Black-Eyed Susans – Julia Heaberlin

(5 / 5)

I love a good thriller and was so excited to get an advanced copy of Black-Eyed Susans as I have heard wonderful things about this upcoming book!

Thankfully I was not at all disappointed!

Tessa is only 16 when she is left for dead, the only survivor of a serial killer. The victims are known as “Black-Eyed Susans” – as their bodies were found in a field of Black-Eyed Susan flowers. The story is predominantly told from two perspectives. Tessa at 16 years of age (Tessie), having just survived the terrible ordeal, and also strong, resilient present day Tessa. Tessa in the present day is helping a team of investigators who suspect the man convicted of murdering the Black-Eyed Susans to be innocent. As the countdown to his execution looms closer and closer, Tessa is also fearful they convicted the wrong man, as she has no memory of the incident, but feels he was sent to jail because of her testimony as a teenager. The book flips back and forth in time as details are gradually revealed that lead to the truth.

The characters were great! Young Tessie was so damaged and raw. Having been through such a terrible ordeal, Heaberlin succeeds in making her tortured, believable and likeable. Older Tessa is the star character in the novel for me. I loved how she held herself and how she morphed from the scared teenager into a powerful, strong woman and mother. Her relationship with her daughter Charlie was fascinating and entertaining. They knew each other so well, even though Tessa had not really relayed the details of her past to her daughter in detail.

Bill and Jo were a great team. Bill on his altruistic crusade to free innocent people from death row, and Jo with her incredible knowledge of DNA. I learned quite a few things about forensics while reading this book! Heaberlin certainly put in a lot of research putting it all together.

The characters from young Tessie’s life were just as pivotal. Her best friend Lydia, almost as damaged as Tessie, is extremely influential in her life, as is the psychiatrist whom she spends the majority of the younger scenes divulging bit by bit of information to. The trial transcripts were another one of the highlights for me, reading about her experience and to see how a seemingly innocent man was sent to death row.

Although present day Tessa was the strongest character, my favourite character was senile old Effie from next door! She made me laugh in every appearance.

I love my thrillers with a dash of romance and loved the relationship between Tessa and Bill in this book. A lot of romantic tension mixed with a hefty dose of sexy was just what the doctor ordered! It worked really well – I loved them!

I really enjoyed the writers style in this book. Admittedly it took me a little while to get used to the intricate detail, however it soon began to easily flow and completely enriched the story. A lot of the time in novels I get a bit annoyed when it jumps back and forth in time – But not in this book. The perspective and time change with each chapter really worked and made it easily readable – kept me hooked till 4 in the morning!!!

The twist in this novel was slightly predictable, however did not deter from the gripping conclusion. I will absolutely be checking out Heaberlin’s other novels, hopefully they are as riveting as this one!

Thoroughly enjoyed it! You will too if you enjoy a good thriller!  5 Stars!

Thanks to Penguin via NetGalley for the advanced copy for my honest review.

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