The Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson

Every love story has a dangerous twist. Tamia Challey is horrified when her husband, Scott, is accused of something terrible - but when she discovers who his accuser is, everything goes into freefall. Backed into a corner and unsure what to think, Tamia is forced to choose who she instinctively believes. But this choice has dire consequences for all concerned, especially when matters take a tragic turn. Then a stranger arrives in town to sprinkle rose petals in the sea in memory of her lost loved one. This stranger carries with her shocking truths that will change the lives of everyone she meets, and will once again force Tamia to make some devastating choices...

When I pick up a Dorothy Koomson book, I know that I am getting a brilliant read. Koomson has 'invented' a new genre, emotional thrillers, and her books are a roller coaster of emotions which always have a very clever twist at the end, one which the reader can never predict, but one which finishes the story perfectly, every time!

This book is a fantastic read, one which had me hooked from page one and left me wanting to read just one more chapter each night. Koomson's chapters are written from the point of view of one of the three main characters in the book; Tamia, Beatrix and Fleur. There are many different topics touched upon in this book and I found that Koomson tackled each one with sensitivity and I feel that they were all linked into the storyline effortlessly.

The story starts with a usual evening at the Challey household, until the doorbell rings. The police enter and arrest her husband. It is not until the next day that Tamia finds out what her husband has been charged with and that is when her life crumbles. The story gathers pace throughout the book and all is not as it seems. It is a typical Koomson and even though some twists can be guessed, there is no way I saw the ending coming - it hits with a punch and I was no way disappointed at the end, other than there is at least another 12 months wait until Koomson's next release.

Since Dorothy's last book she has moved publishers and is now at Quercus Books. Along with this move, her books have been given a different cover design style, and this one is beautiful, not giving away anything about the storyline but draws you towards it from the bookshelf, willing you to pick it up and read it.

Koomson did a nationwide book tour around the time this book was released and I was lucky enough to get to see her in Birmingham, where she did a question and answer session with one of the Birmingham Central Library team and also invited questions from the audience. It was well worth the hour long journey there and back to see her, Dorothy is a very funny lady and immediately had the audience's attention and interacted with us all throughout the hour long talk. She talked about her first book to have been purchased for dramatisation (although there is alot of change to the storyline which I am not sure she is too happy with) and about her inspiration for books. The audience asked for any hints about her next book, but Dorothy gave nothing away although I could tell there were many audience members who could not wait for it to hit the book shelves next year.