Today dear reader I am on the blog tour for The Coffin Club (Published 7th April 2022) By Jacqueline Sutherland. Happy Publication Day! A big thank you to the publishers Point Blank for sending me a copy to read and review, always appreciated. Also to the lovely Anne for the invite, you make being a part of this community wonderful!
The Coffin Club
Everyone deserves a second chance. Don’t they?
After losing her husband in a car accident, leaving her permanently scarred, wealthy widow Kat Alexander moves to the countryside to start a new life. Mourning not only her husband, but her last chance of motherhood, Kat is distraught.
Encouraged by her new and only friend Ginny, owner of the local animal sanctuary, Kat joins Young and Widowed, dubbed ‘The Coffin Club’ by its members.
There she meets young Spanish widower, Nico. Instantly drawn to each other, Nico seems like Kat’s perfect match. He is kind, caring, handsome, eager to settle in the UK, and most importantly, a father to five-year-old Magdalena, ‘Midge’.
This could be Kat’s shot at the one thing she has always wanted: to be a mother.
But sometimes, be careful what you wish for…
About The Author
Jacqueline (Jack) Sutherland worked in corporate PR and marketing for over twenty years and now works part time as a copywriter. A few years ago, she bought her husband a beehive for his birthday, and she draws on her knowledge of beekeeping in her debut thriller, THE COFFIN CLUB. She began writing the novel on the 2020 Faber Academy course. Jack lives in Guildford with her husband and their four boys.
My Review
After a tragic car accident that killed her husband, Kat attempts to rebuild her life by moving to the countryside. She locks herself away and falls further into darkness believing the only way out is to end her life. However when her car collides with a deer she is brought to Ginny who runs the local animal sanctuary. She soon becomes involved in helping out with the animals and slowly starts to begin living again. When a flyer advertising New Horizons, a group who are looking for a second chance at love lands on her doorstep she starts wondering if she should check it out. Encouraged by Ginny who has become her only friend she joins and meets Nico on her first night. Kat is instantly draw to him, he’s kind, caring and best of all has a five year old daughter, Magdalena. They soon start to date and Kat is introduced to Magdalena. Kat forms a bond and goes into mama bear mode, she would kill for Magdalena. Kat and Nico appear a perfect match for each other, both have lost their spouses and they joke about New Horizons calling it the Coffin Club. Yet there is something that doesn’t feel right as Nico starts to have secret phone calls and withdraw large amounts of money from their joint account. Blindsided for her desire to cling onto her new found mother title Kat pushes it to the back of her mind. But it keeps creeping up until it’s too late and Kat is fighting for her life.
The narrative follows Kat as she visits her husband Sam’s grave. She recounts how much has changed since his death. She has remarried and become a mother, something she has always been desperate for and hopes Sam is happy for her. Kat talks about how after his death she sunk into a deep depression and she felt she did’t have anything to live for. She moved to the country, Lower Doyle and purchased a house which she calls the Nook, a doer-upper and hides away from the world. Thanks to her husband’s fortune Kat doesn’t need a job and lacks any sort of routine which only deepens her depression and loneliness. Not only did the accident scare Kat but it also left a physical scar across her face. A permanent reminder of her loss and the end to Sam and Kat Alexander. She is self-conscious of this and assumes that people stare and whisper when they see her. When Kat becomes friends with Ginny she starts to slowly piece her life back together. Kat spends her days working with the animals and her nights redecorating the house. The simple routines hold her together and she feels like she is on a recovery programme. The sanctuary gave her a reason to get up in the morning. Then the flyer comes through her door and she is tempted to start looking for love, love that could lead to her becoming a mother.
Kat is a complex and vulnerable character. She has a dark secret that once discovered will make the reader view her in a different light. Your heart breaks as you uncover her past and feel for her. She is so desperate for a child that she will do anything and I mean anything in order to be a mother that at times it is a little terrifying. It sends a chill down your spine as you suddenly realise how far she is willing to go to obtain her goal. She falls for Nico the moment she meets him and feels guilty about Sam but knows she has to move on if she is to ever have a child of her own. Their relationship moves at lighting speed and when Nico starts to act withdrawn Kat starts to question how much she really knows about him. He fled from Spain after the death of his wife and never talks about any of the family or friends he left behind. When their wedding photo turns up online Nico sees red and demands it is taken down. Thrown by this sudden outburst Kat begins to wondered what exactly happened in Spain. Her curiosity is only piqued more when they ran into an old friend of Nico’s at a duck race and Nico brushes him off. What is he hiding? This book will keep the reader guessing up until the very end. When I discovered the truth of it all, my blood ran cold dear reader.
At a first glance this book gives the reader the impression that this will be a story about a widow who will go on a journey of self discovery. But there’s so much more going on. There are so many layers, twists and turns that will have you on the edge on your seat. You feel scared at times as to just how far Kat is willing to go for what she wants.
I give The Coffin Club By Jacqueline Sutherland a Five out of Five paw rating
Intense and full of dark sinister secrets, this book will consume you until the very end.
I was addicted from the first page. I did not see the shocking twist coming even though it was right in front of me the whole time. Sutherland creates a suspense that makes you question everything you thought you knew. Who can you trust? Are you in danger from the people who are supposed to love you? It’s compelling and a MUST read for this year. I highly recommend, you will be left with your jaw on the floor.
Don’t forget to follow the rest of the tour, dates below, enjoy!
Links
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@PointBlankCrime
@writerjac
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Bunny’s Pause 
Thanks for the blog tour support x