Who did you tell? Another Lesley Kara gem

I'd only just finished writing a post on the two Lesley Kara books that I had read at that point, when I spotted Who did you tell? in my local library. Here's my review of my third Lesley Kara read. You can also check out my review of The dare, a book I read after the one featured in this post.

Who did you tell? | Published December 2019 | Read January 2025

Thirty-two-year-old Astrid has been sober for six months but has been battling alcohol addiction since she was a teenager. Her last hope for recovery is to remove herself from her London life - and from the darkness that characterised it - and spend some time with her mother in her little cottage in a quiet seaside town. Astrid has much to make amends for but her road to recovery is soon threatened by a stalker to who seems to know all about her past misdeeds and is intent on punishing Astrid for them.

Who did you tell? is written in a similar vein to The other tenant. Both main characters are damaged people with traumatic pasts that have shaped their identities and sense of self worth. Astrid is struggling every day with her demons and Kara does a superb job of providing the reader with insights into alcohol addiction. That Astrid may be in danger from a mysterious stalker is revealed early on in the book. There are a bunch of threatening messages, Astrid feels she is being followed, and there are ghosts from her past everywhere. The suspense is built throughout the story as the reader is left wondering where things will end and who will be revealed as the culprit.

I warmed to Astrid from the outset and I liked the way Kara made me privy to her struggles and inner turmoil, clearly and authentically capturing the mindset of an addict. Astrid's faltering steps were beautifully documented, through repairing her relationship with her mother, to attending AA meetings and befriending a fellow alcoholic, to meeting Josh and earning a commission for a small art project for Josh's father. Astrid is an unreliable narrator in that her memories are clouded by drinking episodes and it's not clear until the very end of the book as to what she actually did during those dark times.

If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller and a gruesome crime, Who did you tell? isn't the book for you. It could be described as a slow-burn but there's still plenty of suspense. I prefer character-driven thrillers about ordinary people in realistic situations, so I loved the book. It is intense, with vivid characterisation and a strong sense of Astrid's vulnerability. I was on board with how the book ended (and I didn't work it all out). The ending was clever and it left me feeling that my connection to Astrid had deepened, the way that it did to Marlow after I finished The other tenant.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐