Who Killed Ruby? by Camilla Way | #BookReview

‘You never know what’s going on behind closed doors….’

[ About the Book ]

If you passed it on the street, you’d see an ordinary London townhouse. You might wonder about the people who live there, assume they’re just like you.

But inside a family is trapped in a nightmare. In the kitchen, a man lies dead on the blood-soaked floor. Soon the police will come, and they’ll want answers.

Perhaps they’ll believe the family’s version of events – that this man is a murderer who deserved to die.

But would that be the truth?

[ My Review ]

Who Killed Ruby? is the latest novel from Camilla Way.

Published in paperback with Harper Collins on 27th June, it is described as ‘an addictive, twisty new psychological crime thriller that will have you captivated from the first to the last page’ (Available now in Kindle Format)

Who Killed Ruby? is the story of three generations – Stella, Vivienne and Cleo. Vivienne is Stella’s daughter and Cleo is Vivienne’s teen daughter. Vivienne’s sister Ruby was murdered in the family home when Vivienne was only eight. Her mother, Stella, unable to cope, left their home and fled to London where she sought refuge, eventually managing her own home as a place of refuge many years later. Vivienne had witnessed her sister lying dead on the floor of her bedroom and gave evidence to the police that eventually put the man responsible behind bars. But was it the right person? Did he kill Ruby? And if not who was the real killer?

For years Vivienne partied hard living a very rock and roll lifestyle of drink, sex and drugs. Unable to cope with the memory of what happened to her sister, Vivienne abused herself in the hope of forgetting. After a few rough years, under the care of her mother, Stella, Vivienne settled down and set up a coffee shop, named in memory of Ruby. Following the birth of her daughter, Cleo, now twelve years old, Vivienne was optimistic about the years ahead. She had a great relationship with Cleo, with her mother and a few close friends by her side, the coffee shop was doing well, life was good. But Vivienne lived with a constant shadow by her side. She suffered terrible nightmares which evoked dreadful panic and an unexplained fear. Refusing therapy, Vivienne sought the comfort of her mother, the only other person who knew what she was going through.

Life takes a rather sinister turn for Vivienne when she begins to receive strange and threatening messages. At the same time Vivienne notices a change in Cleo, a distancing in her behaviour, but with other events claiming her attention, Vivienne doesn’t pay too much heed, citing teenage hormones for her change in attitude.

The story takes a few very dark twists and turns as the suspense is upped a notch and things no longer appear quite as they seem.

Who Killed Ruby? is a thriller that entertains with a story that is not overly complex. There were a few plot twists that did push my imagination but I was happy enough to go along with them as I flew through the pages. Camilla Way weaves into the story a very important and topical theme in relation to children and their use of social media. A scary situation highlights the importance of the constant vigilance and monitoring of our children’s online behaviour which Camilla Way portrays in a horrifying, yet unfortunately, very realistic manner.

Who Killed Ruby? is the perfect light thriller to have in your suitcase this summer. Not too challenging, with just the right amount of tension to keep you guessing….

[ Bio ]

Camilla Way was formerly an editor on the style magazine Arena and has written for Stylist, Elle and the Guardian.

She is now a full-time writer and lives in south-east London with her partner and twin boys.

Twitter – @CamillaLWay