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Review: It Ends Here by Heidi Perks

Every once in a while, a thriller comes along that feels… different. Not louder, not twistier, but somehow more human. It Ends Here is exactly that — a mystery that doesn’t rely on shock value or high-speed chaos, but on a quiet, simmering intensity that keeps tightening around you page by page. The premise is already gripping: five strangers receive a phone call telling them that their loved one is inside a café being held hostage. What they don’t know is that one of the hostages is actually the hostage taker. We just don’t know who. Or why. The narrative switches between three key threads: – the detective in charge, trying to piece together motives from the shadows – the loved ones outside, desperate for answers – and the hostage taker, speaking to us directly… but always just out of reach What I loved is how we get to know the hostages through the people who love them. It creates this beautifully soft emotional layer — you care about these people even though you barely spend any tim...
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Review: The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin — A strong debut that lost its way in the edit

I went into The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin with high hopes and for a while, it really delivered. The concept? Fantastic. The writing? Solid. The atmosphere? Tense and gripping. For the first half, I was certain I had a new 5-star thriller in my hands.


We start with two timelines: the present, where we follow the main character navigating her trauma, and the past, which gradually reveals what she’s been through. It’s a structure I love… simple but effective, especially when the emotional threads begin to tie together.


But then… at around 70% in, a third timeline suddenly appears. Not just a flashback or one new character, but a whole group of them. It was jarring. I found myself rereading pages just to keep track, while also thinking, “I know what’s going on! Why wasn’t this introduced earlier?”


That new section takes up a good chunk of the book (about 20%), and while it explains something crucial, it ends up draining the tension from the main story. It felt like a late addition, something that could’ve been brilliant if it had been integrated gradually throughout instead of dropped in all at once.


It’s such a shame, because everything else really worked for me: the tone, the pacing, the emotional weight of Anya’s story. The writing shows promise, and I’d definitely pick up whatever Zoë Rankin writes next.


So while this one wasn’t quite the 5-star read I hoped for, I still think it’s a strong debut… just one that could’ve used a firmer editorial hand.


⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.


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