One murder, three people’s perspective on it.
The story had me hooked, I kept wanting to go back and find out more ( )

“Bad things never happen to Charlotte. She’s living the life she’s always wanted and about to marry wealthy banker, Dan. But Dan’s been hiding a secret, and the pressure is pushing him over the edge. After he’s arrested for the vicious killing of a nightclub owner, Charlotte’s future is shattered. Summary BPL

Not a lot of suspense—you find out who did it fairly early on in the book—but Claire McGowan’s forte is good storytelling. The people are quirky and engaging. At the beginning hyper-consumers Charlotte and Dan are planning their brand-dropping wedding; both appear as shallow, self-centred characters. After the “fall” has shattered their perfect world, the high-paying job gloss wears off and we get to see two real 20 somethings struggling to survive. The pair’s lower class counterparts, Keisha and Chris, live in fragile poverty and violent crime. They are implicated in the murder, bringing their gritty reality into Charlotte’s pristine environment. The investigating officer is DC Matthew Hegarty, an honest, intelligent man from northern England who falls for Charlotte. It is not difficult to see where the story will go…but the people have loads of personality and make it an enjoyable read.

The Fall is Claire McGowan’s first novel. Well done!

7.5 out of 10. For fans of urban lifestyle and crime fiction. ( )

This is a crime book by a new author, and it's an excellent debut. It is told from the point of view of three different people: Charlotte, whose fiance Dan has been accused of murder; Keisha who is stuck with a cruel man and who saw more than she's letting on on the night of the murder; and DC Matthew Hegerty, the arresting officer who takes a shine to Charlotte.

With the constant change of narratives, the story has a really fast pace and keeps it up throughout the story. It's the sort of book I could just pick up at any time and read a bit of, and once I started I wanted to read a bit more each time.

There are certain things that I was left guessing about until almost the end which was great, and the quality of the writing is excellent.

It's a very promising start for Claire McGowan and I look forward to seeing what she does next. ( )

This is a fast paced plot that had me turning the pages without pause. It is a captivating, easy to read story that drew me into the world of the characters. Not all of the characters are likeable but they are bought to life on the pages. The clues to the murderer are all there but written cleverly enough to keep the reader guessing until the closing pages. Although this comes under the genre of crime, I feel it can be classed as chick-lit too - not because it is a light read but because of the main female characters in the story and the experiences they have. This was an entertaining read and would make perfect holiday reading. ( )

This is a cracker of a book. It kept me gripped from beginning to end.
It tells the story from the viewpoint of three characters, all of whom are beautifully drawn and have flaws....which I love.
It begins with Charlotte lying on a public bathroom floor, having been visciously attacked by a gang of girls. Charlotte has a charmed life. Living in a luxury apartment with wealthy banker Dan, she is due to be married in a week at a suitably over the top ceremony. Adding insult to injury, Dan is arrested for the murder of a club owner with whom he has argued on the same night as the killing.
Keisha Collins has had a raw deal in life. Her boyfriend Chris is violent and their daughter Ruby has been taken in to foster care after he attacked the little girl. Keisha is unable to find the strength to leave him. Then he uses his fists on Keisha and she walks away...finally! With nowhere to go, she cuts an achingly sad figure. Her world is so far removed from Charlotte it comes as a huge surprise when their paths cross. I adored Keisha and was willing her on all the way through the book.
Then there is DC Matthew Hegarty. He is keen for promotion and is delighted to be the one to arrest Dan for the nightclub murder. What he didn't expect was to fall in love with the beautiful Charlotte.
As Charlotte's and Keisha's world fall apart around them....it comes to light that all is not what it appears and Dan has been hiding more than one secret.
The idea for this book came to Claire McGowan in a dream. I am hoping that she sleeps very soundly for quite some time. The more ideas like this the better!

This book was made available to me, prior to publication, for an honest review. ( )