The Blurb:
Can two wrongs ever make a right?
The police never found fifteen-year-old Ellie Hutton. She vanished ten years ago after walking home from school along a disused railway track. But Danny Sheppard knows exactly what happened to her. She is dead and buried in a field near Lassiter’s Brook.
Now Cassie Rafferty has gone missing. Same age. Similar circumstances. And Danny also knows what has happened to her.
Can Danny fight his demons and tell the truth this time?
Or will history repeat itself and leave another innocent girl dead?
Mark Tilbury is the author of dark and compelling psychological thrillers, including The Abattoir of Dreams, The Liar's Promise and The Ben Whittle Investigation Series. You Belong to Me is a twisty and gripping thriller which will appeal to fans of authors like Mark Edwards, John Marrs and Adam Croft.
You Belong To Me is published by Tilbury Publishing and you can purchase it here.
My Review:
Mark is affectionately known as the sicko author for his crime novels tinged with horror and the supernatural. You Belong To Me is a bit of a departure for him. It's much more of a psychological thriller, and a wee bit tamer. But don't think it's not horrific, because it certainly is in places.
Three friends who haven't seen each other since leaving school the best part of ten years previously all receive a note from a fourth friend, stating only 'It's happened again" and giving a time and a place to meet up. The letter has a profound unsettling effect on the recipients but soon the four young men are together again.
The story starts in the present day, then flips back to ten years previously when 'it' happened the first time and the guys were just fifteen years old, before moving back into the present for the tense ending.
I have deliberately not given any details about the plot because I don't want to give anything away. But Danny, Rob, Keiran and Josh are all beautifully described, both as fifteen year old boys and twenty-four, twenty-five year old men. The story deals with kidnap, neglect, depression, suicidal thoughts and a whole lot of bullying of all four boys. I have read some comments that the story would have been more believable if the boys were younger. Well, in my opinion, those people don't understand the impact bullying can have. It certainly rang true to me.
I love to loathe characters and, in Calum, Mark has created a true, and very real, monster. I spent most of the book wanting to do significant physical harm to him, and to shake some sense into his mum.
This is a real page turner. I was drawn in right at the beginning, and just kept going. Mark's writing is fast paced and I always wanted to know what was coming next. I found a couple of examples of his writing, neither of which gives any spoilers. The first is an illustration of Mark's more upfront writing (I'm sure there will be a technical term for this that I don't know).
"A train thundered past the platform. The back draft seduced him, teased him, sucked him closer to the edge. The 11.15am bound for Hell, calling at Hopelessness, Desperation and Don't Give A Fuck on the way. All lost souls welcome."
The other is a beautiful description of a sad situation.
"The medication helped. Before that, she had been hovering between depressed and suicidal. It was if her years had fallen to the ground and turned into eggshells."
I just love this variety in the writing.
The more gruesome elements of the situation ten years ago are teased out until we finally see the true horror of what went on. As others have mentioned, there is a twist towards the end. I did work it out, but only just before it was revealed.
This is a tale of friendship and loyalty, bullying and revenge, and wanting to do the right thing. And I loved the wee reference to The Liars Promise (my review is here)! Can Mark Tilbury write a good psychological thriller? That would be a very resounding yes.
The Author:
Mark lives in a small village in the lovely county of Cumbria, although his books are set in Oxfordshire where he was born and raised.
After serving in the Royal Navy and raising his two daughters after being widowed, Mark finally took the plunge and self-published two books on Amazon, The Revelation Room and The Eyes of the Accused.
He's always had a keen interest in writing, and is extremely proud to have had six novels published by Bloodhound Books, including his most recent release, You Belong To Me.
When he's not writing, Mark can be found trying and failing to master blues guitar, and taking walks around the beautiful county of Cumbria.
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