Returning to being a writer, one of the characters comments about the job as being literally being paid to make things up – worse than a tabloid journalist. While these thoughts reflected a moment of self-doubt in the character, the reality is, of course, that the two are worlds apart. While many tabloid journalists may make things up like a novelist, and both may have financial reasons for what they are doing, ultimately novelists, when they are doing their job properly, not only avoid outright lies, they can do a better job at helping us to question society and the way things are. Holliday does this in “The Street”. You can just enjoy the story for what it is. But there are deeper issues underpinning the book – ones which will make you question what you would do in certain situations, and, depending on your answers, have implications for how justice can work. My parents used to live on a road called “The Street” – thankfully it was nothing like the one featured in this book. Also, it was not in Scotland – a country which, up to now, hasn’t featured much in the books I’ve read (I’ve been particularly aware of the country hopping I’ve been doing in books read this year).

Why lie to them about what happened to their neighbours? It only provoked their curiosity. Why not tell them they’d had to go out of town? The whole witness protection idea did not hang together properly. Susi Holliday grew up close to Edinburgh and spent a number of years working in her family’s newsagent and pub before studying statistics and microbiology. She’s worked as a statistician in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 16 years, however it was on a six month round-the-world-trip that she took with her husband that she refound her passion for writing. The Street by Susi Holliday is an engaging novel that initially drew me in with its mysterious storyline and realistic characters, it just didn't STAY engaging and mysterious. I was intrigued and felt like this was a great story, I truly wanted to know what was going to happen! Horrible characters can be cool. See Anti-Heroes. These characters are stupid, terrible, and straight up ridiculous. If you identify with any of the 4 main characters you should take a long deep long at yourself. Horrible characters can be interesting. These are just HORRIBLE characters. Caricatures of characters real authors have created.This is a story where you don't really have a character you like, they are all selfish or vengeful to the exptreem. So as the story goes along and things start to happen, I'm not at all sadden but think it's getting to be a better world. I know, I'm depraved. Substitute” is the third stand alone novel and was released in 2021. Three people live, and three people die. You make the choice. every character had their own personal agenda and it was not good, and they are all not nice people. They have done things in their life they try to justify as ok when it’s not. Affairs, financial abuse, etc. All the arguing or little snarky comments from the get go just wore on me. Oh c’mon! Can’t we just all try to get along??? No Many have had the dream of a fresh beginning, the one where you and your other half relocate to an idyllic location with scenic views and endless possibilities. Only Anna and Peter’s experience is accompanied by paranoia, incredibly odd neighbours, and a coastal location that harbours many-a-secret and not a single boat.

The Hike” is the fourth stand alone novel and was released in 2022. Four hikers go into the mountains, but just two return. However is it tragedy? Or is it treachery? I had to stop myself from reading this in one sitting, it was fast paced & full of intrigue. I did kind of guess what was going on, which made the book more fun for me, as I haven’t read any other books with this concept; very original, loved it. A great read which I’ve throughly enjoyed reading, sat in the garden on the last couple of sunny days.

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Also, the story is paced and written well. I never felt bored. The writing kept me hooked, unable to put the book down, and was able to maintain a sense of paranoia throughout the whole thing. More surprisingly, despite being the fourth book by Susi Holliday that I’ve read, it’s also the first one of those set in her native country. But other than a few bits of description, and perhaps some of the phraseology of some of the characters, its Scottish locale isn’t a key part of the story. This street could be almost anywhere – and, given, the nature of what the street’s purpose is and what transpires there, readers will be thankful that they don’t live on it. All across the USA, people are showing up dead. The deaths don't appear to be connected in any way until one particular death occurs and gets the Secretary of Defense's attention. He arranges for a task force to investigate. Susi Holliday grew up near Edinburgh and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for many years before she started writing. A lifelong fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham Prize. She is the acclaimed author of ten novels and a novella. A film adaptation of her Trans-Siberian-set thriller, Violet, is currently in development. There are some "Oh WTH" meoments and the ending is CARRRAZY, never thought the story would go in that direction for a minute. In all it was a good story, just not a psychological read like I was expecting.

When sisters Cat and Ginny travel with their husbands to the idyllic Swiss Alps for a hiking holiday, it’s not just a chance to take in the stunning scenery. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with each other after years of drifting apart—and patch up marriages that are straining at the seams.This was the second book that I’ve read in the past few months where someone writes a journal or diary on the basis of a recommendation from a therapist. While I don’t keep a journal or diary, I have taken up sketching again this year, and so could relate to the person in the book who had taken to choosing something other than the cheapest book and pens available. But the character also has to come to terms with living inside their head and their book too much and that they have to “live again”. It’s all about balance, I suppose. When only two of the four hikers make it down from the mountain, the police press them for their story—but soon become suspicious when their accounts just don’t add up. Susi has a great skill of writing thoroughly awful characters, and she didn’t disappoint again. In fact, a good mix of characters that I found interesting & wanted to know more about. Technically speaking, the “loose ends” were explained. But poorly. Like Holliday just wanted to be done writing and was like “And that’s that.” While one could argue that endings in real life aren’t always tied up perfectly with a bow and you don’t always get all the answers, it just didn’t sit well with me in this. As Anna & Peter delve more & more into things, all becomes quite sinister, and the mystery unravels.

I loved the idyllic Swiss Alps setting in this story. Somewhere so beautiful but can also be so dangerous. Cat, Ginny and their husbands aren’t experienced hikers but the route they take should be a fairly easy one. As I'm reading I can't wait for the psychological twist, when I go "ahhh there it is, this is so great" moment. Sadly to say I didn't get it. However the story was a good, although a little unbelievable, I mean who leaves their phone behind when going on a hiking trip?! Seriously that is beyond stupid and they all deserved to die, ok die is a little extreme, but they should definitely never procreate.

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So now we come to the ending of this book. I didn't mind the answers that I got to the questions I had throughout the book. My beef here is that I only got answers to some of my questions. There were a couple of bits that weren't resolved, and that really bothers me. Also, it seemed like our main girl Anna didn't get the resolution that she deserved, and didn't get clued in on everything we, as the reader, knew about. And so, a great story trips at the finish line and falls a bit short. Sigh. Interwoven throughout the tale is short spurts of narrative from an unknown person, this adds a great deal of suspense and tension to the story. Who is following them? Why are they being followed? What does this mystery person know, or want? Their new start literally maxes out the escapism aspect that all good fiction should provide for its readers.