I have been a fan of Marian Keyes' books for a long time, but I have found that some of her later books were not as good as some of her early stuff that I have read, however I decided to give this one a go as a mystery was a bit of a departure for Keyes. Marian Keyes has been publishing best selling books since the late nineties and has a number of novels under her belt as well as collections of journalism articles and a baking book. She has battled on and off with depression through her life, something that she writes about frankly on her website. Typically her books come under the 'chick-lit' banner, but I wouldn't let you put that off. It is a popular ...  Read the complete review

Marian Keyes is one of my favourite authors. Whilst I have liked some books more than others, she never disappoints and it is testament to her that I can pick up one of her books and read it again years later and still enjoy the story. I bought this from Waterstones in hardback while I was on holiday and paid £9.99 for my copy as I could not wait for the paperback. I was quite surprised to see a new offering as I had seen various things in the press about the crippling debilitating depression she was suffering. However she has clearly drawn on her own personal experience and used it to great effect in Helen the main character in this ...  Read the complete review

I have been a big fan of Marian Keyes for years as I tend to really enjoy her writing style as she has a great sense of humour and comes out with some hilarious turns of phrase. She can write characters that really come to life and I find her books are ideal for relaxing and chilling out with. She has written 12 novels since her debut Watermelon in 1995, and the latest one is The Mystery of Mercy Close which came out in 2012. Any Marian Keyes fans will be quite familiar with the Walsh family, a household of five daughters including Claire, Rachel, Maggie, Anna and Helen. I like the fact that this family appears in quite a lot of the books and that Marian ...  Read the complete review

I love Marian Keyes's books, as she seems to combine tough situations (cheating, addiction etc) with warmth and humour. The Mystery of Mercy Close is no different in that regard. The book centres around the character Helen Walsh, the youngest of the Walsh family, who have all appeared in other books over the years with their own issues. Helen is also the youngest, and throughout all of the Walsh family books, has been a background character. An ebook was released just before this one to remind readers of the Walsh family, particularly Mammy Walsh who has made an appearance through many of Keyes's books, including her non-fiction books. Helen is a private ...  Read the complete review

Whenever I see Marian Keyes has a new novel out, I MUST have it! As an author she has the ability to make you both laugh and cry and that to me takes some skill. One of the things I absolutely love about Keyes' books is the continuity throughout the majority of them, with the intertextuality in involving the Walsh Family. I adore this family and Keyes has this amazing ability that doesn't just make you love them, but by now you actually know them. Especially Mammy Walsh. This book did not disappoint. Centralizing around rogue daughter Helen, we learn that in contrast to other books where she has been described as being very cold, arrogant, and ...  Read the complete review