader empathises with them and understands their actions.


In conclusion, this was an excellent psychological thriller with a tense and gripping storyline that was full of brilliantly crafted twists. I would highly recommend both this book and author and will eagerly await any more novels from her, either standalone or part of her brilliant series.


Daenerys


Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

What a scorcher of a book. The flip between time lines, the bond between mother and child and the creepy atmosphere of the house add up to a best seller of a book. The suspense and the heat both drip from the pages making it very compelling all the way through. Once started i was reluctant to put it down as i was itching to know what happened to all involved. The finale was heartbreakingly poignant and left me feeling wrung out after all the emotions i had felt throughout.

This was a slow burner that did not really get me interested until nearly three quarters through and then it was just a bit too far fetched. So on the whole I was disappointed as her other novels were far better. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Katerina Diamond is one of my favourite authors and her latest book, The Heatwave sits alongside her fabulous DS Imogen Grey series. The Heatwave is for you if a book that has mystery, crime, suspense and heat in spades floats your boat. It drew me in from the outset and I was desperate to see how the plot would conclude.

Set in Sidmouth, Devon, the reader is introduced to a predator who has stalked the local area for many years waiting to pounce on their ideal prey. Currently living in The Lake District, Northern England with her husband and two daughters, Felicity is left reeling after she sees a shocking case of a missing girl, Mandy Green, on the news that hits alarmingly close to home for her, taking her back to her troubled past in sunny Sidmouth. Knowing this case is linked to another girl, Hannah’s, disappearance almost two decades ago, an obsessed Felicity hastily hightails it back to her hometown...

The story is narrated by Felicity in the present, and Jasmine (Felicity's best friend) in the past. With fabulous sub plots, and more than its fair share of red herrings, Felicity and Jasmine as adolescents had depth and there was loads going on. Secondary characters included a dubious lodger, an even weirder teacher, and errant parents. I could almost feel the tension wafting from the pages in both timeframes, but particularly from the chapters in the past, tracking Jasmine and Felicity. Although the pacing of The Heatwave is slower than I had been expecting it didn't interfere with my overall enjoyment of the story. In the later chapters the pace intensified, and I was rendered speechless when all was revealed.

This review was written voluntarily and was not influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Avon Books via NetGalley.

I have never read a book by this Author before although I have heard a lot of good things!
The beginning of the story was a little slow, and although I enjoyed it, I didn't mind putting it down. But the ending more than made up for it all - I ended up reading till nearly 2am because I could not put it down. Knowing that my kids would have me up at 5:30 was irrelevant - I just needed to know the ending.
The ending had a massive twist that didn't even cross my mind that's how it would end - I love it when a books ending can surprise me as I have read so many books, I can guess the ending of most.

News of a girl going missing near her childhood home transports Felicity back sixteen years to a time when she was a carefree teenager. Carefree, that is, until another girl disappeared, and she fled, knowing more than she cared to let on. Feeling that this is the time to put this behind her once and for all, Felicity is compelled to return to her childhood haunts, using her knowledge of what happened then to help find the girl. Little does she know the full extent of what happened all those years ago and how much danger she is putting herself in by returning...


Having recently read and enjoyed Woman in the Water, the sixth book in the Imogen Grey series, I couldn't wait to read Katerina Diamond's latest standalone book, The Heatwave. I was instantly hooked, wondering what it was that happened that had made Felicity leave her home at such a young age, and what it was about the missing girl that had made her go back after all these years.


The Heatwave is told from two perspectives, the first being the aforementioned Felicity, as she returns to Devon to find the truth about the missing girl. It soon becomes apparent that something similar happened years ago, with Felicity fearing that the past has come back to haunt her. It is from the other perspective that we begin to build up the story of what happened as we meet Jasmine, Felicity's friend, her part of the story being set sixteen years ago, prior to the event that changed their lives forever.


Despite the girls being close friends, they had very different personalities and backgrounds, both of them damaged in their own way. There were many reasons to dislike Felicity and yet, at the same time, I had great sympathy towards her due to the life she was leading. It was easy to see why she was drawn to Jasmine, the girl from the stable home with charity-volunteer parents. All was not what it seemed with Jasmine, however, as we found out more about her past and the troubling time she has had at school.


The arrival of Tim, a lodger at Jasmine's home, definitely ramped up the tension. It was obvious that he was hiding something but, due to his actions in several different parts of the book, I found it difficult to determine what his motives were. What was he hiding and what was he planning to do?


The Heatwave is a book full of surprises with twists that I did not see coming. The events of sixteen years ago are slowly revealed, the plot becoming much more twisted than I could have ever imagined, with a shocking conclusion that made me gasp several times. I was genuinely taken aback by some of the reveals, some of them sickening and others heartbreaking, and I did not predict any of them!
This is one of those books which draws you in and refuses to let you put it down and I found myself racing through it, desperate to find out what had happened all those years ago.

A gripping plot with some very shocking moments, The Heatwave is another great read from Katerina Diamond and I hope that we will see some more standalones soon.