He Started It – Samantha Downing | Book Recommendation

He Started It – Samantha Downing

Genre: Mystery & Thriller

Published: July 2020, Berkley

Swathi’s Rating: 4/5

Buy from Publisher

---

About the Book

No-one knows you better than your family.

They know the little things that make you smile. Your proudest achievements. Your darkest secrets.

Sure, you haven’t always been best friends.

But if it seemed as though someone was after you, that you might be in danger, then you’d be on each other’s side.

Right?

So gripping you won’t stop reading.

So twisty that you won’t know who to trust.

And so dark that you’ll realise something truly chilling:

No-one is more dangerous than the ones who know you best.

Amazon

---

Swathi’s Thoughts

I just had the ‘pleasure’ of reading this highly unsettling psychological thriller by Samantha Downing and I’m still trying to shrug off the unease even after hours if reading it!

‘He Started It‘ is about three siblings who take a road trip across the country to trace the previous trip they’d went with their grandfather when they were kids. Why such a long road trip? Why not take the flight, you might ask. Well, that grandpa if theirs has written a treacherous Will that leaves #8 F**King million dollars to inherit among the siblings if and when the complete the trip. Money changes everything doesn’t it?

Told from the PoV of the middle sibling Beth Morgan, we get to know more about the Morgan family, the siblings, and their parents. And the evil grandpa!! Along with chunks from the previous road trip they took as a bunch of devil children. And what went bad with it (well, almost every f**king thing!). It’s a slow burn, you’ll have to wait for it it heat up but the author makes sure the pages turn themselves with her brilliantly-themed writing.

There are SO MANY things that I want to discuss about the book, like why did the author choose to show us Beth’s perspective in particular? Why not any other sibling? And why such a dramatic ending? Guess, I’ll pray for a chance to really ask the author all these questions and leave you guys to have fun with the book for now.

HE STARTED IT is a dark and creepy psychological thriller which delivers what it promises – a disturbing sibling rivalry and a disastrous road trip across the country. The chapters are short even though the book is descriptive and there is no way you can skim the paragraphs. That is Samantha Downing’s writing for you, my friends. When I read Beth’s words in my head, it did sound like I’m the insane one. When actually, that’s exactly how the author wanted Beth to look like. None of the characters are likable. But then that’s how it goes in thrillers like these. Samantha has become my new favorite, especially with her sarcasm filled plotting and bold and brutal character development.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for my advanced digital copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.  

---

Meet the Author

Samantha Downing is the author of the bestselling Edgar & ITW Award-nominated novel My Lovely Wife. Amazon Studios and Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films have partnered to produce a feature film based on the novel.

Her second book is called He Started It and will be released in 2020. She currently lives in New Orleans, where she is furiously typing away on her next novel.