Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman
Genre: Mystery/ Thriller
Published: January 7th 2020, Simon & Schuster
Swathi’s Rating: 4.5/5
If you’ve read Catherine Steadman’s previous book Something In the Water and liked it, you’d have added this author to your list and waited for her new book, like me. If not, that’s okay, you can do yourself a favor and add this one to your wish list for 2020 thrillers! Completely worth it.
About the Book:
Who is Mr. Nobody?
When a man is found on a British beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak, interest in him is sparked immediately. From the hospital staff who find themselves inexplicably drawn to him, to international medical experts who are baffled by him, to the national press who call him Mr. Nobody, everyone wants answers. Who is this man? And what happened to him?
Some memories are best forgotten.
Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Emma Lewis is asked to assess the patient in a small town deep in the English countryside. This is her field of expertise, this is the chance she’s been waiting for, and this case could make her name known across the world. But therein lies the danger. Emma left this same town fourteen years ago and has taken great pains to cover all traces of her past since then.
Places aren’t haunted . . . people are.
But now something—or someone—is calling her back. And the more time she spends with her patient, the more alarmed she becomes that he knows the one thing about her that nobody is supposed to know.
Swathi’s Thoughts:
When a man with no ID, no belongings and no memory gets washed up on the shores of Norfolk, he quickly becomes a TV sensation and police and government are afraid it will become another case of fake amnesia and publicity stunts. In order to be sure, they want the expert on the field to take over the case.
Doctor Emma Lewis is called upon from London to handle the patient who’s now been called Mr.Nobody by the press. As curious as Emma is to find out the state of this man, she’s also reluctant to return to her hometown which has so many bad memories she wants to avoid. Curiosity takes hold of her and she begins her treatment in Norfolk.
Soon, tension builds between her and the man which is both unusual and dangerous as it has never happened before. Could she find out the truth about this mysterious man before its too late? She has to fight her own demons to get over this peculiar case.
This book is SO much more than a usual thriller. It has so many layers to it that I did not see coming. So many brownie points to the author including the pacey writing, perfectly named chapters (there’s even a subtitle for every chapter title!), POVs from Emma and the Man both Brilliantly structured. But more than all these elements, it’s the storyline Catherine has chosen to write about, that made me fall deeper! Mental health and care for the unfortunate people who thrive hard to survive in the world. It’s really hard to imagine such a state of life and guess we’re just lucky to be normal and breathing.
Highly recommended book to expect in 2020. I can see ruling the charts in the future.
Meet the Author:
Catherine Steadman is an actress and writer based in North London, UK. She is best known for her role as Mabel Lane Fox in Downton Abbey and is currently filming on the new Starz television series ‘The Rook’. She grew up in the New Forest, UK, and lives with a small dog and an average sized man. Something in the Water is her first novel.
Click here to read my review of Something in the Water.
