The Funeral by Helen H. Durrant kicks off with a brilliant hook: a woman receives a mysterious invitation to a funeral, and when she arrives, she sees her own name on the coffin. It’s a chilling and original premise that immediately grabs your attention and sets the stage for a tense psychological thriller.

The story starts strong and builds suspense quickly, I was instantly curious to see where it would go. However, as the book went on, the pace slowed down, and the plot started to feel a bit overloaded. There are quite a few twists and subplots, which at times made the story hard to follow.

The characters didn’t quite work for me either. The main character made some odd choices that made her hard to relate to, and most of the others seemed suspicious or hard to like. That said, the ending really delivered. The final twist was genuinely surprising and gave the story a strong and memorable finish.

Overall, The Funeral has a fantastic concept and a powerful ending. While the pacing and characters could have been stronger, the shock factor and unique storyline make it worth a read, especially for fans of psychological thrillers who enjoy unexpected twists.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Funeral’ written by Helen H Durrant in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Donna Slade receives an email inviting her to a funeral. She doesn’t know who sent the email or who the funeral is for. She arrives in time to join the mourners around the grave and is shocked to read her own name on the coffin, Alice Anderson, the name she was born with before changing it to Donna Slade.

‘The Funeral’ is a mysterious thriller that reveals the tangled web of secrets, lies and mind games that Max Marsden, his wife Tara and daughter Hanna play, as Donna Slade moves into the household seeking to discover the true identity of the woman in the coffin. The suspense has had me gripped from page one and kept me reading through every twist and turn until I reached the epilogue with the answers Donna had been searching for and a cliffhanger that ends with her solving one mystery only to be faced with another. 3.5/4 stars.

I requested The Funeral from NetGalley because I remembered enjoying one of Helen H. Durrant’s crime series some time ago. What I had conveniently forgotten, however, was that I’d also read The Guilty Man, a previous standalone, and I absolutely hated that one. Unfortunately, I had déjà vu here. My thoughts this time were practically identical.
The pacing was sluggish throughout. I never managed to form a connection with any of the characters, which made it hard to care about what happened to them. The writing felt rigid, as though the words had been forced onto the page rather than flowing naturally. As for Alice/Donna, her behaviour was bewildering—completely inconsistent and maddeningly illogical. I spent more time rolling my eyes than turning the pages.
Character decisions didn’t ring true and bordered on the ludicrous. Everything felt inflated for effect, but instead of being gripping, it came off as implausible. I very nearly abandoned it halfway through, but since I received an ARC, I pushed on, despite other reviewers warning of a cliff-hanger. It’s not a cliff-hanger in the traditional sense, more of an open-ended stop, as though it’s laying the groundwork for a follow-up. I can’t say I’ll be rushing to read it, though.
All in all, this one was a miss for me.

This was a fast paced thriller with surprises in almost every chapter. You don’t know who to trust and you don’t know who the villain is until the very end.

I enjoyed the surprise event in the book and the story ended with the main character solving one mystery and getting ready to start to solve another. So there is potential for a sequel here.


I received a complimentary copy of this title and all opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Donna f/k/a Alice Anderson has been in hiding from a debt collector for several years. One day she receives an anonymous email invite to attend a funeral. That is strange in and of itself, but I guess curiosity killed the cat, so Donna can't help herself. She has to see who has died and why this invite was sent to her. Imagine her surprise when she sees her own name (or should I say her real name - Alice Anderson) on the grave.

Things get even more strange when she is approached by Alice's employer. Max and Tara offer her a job. So Nancy a/k/a Alice is about to take the job that her namesake just had. Cue the creepy music. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. They have offered her a room in their mansion and a cushy job. Blinking red lights are going off in my head, but apparently not for Nancy.

This psychological thriller gives new meaning to gaslighting. I started thinking the whole house was a little cuckoo. Max, Tara and their very strange daughter, Hannah are out there. Nothing is as it seems. This house and its occupants are full of secrets and wacky occurrences.

I literally read this book in one evening because I could not, for the life of me, figure out where this thriller was going to land. My only problem with this book is that I feel like there were a few things that were left incomplete, but maybe the author wanted to leave you with that question mark or doubt in your mind, so it was by design. Either way, I could not put it down.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Name :- The Funeral
Author:- Helen H. Durrant
Genre:- Psychological Thriller
In The Funeral, Helen H. Durrant delivers a chilling tale that grabs you from the very first line and doesn’t let go. When Alice receives a mysterious funeral invitation, she’s puzzled—but curiosity leads her to a grave with her own name etched into the headstone. What follows is a suspenseful descent into a dark past she thought she’d left behind. Durrant expertly weaves intrigue through Alice’s voice—tense, wary, and layered with secrets. Every page pulses with paranoia as Alice navigates a sea of well-dressed strangers, any one of whom could be a threat. The eerie setup quickly morphs into a deadly cat-and-mouse game where Alice must figure out who wants to expose her—and why. What makes The Funeral stand out is how it plays with themes of identity theft, buried truths, and psychological warfare. It’s a tightly paced thriller, where each chapter unravels just enough to keep you racing toward the next. The final twists are cleverly planted and satisfyingly sharp.
Likes and Dislikes :-
Likes:-
1 Unpredictable plot with a sinister setup.
2 Sharp writing and well-drawn tension throughout.
3 A strong, flawed protagonist with a dangerous past that slowly unspools.
Dislikes :-
None.
Overall, The Funeral is a gripping, mind-twisting thriller that keeps you questioning the truth until the very end.
My Rating:- 5/5.

This is a for sure page turner. Who would think about going to a funeral and not even know who it was for.? To find out it's for you, or who was you!

5*
I don’t even know where to start with this book! I couldn’t put it down! I was hooked from the start, the craziness that went on with each character. The twists I wasn’t expecting at all, this is a must read for sure and I will 100% be recommending this book to everyone! I enjoyed every moment and loved it all. This is definitely one of them books I’d love to read again for the first time .

This book had so much going on! So many twists and turns. Really enjoyed the storyline. It grabbed me straight from the start. Will definitely read more by this author. Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me read this book for an honest review.

The invitation is anonymous, it doesn’t say whose funeral i must attend, only that I can’t afford to miss it. The Funeral by Helen H Durrant is a dark and twisty thriller psychological thriller. The plot quickly drew me in and I was soon flying through the chapters. It’s fast paced and will keep you hooked to the end with the addition of some great twists. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

This was such a compelling read that hooked me right at the start and kept me gripped all the way through. It had me on the edge of my seat at times and I was kept guessing until the end

THE FUNERAL is an addictive and completely unputdownable psychological thriller, by bestselling author Helen H. Durrant.

Donna avoided people for fear of being recognized for the last three years. She was invited to a funeral by a suspicious email, for someone she didn’t know well, a friend, and that the deceased had left her money…money she needed to start her life again.

She attended the funeral but didn’t recognize anyone. And then she saw it…the name of the deceased-Alice Anderson, and chills ran through her body.

That’s her name, Alice Anderson, but she hadn’t used it in three years, but she had been living under the alias name of Donna Slade.

But somehow, someone knows who she really is…

Who is the woman in the grave…since she isn’t Alice?

This totally addictive psychological thriller will have you glued to your seat. Information and clues are released on a knew-to-know basis. I will not comment anymore on the plot for risk of spoilers, but I must say I really enjoyed this novel from beginning to end.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for my digital copy.

Donna's journey is an interesting one and I wasn't expecting the secrets that were revealed. I had guessed that Hanna wasn't all that she seemed and the fact that her parents were pretty terrible meant that you don't quite know the why and the how until later on.

Tara seems a bit of a flake at times and you do wonder how much is an act and how much is because she's brow-beaten. I'm not sure I'd tolerate a small fraction of what she's gone through but she's stuck in the thick of it.

I did feel that Donna was going to meet a grissly end so it kept the suspense throughout and the fact she survives but there's potential for another mystery to solve does leave you hanging and waiting for the next installment.

There’s not much to say about this one, it’s a classic thriller with lots of twist and turns but I enjoyed this book. At some points the pacing felt off just a little.

The plot was good however I did predict some of it pretty early on, I think there was some parts missing though which of the MC’s was wrong, which was pulling the strings and were the tablets fake?

I’d like to read the next one if there is one because it did leave on a cliffhanger.

The Funeral by Helen H. Durrant

The premise was intriguing but I found it hard to feel engaged with the story as the characters were so unlikable; none were redeeming.

The ending was a cliffhanger which makes me think there may be a part 2. If not, I think an epilogue would be fantastic!

The plot: Someone is dead. She has your real name, not the name you have been using for the past three years. .She must know your deep dark secrets. But who is she? Who can Donna trust? Donna is forced to come face to face with the past she has been running from and trying to forget for so long.

My Thoughts: The Funeral is a mysterious, suspenseful, and wonderfully written psychological read by Helen H. Durrant. I could not put this book down. I read it in one sitting! I think the cover and the title are captivating for a thriller reader from the beginning. I can honestly say, I did not predict the ending. This is a must read for any collection!

Set to publish on 5/14/2025, thank you NetGalley for eARC and opporunity for the advance read!

Amazing gripping thrillers that leave a hole in your chest when you finish it.

Hooked from the start, amazing!!!

I requested this book having never heard of the author so this review is completely unbiased. I found a few errors in it and I really struggled to get into it. I rarely give up on a book so I persevered with this. It was tedious and slow and quite frankly boring if I’m honest. This is obviously just my opinion.

dear Donna. dont go to the funeral and dont go forward with the couple you meet there. the end. haha. that is the note she should have listened to. instead Donna receives an email inviting her to a funeral. when she attends she is shocked to see the name of the deceased is...hers. only of course it her old name. as shes been on the run from those she borrowed money from and changed her name to Donna. what she sees as this congregation of people is that she doesnt fit. they are all wealthy. it pours off them as does their obvious disdain of her who they think "doesnt fit". when she is taken in by Matt and his wife and then giving the job the deceased left open Donna knows she will accept. its the only way to know how and why Alice is her and not her and just whats going on.
but wow going into a family of this type wasnt the best plan and things start to unravel from the get go. and when she is in danger its doesnt get much better.
this book is fast paced and twisty turny creepy twirly in all the best thriller ways.
i wanted to know the reveals and just what was going on as much as Donna did. and just who are this couple?

"A chaotic, mind-bending thriller where trust is impossible and reality slips away."

The Funeral is a psychological thriller that feels like a fever dream — messy, chaotic, and filled with some of the most unlikable characters you'll ever encounter. The story follows Alice Anderson, living under the alias Donna Slade, as she struggles to outrun a miserable past. When a mysterious email invites her to the funeral of someone she supposedly knows, curiosity wins over caution. But nothing prepares her for the ultimate shock: her own name engraved on the casket.

From that moment, Alice is pulled into a tangled web of deceit, gaslighting, and relentless mind games. Trust is nonexistent. Max, Tara, and their unstable daughter Hannah swing wildly between manipulative, bizarre, and downright unhinged. The family Donna/Alice encounters is a full-blown circus of lies and emotional chaos, constantly pushing the limits of credibility. The plot hurtles from twist to twist, but the characters' wild behavior and lack of real development make it hard to stay emotionally invested. People change moods without warning, scenes escalate absurdly, and by the end, readers are left dangling.

The Funeral is an enjoyable yet maddening read — a wild ride of paranoia and confusion, where nothing is ever quite what it seems.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an advance copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.