Rock Paper Scissors

SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES FROM NETFLIX

By: Alice Feeney

ISBN: 978-1250266101

Publisher: Flatiron

Publication Date: 09/07/21

Format: Other

My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)

TOP BOOKS OF 2021 LIST

Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney.

Think you know the person you married? Think again…

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts--paper, cotton, pottery, tin--and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

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Praise

'CrimeReads’ Most Anticipated Crime Books of Summer 2021

“Chilling and clever, with a twist so sharp you’ll get whiplash. Rock Paper Scissors is the kind of blistering, one-sit-read that Alice Feeney is just so incredibly good at.”

―Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of We Begin at the End

“This one’s already been optioned, but I’d encourage everyone to read it before it heads to the screen…The two dovetail towards an explosive conclusion that leaves us with just enough ambiguity to linger in the reader’s mind long after finishing.”

―CrimeReads

"This complicated gothic thriller of dueling spouses and homicidal writers is cleverly plotted and neatly tied up."

―Kirkus

“I loved it!”

―Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes

“Rock Paper Scissors is a perfectly-plotted thriller that hooked me from the opening scene. A really gripping story with clever switch-back twists that kept me off-balance (checking over my shoulder!) the whole nail-biting way. A scissor-sharp portrayal of a marriage on the rocks. Atmospheric, entertaining and clever.”

―Philippa East, author of Little White Lies

“Deliciously dark . . . An exquisitely constructed, hugely entertaining thriller.”

―Catherine Ryan Howard, author of The Nothing Man

About the Author

ALICE FEENEY is a writer and journalist. She spent fifteen years with BBC News where she worked as a reporter, news editor, arts and entertainment producer, and One O'Clock news producer. Alice has lived in London and Sydney and has now settled in the Surrey countryside, where she lives with her husband and dog. His & Hers is her third novel, after Sometimes I Lie and I Know Who You Are. Website

My Review

Atmospheric, compelling, haunting, TWISTY!

Razor-sharp, Alice Feeney's ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is brilliantly crafted. Amelia Wright wins a random weekend trip to the Scottish Highlands. In a last-ditch effort a getaway with hubby, Adam for their anniversary. Neither really likes one another.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. Let me say, these SECRETS are HUGE and how the characters connect is mindblowing! The author has outdone herself.

It is cold and snowy and they are in the middle of the rural mountains. When they arrive, it is actually an old church called Blackwater Chapel. Things are not as nice of course as they expect and very gothic and creepy.

Adam is a screenwriter and has "face-blindness" (prosopagnosia) a condition he has had most of his life. Amelia works at Battersea Dogs Home. She prefers the company of animals over humans.

The two do not have a lot in common and try to make the best out of the situation. The weather is too bad to turn around and leave. The trip will end their marriage, but how will it end?

"Marriages don't fail, People do."

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts—paper, copper, tin with a little game of rock paper scissors. Each year the wife writes her husband a letter that she never lets him read.

Until NOW!

There is another force at work. There is a woman, Robin at the cottage nearby and things get weird. The dog goes missing and a series of unexplained eerie events occur. There is a rabbit. Everything is creepy, dark, and clever with a supernatural vibe! Combined with the snowstorm in the Highlands, all elements set the stage and will keep readers glued to the pages to determine how this will end.

There is also another character, Sam. (He likes Stephen King and Agatha Christie books and always wanted to be a PI) with yet another final twist.

Amelia and Adam both have dark secrets from the past. An envelope will ask the important question. How well do you really know your wife?

Three choices: Rock, paper, or scissors.

Trust me, you will not see this twist coming! Highly entertaining. OMG! I devoured this book. I read an advanced reading copy and just realized I did not circle back to finish my review.