Scan barcode
jess_reads_books's review against another edition
5.0
A tectonic plate has opened up in the Firth of Forth, outside of Edinburgh. This change has caused daily tremors to be felt throughout the nearby towns and created a volcanic island, known as The Inch. This island is a source of intrigue for the local geologists and volcanologists. Surtsey is one of those volcanologists. She is studying and working towards her PhD with a small group of fellow students under the direction of Tom Lawrie.
One night Surtsey takes a trip out to The Inch to meet Tom, who is not just her boss, but also her lover. When she gets there she finds him lifeless on the beach with his head smashed in. In order to keep her private life private Surtsey lies to the police about their relationship and her whereabouts that night. Things quickly spiral out of control. On top of being unable to stop the police from seeing her as a suspect, Surtsey must also face the reality that her mother is dying. Can Surtsey balance a deteriorating personal life while trying to prove she’s not a murderer? Who really killed Tom?
Doug Johnstone creates a captivating work of crime fiction in FAULT LINES. The reader tags along with suspect number one, Surtsey, as she fumbles through an attempt to cover up her relationship with a now murdered married man. Her lies to the police about her whereabouts the night of Tom’s death quickly sweep her on to the list of possible murderers and leaves the reader begging her to tell the truth. In addition to the murder investigation, Surtsey must also come to terms with her mother’s nearing death and the impact this has on her relationship with her sister. Johnstone is able to weave together these dominating plot lines in Surtsey’s life and create a seamless story. FAULT LINES is filled with edge of your seat moments, heartbreak, and the possibilities that can spiral from telling a lie.
Thank you so much to Orenda Books and Doug Johnstone for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the fabulous Anne Cater for setting up another #teamorenda tour full of fantastic bloggers! Please be sure to check out the rest of the blogs showcasing FAULT LINES on its blog tour!
One night Surtsey takes a trip out to The Inch to meet Tom, who is not just her boss, but also her lover. When she gets there she finds him lifeless on the beach with his head smashed in. In order to keep her private life private Surtsey lies to the police about their relationship and her whereabouts that night. Things quickly spiral out of control. On top of being unable to stop the police from seeing her as a suspect, Surtsey must also face the reality that her mother is dying. Can Surtsey balance a deteriorating personal life while trying to prove she’s not a murderer? Who really killed Tom?
Doug Johnstone creates a captivating work of crime fiction in FAULT LINES. The reader tags along with suspect number one, Surtsey, as she fumbles through an attempt to cover up her relationship with a now murdered married man. Her lies to the police about her whereabouts the night of Tom’s death quickly sweep her on to the list of possible murderers and leaves the reader begging her to tell the truth. In addition to the murder investigation, Surtsey must also come to terms with her mother’s nearing death and the impact this has on her relationship with her sister. Johnstone is able to weave together these dominating plot lines in Surtsey’s life and create a seamless story. FAULT LINES is filled with edge of your seat moments, heartbreak, and the possibilities that can spiral from telling a lie.
Thank you so much to Orenda Books and Doug Johnstone for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the fabulous Anne Cater for setting up another #teamorenda tour full of fantastic bloggers! Please be sure to check out the rest of the blogs showcasing FAULT LINES on its blog tour!
calistaandrechek's review
3.0
Thank you NetGalley, Doug Johnstone and Trafalgar Square Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.
In a new Edinburgh, a tetonic plate opens up and creates a new volcano in the middle of the Firth of Forth and cause tremors every day. This new island and names the Inch and volcanologist Surtsey has been studying it for years. One trip to the Inch to meet her secret lover, also her boss, she finds him there murdered. She runs away and her worst nightmare comes true when someone begins contacting her saying they saw what she has done.
This book starts off with a bang and drops you right into the murder on the Inch. I was afraid from the first few chapters that the book would be more about the Inch and volcano’s than about the characters and the murder, but luckily for me it wasn’t at all like that! I really enjoyed Surtsey’s character and how her and her sister, Iona are just trying to get through this life. They seemed so real and full of grief that I could imagine befriending one of them. I really enjoyed how fast paced this novel was and how you suspect almost everyone except the one who is committing the murders.
I really enjoyed how this was a totally newly imagined Edinburgh and how the author created this new island out of a volcano and made it important to people. I actually surprised myself but how quickly I flew through this novel, it is a quick and addicting read. The only part that really bothered me about this novel was the amount of drinking and drugs that goes on, I want to say it wasn’t necessary, but then again it was a part of their lives and their grieving process. I was surprised at the ending and really enjoyed the few twists that happened and how it gives you a bit of closure. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one and how different it was from most of the other novels I read just because of the fantasy type feel you get from the Inch.
Out November 1st!
In a new Edinburgh, a tetonic plate opens up and creates a new volcano in the middle of the Firth of Forth and cause tremors every day. This new island and names the Inch and volcanologist Surtsey has been studying it for years. One trip to the Inch to meet her secret lover, also her boss, she finds him there murdered. She runs away and her worst nightmare comes true when someone begins contacting her saying they saw what she has done.
This book starts off with a bang and drops you right into the murder on the Inch. I was afraid from the first few chapters that the book would be more about the Inch and volcano’s than about the characters and the murder, but luckily for me it wasn’t at all like that! I really enjoyed Surtsey’s character and how her and her sister, Iona are just trying to get through this life. They seemed so real and full of grief that I could imagine befriending one of them. I really enjoyed how fast paced this novel was and how you suspect almost everyone except the one who is committing the murders.
I really enjoyed how this was a totally newly imagined Edinburgh and how the author created this new island out of a volcano and made it important to people. I actually surprised myself but how quickly I flew through this novel, it is a quick and addicting read. The only part that really bothered me about this novel was the amount of drinking and drugs that goes on, I want to say it wasn’t necessary, but then again it was a part of their lives and their grieving process. I was surprised at the ending and really enjoyed the few twists that happened and how it gives you a bit of closure. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one and how different it was from most of the other novels I read just because of the fantasy type feel you get from the Inch.
Out November 1st!
heatherreadsbooks's review
4.0
Interesting from concept to conclusion.
Reviewed at The Skinny: http://www.theskinny.co.uk/books/book-reviews/fault-lines-by-doug-johnstone
Reviewed at The Skinny: http://www.theskinny.co.uk/books/book-reviews/fault-lines-by-doug-johnstone
bibliophilebookclub's review
3.0
I love anything to do with volcanoes, and if you add in murder, I am sold. I picked this one up after a run of not so good books, and I ended up reading pretty much the whole thing in one day. Doug Johnstone has a great writing style and Fault Lines is no different. It is a cleverly re-imagined crime thriller, but nature takes centre stage due to the fact there is a volcano in Scotland. I really enjoyed the escapism with Fault Lines. I had suspicions early on, but that in no way took away from my enjoyment of the book. It is a really good read packed with plenty of intrigue and secrets. Recommended for sure!
gwennypenny's review
4.0
Fault Lines is a novel with secrets as dark as the black sand of The Inch itself.
Set in an alternative Edinburgh where a volcanic island has sprung up in the Firth of Forth, we meet Surtsey, a volcanologist, whose life is about to implode in ways she could never have imagined.
She sets out on her boat to secretly meet her lover, Tom, a married professor. But when she gets to the island of The Inch, their usual meeting spot, hidden from prying eyes, she discovers his body, his head caved in, being eaten by birds.
Panic setting in, she rows herself back to the mainland and tells no one what she saw.
But someone saw her.
“I know you were there”, said the text message.
Like a message from the island itself.
More texts arrive.
Soon her secret is out, and she’s suspected of murder.
Events begin to spiral, and the tension builds as the tremors from the fault line grow stronger and stronger, until the inevitable explosive plot climax.
Surtsey is such a well-written and well-rounded character, that I’d’ve been rooting for her no matter what. She’s sassy, smart, but also vulnerable and sensitive, which is no more evident than in her relationship with her dying mother.
It’s a true thriller, with such cinematic descriptions of people, places and events, that it’s crying out for a tv or film adaptation.
This is the first of Doug Johnstone’s novels I’ve read, and it won’t be the last!
Set in an alternative Edinburgh where a volcanic island has sprung up in the Firth of Forth, we meet Surtsey, a volcanologist, whose life is about to implode in ways she could never have imagined.
She sets out on her boat to secretly meet her lover, Tom, a married professor. But when she gets to the island of The Inch, their usual meeting spot, hidden from prying eyes, she discovers his body, his head caved in, being eaten by birds.
Panic setting in, she rows herself back to the mainland and tells no one what she saw.
But someone saw her.
“I know you were there”, said the text message.
Like a message from the island itself.
More texts arrive.
Soon her secret is out, and she’s suspected of murder.
Events begin to spiral, and the tension builds as the tremors from the fault line grow stronger and stronger, until the inevitable explosive plot climax.
Surtsey is such a well-written and well-rounded character, that I’d’ve been rooting for her no matter what. She’s sassy, smart, but also vulnerable and sensitive, which is no more evident than in her relationship with her dying mother.
It’s a true thriller, with such cinematic descriptions of people, places and events, that it’s crying out for a tv or film adaptation.
This is the first of Doug Johnstone’s novels I’ve read, and it won’t be the last!