My enormous thanks to Lisa Gooding at Verve Books for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for A Quiet Contagion by Jane Jesmond and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review. It’s my great pleasure to share that review today.

Published by Verve on 28th November 2023, A Quiet Contagion is available for purchase through the links here.

A Quiet Contagion

A disquieting contemporary mystery with a historical twist and fast-paced plot, from the author of the Jen Shaw series.

Six decades. Seven people. One unspeakable secret.

1957. A catastrophe occurs at the pharmaceutical lab in Coventry where sixteen-year-old Wilf is working for the summer. A catastrophe that needs to be covered up at all costs.2017. Phiney is shocked by the death of her grandfather, Wilf, who has jumped from a railway bridge at a Coventry station. Journalist Mat Torrington is the only witness.

Left in utter disbelief, with a swarm of unanswered questions, Phiney, Mat and Wilf’s wife, Dora, begin their own enquiries into Wilf’s death. It is soon clear that these two events, sixty years apart, are connected – and that Wilf is not the only casualty.

But what is the link? And can they find out before any more lives are lost?

My Review of A Quiet Contagion

Phiney has bad news.

What a clever, clever book. A Quiet Contagion is meticulously researched so that this absorbing, complex thriller is steeped in history that gives it an added dimension of authenticity which, when set against the recent Covid pandemic, makes it all the more powerful. I thought it was excellent. 

There’s a menacing undertone that unsettles the reader and creates a palpable tension so that A Quiet Contagion is a gripping read that builds and builds. The 1957 sections hold tantalising glimpses into why Wilf has taken his own life and what Jane Jesmond does so well is to allow the reader’s imagination to create scenarios in their mind’s eye so that they are as involved as any of the characters. I found this brilliantly manipulative. I loved the way the truth is gradually uncovered because it rings with authenticity.

Descriptions are given with a painterly eye which brings settings into sharp focus and builds the tension, particularly in Phiney’s first person 2017 narrative. I thought that Phiney was such a fascinating character. She’s obviously got her own concerns, even as she works as a nurse healing others. Phiney is the lynchpin of action and I found her complex, and layered. Her profession heightens her reactions to events so that it’s impossible not to empathise with her completely. I thought her prickly relationship with Dora was sensitively and realistically portrayed as the two women act as light and shade to one another.

The narrative is deftly plotted, weaving past and present together convincingly and gradually revealing to both reader and Phiney alike, just what has been happening. However, the most gripping element for me is the way in which the author presents several moral dilemmas that cause the reader to wonder about their own moral stance and what they might have done in similar situations. A Quiet Contagion gets under the skin and leaves the readers asking ‘What if…?’ but you’ll need to read it for yourself to find out why.

A Quiet Contagion is one of those books it’s truly impossible to review without spoilers. What I can say is that the quality of the writing and plotting is excellent. The narrative is completely absorbing and hugely entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed this intelligent, well written and compelling story. It’s such a good read. 

About Jane Jesmond

Jane Jesmond writes psychological suspense, thrillers and mysteries.

Her debut novel, On The Edge, the first in a series featuring dynamic, daredevil protagonist Jen Shaw was a Sunday Times Crime best book. The second in the series, Cut Adrift, was The Times Thriller of the Month and The Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month.

She likes to mix things up and Her is an intriguing blend of psych thriller and speculative fiction. Her latest thriller, A Quiet Contagion, a mystery set in 1957 and today, was published on 28th November 2023

Although she loves writing (and reading) thrillers and mysteries, her real life is very quiet and unexciting. Dead bodies and danger do not feature! She lives by the sea in the west tip of France with a husband and a cat and enjoys coastal walks and village life.

For further information, visit Jane’s website, follow her on Twitter/X @AuthorJJesmond, or find Jane on Facebook.

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