I Prefer 'The Back Road'...

I was very excited to read another Rachel Abbott novel after I read The Back Road. When I wrote my own review of the book and read some other people's reviews, many of them had mentioned it wasn't as good as her first novel. While I disagreed with some of the reviews I read, I was curious to see how good Only the Innocent would be if they felt The Back Road paled by comparison.

Should I have guessed they would be as wrong about the comparison as they were in their reviews? I suppose I should have, but...they all seemed SO excited about that first novel. Because of that, I was anxious to read it. It had to, at least, be as good as the one I'd read. Right? Wrong.

To say I was disappointed in Only the Innocent would be an understatement. The novel did not flow as well as the first one I read, and I didn't care about the characters. I also found it boring to find out 'the back story' from one of the characters reading another character's old letters that she hands her to read instead of just telling her. I found myself cringing every time I saw italicized writing, which indicated another letter. I figured out what 'the mystery' was too soon, and I only finished the book out of respect for the author. I mean, I knew she could write a good novel, as she did with The Back Road. I kept thinking the book would redeem itself by the end. As much as it pains me to say it, it didn't.

I usually try to keep from giving anything away about the plot when I blog. It's usually difficult for me because I get so excited about a book I like that I want to talk about it. I don't have that problem with this one. Truth be told, I'd like to forget the story all together. No, seriously. I really would.

You see, I don't care for novels that revolve around sexual abuse and/or perversion. I'm not giving anything away by saying this, as the novel starts off with it. And I'm not talking about a little "slap and tickle" here, folks. I'm also not talking about two consenting adults engaging in a little kink. Abuse is abuse. The more you read, the more warped it gets. Not my cup of tea. 

I have been scratching my head for the past couple of days, since I finished the novel, trying to figure out why this book was so popular with Amazon reviewers. I have my theories, of course, but none that I wish to express here. Some thoughts are just better kept to ourselves. And some books are just better off forgotten.

Now that I've given you the bad news, let me give you the good news...

Only the Innocent was Abbott's first novel. The Back Road was her second novel. Since she greatly improved from her first novel to her second, I'm thinking her third must be even better than the second! I'm glad I didn't read her first novel first, as I would never have read another. I am quite hopeful about this third novel and not ready to give up on this author.

I am currently reading two other books but, when I am finished with those, I look forward to reading Abbott's Sleep Tight and hoping to find what I found on The Back Road - suspense, intrigue, and a good mystery that needs solving!

Meet Rachel Abbott

A bit about the book...

I blogged earlier today that I would tell you about the book I just finished, the one I wrote a review for on Amazon. My day has been quite busy gearing up for another week of school, and it is later than I realized, so I'll try to be brief. (I still have 15 more essays to grade before bed...)

I bought The Back Road by Rachel Abbott on my Kindle as a Kindle Daily Deal (love those!) and decided to take a chance on a mystery. I admit that one of the things that attracted me was the setting, which takes place in present day England in a small village where everyone knows everyone. Since visiting England last year, and spending some time in a few of those lovely villages, it feels like a reunion with places and people I have come to love.

The story begins with a mystery about what has happened to a 14 year-old-girl from the village. She was found by the side of the road, and it looks like a hit-and-run. While that is part of what drives the story (trying to find out what happened to the girl and who did it), there are also other tales to be told and most are centered around two grown sisters and the home they grew up in.

There are many twists and turns. I absolutely loved it! It kept me guessing what was going to happen next. For me, the mark of a good mystery is one I can't figure out halfway through the book. This was definitely a good mystery! Everyone is suspect and nothing is as it seems. What fun! :)

You should try it, I think you'll like it!

A bit about the author....

It is my understanding that Rachel Abbott was originally a self-published author with her first book Only the Innocent. It was on the top 100 in the United Kingdom in the first 12 weeks. In August 2013, it went to number one on Kindle and stayed there for four weeks. Needless to say, Abbott now has a publisher for all three of her novels to date. The Back Road was her second novel and Sleep Tight is her third.

I have already downloaded her other two novels and plan to start Only the Innocent after I take a quick reading detour back to finish a funny memoir I had started, but had taken a break from. It's a really entertaining memoir, but I was craving a good fiction story when Abbott came along.

You can read more about Rachel Abbott on Amazon or on Facebook. She's living my dream right now, living on a lovely island situated between the United Kingdom and France where she can write fiction to her heart's content.

Some day...