Greenwich Park Paperback – October 25, 2022

This book was picked a few years ago for my book club and I remember thinking it was a very edge of the seat kind of page turner. I recently re-read and remembered why I loved it so much. Great character development, exciting plot with a lot of twists and turns- with a touch of humor and thrill. Highly recommend as a great summer read!

Greenwich Park is a slow-paced and methodical mystery, with a dual timeline and multiple narrators. Helen is a woman desperate to get pregnant and married to Daniel, her brother’s friend from college. Rory has inherited the Haverstock company but doesn’t have the knowledge to run it well so he enlists the help of Daniel, hiring him as a partner. Rory is married to Serena, a gorgeous woman who got pregnant easily. When the book opens, Helen is pregnant and meets a young woman named Rachel at her prenatal class. Rachel is a mystery all by herself, with a lot of secrets that are slowly unraveled. In fact, the mystery itself is methodically unwound like a ball of twine until you get to the core where all of the secrets and deception are hidden. The narrators include Helen and Serena, both of whom see things differently and who lay out subtle clues, most of which I missed. I did figure out the real villain of the story, but the ending was a total unexpected surprise, so that was a good bonus to reading the book. I cannot say that the suspense was riveting but it held my attention enough for me to stick to reading the book daily until I finished it. It’s just a really slow burn that ignites at the very end.DisclaimerI checked out a copy of this book from the local library using the Libby App. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I just recently fell in love with reading books! Probably because I finally found a genre that I enjoy! This book is definitely a psychological thriller!The layout of the book is a tiny bit confusing as it is not captures, but it switches from one persons point of view to another’s. However, if you really pay attention to who is “speaking” than it’s an easy read! Great from start to finish and definitely keeps you guessing!! The ending is just ahhhh I wish I could read it again for the first time to feel it again!

Debut author Katherine Faulkner offers us “Greenwich Park,” a domestic mystery involving young London professionals, the perils of maternity, and the consequences of doing nothing in the face of evil.Helen and Daniel live in London’s upscale Greenwich Park and lead an idyllic life. Well, except that Helen lost both her parents in a car crash and has suffered four miscarriages. But all that’s behind them now. A new baby is on the way. And the maternity class Helen is attending brings a new friend, Rachel. She’s a bit of an odd duck. But Daniel is so busy with the architectural firm he runs with Helen’s brother (founded by Helen’s father) that Helen can use a new friend. So, when Rachel needs a place to stay, how can Helen say no? And that’s when Daniel’s and Helen’s life begins to go awry and everyone, readers included, starts wondering who Rachel really is, why she’s suddenly disappeared, and where she could have gone.It’s a story comprised of elements employed by a host of past novels, books, and plays. The challenge for author Katherine Faulkner was to make this rendition somehow fresh and exciting.The good news? Ms. Faulkner knows how to put words on a page. At the book’s beginning, I immediately felt I was in the hands of a professional. Descriptions were clear. Dialogue was natural and believable. And, initially, I was interested in the story. The characters had my attention. I enjoyed the Greenwich Park setting. And Ms. Faulkner planted many questions I wanted answers to.But as the story progressed, my interest waned. Turns out, those characters weren’t so engaging after all. In light of all that goes on under her nose, main character Helen seems all too passive and more than just a bit dim. Husband Daniel is overworked, aloof, and cold. Her brother Rory can’t stay faithful to his wife and sloughs his work off onto others. And the only thing going for Rachel seems to be her penchant for inappropriateness and overstepping boundaries. In short, by the time I was halfway through the novel, I’d discovered there wasn’t anyone I particularly wanted to spend time with.I also found the length and structure of “Greenwich Park” to be problematic. It’s overlong by about a quarter. By the time I was 75% of the way through I was more than ready for it to end (especially since it was turning predictable.) Also, the tale is told from multiple points of view, skipping from character to character, which I found jarring and taxing since I kept having to ask myself: “Who is this character again? What were they doing when we left them two, three, or six chapters ago?” Finally, the author waits until the very end to answer most of the questions she’s planted. To do that, she gives us two large “information dumps” meant to tell us the “real story” of what happened. In other words, Ms. Faulkner ends her novel with lots of “telling” and very little “showing.”All in all, three stars.

I like it when I don’t have the ending figured out after the first page, or even the first chapter. These cat and mouse reads that I can finish in an addictive 2 day read are sometimes just what the doctor ordered. I did not, for the life of me have this twisty turner figured out until almost the end. But I liked the end. Without spoiling it, I love a good “comeuppance “ just as much as the next gal. The only only reason that I didn’t give it a perfect score is because I have grown just a little bit weary of the women in some of these books being just too trusting , too guileless and too gullible. I guess I am holding out for a female hero who is on to all the bad actors from page one, and makes damn sure they don’t make her the victim. The characters were also not as fleshed out in this read as I thought they should have been considering all the plotting and scheming. But all in all a very entertaining “ take my mind off the real world” read.

I love the author’s style of writing...the unexpected details she offers to clarify the atmosphere, making it easy for the reader to feel a part of the setting. I like how each character was introduced and reintroduced into the unraveling plot. The final chapter was especially satisfying. I would recommend this novel to any mystery lover, but especially to women since childbearing was a major focus within the storyline.

Really loved this book 4.5 stars. On the edge of my seat. I couldn't get enough. Interesting characters and a fast pace.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the twist at the end and how much you fall in love with the characters. I read it all in one day, it’s a nice beach read!

I loved reading this book so much. Sometimes I read mystery books and I can guess the ending before I get there. Not with this book! It is interesting, intriguing and suspenseful. I highly recommend it!

Very relatable family dynamics, beautifully written and twists and turns throughout, could not put this down - new favourite author.

It’s an interesting book, which makes u visualise the events even after completion of reading

Great read.. just wanted to keep turning the pages!Love how you slowly learn about the characters but do you really know who they are!

Riveting and unpredictable, loved it. The twists and turns make you dizzy along the way to an unexpected ending. Read it!