Cussler is hard to beat

The guy I read

The Adventure King

Curtain Call is a beautifully written, absorbing work of historical fiction.

Curtain Call goes from gripping you lightly to gripping you tightly. Both in its construction and its characters there is more going on beneath the surface than first appears.

This book is utterly pleasing from the first page to the last.

This is unputdownable.

Sharp period detail and clever pacing all add up to some rather excellent entertainment.

An elegant literary 1930s murder mystery.

Quirky, charming and full of atmosphere.

An engaging, slyly witty novel.

One of those rare, enjoyable novels, which…you can read with impunity.

The period dialogue sparkles throughout, the author really bringing to life the smoky clubrooms, balls, and sundry backstage dramas – and the whole things slips down as easily as pre-dinner oysters at The Ivy.

An accomplished book that both enthralls and challenges the reader.

An intricate and rewarding grown-up mystery.

This is an addictive read.

There couldn’t be a more perfect summer read than this elegant, atmospheric, suspenseful novel

Curtain Call is a poignant and gripping story about love and death in a society dancing towards the abyss

Excellent

an intriguing tale told by a compelling but unreliable narrator who struggles to remember details of her abduction as a teenager, but is convinced the wrong man faces execution for the crime

An intriguing and twisty read... This is a very well written thriller with a cleverly structured plot

In a grave under a patch of Black-eyed Susans, in a Texas field, a serial killer buries four girls. Three die. One survives. Sixteen-year-old Tessa, after several days with the three corpses, is traumatised. Her evidence in court results in a man being sentenced to death for murder. Tessa achieves a measure of normality and becomes a single mother and an artist. Now, nearly 20 years later, Black-eyed Susans are freshly planted outside her window and she's approached by lawyers trying to stop the imminent execution of the convicted man who is still on death row, claiming his innocence. The story is narrated in alternate chapters by the Tessa of 1995, soon to be a witness at the man's trial, and today's Tessa, tormented by the thought that if the wrong man has been convicted, the real killer is free and a danger to her and her daughter. But, we learn gradually, that Tessa has been keeping secrets too. It's a terrific plot, matched by the quality of the writing and superbly paced tension.

It's a clever plot with perfectly paced tension and many shivers along the way

The book is a delicious mix of well-researched facts, creative plot twists and a likable main character . . . a masterful storyteller

As well as a brilliant premise, the writing style keeps you hooked and at times is quite unsettling . . . it takes a lot of skill to be able to unnerve a reader like that, so hats off to Julia Heaberlin for writing such a gripping and atmospheric story that had me jumping every time I heard an unexpected noise. This book will draw you in and have you second guessing yourself page after page. Black Eyed Susans is probably one of the most cunningly clever and gripping thrillers I've read in a long while and I would recommend this as one of my top reads of the year so far

A tense, beautifully written novel of survival and hope. Highly recommended

This is a deftly organised, impeccably paced psychological suspense thriller that nods to Daphne du Maurier and, like all Heaberlin's fiction, boasts purr-inducing prose

My book of the year so far. Breathtakingly, heart-stoppingly brilliant

I love this cover and I love this book, the super-creepy story of a woman who was rescued from a shallow grave as a teenager

The assured telling of this chiller combines to create a very modern Gothic horror that will keep you up way past your bedtime

There's a hint of Kathy Reichs, Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and of Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train. Despite its dark subject matter, this is a hopeful book . . . the ending managed to be both surprising and satisfying.

The denouement is unexpected, plausible and perfectly satisfying . . . Black Eyed Susans is a thumping good mystery

If you like dark and disturbing psychological thrillers then Black Eyed Susans should definitely go on your list

A fascinating, educated, highly absorbing read that I struggled to put down for any length of time. Any free moment was spent with my head in this book.
Intense, creepy and atmospheric, Black-Eyed Susans is a intelligent character driven masterpiece excellently paced with some great plot twists which had me guessing right to the very end ... brilliant!

Heaberlin drip-feeds an intriguing story at a tantalising pace . . . Heaberlin has written an intelligent, absorbing and well-researched page-turner that will delight fans of Megan Abbot and Tana French

Fascinating details about identifying remains through bone and DNA analysis are woven through equally compelling present-day narration and flashbacks to Tessa's therapy sessions and trial testimony. The pieces can't come fast enough as the story builds to a shocking and satisfying conclusion. Deliciously twisty and eerie, Heaberlin's psychological suspense novel is intricately layered and instantly compelling

This book is a rarity in that the research underpinning it is evident but not obtrusive. Black Eyed Susans is a fine achievement. It drips with authenticity, empathy and dread, meditating on the Death Penalty as well as offering an empathetic study of the life of a survivor. Take note - Julia Heaberlin belongs on every suspense fan's bookshelf

Creepy and compelling, Black-Eyed Susans is a shadowy and crooked journey to a very dark place indeed, a twisty fairytale that deceives you just when you think you've cracked it and a thriller to make you remember why you love thrillers. Don't miss it.

This is the debut novel of Julia Heaberlin, and again it's excellent . . . Beautifully written . . . It's a great book

A powerful thriller . . . With a fairy-tale-like atmosphere, the creepy thriller works insidiously on the senses . . . Clever, ingeniously manipulative and elegant.

This dark, complex thriller is not just a gripping page-turner, but also brilliantly explores the psychology of the victim

Black Eyed Susans is haunting, intense and original - it'll keep you guessing till the last page

Taut, addictive, intelligent and impressive

Tense, pacy and compelling, Black-Eyed Susans is a taut psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Julia Haeberlin masterfully ramps up the suspense gradually, building to an explosive denouement that you won't see coming. Quite simply, the best thriller you'll read this year - perhaps decade. Miss it at your peril.