Cover: Odd Numbers
by JJ Marsh
The author sent me an ARC (mobi format) in exchange for an honest review (a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team).
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (4 stars)
Plot
(by Goodreads)
The Guilty Party meets The Secret History
Can you forgive a friend?
Strange things bring people together. Like a tragic death.
Over two decades, five friends reunite every other New Year. They celebrate, grieve and heal. Memories grow dusty and the nightmare starts to fade.
On the 20th anniversary, in a remote snowy chalet, old doubts surface.
Wounds reopen and morality comes into question.
Is friendship a safety net or a tie that hobbles to the past?
They thought they knew each other’s secrets.
Did they miss the biggest one of all?
When history is rewritten, they must act to preserve the future.
A fatal decision means this reunion will be their last.
A psychological drama with beautifully portrayed characters and an intricately woven plot. The suspense emerges between the lines, grabs you softly but never lets go.
| Genre(s): | > Contemporary British Fiction > Action & Adventure Literary Fiction > Psychological Literary Fiction |
| Series: | n.a. |
| Length: | 199 pages |
| Release date: | 2020-05-01 |
Teaser
“I still cannot believe it will be twenty years,” said Lovisa, her gaze on the mountains across the water.
Of all of us, Lovisa was the one who wanted to talk about it the most.
“I know. Weird how it turned out that the first time I got to organise was the twentieth anniversary.” I paused, thinking back to 2009 in Mallorca, one of the happiest reunions we’d had. “Twenty years. Sometimes it’s like a bad dream.”
She looked at me, her eyes the colour of the bottle of Bombay Sapphire. “I’ve been seeing a counsellor again. First time in fifteen years I felt the need.”
My Opinion
The story starts in 1999 when six friends (Clark, Dhan, Gael, Lovisa, Mika, and Simone) want to celebrate the Millenium close to Prague at a cabin by a lake.
With “Odd Numbers”, JJ Marsh has created an expertly woven plot, an intriguing novel of five friends who cope with the death of the sixth friend. “Odd Numbers” comprises authentic characters with sufficient depth; Gael is the one I took to the most; my sympathies for her friends underwent slight changes as the story evolved. JJ Marsh delicately introduces her characters. I had a great time reading – this is a very compelling read; I was drawn into the story right away, close to Gael and her friends. The plot offers food for thought, still keeps me thinking. Even if I anticipated some outcomes, I was intrigued by the way JJ Marsh directs her readers there.
I could imagine this a perfect plot for the “Fantasy Film Festivals” (they are known for unusual stories).
The cover is great – perfect for this story.
This is for you if you like thought-provoking stories and psychological fiction.
A remarkable story to read again.
Recommended.
In brief:
| Cover | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (five stars) |
| Writing | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (four stars) |
| Plot | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (four stars) |
| Characters | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (four stars) |
| Mood | Suspenseful |
| Pace | Steady |
| POV | First person – present/past tense (character-depending) |
| Language |  (decent enough) |
| Violence | (none to speak of) |
| Sexual content | – 😳 (some clear mentions, not too many details) |
About the author
Jill grew up in Wales, Africa and the Middle East, where her curiosity for culture took root and triggered an urge to write. After graduating in English Literature and Theatre Studies, she worked as an actor, teacher, writer, director, editor, journalist and cultural trainer all over Europe.
Now in Switzerland, she writes crime and literary fiction to entertain readers with enthralling stories and endearing characters.
Her Beatrice Stubbs crime series topped the Amazon best sellers in “International Mystery & Crime” in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.
Connect with the Author:
Please take a look at my statement on reading in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂
My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about “Odd Numbers”? Or – if you did not yet read “Odd Numbers” – are you now interested in reading it yourself?
I am looking forward to reading your comments. 🙂
My train of thoughts on... 
Fab review! You’ve definitely made me curious about this one. xx
Thanks for your kind feedback, Yvo. This could absolutely be a book you’d enjoy reading.
Thank you Karen.
My pleasure, Rosie.
I’ve read it and agree with your comments. I also enjoyed it and recommend it. I’m intrigued by your comment about ‘Fantasy Film Festivals’. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks, Karen!
Thank you very much for your kind words, Olga.
The ‘Fantasy Film Festivals’ have their counterparts in other countries as well, running by different names. These festivals take place in huge cinemas and large cities (in Germany there are eleven participating cities, Berlin and Nuremberg among them), comprise horror, slasher, thriller, and unusual stories. These films were also shown during the festivals: Chained (starring Vincent d’Onofrio), Sightseers, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life After Beth, Suburban Gothic (starring Matthew Gray Gubler and Kat Dennings), Wolfcop, Welcome to the Jungle (starring Jean-Claude VanDemme and Adam Brody), Odd Thomas (starring Anton Yelchin; written by Dean F. Koontz), and a lot more.