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Julie Newman
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Beware the Cuckoo: A Completely Gripping Psychological Suspense Kindle Edition

by Julie Newman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 182 ratings
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A reunion between childhood friends stirs up the traumas of the past—and poses a threat in the present . . .

As a young, deeply insecure girl, Karen was targeted, and traumatized, by her friend Sandra’s father. Now, decades later, he is dead—and Karen has been reunited with Sandra, whom she hasn’t seen in ages. Against her better judgment, she agrees to meet Sandra at a nearby restaurant, and Sandra proves to be just as thoughtless and self-absorbed as she was back when the two of them and their friend Yvonne were attending school dances together.

Karen has a husband and children now, and they live in a beautiful home thanks to a successful family business. Sandra is supposed to be in town only temporarily, so Karen tolerates her excessive drinking and intrusive questions. But things become more difficult as her life starts to go awry—and as this taut, unsettling novel moves between past and present, secrets come to the surface and both women will come to understand the true cost of betrayal . . .
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  1. Print length
    348 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Bloodhound Books
  5. Publication date
    May 31, 2021
  6. File size
    1577 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Julie Newman is the author of original and compelling women's fiction, including the novels Beware the Cuckoo, The Kindness of Strangers and new title Cast No Shadow.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09C6LZ3N8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloodhound Books (May 31, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 31, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1577 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 348 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 182 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Julie Newman

Julie Newman

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Julie was born in London but now lives a rural life in a North Essex village. She is married with two grown up children. Her working life has seen her have a variety of jobs including running her own publishing company. As well as her novels, Julie is also the author of the children’s book Poppy and the Garden Monster. Most of her time is spent writing, but when not writing she is reading. Her other interests include theatre, music and running. Besides her family the only thing she loves more than books is Bruce Springsteen.

You can find Julie on social media: @julesmnewman on Twitter & Instagram

You can also contact her via her website: www.julienewmanauthor.com

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
182 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ggma
5.0 out of 5 stars well written
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
After starting this book in the first few chapters it's almost hard to read as it's about the grooming of a young girl by an older man and what happens but as the story goes along it just gets better and better as it delves into the relationship between 3 best friends and what happens with them

I had a hard time putting this book down after I started on it and I finished it in one day!
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nnrpece
3.0 out of 5 stars An okay story
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2021
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The characters were not very likable. Even the ending was bland nice writing I enjoyed the storyline on occasion but just could not like any of the characters
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C.P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2020
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This book was a story about the life of young girl into adulthood. Always last in looks , family wealth and popularity. There is a happy ending however.
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Emzzzz
5.0 out of 5 stars A sad but brilliant and uplifting book
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2017
The story tracks the life of a young girl who has been cleverly abused by an older man, making her believe that she is not a victim and so ashamed for what she has done, it's so heartbreaking and also realistic, I was so glad when she finally broke free of his clutches.
The ending was satisfying too, tying up all loose ends and filling me with a sense of justice.
This was a well written, captivating novel, with good characters and excellent descriptions, highly recommended.
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Rêvvâ Tênâg
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2017
An excellent well written read. I couldn't put it down. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for this author's future books. I read a copy from NetGalley
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Sajecha
1.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing pedophile relationship
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2021
Warning: if you like pedophile relationship then this is your book if not then skip this highly descriptive gross encounter between an old man and a young girl in a very abusive relationship. The worst part is that this girl as an adult went to his funeral??? Why just why?

I couldn’t read this book past chapter 14 there’s way too much explicit detail of a grown man sexually molesting a young girl in fact the book starts with Sandra’s birth and she being handed off to her father and as I got to a later chapter I realized that Sandra’s dad was a pedophile and it all went down hill from there. The book blurb/summary/description should have a trigger warning in black bold big letters indicating that this book is about an unwarranted rape between a young girl (13yrs old) and a very older man maybe in his 40’s or 50’s. What made it even worse was that as I was reading the relationship kept on going and it was normalizing in my head and that’s wrong so I had to stop reading. Also I really disliked how Karen since she met Sandra’s dad only once referred to him as Sandra’s dad or my best friend dad however, she would refer to her other friend Ivonne’s dad as her friend’s dad.
Maybe if dad was mentioned instead of the pedophile having a name Bill and only being referred to as Bill would at least had been somewhat… I honestly don’t know I just disliked this book and would no longer read it. The writing was good.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!
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Dawn Mequio
3.0 out of 5 stars Quick read!
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2017
A great quick read. Lots of suspense. Writing could be better but still kept me interested. Would recommend reading if your a suspense fan.
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L. DeWind
1.0 out of 5 stars Graphic Pedophilia
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2022
I didn't get very far with this one. I generally don't have a problem with books that tackle grooming and child abuse. I found the graphic description of the sexual encounters deeply unsettling, particularly as they almost read as some type of sick pornography. I am no prude but that level of description is just too much. I don't want to speak for others, but, I think there are many readers that have a history of sexual abuse and, to read those details, especially in a way that sounds like it's supposed to be sexy (or something), is not enjoyable. I find it interesting that McDonalds has to put "caution hot" on a cup of coffee but one can, unsuspectingly, pick up this book and have to relive childhood trauma. Again, it isn't the subject matter, for me, it is the way it is presented. It's a shame, though, as I think the rest of the story would be interesting.
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Top reviews from other countries

Beverley Harvey
5.0 out of 5 stars A dark and twisty tale that will keep you guessing until the final page
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
In this dark thriller, Julie Newman successfully weaves a tale of intrigue and suspense. The narrative spans several decades, mainly the recent past and the seventies, and the key characters are three schoolgirls and one sinister and wealthy businessman. Overall, 'Beware the Cuckoo' is the story of one woman's struggle to outrun a lifetime of misery and abuse at the hands of not only a male perpetrator but a bullying and monstrous woman. To say much more would spoil the plot, but at the mid-way point, there's a subtle shift in tone as we focus more on the recent past and themes of blackmail, financial skulduggery and revenge smoulder throughout the action. I found the character of Karen terribly sad and her story a hard read. There are no laughs in this book, but if you like a twisty and unpredictable read, you'll get much out of this novel.
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D. Barker
4.0 out of 5 stars Well-plotted and well-paced story of intrigue
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2017
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This is a well-plotted and well-paced story of three girls growing up and the consequences for their later lives. It focuses on one of them, Karen, who develops a relationship with a much older man while she is at school. Fair warning about a tricky subject! The story flits between the timeline of the girls' adolescence and themselves as much older women. I don't want to say too much about how these are linked for fear of spoilers, but just the right amount of past secrets is given to not spoil the present-day setting. A satisfying ending too.
2 people found this helpful
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Winnie Chief
3.0 out of 5 stars Could be good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 2, 2017
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Took a while to get into the story but it was then worth reading. It's only getting 3 stars because the editor appeared to stop bothering to edit in the last few chapters and there were innumerable errors with punctuation - particularly the use of commas, and with getting tenses wrong - changes from past to present tense in most paragraphs. (If these were meant to be part of the story, note to author that they do not work.) The errors became intrusive and I hope they will be corrected before the book's next edition.
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Alison Waterfield
5.0 out of 5 stars Beware The Cuckoo-an eye catching book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2017
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The front cover is eye catching...the story is an eye opener. As the story unfolds, shocking secrets of exploitation and betrayal between friends are revealed. The story is told between the past and the present and the description of events expose the deceitful lives of the not-so-perfect characters. The reading is a little disturbing and uncomfortable at times, however, Beware The Cuckoo is an incredibly captivating and well written debut novel. It deals with a sensitive issue and may not suit some readers. A very recommended read.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Crimes against a teenage girl
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
Older man grooms his daughter's underage school friend for sex. Resentful of the attention the girl (his victim - the 'cuckoo of the title receives), as an adult the daughter plans her revenge. Something unhealthy in that relationship, wouldn't you say Dr Freud?
It's set a few years ago, but surely someone ought to have spotted (not least the author) that what he was doing was criminal? Which is why the blackmail part of the plot - no spoilers intended- just doesn't work.
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