I really enjoyed this book. The themes are quite dark but it is very well written and relatable. Even though the subject matter is so serious, there are glimmers of hope throughout and it wraps up in a positive way. Themes of abuse, violence and gaslighting are written really well and the interview itself is fascinating. Is the person being interviewed a victim or is she dangerous?

An excellent read. With so much violence against women in society, this book is very timely and I found it uplifting too.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Uk for a copy of “ The Interview “ for an honest review.

When I started reading this I wasn’t sure about the style of writing,, but once I got further into it I was hooked..
Because of the subject matter this was an uneasy read, but thought provoking.
A very good debut novel and Gill Perdue a name to look out for in the future .

Unfortunately this is the first book through #NetGalley that I haven't been able to finish. Initially I found it hard to get into but I kept at it, once I reached just over a third of the way through I just couldn't carry on. I realise that these topics need to be talked about but maybe a bit like the character Laura, I struggle to get such awful images etc out of my head and it gives me terrible anxiety. I'm not sure whether animal abuse was going to happen further along in the story but I feared that could have been coming too which is something else I also avoid.
I'm sure this book is well written and will appeal to many but just not for me and I do wish that book had trigger warnings on them so readers knew what to avoid.
My warning to others are potential triggers for domestic abuse, child abuse, ptsd and other mental health issues.

The Interview is, for the most part, hugely compelling and beautifully done- the subject matter is dark and realistic and handled really well plus it is a real page turner.

A girl found in shock, covered in blood. A missing man who could be dying. Two specially trained interviewers trying to get to the truth. That's the set up, what follows is a twisty tale that slowly but surely leads to an emotional conclusion.

I read this fast, it is one of those books you don't want to put down once you start and the writing is cleverly insightful. If I had one bugbear it was that one character had personal issues that became somewhat irritating and threatened to overwhelm the narrative- maybe that could have been pared back slightly - but overall this was am excellent read that managed to be both entertaining and socially relevant.

A 14-year-old assault victim Jenny who is initially selectively mute and will only communicate by fairytales is the challenge set for Detective Laura Shaw who is an SVI (specialist victim interviewer). Laura seems to have it all, a good career, a much loved two-year-old daughter and a supportive husband. However, right from the start of the interview Laura‘s questions strike a discordant note which becomes increasingly worrying. Her partner Niamh becomes more and more concerned. What is going on with Jenny and Laura becomes increasingly apparent in this tense and gripping psychological thriller.

I’m not going to pretend that in places this is anything other than a difficult read but what I can say with certainty is the quality of the writing is outstanding. The portrayal of the characters has done exceptionally well. Jenny has constructed walls and her means of conveying her truth is absolutely riveting.She is smart, dark, elusive and damaged but very clever and you wonder at times who is interviewing who. Laura seems confident but as you witness her behaviour it’s clear she’s far from that especially as it continues to change as if something dormant has awoken. Niamh, frankly, is brilliant light relief but she’s also totally on the ball in the interview and her reactions are very illuminating.

Some of the cleverest parts of the book centre on the use of fairytales especially grim Grimm and also Irish folk lore and through this means we see truth and reality. There is some disassociation by them but also eventually transformation. The use of music in particular the Beatles is also ingenious casting a light on the past and the present.

The quality of the writing especially as this is debut is extremely accomplished. It’s a very powerful, intense, dark novel, it’s shockingly vivid in places but utterly compelling and absorbing. The tension in parts is so taut it sends a shiver down the spine. This builds and the suspense times is so great you can scarcely breathe as truths are confronted. Yes, it’s decidedly uncomfortable but it’s mesmerising and so believable. The ending is so good you read it with baited breath as the fairytale riddles are unravelled and the spells are broken. The epilogue is exactly what you and the characters need with the last word rightly going to Minerva. A highly recommended and skilful debut.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General U.K., Sandycove for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A fascinating and compelling insight into the psychiatric profession and how they deal with trauma survivors. An interesting angle having an interviewer who is struggling under the weight of her own undealt with psychological issues, and this case is triggering those.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I received an email about this book because I had enjoyed Cara Hunter's books. Unfortunately, I do not feel this book was on par with Cara's. It was very slow in the beginning, so didn't grab my attention. I tried to ski p ahead as well, but just wasn't interested in all the talk around the therapy office etc. Just not for me. I gave up before I finished.

This is an incredibly strong debut book by Gill Perdue. I was hooked from the start and highly recommend it. Can't wait to read her future books

It’s hard to review a book like this. The story is grim but kept me interested. The writing is good. Characterisation was good. The setting was unique. Just not quite my genre but I can recognise a good book when I read it.

This book was told from a view point rarely used with the specialist interviewers being forefront of the story that ordinarily might focus wither on the victim, the perpetrator or the detectives point of view.
Switching between Laura and Niamh the story covers the interview of a young girl who is the victim of a car accident but who is soon revealed to have more worrying experiences to be helped through.
The characters are very cleverly written with Laura hiding a traumatic past that is clearly not really past at all and Niamh struggling to understand why Laura is suddenly finding the job so hard.
I thought the voice of Jenny, spoken in fairy tales, was a really well conceived way of allowing her to disclose her experiences in a way that was wholly believable of the character.
Difficult to read in parts but well worth it.

I really enjoyed this novel, it was a really refreshing format for this genre. There were plenty of twists and turns, and the author made an effort to give the characters a backstory. The characters were likable and had a realness to them which was nice. I would certainly recommend this and would be interested in reading other books by the author.

This was a unique story line centred around an interview, Detective Laura Shaw has the perfect life being the top interviewer getting people to open up about traumatic experiences. Laura's colleagues are working on a case involving young Jenny who has been through trauma involving her step father. She is completely traumatised and shut down, but when her step father goes missing and Jenny is found to have blood on her clothes, can Detective Laura Shaw get Jenny to open up to her? time is of the essence and Laura needs answers. She also wants to help this young girl deal with what has happened in her past. This is quite a sensitive subject, but I feel as though the author has done her research well, it is sensitively written, I felt upset reading about what that young girl had gone through and how she was after, I don't know how anyone could recover after that. I had to take a step back from this book, but then continued to read it. I liked Detective Laura Shaw and I hope to see her in other books, I thought she was brilliant at her job and someone you could totally trust. I liked the plot line even though parts were a bit heavy going.

To outside opinion, Detective Laura Shaw has everything she could want to be happy: a loving husband, a loving daughter and a career she loves. Her skill at getting vulnerable people to open up, even about the toughest of circumstances, means she’s a force to be reckoned with. However, the victim interviewer meet a match with teenage Jenny. The young woman speaks in fairy tales – but time is of the essence. Her stepfather is missing, the blood on her clothes is not her’s so Laura needs Jenny to reveal more of what happened, and as soon as possible. Much of the questioning feels uncomfortable to read, as it should, especially as Jenny is in an almost childlike state, but this adds to the already tense plot that will maintain your attention throughout. Importantly too, is Laura’s attitude – the much lauded interviewer is having an issue getting Jenny to speak, further confusing her colleague Niamh. What has this case triggered in Laura? And will the team uncover the truth as to what happened to Jenny’s stepfather?

Unfortunately this book was not one for me. I found it hard to get into and struggled with some of the abbreviations. Very good concept and looking at the other reviews I’m sure it’s a good book but I found some of the topics quite upsetting so didn’t finish reading it.

A psychological thriller based around the interview of a trauma victim. The story is told from the alternating points of view of Laura and Niamh. two detectives specially trained for this type of work, and the victim, fourteen year old Jenny. The subject matter is quite disturbing but is dealt with sympathetically.
I found the story very slow paced and it never really got going for me. The ending seemed a bit rushed and too neatly finished off. The character of Laura has her own issues and in trying to get the truth from Jenny, she is very much preoccupied with her own past. As such she came across as unprofessional but also she was not an engaging character. In the end I found the book a little disappointing.

A young teenage girl Jenny is found with blood on her, shes shivering outdoors her Mum and Brother are badly injured in a car.

The interview is Jenny being interviewed by Laura with Niamh taking notes and helping, they're from the Gardia and specially trained. This is something they've done so often so should be business as usual but well I'm not going to spoil it but this is so well written I will let Gill (Author) tell you in her words as they are incredible. In fairness the procedure may be the same but everyone is different so there is no complete normal.

This does tackle a sensitive issue or 2 and its handled with great care and still is a thriller that keeps you guessing with twists it's an experience your going love one minute and clench the next just as a thriller should. I enjoyed the suspense the characters whey their own back stories but the 2 main Characters for me were Laura and Jenny and these are very believable as are the others but these need to be more so or it wouldn't be a 5star read which this certainly is. The build up doesn't take the whole book or ½ of it your into it the story very quickly and carried to a dramatic end. But there the drama is all the way through from the start as I've just mentioned I guess. What happened did happen to Jenny what is her plan what is she thinking don't worry you will find out if your need is for a good thriller then this is your next one.

When a fourteen year old girl, Jenny, is found at the side of the road covered in blood and clearly having been assaulted, Specialist Victim Interviewers Laura and Niamh are called in to gently find out what's happened to her.

But Jenny is angry, and traumatised, and she's not talking. Or not in ways that make much sense. And when further information comes to light - her mother and little brother have suffered critical injuries, and her stepfather is missing - it becomes even more urgent to somehow piece together the truth.

Laura, though, has her own issues - exacerbated since the birth of her young daughter - to deal with, and it's not getting any easier.

The Interview was an engrossing read if not always a comfortable one - inside Jenny's head, and indeed Laura's, are not easy places to be. Jenny tells dark fairy tales to allude to what's happened to her; Laura experiences horrific thoughts and fears and can't push them away.

(Laura's mental health struggles and experiences with OCD and intrusive thoughts were very well done, I thought - my partner has similar issues, and I appreciated the careful, realistic way this was addressed.)

It was interesting, and believable, that due to bed shortages Jenny has been placed temporarily on an adult psychiatric ward, mainly, it seems, among elderly women with dementia. Jenny's interactions with the nurses and her fellow patients add a further dimension to the story.

The Interview is an excellent if disturbing read which considers the effects of trauma, both long and short term. Abuse - sexual, emotional and physical - is a major theme and readers should be aware of this, as it's very distressing and hard to read at times, but sensitively and responsibly addressed.

A superb first novel by Gill Perdue which I can highly recommend. Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

‘The Interview’ focuses on both the assault victim, 14-year-old Jenny, and her interviewers, Niamh and Laura, in equal measure. Jenny is found on the side of a road, and her mother and brother are seriously injured as a result of a car crash. Where is her stepfather? What has he done? As the interviews commence, it soon becomes clear that Jenny’s experience is triggering past trauma for Laura and the story becomes a vehicle for exploring both the girl’s and the woman’s terrible experiences.
If you enjoy fairy story riddles, then you may well be gripped by the narrative. Unfortunately, because of this device, I couldn’t help comparing it with ‘Mirrorland’ by Carole Johnstone, which, to my mind, is far more successful in the telling.
Not a bad read but this type of novel needs to be really brilliant to stand out in an increasingly crowded field.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

Garda Laura Shaw is assigned to the case of a 14 year old, Jenny, who has been admitted to hospital after she has been found unconscious. Jenny had clearly been through hell, she is traumatised and psychotic. Laura has to try and unlock Jenny’s memories and find out what’s happened to her but Laura has her own issues which are clouding her judgement.
This was such a gripping read and I spent the day immersed in it. For a debut novel it was brilliant and I expect will be well received. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my. A deeply disturbing book which will resonate with many. Very cleverly crafted and totally engrossing.