My Review: Didn’t Work For Me

There were so many things about this novel that I was excited for but it just didn’t work for me.

To start, the use of the podcast and social media was just hype – it wasn’t very effective. I also found the story was bogged down after the first chapter by familiar tropes, slow pacing, and repetitiveness. There just really wasn’t much to the story to keep me interested.

I’m also getting very tired of the use of mental health as a thriller trope. I get that the author wants our main character to be an unreliable narrator, but there has to be some other way to do that! Not only is using mental health as an excuse slightly lazy, but it also does not handle this topic sensitively.

I also didn’t like any of the characters in the story. Now, that’s not really an issue because there are certain books I’ve read with unlikeable characters but I’ve still enjoyed the novel. In this case, I just didn’t feel a connection to any character and I didn’t really care about them from an emotional perspective. There was never a point in the story where I felt bad for what Hannah was going through; I just found her annoying.

So what made me continue reading? Honestly… I just wanted to know the end reveal to see if I was right. Turns out I was only partially correct. While I pegged the culprit, I did not envision the ending that the author wrote. However, I didn’t really like the ending.

This novel had an interesting premise and a promising start. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype, and its slow pacing, boring characters, and reliance on mental health as a trope let it down. For those reasons, I’m giving it 1/5 stars.

Hannah remembers almost nothing about the night her husband was murdered. Ten years have passed. The killer is in jail. She's built a new life for herself and things are going well...until a true crime podcast begins covering the case, questioning whether the man convicted of her husband's murder did it or maybe Hannah herself was responsible.

There's a lot going on in Hannah's life and the book jumps back and forth from before her husband's death to the present day. She visits the former asylum where her own grandmother spent time, works at an in-patient treatment facility for young women with eating disorders, sees visions of her dead husband critiquing her actions, and listens to each new episode of the podcast with her new lover and her now teenage daughter. As public opinion against her worsens, she steadily unravels.

It took me a while to get through this one, although my interest picked up once I thought I knew what turns the plot was taking. (My guesses were wrong.)

Wow, this was a twisty thriller.

Hannah Catton is a doctor and single mom to a sweet teenager in a small English village having survived the murder of her husband 10 years ago. Now a true crime podcast is bringing the case back to light and Hannah is again under suspicion. There is a lot more to this story but I do not want to give more away.

I truly did not know who to believe! Is Hannah a murderer or a victim? What really happened the night that Graham Catton died? Was it a burglar or his wife? The ending was a true surprise. As an avid reader of mysteries and thrillers I’m always very happy when I read one that feels very original and am surprised by the ending. This one was like that for me.

Some of the events were truly harrowing and cringe inducing. I felt bad for Hannah in particular, I think because the author truly makes you doubt yourself and how you feel about Hannah and her decisions and situation. I highly recommend this if you like dark twisty psychological thrillers.

Hannah’s husband was killed during a home burglary in 2008.
Ten years later, there is a podcast new series featuring her husband’s murder, and this is going to thrash Hannah’s now peaceful perfect life into a complete chaos.
When Hannah’s daughter, Evie, went missing, she realized that her past is coming back to haunt her relentlessly.
POSSESSION is an enthralling and suspenseful novel for anyone who enjoys a good enigmatic read!
Katie Lowe has the talent of transforming her creative thoughts and ideas into some compelling and irresistible thrillers.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s for this gripping thriller that I truly enjoyed reading it.

I would like to thank St. Martin Press and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. This book centers around Hannah. Hannah's husband is brutally murdered and she doesn't remember a thing. The police end up arresting someone else and they are convicted of murder. Fast forward years ahead where Hannah is debating marriage and her past catches up to her. This book is recommended if you like suspenseful murder mysteries. The characters have good depth and are well written!

Possession is the first novel I have read by Katie Lowe but I can guarantee it will not be my last. Told in dual timelines, this book left me guessing until the very end. Everything I thought I knew was wrong or twisted in some form and I couldn’t get enough of it. I literally had to wait several days to even be able to think about writing this review due to the simple fact that I was reeling from that ending!

I couldn’t tell at first if I liked Hannah or just felt sorry for her. Her husband was murdered, I didn’t know if she did it because she wasn’t even sure what had happened, and yet she carried herself in a way that wasn’t particularly charming. It seemed like she had an excuse for everything and that got on my nerves. The more we learn about her marriage to Graham and her current relationship with her boyfriend, the more I understood why she is the way she is.

I think the best part about this book was the fact that Hannah was a psychiatrist and she was unraveling but refused to get help. She was hearing her husband’s ghost which was creepy in and of itself so it’s understandable that she wouldn’t want anyone to think she was crazy. When a popular podcast, Conviction, decided to do a season on Graham’s murder and proved the man accused of breaking into their home and stabbing him, innocent, I thought Hannah was going to unravel much faster than what she did.

Parts of the book were a little slow, but overall I really enjoyed this book. I don’t want to say too much more for fear that I will give away the best parts.

A lot of books are coming out with these new plots containing podcasts. I thought this one was well done, but I'm not sure how much I like books based on podcasts. I love podcasts, and I love books. But mixing the two can be difficult.

A version of this review previously appeared in Shelf Awareness and is republished here with permission.

Katie Lowe (The Furies) blends psychological suspense with an unreliable narrator, adding hints of delusion, a pinch of gothic sensibility and various layers of mystery in her sophomore thriller, Possession. In 2008, Hannah McLelland's husband is killed in their bed by a knife to the throat. Hannah remembers little other than waking up to blood. The crime scene is "off" and authorities are perplexed, until an anonymous tip leads them to a young man who winds up in prison for Graham's murder.

Ten years later, the threads of the raggedy case are newly tugged by those behind the podcasting sensation Conviction. Hot off a successful exoneration, the crime investigation show has its sights set on Hannah for season four: The Murder of Graham Catton. In 2018, Hannah is living with her teen daughter and a stable newspaper editor, Dan, in the remote, rural village of Hawkwood, while working as a psychiatrist in an eating disorders clinic.

But Hannah hasn't ended up in Hawkwood by chance and is escaping more than the fallout from Graham's murder. As the Conviction team digs into the case, long-buried facts are revealed, and Hannah is so centered in the crosshairs even Dan and Evie become wary. Lowe impressively weaves a web of past and present intrigue. Even more notable is her talent in tying everything together without excessive incredulity, particularly considering Hannah's history, numerous plot threads and the social media aspect of the case, all of which converge in a blockbuster of a finish.

I really wanted to love Possession by Kate Lowe. But, I found myself lost pretty much through the whole story. book started out strong in the first chapter but I quickly found it jumped around so much I was confused.

Thank You to netgalley for allowing me to review this book for my honest feedback.

It's been a decade since Hannah's husband was murdered. Hannah has resettled into a new life, always swearing she remembers nothing of what happened that night. But when a true crime podcast dedicates its new season to that murder from ten years ago, everyone, including Hannah, must decide on what truly happened.

This is a very suspenseful and spooky read. Hannah is absolutely an unreliable narrator, but so is the podcast host, who has her own motivations of high ratings and public acclaim. Readers don't know who to trust, something Hannah struggles with as well, and it is painful to watch Hannah and the people who love her have to reckon with their decisions, delusions, and beliefs.

The book could get a little confusing at parts with how many sleights of hand and reveals Lowe is juggling, but the ending packs a real punch, and the journey along the way is one that will keep readers guessing.

3 Stars
* * *
Katie Lowe has taken the Real Crime shows everyone seems to be addicted to and created Possession. She takes a husband murdered long ago, a wife who at the time couldn't remember anything of the event at the time, and paired it with the fad of podcasts doing new research bringing all of the ugly back.

The small safe life our widow has created comes apart under all the scrutiny.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s for providing me with an advance copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah's husband was murdered in their home ten years ago. The police called it a burglary gone wrong, and Hannah has tried to move on with her life since then. But now a true crime podcast, Conviction, is digging into the past, bringing unwanted attention to Hannah. Conviction thinks Hannah has something to hide, and in a way they are right.

Wow. So this book was a lot, but it kept my guessing and there were several twists I did not figure out at all. I definitely recommend checking Possession out if you like a good psychological thriller. I’ll admit there was almost too much going on at times. After a couple of days away from the book, I was getting characters mixed up, but I really liked the conclusion to this story.

I couldn’t put this book down! I sped through page after page bc I had to know what was going on. I vacillated between opinions on what was happening the entire way through the book and I was still wrong in the end. I figured out the truth just when the author wanted me to. When I finished the book it took me a good hour to stop saying what?!? This book is a total mind bleep. I still can’t believe it and I finished it a day ago. Wow. Gripping psychological thriller that wrapped me in from page 1.

"She conquers who conquers herself."

Do yourself a favor, avoid the synopsis and the reviews and just dive right in.

Hannah is a psychiatrist now living and working in Hawkwood after the man convicted of killing her husband in their London home was arrested and put in prison. During the ensuing years after the murder, Hannah and her daughter, Evie, have met Dan and are on the verge of creating a new family together. Their happiness, however, is disrupted when a true crime podcast seeks to overturn the previous murder conviction, release the man who was charged, and focus on Hannah as the true suspect - the one who got away. The problem is that Hannah doesn't really remember what actually happened the night of the murder and she has a lot more mental issues than she's letting on. NO SPOILERS.

What a crazy, convoluted psychological thriller that kept me guessing all the way through. There are many different characters involved in this story and Hannah is an extremely unreliable narrator who, at times, doesn't really appear to be fully sane. I enjoyed the tantalizing way that the author dropped the revelations and especially the conclusion when everything pulls together and the whole picture is presented. I read this all in one sitting which probably helped keep everything and everybody straight in my own mind! I usually balk at reading a book that hints at the worn out amnesia trope, but this was written to feel more authentic and unique, to me anyway.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

Possession by Katie Lowe is a captivating mystery surrounding Hannah a mother in her 40s whose husband was murdered 10 years ago. A young man was convicted for this murder, but Hannah has always been uncertain about what actually happened that night. Ten years later, a true crime podcast has cast doubt on the conviction and rallies for the case to be reopened. The story is told by Hannah with dual timelines, in the present and in the past leading up to the murder. Hannah's life becomes more isolated and it becomes clear she may not be a reliable narrator. Some points were a little slow, but the story was atmospheric, creepy, and compelling. I really liked the ending and had no idea what would happen. I listened to the audiobook which was masterfully narrated by Amy Scanlon, who sounded perfect for Hannah. This is a perfect isolated mystery for a cozy winter evening.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I'll have to admit that I didn't go into this with huge expectations. I thought it would be another psychological thriller with a woman making all the mistakes. Then it would finally give up all of its secrets, but there would be no real surprises. I was wrong on some of those. Yes, Hannah made a lot of really bad decisions. She lies for no real good reason and you know it will come back to bite her. And the story also circled around the night of her husband's murder until the very end.

That being said, or written, this offered a lot more. The author threw everything in here: an annoying podcaster, villagers with torches, murder mystery, possibly unreliable narrator, mistakes that make you look guilty, teenager turning on you... It could have been too much. It was all brought together nicely, though. It wasn't as predictable as I feared and I was left wanting more. I think the best thing I can say about the way the story developed is that by the end I did feel like I understood Hannah and Evie a whole lot better. I'd like to see them again.

The first part of this book moved slowly for me with too much packed in. Was it a mystery? A ghost story? I was having a hard time getting into the story. But then - - suddenly I couldn't put the book down. The action seemed to speed up as more and more improbable events were revealed. It turned out to be a good page-turner.

Possession has all of the thriller devices I love: a potential suspect with memory loss; a psychologist who fails to seek help for her own mental health decline; and my most recent favorite, a true-crime podcast that becomes popular for all the wrong reasons.

In Possession, we see Hannah's decline as she attempts to justify, then rationalize, the murder of her husband 10 years before. Now she has boyfriend she loves, a daughter she would do anything to protect, and a career she's passionate about. Will they all be jeopardized based on a past she can't remember?

When a former intern comes back into her life in the form of Darcy, Hannah grabs at the chance to partner on the renovation of the old Hawkwood House, a closed and derelict asylum Hannah is obsessed with since learning her grandmother spent some time there.

This is a slow burn, that will leave you with many questions. But what will stick with you is how your world can be obliterated by social media, popular belief, and a creeping feeling that you might just not be in control of your own thoughts and actions.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for this thrilling advanced reader's copy for review.

Wow. I just finished this one and am almost left wondering about what just happened. This is a dual timeline, unreliable narrator and a podcast thrown in type of thriller. The beginning started off slow and didn’t hook me in right away. The middle of the story picked up and sucked me in; then the ending spat me back out again. It felt a little messily done and I wish I liked it more.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

POSSESSION
Katie Lowe
St. Martin’s Press
ISBN-13: 978-1250200280
Hardcover
Mystery/Thriller

Be advised that POSSESSION by Katie Lowe is a slow-boil of a book, so much so that one --- I for one --- was at one point in the early days of the book tempted to remove the kettle, so to speak, and go elsewhere. I ultimately did not and am glad for it. POSSESSION saves its numerous surprises, twists and turns for the last third or so of the book, while along the way it almost improbably puts a new spin on tried, true, and somewhat overused “unreliable narrator” plot element. The result is a story that you won’t be able to get out of your head.

Hannah Catton, the narrator of POSSESSION, has a memorable though unenviable backstory. A decade or so before the present of POSSESSION Hannah’s husband Graham was stabbed to death in their home. A man was charged with the murder, tried, and convicted. Hannah has moved on, raising Evie, her daughter, started a new job with the assistance of a friend, and acquired Dan, a new love interest, who is almost too good and understanding to be true. Everything is fine, at least until an enormous popular British true crime podcast focuses on the circumstances of Graham’s murder and using a combination of inverted pyramid research and confirmation bias leads its audience down a cattle chute toward the conclusion that the wrong person was tried and convicted of Graham’s killing and that Hannah is the person who should have been charged. Each episode of the podcast, which revisits the investigation and the relationship between Graham and Hannah, causes Hannah’s life to spin further out of control. The new, unofficial investigation leaves no stone unturned, interviewing Graham’s friends, Hannah’s friends, co-workers, relatives, and the police investigators who apparently made a rush to judgement. Hannah’s internal dialogue, meanwhile, doesn’t do her any favors. She became aware of Graham’s unfaithfulness during her pregnancy, something which continued after Evie was born. Hannah herself has memory issues. Things get worse. One by one, the people in Hannah’s life seem to doubt her as well. The man originally convicted of Graham’s murder is released from prison on the strength of the new evidence revealed by the podcast. Hannah and Dan both lose their jobs. Worst of all, Hannah doesn’t seem entirely sure of her own innocence and is plagued by self-doubt, even as she becomes a pariah within her own community. It seems as if she can’t sink any lower, but that isn’t true, particularly when it is discovered that Hannah’s grandmother was accused of killing her husband as well. Just when things are at their absolute worst, Hannah receives assistance from an unexpected corner. It may, however, be far too late and far too little.

As much trouble as I had with POSSESSION initially, I was compelled to read it a second time just to appreciate what Lowe did with the story. It’s a dark tale, for sure, one which will cause a sensitive reader to question their trust in their loved ones, but the meticulous plotting here makes the emotional upheaval worthwhile. POSSESSION is not a book to have fun with but it will leave you spellbound.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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