4 out of 4 stars
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Concealment by Rose Edmunds is the first book in the Crazy Amy series. It follows Amy, who seems to have it all with her successful career, a great wardrobe, and her beautiful home. However, this is just a cover to keep her jerk of a boss, Ed, from finding out that she isn’t perfect and then exploiting her. Unfortunately, when an assistant colleague is murdered, Amy’s life is thrown off kilter.
She suspects that fraud links Ed to the killing, but most people just think that she’s being overly paranoid. Will she take this lying down? Or will she be a survivor and fight back? Either way, you will be rooting for Amy, as she is a likable character with a strong sense of self-preservation.
This was definitely a great read for me, as it doesn’t make Amy out to be a victim, despite everything she has been through. When she has her internal conversations with the little voice in her head, it made her seem more human and less like a damsel in distress. She actually gets herself into things, despite being the posh lady that she makes herself out to be. It is also easy to believe that she is quite intellectual and analytical from how she goes about getting her information and research.
There are some things to make note of in regard to the writing style and spelling. Since the author is British and the setting is in England, the word spelling and diction of the characters follow the British English spellings and not the American English spellings. The phrasing might sound different too. Keeping this in mind, I will not be taking any stars away for this as it adds authenticity to the book.
The editing and structure of this book are expertly well done. I did not detect any issues with punctuation or grammar. In fact, the way that the author describes and uses her vocabulary assisted in making this piece exceptional. I like how the point of views change periodically, and that when this happens, the font changes as well. Again, the use of local phrasing and patois really helped with the character development and settings.
If you are a fan of the thriller and suspense genres, then this book is for you. It constantly keeps you guessing and on your toes. Plus I didn’t expect the twists and turns, that were added. It is definitely a good start to a series, as Amy doesn’t immediately turn into a super-sleuth like how a lot of other protagonists do.
Readers under 18 years old should not read this, as it holds a lot of strong language and content. There are also mentions of mental instability, past child abuse, issues with hoarding, bullying, alcohol abuse, sex, murder, suicide, and intense moments of fear and violence. If you are someone that has strong, visceral reactions to what you read or if you are easily triggered by any of these issues, then it would be best to not read this. But if these situations don’t bother you, then I think you’ll enjoy this book. Concealment receives 4 out of 4 stars from me, as it is a wonderfully written book.
I’m curious to see what else happens to Amy next. As of right now, there are two more books that come after this book. They are called Exposure and Restitution, with the former coming before the latter. From reading some information on Rose Edmunds located on her Goodreads page, it details that she has over 20 years of working undercover in financial firms, and she has clearly implemented her abilities to get to the nitty-gritty details in her novels. Check out her books if you’d like more insight into the business world.
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Concealment
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