For fans of crime and the psychological mind, The Devil You Know by Emma Kavanagh might be for you.

The plot:

Up until yesterday, I knew who I was. Up until yesterday, my life wasn’t a lie…

Rosa Fisher is the smart girl, the good girl. At twenty-five and mid-way through a PhD in the psychology of fraud, she thinks she has herself all figured out.

Until that night, when the house is dark and she is all alone, and she hears an intruder on the stairs.

But the intruder isn’t looking for Rosa Fisher. He’s after someone else. And everything Rosa has ever known about her world is about to be turned upside down.

The psychology element/analysis really made this book for me

This plot had me hooked, and the book delivered in its execution. It starts off very fast-paced and then slows down to being a slow-burner, so if you like playing detective with the odd plot twists, you’ll enjoy this.

Despite me saying it’s a slow-burner, it doesn’t make the book drag – I read 100 pages without even thinking about how long it was taking, and the end races by.

The Devil You Know is a good book if you’re interested in thrillers/ crime fiction, but also don’t want the blood and gore and a meatier plot with more substance than ‘he killed x because he was having an affair’, for example.

I didn’t see the ending coming – it’s well thought-through and provides a fab plot twist which you couldn’t have guessed. The main character studying psychology was a great way for the plot to come together, as well as give the reader that extra insight into how the characters’ minds work.

It sort of felt that you were there trying to work out the puzzle with Rosa, wondering which direction she’ll go in but also shouting at the book because Rosa and you as the reader, should have seen something coming.

There’s an author’s note, and this being the first book I’ve read by Kavanagh, I’m keen to see what the others are like. The psychology element/analysis really made this book for me.

A good 3/5 stars – I think some moments just felt dragged out, and this felt more like a crime fiction over the advertised thriller, but still thoroughly enjoyable.

The Devil You Know, Emma Kavanagh, RRP £8.99 (paperback); Book Depository 

Pages: 397

Publisher: Orion

Genre: Thriller/ Crime Fiction