The compulsively-readable psychological thriller - like Broadchurch written by Elena Ferrante

Based on the NYT review, I was expecting a gripping thriller. Instead I got a paint-by-numbers attempt at a mystery novel. I did not care at all about the main character, nor her observations, many of which seemed random. A disappointing read.

Stunted writing, couldn't care less about the key character, the victim and forced myself to finish it. Bought it based on review from NY Times. Read the Kindle version. Had high expectations but was disappointed-not recommended. And the ending, how laughable that it was solved/tied up so quickly.

A slow but intense mystery that reveals itself through an emotionally distraught but determined narrator. Well written in an understated way, and often poignant, it delivers grief and revenge in equal doses. There are a few twists and turns, and of course, false leads, but the ending is both satisfying and believable.

I found the writing style of this book quite distracting to the story. It was so choppy and disconnected. There were way too many settings of city names, pub or restaurant names and countless street names. The descriptions did not visually pull me into the story as they should have, but actually made me disinterested and not wanting to read the story. It took forever to read this book because I had to make myself read it! The last half of the book was much better than the first half, and/or because, I was able to wade through the crap to get to the story. The ending surprised me and I liked that because I can usually figure out a story fairly early, but the ending felt rushed through too. I cannot recommend this book to anyone. It was way too much work to read it for it to be enjoyable!

I had looked forward to reading this book ...but came away rather disappointed. There seemed to be so much more detail that could have made the story more interesting. I thought the basics of the tale were covered but not much more.

I found reading this book to be very frustrating. The writing is excellent, the main protagonists are captivating, the story is really interesting. But the end of the book appears to be completely botched. Was there a deadline pressure, or did the writer run out of gas? Anyway, I hope that this writer's great talent will allow her to write a next book which will be exciting from the beginning to the very end.

Nora and her sister Rachel have been looking forward to their shared vacation, so Nora is completely shocked to arrive at her sister's home and discover that Rachel has been brutally murdered. Years ago, as a teenager Rachel was also the victim of a violent attack and Nora is convinced the two crimes are connected.

Increasingly obsessed with solving her sister's grisly murder, Nora stays in her sister's village and begins stalking the man who last saw Rachel alive. Nora uncovers additional secrets as she investigates Rachel and her life in the countryside. She's unsure of who she can trust and who would want her sister dead. Is Nora safe in the village? Does someone want to kill her too?

Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry is a psychological thriller told by a narrator who the reader isn't sure is honest and as time goes on becomes more depressed, more erratic and more risky. The writing is terribly engaging. Every word is necessary and hauntingly beautiful in this spare but thrilling novel. I found myself reading passages over to make sure I had gleaned every important bit of information. Nora was a fascinating character as she struggles to solve the crime and understand her sister's life. She experiences the varying emotional stages of grief.

I love short chapters. They keep the action moving. In Under the Harrow, I simply couldn't put this book down after "just one more chapter" at night. I read late into the night, absolutely captivated by Nora's search for the truth.

Under the Harrow is engrossing and frightening and keeps the reader perpetually off kilter. It is definitely a book to read this summer!

**I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. No compensation was received.**

Under the Harrow is Flynn Berry's debut novel.

Nora is traveling to her sister's home for the weekend. She's a bit late, but when she arrives Rachel isn't there to meet the train. Nora instead walks to the house where she finds Rachel and her dog - brutally murdered.

Rachel was attacked as a teenager and the crime was never solved. Since then, she and Nora have always combed the crime reports, attended trials and more in an attempt to find the man who assaulted Rachel. Could he have found her after all this time? Is it someone in the village? A lover? A jealous wife? A stranger?

"Rachel said there was something wrong with the town, only a few weeks ago"

The search for answers consumes Nora - she stays in the village, unable to return to her own life. She becomes obsessed, certain she can find the killer as she feels the police aren't making any headway.

Under the Harrow is of course a mystery - there are many suspects offered up. And I liked that I was kept guessing until the very last pages.

But Under the Harrow is also an exploration of the relationship between the two sisters. How well do we really know those we love? How well do we know ourselves? What does such a calamitous event do to a person's psyche? For me, this was the strongest part of the book. Berry puts us in Nora's head - her staccato thoughts, memories, hazy recollections and fractured thinking is mirrored in her dialogue and actions. The reader is kept off kilter, trying to keep up with Nora's galloping 'stream of consciousness' thoughts. And I began to question Nora's memories. Are they true or her remembered truths?

The title? It's a C.S. Lewis quote from A Grief Observed:

"Come, what do we gain by evasions? We are under the harrow and can't escape."

This was a strong debut and an author I would pick up again.

I'm a sucker for an atmospheric, English mystery, and I did enjoy this to a point. It's told in first person with a narrator I wasn't quite sure was reliable or not. The sentence style was a bit abrupt and hard to read at times, initially-a bit like you were listening to someone blurting out her thoughts. I did get used to this, and the plot kept me turning the pages. The characters, however, were likable but never fully developed. There was so much about them that I didn't understand at the end. That end, as other reviewers have mentioned, was my biggest issue with this book. I genuinely turned the page after the end, expecting something more. As others have noted, it seemed very rushed compared to the rest of the book, but my larger problem with it was that there were so many loose ends and unexplained pieces. There are a few writers who can pull off a mystery with ambiguity, but generally speaking I think a whodunit should tell us not just who the culprit is but warp up the other pieces, even if they turned out to be red herrings. I do still think this one is worth a read for fans of British mysteries, but I'd recommend you grab it when it's an ebook bargain or pick it up at the library.

Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry is an atmospheric, engrossing mystery, but more of a psychological examination than thriller. The reason I say this is because although there is a gruesome murder and investigation, I felt the story was more about the sister who discover her, and the aftermath of discovering a beloved family member violently murdered. The scene is brief, but the feeling is long-lasting. The story, and I believe intentionally so, builds slowly, adding suspense and gaining momentum throughout. In 218 pages, a full and complete story unfolds and the feelings and emotions felt truthful and realistic.

As with many of the books that I have read, the ending could have been more gratifying. I much prefer a realistic story to an outlandish, unbelievable one. But, that being said, there is something to a bad character getting exactly what he/she deserves. It is fiction, and within reason, there is a beauty in creating an ending that is poetically just and that leaves an invested reader feeling satisfied.

I really enjoyed this book, and recommend it.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Kayt

Under the Harrow is a novel of tragic loss and heartbreak. Nora loses her sister in a horrific way and cannot move forward. Told in first person through Nora, the pain she feels is palatable. Nora walks into her sister Rachel’s home to find a horrible scene that has left her sister and her dog murdered. Nora is frozen in grief and ends up taking residence in the small town her sister lived in and where she died. She is divided in thinking her sister’s death may be due to a savage beating Rachel suffered as a teen and that it could be someone local. Either way it seems Nora’s staying put until she gets some answers. And answers are hard to come by. Memories seem to flood her thoughts and most times she does not seem to be thinking clearly. It is a scary insight into the grief and overwhelming angst Nora feels over her sister’s savage murder.

The memories that dually haunt and bring happiness to Nora include the beating her sister endured at 17 after a party. This event seems to have haunted both sisters since. Rachel had tried unsuccessfully to find the perpetrator and now Nora feels maybe her searches led to her demise. She takes up the task and filters through information and arrest records in hopes of finding answers. In the end it matters little, but things do become clearer for Nora.

Nora tries and tries to get the local investigators to make an arrest, but in the end they start to look at her as the culprit. The ending is surprising and fast paced after a slower start. Nora is frantic and at times manic, or so it seemed to me. Some of her choices were odd and bizarre, but how am I to judge or know what I would do in her shoes. The horror she saw had to be beyond devastating and author Flynn Berry portrays that effectively and throughout.

While the writing style of Under the Harrow was a bit choppy to me and not what I am used to, it fit perfectly for this story and the mindset of main character Nora. The story itself is unsettling (especially the death of the dog and details of it). There is a sense of mystery that keeps the reader guessing and definitely on edge. Several reveals were quite surprising and even shocking. I would recommend this book to fans of suspense, criminal reads and those who enjoy getting into the psyche of those dealing with things like this – good or bad. Quite a successful first novel for author Flynn Berry. It is packed with punches that kept me on my toes and the edge of my seat.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

"Under the Harrow" rides/relies on its writing—a deep, detailed close-in point of view that signals itself from the opening paragraph. Flynn Berry’s style is staccato. Six words in the first sentence, eight in the second, eleven in the third.

“A woman is missing in the East Riding. She vanished from Hedon, near where we grew up. When Rachel learns of the disappearance, she will think it’s him.”

I loved the style and, therefore, dug "Under the Harrow." What a great title, lifted from a C.S. Lewis quote, Come, what do we gain by evasions? We are under the harrow and can’t escape.

I had to look up ‘harrow.’ I’m no farmer. It’s an agricultural implement with spikes, tines or discs that is dragged across soil say, by a tractor, to break it up. You’ve seen harrows. And you know the word ‘harrowing.’

On the first page of Berry’s brisk novel, we meet Nora. She tells us she’s an assistant to a landscaper so she perhaps knows a thing or two about dirt and tilling soil. To get where this story takes Nora, in fact, she is going to have to dig very deep indeed.

To me, Flynn Berry’s style is seductive. It’s her eye. For this story to work, we have to be immersed completely in Nora’s dense worldview. Nora has the landscaping gig but she is also a writer; she’s looking forward to an artist’s residency in France. One assumes her writing is akin to how she takes in the world—with efficient declarations about what she sees. On page two, Nora is heading from London to the East Riding, to the “old farmhouse on a shallow hill” where her sister, Rachel, lives alone.

“On the train, I press my head against the seat and watch the winter fields pass by the windows. My carriage is empty except for a few commuters who have left work early for the weekend. The sky is gray with a ribbon of purple at the horizon. It’s cold here, outside the city. You can see it on the faces of people waiting at the local stations. A thin stream of air whistles through a crack at the bottom of the pane. The train is a lighted capsule traveling through a charcoal landscape.”

A few pages later, however, Nora finds Rachel—and Rachel’s dog—dead inside the farmhouse. It’s a grizzly scene; the dog hanged on his own lead from the banister. Nora moves north from London to help investigate. She moves to the only inn in town, a place called The Hunters. Nora slowly comes to grips with the events and the scenes she has witnessed. The tone is grim. Nora struggles to regain a foothold on reality.

Berry smoothly shows us the bond between Nora and Rachel—and why. Nora has ample reason to regret a decision she made that had a tremendous impact on Rachel’s life. Someone attacked Rachel and the two sisters spent time and energy trying to find her assailant. Is Rachel’s murderer the same person who attacked her? Nora interacts with the police, identifies what seem to be some worthy clues. She consumes herself with a neighbor who was the last person to see Rachel alive. There are complications with Rachel’s work life and social life and their father, too. Nora’s affection and uber-close relationship with Rachel is palpable. The scene where she scatters Rachel’s ashes reminds us, as Ross Macdonald told us, that the corpse is the main character in any good murder mystery.

There’s really no good way to comment on the ending of Under the Harrow except you realize how deftly Berry has kept our feet on the ground with her cool, sparkling prose.

Full Review Found Here: [...]

Book Title: Under the Harrow
Author: Flynn Berry
Series: None
Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

Date Read: 04/27/16
Pub Date: 06/14/16

4 STARS

When Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister in the countryside, she expects to find her waiting at the station, or at home cooking dinner. But when she walks into Rachel’s familiar house, what she finds is entirely different: her sister has been the victim of a brutal murder.

Stunned and adrift, Nora finds she can’t return to her former life. An unsolved assault in the past has shaken her faith in the police, and she can’t trust them to find her sister’s killer. Haunted by the murder and the secrets that surround it, Nora is under the harrow: distressed and in danger. As Nora’s fear turns to obsession, she becomes as unrecognizable as the sister her investigation uncovers.

I’d like to thank Penguin books for my copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This one packed quite a punch for such a little book (my actual page count came in at 219). I found myself fluctuating between 3-4 stars but settled on rounding up as the ending went in a different route than I swore it would. I was a little nervous picking up yet another book with a quote stating its “the next Gone Girl”, but this was totally different (in a great way!).

This is the story of a murder, sure, but its even more the story of a woman slowly losing her mind. Muahahahahahaha. I love psychological thrillers that make you wonder “is this person truly insane or are they just going nuts based on their surrounding stimuli”. Unfortuanately, it seems that Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train sparked a whole conga line of books trying to recreate that feeling you get when the narrator is the “bad guy” and you’ve been duped all along, only this doesn’t work so well once everyone has done it a million billion bajillion times. *rant over*

This story is not that type of book. I was pleasantly surprised with the ending and the way the whole story was wrapped up so neatly, but not in an obnoxious way. There is a bad guy (guys?) and I don’t feel its spoilery to tell you that. These sisters had serious issues going on, and that is explored in layers which was another satisfying aspect here.

The only thing that threw my groove a bit was the narrator’s train of thought. Sister-friend was ALL over the place; sometimes I wanted to give Nora a gentle smack and say “come back to me; get your head in the game!” It clearly wasn’t enough to cause me to give up, but it was a bit distracting.

I ended up liking this more than I expected and would consider this style of writing (while much shorter and concise than hers) a similar feel to Tana French. This was very descriptive of setting and the author did a fantastic job making me feel as if I was there.

******WARNING*******
There is a brief scene of violence involving an animal near the beginning. It might be slightly disturbing to some readers.

Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry is a tense suspense novel that keeps the reader wondering about what the truth really is. The tension is tweaked continuously and several times an explosion seems immanent, but instead we are wound a little tighter.

Speaking of being wound tight, Nora narrates and is definitely wound a bit tight. It is through her consciousness that we experience the ongoing investigation, her own investigation and the story of her and her sister's life. We question her reliability, her sanity and maybe even her guilt/innocence throughout.

The writing is very conducive to the mood, descriptive to the point of distraction and often very flat. In this work these are not negatives but rather an excellent way to present Nora's thoughts, which tend toward flat and distracted. She is as likely to drift to a memory in the middle of questioning as she is to actually answer the question.

I found the ways in which Flynn provided flashbacks to be wonderful. In addition to what we usually expect, a clearly delineated scene, we also get comments from the deceased sister (made in the past about perhaps a tangentially related topic) within the flow of Nora's conversation with someone in the present. Once you become aware of it I believe it helps to fully round out Nora's unusual mannerisms.

This is a mystery so I think most mystery readers will enjoy it, just be prepared for a unique way of presenting the facts. I find it more of a psychological suspense novel and as such I think it is exceptional, so highly recommended for those fans. For those who enjoy reading something that pushes the boundaries of popular storytelling, I am sure you will find much here to consider.

Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.

In some ways, this book is well written. The plot is well developed, and the characters are true to themselves throughout the story. But, in a way, therein lies the rub. Rachel and Nora are sisters, and one is the victim of a violent crime while the other is driven to find out all the grisly details of what happened and why and the identity of the culprit. The problem is that, fairly early in the story, I had come to realize that I didn't like the main character, and her compulsion seemed more about her own gratification and an attempt to exonerate herself from past guilt. In addition, it is told in present tense, and that, for me, is jarring. There's a lot of transition between the story as it develops and random memories scattered through it, without a lot of clear transition. In addition, there's quite a bit of emotional maundering, which detracts from the pace. And finally, I realized that I had more sympathy for those the protagonist considered guilty than for her or her sister. In the end, I found myself feeling a sense of relief for the shadowy Liam, who only appears briefly in the story, but seems to have escaped a very bad fate by leaving both sisters behind. Ultimately, the true villain was a bit of a cop out, never really a part of the narrative at all, until conveniently pulled out of a hat. I'll give it 3 stars for the quality of the writing, but don't think I'm going to be racing to find more of her work.

The ex machina moments at the end were predictable and disappointing. In addition, there's a fine line between being literary and clever, and unfortunately, this gimmicky (not edgy, not ingenious) construct with its lack of temporal and spatial delineations made the entire story an exercise in confusing frustration, trying to figure out where we are, when we are, and/or IF we are in reality.

"Under the Harrow" by Flynn Berry was a very intriguing read. This is a very short novel if you're looking for something quick to read. I liked the plot even though it was extremely dark and disturbing. A young woman, Nora heads to the country side to visit her sister, Rachel for the weekend. Once she arrives, Nora discovers that her sister is the victim of a brutal murder (and her little doggie, too). Nora becomes obsessed with finding out who killed her sister. She has a difficult coping and she starts acting a little odd. Obviously, Nora is in shock and grieving, but what makes this book creepy is Nora's behavior in general. I felt like Nora was just a strange woman prior to her sister's demise. Some of things she does and says left me feeling uncomfortable. The writing is good, has some good metaphors, but some of the writing is a little bit confusing. But I liked that the chapters are short, and that the plot never dragged. I'm not too sure how I feel about the ending, (kind of ambiguous) but the twist in the middle of the book was unexpected. I thought it was going to go one way and it took me in another direction. "Under the Harrow" is a crazy little book but it's not predictable or contrived. Enjoy!

Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry has everything a lover of mystery and mayhem like yours truly might desire. The book kicks off with a murder, features a devoted but-slightly-screwy sister hellbent on uncovering whodunnit AND an unsolved event from the past which might - or might not - be related to what's unfolding in the present.

I was surprised at the complexity in this novel by Berry and the book becomes as much about Nora and her obsession to identify her sister's killer as the investigation itself.

We're in Nora's head throughout the book... from the moment she discovers her sister's body. She's a likeable lead... even when we dispassionate onlookers can see she's going a little over-the-top.

We slowly get some insight into Nora and Rachel's relationship through regular flashbacks and learn that Rachel herself was not one to suffer fools gladly. The pair were close and talked often, saw each other regularly and holidayed together. And yet it appears Rachel was keeping secrets from Nora and the younger sibling (along with the police!!!) has to wonder why.

This is Flynn Berry's debut novel and - steeped in layers - it's an impressive one at that, so I look forward to more from the English author.

Read the full review on my site: [...]

3.5 stars

This is the debut from this writer, fro 2016, and I think it's a great beginning. I thought it was well-written; the characters don't have to be my best friends for me to enjoy the writing; there were definitely a few characters that I didn't care for, but that's like life, isn't it? I read it in two settings; it moved along and got more intense as I read. I have a soft spot for the UK writers, and I love the references and descriptions to pubs, trains, tubes, villages, that some reviewers don't like; I assume it's because they are unfamiliar with them? I enjoyed the fact that the lead did more detecting than the detectives, and I really liked her relationship with one of them. I found the whole idea of the story believable, and I liked the twists. In addition, I bought the paperback, and the cover is pretty spectacular - raised and shadowed typeface, beautiful colours, and a sleek feel to it - great job, art director.

This delicious little morsel of a book is filled with the most vividly written prose I have found. It drew me in and wrapped me in its warmth refusing to let me go. It's dark and chilling, and it will haunt you right to the bones.

I was so engulfed by the writers rich and descriptive imagery of Nora and her fellow bookmates and England, that if I closed my eyes I could easily see it.

As Nora investigates not only her sister's death, but an assault that had preceded it by 17 years, she learns much about her sister and herself that she never knew.

I couldn't put it down, Ms. Berry has a gift, a gift of flawless storytelling, and I hope she continues to use it.

I purchased this book because of the rave reviews. I was very disappointed. I feel as if my Kindle download missed pages! The book was cluttered with too much descriptive details regarding places instead of the actual plot. As far as the plot itself, it was all over the place. I want my money back.

Unreliable as a narrator, unreliable as a character, Nora lives in the eternal present. Seeking the murderer of her sister Rachel, she lies to the police, herself and everyone else, including the reader. Flynn Berry makes Nora’s story into a jittery, unbalancing loop-the-loop procedural. Not so much a procedural as a blind dash: the reader winds up exasperated and relieved that the book is on the short side. Berry is a fine stylist but a frustrating storyteller. All the pyrotechnics of Nora’s quest end in a perfunctory, foreshortened wrapup. Not recommended outside the masochist belt.

Flynn Berry was rewarded big-time when her debut novel, UNDER THE HARROW, was nominated for Best First Novel at the 2017 Edgar Awards.

Set in the London suburbs, Nola arrives at her sister Rachel's home to find that she was brutally murdered. The killer or killers also killed her loyal German Shepherd in an ugly manner. As Rachel attempts to piece together who might have sought to harm her sister she begins to uncover some clues that the police are not seeing.

More to the point, the psychological impact her sister's murder has on Nola literally has her running off the mental rails. Her behavior is odd and this will keep readers guessing as the investigation intensifies. When Nola herself becomes a suspect of the police things really get interesting.

I wanted to love this novel but found the last third of it, along with the ending, to be a bit of a let-down after the big build up. However, Flynn Berry pushes all the right buttons and obviously knows her psychological thriller stuff. I look forward to watching her career blossom further!

A lot of reviewers expressed disappointment with a tidy, phoned-in, abrupt ending. Then there was the one reviewer who wrote that the ending is "where the meat is." I agree with this unpopular opinion. The very beginning and the very end had the most lively, active, engaging story. The middle read more like a character study of grief. It sagged for me, with lots of short chapters involving sparse conversations or loneliness that didn't really propel the narrative forward. Lots of great food descriptions though. Made me hungry—parmesan galette, almond croissants, mussels, wine, coffee... and the setting was well-depicted—moody, British, all that good stuff. Very internal though, perhaps too internal for this to be a breakout novel. Read through to the end nonetheless, and with so many distractions in this day and age, that's worth a handful of stars right there.

I was really excited to read Under the Harrow because it has all of the elements that attract me to thrillers: a shocking murder, unreliable narrator, plot twists, etc. However, my reading experience didn’t match my expectations.

When Nora arrives at her sister Rachel’s house for a visit, she is shocked to find Rachel’s brutally murdered body. The police investigate, but don’t have any clear ideas about who might have committed the crime. Nora becomes obsessed with finding the murderer, and in the process she slowly starts to lose her sanity. She becomes suspicious of everyone who had even the slightest connection to Nora. Determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice, Nora will stop at nothing, even if it means losing her own life.

Something was lacking for me in Under the Harrow. I just couldn’t connect with the narrator, Nora, and I felt like I had read this book before. However, it did have a surprising twist towards the end, which made me adjust my initial rating of two stars to three.

The bones of a fascinating story were here but the author either chose to write a very lame, meandering mystery or a very sad travel guide. All this novel really did was highlight the author's familiarity with the English countryside. There is barely a page that doesn't quickly devolve into geography lesson. Why the editor didn't scratch out half the town mentions, I have no idea but it ruined the mystery and it really ruined the author for me. Next time choose to write an actual mystery novel or just become a cartographer - this was painful.

from Goodreads:
I liked the idea of the book but the author's incessant need to describe towns and name places really ripped me out of the story. I kept thinking Hull, Cornwall, Shoreditch, Snaith, Bristol, Oxford, Cirencester - she must be mentioning these places non-stop because it matters so. Instead of just implying they were in the countryside and then near/in London the town names coming up every page or so was beyond frustrating. A personal pet peeve of mine is when a writer turns their novel into their research dissertation, it's one of the main reasons I stopped reading Jodi Picoult. It's one thing if it's germane to the story and really adds depth but it never does (for me at least) in Jodi's books and it doesn't augment the story here. Not one bit. I'm glad for the author that she's well traveled or well researched but unless you're a cartographer or planning on traveling the book's path it's tiresome and useless. Write a travel guide at the end of the book if you must but please just tell me the story you described on the book flap.

I don’t remember ever reading a mystery as well-crafted as Under the Harrow. It tapped into emotions, senses, memories, curiosity. I wanted it to last much longer, but couldn’t keep myself from reading at great speed. And I paused for thought often; great writing is generous in that way — it gives you moments of unexpected insight, parentheses in your reading that add to your ride from the first to last page. I don’t know if Flynn Berry ever reads these reviews, but if she does: Thank you, Ms. Berry, for the effort, talent and care you put into crafting this book. If you ever read at Powell’s Books in Portland, I will be in the front row so I can thank you in person.

I read a lot of mysteries! I will be recommending this one to my Mystery Book Club. We have been meeting for more than 15 years, and are always on the lookout for new authors and great writing. This book is written in first person, and takes you into the mind of one sister who has the horrible experience of finding her sister murdered. How would anyone cope with this situation? Complicate this with secrets, kept from each other and sometimes even from themselves. This is a book that makes you think, and question, on nearly every page. I would label this a psychological mystery. If you prefer 'cozy' mysteries, this is not you style.

Under the Harrow is a solid debut. Psychological thrillers can be pretty hit or miss for me, they're either too easy to figure out and as a result drag on for far too long or they manage to form an absolutely riveting story that has you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.
This book, thankfully, falls into the latter category. I was completely immersed in the story from page one trying to work out who Rachel's murderer was right along with Nora. The best part though? You never quite know who actually killed Rachel until the end.
If you're looking for a psychological thriller that'll keep you guessing and be near impossible to put down then I suggest you give this book a try!

As she often does, Nora arrives on the train from London in the little country town where her sister Rachel lives for a common weekend visit. This time, though, nothing is at all common.

Rachel doesn’t greet her at the door. There is no happy dog barking in anticipation of seeing her. Inside Rachel's house is a gruesome scene from your worst nightmare. The police arrive, but Nora can’t recall what she did from the time she discovered her sister upstairs until the cops pulled into the driveway. In the days that follow, Nora keeps a close watch on the investigation and doesn’t like what she sees. It’s not moving fast enough nor in the right direction. Needing answers, she steps in herself to figure out who killed Rachel. Actually, Nora and Rachel had already been searching for the man who attacked Rachel once before --- long ago. Who was he, and why did he choose Rachel? Had he found her again after all these years? Did Rachel fear he would come after her now, here? There are signs…

However, the police have their own suspicions. They appear to be looking closer to home. The sisters seemed to enjoy a tight relationship, but some stories have circulated about spontaneous arguments that popped up between them. They had been known to fight, in reality fairly often. That doesn’t point to murder, though, right? Siblings do argue. That happens in families. It’s not really so odd. But the police look where they think their most likely suspect will be.

Nora’s frustrations with the local cops push her to take some risks. Right away, she decides not to return to her flat in London. With her own ideas about who hurt her sister, Nora begins a campaign to flush him out. Rachel’s killer must be caught. But Nora needs help; she can’t do this alone. And while she has made some friends in the town, she hasn’t established herself as the most stable of young women, so why would any of the locals want to trust her? After all, it was Nora who found Rachel, covered in her sister’s blood. And word is, she didn’t cry.

Well, few of us can imagine walking in on a sight as horrific as Nora did, so maybe she can be forgiven for her lack of hysterics and tears. Perhaps she was so stunned that she simply couldn’t react. Or it could be that an emotional numbness set in and she tried to believe it was all a bad dream. But Nora is our narrator, so it is Nora who has control of the story. It is Nora who decides what to tell us. And it is Nora who chooses what slant to put on the facts.

UNDER THE HARROW is one powerful story. What happened to Rachel will become your total focus once you open this book. Perhaps that’s because Nora doesn’t care about anything else, and you will find yourself completely immersed in her life. She will make you feel her deep, painful loss. She will take you through her anguish and grief, fear and anger. Best of all, though, she will lead you into a world of suspense as you learn who killed Rachel and why. Find out why author Flynn Berry is a daunting new talent.

Reviewed by Kate Ayers

An absorbing mystery about a young lady (Nora) who takes a trip to visit her sister Rachel in rural England. When she gets there she finds that her sister has been murdered. There are very little in the way of clues and law enforcement is virtually non existent. So Nora starts doing research. We find that earlier in her life Rachel was severely beaten and that brings out a couple suspects but there are many others around town. A beautifully done book with a conclusion that you will remember. Read this one.

This book was absolutely worthy of the Edgar Award! It is a fast-read, a real page turner. I can see why other readers said they read it in one sitting. I read it over the weekend, and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. Besides being a well thought out who-dun-it, Flynn Berry is a fabulously descriptive writer. She did a beautiful job of describing locations and scenes. I want to go to Cornwall, I want to sit in those pubs and at those restaurants.

An outstanding debut thriller, "Under the harrow" is a 'harrowing', disturbing, yet compelling read with a twist that is more like a hairpin curve.

Nora Lawrence is a writer whose day job is working for a landscape designer. We first meet Nora, our protagonist/narrator, when she leaves London by train to visit her sister Rachel. Rachel , a nurse, lives in an old farmhouse outside of Oxford. Rachel's job seemed to be stressing her out more than usual of late so Nora intends to cheer her up with a bottle of wine and a weekend of long heart-to-heart chats. What she finds when she arrives at her sister's farmhouse forever changes her life.

Nora is demented with grief.

Her grief and anguish is palpable. She is stunned with shock. She thinks of things she wants to tell Rachel and is in denial of her death. She cannot believe that Rachel will never again listen to her favorite music, watch a film, eat her favorite foods, etc. She cannot believe that her life can go on without her sister, best-friend, and favorite person, Rachel. She cannot fathom a future without Rachel in it. Nora begins to feel survivor's guilt. She is now quite alone in the world.

When just a teenager, Rachel was viciously attacked. Could her murderer be the same man? For years afterward, both sisters actively sought to find this man who had escaped justice.

The police investigation into Rachel's murder is headed by D.I. Moretti from the Thames Valley Police station in Abingdon. He conducts a thorough investigation, but with little result. His DS Lewis becomes over-friendly with Nora...

Then, she finds that her sister has kept things from her. For instance, they both loved Cornwall and had spent a delightful time there the previous summer. It seems as though Rachel had planned to move to Cornwall and had already rented a flat there... and without telling Nora!

The reader becomes uneasy...

The writing is equally riveting and beautiful. It carries the reader along with its perfect descriptive phrases and emotional torment. It contains vivid depictions of raw and tortuous grief whilst at the same time causing an overwhelming feeling of foreboding in the reader. Is Nora who we understand her to be? She seems to be developing a side to her personality that unsettles the reader enough for them to think badly of her... Could Nora be psychotic? Or has Rachel's murder caused her to become unhinged?

This debut is nothing short of exceptional. I loved every moment of reading it and found myself reading when I should have been doing other things. If I can think of one tiny flaw, it would be that the ending seemed a tad rushed. That being said, the ending was very satisfactory and tied up the narrative well.

"Under the harrow" will be near the TOP of my best of 2016 list. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Shocking in its intensity, this book demands to be read in one sitting. The voice of the narrator is distinctive in its flat tone and strongly reminiscent of the embalming effect of Alfred Hitchcock's work. You know it's twisted. You know it's macabre. You know it's throbbing in your hands. You don't know what will happen when or how or why. Excellent read.

Murder, for the victim, ends in the finality of death. For friends and family the impact continues. The sister is permanently changed by the horror of finding her sister and her dog brutally murdered. Haunted by a host of missteps and missed opportunities, the victim’ sister relentlessly searches for the killer.

Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister Rachel in a quaint English village. At the house, she enters a scene of horror. Rachel’s dog is hanging by his lead from the banister at the top of the stairs. Rachel is lying dead in the upper-floor hallway, her body drenched in blood.

Nora tells detectives that Rachel was attacked when she was 17. Her assailant would have been charged with grievous bodily harm, a term that pops up several times. But no one was arrested then. Nora launches her own investigation into the new crime. Who murdered Rachel? What was the motive?

Was the killer one of the men with whom Rachel had a relationship? Was it her attacker from years ago? Someone else? Is the emotionally distraught Nora a reliable narrator? The police find out that she and Rachel were not always loving sisters.

The climax comes as a surprise. Too much of a surprise, for my taste. I think author Flynn Berry does not play entirely fair and should have dropped more clues along the way.

This is her first novel. The title comes from a passage in C.S. Lewis’s personal reflection on life, death and faith, “A Grief Observed.” A harrow, of course, is a large rake with sharp teeth. We feel Nora has good reason to feel under the harrow -- distressed and afraid.

If you like a moody, atmospheric, psychological mystery, “Under the Harrow” might be for you. But if you want such a mystery to include a puzzle you have a chance of solving, you might feel cheated.

I was really intrigued in the very beginning but the whole thing became pretty contrived. I don't want to say much and give anything away. The ending was meant to tie things up but was really unsatisfying - left me wanting so much more than what I got.

I read her second book, A Double Life, before this debut novel, and I was so bowled over by it, I immediately bought this Under the Harrow. I couldn't put it down, ignoring the outside world till I finished it. Then I went back and reread A Double Life. Both of these books were completely mesmerizing.