Maybe I have read too many thrillers, or maybe I’ve been reading the wrong ones, because so often I find myself two or three chapters in and already having a very clear idea of where the story is going and who the villain is. The Funeral is a refreshing change from all of that.

The premise is compelling: who wouldn’t be curious if they’re were invited to their own funeral? What follows is creepy, strange and disturbing, and our heroine, Donna, is right to be wary of all around her.

One particular strength of the book, for me, was that Donna’s first person perspective was not granted the kind of omniscience that too often detracts from the plot. There are clear holes in her knowledge, gaps in the plot in which she has found herself, and there is no rush from the author to fill them or round them neatly off.

It would be fair to say that there are some deeply unpleasant characters in the book, who seem unlikely to have a redemption arc in subsequent novels in the series teased by the book’s ending. I was on the edge of my seat for most of this audiobook, and am genuinely looking forward to the sequel so I can find out what Donna/Alice uncovers.

The narration was excellent, with different characters expressed clearly. If I had to criticise anything, it would be the comparative absence of the Mancunian accent our protagonist is supposed to have. And while I don’t expect a caricature as accent, it was almost imperceptible. This didn’t detract from the overall experience - I still finished the book in 3 days - but if Donna’s Manchester upbringing is to become more important in subsequent books, I’d expect this to be addressed.

Overall, 4 stars from me, but excited to have been introduced to a new author. I’ll be watching out for future books with interest, and checking out her back catalogue while I wait.

I found this to be a very original, and listenable audiobook in the psychological fiction genre.

The plot starts in a quite remarkable way - Donna, a young woman who lives her life undercover in an attempt to evade a loan shark, is mysteriously lured to the funeral of an unknown acquaintance with the promise of a gift from the estate of the deceased. Donna is both horrified and intrigued to discover the name on the gravestone is her own birth name!

In what is quite possibly the strangest day ever!, Donna leaves the funeral having accepted a job from a family she meets at the funeral who have links to the deceased.

What follows is a lot of amateur sleuthing on the part of Donna, who discovers she had connections to this family in ways she couldn’t possibly have imagined.

I found the narration good, being easy to follow and pleasant to listen to.

Overall a very decent listen!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

This high quality audio was a binge feast. I was hooked from the beginning, full of mysteries and no trust worthy characters this had me so invested . There were omg moments and could this really happen or is ott. Gripping and full of action from the first word. It constantly asked me questions how did she get the email invite, who is playing who and why? I loved hearing the story through the eyes of Alice, some of the reveals about her past were way out there and hard to comprehend . Skillful narration meant the emotion of all the characters shown through, i loved not knowing who to trust and who was really the villan there were plenty of red herrings and misdirection. I was shocked at the final review and the last chapter made me believe there is potentially a sequel or spin off possible. I found it hard to believe you could vanish for 3 years and use another name and get by and still someone contact you by email this was the part that was not explained in enough detail for me but this could be overlooked. The dynamics of husband and wife at the office was well executed . This is a highly recommended 5 star listen, which is a quick action fueled 5 star listen. Thank you netgallery, publisher, narrator and author.

I really enjoyed this one. It's a gripping mystery that pulled me in from the very first chapter, and I was fully invested the entire way through.

The story follows Donna, who receives a mysterious email inviting her to a funeral, with no idea who has died. When she arrives, she is shocked to see her own name on the coffin: Alice Anderson, a name she has not used in three years. That moment sets the tone for the rest of the book. What follows is a twisty and fast paced mystery as Donna meets the dead woman’s wealthy and very strange employers, who end up offering her a job. She accepts, determined to find out who the woman really was, why she was using Donna’s name, and who sent the email in the first place.

I liked Donna as a main character. She was strong, determined, and not afraid to stand up for herself, even when the people around her were awful. That said, there were definitely moments when her decisions made me want to shake her.

One of my favorite things about this book was the constant sense of unease. You truly cannot trust a single person. I was suspicious of every character, always second guessing who was lying and who was actually telling the truth. I loved that.

Some parts were a little unrealistic, but honestly, I didn't mind as I was having such a great time. This was a fun and fast paced mystery full of twists and turns, perfect for anyone looking for an easy and entertaining read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the early access.

Arc review 🍀
The funeral by Helen H Durrant (4⭐)

This book immediately pulls you in with its intriguing premise: a woman receives a mysterious funeral invitation with no clue as to who has died. Out of fear that a long buried secret may come to light, she attends only to discover that the deceased is listed as Alice Anderson, her former identity from three years ago. Now known as Donna, she finds herself surrounded by strangers mourning a version of her she thought she had left behind. As the story unfolds, she must keep her secrets safe while unraveling who knows the truth and what they want from her.

The pace of the book was excellent ,it was very fast paced and immersive . While the plot twist wasn’t a massive shock, it was well-executed, made sense within the story, and ultimately felt satisfying to me .
I was really annoyed with Tara and Max throughout the whole book and when things where revealed it didn't make sense to me how they suddenly became normal and kind to Alice or should I say Donna anyways so that bothered me a little but I was definitely making my judgements early because the last part of the book was really satisfying and fulfilling and it tied everything together beautifully.🌸
Thank you to Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC 🩷🫶

Enjoyed this audio book and it had a reality good narrator.

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.

I was all in for a thriller with some good twists and what I read was not thrilling and honestly not very well written either. The characters where all extremely bland and lacked common sense and any real backstory that I could understand the motivations and choices they made. Our main character The real Alice was very niave in the sense she never believed anything anyone said and assumed ahe knew more about these people she had just met. Also the twists and turns didn't make any sense and the The dynamics between characters where number one laughable and number two I felt I was apart of a soap opera with the dialoge and the constant switches in tone. Also Hannah was written. As a 23 years old but she read far more to a 15 year old with a big mouth and very little brain cells. Everyone fears this man so much and yet no one walks away or leaves and we never truly understand the motivations for the evilness we are told about and rarely see. The story as a whole was trying to hard to be a thriller with high stakes but I felt far more that it was very low stakes and for the main character until towards the end there was never any real reason she should be staying. So much of the twists and writing was to add so much tension to what we find out is more then less not as intense as first assumed ( except the murder part that made sense for the tension). I didn't connect with the writing or any of the characters snd felt they all read very young and honestly all lacking in the common sense department. Also the dialogue was very infuriating and grating and ended up more then once coming across petulant and over the top. This wasn't for me sadly and I can't recommend.

While the narration is perfect, and the premise is interesting, I just did not connect with this book. I did not develop a "relationship" or any compassion for any of the characters, least of all the protagonist.
I did love the weird stuff though. I loved the scene were Tara is tearing up Alice/Donna's desk and yelling at her and Alice is like "um I just started 5 minutes ago." Granted she was late so maybe she should have been on time, but still. It was so weird and it made me laugh a little.
I do love my weirdos and this book is all about weirdos.

Suspense like I haven't read before. A constant creeping dread. First reads by this author and won't be my last!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 Stars (Good)
Setting: Small English setting
Genre: Psychological Thriller

The Funeral by Helen H. Durrant has a premise that grabbed me right from the start: an anonymous funeral invitation, a mysterious grave marked with the protagonist’s old name, and the chilling realization that someone knows her deepest secret. It’s an intriguing setup that promises tension, suspense, and plenty of dark twists — and in many ways, the book delivers.

The opening chapters are strong, pulling you into Alice’s world of paranoia and secrets. Durrant does a great job creating an ominous atmosphere, with the funeral scene especially vivid and unsettling. The mystery of who sent the invitation and why kept me turning pages, and there are definitely some clever reveals along the way.

However, while the plot was gripping, I found the pacing uneven. The middle of the book dragged in places, with repetitive internal monologues and some predictable moments. A few characters felt underdeveloped, and I wish their motivations had been explored more deeply. By the time the big twists arrived, they were satisfying — but they didn’t completely make up for the slower sections.

Overall, The Funeral is a solid psychological thriller with an attention-grabbing premise and moments of real tension. While it didn’t completely blow me away, it kept me entertained, and fans of twisty domestic suspense will likely enjoy the ride. #netgalley #thefuneral #booked_this_weekend

The Funeral by Helen Durrant, is the type of book that keeps you engaged every step of the way. The twists and turns kept you guessing until the end. What happened? Who did it? Why the did it? All of these are questions that stay with you throughout the book and gives you a super satisfying answer.

The narrator did a good job at keeping me immersed in the story

What would you do if you had been in deep hiding, only to be summoned via email to a funeral for your real name? Would you have gone?

In Helen H. Durrant’s The Funeral, Donna is promised that something would be given to her at Alice Anderson’s funeral, which is enough to entice her out of hiding to attend what appears to be her own funeral.

This psychological thriller has so many twists and turns that it’s impossible to figure out what will happen next. Everyone has their own moment (or 5) of crazy and often psychotic behavior. Enough to make the reader never know what happened to whom, nor when.

When everyone lies about nearly everything, it’s crazy how much truth can be unearthed, though. But will justice ever truly be done?

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this audio ARC!!!

Hooked from the beginning. The story immediately drew me in wanting to know what was going on and who lured her to the funeral. Very good, figured out one of the big twists but it was still an exciting ending.
The narration was pretty good, loved the accent as always.

3.5 stars

Donna receives an anonymous invitation to a funeral but is terrified because it has her old name on it. She attends the funeral to find out who sent it and why they know her real identity. As she tries to keep her secret safe, she realizes she may have planned for this moment and knows what will happen next.

Buckle up, because this audiobook is a rollercoaster of emotions! Step right into the chaotic world of our dysfunctional family, where accusations fly left and right, apologies are as rare as a unicorn, and existence acknowledgments are practically non-existent. It's a family that's hard to love and even harder to understand why anyone would want to work for them.

Our main character may come off as a tad desperate at first, but don't underestimate her. She's a force to be reckoned with, ready to dive headfirst into a new job in a strange place and cut ties with the outside world completely.

The setting is eerie and isolated. The job requires being on call 24/7 and living right where you work. Strange occurrences only add to the suspense and keep you on the edge of your seat.

Just when you think you have it all figured out, the plot takes a sharp turn, and the true culprit is revealed, closer to home than you ever imagined. It's a fast-paced, sometimes frustrating listen, but it's dripping with murder mystery vibes from start to finish. The narrator was well chosen and engaging.

If you're a fan of twisted family dynamics, untrustworthy characters, and dark secrets clawing their way to the surface, this is the audiobook for you. So, grab a cozy blanket, settle in on a rainy day, and prepare to be hooked from the first chapter. You won't want to walk away until the very end.

Thank you, Bookouture Audio, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an excellent psychological thriller. This was the first book I read by Helen Durrant. I liked her writing style and felt this was a creative and unique plot. I enjoyed the twists and turns.

I enjoyed the narrator. She did an excellent job changing her voice for the different characters and helped me stay engaged with the book.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

While living in hiding under an alias due to a troubled past, Alice receives an anonymous invitation to a funeral - just to find out the name of the deceased is her own.

This was a classic ‘whodunit’ story which I enjoyed, however I felt like all of the characters behavior was so odd and unnatural that I really needed to suspend reality a little bit. I really enjoyed this voice actor and the twist at the end, as well as an open ended conclusion that leaves for more of our MC’s story in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Unfortunately, I ended up not finishing this one. The synopsis really caught my attention, and I was excited to dive in, but the writing style just didn’t work for me. It felt a bit disjointed and hard to follow, which made it difficult to stay engaged. While this one wasn’t for me, I appreciate the opportunity to read it.

I've listened to several of Helen H Durrant's police series but this the the first standalone psychological thriller I have listened to by this author and it was a wild, crazy ride! The storyline is intriguing and addictive meaning I didn't want to stop listening until I'd found out what happened to Alice. Every single character seemed to be hiding something and I had several different theories which changed every time we were given another piece of the puzzle.

I really enjoyed the narration by Sarah Durham.

This story was suspenseful and entertaining. The setting and characters were interesting and the storyline had me eager to learn more. The narration was great too!

Thank you Bookouture Audio for the free ALC of this book.

This book gave me the biggest Freida McFadden vibes, which is an excellent compliment since I inhale her books like a delicious beverage. I love a bingeable popcorn thriller, and this one met its mark.

I was captivated by this story from the very beginning. Alice, who has been in hiding from her past and going by the name Donna, receives an invitation to a funeral of someone she supposedly knows. When she arrives to the funeral, she realizes the gravestone lists her real name, one not many people know. Alice (Donna) is lured into a dark and dangerous web in her quest to discover who was using her name and what is hiding under the surface.

The Funeral is full of wild twists and unhinged characters that had me racing to the end to find out what was going to happen. It’s a highly addictive read, and I highly recommend picking this one up!

🎧 The narrator did a great job, no complaints.