'A rich, intricately-woven novel of childhood crime and adult redemption. I finished it with my heart in my mouth. Highly recommended' - Louise Candlish 'Dark, creepy and ultimately compassionate, When I Was Ten is a chilling look at the consequences of a childhood gone wrong' - JP Delaney 'Pacey, dark and surprises to the bitter end. Loved it' - Fiona Barton Twenty-one years ago, Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela were murdered in what has become the most infamous double murder of the modern age. Ten-year-old Sara ...
Read More
'A rich, intricately-woven novel of childhood crime and adult redemption. I finished it with my heart in my mouth. Highly recommended' - Louise Candlish 'Dark, creepy and ultimately compassionate, When I Was Ten is a chilling look at the consequences of a childhood gone wrong' - JP Delaney 'Pacey, dark and surprises to the bitter end. Loved it' - Fiona Barton Twenty-one years ago, Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela were murdered in what has become the most infamous double murder of the modern age. Ten-year-old Sara Carter - nicknamed the Angel of Death - spent eight years in a children's secure unit and is living quietly under an assumed name with a family of her own. Now, on the anniversary of the trial, a documentary team has tracked down her older sister Shannon Carter, compelling her to break two decades of silence. Her explosive interview sparks national headlines and journalist Brinley Booth, a childhood friend of the Carter sisters, is tasked with covering the news story. For the first time, the three women are forced to confront what really happened on that blood-soaked night - with devastating consequences for them all. When I Was Ten is a chilling page-turner by Fiona Cummins. Praise for Fiona Cummins: 'Head and shoulders above most of the competition' - Val McDermid 'When writing from the perspective of ordinary people caught up in horrific events, Fiona Cummins is unbeatable' - Sunday Express 'Brilliant . . . dark, creepy and twisted' - C. J. Tudor 'A crime novel of the very first order' - David Baldacci 'An excellent read' - Martina Cole 'Creepy as hell' - Ian Rankin 'Fiona Cummins has a gift for tapping a rich seam of evil that underpins the surface of the every day. Suberbly sinister' - Sunday Mirror
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Ex-Library Book. Has usual library markings and stamps inside. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. B-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. B-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
When I Was Ten focuses on a gruesome murder of a couple committed by their 10-year-old daughter. The book alternates between narration from Sara in the present, who has tried to start a new life after being found guilty of the crime and her childhood neighbour Brinley who is now a journalist. The book also has a section which is told in flashback, but this is contained and doesn't alternate which alleviates potential confusion which can occur from using this technique.
I was excited to read When I Was Ten but I came away from it feeling a little disappointed. I didn't feel that connected to either of the characters and I don't think their individual voices shined through enough in the text. In the flashback sections we feel a lot of sympathy for the sisters who actually had an abusive childhood. However, this is then contradicted with the latter half of the book and I really struggled to understand the 'villains' motivations and why they had chosen to act at this point in time. Surely as the people involved were just moving on with their lives there was no need to stir everything up again? We also got no insight into the villain's train of thought and so the ending just seemed to appear from nowhere.
There were also quite a few chapters from the point of view of a politician who is in charge of the prison system throughout the book. It's quite an interesting side plot and it was great to see him get his comeuppance in the end as he is truly dislikeable, however it has absolutely no relevance to the main plot whatsoever apart from one off-hand remark he made about the case. I kept expecting his narrative to be interwoven with the sisters but in the end this did not happen and felt very jarring and a bit pointless.
Overall, When I Was Ten is a great premise but falls down in the execution which is a real shame. Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.