The Book Magnet: BLOG TOUR: Why She Ran

‘Rachel. They must have made a mistake. A mother would know?’ She let her words pour into the emptiness of the kitchen. She began to shiver. ‘I can’t feel anything,’ she said softly and rocked back and forth, as if she was a huge child, seeking solace in the simple gesture.

When young, pretty nurse Rachel McDermott is found murdered in the harsh lights of the hospital kitchen where she works, her mother can’t accept the news, and the small Irish town of Corbally reels in disbelief. Rushing to the scene, Detective Iris Locke vows to find the sick killer, whatever it takes.

The last person to see Rachel alive was her close friend, sixteen-year-old Eleanor Marshall, a troubled teenager, estranged from her family. Eleanor was spotted fleeing the kitchen where Rachel’s body was found and becomes the main suspect. Iris has a search party combing the endless woods near the Comeragh mountains where they believe she is hiding. But Iris is consumed with worry for the vulnerable girl and can’t shake a prickly disquiet that Eleanor shouldn’t be a suspect.

Eleanor’s sister agrees but a day later, when she is found dead in the area Eleanor is hiding, things don’t look good for the runaway teen. Iris can’t see Eleanor, who still sleeps with her childhood teddy bear, as someone who would kill her little sister and her best friend, but all the evidence seems to point that way.

Sleep-deprived and desperate to find the truth, Iris takes a closer look into Rachel’s background and discovers that she was keeping strange, shadowy company the night before she died. Convinced that Eleanor is in terrible danger, Iris sets out to find her, in the icy-cold woods, alone. But what if somebody else makes their way through the darkness and reaches Iris and Eleanor first?

This gripping mystery thriller is perfect for fans of Carol Wyer, Robert Dugoni and LJ Ross.

What did I think?

I am already a huge fan of Geraldine Hogan, just check my author index and you can see that I have read everything that she has written to date as Faith Hogan, so I was super-excited when I found out that she was venturing into the crime fiction genre. Unfortunately I ended up not reading her first crime novel, My Sister's Bones, due to other reading commitments and missing out on a spot on the blog tour but I was delighted to be invited to take part in the blog tour for book 2, Why She Ran.

Eleanor Marshall has been institutionalised by her rich parents; the rebellious teen has been hidden away and forgotten about whilst her younger sister remains in the impressive and imposing family home. Neither of them are safe from the killer who is roaming Corbally. Eleanor escapes from the hospital one night after her nurse, Rachel, is brutally murdered and Eleanor becomes the prime suspect. Detective Iris Locke and her team are called in to investigate and the hunt for Eleanor kept me on the edge of my seat.

The fantastic Eleanor-hunt story aside, Geraldine Hogan has created a superb cast of characters in Locke and Slattery. Although I do wish I had read My Sister's Bones first, I gained enough information to not only follow their story through but to want to find out more. It's not just Locke who has family secrets to reveal as a huge nugget of intrigue has been planted in regards to Slattery's past and I can't wait to see this grow to fruition.

Having loved every page of Why She Ran, I can definitely say that you can read this if you haven't read My Sister's Bones. What it will do, however, is make you want to rush off and read the first Iris Locke book as soon as you can. To say my curiosity has been piqued is an understatement; I am desperate to find out more of Iris Locke's story, both past and future.

Two words keep springing to mind when I think of this book: shock and awe (to quote George W. Bush but in a more positive capacity). The story shocked and surprised me and I am completely in awe of Geraldine Hogan's writing talent. Why She Ran is a superb, fast-paced, edge of your seat crime thriller; it's a sweaty palms, heart-pounding race against time story that is virtually impossible to put down.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Geraldine Hogan was born in Ireland. She gained an Honors Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree in Training and Management from University College, Galway. She is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author of four contemporary fiction novels under the pen name Faith Hogan.

HER SISTER'S BONES is her first crime novel, her second WHY SHE RAN is due out in December 2019.

She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She's a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger - except of course when it is raining!