Rewind

It will be no surprise to anyone who has read my review of Catherine Ryan Howard's debut novel Distress Signals that I love her writing style. She has a knack for delivering a story cleanly, and all the twists and turns feel natural, not just shoe-horned in for the purposes of reader misdirection.

This book, her third, brings the same clarity of delivery, but very cleverly uses the mechanics of video to slice the story apart and deliver it to the reader under the headings of PLAY, PAUSE, FASTFORWARD, REWIND! Initially, this is a little bit harder to absorb than the usual day and date timelines but it fits so well with the voyeuristic element in the book that it's worth it. Natalie is a lifestyle blogger, her interaction with social technology as natural to her as breathing.

But what would send her to a remote holiday cottage in rural Cork, on her own, in November, where she is the only guest. Her explanation of seeking a few days away from it all is not convincing as it is clear that she is not at all at ease robbed of a phone signal and the internet and her behaviour speaks to an ulterior motive. Andrew, the manager of the Shanamore Cottages is delighted to have a guest this late in the year, giving him the opportunity to watch her sleeping on the hidden camera in the bedroom.

But his experience is turned on its head when a shadowy figure emerges, stabs her repeatedly and then walks directly to the hidden camera and destroys it! This type of book is best read with very little knowledge of the plot, so I will leave it at that. The setting is creepy from the outset, the anticipation of what may be about to happen foisted on the reader with every paragraph. There are very few characters but they eminently believable, which in itself is scary.

This is a contemporary thriller that harvests the darker side of social technology, while utilising the devices of classic horror writers to play on the reader's nerves, and does both extremely well. As expected, Howard doesn't build up to a big twist, just lets her gift for storytelling flow, while dialing up tension so much at times, you'll be glad to hit 'pause'.

Submitted by Lorna