Looking for an extremely chilling, creepy crime read? Every Move You Make by Deborah Bee is not one to miss!
It starts with Clare James bursting into the police station, wearing nothing but a dressing gown and smelling like paraffin. Clearly needing to speak to someone at the station, she finds herself talking to DS Clarke, who finds it tough to believe everything that Clare claims. When DS Clarke goes to investigate, she doesn’t find anything that matches up at Clare’s house with the claims that Clare had made. In fact, it appears to be the exact opposite.
It was tough to read how abusive Gareth James was, and some of the horrific things recounted by Clare had me scared for what would come next. This is in combination with Gareth’s comments being intertwined as they appear to flash through Clare’s mind at anytime that she became nervous had me gritting my teeth.
Admittedly, this is a rather tough read, that touches on many very sensitive topics such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, and mental health. The way Bee describes these in Gareth’s perspective is wholly chilling, and showed that he had little regard and respect for Clare. I also found myself hating the way that once Clare (or Coco, as Gareth called her) fled, he very obviously masked everything in a way that would make it unbelievable that such things actually happened.
I found myself on the fence about DS Clarke. She was rather hot and cold, and whilst she sounded like a good cop, she was also rather stubborn and didn’t like to listen to others. This annoyed me when she investigated, as the extent to what Clare had experienced couldn’t just be her fault. This also wasn’t helped by the people who had ‘evidence’ against Clare being mentally unstable, as they were slightly obviously withholding the truth.
The other ladies at the ladies’ housing facility Clare arrives at are a rather eclectic bunch, but this also provides some content that is somewhat lighthearted in comparison. I found Kitty to be a little annoying, but I feel that was intentional. I also really liked Sally, who felt like a really warm hug, in those times of need. It was nice to see that Clare tried to make an effort with them, despite being lost in her own rather dark thoughts most of the time.
I found the writing to be crisp in points that needed to be crisp, and elaborate where it needed to be elaborated upon. This really made the book flow in a way that had my heart pounding heart in just the right spots in the book! I was definitely shuddering too, something that I really look for in any chilling thriller. The characters were also written in a way that made great sense to me, detail where it was needed, and less detail for someone who was in the forefront for a couple of scenes and that was all. I found the pacing great as I could pick this one up and feel like I’m just dragging through each page at a super slow rate. That chilling parody of the song Every Move You Make also makes me shiver.
Although this can be a hard read, this is the book for you if you’re looking for a psychological crime thriller that makes you need to sleep with your lights on at night!
Every Move You Make is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore!
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Synopsis | Goodreads
He’ll be waiting . . .
Clare James turns up at a police station. She says she’s been kept prisoner in her home – abused and tortured. Her every move watched, controlled, questioned.
Now she’s escaped.
But when they police arrive at her house, everything is in order. Her story doesn’t add up and her husband is missing.
Clare says she’s the victim, but what if she’s not? What if the stories she tells aren’t her stories at all . . .
