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Release date: April 1, 2016

Publisher: Orenda Books 

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb: 

A perfect life … until she discovered it wasn’t her own.

A tragic family event reveals devastating news that rips apart Bella’s comfortable existence. Embarking on a personal journey to uncover the truth, she faces a series of traumatic discoveries that take her to the ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast, where hidden truths, past betrayals and a 25-year-old mystery threaten not just her identity, but also her life.

Chilling, complex and profoundly moving, In Her Wake is a gripping psychological thriller that questions the nature of family – and reminds us that sometimes the most shocking crimes are committed closest to home.

Review: 

At this point I think I just need to go ahead and purchase the entire backlog of Orenda’s catalog as every single book I’ve read from them is stunning in some unique way. I am extremely confident about reading any of their books by this point and if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading anything published by them, you need to remedy that, stat. 

Upon a tragedy in her family, Bella is forced to face some hard truths about things she never dreamed of. She must untangle a very complicated past fraught with secrets and devastating turns. She’s lived a rather sedate life thus far, she’s a librarian and is married to David. Her childhood was claustrophobic, but she was mostly happy and her parents loved her deeply. But every thing she thought she knew was built on a tower of lies, how is she supposed to know who she is if she doesn’t even know who she was? The truth is heartbreaking and painful and totally unexpected. 

Jennings is a beautiful storyteller, there is a quiet intensity from the very first page that never changes throughout the book. The majority is set in Cornwall and her prose is beautiful, haunting and rich. It’s one of those books that sucks you in slowly, pulling you in deeper the further you get. As Bella embarks on this journey of self discovery I felt like I was being gently prodded along with her, it was a really spellbinding experience. 

It’s not your typical psychological thriller, I’m hesitant to even label it that way as it’s full of depth and doesn’t have that frenetic pacing that many psychological thrillers do. Part of what adds so much to this story is the tremendous growth of not only Bella, but another few characters we meet along the way, namely Dawn and Alice. These women all must overcome so many things, but at it’s core In Her Wake is a story of grief and healing and finding oneself no matter what the cost. It was a truly beautiful thing. 

I really would love to discuss this one in depth but I believe that it’s such a fantastic reading experience if you go in blind, so I’ll finish up here and leave you with this; if you want a uniquely haunting, seamlessly plotted, touching and compelling read, look no further. 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy, you are THE best!