Book Review: Rattle by Fiona Cummins

Rattle has been taunting me on social media, fab reviews everywhere, with its chilling cover and creepy plot, this was a highly anticipated read.

Book Description:

A serial killer to chill your bones

A psychopath more frightening than Hannibal Lecter.

He has planned well. He leads two lives. In one he’s just like anyone else. But in the other he is the caretaker of his family’s macabre museum.

Now the time has come to add to his collection. He is ready to feed his obsession, and he is on the hunt.

Jakey Frith and Clara Foyle have something in common. They have what he needs.

What begins is a terrifying cat-and-mouse game between the sinister collector, Jakey’s father and Etta Fitzroy, a troubled detective investigating a spate of abductions.

Set in London’s Blackheath, Rattle by Fiona Cummins explores the seam of darkness that runs through us all; the struggle between light and shadow, redemption and revenge.

It is a glimpse into the mind of a sinister psychopath. And it’s also a story about not giving up hope when it seems that all hope is already lost.

My Thoughts:

Upon finishing this book, I thought, ‘huh, what an odd lil’ creepy book about bone collection.’ I’m left with mixed feelings. When you’ve read only fab reviews for a book and are desperate to read it, it always run the risk of falling below your exceeding high expectations, and sadly that was the case here. I did like the story, a serial killer kidnapping children to display their bones in his museum; the bones are unique and rare and this killer wants them for his collection. Detective Etta Fitzroy, haunted by a past case of a little girl she couldn’t save, is determined to catch this killer.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book but as the story went on, I waiting for that chill/thrill factor to hit, that one thing to make me connect with this book, but it didn’t come. On paper the killer was a well-developed character, portrayed as a loving husband caring for his sick wife one moment and the evil caretaker the next; I just really struggled to connect with the crime/thriller elements of this story. Fitzroy as a lead detective has all the makings of a fab backstory but again, I just couldn’t connect. This book was set with a time-span of just over a week, even that didn’t create the urgency, the tension, I had hoped for.

My favourite parts of this book were the chapters showing Jakey’s home-life, how his parents Lilith and Erdman were coping with their son’s medical condition. The tension in the household for fear Jakey would hurt himself was real. I loved that Erdman bought his son a bike, while Jakey’s childhood was extremely restricted, he was determined that his son would experience at least some of the joys of childhood. Cummins did an extremely good job of portraying the realities of raising a child with such a severe medical condition, you can’t help but become a little emotive and a little invested in this family and for me, this is where this book earned its stars.

The majority of the reviews for this book are fab but something was missing in this one for me, it’s by no means a bad book and I’m sure many will love it. Cummins displayed some great author traits: really allowing the reader to get up close and personal with the characters, the books timeline creating urgency, the sinister killer. I wonder if I read this book minus the hype/expectation I placed on it, I may have enjoyed it more.

*Thank you to the author (Fiona Cummins) and the publisher (Macmillan) for granting me access to a digital copy of this book via Netgalley*

This book is available from: Amazon UK / Book Depository (release date: 26/01/17)