by Will Carver
SYNOPSIS
When AA meetings make her want to drink more, alcoholic murderess Maeve sets up a group for psychopaths.
Maeve has everything. A high-powered job, a beautiful home, a string of uncomplicated one-night encounters. She’s also an addict: a functioning alcoholic with a dependence on sex and an insatiable appetite for killing men.
When she can’t find a support group to share her obsession, she creates her own. And Psychopaths Anonymous is born. Friends of Maeve.
Now in a serious relationship, Maeve wants to keep the group a secret. But not everyone in the group adheres to the rules, and when a reckless member raises suspicions with the police, Maeve’s drinking spirals out of control. She needs to stop killing. She needs to close the group. But Maeve can’t seem to quit the things that are bad for her, including her new man…
REVIEW
Don't read this book if you are easily shocked or offended by descriptions of alcohol abuse, violence, sex, controversial opinions on religion, murder, sarcasm or dark humour.
Luckily I am not!
Maeve is an addict. She is high functioning, and has learnt to control her drinking to ensure that nobody in her life is aware of just how dependent she is on alcohol... or sex... or killing people. Her attempts at AA have only made her want to drink more, as she listens to their advice week after week about allowing God into their lives. Eventually these AA meetings become her hunting ground. She feels safer with this method of choosing a victim, knowing that the types of people she finds there are less likely to be investigated thoroughly when they suddenly disappear. And then, out of curiosity and probably a little out of spite, she forms her own self help group - Psychopaths Anonymous.
Maeve is probably the boldest, most uncompromising and unforgettable character I have ever read about. Throughout the book she becomes more and more consumed by her need to kill, and where this should make her an unlikeable character, I ended up being completely captivated by her wicked personality.
Surprisingly though, Psychopaths Anonymous is not all about murder. In amongst the violence, there is an unexpected and profound social commentary running throughout the story. A cynical look at the way social media, reality TV and even modern relationships have broken people down - forcing then to show a fake or filtered version of themselves online, and Maeve is the perfect person to channel these thoughts as she has no normal levels of empathy or regard for other people.
I really enjoyed this book, (although I'm not sure what that says about me!). Read this book, you won't regret it! Or, actually you might - but I guarantee you won't be bored, and you won't forget it in a hurry! Incredibly dark, twisted, a bit out there, but thoroughly entertaining - everything I have now come to expect from Will Carver.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children. Will’s latest title published by Orenda Books, The Beresford was published in July. His previous title Hinton Hollow Death Trip was longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize, while Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express, and hit number one on the ebook charts.
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, Will Carver - @Will_Carver and Orenda Books - @OrendaBooks for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Crime / Mystery / Psychological Fiction
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 978-1913193751
Pages: 276pp
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