Thursday, 31 August 2023

Review - Just Between Us by Adele Parks

Just Between Us by Adele Parks
Publisher: HQ 
Release date: 17 August 2023
Back cover blurb: Lost. Missing. Murdered? How do you find a woman who didn’t exist? Kylie Gillingham’s disappearance has gripped the nation: the woman with a shocking secret – married to two men at the same time – is missing, presumed dead. And both her husbands are suspects. DCI Clements knows the dark side of human nature and that love can make people do treacherous things; you can’t presume anything when it comes to crimes of the heart. While Kylie's two husbands remain prime suspects, her sons won't accept that she is dead. Until a body is found, this scandalous and sad case remains wide open. Stacie Jones lives a quiet life in a small village, nursed by her father as she recovers from illness, and shielded from any disquieting news of the outside world. But their reclusive life is about to be shattered. How are these families linked, and can any of them ever rebuild their lives in the wake of tragedy? This explosive thriller from Number One bestseller Adele Parks examines what it is to be a family and the dangerous lengths that people will go to for those they love.



Kylie Gillingham's disappearance has gripped the nation. She is presumed dead, following her abduction and subsequent abscondment. Although her body has never been found, her death is a pretty much foregone conclusion. 

But just who is responsible for her death?  

The press have had a field day with Kylie and her disappearance, portraying her largely as villain rather than victim, as a bigamist married to two men at the same time. In the midst of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown it has given them something far more interesting to report on than case numbers and hospital admissions.

Both of her husbands are prime suspects, but her eldest step son, Oli is also under suspicion. An increasingly angsty teenager with the physique of a man. Could he be responsible as an act of revenge on his Father's behalf for his Step Mother's betrayal?

Her youngest step son Seb is convinced that his Mother is still alive, despite what the adults (and media) around him are saying. 

Fiona, Kylie's best friend is concerned for husband number 1, Mark, and Kylie's step sons. Now that Kylie has gone it surely must be her duty to look after them all, and love them as Kylie once did.

DCI Clements doesn't have answers, but she has many many questions about the case. Mainly about the body itself. If they could just find Kylie, then it might help them to discover evidence that could point to which of the suspects committed the crime.

Clements is nothing if not thorough, and something has always nagged her about this case. Something has always felt 'different'. But she can never quite determine what it is.

Stacie Jones can't remember her life before she got sick, but she knows that her Father has always looked out for her, and is determined to nurse her through her ill health. Covid-19 restrictions and her illness have meant that she has been kept locked up for months, 'for her own good'.

She is determined to start going out and mingling carefully as soon as the restrictions begin to lift, but cannot understand her Father's reluctance for her to do so. It isn't until a chance conversation with a former neighbour and teacher that she begins to question everything about her life.

This is Adele's finest work to date, the very definition of a 'thrilling page turner' and I really can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve next.

As an aside, Just Between Us is a sequel to Adele's previous novel, Both Of You, but it has been written in such a way that it could easily be read (and understood) as a standalone.

Just Between Us is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

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