Review – The Accident by C.L. Taylor

Published May 22, 2014 | By Helen Jackson

Published in April by Avon, The Accident is a gripping psychological thriller about the deadly secrets your children can keep …

Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she is forced to face a very dark reality.

Retracing her daughter’s steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte’s diary and is forced to head deep into Charlotte’s private world. In her hunt for evidence, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her daughter and she’s forced to look further, into the depths of her own past.

Sue will do anything to protect her daughter. But what if she is the reason that Charlotte is in danger?

The Accident is recommended for people who enjoyed Before I Go to Sleep (one of my top ten ever books), Gone Girl (brilliant) and Sophie Hannah (only read The Carrier – wonderful) so I knew I HAD to read this.

From the first chapter I was gripped. The whole novel is written from Charlotte’s mother’s perspective, with it beginning as she’s sat by her bedside wishing her to come round from her coma. We find out that her normally happy 15-year-old purposefully stepped into traffic, after writing something cryptic in her diary, but why.

As her mum starts discovering more about her daughter’s life, we learn more about hers too, leaving the reader questioning why.

It is just brilliant, I loved it. The story pulled me in, and wouldn’t let go. I couldn’t help but choose to read this instead of TV and spending time with my boyfriend. The characters are believable, as is the story, and the suspense… it keeps you guessing.

The blurb was definitely spot on – if you enjoyed Gone Girl, Before I Go to Sleep, and Sophie Hannah, I’m pretty confident you’ll like this.

The Accident, published by Avon, is available in paperback and e-book now.