Out of Human Sight by Sophie Parkes
I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of Out of Human Sight by Sophie Parkes to review, by publisher Northodox Press, on publication day on 26th January. I don’t usually get books sent to me to review – mainly because I’m not big in the book blogging world. The other reason is that I don’t want to review them, because I’m afraid of not liking them! But when I saw that this combined my two favourite genres – crime and historical fiction – I applied to be sent a review copy.
Out of Human Sight is set in 1832 and is the story of young Millie Bradbury. Right at the start of the book, Millie is sent to her grandfather’s pub on an errand and finds her grandfather and uncle’s battered bodies. The shocking crime becomes notorious. Millie is a source of gossip and the pub becomes a macabre tourist attraction.
As she recovers from her horrific discovery, Johnny Barkwell, a man she has known all her life and long admired, asks her to marry him. Millie has no hesitation in saying yes and the wedding takes place just weeks later.
As soon as they are married, Johnny drops the bombshell of his ‘gift’ to his new wife. They are to emigrate to the Canadas the following week. Millie doesn’t want to leave her family, her work, her friends and the only life she has ever known. But a husband’s decision is final and Millie soon finds herself on board a ship from Liverpool.
On the 10-week voyage, they make friends with another married couple, Annie and Adam. And Millie begins to see her husband’s true colours…
I must admit that at first I was put off by the brown cover of Out of Human Sight. I know it’s silly, but I always struggle with a brown cover! If I hadn’t been keen to review the book as soon as possible, I would probably have put off reading it for a long time.
Despite the fact that the initial horrific act takes place right at the start of the book, it did take me a few days to get into Out of Human Sight. But once the bombshell of the couple’s move to Canada had hit, I couldn’t stop reading!
Despite being set in a different time, a different country and with characters from very different socio-economic backgrounds, this reminded me of The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. The theme of women marrying men they hardly know, being taken away from their families and completely under the control of their husbands was pretty much the same. And, I didn’t realise until I read the historical note at the end, that (just like The Marriage Portrait), Out of Human Sight was based on a real case. The murders and the pub were real, the bodies discovered by a young female relative. And people really did visit the murder site from all over the country.
If you enjoy historical fiction, psychological thrillers or crime stories, I would recommend Out of Human Sight. Thank you, Northodox Press, for sending me a copy!
It does sound intriguing, but you know what they say, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I guess I used to like covers (it was my job as a librarian to choose the best cover of the newest books and make a display with them on the wall.) But now as an audio book readers I don’t even get to notice the covers much.
That’s interesting that you used to be a librarian and make displays with the books. That sounds like a lovely job! I try not to judge a book by its cover, but I think its inevitable. Generally, if I like the cover, I will like the book.
I think we all judge books by their covers much more than we realize! This one does sound interesting, but perhaps chilling, especially being based on a real case. Visiting from BookWorms Monthly – Happy Reading!
I know I really judge books by their covers! Generally I will only buy books if I like the covers. This is a really good read for fans of crime novels or historical fiction.