Shelter by Catherine Jinks #BookReview #MysteryThriller #PsychologicalThriller @text_publishing #Shelter @NetGalley — Rain’n’books

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Shelter by Catherine Jinks is a story that takes a pound of flesh from you whilst reading. Domestic abuse is as such a difficult topic to read about and the reason why I kept delaying to start this especially amidst the troubling lockdown and the pandemic. It becomes even more disturbing because physical abuse is visible to the eye but being tortured mentally day in and out is the worst kind of ill-treatment. So, when you read something that is going to rip your soul with its harrowing portrayal of women fighting abuse, I believe there should be something at the end to lift the spirits. Sadly, Shelter leaves the reader in a state of dejection.

Meg is an abuse survivor and is still fighting a battle with her ex for the inheritance left by her mother-in-law. When offered a chance to offer shelter to another woman and her 2 children, Meg has no qualms offering her home, Bolt Hole, to do what she can for the abused woman. What should have been a straightforward ‘hide and lying low’ for a couple of weeks turns to the worst nightmare faced by Meg as incidents begin piling up one after another.

Catherine Jink’s The Shepherd is a must-read for fans of thrillers and historical fiction, coz it is a book like no other. The writing was exceptional that for a time I remember reading it by standing up coz I just couldn’t still my pounding heart. In Shelter, the author has switched to a conformist style and until about halfway thru the story, keeps the tension quite mild. But once there, the narrative climbs a steep incline and thus making it gripping and unputdownable. I just wished that ending would have given me a happier feeling rather than sadness.

FAIR WARNING to readers who have issues with animal cruelty.

Thrilling 4.5 stars🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️💧

Many thanks to Net Galley, Text Publishing, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Meg lives alone: a little place in the bush outside town. A perfect place to hide. That’s one of the reasons she offers to shelter Nerine, who’s escaping a violent ex. The other is that Meg knows what it’s like to live with an abusive partner.

Nerine is jumpy and her two little girls are frightened. It tells Meg all she needs to know where they’ve come from, and she’s not all that surprised when Nerine asks her to get hold of a gun. But she knows it’s unnecessary. They’re safe now.

Then she starts to wonder about some little things. A disturbed flyscreen. A tune playing on her windchimes. Has Nerine’s ex tracked them down? Has Meg’s husband turned up to torment her some more?

By the time she finds out, it’ll be too late to do anything but run for her life.

Originally published at https://rainnbooks.com on September 6, 2021.