The Long Fall
"..an easy book to read..."
Synopsis:
How far would you go to protect your secrets?
Greece, 1980: Emma takes part in a shattering, violent event, an event to which she is anything but an innocent bystander. She is only eighteen, but this marks her fall from innocence and it will haunt her for the rest of her life.
London, now: Kate has the perfect existence: a glossy image, a glamorous home, the perfect family, but there are cracks. All is not what it seems. And now the two worlds are about to collide. Somebody's out for revenge. Someone who has been waiting thirty years...
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Review:
'The Long Fall' is set over a few decades with Emma's diary detailing events of her time spent in Greece back in the 80s. The present is based around Kate, a woman now in her 40s suffering from alcohol dependence and grief following the death of her daughter. Kate is a brittle, dependent and needy person whose life becomes even more troubled when a friend from her past makes contact with her. Emma is also a weak, needy character who depends on alcohol and drugs to suppress memories of a traumatic event which has deeply affected her. I have enjoyed Crouch's previous books which are all extremely well written, but I found 'The Long Fall', whilst enjoyable to read, lacked the suspense found in 'Cuckoo' or the brilliant 'Tarnished'. Crouch seemed to fill the pages with superfluous content and I feel this book could have been much shorter, and in turn much punchier. Also, the plot itself was predictable and whilst I wasn't completely correct, I wasn't far wrong. I much prefer a mystery that leaves the reader guessing until the end, or at least be proven wrong. The lack of empathy and connection to the characters left me with little interest in them. 'The Long Fall', whilst an easy book to read, lacked the punch that this author has managed before.