The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson

(Thank you to Bookouture Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book: (summary from publisher)

‘If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered.’

Eve is clearing her father’s house when she finds an old cassette player and a box of tapes. Though grieving, she smiles at the spark of nostalgia.

One tape is labelled ‘Eve’ – in her mother, Angela’s, scrawled handwriting. She disappeared for good more than ten years ago.

The tape whirrs. A voice crackles. ‘My name is Angela’. Tears fill Eve’s eyes at the familiar voice, at the thought this message is just for her. But the next words make her heart pound.

‘If they say I’m missing, I’m not. If you’re listening to this, I’ve been murdered.’

Desperate for answers, Eve has no one left to ask – only a box of tapes that could lead to the truth. But the more she listens, the more she realises she can never go to the police…

Because Eve’s mother had her own secrets. But what if her killer is still out there? And what if Eve is next?

An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller that will have you racing through the pages late into the night! Anyone who loves Shari Lapena, John Marrs or Lisa Jewell will be totally addicted.

my thoughts:

The Tapes by Kerry Wilkinson sounds like a terrific read, right? I mean, that summary makes you want to grab a copy and dive right in. And so, I did just that. However, the story itself wound up disappointing me rather quickly. I loved the idea of old cassette tapes revealing secrets to Eve about her mother. What I didn't enjoy were all the other little mysteries that seemed to crop up - they were too distracting and way too obviously connected to the secret on the tapes. Overall, this story was not my cup of tea. I just found the twists and turns too predictable. And, the characters were annoying - I didn't like any of them. As for the murder mystery, well, that was interesting, but not enough to stop me from skim reading. Oh well.

I would still recommend The Tapes to fans of Wilkinson - after all, you may enjoy the story in a way that I just didn't. To each his own, right? 

Thank you to the Bookouture Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book!