A woman's mind begins to spiral as she tries to sort out truth, lies, and mysteries about her family in a novel by the bestselling author of Abduction.
Alice's husband is missing. Has he left her for another woman, or has something more sinister happened? In a world that is becoming increasingly muddled, Alice is unsure whom she can trust. Even her daughter appears to be lying to her. How much heartache can one person endure?
As strange things begin to happen, Alice struggles to separate reality from fantasy--and to make sense of a mystery surrounding Millie, her beautiful five-year-old granddaughter. Sometimes it takes a stranger to help. And sometimes you need a detective . . .
THE PHARMACIST is a riveting psychological thriller by Gillian Jackson.
The story opens with a husband and wife and their two young girls travelling on a stretch of road, when an unlicensed driver and passenger travelling at an excess speed hit their car sending it down a steep incline. All four occupants died. No one else had witnessed the incident. Later the reader learns the identity of these victims.
A woman’s mind begins to spiral as she tries to sort out truth, lies, and mysteries about her family in a novel by the bestselling author of Abduction.
Alice Roberts and retired husband Tom had just moved into their retirement home, moving closer to be near their daughter, Rachel and granddaughter, Millie.
Alice waits up to find her husband missing and now is starting to worry when he hadn’t returned hours later. Tom had taken the family dog, Barney out in the car and hadn’t returned or notified her. After further investigation, Alice notices that all of Tom’s things were missing. Had he left her for another woman, or has something more sinister happened? Alice is unsure whom she can trust. She contacts her daughter, Rachel who comes over but even her daughter appears to be lying to her.
Rachel tells her Tom had died four years ago, and that Barney was also gone….and that there was no Millie! Alice was totally confused and she couldn’t remember.
More strange things begin to happen, and Alice struggles to separate reality from fantasy. Sometimes it takes a stranger and a detective to figure everything out!
This was a fast-paced well-written novel that kept my attention right until the end. The characters were well-developed and added depth to the storyline. This is the first novel I have read by this author, but it won’t be the last. Very enjoyable read!
Many thanks to the author and Bloodhound Books for my digital copy.
Alice's husband, granddaughter, and dog are missing and Alice has just been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
Alice's daughter claims that Alice's husband died four years ago and that Alice never had a granddaughter or a dog.
Is Alice really experiencing early-onset dementia, or is she being gaslighted?
Although this book boasted a compelling premise, it was predictable, repetitive, and had waaay too many "this would never happen in real life" moments.
I did, however, applaud the author's decision not to reveal who "The Pharmacist" was until the book's 50% mark.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a superb job with the narration.
I am a huge fan of author Gillian Jackson and perhaps that was why this book was particularly disappointing.
It's really hard to watch someone dealing with fractured memories. Alice wakes up wondering where her husband is. All his things are gone. Has he left her?
Her daughter says he died. She's mad at her adult daughter .. why is she lying to her?
Strange things are happening and Alice is finding it difficult to separate reality from fantasy.
Who can she trust to tell her the truth? And if they do tell her the truth, will she ever believe them?
Well-written, this story is told from Alice's perspective. But be warned ... not everything may be as it seems. Is it just a case of dementia ... or is someone deliberately trying to keep her from the truth? The characters are deftly drawn. Alice's actions ... and reactions ... are credible ... her angst, fear, confusion comes across the pages in spades. The nail-biting conclusion came unexpectedly.
Many thanks to the author / Bloodhound Books for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Alice wakes up one day to the hard and impossible realization that her dog is dead, her husband has been dead for four years, and she is losing her mind. Diagnosed with dementia, she loses all anatomy in mere weeks and is put in a home while still convinced her dead is not dead and neither is her husband.
I turned these pages with gusto, salivating to know what major twist in the story would come next. Rachel was a dastardly villain with no redeemable qualities about her. The players in her devilish game were great chess pieces with smarts and capabilities that combined to finally put an end to her.
A fantastic psychological thriller! I will be looking forward to more from Jackson in the future.
Narrated by: Helen Lloyd Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
Alice's (55) mind begins to spiral as she tries to sort out truth, lies, and mysteries about her family. Where is her husband Tom and her dog? Why her 5-year-old granddaughter no longer visits her? Why her daughter Rachel tells her that Tom died 4 years ago and she has no granddaugter? How she has forgotten something like this? Is her mind playing tricks? Or something sinister is going on?
At first I was interested. I wanted to find out what was wrong with Alice and what was her connection with the tragic car accident that happened at the beginning of the story. But with all those different POVs and jumping between different timelines, I started to loose interest. I didn't feel invested in any of the characters, so didn't much care what will happen to them.
The pharmacist by Gillian Jackson. A woman’s mind begins to spiral as she tries to sort out truth, lies, and mysteries about her family. A brilliant read. Great story. I loved Alice and Sarah's characters. Didn't trust Rachel from the start. I couldn't put it down. 5*. I received a free copy to read and review.
At the beginning, the book grabbed me and I was very interested in how the Prologue would tie in with the rest of the story. About halfway through, the solution to the "mystery" became clear and the rest of the novel was quite predictable. On the surface, the plot is about a woman who is allegedly losing her memory; it doesn't take long to determine that it is actually a case of gaslighting. On a deeper level, the story is about relationships gone wrong, evil, and revenge. A few of the characters are well drawn and believable. Others are sketched in such a way that they seem peripheral. Overall, the book flows well and does leave one questioning just how far someone will go to exact retribution.
What a disappointment really. I found the whole thing just fluff and nonsense. It was like someone had written it with no research or understanding of procedures. Good idea, poorly executed!!
This is a good story about a mother and a daughter. The mother is having problems with her memory, and the daughter puts her in a home. But the mother doesn't believe the things the daughter is telling her. Alice, the mother, wants to know where her husband is but is told he died. Something feels wrong to her, and the new volunteer at the home. I did figure this story out rather quickly, but it is still a good read. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
This was unfortunately rather predictable. Even when I hoped for a twist at the end it wasn’t forthcoming! If you’ve read enough thrillers, you know where this one is going to go. I’d give it a miss.
This is a very well scripted book that piques the interest throughout. Alice, a woman in her fifties, is admitted to a care home with the classic symptoms of dementia however is she as confused as it appears?
Her husband has disappeared and her alleged granddaughter seemingly doesn't even exist. Alice' daughter Rachel claims that her Dad died some for years ago and had never had a daughter.
Having seen my own Mum suffer and ultimately die of dementia the details of Alice's demise were remarkably similar to what my Mum went through making her confusion very realistic thus making the story very believable. The more the story went on you could see that there was something very amiss.
This is a psychological thriller of the highest calibre. The accuracy of the dementia symptoms was explained in the authors notes at the end when she explained that her own Mother had died of dementia hence the accuracy of the disease symptoms.
Thank you to Bloodhound Books for the ARC which I've reviewed voluntarily
This book was quite predictable and unfortunately did not hold my interest until a little over the halfway mark as the introduction of characters and progression of the story seemed to drag on. Once the story progressed and it turned into "action", that was when I did not want to put the book down and finished in just a few short hours. Even with the predictability, it was a pretty good ride to the ending and a good close.
I listened to the audiobook. I didn’t dislike it. It was intriguing. The storyline was kept at a good pace. There were a couple of holes left in the story. I would say this is an introductory book for Young Adults (17+ yrs) looking to start reading in the psychological thriller genre. Mild swearing and mild sexual content.
Alice and Tom, both youthful and immensely in love. So much so, they got married by the time they were done with college. But, as luck would have it, they were not destined to have a child, on whom they could shower all their love and affection. On mutual agreement, they brought Rachel home from the adoption center.
Rachel was a difficult baby. Hardly reacting to anything. She would flinch if Tom & Alice would want to hug her. It was painful for any parent to not be able to show their affection in simple gestures. Tom & Alice consoled themselves that it was probably in the genes that Rachel did not like any show of affection. She neither liked it from anybody, nor exhibited any of her own. As years passed, Tom & Alice were blessed with a baby girl, Jenny. Suddenly, the flood gates of warmth and affection opened up in Rachel's heart and mind. She became a dedicated older sibling, almost parent like, obsessing over her baby sister. She even laughed and hugged the baby.
But, something cruel happened one fated day. It turned Tom & Alice's life upside down. The story from here is a complete spiral.
No one has ever understood Rachel's personality. She didnt interact nor mingle with people. She was a brilliant girl and did well at college and graduated in Pharmacy. When she found the opportunity to escape from home, she set up her own place. Even though her parents provided well for her through college and otherwise, she never seemed grateful or obliged or any of the sort.
Cut to the present scenario - Alice finds herself groggy one morning and greeted by an empty house. Her husband of many years, Tom was not around, nor was the dog, Barney. Dismissing the absence for a short walk with Barney. Soon this absence turns into panic and Alice calls Rachel to check if her father was visiting her. All of this confusion leads Alice to a Dementia center.
Is Alice really losing her mind? Where has Tom gone? Did he take the dog with him? Why is Rachel such a difficult person? Things are getting stranger by the day and she has to get to the bottom of it before she actually loses all her memory.
Listen or read The Pharmacist by Gillian Jackson to know what happened after that. Personally, I didnt like the narrator much, but the story kept me going and I was hoping not to DNF the book. Good one time read/audiobook indulgence. I would rate it a 3.
The Pharmacist captured my attention from the first few pages. Alice wakes up to find herself alone in the house. Of course, her husband has taken their dog for a walk and will be back soon. Tension mounts when Alice realises that this is not the case and the reader is swept away in Alice’s confusion as she begins to lose her grip on her life and tries to figure out what is happening to her. As Alice finds herself in a care home and subject to a Deprivation of Liberty Order, her frustration at trying to remember what is truth and what is fiction is so well described. Her daughter Rachel tells her that Tom, her Dad died four years previously. Is this the truth? What bearing does a family tragedy that happened many years ago have on what is happening to Alice in the present day? I stayed up late to get the answers and wasn’t disappointed with the final outcome. A really well written psychological thriller that I was given as an ARC in return for an unbiased review. Thank you Bloodhound Books.
The Pharmacist. by Gillian Jackson. Another riveting story by this author! Alice and her husband Tom decide to move closer to their adopted daughter Rachel and granddaughter Millie … just so they can see them a lot more often. After losing natural daughter Jenny when she was only 7 years old along with Alice’ sister, brother in law and niece in a car accident, it has been very hard for them all … Rachel never seemed to get over the death of her little sister all those years ago. Rachel has always kept everyone at a distance. Alice wakes one morning .. her husband is gone … the dog is gone …. Where are they? Alice rings Rachel who reminds Alice he died a few years earlier …. It doesn’t seem right … Alice has got dementia or has she! You will need to read this book and follow where it takes you … a great read … you won’t be disappointed as the story unfolds!
Having reviewed “The Accident” and “ The shape of truth” before publication thanks to bloodhound books previously I was eager to read previous works written by Gillian Jackson and this didnt disappoint! The story follows the life of a mother and father having gone through tragedy building a life for their adopted daughter the best way they could. Never could they have known the outcome of giving their child the best they could give her in life. Excellent story line which like the previous two books had me hooked from start to finish. As with those this was a read I started and finished in the day and couldn’t put down! So glad to have been given the opportunity of reading Gillian’s books as an ARC as now I have a new author to my reading list and will now be on Amazon buying the next one to begin tomorrow!
I enjoyed this suspensful story. This is a fast paced story that is full of twists and turns that left me turning pages fast. This is a well written story about a woman whose husband goes missing and the mystery behind his disappearnce. As life spins out of control for her as she tries to find out the truth behind the disappearance. I enjoyed being pulled into the story by the characters from the beginning. They are engaging and relateable. They brought the story to life. I also enjoyed watching their growth as well as the growth of the plot throughout the story. This is a story I really enjoyed and glad I picked it up. I highly recommend this book.
Wow, what a ride, so much suspense in this book. The story grabbed my attention since the first pages of the book and kept me going until the end of it.
This book is very well written with credible and well developed characters, lots of twists and turns that makes it a fast read.
We follow the story of Alice, she's in an incredible difficult situation, in the brink of dementia, is her husband dead, has invented a granddaughter and a past as a teacher?, all these is corroborated by her daughter Rachel, or is she not really losing her mind and something more sinister is going on? This is the premise of the book.
This story follows Alice. A woman who wakes up one day not remembering how she came to be in her current state. Her husband appears to be missing, and their dog seems to have made a runner as well. But when Alice calls her daughter questioning their whereabouts her nightmare is only just beginning. Where have pieces of her life gone and can she trust her memories? Alice’s spiral in and out of reality will make you question everything.
I loved this story! A fantastic mystery but not your traditional whodunnit.
What a heart wrenching story of the depravity of a child whom never had a chance to get close to others. I felt from this book that Rachel suffered from attachment disorder. Somewhere, in her early life, she did not get a connection to a loving caregiver. When she was adopted, the parents had no knowledge of her past, therefore could not understand why she did not connect with them. Add in terrible tragedy, grieving people and the lack of therapy set up the terrible storm that ensued. Too many people suffered and this book was emotional for sure.
This is a very good, well written novel about something that a lot of people are experiencing these days. Alice is in a very disturbing situation, is she really losing her memory, is she in the early stages of Dementia? This book kept me guessing as to who was telling the truth and what was really happening in Alice's life, just as I thought I'd got it figured out something made me rethink. Thouroughly enjoyable.
This novel kept my attention from the first page which is unusual and I just had to keep going and finish it to find out the ending. I had guessed it but not the why. There was one plot line that I thought was unnecessary but just went with it, apart from that everything was fantastic, so well crafted, the characters were so well developed. I do get that there would be lots of triggers for some people.
I was given an advance copy by bloodhound books but the review is entirely my own.
What a fucking trip 🤯 OK, so the pharmacist did it and man did that piss me off (being a pharmacist), and I guess the portion of the book set in the care facility was an emotional trigger for me (TW needed - who would’ve guessed), then the sheer depravity of this pharmacist bitch — result: a stressful read that I couldn’t put down (after about 1/3 of the way in). Yea, some of it was predictable, but not enough to ruin it overall.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I liked this book - through the beginning was a little slow but it soon picked up the pace. It was written with empathy for the dementia issue and although I guessed the conclusion it still was a good read. I’d recommend.
Great Read, I couldn't put it Down...This book had me crying tears of both sadness and joy...Some situations in life can be a very scary place to be, and that's the sad part...