Stone the Dead Crows by Carrie Magillen

From the No.1 bestselling author of When He’s Not Here comes a tense and twisting new heartstopper. Three sisters. Two strangers. One secret.

Two strangers start the clock. It’s ticking for three devoted sisters. And when time runs out, they won’t just be fighting for each other's survival. They’ll be fighting for their own.

Maggie has an impossible choice. Stay and protect her family from the hooded stalker in the woods? Or return to Rose and help her fight the doctors who want to remove life support from their sister, Daisy?

There’s a man at Daisy’s bedside. He says Rose can trust him. But he's telling her disturbing things about her devoted new husband that can’t possibly be true.

Three. Two. One.

The countdown has begun.

About the author.

Carrie Magillen is the bestselling author of When He’s Not Here. She was born in Cambridge and worked as a computer engineer for fifteen years, all the while with a yellowing copy of Plot by Ansen Dibell on her bookshelf and her soul dying a little every time she asked if you’d switched it off and back on again.

When her husband said, ‘Never let a little thing like money stand in the way of your dreams,’ she studied creative writing at Webster (NL), Wollongong (AU) and Winchester (UK)... not because of a fanaticism with Ws.

She now lives in a quaint Hampshire village with her husband and two very hairy children American Cocker Spaniels. Despite growing everything from carrots to cucamelons, fermenting vegetables and clabbering milk, she’s actually pretty normal.

Review.

’Stone the Dead Crows’ is an outstanding psychological thriller that delves deep into the psyche of the abused and the abusers. It was a tight coiled compelling story that captivated me from the start to the end. It has so many twists and turns to keep you entertained but it's so more than just a cheap thriller. It educates the reader on how to spot abusers, their ways and methods and how their victims respond. The knowledge that is contained in the prose is outstanding and it's clear that the author has done a lot of research on this topic!

This is the second book in the Sharif Thrillers but this can definitely be read as a standalone novel. This is one where I am definitely going to read the first one though!

Three sisters. Maggie, Rose and Daisy. Maggie is currently living in a secluded cabin with her husband and son. She keeps seeing a man in the woods who radiates danger. Rose is newly married, has given up teaching to become a housewife and visits her sister who is in a coma. Daisy is that sister.

This book whilst compelling is also hard to read at times as there are scenes that deal with abusive situations. As stated below I listened to the audiobook and hearing the anguish and terror in both of the characters voices was moving. Please know that there is help out there if you are in this situation. Especially, if this book has nudged into your awareness of what is happening to you. I think books like this are terrific ways to start the conversation about coercive control etc.

I'm not going to talk about the plot at all but let's just say it took me awhile to reach that a-ha moment!

Now, I ended up listening to the audible version as I was so busy work wise and it allowed me to do both things at once. It was brilliant! It’s narrated by Joanne Froggartt and Louise Brealey and they did a fantastic job. One of the most enjoyable audiobooks I have listened to for a long time. I'm a little bit obsessed with Joanne as we were once in the same drama group in Scarborough so I love following her career!

Don't hesitate with this one! It was so captivating and raw!