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The Rival

An absolutely addictive psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist

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The Rival

By: Charlotte Duckworth
Narrated by: Alex Tregear, Jasmine Blackborow
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'A chilling and compelling debut'
Lucy Dawson, author of The Daughter

'Absolutely terrific, a beautifully written debut from an exciting new voice in psychological fiction' Cass Green, author of The Woman Next Door

'A gripping psychological suspense that delves deep into the complex relationship of two women' Elisabeth Carpenter, author of 99 Red Balloons

NOW
Living in her home in the remote countryside - the perfect place to get away from it all - Helena is a career woman with no job and a mother without a baby. She blames Ashley for destroying her life. But is what happened really Ashley's fault?

THEN
When Helena hires Ashley to work for her, she's startled but impressed by her fierce ambition. They form a dream team and Helena is proud - maybe this is the protégée she's always wanted to have? But soon Helena realizes that nothing will stand in the way of Ashley's drive to get to the top. And when Helena becomes pregnant, everything she has worked so hard for is suddenly threatened, with devastating consequences...

The Rival is an addictive psychological suspense about ambition, female rivalry, and how far you'd go to get what you want.

(P)2018 Quercus Editions Limited©2018 Charlotte Duckworth Detective Fiction Mental Health Mystery Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction
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Critic reviews

Brilliant and insidious
This is a taut, chilling read with a killer twist at the end
A chilling and compelling debut
Charlotte Duckworth ticks all the boxes with her debut psychological thriller... gripping
Absolutely terrific, a beautifully written debut from an exciting new voice in psychological fiction
A compelling, addictive read... I absolutely loved it
A novel that charts how the toxicity of the modern workplace pits women against each other in a battle no one can win. I loved this original, unnerving psychological suspense story!
A fantastic debut of how female relationships can turn toxic with devastating consequences
Sharply observant, smartly plotted and beautifully written
The Rival is a compelling, original read about ambition, motherhood and how far people will go to get what they want. Chilling, complex and unnerving, I loved it
A gripping, unpredictable read with two compelling female characters who I both loved and hated in equal measure
Dark, thought-provoking and compelling, The Rival is a brilliant study of female tensions that builds to a shocking and unexpected climax
A distinctive new direction in psychological suspense, The Rival is as compelling as it is unpredictable, building tension cleverly right up to the satisfying conclusion. An excellent, fresh and absorbing read
The Rival is a gripping psychological suspense that delves deep into the complex relationship of two women
All stars
Most relevant
Ashley and Helena are two interesting characters with two very distinctive, strong voices. However, they didn't need each other. Would've given it more stars had the book had been solely about one or the other.

Found the title and summary misleading in a disappointing way. I would've enjoyed it more if it had been sold to me more accurately. In my opinion, there's lots of potential, yet, not developed successfully.


Would I recommend it? Not really, but would give the author another chance with another book.

Not what I expected

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Would recommend this as a psychological book to read, but wasn't blown away. The story line, I found, was quite repetitive and obvious at times, and the characters started to annoy me in their frantic tones (appreciating this is part of the point, but not so as you want to mute the book as it's gone on too long!).

Psychological suspense...which went on a bit!

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Loved it. Very well written and performed. Great twists that kept my interest throughout. Recommended.

Great listen

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Loved the plot, I like the pace of the story, keeps you wondering what will be revealed. Unexpected ending, unpredictable and kept me coming back to finish chapters as I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on! Well written and narrated !

Another great one

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Highly recommend this one which is easily up there in my favourites so far - storyline spot on narration just flowed along -loved it

Fantastic

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