Title: For the Love of Alison
Author: Sahlan Diver
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: February 21, 2019
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Journalist, David Buckley witnesses a murder. Only one problem – the murderer doesn’t exist, so now Buckley’s the chief suspect, and he’s on the run. Can he prove his innocence – and his sanity?
Student David Buckley’s obsession with fellow student, Alison Tindell, led to hospitalisation for mental illness. Thirty years on, Buckley, now a successful journalist, receives a surprise phone call from Alison, inviting him to visit. That same evening, a murder occurs; Buckley is accused, and Alison, his only alibi, vanishes. The police don’t believe she ever existed. Buckley escapes, travelling the country in a desperate search to find her before the law catches up. But someone else intends to find Buckley first, a person he fears more than anyone.
Why This Book
For the Love of Alison tells the kind of story that will just stick with me because it was unexpected and oddly compelling. I had a hard time telling if this was supposed to be mystery or thriller, but I think it falls neatly in between. There’s a mystery, of course, but, while it had a thriller feel at times, the story also just took steps back to breathe and slow down. With elements of both that just blended perfectly, I still struggle to figure out what to call this one. The story itself is quite twisty and has so many moving parts and characters. I just couldn’t stop reading.
But it’s the end that really makes this memorable for me. We all know how mysteries and thrillers tend to end with the main story being, more or less, neatly tied up. Of course that’s exactly what I expected at the end. It was absolutely not what I was given, but I loved it. It has an unexpected ending, but it’s actually very logical and made a ton of sense in the context of this story. Because it was so unexpected, I’m unlikely to forget it for a very long time.
Reviews
My review: “But my favorite part has to be just how twisted the story is. It did seem a little far fetched at times, but it was really very rooted in the characters’ histories and motivations. Most of the dots connected really well for me, and the ones that didn’t quite make it did end up being cleared up, leaving me with a very satisfying ending. As a matter of fact, the ending was quite a surprise to me, but I really liked how fitting it was. “
Readers’ Favorite gave this 5 stars, saying “Sahlan Diver’s psychological thriller novel, For The Love Of Alison, has the twists, turns and insights into the darker side of nature that would make it eminently suitable for a Hitchcock movie if that venerable filmmaker were still alive and at his craft.”
Indies Today gave this 5 stars, saying “The story is smart and well thought out with each clue or new bit of evidence more clever than the last.”
Literary Titan gave this a 4, saying “The ending of the story is bitter. I can’t say much more without giving away the ending, but it’s not an ending I was expecting at all. The characters in the novel were all superbly developed and you get drawn into their characters actions so much that you either love them or love to hate them or their actions.”
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Walmart | Waterstones (UK) | Booktopia (Australia) | imusic of Denmark | Flipkart (India) | Google Books | Dymocks (Australia) | Scribd | Wordery
Check out all the other books featured this month on The Curated Bookshelf.
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