The Beach

In Sarah Linley's The Beach, this gripping thriller debut has some shocking twists and turns in store to keep you at the edge of your seat. Five years ago, four friends who graduated from university, partied at a beach in Thailand. They had the time of the lives there until things took a turn of the worse. When Holly's boyfriend George tried to rape her best friend Meg, one of her friends hit George with a rock. The three of them made a pact about to keep this secret about his "accidental death." But fast forward to the present, Holly Metcalfe is a teacher in London and had found a soul mate with her boyfriend Tom, who's been having issues with his ex-wife Rebecca. While she deals with a student's tardiness at her school, someone's been stalking her, burned her house down, and leaving her cryptic message via the phone. It makes her revisit the past to that horrifying time. When she learns that her best friend was killed by an accident OD, it makes her suspicious of who's next and why. And when her other friend was killed a week late, it makes her fear for her life.  As she picks up the pieces to this puzzle, she faces her stalker and confront her in a life-and-death struggle with a gripping climax for the ending.

This was a terrific heart-pounding thriller debut. I did care for Holly and her troubled flight from keeping that harrowing secret from the past. She should've told the truth in the beginning, but it would put everything at risk. She didn't deserved to be treated that way by George either. But I do like her happiness with Tom and his son Jack. I do like the dual locations of Thailand from the past and the vast scenic settings in the London area for the present to make it picturesque and mesmerizing. The theme is that secrets will have a way of coming out and honesty is the best policy too.

If you love heart-pounding suspense, intense drama, gripping non-stop action, and sparks of intrigue, check out Holly's story in the Beach today!