#BlogTour: The Snakes by Sadie Jones @ThatSadieJones @vintagebooks @midaspr @PublicityBooks @annecater #TheSnakes #SadieJones #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

Family secrets can be deadly…

Newly-weds Dan and Bea decide to escape London. Driving through France in their beaten-up car they anticipate a long lazy summer, worlds away from their ordinary lives.

But their idyll cannot last. Stopping off to see Bea’s brother at his crumbling hotel, the trio are joined unexpectedly by Bea’s ultra-wealthy parents. Dan has never understood Bea’s deep discomfort around them but living together in such close proximity he begins to sense something is very wrong.

Just as tensions reach breaking point, brutal tragedy strikes, exposing decades of secrets and silence that threaten to destroy them all.

‘A twisty delight of a novel, a cracking page-turner that has much to say about modern life and our attempts to find a way to navigate it, no matter where we come from’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

The Snakes is available in hardback and ebook now. It will be published in paperback on the 20th February 2020. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.

My Review:

The Snakes is a powerful read which was quite dark and disturbing in places. It’s definitely a book that has stayed with me and I have kept thinking about.

Interestingly this book deals with a number of themes which I thought were cleverly weaved into the story. These are almost mentioned in passing though as none of them become a major issue but they do help contribute to the tension in the story. The main subject discussed is money and the problems it can cause by the power it holds which I found very interesting to think about. It made me question what I would do in a similar situation to Bea and Dan.

The descriptions in the book are very vivid and really help make the story come to life for me as I felt I could envisioned what was going on clearly. None of the characters were partially likeable but they were still interesting to follow and get to know, though I found I couldn’t feel any sympathy for them.

The chilling atmosphere slowly increases until the rather shocking ending which I wasn’t expecting. It would make a great book club read as there would be lots to discuss, including some deeper meanings which I have seen other reviewers comment on but I fear have gone over my head.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Georgina from Midas publicity for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Sadie Jones is a novelist and screenwriter. Her first novel, The Outcast (‘Devastatingly good’, Daily Mail) won the Costa First Novel Award in 2008 and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. It was also a Richard and Judy Summer Reads number one bestseller and adapted for BBC Television. Her second novel, Small Wars (‘Outstanding’, The Times; ‘One of the best books about the English at war ever’, Joel Morris), was published in 2009, and longlisted for the Orange Prize. Her third, in 2012, was The Uninvited Guests (‘A shimmering comedy of manners and disturbing commentary on class… a brilliant novel’, Ann Patchett) followed by Fallout in 2014 (‘Intoxicating and immersive’, The Sunday Times).