When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen

When She Was Bad
By Tammy Cohen
Published by Transworld (21 April 2016)
ISBN: 978-1784160197

Publisher's description

YOU SEE THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH EVERY DAY.

BUT WHAT CAN'T YOU SEE?

Amira, Sarah, Paula, Ewan and Charlie have worked together for years - they know how each one likes their coffee, whose love life is a mess, whose children keep them up at night. But their comfortable routine life is suddenly shattered when an aggressive new boss walks in ....

Now, there's something chilling in the air.

Who secretly hates everyone?

Who is tortured by their past?

Who is capable of murder?

My verdict
Wow - Tammy Cohen has a very twisted mind. When She Was Bad kept me guessing from start to finish. It's a dark and creepy page-turner that will leave you reeling and make your spine tingle. Tammy Cohen has an amazing knack of getting right inside her characters' heads - these ordinary people seem so normal on the surface yet anything could be bubbling under the surface.

The book begins with a brutal killing and only one person - a child psychologist called Dr Anne Cater - seems to know the culprit. Through a series of flashbacks dotted around the book, Dr Cater recounts a tragic and harrowing story of child abuse.

The main plot concentrates on a group of work colleagues, all with something to hide. None are particularly likeable but all are very believable. Their new boss is rattling some cages, pitting one colleague against another and bringing their secrets to the surface. This is a 'slightly' exaggerated scenario as it's a work of fiction, but this is exactly why I'm so relieved that I don't work in an office environment any more, with all the office politics to contend with. The narrative switches between the different characters and played with my head so much that I had no idea who the culprit was - or how the book would end.

I love Tammy Cohen's books, and I reckon this is her best so far - certainly her most disturbing. A fantastic read that I couldn't put it down. Thinking about it gives me goosebumps, and not many books do that!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher through NetGalley and Lovereading.
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