Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

 

Writer Grady Green has been struggling with writer's block since the mysterious disappearance of his wife a year ago. His agent suggests a retreat on a remote Scottish island to help him overcome his problems.

Alice Feeney writes wonderful psychological thrillers that have so many twists and turns that you are kept guessing until all is revealed. Beautiful Ugly follows in the same vein but this time there is an added level of creepiness to the storyline and a slightly surreal feeling.

The opening of the novel seems to offer a straightforward missing-person tale. We join writer Grady Green awaiting a call from his agent. Grady has a few published novels to his name, but his most recent is likely to be his most successful, the one that makes him a household name. We join Grady as he waits by the phone to hear if his new novel has made the New York Times bestsellers list. He had hoped his wife Abby would be by his side when he received the news, so he's a little upset that she's running late.

When the phone rings it isn't his agent but his wife. She's apologetic and lets him know that she's only a mile away from their isolated cottage. As they speak Abby has to slam on her brakes to avoid hitting a woman lying in the middle of the road. Grady begs Abby not to get out of her car but she defies him, and that is the last time anyone hears from her. Abby's car is found abandoned close to home with her bag and phone untouched. In the car, there is also a box containing a creepy antique doll with its mouth stitched shut.

Despite Grady achieving the success he craved he's struggled to come to terms with Abby's disappearance. Unable to write he's exhausted his savings, sold their house, and is living in a cheap hotel, one he can't afford anymore. 

The only person who seems to understand what Grady is going through is his agent, Kitty. Wanting to help Grady rediscover his writing ability, along with helping him financially, she suggests he takes advantage of a cabin she was left in a will. The cabin is on the remote Scottish island of Amberly and once belonged to a highly successful, but reclusive, author.

Grady, along with his dog and a few possessions head to the island. As soon as Grady arrives things begin to take a surreal turn. All the red flags that readers are used to are there; there's no communication with the mainland and the residents act strangely, one minute they are warm and welcoming, and the next they ignore him. The most disturbing thing is that he's convinced he keeps glimpsing a familiar figure.

The longer Grady remains on the island the creepier things become, there were a couple of instances where I was close to putting the book aside as I wasn't sure about the turn the storyline was taking - I'm an absolute wimp! As the behaviour of the residents becomes more erratic and he learns more about the history of the island you understand Grady's reluctance to remain where he is. I was willing him to simply abandon everything and flee.

The build-up to the conclusion throws even more confusion and obfuscation into the plot; even if you're convinced you've figured out what is happening the author still has surprises in store for the reader.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney will be published on 30th January 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.

Author Details

Alice Feeney is a New York Times million-copy bestselling author. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages, and have been optioned for major screen adaptations. Including her novel Rock Paper Scissors, which is being made into a TV series by the producer of The Crown. Alice was a BBC journalist for fifteen years, and now lives in Devon with her family. Good Bad Girl is her sixth novel.