Category: Michael Malone

About The Book

A young man discovers a family secret that turns his world upside down in this dark, emotive, shocking psychological thriller by number-one bestselling author Michael J. Malone

John Docherty’s mother has just been taken into a nursing home following a massive stroke and she’s unlikely to be able to live independently again.

With no other option than to sell the family home, John sets about packing up everything in the house. In sifting through the detritus of his family’s past he’s forced to revisit, and revise his childhood.
For in a box, in the attic, he finds undeniable truth that he had a brother who disappeared when he himself was only a toddler. A brother no one ever mentioned. A brother he knew absolutely nothing about. A discovery that sets John on a journey from which he may never recover.

For sometimes in that space where memory should reside there is nothing but silence, smoke and ash. And in the absence of truth, in the absence of a miracle, we turn to prayer. And to violence.

Shocking, chilling and heartbreakingly emotive, In the Absence of Miracles is domestic noir at its most powerful, and a sensitively wrought portrait of a family whose shameful lies hide the very darkest of secrets.

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. Michael Malone is one of those authors who always manages to tug on your heartstrings whilst delivering something that is shocking and real. This novel is my favourite so far.

John is a teacher, successful at his job but less successful in his private life. He adores his partner but struggles to make that final commitment. He is also aware that he drinks too much. But his life is turned upside down with his discovery in his family home which he is preparing to sell to pay for his mother’s care. This discovery results in events long forgotten to be revealed and threaten all who he loves.

There are some fantastic characters in this novel. I liked John instantly and as events from the past were explained I understood and liked most of the others more. So much felt real. The emotions, guilt, betrayal, fear and even jealousy. All of them had to come to terms with the past and as they did they learned to trust and be honest with each other. The strength of each of them became evident in the final pages. A perfect closure.

About the Book

You need to know who your husband really was…

When Paula Gadd’s husband of almost thirty years dies, just days away from the seventh anniversary of their son, Christopher’s death, her world falls apart. Grieving and bereft, she is stunned when a young woman approaches her at the funeral service, and slips something into her pocket. A note suggesting that Paula’s husband was not all that he seemed…
When the two women eventually meet, a series of revelations challenges everything Paula thought they knew, and it becomes immediately clear that both women’s lives are in very real danger.
Both a dark, twisty slice of domestic noir and taut, explosive psychological thriller, After He Died is also a chilling reminder that the people we trust the most can harbour the deadliest secrets…

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. You have to admire an author who never writes the same type of novel. The three that I have that have been published by Orenda are all completely different and all highly recommended.
This particular book is difficult to review because I can’t really mention the plot. The less you know the better. So I will concentrate on the back story and the way that certain parts made me feel.
Most of the novel focuses on Paula struggling after the sudden death of her husband which followed the murder of their only son a few years earlier. Everything about her grieving process was believable. Insomnia, heavier than usual drinking and trying to understand why it appears that her husband wasn’t who she thought he was. There was a part of her grieving that affected me quite deeply. For those who have read it, it took place on a beach on Bute, for those who haven’t get some tissues.
Cara is not present as much but she still has an impact. Not just with the way that she has added to Paula’s torment but also with her career. The difficulties that the people who do her type of work face on a daily basis. The differences between the two worlds is vast. Not only due to financial reasons but also friendship and loyalty. Paula might have had no money worries but unlike Cara and the people she knew she had no friends to support her.
But as well as the grieving and betrayal there is some good humour. a few phrases I had to use the kindle dictionary for but the message came through regardless.
Another fantastic novel from Orenda that I’m sure will be popular.