When I first heard that Richard Madeley, best known for his TV partnership with wife Judy Finnigan, had written a work of fiction, I inwardly groaned. Celeb fiction is often painfully badly written, self-indulgent pap. Then I read Some Day I'll Find You (click through to read my review) and was pleasantly surprised.
The Way You Look Tonight is the sequel, focusing on Stella Arnold, the now 20-something daughter of Diana Arnold, whose story was told in Some Day I'll Find You. After her experiences with her psycho father in that first book, Stella has gone on to study psycopathy and the new science of criminal profiling, partly to check that she hasn't inherited the psychopathic genes.
With perfect timing, she heads off to America to continue her studies, just as the Kennedies, who happen to be at a Martha's Vineyard barbecue that she attends, are looking for a way to catch a vicious serial killer in the Florida Keys.
It's an exciting, enjoyable read that takes you into the mind of a psychopathic killer, as well as giving you a taste of life in the swinging sixties Stateside. (This seems to be big news at the moment - I just reviewed The Pink Suit which focuses on this same period, after throwing a random selection of books in my suitcase for reading on holiday.)
My one gripe would be the cover. The bland, semi-romantic title seems to bear no connection whatsoever with the plot and the cover image screams chicklit, whereas the pages offer a work of crime fiction, albeit with a half-hearted foray into a love story and a female lead.
Richard Madeley has proven to be an exception to the rule - celebs can occasionally write good fiction ! This was the perfect poolside read.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £7.99
- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (31 July 2014)
- Language: Unknown
- ISBN-10: 1471112659
- ISBN-13: 978-1471112652
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 2.6 cm
Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.
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