‘Falcon Bay’

‘Guilty Women’ – Melanie Blake

Can they get away with murder?

On a beautiful island off the English coast, a group of TV actresses gather. One of them has a secret. One of them will stop at nothing to get revenge on the man who hurt her. And one of them is determined to be the best – no matter what it costs. All of them have something to hide – but the question is – are they all guilty? Join Sunday Times bestselling author Melanie Blake in this sexy, shocking thriller – guaranteed to blow your mind…

The cast of RUTHLESS WOMEN are back – but this time they’re in trouble…

I didn’t particularly like this book. I had no idea that this followed on from another book that details the salacious scandals surrounding a soap opera called Falcon Bay. It really helps if you have read the first book because this one carries on immediately, leaving me floundering about characters, background and the juicy crime that was committed… I just didn’t have much knowledge about it.

In my opinion, all of the characters are narcissistic. I didn’t like them because they are so self-centred and arrogant. They are all guilty of being selfish and baseless, to the point I was quite looking forward to their downfall. The main women in this story seem to be clinging on to their media relevance and their behaviour did not seem to match their aging bodies, to the point that it was a little bit cringeworthy.

The story itself felt quite far-fetched: the more I read, the less believable the story became. The scandal that takes place behind the scenes of this soap opera reminded me of some of the reality, housewife programs you see on television. Whilst these can provide a bit of escapism, I thought this book was more of a challenge and I didn’t really grow to enjoy the plot direction. I think it is one of those stories that certainly helps having read the prequel.

As the story developed, it seemed to split between the soap opera and then a missing person from the previous book. Whilst I did not like the methods used by the journalist to ensure the success of her scandal-filled book, I found I was more interested in this element of the story. However, Blake ultimately glosses over this and it becomes a sub-plot with little input to the main plot. I thought this was quite a shame.

Definitely have a go at this book if you have read the first novel; maybe have a go if you like the scandal of behind-the-scenes television. For me, I struggled to connect with the narrative and really dislike the baseless characters who are all out for their own self promotion.