BLOG TOUR: You Had It Coming - B.M. Carroll

 

WOULD YOU SAVE THE MAN

WHO DESTROYED YOUR LIFE?

When paramedic Megan Lowe is called to the scene of an attempted murder, all she can do is try to save the victim. But as the man is lifted onto a stretcher, she realises she knows him. She despises him. Why should she save his life when he destroyed hers?

Jess Foster is on her way home when she receives a text from Megan. Once best friends, the two women haven't been close for years, not since the night when they were just the teenage girls whom no-one believed; whose reputations were ruined. All Jess can think is, you had it coming.

Now Megan and Jess are at the centre of a murder investigation. But what secrets are they hiding? Can they trust one another? And who really is the victim?

What did I think?

It's really unusual to have a paramedic as a main character and I loved the moral dilemma that Megan is faced with in You Had It Coming.  You can't help but wonder what you would do in the same circumstances and as tempting as it would be to put a pillow over his face and press down, a paramedic is there to save lives not end them.

When barrister William Newson is despised by so many people, it's impossible to guess who killed him and I didn't even try to work it out as I was so engrossed in the story anyway.  The chapters are told from three points of view: paramedic Megan who is first at the scene, Megan's old friend Jess who swore to kill William Newson at the end of their trial and detective Bridget whose job it is to find out the truth.  

There are excerpts from Jess and Megan's trial scattered between the chapters and I loved these although it did make me rather incensed at the way defence lawyers turn the tables on the victims.  It made me wonder how defense lawyers can do that job, it must be difficult to defend someone when they know they're guilty so they must really have to distance themselves and just do their job.  Personally, I couldn't do it but it did give me pause for thought and I love it when books have points like this that make me continue to think about it long after I have turned the final page.

It felt like a number of professions were put under the microscope in You Had It Coming; not only paramedics and lawyers but also the police.  Bridget constantly puts her job before her family and she's so lucky to have such an understanding husband.  It's just a shame that Bridget's work/life balance is so top heavy as she is missing out on so much family time but her job is never ending as crime never sleeps.  

The well developed, strong female characters carry the story effortlessly and I found myself completely engrossed in this extremely well-written novel.  Filled with tension and suspense, You Had It Coming is an incredibly intriguing murder mystery that invites so much discussion that it would be perfect for book clubs.  It's a book I will continue thinking about for a very long time.

I received an ARC from the publisher to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

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About the author

B.M. Carroll was born in Blarney, a small village in Ireland. The third child of six, reading was her favourite pastime (and still is!). Ber moved to Sydney in 1995 and spent her early career working in finance. Her work colleagues were speechless when she revealed that she had written a novel that was soon to be published. Ber now writes full-time and is the author of ten novels, including Who We Were, published by Viper in 2020. Find her on Twitter @bmcarrollauthor.

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