With Friends like these... (Bad Friends - Claire Seeber)

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	Bad Friends - Claire Seeber
Date:	07/04/09 (304 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Absorbing read

Disadvantages: none

As the title of this absorbing suspense novel suggests, Maggie Warren's friends are not as good as they should be. It seems that at least one friend has a grudge to bear but the problem is that Maggie has no idea who she might have upset and for what reason. If she does not find out who's after her though she knows that she will be in great danger.

Things started to go wrong for Maggie when she was involved in a fatal coach accident. Many people died but Maggie was one of the lucky ones. However, the crash affected her memory meaning she only has flimsy recollections of what happened before the accident. This means that when a young woman called Fay turns up claiming that Maggie saved her life, she does not recognise her at all. She also cannot recall why she split up with the love of her life, Alex, nor the reason why her boss is blackmailing her.

Maggie realises that she really is in trouble when she starts getting anonymous phone calls and texts, her personal things go missing, grafitti is sprayed all over her flat and she keep receiving bouquets of lilies - with messages of condolences even though no one has died. All of these events are unnerving to say the least and help to contribute to the pace and tension of the novel.

Although I found the story a little slow in getting going, it is well crafted as the author slowly reveals snippets of information in order to draw in the reader. She does this in a way that makes you want to read on, particularly as the story moves towards its dramatic climax. When I started reading this book, the plot felt a little too busy and complex, but on reflection, all of the strands were necessary in order to build the tension. The pace and suspense build well so that by the end you are well and truly hooked.

The story is written in the first person and told through Maggie. At first I felt she was a little cold and distant and she did not gain my sympathy immediately. I did warm towards her as the story moved on though, and her sense of detachment actually makes her appear more isolated and vulnerable, not knowing who out of her friends she can trust. She is surrounded by a number of truly unlikeable characters and it would be very easy to believe that any of them could be Maggie's stalker.

Bad Friends is an absorbing suspense novel that will keep you wondering what might happen up until the very last few pages. Although I wasn't quite on the edge of my seat as I was reading it, I did feel compelled to read the final hundred pages in one go and I realised that there were times when I was literally holding my breath as I was reading! If you enjoy suspense novels, this book definitely won't disappoint.

The paperback version is available on Amazon for the price of £5.49.

This review has previously been published on www.thebookbag.co.uk under my name.

Summary: Feel the tension build!