Book Review: Black-Eyed Susans By Julia Heaberlin

This is a book review and sneak preview of Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin that was recently published by Penguin Books Australia on 26 August 2015.

Julia Heaberlin grew up in a small Texas town and five years ago quit her entertaining career as a newspaper features editor to begin her writing career. Julia writes thrillers and is currently at work on her fourth book.

This is a thriller that switches back and forth throughout the book between Tessa as a 16 year old girl and the lone survivor of a serial killer to 20 years later as a woman trying to remember what happened to her and how she ended up in a shallow grave with the bones of 3 other "Susans" covered with black eyed susan flowers growing over their grave.

When the man thought to have been the person responsible for kidnapping Tessa and the other "Susans" is facing death row and with new forensic information coming to light - Tessa starts to have second thoughts about whether they have imprisoned the right person.

The story follows Tessa's teenage sessions with a psychologist and then Tessa as an adult working with lawyers and forensics to try to remember what happened to her all those years ago. The tests of her memory and her mental state make this a very realistic read.

From the very beginning this book gave me goosebumps, it was thrilling and mysterious, and disturbing as details of the missing girls the "Susans" are slowly revealed.

I absolutely loved this book - the writing is brilliant, it's modern and upbeat, the characters are likable and realistic, which just makes it all the more terrifying!

I recommend this book to thrill seekers who like modern tales of suspense and mystery.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

Black-Eyed Susans can be purchased from the author here and Penguin Books here

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Penguin Books Australia to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

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[Image via Penguin Books Australia]