Lia Middleton

The Confession Room is another fast-paced and exciting thriller from Lia Middleton. Emilia Haines gave up her job as a police officer when tragedy hit her family but the detective instinct hasn't left her. She spends a lot of time online and on one forum in particular, The Confession Room, where people anonymously share their darkest confessions. Sometimes it's something they have done and other times it's something they would like to do. A safe space to vent and share until somebody confesses to murder. Very soon there's more than one and we have a serial killer on the loose.

I thought this was a genius idea for a book. I wasn't sure how the story would work but Middleton has plotted it extremely well and manages to keep up the tension all the way through. There's a point where I did a sharp intake of breath and the pace changed all over again but really it never lets up. It's a multi-layered story with more to everything than meets the eye.

Emilia is a brilliantly-drawn character, with everything and nothing to lose and she veers between putting herself in danger and knowing that she needs to stay safe for her family, but her background as a detective helps her as well as she's looking for clues that others wouldn't search for. All in all, The Confession Room is a gripping and thrilling read with a shocking premise. It's tense, dark, unique and clever and makes you think about what you're sharing online, even if it's just an unfulfilled desire. A fantastic and exhilarating read.… (más)

Your Word or Mine drew me to it initially because of the courtroom aspects. I love a courtroom drama. Ava Knight is a prosecuting barrister who, in the course of her work, is required to defend a young girl accused of stabbing a man. It all seems quite cut and dried until Ava realises the victim is the man who attacked her 18 years previously. This is what leads Ava to risk everything, to act out of character, to pursue the truth.

This is a book that I found gripping from beginning to end. Lia Middleton's plotting is impeccable and I particularly liked the fact that the twists in the story were totally plausible and it never felt as though the story was being manipulated just to create shock value. However, I have to say that shock value was very much created. The end of the first half drew a gasp from me and there were at least two other moments when I said "oh no" to myself out loud and had to turn away from the book for a moment. It's such a tense ride; indeed all emotions came into play: anger, sympathy, nail-biting anxiety and even a tear in my eye.

This is one fast-paced and gripping 'edge of the seat' kind of story. As Ava looks for answers, both to what happened to her all those years ago, and what is happening now, she puts herself in some rather stressful situations and it makes for an extremely taut and exciting experience. An intelligent crime thriller that comes highly recommended by me. I couldn't put it down.… (más)