The Beauty of the End

By Debbie Howells

From the acclaimed author of The Bones of You comes a haunting and heartbreaking new psychological thriller about a man thrust into the middle of a murder investigation, forced to confront the secrets of his ex-lover's past.

"I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess. . ."

So begins the testimony of Noah Calaway, an ex-lawyer with a sideline in armchair criminal psychology. Now living an aimless life in an inherited cottage in the English countryside, Noah is haunted by the memory of the beguiling young woman who left him at the altar sixteen years earlier. Then one day he receives a troubling phone call. April, the woman he once loved, lies in a coma, the victim of an apparent overdose--and the lead suspect in a brutal murder. Deep in his bones, Noah believes that April is innocent. Then again, he also believed they would spend the rest of their lives together.

While Noah searches for evidence that will clear April's name, a teenager named Ella begins to sift through the secrets of her own painful family history. The same age as April was when Noah first met her, Ella harbors a revelation that could be the key to solving the murder. As the two stories converge, there are shocking consequences when at last, the truth emerges.

Or so everyone believes. . .

Set in a borderland where the past casts its shadow on the present, with a time-shifting narrative that will mesmerize and surprise, The Beauty of the End is both a masterpiece of suspense and a powerful rumination on lost love.

Advanced Praise for The Beauty of the End
 
“Debbie Howells is a terrific new talent—she paints with words and takes a scalpel to emotions.”—New York Times bestselling author Peter James
 
"A combination of lyrical writing and smart mystery. It's a winner.”—Sandra Block, author of The Girl Without a Name
 
Praise for The Bones of You
 
“One of those books that captivates you from the first page, holds tight and never lets go. I savored every word, character and psychological twist. Truly brilliant!”—Lisa Jackson, #1 New York Times bestselling author
 
“Suspenseful and poignant debut . . . the increasingly tense storytelling and astute observations on mother-daughter relationships will keep readers turning the pages.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Has been compared to Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones . . . Indeed, Rosie's voice offers a dynamic narrative. Her disembodied perspective, tempered with other points of view—chiefly Kate’s—adds an unusual and haunting layer to the novel.”—Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781496705990

Debbie Howells

Debbie Howells is the bestselling author of The Bones of You (Macmillan), a Richard & Judy Book Club pick. It was followed by The Beauty of the End, The Death of Her and Her Sister’s Lie (Macmillan). The Secret is her second book with HarperCollins, following The Vow, which was a #1 ebook bestseller. www.debbiehowells.co.uk You can follow @_debbiehowells on Instagram or @debbie__howells on Twitter.

Reviews for The Beauty of the End

[stephlaymon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Beauty of the End is a great story of suspense by one of my favorite storytellers, Debbie Howells. The story starts off with a murder and unfolds in a way that kept me guessing, and hit me over and over again with moments that gave me pause and thought. Debbie Howells delivers so much more than a mystery by adding love, obsession, psychological drama, and so much more.I can’t say that the characters are likable, but for me that is a part of the appeal. It allowed me to read the story without bias, which usually allows for a deeper connection with the story itself.I could not have been more pleased with the conclusion. Not only was I caught completely unaware, but it was one of those ending that stick to the bones and gives the reader a memorable and thoughtful experience. Thank you, Debbie Howells!

[bookofsecrets · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It took me 10 days to read this book, and some of that was skimming. I was really drawn to the premise, but just could not get into it! Slow moving, lacked suspense. There were a couple of twists that piqued my interest, but overall I can't say I liked it. Noah was so naive - was he really a lawyer? Never understood the obsession with his goddess, April. I enjoyed Debbie Howells' previous novel, The Bones of You, but unfortunately this one didn't work for me. It happens!Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.Debbie Howells' The Beauty of the End is the story of Noah Calaway, a former lawyer turned writer who seems to have lost his ambition in life when he lost the love of his life, April Moon. To Noah, April was a goddess, and the times he spent with her are memories that both elate and haunt him.Until one day, he gets a phone call from his former best friend, Will, to let him know that April is in the hospital from what appears to be an overdose--and that she is a murder suspect. Noah believes she must be innocent, and is determined to prove it. But as he looks back into April's past, Noah is forced to reexamine his own past as well, and question everything he thought he knew.What I Liked: The twists, the twists, the twists! I couldn't even keep track of how many times the last few chapters turned everything I thought I knew on its head. What's especially impressive is that, looking back at the rest of the book, the twists all make sense, but I never saw them coming.Howells uses flashbacks really well to play out her dominant themes of the past's influence on the present, the impact of secrets over time, and a person's ability to will themselves into glossing over that which was most painful.I also really appreciated how complex the characters were. No single character was simply good or simply evil, or completely honest or completely a liar.Was There Anything I Didn't Like?My only complaint would be that occasionally the writing style seemed to get overly flowery for the sake of being flowery. This especially seemed to happen when a character was having a deep personal revelation. Howells tells an extremely gripping and original story, and doesn't need extra trappings that don't serve the already-excellent narrative.My Verdict:I read this book in a day. Once I started it, I absolutely couldn't put it down. To me, that's one of the biggest compliments I can give a book, that it gripped me that much and completely pulled me in.

[pet12-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Noah, a lawyer-turned-writer, is contacted by a former school friend, Will, who informs him that April, a girl they've known since their school days and whom Noah has been obsessed with ever since is the suspect in a murder case but is herself in a critical condition in hospital.It took me a little while to get into this, but as it progressed, it got better and better.It is mainly told from Noah's first-person perspective, which switches between 1989, the 1990s and the present time, and is interjected with italicized passages from Ella's point of view. Ella is a troubled teenager seeing a therapist. Initially a bit confusing, as the author feeds the reader tiny breadcrumbs of information, the story gradually starts to take shape and it became quite interesting to work out the link between Noah's and Ella's story and how the other characters fitted in.It's the kind of story that is more enjoyable if you don't think too hard about the plausibility of certain aspects of it. I'm still not sure whether Noah was in total denial about large parts of his life or whether he was just the most unsuspecting, completely unaware person ever.I really don't want to mention the content too much for fear of really spoiling it for anybody who hasn't read this, so this is all going to sound very vague. There were several aspects of this story that I found incredibly sad.I felt the ending was dragged out a little, as some of the details were repeated but from different perspectives. Overall, though, I really enjoyed it, as it was very engaging and the characters with all their flaws were fascinating, but most of all, it definitely packed an emotional punch.Thanks to Kensington Books who provided me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[isisunit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I would like to thank Kensington & NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC to review. Though I received this ebook for free, that has no impact upon the honesty of my review. Goodreads Teaser: "From the acclaimed author of "The Bones of You" comes a haunting and heartbreaking new psychological thriller about a man thrust into the middle of a murder investigation, forced to confront the secrets of his ex-lover's past. "I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess. . ."So begins the testimony of Noah Calaway, an ex-lawyer with a sideline in armchair criminal psychology. Now living an aimless life in an inherited cottage in the English countryside, Noah is haunted by the memory of the beguiling young woman who left him at the altar sixteen years earlier. Then one day he receives a troubling phone call. April, the woman he once loved, lies in a coma, the victim of an apparent overdose--and the lead suspect in a brutal murder. Deep in his bones, Noah believes that April is innocent. Then again, he also believed they would spend the rest of their lives together. While Noah searches for evidence that will clear April's name, a teenager named Ella begins to sift through the secrets of her own painful family history. The same age as April was when Noah first met her, Ella harbors a revelation that could be the key to solving the murder. As the two stories converge, there are shocking consequences when at last, the truth emerges. Or so everyone believes. . .Set in a borderland where the past casts its shadow on the present, with a time-shifting narrative that will mesmerize and surprise, "The Beauty of the End" is both a masterpiece of suspense and a powerful rumination on lost love."Haunting, poignant, and unflinchingly honest, this story reaches out to take hold of you in a very real, visceral way. As the main character Noah is an excellent protagonist, yet he is a deeply flawed man. Maybe that's what makes him so relatable, and so intriguing. His views of both his life and those that intersected with his are obscured by his own memories. Memories that, like all others, only contain the faintest traits of truth. His truth, which missed the truths of all those around him - something we all suffer from to some degree. April remains a mystery to Noah, and therefore to us as the reader. We catch glimpses of her every know and then, but for the most part her life is a mix of lies - either outright or of omission. At least it is when it comes to Noah. But why didn't he catch her in even one in all the time they knew one another?Thus we come to Will, the third person of major interest in this psychological thriller. Noah's best mate, Will comes from a life of privilege. Everything he does seems to be gilded with the golden touch, so much so that it appears that all his achievements were handed to him. But were they? Or is there more to him than meets they eye?When do all those little fictions we all tell ourselves become one to many? How much damage, and disservice, are we causing by allowing those half-truths? These are just a few examples of the questions examined within the pages of this excellent book. Inside you'll find joy, despair, and everything in between - and you'll be guessing up to the very last page!

[melaniehope · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought this was a great book. Full of suspense and mystery surrounding a murder. The accused, April, now lies in a coma, struggling for her life. Noah is pulled back into April's life after receiving a phone call about April's condition. Noah was once engaged to April. He believes in April's innocence and slowly begins to investigate the details leading up to the death of April's step-father. What Noah begins to piece together is both disturbing and sinister.This book kept me running back for more each day. Thought it was both well written and captivated me from the first page. I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley.com.

[jenn88-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Noah Calaway fell in love with April Moon when he was fourteen. Now, many years later, after losing touch, April is in a coma at the hospital and she's the lead suspect in a murder. Noah is a former lawyer, no wait, maybe he still is a lawyer now that April may need one. He believes wholeheartedly that she is not capable of murder. He searches for evidence that will prove her innocence.

Then Ella weirdly enters the story. She is beginning to uncover her family's secrets. Secrets that could help solve the murder.

Wow, lots of animals are killed in this book. I definitely don't like that. I didn't care for the writing. The chapters alternate between past and present and sometimes in between. The characters were frustrating with their secrets, their manipulative ways and their drama. Some things were just unbelievable. It wasn't as suspenseful as I thought it would be and by the time the twists came along I wasn't surprised by them because I wasn't anywhere near as invested in the story as I was starting off.

[nicx27 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Noah is a reclusive author and former lawyer. One day, he gets a call out of the blue from an old friend, who tells him that April, a mutual friend and Noah's first love, is suspected of murder and is on life support after taking an overdose. Noah finds himself being drawn into the case and tries to find out what really happened. There is also the story of Ella, a troubled teenager - how does her story link with that of Noah and April? That is what we find out throughout the course of the story, as the truth is revealed.I found this to be a really engrossing read. Off to maybe a slightly slow start as the scene was set, the action was soon underway and I got pulled into the story. It's full of twists and turns, none of which I could have guessed at at the start. It's a cleverly plotted psychological thriller, sophisticated and well thought through. Excellent read.

[carolesrandomlife · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. I remember that I really wanted to see how things would work out for the characters. So much so that I had a hard time putting it down. The whole time I was reading, I was also thinking about how nothing in the story really rang true to me. In the end, it was rather disappointing.I read this book several weeks before I actually had a chance to sit down and write my review. I hate to say it but I remembered very little of the book at first. It was really that forgettable. After reading over the summary and checking my notes, I did recall the story but I am still amazed that I was able to completely wipe the plot from my mind in just a few days. I didn't really care for any of the characters in the story which is a pretty big problem for me. In most cases, I really need to like at least one character in a book in order to connect with the story. I didn't understand Noah. It didn't make sense to me how he was able to always think so highly of April. Nobody is as perfect as he felt April was. April was probably the closest to be likable but we never got to hear her voice and she also made little sense to me. I wasn't even sure who Ella was or why I should care about her portions of the book.I thought the plot was incredibly far fetched. The story jumped back and forth in time which took away from the flow of the story at times. There were also random sections of the book that came from Ella's point of view that did not appear to be linked to the main plot in way. I just really had a hard time believing that otherwise intelligent individuals could be as clueless as everyone seemed to be in this story. On a more positive note, I found the book to be easy to read. I found that sections of the book were rather exciting and I did want to see how everything would work out. I was hoping for a big finish based on the title but felt that the ending fell flat. It was a book that I had no trouble getting through but I found myself thinking about all of the problems in the story more than the actual mystery.I can't recommend this book to others. I think that there are too many great options out there for anyone looking for a great mystery thriller. This was the first book by Debbie Howells that I have read and I would be willing to give her work another try in the future.I received a copy of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

[lenamaybooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Published writer and former lawyer, Noah Callaway lives a seemingly quiet life. Tucked away in his late aunt’s cottage, Noah just wants to write about crime and forget his past. He wants to forget about his obsession with April Moon which started in high school. Noah calls April a goddess and paints a perfect picture of the girl he sees. Throughout their lives, Noah and April have an on again off again relationship and are even engaged to be married at one point. However, the perfect girl that Noah has dreamt up has a dark past that he’s chosen not to notice. Finally, free of the obsession, Noah receives a phone call from his estranged friend, Will who says April is the prime suspect in a murder and suicide attempt. The Beauty of the End follows Noah as he attempts to uncover years’ worth of secrets left behind by a woman he thought he knew, in order to prove her innocence.

I was quite impressed with the way this story started out and unfolded. The Beauty of the End is a gripping tale and I found myself flipping through the pages quite quickly. There are (mostly) believable characters and the style of writing is easy to follow. This is my first book written by Debbie Howells and I can’t wait to read more. That being said, I absolutely hated how naïve Noah’s character is. I can understand how April was able to keep some secrets from him, however, (without giving away spoilers) there were a few things that he SHOULD have noticed. I find it hard to believe that he was so wrapped up in the person he wanted her to be that he missed completely who she really was.

I had several of the clues pinpointed from the beginning but I wasn’t able to solve all the mysteries that April laid out until the very end. Also, the ending didn’t quite add up for me. It was not as smooth as the rest of the story was. Even though this wasn’t my favorite psychological thriller, Howells is still a brilliant writer and I urge you to give her a shot.

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[jennysbookbag.com · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

DNF at 51%

The synopsis of The Beauty of the End sounded great and I absolutely love psychological thrillers, but this book wasn’t what I was expecting. It took me three weeks to get halfway through this novel and typically in that timeframe I read three to six books. I kept putting this book down because I wanted to read something more engaging. Since I received this via NetGalley, I felt obligated to read more of it so I kept trying to force my way through it.

I think part of my issue with this book was my frame of mind when I started reading it. When I began this book, my father had begun home hospice care and a week later he passed away. We share a love of reading, so not having him here to share reading experiences made it difficult for me to want to read anything. This emotional and life-changing experience is partly why I was so easily distracted while trying to finish this book. So, keep that in mind as I tell you everything that I didn’t like about it.

I didn’t like the execution of the story or the characterization. This story moves very slowly and it never felt suspenseful. It felt more like a light drama than a psychological thriller. Maybe the second half of the novel was different. At first I was curious about whether April committed murder, but by midpoint, I lost interest.

Noah’s character was unbelievable. He was supposed to be a lawyer, or at least a former lawyer, but he was too naïve and he didn’t appear smart enough to be a lawyer. He was obsessed with April, but I just didn’t get why he was obsessed with her. I did like some aspects of the characterizations such as how April was undeserving of Noah’s undying devotion and Will’s arrogance.

I typically don’t have an issue with novels that go back and forth in time, but in this story, it made the novel feel disorganized. I also wasn’t crazy about how Ella was introduced. She just seemed to show up out of nowhere. If I hadn’t read the synopsis, I wouldn’t have understood Ella’s purpose or why the story jumped from Noah to Ella.

I see that this book received a lot of high ratings, so I have a feeling that my opinion is going to be in the minority. I’m sorry. I tried my best, but it just wasn’t for me.

A special thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[bayleaf_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Beauty of The End by Debbie Howells is aptly titled for it is at the end you reach that epiphany, the “ah-ha moment, when everything comes together and the entire book becomes really worth the read. When Noah Calaway first sees April Moon in high school, he thinks he’s seen a goddess and in that moment his life is changed forever. Years later, alone and living in a cottage in the English countryside, he receives a call from ex-friend Will Farrington that April is in a coma from a suicide attempt and is suspected of murdering her stepfather. Noah, still obsessed with this goddess from his past, rushes to her side, determined to help, only to run up against a wall of old secrets and lies. In addition to Noah’s account, a teenage girl, Ella, is also coming to terms with secrets and lies that began years before she was born. Her story is interspersed with the main plot. The Beauty of the End is an intriguing novel that kept me interested throughout the sometimes confusing plot twists and the often-frustrating naiveté of the smitten Noah.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells is a 2016 Kensington publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This story is simply spellbinding, mesmerizing, and had me hooked right from the start. When Noah Calaway gets a phone call from an old ‘friend’, letting him know his long lost love has been accused of murder and is in the hospital after a suicide attempt, Noah, a former attorney turned author, is conflicted in regards to taking on April’s criminal case, should she ever make it to trial. But, with his feelings, which bordered on unhealthy obsession, for April going all the way back to his childhood, it’s a pull he simply can’t resist. This decision will dislodge so many poignant memories and pull the wool from Noah’s eyes about who April really is, and has been all along. But, is she really guilty of murder? Before becoming a freelance reviewer, I was pretty easy to please, and could relate to the sleep deprived, so riveted by a book they couldn’t bear to put it down, and I completely understood when someone said they never wanted a book to end. Now, I’m a lot more jaded and usually have no problem switching off the lamp in the middle of a good book, and it’s become extremely rare for me to run across a book I wish were longer. But, for reasons I can’t exactly explain, this book so captured by attention I found myself wanting to slow down in order to make it last, but was unable to stop myself from reading as fast as I could. I have to say I am thrilled to see the psychological thriller sub-genre becoming so popular again. (Although, I do wish publishers would back off of describing every one of them as the next "Gone Girl") I’ve always loved this type of mystery because it rarely relies upon car chases or explosions, but instead pulls the reader into a web of suspense with intelligence and cleverness, that holds me stock still, from beginning to end. I love a good mind game and this book certainly gave my brain and emotions a nice workout. The old saying about love being blind is a theme I kept coming back to while reading this book, because poor Noah was so instantly smitten with April, he couldn’t see her as anything but his goddess. But, April wasn’t the only thing Noah has turned a blind eye to over the years, as he is about to learn the hard way. Noah tells the story from his first person perspective, giving us a little insight into his own personal demons, his slow realizations that his mind has blocked out or simply rewritten events, that are now revealing themselves to be much different than he remembers them. As Noah begins to delve into April’s life leading up to the murder she’s accused of, his long buried memories float to the surface and he begins to connect the dots he never did before. I loved the pacing of this story, which is fast, but even, and fleshed out. The atmosphere is edgy and thick with foreboding, and suspense, filling me with dread, as Noah begins to unearth one diabolical manipulation after another, and dark, gut wrenching revelations that leave him feeling sick, repulsed, shocked, and sad, but also determined to clear April’s name and see justice done. I don’t know if I could say I liked the characters, even Noah. But, I did feel empathy for him at times, while at other times, I marveled at his gullibility and his ability to so completely deceive himself, as well as his blind trust in April, Will and their extended group of friends. All the characters here, are flawed, some more than others, and I’m not sure how I felt about the extreme measures taken to expose some heinous crimes, which left me feeling angry, sad, a little confused by the actions,or in some cases, lack of response, from some people. The villain here is one of the most sinister I’ve encountered in a long while, which left me wondering if whatever judgment is passed, would ever be enough. Still, at the end of the day, I was left with a sense of peace knowing that an ugly truth was exposed, and those whose lives were affected most, are now free from the damaged and dangerous atmosphere that has haunted them for far too long.

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars.

With an intriguing premise and an interesting spin on the unreliable narrator plot device, The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells is a riveting mystery that moves at a steady pace to a somewhat shocking and unexpected conclusion.

Noah Calaway is a part-time solicitor and author who lives a solitary life in the countryside. However, a phone call about his ex-fiancée April Moon pulls him out his self-imposed exile when he decides to look into the circumstances surrounding her apparent suicide attempt. Even more surprising than the supposed overdose is the crime April is suspected of committing-the murder of her stepfather Bryan Norton. Although he has not seen her since she inexplicably ended their engagement years earlier, Noah is convinced April is not capable of murder and he has serious doubts she tried to kill herself. As he pulls back the layers of this enigmatic and complex woman whom he has worshipped from the moment he first saw her, Noah is forced to revisit old memories and revise his perception of long ago events. But will this new insight and information about the past lead Noah to the truth about what is happening in the present?

Noah's infatuation with April began as a teen and despite their complicated history, he still views her as perfect and completely flawless. In the past, he easily excused her faults and he turned a blind eye to her less than appealing traits. Their paths crossed many times over the years and although April broke his heart more than once, Noah never hesitated to give her a second chance. But as he begins to investigate the murder of her stepfather and her overdose, he gradually realizes that he willingly ignored, consciously overlooked and simply blocked out anything that contradicted his vision of her "perfection".

Noah was guilty of this willful ignorance of facts with his childhood friend, Dr. Will Farrington, as well. He caught on much quicker to Will's manipulation and arrogance much sooner, but unfortunately not before Will interfered with his relationship with April. Noah has not had any contact with either Will or April in years so he is surprised when Will calls to tell him about the situation with April. Never forgetting Will's betrayal, Noah still remains a little naive as he initially takes everything Will tells him at face value. It is not until he scratches below the surface of April's life that he begins to realize what Will might be capable of but Noah still cannot figure out where he fits into the current situation. By the time Noah eventually pieces together all of the clues will it be too late to save himself from his old friend's lies and manipulations?

In addition to Noah's first person narration of past and present events, there are occasional passages from a teenager's therapy sessions. Ella is the daughter of wealthy parents whose lives are often so busy they do not have time for their child. Forced to see a therapist by her mother, Ella tries to keep her sessions impersonal as she dances around the real reason her relationship with her parents is so strained. Seemingly unrelated to Noah's drama, the two storylines finally converge as the novel nears its explosive finale.

The Beauty of the End is an intricately plotted mystery that will leave readers reeling as Noah uncovers a sinister plot as he tries to prove April's innocence. Atmospheric and full of chilling secrets, lies and manipulations, this latest release by Debbie Howells is a must read for anyone who enjoy a well-written, suspense-laden psychological mystery.