I’m beyond excited to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for brilliant psychological thriller Violet by the always wonderful SJI Holliday. Thank you to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this superb book. It’s so good!
About the book:
Carrie’s best friend has an accident and can no longer make the round-the-world trip they’d planned together, so Carrie decides to go it alone.
Violet is also travelling alone, after splitting up with her boyfriend in Thailand. She is desperate for a ticket on the Trans-Siberian Express, but there is nothing available.
When the two women meet in a Beijing Hotel, Carrie makes the impulsive decision to invite Violet to take her best friend’s place.
Thrown together in a strange country, and the cramped cabin of the train, the women soon form a bond. But as the journey continues, through Mongolia and into Russia, things start to unravel – because one of these women is not who she claims to be…
About the author:
S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday is a scientist, writing coach and the bestselling author of five crime novels, including the Banktoun Trilogy (Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly), the festive chiller The Deaths of December and her creepy Gothic psychological thriller The Lingering. Her short story ‘Home From Home’ was published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and shortlisted for the CWA Margery Allingham Prize.
Encapsulating her love of travel and claustrophobic settings, her latest novel, Violet, explores toxic friendships and the perils of talking to strangers, as well as drawing on her own journey on the Trans-Siberian Express over 10 years ago.
All of her novels have been UK ebook number-one bestsellers. Susi was born and raised in Scotland and now divides her time between Edinburgh, London and as many other exciting places that she can fit in.
My Review:
As someone who has loved all of SJI Holliday’s previous books I had high hopes for this one – and oh wow, it did not disappoint! A superb psychological thriller that captures your imagination from the very first page, Violet is the story of two young women who meet by chance and decide to go travelling together.
Told from the point of view of the title character for the majority of the story, Violet is a fast paced and tense thriller with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. You’re not sure who to trust from the very beginning, with the tension increasing with every page as you race through the book, never quite knowing what to expect next. Will Carrie regret her impulsive decision to invite Violet, a woman she’s only just met, to take her best friends place on the journey of a lifetime? Are they able to trust each other? Or is one – or both – of these women harbouring secrets they’re desperate to keep hidden?
Violet is a cautionary tale of being careful of who you trust when travelling alone – and chillingly shines a spotlight on all the reasons why joining forces with a random stranger and putting your life in their hands is not such a good idea!
Oh my goodness, what a fantastic and addictive read this is! I could not turn the pages fast enough as my heart began to pound in my chest, desperate to see where the story was going to take me next.
SJI Holliday has woven a brilliant and intricate story that brings the excitement and adrenaline fuelled Trans-Siberian Express journey vividly to life. A tale of toxic friendships and the perils of talking to strangers, Violet is a chilling, intense and exciting read that took me on a surprising and thought provoking journey that ended with a denouement I did not see coming. With strong and complex characters that filled me with admiration one moment, then absolute shock and horror the next, I loved everything about this book. It’s easily one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve been lucky enough to read this year!
SJI Holliday’s writing is as superb as always and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
Highly recommended.
Violet by SJI Holliday is available to buy now: Amazon UK
Check out what these other fabulous bloggers have to say:
Cal Turner Reviews 
I loved the book. Fantastic review Cal ♥️
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Such a fab book! Thank you. 😊❤️
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Thanks so much for the blog tour support Cal x
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You’re so welcome, Anne.
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