Thorn In My Side by C.J. Skuse was published by HQ Digital on 28 December 2023.
Sometimes, you can be your own worst enemy…
Rhiannon Lewis thought she finally had it all: thanks to the pandemic she’s had to keep a much lower profile but has found happiness with her fiancé Rafael and his family. For once, she is surrounded by people who love her for who she is (or who they think she is).
After over 800 days without murdering anyone, the woman formerly known as the Sweetpea Killer thinks she might have finally turned over a new leaf.
That is until her soon-to-be sister-in-law has a run in with her abusive ex, and Rhiannon rediscovers her taste for revenge. This time, with a loving family in tow, the stakes are much higher. Wedded bliss and life as a normal person are finally within Rhiannon’s reach, but you can never keep a good serial killer down.
Can you?
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It was so good to be back in Rhiannon’s orbit – fictionally speaking at least 🙂 And I love that beautiful cover.
Thorn In My Side is written in the same easy, conversational tone as the earlier books, with Rhiannon’s daily ‘kill list’ and run down of her not-at-all-average days. C.J. Skuse has included enough background to remind me what had occurred in the first three books which was perfect. I definitely recommend that you start from the first book though.
Once I’d started, I really struggled to put the book down. Like its predecessors, it is laugh out loud funny, dark, shocking but also surprisingly tender in places. It’s great to see a different side to Rhiannon as she settles in to family life, although her true nature is still there, simmering under the surface. Never has wedding planning been so bloodthirsty!
The final quarter of the book was completely compelling and I really could not put it down until I’d finished. There’s so much going on in the final chapter that I had to go back and read it again – oh my god that ending! I can’t believe how it was left. I can see from C.J. Skuse’s twitter that there is another book in the pipeline so now I’m counting down the days until I can get my hands on it. Hugely recommended.
A big thank you to the publisher for my copy of the book.
If you enjoyed my review, please consider liking and/or sharing and, of course, buying the book:
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