Watch Her Fall: An utterly gripping and twisty edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller from the bestselling author

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Twisty and brilliant and completely absorbing - not only a masterclass of a thriller but also sneakily profound about identity, ambition and greed - Bridget Collins Psychological crime is the speciality of Erin Kelly, and Watch Her Fall is a prime example of her work … bravura fare’ Barry Forshaw, Financial Times I could have never predicted where this book would go or how it would end. There are several WTF moments; however, to get there, you will have to make it through part I, which is a character study told through the eyes of the main character Ava Kirilova. Set in the intense, emotional world of ballet, the dancers living in a bubble of professional artistry, a world of complete focus and competition, Ava is about to hit the pinnacle of her career. However there are those in her life who would see her fail.. Watch Her Fall takes you pirouetting into the harsh and cruel world of the artistic and classical world of ballet. It takes its inspiration from the famous ballet Swan Lake. I knew nothing of this world and even less about the story of Swan Lake but I am now fascinated by both.

Overall, this is certainly not your run of the mill psychological thriller. Kelly certainly knows how to weave a dark, mesmerizing, edge of your seat tale of suspense! Ava Kirilova has reached the very top of her profession. After years and years of hard graft, pain and sacrifice as part of the London Russian Ballet Company, allowing nothing else to distract her, she is finally the poster girl for Swan Lake. Even Mr K—her father, and the intense, terrifying director of the company—can find no fault. Ava has pushed herself ahead of countless other talented, hardworking girls, and they are all watching her now. This story is not just set on stage. The author intricately weaves another thread into this tale. That of the dangers faced by those people who are forced to live undercover. Those who have left everything that they love to find a new life, but have only discovered more pain and heartache. Like Kelly's previous books, and what I think she really excels at like no other, is writing a slow-burn thriller that is perfectly paced. I expected the novel to unfold slowly then build with dramatic intensity and have climatic twists because I've read and loved Kelly's other books but if you have never read her books, then just be aware that it is a slow-burn, but it's more than worth it! I also loved how unexpected the twist was since I had no idea it was coming; anytime I can't guess what's coming is always a plus for me since it so rarely happens when I read a thriller/suspense/mystery anymore!The book does play with the double identity of Swan Lake and our main characters. However the story was more based on a really slow paced exploration of characters than anything else. I did not find this book thrilling, intense or engaging. For a book advertised as a thriller it had no tension and no real mystery that you would expect of such a book. The plot focuses on the ballet, Swan Lake, and Ava Kirilova, its star who has been training her whole life for the much-coveted dual role of Odette and Odile. Since a young age, her father, the Russian ballet master, Nikolai, has been guiding her and molding her to become his masterpiece. As opening night nears and her father's criticism increases, Ava grows more and more paranoid that someone is plotting against her and will cause her father to replace her with one of her understudies. Coincidences begin building up that seem to validate Ava's paranoia. Then an opening night injury and its aftermath changes Ava's life forever.

Ava has devoted her life to being the best at what she does. Now she’s at the top, she has the world at her feet. However, her controlling father stifles any individual artistic expression in favor of the Russian way - his way. It’s his vision and his company, and he’s masterful with psychological maneuvers to control his dancers. Including Ava. Ava Kirilov is the principal dancer of the London Russian Ballet Theater and daughter of Nikolai Kirilov, the founder and director of the company. She'll be dancing both Odette and Odille in the upcoming performance of the ballet company's world tour of Swan Lake, the height of her career. It's a role that is coveted by the other ballerinas since it's a career-making (or breaking role), and there are always other dancers, younger dancers, ready to step into the spotlight, to take the place of another, which is Ava's fear since she's 30 and not getting any younger. Is she paranoid in her fears of being replaced? Or is there really someone trying to take her role? Is her father, a brutal perfectionist who pits his dancers against each other with mind games trying to set her to fail for some reason? Even though a small fragment of the book does talk about the competitive and hard world of ballet, contrary to what the synopsis implies, there's a large portion of the story that has almost nothing to do with it and, honestly, I found that a bit disappointing.The writing here is simply superb, an immersive, descriptive joy to read that sets you in a place like no other. It is part mystery, part character study, all drama, an extremely complex and intelligent tale that subtly dances in the mind much like a ballet itself.