“Things have been wrong with Mr. and Mrs. Wright for a long time.”

Adam and Amelia Wright drive from London to Scotland to celebrate their anniversary. Amelia ‘won‘ the trip via a contest she entered through her work.  Immediately the reader is made very aware that these two have BIG problems. Both are keeping secrets.

Once they arrive at the remote, ancient Scottish chapel, things take a sinister and creepy turn. The old place is locked, then it’s not. The rooms haven’t been cleaned. Strange noises, power cuts, and a macabre old crypt are just the beginning of their bizarre ‘getaway’.

Adam Wright is a successful screenwriter. His wife Amelia works in a dog refuge. They seem benign, but are they really? Adam is feeling trapped. Amelia feels neglected and under-appreciated.

Every year of their marriage Adam’s wife writes him a letter baring her soul to him. She doesn’t intend for him to every actually read them.

Meanwhile, there is a woman who lives a reclusive life in a small thatched cottage near the chapel. She keeps a keen watch on the Wrights and Blackwater Chapel. She has been expecting them…

What a compelling, convoluted, and completely engrossing story! I read this one in a day and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

Having read Alice Feeney’s work twice before, I knew going in that I was in for some plot twists, but the sheer volume of them in this novel was staggering. The best part was that although there were indeed many twists, none of them seemed superfluous to requirements. They all flowed really well – each ratcheting up the tension…

The remote, wintry setting added greatly to the overall feel and ambiance of the novel.

This is a story of damaged and tortured individuals. A story of deception, secrecy, and loss of trust. A novel of infidelity and starting over. And, more importantly, if you are a lover of the thriller genre, this is a novel you shouldn’t miss.

Highly recommended!This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I was invited to read by Claire McLaughlin and was offered a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Flatiron Books via NetGalley.

Publication date: Sept. 7, 2021    Publisher: Flatiron Books/Macmillan Publishers

ISBN: 9781250266101       ASIN: ‎‎ B08QGLNSFK        304 pagesHere are some of my favourite quotes from “Rock Paper Scissors” and I want to share them with you:

“Time can change relationships like the sea reshapes the sand.”

“Our memories of the past can make liars of us all.”

“Sometimes the dust of our memories is best left unswept.”

“…words don’t come with gift receipts and you can’t take them back.”

“Silence can stretch time so it feels longer.”

“Believing in someone is one of the greatest gifts you can give them, it’s free and the results can be priceless.”

“We’re all responsible for casting the stars in the stories of our own lives.”

“Memories are shape-shifters and dreams not bound by truth.”

“Words can’t fix everything, no matter how fond you are of them.”

“Trust can’t be borrowed, if you take it away you can’t give it back.”

“That’s the problem with following in someone else’s footsteps; if you leave a bigger mark than they did they tend to get upset.”

Alice Feeney is a writer and journalist. She spent 15 years at the BBC, where she worked as a Reporter, News Editor, Arts and Entertainment Producer and One O’clock News Producer.

​Alice is has lived in London and Sydney and has now settled in the Surrey countryside, where she lives with her husband.  She writes in her shed with her dog; a giant black Labrador who is scared of feathers.

​Her debut novel, Sometimes I Lie, was a New York Times and international bestseller. It has been translated into over twenty languages, and is being made into a TV series by Ellen DeGeneres and Warner Bros. starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Her second novel, I Know Who You Are, was published in 2019. His & Hers is her third novel which is soon to be made into a TV series starring Jessica Chastain. Rock Paper Scissors is her fourth novel.

You can connect with Alice @alicewriterland on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.