Sugarcoated by Catherine Forde

The title page has "Warning: contains violence" printed on it and from the opening chapters describing a vicious gangland beating to a terrifying ending it does not disappoint

Claudia 'Cloddy'Quinn is all but invisible until she witnesses a horrific assault while hidden in her dad's optometrists shop. Then she meets the charmng and gorgeous Stefan who is very concerned about her - but that can't be more than a coincidence -can it?

There are little warning signs throughout the book that appear quite innocuous until gradually they build up and cannot be ignored. There were times while reading the book that I wanted to grab Cloddy and shake her and tell her to open her eyes - to me it felt like the literary equivalent of screaming "Don't go into the cellar!"

Catherine Forde has written an incredibly readable crime novel that will resonate with most people that read it and she has avoided letting the novel down by keeping a realistic and gritty thread throughout.

I would describe Sugarcoated as brilliant, highly satisfying read that has its roots in the real world.