Left Hanging by Maria Frankland #LeftHanging @writermaria_f @RandomTTours #BlogTour

 

Left Hanging by Maria Frankland was published by Autonomy Press on 16th September 2020. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me on to the blog tour. 

Two's company in a marriage. How do you cope when there's three?

Ed and Kerry Huntington-Barnes have an idyllic life, with their five-year-old twins, successful careers, a luxurious house and an affluent lifestyle. Yet the secrets they’re harbouring force their separation. Kerry is fighting her own demons, amongst which is the knowledge that she is the wrong gender for her husband to ever truly love her.
Parallel to this is the death of a local man, Russell Lawson, which affects both Ed and Kerry in different ways. Will his widow Davina, and the other shadows that surround their separation and Russell’s death, destroy their lives, and their sons’ lives even further?

 
This is a story that portrays the darkness that can exist inside marriage and the hatred that can linger amongst families that are supposed to love each other.

 

My Thoughts: 

Well, what can I say! Left Hanging was something of a surprise. A claustrophobic and intense domestic thriller that I raced through in one sitting. Such was the way that I was sucked in to the story, the characters and their lives. 

 This book tells the story of Ed and Kerry Huntington-Barnes who on the surface really are living the dream life but as with most things if you scratch a little below the surface there are secrets and things are not quite as they seem. 

 When Russell Lawson is found dead in a hotel, this is something that affects Ed and Kerry for different reasons and I guess the question is why? Suspicion is that Russell was meeting another man and the gossips are out speculating as to who that was. This showed that people are not very nice and often think that their lives are perfect when looking in upon others.

Left Hanging is full of pace and it surprised me the more I read, the characters are well drawn and there is intrigue throughout that just made me keep turning the pages. I thought I had it all worked out, but I didn't. Themes tackled include; marriage, family unit, homosexuality, secrets and lies.

I very much enjoyed the pace and the writing style of the author. Left Hanging was compelling and accomplished, I really enjoyed it. 

About the Author: 

Maria Frankland's life began at 40 when she escaped an unhappy marriage and began making a living from her own writing and becoming a teacher of creative writing.

The rich tapestry of life with all its turbulent times has enabled her to pour experience, angst and lessons learned into the writing of her novels and poetry.

She recognises that the darkest places can exist within family relationships and this is reflected in the domestic thrillers she writes.

She is a 'born 'n' bred' Yorkshirewoman, a mother of two and has recently found her own 'happy ever after' after marrying again.

Still in her forties, she is now going to dedicate the rest of her working life to writing books and inspiring other writers to also achieve their dreams too!

 

Twitter @writermaria_f

http://www.mariastephenson.com/ 

 

Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour.