Who Can you Trust (#4 in Cristy Ward Series) by Susan Lewis

                                       

Ebook:  384 pages 

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Adult Fiction, Mystery 

Publisher:  HarperCollins (9thApril 2026)

Source: My Kindle Library via NetGalley

First Sentence:  Most people walked a little faster when passing 42 Randall Lane, picking up the pace as if something about the house might somehow be rotten or contagious or was waiting to spring outing get them.

Review Quote:  'Plenty of twists to keep you guessing' Heat

My Opinion: 

Susan Lewis is a prolific author writing across a broad range of genre, crime thrillers, suspense and family drama. I have been reading and enjoying her books on and off for over twenty five years now.

'Who Can You Trust' is the fourth title in the series about "hindsight" a podcast with the protagonists Cristy and Connor. This time they are investigating a suspected miscarriage of justice concerning a young woman convicted of murdering her baby twins some twenty years ago. The investigation is not an easy one and it impacts on the characters working and personal lives. It was great to catch up with the many familiar characters as they worked on another fascinating case.

Although this novel will read well as a stand alone story, I would recommend reading the whole series in order for maximum enjoyment and understanding of the relationships between the characters. Definitely recommend to fans of the series, the author and mysteries in general.

With thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and the author for the opportunity to read and review

Previous Reviews:  A Sicilian Affair.  Don't Believe A Word  Nothing to See Here 

Never Look Back

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Book 4 in the Cristy Ward series

A terrible crime. A shocking confession. Do you believe her?

Twenty years ago, Nicole’s twins disappeared without a trace.

No bodies. No witnesses.

Despite her pleas of innocence, Nicole was convicted.

Now she’s out. And she’s finally confessed.

But for true crime podcast host Cristy Ward, the story doesn’t add up.

Having worked on the case as a young reporter, Cristy can’t help but wonder whether Nicole is the villain everyone believes her to be.

Why did Nicole confess after so many years … and is the truth still out there, waiting…?

Author Profile:         

                                                                         

                                                                                 

                                               Courtesy of Official Author Website 

I was born in 1956, in Bristol.  My father was a Welsh miner, a poet, an engineer and a thinker.  My mother was one of 13 children who, at 20, persuaded my father to spend his bonus on an engagement ring instead of a motorbike.  We were a normal, happy, nuclear family, living in a spanking new council house on the outskirts of town – my mother’s pride and joy.  But we were going to do better, my mother had made up her mind about that.  My father, an unabashed communist, was writing a book, I was signed up for ballet, elocution, piano and eventually a private boarding school, and my brother, (the real great love of my mother’s life) was going to succeed at everything he set his mind to.

The rest of this fascinating biography can be read on the authors  Official Author Website

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

 Official Author Website  Twitter Profile   Instagram Profile   Facebook Profile 

Amazon Profile    Goodreads Profile

Broken Light by Joanne Harris

 

                                              

Hardback:  420 pages

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Orion 2023

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: The first seven years of my life are a blank. I don't remember a thing before that. Most children remember something of their early years, but not me.

Review Quote:   'Blazes with anger and sorrow' MARIAN KEYES

My Opinion: Having been a fan of this author for many years I was looking forward to reading ‘Broken Light’. Joanna has I think a very individual style of writing that in my opinion doesn’t compare to anyone else, that I have read anyway.

‘Broken Light’ is a cruel story about the invisibility of middle aged women. The menopausal protagonist has paranormal tendencies which makes for an intriguing and at times terrifying read.

Strong and emotionally driven characters built around some important current issues in modern society discern this recommended read. A great choice for some lively Book Club discussion.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Bernie Moon is feeling invisible. She's given her life to other people - her husband, her son, her mother, her friends (not that she has any of them left). At 16, she was full of promise and power. Now, facing 50, she's a fading light.

But when a young woman is killed in her local area, it sparks childhood memories of a talent she used to have, one long since hidden.

She said she'd never use it again.

She knows it could destroy not only her, but everyone around her.

Bernie Moon is no longer invisible, but is everyone else ready for what she's about to become?

 

Author Profile:

Goodreads  Author photo.

About Joanne Harris (courtesy of her official website)

Joanne Harris (OBE, FRSL) was born in Barnsley in 1964, of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at Cambridge and was a teacher for fifteen years, during which time she published three novels, including Chocolat (1999), which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche .

Since then, she has written 19 more novels, plus novellas, short stories, game scripts, the libretti for two short operas, several screenplays, a stage musical (with Howard Goodall) and three cookbooks. Her books are now published in over 50 countries and have won a number of British and international awards. She is an honorary Fellow of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, has honorary doctorates in literature from the universities of Sheffield and Huddersfield, and has been a judge for the Whitbread Prize, the Orange Prize, the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Betty Trask Award, the Prima Donna Prize  and the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science, as well as for the Fragrance Foundation awards for perfume and perfume journalism (for which she also received an award in 2017). She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022.

She is a passionate advocate for authors’ rights, and was the Chair of the Society of Authors (SOA) for four years. She is currently a member of the Board of the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS).

Her hobbies are listed in Who’s Who as: “mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion of the system”, although she also enjoys obfuscation, sleaze, rebellion, witchcraft, armed robbery, tea and biscuits. She is not above bribery and would not necessarily refuse an offer involving perfume, diamonds,  foreign travel or pink champagne. She works from a shed in her garden, plays in the band she first joined when she was 16, and lives with her husband in a little wood in Yorkshire.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing. 

Amazon Author Profile - Joanne Harris    Official Website - Joanne Harris  

 Goodreads Author Profile