BOOK DESCRIPTION
As a child, it was just a game. As an adult, it was a living nightmare.
'This time it's different. She's gone too far now.
She really has.'
When teenage friends Lizzie and Alice decide to head off for a walk in the countryside, they are blissfully unaware that this will be their final day together - and that only Lizzie will come back alive.
Lizzie has no memory of what happened in the moments before Alice died, she only knows that it must have been a tragic accident. But as she tries to cope with her grief, she is shocked to find herself alienated from Alice's friends and relatives. They are convinced she somehow had a part to play in her friend's death.
Twelve years later, unpacking boxes in the new home she shares with her fiancé, Lizzie is horrified to find long-buried memories suddenly surfacing. Is the trauma of the accident finally catching up with her, or could someone be trying to threaten her new-found happiness?
Twelve years is a long time to wait, when you're planning the perfect revenge . . .
The story is written in chapters that are set in the present day and twelve years in the past and are voiced predominantly from the perspective of Lizzie. In the present day, Lizzie has recently moved into a house with her fiance Ross and is thinking about finding a part-time job or maybe applying for a place at University. Her life has been blighted by epilepsy but she hasn't suffered a major seizure for almost two years and she feels ready to move on and make changes in certain aspects of her life. But,as we all know,fate has a very nasty habit of throwing a spanner in the works when it decides that our lives are running far too smoothly for its liking. The combination of the tragic death of a eleven year old girl, the contents of a box that Lizzie receives from her own parents and the reappearance of a face from Lizzie's past result in her questioning events from her past and making decisions that could ultimately place her life in danger.
The chapters that are set in the past cover Lizzie's life when she was in her early teens and events before and after the tragic death of Lizzie's best friend Alice. The two girls were out for a walk on the day that Alice died so Lizzie was the only witness but she has always insisted that she was suffering from a seizure at the time and can't remember any of the events before the accident. Some people,including Alice's older sister Catherine refuse to believe that Lizzie wasn't responsible for Alice's death and she is mercilessly bullied until eventually her parents decide to pack up and move away. Alice and Lizzie had a massive argument whilst they were on their walk,could Lizzie have lost her temper,killed her friend and then blocked the events from her mind or was she are innocent as she insisted and really had no memory of the events of that fateful day?
Interspersed throughout the book was chapters that were written in italics and voiced from the perspective of someone who found themselves drawn into a situation that eventually would get out of their control. When the identity of this person was revealed,I can honestly say that I didn't see that twist coming,I was so shocked,I had to re-read that part to make sure that I had read it correctly. But who was that person and how did they fit into the story?
The Dare is a very well written,intricately plotted tale of deception,secrets,manipulation,lies and revenge that has some unexpected plot twists and turns, keeps the reader guessing and glued to their kindle. It has a cast of realistic but if I'm honest not very likeable characters,many of whom were manipulative and untrustworthy. I thought it was a very entertaining,enjoyable read and I would happily read more of this author's books in the future.
AUTHOR BIO
Lesley Kara lives on the North Essex coast in the UK. When her children started school, she studied at Greenwich University, London, and trained as a teacher. She worked for many years as a lecturer and manager in a large college of further education in London, but now writes full-time.
PUBLICATION DATE: 4th March 2021
PURCHASE LINK....
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