What They Do in the Dark [Kindle Edition]

It's difficult to say much about this book without giving away things which will spoil it for new readers - suffice it to say the ending really is as brutally shocking as other reviewers have claimed, the more so for the way it explodes out of what seems like nowhere.

The menacing hints do, however, hover throughout the narrative so that the ending is at least partially foreshadowed. Part of the strength of the book is the way in which so much turns on little things: a ripped school-dress, a child's haircut - so that the ending is never inevitable, and all the more terrifying for the myriad small ways it could have been circumvented.

Coe controls her story well but there are points at which I felt that she becomes a little self-indulgent: the extended story of Quentin, for example, the American film producer, is relevant to the overall tale but feels like it's given too much space.

That said, this is well-crafted and controlled: it could have been sentimentalised, or angry or bludgeoned us over the head with political and social messages but Coe never descends to easy polemic.

I especially liked the way we're never quite sure where the narrative is going or what kind of a story this is going to be, both of which serve to wrong-foot us and leave us extremely vulnerable to the devastating ending.

If you want a cosy, feel-good read don't even think about this: it's brutal, horrifying and traumatic. But if you are prepared to confront social and individual darkness this is a book which doesn't shy away from what is unthinkable and renders it on the page with acute insight.

This is the story of two girls. One, Pauline, is from a poor background, and suffers from neglect. The other, Gemma, is from a much better home, but when her mum becomes friendly with a man who isn't Gemma's dad, Gemma finds herself in a vulnerable situation. There is also a storyline of a child star named Lallie Paluza, and the film that she is making, part of which is filmed at the girls' school.

This is a strange and intriguing read. It got off to a great start, with reminders of life in the 70s, penny mixes and Tammy comic, but then took quite a sinister turn and led to a conclusion that was agonising to read.

I really liked Amanda Coe's writing style. She certainly doesn't hold back, or worry about writing things that might offend. I must admit that I didn't think the Lallie storyline added anything to the plot at all, except to offer another view of how a child can be vulnerable. I was far more interested in Gemma and Pauline, never friends, but who teamed up in the most unpleasant of ways.

I found this to be a good read, but it did leave a slightly bad taste in my mouth. It's disturbing in several places. Sometimes this is obvious, but other times it is implied. Just the general neglect of Pauline is horrible to read, and also the situation that Gemma finds herself in. I was always compelled to read on though and find out what would happen next, and I read the end with sickening dread. As the reader, I knew the story was always heading towards something unpleasant, but I didn't know what.

I'd certainly be interested in seeing what the author would come up with next as the writing is very good. Her scriptwriting past is evident in this book's narrative and dialogue.

I started reading this and for the first few chapters I did not want to put it down. It was completely gripping. Perhaps because I grew up in South Yorkshire in the 70's and 80's (it's based in Doncaster) i enjoyed the writing style but then, Oh dear, it really lost it's way. Not sure what the significance of the American Producer (Quentin) had to the story and I also found Lallie to be slightly pointless, I found myself skipping through some of the chapters. I found I had to finish it because I wanted to know where it was going to end. The ending (as other reviewers have said) is very brutal and I'm not sure these two girls would have taken bullying to this level. I felt very disappointed in the ending although I would give this author another chance as I found that I like her style of writing and capturing situations from the time periods in the book.