As I sit here writing this review, I am a little at a loss for words. I truly did enjoy this read but trying to explain the story without giving away too much is proving to be hard. My friend Simon says I should just say it was good because insert spoiler here and you should go read it. When I read an author for the first time, I try to give a solid review without giving too much away. Ten years ago, Hannah McLelland’s husband Graham is murdered. Her name has since changed and she is doing the best she can to move on with her life. She has even moved out of London and is now living in Hawkwood. Everything seems to be going well for Hannah and her daughter Evie. She is in a stable loving relationship and is trying to make the best of it given her circumstances. Then it all comes crashing down when Conviction comes knocking. A podcast that works to exonerate the wrongfully committed. You see while police did suspect Hannah of the murder a young man was convicted for the crime. The story unfolds as Hannah starts to remember things that took place ten years ago and it slowly starts to tear her life apart. Did she do it? Did someone else do it and why? So many questions and they are all answered by the time you reach the last page.
One of my favorite parts of this read is the dark atmosphere that the author puts together. I as the reader found myself feeling sorry for Hannah and at the same time in parts I felt bad for her dead husband. Is she hearing voices is she going crazy? I found this a hard one to put down and will continue to read books by Katie Lowe. I read the synopsis for The Furies and it seems to have a dark feel just like this book so I will be going back to read that as well as I wait for something new in the future. ( )

I found this to be a very stressful read which gave me nightmares past the end of the book. The premise was interesting and there are loads of clues throughout the book. I just would not call this a "beach read" so much as a "prepare to clear your schedule" read. ( )

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟.5
Content Rating: 18+
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary
Published: February 9th, 2021, by St. Martin's Press

Possession, written by Katie Lowe, is a psychological thriller about Hannah, whose husband, Graham, was murdered in their home. The catch is Hannah was the only one, besides her sleeping daughter, in the house at the time. But somehow, she doesn't remember anything about the night of the murder other than waking up to find her husband stabbed to death.

"Tap. Tap. Tap. It's the sound of my husband's blood on the floorboards that wakes me. Like a dripping faucet."

Fast forward ten years, Graham's killer is behind bars, Hannah has left London and all the horrid memories that it holds, and has moved to Derbyshire with her daughter. She has moved on with her life and is in a seven-year relationship with a wonderful man, Dan. Dan adores her daughter Evie, and Evie loves him too. Hannah has an admirable job as a psychiatrist at an eating disorder clinic and is happy until Conviction, a true-crime podcast, starts looking into her husband's murder. With every new episode of Conviction, Hannah becomes a little more psychologically unhinged. I feel like I can't say anything more about the plot without giving too much away.

What I loved about this book was its depth of detail that Lowe puts into Hannah; she was the perfect unreliable narrator. I felt Hannah's sanity slipping away bit by bit. Hannah was not a very likable character, but I did find myself weirdly drawn to her.

What detracted from the book was the pacing. The book starts with a bang and then kind of drags in the middle. I felt as if Lowe gave us too much; sometimes, less is more. However, there were twists, turns, and lots of misdirection throughout, and that did keep me reading; I wanted to know "who done it." But at the same time, a lot was going on in this story, different timelines, side stories which made it a bit hard to follow. However, in the end, Lowe did pull it all together. The ending was good, and it did surprise me. But again, there was something a bit off. Maybe it was some of the unrealistic aspects of the book that didn't add up. This book was written as true fiction, so in my mind, it needed to be believable.

Possession is the first book I have read by this author, and I did enjoy her writing style. However, for me, this was a mixed bag of a review, some things I liked and other things not so much. Overall, this was an entertaining read, with excellent character development and a well-thought-out storyline. If you are willing to put aside some believability, you will enjoy this book.

* Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published. *

** I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley, Katie Lowe, and St. Martin's Press. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. ** ( )

Hannah’s husband was killed during a home burglary in 2008.
Ten years later, there is a podcast new series featuring her husband’s murder, and this is going to thrash Hannah’s now peaceful perfect life into a complete chaos.
When Hannah’s daughter, Evie, went missing, she realized that her past is coming back to haunt her relentlessly.
POSSESSION is an enthralling and suspenseful novel for anyone who enjoys a good enigmatic read!
Katie Lowe has the talent of transforming her creative thoughts and ideas into some compelling and irresistible thrillers.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s for this gripping thriller that I truly enjoyed reading it. ( )

I read The Furies by Katie Lowe and really enjoyed its Craft vibes, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I immediately knew I was going to read it. And then I read the synopsis and became even more excited… if that was possible.

I was blown away by how Lowe kept me guessing until the end. Even when I (thought I) knew what was going on, the story would shift and then shift again. I was constantly questioning if Hannah was crazy, pretending, being gaslighted, possessed, or something else. As the story progressed things became more muddied, but I felt it went along perfectly with the storyline and had the reader questioning not only what was going on, but what was going on with Hannah.

People often put in their reviews that they couldn’t put the book down, and I really couldn’t with this one. I had things to do, but would finish a chore quickly so I could get back to reading. I know this is a shorter review that didn’t tell much, but it’s because I don’t want to give anything away and I want you to finish reading so you can start reading Possession by Katie Lowe. ( )