Published By: Penguin
Pages: 384
Released On: 15/01/2026
Storm used to be just like her name. Wild and strong. A force to be reckoned with. But ever since her younger brother was killed in a violent mugging, she has led a very different life: quiet and cautious, seeing danger everywhere. Storm’s tendency to panic has resulted in several false alarms, so when she witnesses a murder with uncanny similarities to the way her brother was killed, and yet no body is found and no one is reported missing, the police don’t take her seriously.
But Storm knows what she saw. And the murder is only the start – the killer will stop at nothing to keep Storm quiet. But how can she solve the murder and stay out of danger when no one believes her?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This was my first Lesley Kara book but I’d heard such good things about it – and they weren’t wrong. I was hooked from the very beginning.
I loved the book cover, even though I have a phobia of butterflies, the green background just popped and I would definitely gravitate towards it on the shelf.
I loved Storm’s brother Arlo. Okay, he might not have been in it for very long but he just came across as the sweetest young man, even if I did know what his role in the story would be. I felt for Storm. She’s had her brother ripped away from her and along with him, she has lost her spark, she’s lost her inner storm, and I was willing her on.
It’s a relatively small cast of characters, some with bigger or smaller roles than others but all well created and all well used. They have their own characteristics and their own stories, but they all work around Storm’s story too.
For the most part, this is a two-man (well, woman) story – Storm and her neighbour Lena. I’ve made my views of Storm clear above, but Lena…there was something about her. I really wanted to trust her, to believe she really wanted to help Storm, but there was something in the back of my mind that kept flagging up. I won’t say if my suspicions were correct as I don’t want to spoil anything but it’ll be interesting to see what other people think.
The plot is a good one but for me, it was incidental; this is a character driven story and the character creation is wonderful.
I zoomed through this, it was so addictive. I put it down to eat dinner and go to bed, and that was about it.
What I will say is that if you’re easily freaked out (which I am), don’t read it on a dark winter’s evening (which I did), when you’re in the house on your own (which I was). This should be read in daytime hours with bright light, outside, surrounded by people, so you don’t feel like you’re living in this story because it sticks with you and is not conducive to a restful sleep. So I did have to put it down at bedtime and read a children’s book just to get my mind away from that eerie feeling.
It’s a very quiet thriller, but no less thrilling than a full-on 100mph thriller. It’s very unsettling and makes you feel so uneasy. You’re always looking over your shoulder, searching the shadows. I was trying to work out the red herrings, what was I seeing, what should I believe, who should I trust? It’s very well achieved.
You think you’ve got it figured out and then something or someone comes along and you’re back to square one, and it would be frustrating if it wasn’t so good. I had decided who I thought was behind it all but I was completely wrong and was surprised when the reveal came.
There were elements that felt familiar from previous thrillers (they are my most read genre) but there was enough different in this to make it feel new and fresh.
Yes, it is a thriller, a whodunnit. But it’s also a fabulous look into grief and how grief can affect you, even years later, can make you feel crazy, imagine things, get fixated and obsessive, and how alone it can make you feel.
You can bet I will be looking out for Lesley’s other books now.
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