The Long Fall by Julia Crouch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Kate Barratt is the Face of Kindness, International Charity Image 2013 and founder of Martha’s Wish, a charity set up in her daughter’s name after losing Martha at a young age. Happily married to successful hedge fund manager Mark, with another daughter, Tilly who is about to go travelling, Kate lives a life of luxury and privilege, oysters, champagne, Versace and top restaurants...but behind the facade of a wealthy woman enjoying life Kate hides a secret.
Thirty three years ago, eighteen year old Emma sets out, excited and alone to travel Europe before she starts University, only to find it isn’t everything she had dreamed. After fleeing France and on the verge of suicide in Athens, Emma hooks up with two individuals from America; a pair who are older and more worldly and take Emma under their wing. Naively Emma believes they are looking out for each other and even starts to fall in love with Jake. It is only after a violent altercation with another tourist who then ends up missing that Emma starts to question Jake and Beattie’s behaviour, particularly Beattie, who seems quite unstable at times with her Dangerous Game and stealing.
Ending up finally on a tiny island off the coast of Greece, the truth about Jake comes to light and Emma’s plans for her future shatter because now she cannot be who she intended to be, she must become someone else and forever live a lie....
Back to present day and after her Face of Kindness image hits the media the past that she has taken such care to keep hidden comes back to haunt her in the guise of an email from an old friend. There is only one person in the world that knows Kate’s secret and now after all these years, it seems like her past might be catching up with her. One thing is for sure Kate will do anything she can to keep her past in the past.....
Flitting between Emma’s story thirty- three years ago and Kate’s life now, this novel builds up a tension both in past and present which will have reader’s turning the pages and gripped by events as Kate’s and Emma’s secrets are revealed.
Although none of the characters are particularly likeable they are entirely believable and realistic. Emma is rather silly and immature and Kate a nervous caricature of what she believes she should be, living a life of guilt and fear whilst Jake and Beattie are beautifully portrayed as young, skewed individuals with rather more to them than meets the eye. It is intriguing to see how Emma gets caught up with Jake and Beattie and a certain amount of sympathy is due to her as they use her naivety and trust against her.
Julia Crouch has woven a story of intrigue and dark secrets which readers will read with mounting tension and disbelief as the story approaches its climax and it’s not without its twists either. This is a superb, insightful piece of writing that chills when it comes to the psyche of the disturbed mind and definitely one to read.
With thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the ARC of this book.




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