What Would Aimee Dean Do? by V. M. Miller

Aimee has never moved on from that weekend camping trip in the rugged landscape of Glencoe, that saw her boyfriend and best friend disappear without a trace. Each night she takes on the demanding role of a night carer, but her waking hours are haunted by flashbacks from a traumatic childhood and blood, lots of it. Despite her father’s incarceration at Glasgow's most infamous prison Aimee feels a gnawing sense that true justice remains elusive, festering like an open wound within her soul.

As she cares for an ex-QC with terminal prostate cancer but what she finds out about him, chills her blood. Can she ignore her murderous urges one more time or will he push her to her breaking point?

Bea Yorke, an award-winning podcaster revisits the 2001 disappearance. The only way to find out what really happened is to interview the people that were there that night. Her investigations become increasingly dangerous... for everyone.

A psychological thriller about identity, trauma, and obsession.

Review

‘What Would Aimee Dean Do?’ Is a compelling thriller, packed full of action and deliciously morally grey characters. This is a new author to me. I was keen to read it as it was set in my home city of Glasgow and I love supporting local authors. It was a good portrayal of a diverse and complicated city, one where the rich run shoulders with dire poverty. But it was full of rich Glasgow characters - people really do make Glasgow!

Aime Dean is a middle-aged woman, working a job she loves but doesn't pay much, suffering from pain and numbness in her body and full of trauma from a very troubled past. Aimee has managed to survive though, when many would have crumbled. She is such a strong woman but ooh so morally grey. I was questioning everything we knew about her and her actions in both the present and the past! As much as I loved reading about her I am not sure that I liked her. I would not trust her at all if she was in my life. But yet she also seems to have a sort of sense of justice about her. I was very confused about my feelings towards her!

This was a quick read due to its structure as the short chapters, podcast transcripts, flashbacks and differing POVs mean that you just carry on reading and can't put it down! This is a dark read though - please see the list of trigger warnings at the start of the book. Personally, I didn't think it was too descriptive but everyone is different, I just like my crime dark at times!

Let me know if you pick this one up!