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Book Summary and Reviews of Precious Thing by Colette McBeth

Precious Thing by Colette McBeth

Precious Thing

by Colette McBeth

  • Critics' Consensus (11):
  • Readers' Rating (33):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2014, 304 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

I know her inside out.  I know what she's thinking, I know what she wants. So I can't give up on her, she knows I never will.

Some friendships fizzle out. Rachel and Clara promised theirs would last forever.

They met in high school when Rachel was the shy, awkward new girl and Clara was the friend everyone wanted. Instantly, they fell under one another's spell and nothing would be the same again. Now in their late twenties Rachel has the television career, the apartment and the boyfriend, while Clara's life is spiraling further out of control. Yet despite everything, they remain inextricably bound. Then Rachel's news editor assigns her to cover a police press conference, and she is shocked when she arrives to learn that the subject is Clara, reported missing. Is it abduction, suicide or something else altogether?

Imagine discovering something about your oldest friend that forces you to question everything you've shared together. The truth is always there.  But only if you choose to see it. In Colette McBeth's Precious Thing.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Debut author McBeth's Gone Girl–style psychological thriller will be a widespread hit for fans of dark drama with questionable narrators, including S. J. Watson's Before I Go to Sleep (2011), Sabine Durrant's Under Your Skin (2013), and Karen Perry's The Innocent Sleep (2014)." - Booklist

"McBeth imbues her characters with layers upon hidden layers, keeping readers guessing until the end." - Publishers Weekly

"A darkly fraught friendship lies at the heart of this spellbinding thriller." - Kirkus


Reviews from the UK, where published in 2013

"[A] cleverly crafted tale... If you're a fan of Gone Girl, you'll love this." - Sunday Mirror

"A provocative and intriguing debut that will leave you questioning how well you know your own childhood friends." - Jilliane Hoffman

"'Draws you into the dark side of friendship with breath-taking skill - this gripping thriller had me hooked from the start." - Sarah Rayner, author of One Moment, One Morning

"'An intriguing debut' - Sun

"A great debut, menacing, gripping and full of twists and surprises...This is one of those incredibly compelling stories that simply drags you along, whether you like it or not. Highly recommended." - Lovereading.co.uk

"Precious Thing is one of my top five books of 2013. Truthfully, I would go on for hours about what I loved about this psychologically disturbing, thoroughly readable, cleverly written book." - Fabulousmag.co.uk

"Keep your eyes peeled this summer for an astonishing new talent... Gone Girl but with a Brit voice." - David Mark, author of Dark Winter

This information about Precious Thing was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Julie R. (Woodland, CA)

Precious Thing
Do you really know your best friend? That is the million dollar question in Precious Thing by Colette McBeth. Rachel, a non-social teenage girl, is befriended by the popular Clara in high school and life changes for her dramatically. Now, in the present day, Rachel is the successful one and Clara is not.

Rachel, a TV reporter, is called to cover a news story of a missing girl. Little did she know that that missing girl is her best friend Clara. Here is where the author captures you, drags you through so many twists and turns that she makes it impossible for you to put down the book. The whole time I was reading Precious Thing the same question kept coming up "How well did Rachel know Clara or even her own boyfriend?" Does anyone really know the people in their lives?

The ending leaves you so surprised that you feel like reading it all over again just to see if you missed a clue.

I loved this book and will be mentioning it to my book club group as a possible future book club read.

Thank you again for allowing me to read and review this fantastic book.

Christine D. (Closter, NJ)

Brilliantly Dark and Chilling
Colette McBeth's Precious Thing is a brilliantly dark and chilling story. It grips you from the very start, wondering how two women (Rachel and Clara) got to this place after being friends for so long. Page by page, chapter by chapter, it all comes together in such a way that will have you looking at your own friendships, wondering if such a thing is possible in your own life. The format for the book, a long letter written by Rachel, is ingenious. It gives great insight into her mind while she recounts different events and reminds the reader that not everyone sees or experiences things the same way. A wonderful debut novel from an author whose work I will be looking out for in the future!

Darlene C. (Simpsonville, SC)

Precious Thing by Colette McBeth
The book begin with an intensity that you can't believe she can maintain. Told in the first person, a newspaper reporter is thrust in front of the camera, unknowingly covering the story of her best friend's disappearance. And then her boyfriend is found dead after being seen on tape with her friend. Seems so simple on the surface, but the twists and turns kept me reading, and the itensity continued to grow. Do I recommend this? WOW, oh yes, and I'm rereading it because it was that good. Lots of discussion points for book clubs. Loved this book.

Elizabeth Klein (Dallas, TX)

Edge of Seat Suspense!
I inhaled this book, just couldn't stop reading once I started. It explores an adolescent friendship that borders on extreme codependency and begins to fall apart in adulthood. Or did it fall apart long before then? Is it friendship or something much darker? I loved the book and will read everything the author writes in the future.

Barbara B. (Holbrook, NY)

Precious Thing
This book has it all. Female friendships and their complexities. Do we ever know everything about our friends? It is suspenseful and compelling to read. The author was a BBC crime reporter and if the storyline of this novel is any indication, she knows her stuff. I highly recommend this book.

Book Lover (Burlingame, CA)

Wow!
I could not put this book down once I started it. The author did a fantastic job of keeping the reader on the edge of his/her seat. If you enjoyed Sister by Rosamund Lupton you will love this book!

...27 more reader reviews

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Author Information

Colette McBeth

Colette McBeth was a BBC TV Crime Reporter for ten years. She lives in West London with her husband and three young children. She attended the Faber Academy Novel Writing Course in 2011. Precious Thing is her first novel. Visit her at colettemcbeth.com.

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