The Lattimer family members all went their separate ways ten years ago when Adam, one of the three sons, went missing. But now Adam’s back--returned out of the blue to their small Irish hometown with a suspiciously weak reason for letting his family think he was dead. Since Adam’s disappearance the five remaining siblings have all had their ups and downs (mostly downs) and particulary distressing for them, their mother passed away as a direct result of Adam being presumed dead. However, they dutifully agree to a reunion organised by their father, Frazer, which culminates with a gathering on a yacht, a man overboard, and accusations of murder.
Of all the mystery/thrillers I’ve read of late, Spain managed to switch from the present to the past most effectively. The timing of when she chose to progress the plot in the present versus when she chose to show the incidents in the characters’ past which led to the current crimes was perfect, creating just the right amount of tension and clues for the reader.
Her characterisation was also fantastic. There’s a lot of characters: with all the Lattimers and their friends and lovers, for starters. I was never confused or unsure of who was who though; each family member had their own distinct personality. One thing they did have in common was their dysfunctional lives. The circumstances of each Lattimer which led them to their current mental state ranged from minor issues to horrific events but all remained believable. They all too explained why each could easily be guilty of murder.
There were a couple of good twists. Some I had guessed would be the case and others I didn’t see coming at all. Overall the ending and resolution didn’t disappoint (which, unfortunately, it often does with this genre).
I would call this more of a mystery than a thriller. If you’re looking for chills and creepiness, this isn’t the book for you. That doesn't mean it wasn't an engrossing read. In some ways it reminded me of the movie Knives Out, with a splash of Irish quirkiness.
This was my first Jo Spain book but it won't be my last.
4 out of 5

Six Wicked Reasons
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From the international number one bestselling author of The Confession comes an intense, clever and gripping thriller, perfect for fans of Lianne Moriarty, JP Delaney and White Lies.
It's June 2008 and twenty-one-year-old Adam Lattimer vanishes, presumed dead. The strain of his disappearance breaks his already fragile family.
Ten years later, with his mother deceased and siblings scattered across the globe, Adam turns up unannounced at the family home. His siblings return reluctantly to Spanish Cove, but Adam's reappearance poses more questions than answers. The past is a tangled web of deceit.
And, as tension builds, it's apparent somebody has planned murderous revenge for the events of ten years ago.
©2019 Joanne Spain (P)2019 Quercus Editions Limited
- Listening Length9 hours and 54 minutes
- Audible release date16 January 2020
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB07YN43G4W
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 9 hours and 54 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Jo Spain |
Narrator | Aoife McMahon |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com.au Release Date | 16 January 2020 |
Publisher | Quercus |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B07YN43G4W |
Best Sellers Rank | 1,695 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 6 in Amateur Sleuth Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) 9 in International Mystery & Crime (Audible Books & Originals) 17 in Women Sleuth Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) |
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The six adult children of Frazer Lattimer have an entire childhood of fraught experiences to draw upon for examples of bad parenting. Their mother, Kathleen Lattimer, was an utter saint though and often served as a buffer between her overbearing husband and their three sons and three daughters. With Kathleen now gone, and Adam Lattimer returning home after a ten year absence, there is much that must be discussed. Six Wicked Reasons is a novel about the people who never let you forget the past. Your family were there, and they know you best.
Adam had quite a few very good reasons of his own to up stakes from Spanish Cove and make his own way in the world. Discovering that his mother passed during his absence is a hard blow to take, and it wasn't delivered in the best of ways either. As the news of Adam's imminent return reaches the Lattimer siblings, the children of Frazer and Kathleen all begin to make their way back to the family home.
It is a huge shock when Frazer announces during the homecoming weekend at that he intends to marry again, and use the proceeds of the house to fund his upcoming world travels with his new bride-to-be, Anna.
There were others in the sphere of the well-at-heel Lattimer family that did not fail to notice that the controlling and narcissistic Frazer was capable of doing great harm to his family. When Frazer falls, or is pushed overboard from the family homecoming party at sea, not everyone in the Lattimer family is in mourning.
The burden of long held secrets that can't be contained spill forth in an intense and absorbing read that goes the extra mile at establishing credible motives and bedding down the complicated relationship dynamics that lead to murder. The reader will need to hunker down with the Lattimers, as this is one group of siblings who may not necessarily take the 'all for one' approach when their own futures are under threar.
The best whodunits present both a small stage and a small cast of suspects. The unsettling knowledge that the killer could only be one of a handful of people puts more weight on each of the interactions between suspect/s and victim. Six Wicked Reasons unravels its dark family secrets via past and present narratives, revealing just enough so that each chapter directs, or misdirects, our attention back to passages just read with a keener eye.
Six Wicked Reasons is a entertaining work of dramatic fiction with murder as the end result of sustained family conflict.
Adam had quite a few very good reasons of his own to up stakes from Spanish Cove and make his own way in the world. Discovering that his mother passed during his absence is a hard blow to take, and it wasn't delivered in the best of ways either. As the news of Adam's imminent return reaches the Lattimer siblings, the children of Frazer and Kathleen all begin to make their way back to the family home.
It is a huge shock when Frazer announces during the homecoming weekend at that he intends to marry again, and use the proceeds of the house to fund his upcoming world travels with his new bride-to-be, Anna.
There were others in the sphere of the well-at-heel Lattimer family that did not fail to notice that the controlling and narcissistic Frazer was capable of doing great harm to his family. When Frazer falls, or is pushed overboard from the family homecoming party at sea, not everyone in the Lattimer family is in mourning.
The burden of long held secrets that can't be contained spill forth in an intense and absorbing read that goes the extra mile at establishing credible motives and bedding down the complicated relationship dynamics that lead to murder. The reader will need to hunker down with the Lattimers, as this is one group of siblings who may not necessarily take the 'all for one' approach when their own futures are under threar.
The best whodunits present both a small stage and a small cast of suspects. The unsettling knowledge that the killer could only be one of a handful of people puts more weight on each of the interactions between suspect/s and victim. Six Wicked Reasons unravels its dark family secrets via past and present narratives, revealing just enough so that each chapter directs, or misdirects, our attention back to passages just read with a keener eye.
Six Wicked Reasons is a entertaining work of dramatic fiction with murder as the end result of sustained family conflict.
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Bristol Book Blogger 📚📖📓
4.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting plot
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 January 2020Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed Jo's previous two titles so I bought this without having to read the blurb. The premise is good and the plot intriguing: Where has the siblings' missing brother been? Why did he vanish? Who killed their father, Frazier, and why? The reader learns early on that each of his sons and daughters, as well as his new fiance and best friend had a reason to want him dead and so on that basis I wanted to know who murdered him and what possessed them to do so when he was old and decrepit as he was such a vile man I was surprised no one had done it years ago, but for some reason the characters came across as flat to me. Perhaps there were too many of them - although their narratives were written in third person their stories flipped back and forth from past to present - and so I wasn't able to get to know them well enough. Neither did they appear very different from one another and so I kept mixing Clio up with being male and then with Kate, and lost count of the amount of times I mixed James up with Adam. Because of this I found it very difficult to concentrate. The final few chapters are tense and explain everything in a way that makes the siblings' lack of care over their missing brothers return more plausible and understandable but unfortunately for me, by then, I no longer cared about what happened to the characters I struggled to gel with from the start.
8 people found this helpful
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Ctron
3.0 out of 5 stars
Doesn’t work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2020Verified Purchase
I’ve read quite a few of this authors books and sadly this one didn’t work. None of the characters are likeable. Not one.
The dad isn’t as bad a person as the author wants you to believe and the kids are just stereotype screwups.
The main problem is the plot holes. Things that happened earlier in the book are completely implausible in the light of part 2 which takes the reader on a whistle stop tour of the 10 years preceding the murder.
I ended the book wishing the boat had sank and they all died and the silly young policeman fell off the pier!
The worst part of the book is the conversation between the youngest child Clio and the policeman. What policeman on this planet goes up to a 25 year old girl whom he slept with 9 years ago and immediately (after not seeing her for 4 years) launches into a baudy reminiscence of his conquest? He should have been immediately arrested and the book could have ended!
The dad isn’t as bad a person as the author wants you to believe and the kids are just stereotype screwups.
The main problem is the plot holes. Things that happened earlier in the book are completely implausible in the light of part 2 which takes the reader on a whistle stop tour of the 10 years preceding the murder.
I ended the book wishing the boat had sank and they all died and the silly young policeman fell off the pier!
The worst part of the book is the conversation between the youngest child Clio and the policeman. What policeman on this planet goes up to a 25 year old girl whom he slept with 9 years ago and immediately (after not seeing her for 4 years) launches into a baudy reminiscence of his conquest? He should have been immediately arrested and the book could have ended!
2 people found this helpful
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Julie Dillon
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 March 2020Verified Purchase
Six reasons not to buy this book: Weak storyline; too many characters -none of whom interested me; bad language on the whole unnecessary; not in the slightest bit gripping; did not live up to the hype.
Do hope the other Jo Spain book I bought «With Our Blessing»is better!
Do hope the other Jo Spain book I bought «With Our Blessing»is better!
5 people found this helpful
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Donny Rock
4.0 out of 5 stars
A closed door murder mystery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 March 2020Verified Purchase
Nine people on board a yacht: the yachtsman, a father and his fiancée, and his six offspring, all of whom are flawed and problematic in their own ways. Only eight disembarked. A good murder thriller opening old wounds as well as new ones. the story is told both in the present time and in the past with gradual revelations of flaws and reasons. There's a wonderful delineation of personalities and how they react to their crises.
Well worth the read.
Well worth the read.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars
Readable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2021Verified Purchase
Hard to explain rational for 3 stars as it’s not a bad read but equally it wasn’t riveting. I kept picking it up and putting it down . last third of the book was best better paced . I just couldn’t get into the characters and it jumps from person to person so was confusing. Overall not a great read sorry
One person found this helpful
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