Tuesday 15 December 2015

Follow Me by Angela Clarke - Blog Tour

Follow Me
By Angela Clarke
Published by Avon Books (3 December 2015)
ISBN: 978-0008165437





Publisher's description
The ‘Hashtag Murderer’ posts chilling cryptic clues online, pointing to their next target. Taunting the police. Enthralling the press. Capturing the public’s imagination.
But this is no virtual threat.
As the number of his followers rises, so does the body count.
Eight years ago two young girls did something unforgivable. Now ambitious police officer Nasreen and investigative journalist Freddie are thrown together again in a desperate struggle to catch this cunning, fame-crazed killer. But can they stay one step ahead of him? And can they escape their own past?
Time's running out. Everyone is following the #Murderer. But what if he is following you?

ONLINE, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM …

My verdict
Follow Me is a crime novel in keeping with modern times - a serial killer is using Twitter to communicate their horrific murders to the wider world. With its up-to-date plot, this book is quite different from other crime novels I have read recently.

Freddie dreams of being an investigative journalist. But she's currently 'making do' by writing for free and working in a coffee bar and she's obsessed with social media. She really isn't happy with any aspect of her current life. When she bumps into her childhood friend Nasreen, who's now a police officer, Freddie realises this could be her chance to have her big break and better herself. But she has no idea that she's about to discover how social media can be used for some very dark practices.

Follow Me is intriguing (and even amusing at times), following the 'Hashtag Murderer' as he builds up Twitter followers. The writing is fast paced - so fast that it made my head 'spin' from time to time. The short chapters and snappy dialogue keep the story going. I did have a few reservations about the plausibility of some aspects of the plot, particularly whether the police would have given a complete stranger (and no-hoper) such a prominent role in an investigation, taking her to crime scenes and raiding potential suspects' properties. But I guess this is a book where you just have to go with the flow and take the story as it is.

Freddie and Nasreen struggle to work together. The two women did something at school that neither can forget, and their story is gradually revealed as the book progresses.

When it comes to the main plot, the author certainly keeps you guessing right until the end - when the identity of the murderer is finally revealed. And the culprit was certainly not who I expected.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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