book review rock paper scissors

Rock Paper Scissors

Alice feeney.

294 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2021

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Promises lose their value when broken or chipped, like dusty, forgotten antiques. Secrets are only secrets for the people who don't know them yet. That's the problem with following in someone else's footsteps; if you leave a bigger mark than they did they tend to get upset. Sometimes the early bird eats too many worms and dies.

We’ve tried date nights, and marriage counseling, but spending more time together isn’t always the same as spending less time apart. You can’t get this close to a cliff edge without seeing the rocks at the bottom, and even if my husband doesn’t know the full story, he knows that this weekend is a last attempt to mend what got broken. What he doesn’t know, is that if things don’t go according to plan, only one of us will be going home.

We’re both pretty good at keeping up appearances and I find people see what they want to see. But behind closed doors, things have been wrong with Mr. and Mrs. Wright for a long time.

Adam has a neurological glitch called prosopagnosia, which means he cannot see distinguishing features on faces, including his own.

Adam was right, there are no ghosts or gargoyles, but the place definitely feels spooky. Everything is made of ancient-looking stone—the walls, the ceiling, the floor—and it’s so cold down here that I can see my breath. I count three rusted metal rings embedded in the wall, and do my best not to think about what they were used for.

The light from the old-fashioned candlestick holder he is carrying casts ghostly shadows around the bedroom, so that now I feel like I’m in a Charles Dickens novel.

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts--paper, cotton, pottery, tin--and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after. Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

The first match I strike goes out almost instantly—it’s an old box. I use the second to try and get my bearings, but I still can’t see the steps, and I’m struggling to get enough air into my lungs. The third match I strike briefly illuminates part of the wall, and I notice all the scratch marks on the surface. It looks like someone, or something, once tried to claw their way out of here. I try to stay calm, remember to breathe, but then the flame burns the tips of my fingers and I drop the final match on the floor. Everything is black. And then I hear it again. My name being whispered. Right behind me. Amelia. Amelia. Amelia. My breaths are too shallow, but I can’t control them and I think I’m going to faint. No matter what direction I look in, all I can see is darkness. Then I hear the sound of scratching.

I work in my garden shed now with my cowriter, a giant black Labrador who is scared of feathers.

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ROCK PAPER SCISSORS

by Alice Feeney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 7, 2021

This complicated gothic thriller of dueling spouses and homicidal writers is cleverly plotted and neatly tied up.

An unhappy British couple attempt to rekindle the magic with a weekend trip to a remote spot in Scotland.

How is she tricking me? Feeney, the author of Sometimes I Lie (2017) and His and Hers (2020), has trained her readers to start asking this question immediately with her puzzle-box narratives. Well, you won't find out here. Only the basics: Amelia's won a weekend getaway in an office raffle, and as the novel opens, she and her screenwriter husband, Adam, who suffers from face blindness, along with their dog, Bob, are miserably making their way through a snowstorm to a destination in the Scottish Highlands which is no Airbnb Superhost, that's for sure. A freezing cold, barely converted church with many locked rooms and malfunctioning electricity, the property also features a mysterious caretaker who has left firewood and a nice note but seems to be spying through the window. Both Adam and Amelia seem to be considering this weekend the occasion for ending the marriage by any means necessary—then Bob disappears. The narrative goes back and forth with first-person chapters by Amelia and Adam interleaved with a series of letters written to Adam on their anniversary through the years and keyed to the traditional gifts: paper, cotton, wood, leather, etc. There's also a rock and a scissors, referring to the children's game of the book title, which the couple use to make everyday decisions like "Should we stay together?" Offstage is the famous writer Henry Winter, whose novels Adam has made his fortune adapting; through several author-characters, Feeney weaves in sometimes-grim observations about the literary life. On meeting a sourpuss cashier at the rural grocery store: "The woman wore her bitterness like a badge; the kind of person who writes one-star book reviews."

Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-250-26610-1

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021

THRILLER | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER | PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

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More by Alice Feeney

BOOK REVIEW

by Alice Feeney

A CONSPIRACY OF BONES

by Kathy Reichs ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2020

Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.

A week after the night she chases but fails to catch a mysterious trespasser outside her town house, some unknown party texts Tempe four images of a corpse that looks as if it’s been chewed by wild hogs, because it has been. Showboat Medical Examiner Margot Heavner makes it clear that, breaking with her department’s earlier practice ( The Bone Collection , 2016, etc.), she has no intention of calling in Tempe as a consultant and promptly identifies the faceless body herself as that of a young Asian man. Nettled by several errors in Heavner’s analysis, and even more by her willingness to share the gory details at a press conference, Tempe launches her own investigation, which is not so much off the books as against the books. Heavner isn’t exactly mollified when Tempe, aided by retired police detective Skinny Slidell and a host of experts, puts a name to the dead man. But the hints of other crimes Tempe’s identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M.E.’s splenetic outbursts. Before he died, it seems, Felix Vodyanov was linked to a passenger ferry that sank in 1994, an even earlier U.S. government project to research biological agents that could control human behavior, the hinky spiritual retreat Sparkling Waters, the dark web site DeepUnder, and the disappearances of at least four schoolchildren, two of whom have also turned up dead. And why on earth was Vodyanov carrying Tempe’s own contact information? The mounting evidence of ever more and ever worse skulduggery will pull Tempe deeper and deeper down what even she sees as a rabbit hole before she confronts a ringleader implicated in “Drugs. Fraud. Breaking and entering. Arson. Kidnapping. How does attempted murder sound?”

Pub Date: March 17, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9821-3888-2

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020

More by Kathy Reichs

by Kathy Reichs

PLEASE SEE US

by Caitlin Mullen ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2020

A lyrical, incisive, and haunting debut.

In Atlantic City, the bodies of several women wait to be discovered and a young psychic begins having visions of terrible violence.

They are known only as Janes 1 through 6, the women who have been strangled and left in the marsh behind the seedy Sunset Motel. They wait for someone to miss them, to find them. That someone might be Clara, a teenage dropout who works the Atlantic City strip as a psychic and occasionally has visions. She can tell there's something dangerous at work, but she has other problems. To pay the rent, she begins selling her company, and then her body, to older men. One day she meets Lily, another young woman who'd escaped the depressing decay of Atlantic City for New York only to be betrayed by a man. She’s come back to AC because there’s nowhere else to go, and she spends her time working a dead-end job and drinking herself into oblivion. Together, Clara and Lily may be able to figure out the truth—but they will each lose something along the way. Mullen’s style is subtle, flowing; she switches the narrative voice with each chapter, giving us Clara and Lily but also each of the victims. At the heart of the novel lies the bitter observation that “Women get humiliated every day, in small stupid ways and in huge, disastrous ones.” Mullen writes about all the moments that women compromise themselves in the face of male desire and male power and how they learn to use sex as commerce because “men are always promised this, no matter who they are.” The other major character in the novel is Atlantic City itself: fading; falling to ruin; promising an old sort of glamour that no longer exists; swindling sad, lonely people out of their money. This backdrop is unexpected and well rendered.

Pub Date: March 3, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9821-2748-0

Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster

GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | THRILLER | PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

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Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

December 17, 2021 Angela Mystery , Reviews , Thriller

Think you know the person you married? Think again… Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after. Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget. Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney.

Given all the 5-star reviews, I’m clearly in the minority here. At least the first third of Rock Paper Scissors is painfully slow, making this thriller less thrilling than I’d hoped. I found the anniversary letters to be rather dull and wanted to fast forward through the flashbacks.

This is the first book I’ve read by Alice Feeney, the purported “queen of the killer twist”, so I expected a plot twist or two. The story does deliver several twists and turns — some more clever and unexpected than others. Unfortunately, they all occur too late in the book to fully make up for the slow start, despite the faster—albeit choppy—rhythm in the last half.

Rock Paper Scissors is an intriguing story that is well written, but the pacing is too off and the characters are largely unappealing. Sometimes I appreciate an untidy ending, and I did enjoy the fact that this one left me thinking. I am definitely interested in reading more of Alice Feeney’s work.

Recommended for fans of: Mystery Thrillers Plot twists Remote settings Complicated marriages

About Alice Feeney

Alice Feeney is a New York Times bestselling author and journalist. Her debut novel, Sometimes I Lie, was an international bestseller, has been translated into over twenty languages, and is being made into a TV series by Warner Bros. starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. His & Hers is also being adapted for screen by Jessica Chastain’s Freckle Films.

Alice was a BBC Journalist for fifteen years, and now lives in the British countryside with her family. Rock Paper Scissors is her fourth novel and is being made into a TV series for Netflix by the producer of The Crown. It will be published around the world in 2021.

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2 responses to “ Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney ”

I am not a fan of slow, but I’m hoping I am more toward 5 stars when I get to this one. I requested the audio from the library. I’m hoping speeding up the narration will help. Great review!

The wait at my library was crazy long! I wound up using an Audible credit. I hope you enjoy it more than I did.

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Book review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Title: Rock Paper Scissors

Author: Alice Feeney

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: HQ

Publication date: 19th August 2021

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

“Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.”

If you are looking for a slow build and equally intense thriller, Alice Feeney’s books are for you and Rock Paper Scissors is no exception. Set in an eerie chapel in a small town in Scotland, it already seems promising before the main characters and background are introduced. Once Adam and Amelia’s relationship is revealed to be unstable, the mysterious setting seems even more fitting and I couldn’t wait to see how the plot would unravel.

The exchange of traditional gifts for the couple’s wedding anniversaries was unique and a nice touch that suited the storyline well. I enjoyed the flashbacks to the letters Amelia had written to Adam on each anniversary as this technique was a perfect way to show how their relationship developed and the reasons they chose to go on this trip. As characters they were both quite unlikeable and it was evident from the start that they were both hiding something important from each other. Although I don’t usually enjoy unlikeable characters in thrillers, I found that this trait made the plot even more intriguing and I was eager to discover why they no longer trusted each other.

Fans of Alice Feeney’s books will know how brilliant she is at incorporating unexpected plot twists to her books and I think that she left the best twists to Rock Paper Scissors. Without disclosing too much, I can only advise future readers to always keep the characters’ past in mind as all is not as it seems and the unexpected visitor they encounter is a true example of that.

Rock Paper Scissors is the type of thriller you can expect to dive into one evening and finish the same night. Although it starts off slowly, the first twist is enough to keep the reader hooked and wanting more. It delivers on both plot and setting and finishes with a huge revelation that explains everything that had happened at the chapel to date. I highly recommend this book to fans of the genre who crave a story told by an unreliable main character which takes place in a spooky setting.

Books on the 7:47

Book review blog / author interviews / all things bookish, rock paper scissors by alice feeney – book review.

by Jen | Books on the 7:47
Posted on August 9, 2021 July 26, 2021

I picked up Rock Paper Scissors on a rainy Sunday and couldn’t stop reading. Literally. This was a one day read for me; an indication of just how addictive this psychological thriller is! It falls into the domestic noir sub-cat as it explores the secrets and lies of Adam and Amelia’s marriage.

Opening sentence: My husband doesn’t recognise my face.

Set in February 2020 (and in flashbacks) our lead characters are screenwriter, Adam Wright and his wife, Amelia, who works at Battersea Dogs Home. Their marriage has seen better days, so they go on what they think will be a romantic weekend by an isolated Scottish Loch. And this is where things start to unravel for them.

Adam has a rare condition – prosopagnosia, which means he can’t recognise faces. Even his wife’s. Therefore, he works much more on instinct and what’s under the surface to identify people. This is an interesting element to the story and definitely adds to the tension and potential for lies.

You can feel it when someone you love is lying.

When the reclusive – but very successful – author, Henry Winter (I’m wondering if his name is a nod to Vida Winter, a fellow reclusive writer character in Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale ) asks Adam to turn his book into a screenplay, he is so happy and his career is looking up, but what he doesn’t know is his wife’s involvement in it all…

A touch of Gothic is always good

I am a big fan of Gothic reads and there were Gothic conventions in play here that I really enjoyed. Primarily the isolated converted church Scottish setting, the sinister-side to the characters and the creepy moments that snuck up and made me shiver.

The book’s title is referring to the classic game – a signature of the characters’ marriage, they use Rock Paper Scissors to make decisions and this flippant handing over to fate also works to add to the tension thrumming through the pages.

Your dreams have always been bigger than mine. But then so are your nightmares.

What I loved about Rock Paper Scissors is that you may think you’ve read a story like this (there are, after all, a lot of psychological thrillers out there that look at twisted marriages) BUT you won’t have read one that feels as perfectly crafted or as satisfying as this.

This is a mixture of the very clever structure, the insightful writing style that commands a speedy pace while never losing depth, the simple but effective plot that will absolutely blindside you in the very best way and characters you won’t second guess – right until the very last page.

This brilliant thriller is being made into a TV show by Netflix and I can totally see why, it will translate to screen wonderfully! Just on my way now to check out Alice Feeney’s back catalogue…

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC;
Get your copy of Rock Paper Scissors here ;
Published by HQ 19th August 2021;

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Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, rock paper scissors.

Heralded as the “queen of the killer twist,” Alice Feeney reigns supreme with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, a twisted, shocking thriller about what’s wrong with the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Wright, and a pointed reminder that a haunted marriage is just as terrifying as a haunted house.

Amelia and Adam Wright have celebrated several anniversaries together, always adhering to the traditional gifts as decided by Emily Post back in 1922. But lately their marriage has grown stale. Adam, who is diagnosed with prosopagnosia (also known as face blindness) has never been able to recognize his wife’s face, but it wasn’t until recently that she really felt unseen and ignored by him. A workaholic screenwriter, he catapulted to fame when he adapted a book by his favorite author, Henry Winter, a notorious recluse. But in recent years, Adam has struggled to find the same acclaim, and with his own screenplay, Rock Paper Scissors , collecting dust in his desk, he has grown cranky and short-tempered. Desperate to save their marriage, Amelia enrolls them in couples’ therapy and whisks Adam away to Scotland when she wins a vacation package at an office holiday party.

"ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is, without a doubt, the most chilling novel I have read this year...if not ever. Never before have I had to read a domestic thriller with my flashlight at the ready..."

After a tumultuous eight-hour drive through a harsh storm, Amelia, Adam and their dog, Bob, arrive at Blackwater, a converted chapel tucked away in a wintery village. But the idyllic retreat they had in mind quickly falls away when they discover a few things: Blackwater is abandoned and decidedly creepy, the chapel doors are locked, making their welcoming quite cold and surprising, and they start to feel certain that one of them will not be coming home from this trip. After completing a walk around the building to look for an open door, Amelia and Adam return to find the chapel doors wide open. They agree to blame it on the wind, but already Feeney is setting the stage for something sinister.

Despite their surname, it is immediately apparent that something is very wrong in the Wrights’ marriage. Adam is mean and impatient with Amelia, who is caught in more than a few lies. But as the chapel gets creepier and creepier, complete with white faces in the windows, whispered names in the cellar and smiley faces traced into dusty surfaces, Adam and Amelia realize that they’re up against far more than their failed marriage. When Bob goes missing in the middle of the night and they recognize how utterly alone they are in Blackwater, their minds start to play tricks on them, even as they continue to lie, gaslight and snap at one another.

As Feeney reveals, their lies are interesting, but far more intriguing are the reasons they lie. Is their marriage just suffering from a low point, or have they changed fundamentally from the people they were when they first got together? And if they have changed, can they continue to love one another and keep the promises they made when they exchanged vows?

In alternating chapters, Amelia writes letters to Adam on each of their anniversaries, mulling over the year they’ve shared, the importance of the traditional gifts they’ve exchanged, and providing an unfiltered sort of state of the union on her happiness in their marriage. Here we see the highs and lows of Adam’s career, his strange interactions with Henry Winter, and the ways that their previously love-filled marriage has started to crumble.

In still other chapters, we watch the couple unravel through the eyes of Robin, an older woman living in a dilapidated cottage near the chapel. Though she has few interactions with them, she seems able to guess their every move, and at times it appears that she alone can really see what Adam and Amelia are plotting, even when they are hiding their thoughts from one another. Through Robin’s eyes, we are reminded that no matter how long you have known, loved or been married to someone, you can never really know a person inside and out --- and however good someone appears to be, we each have the capacity to become a villain at the drop of a hat. Feeney plays her reveals close to the vest here, but she never once lets up on the tension or chill factor, with the book reading both like a horror novel full of ghosts and witches and a thriller set between two unreliable narrators and their shaky hold on one another.

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is, without a doubt, the most chilling novel I have read this year...if not ever. Never before have I had to read a domestic thriller with my flashlight at the ready, but Feeney writes with such precision and perfect pacing that her already shocking explorations into the human psyche become exponentially more horrifying. This is very much a writer’s thriller, and her mastery of her craft is on full display at every twist. As Robin explains, “Life is like a game where pawns can become queens, but not everyone knows how to play. Some people stay pawns their whole lives because they never learned to make the right moves.” If writing thrillers is anything like chess, this author has clearly never met a pawn she wasn’t willing to sacrifice, and her novels are all the better for it.

With her expert control over plotting, characterization and the shock of a dramatic reveal, Alice Feeney has proven once again why she is the master of domestic suspense with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS. If you’re a character in one of her books, watch out: “The scariest haunted houses are always the ones in which you are the ghost.”

Reviewed by Rebecca Munro on September 24, 2021

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Genres: Fiction , Psychological Suspense , Psychological Thriller , Suspense , Thriller
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
ISBN-10: 1250266122
ISBN-13: 9781250266125

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Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Publication Date: June 7, 2022
Genres: Fiction , Psychological Suspense , Psychological Thriller , Suspense , Thriller
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
ISBN-10: 1250266122
ISBN-13: 9781250266125
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Rock paper scissors by alice feeney [book review].

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Title: Rock Paper Scissors

Author: Alice Feeney

Publisher: Flatiron

Publish Date: September 7, 2021

Genre: Psychological Thriller

My Rating: 4/5

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts–paper, cotton, pottery, tin–and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after. Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

A husband and wife win a weekend getaway. Adam and Amelia are hoping this weekend will help improve their marriage, but things do not go as planned.

Rock Paper Scissors is told from alternating points of view. Having viewpoints from both Adam and Amelia adds more to the story, plus letters written by Amelia on each of their anniversaries adds insight to their relationship. The novel starts slow, but it eventually picks up.

Rock Paper Scissors is an atmospheric and twisty domestic thriller. Fans of Alice Feeney’s other books are sure to enjoy this one too.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Alice Feeney:

Sometimes I Lie
I Know Who You Are
His & Hers
Rock Paper Scissors
Daisy Darker
Good Bad Girl

Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney @alicewriterland @MacmillanUSA @Flatironbooks

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Amazon / b&n / apple / gp / bb.

Think you know the person you married? Think again…

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

Favorite Quotes:

… sometimes the dust of our memories is best left unswept.

I immediately regret saying it, but words don’t come with gift receipts and you can’t take them back.

Getting married costs a pretty penny, and pennies are prettiest when you don’t have many of them.

It smells as though we are in a chapel now. That musty scent of old Bibles and blind faith.

Trust can’t be borrowed, if you take it away you can’t give it back.

Don’t housekeepers clean things? From what I saw through the window, she doesn’t look like she knows how to use a feather duster. She may have a broom… for flying around at night—

Dreams are like dresses in a shop window; they look pretty, but sometimes don’t fit when you try them on.

She had a face like a carp and it was as red as her apron. Her beady eyes glared and she barked the word “what” at him with venomlike spit. She was clearly a woman who was good at making people feel bad. Sam resisted the urge to offer his condolences for Patty’s sister, who he was sure had been murdered by a girl called Dorothy near a yellow brick road.

This was a brilliantly plotted and shrewdly paced and captivating tale that kept me tethered to my Kindle. I didn’t see this ending coming at all. The writing was cleverly observant and witty, wryly humorous while chillingly cunning, easy to fall into yet tense and prickly, and featured multiple POVs of people who intrigued me but weren’t all that likable most of the time. I fell right into the author’s trap and was totally bamboozled. I had several pages of favorite quotes and highlights.

Alice Feeney is a sly minx – her word voodoo is strong. I was sucked right into her characters’ narratives and even though I live in the tropics, I felt the bone-chilling and teeth-rattling temperatures of the unheated stone buildings in the Scottish Highlands. It was tense and gripping with impending peril right around the corner, yet the observant humor was snarky and smirk-worthy witty on the way there. I’m greedy for all her clever arrangements of words and have just added her entire listing to my TBR.

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Her debut novel, Sometimes I Lie, was an international bestseller, has been translated into over twenty languages, and is being made into a TV series by Warner Bros. starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. His & Hers is also being adapted for the screen by Jessica Chastain’s Freckle Films.

Alice was a BBC Journalist for fifteen years before becoming an author. She lives in Devon with her family.

Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS | Alice Feeney 09.07.2021 | Flatiron Books Rating: 5/5 stars

Things have been wrong with Mr. and Mrs. Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter, Adam Wright, has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

I’m always cautious going into a domestic thriller for fear that I’ll end up in a situation where I’m reading a worn out trope in the sub-genre. Thankfully, I know I can trust Alice Feeney to dish up a story that is twisty, entertaining, and downright impossible to put down. I absolutely adored ROCK PAPER SCISSORS from the very moment I picked it up! The first few chapters sucked me in and then led me down a windy path where I was guessing all sorts of possibilities. While I did guess part of the story, I didn’t guess the execution and was completely in love with the route that Feeney took. I don’t want to give a single thing away about this story. Walk in blind and reserve a few hours to binge this one!

This book is available to buy from: Amazon | Book Depository

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Read Between the Spines

Rock paper scissors.

Alice Feeney

While this is the first novel I have read by Alice Feeney, I have several others by her as well. I bought them after seeing some stellar reviews. I am super excited to now read them after finishing Rock Paper Scissors.

Quick Synopsis

In a last ditch effort to save their marriage, a couple becomes snowed in on a weekend away in Scotland. But their secrets come back to haunt them, and someone does not want them to live happily ever after.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

Book Review

Rock Paper Scissors is a wintery, atmospheric domestic thriller that will surprise you. At this point, I have read so many domestic thrillers that I am generally tired of them. However, this book proved to be different and refreshing for the subgenre.

I am glad I waited to read this after it was published, because it is the perfect thriller for winter. There have been a lot of thrillers in the last year that use the snowed in trope (e.g., The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse). Rock Paper Scissors utilizes the trope without it becoming a crutch for the plot. Alice Feeney crafts a strong, suspenseful plot where the snow keeps the couple in one location and adds to the story’s atmosphere.

Otherwise, the plot is original, complex, and full of twists you will not see coming. Rock Paper Scissors ended up messing with my head in a way only great thrillers can. I was blown away by the big reveal and had to take a break to fully process it.

Alice Feeney’s writing was easy to read and become lost in. While Rock Paper Scissors is not a thriller than will give you whiplash due its breakneck speed, it will keep you immersed even with a slower unfurling of the story and twists. Alice Feeney really made the short chapters and alternating point of views work in this story – both for pacing and holding interest.

Overall, I loved Rock Paper Scissors and highly recommend it. This novel will definitely be on my list of best thrillers of 2021.

Overall Rating

Character development

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Genre Mysteries & Thrillers

Publication Date September 7, 2021

Storygraph Rating 4.05 stars

Goodreads Rating 4.05 stars

Rock Paper Scissors, a review by Tanya

10 hours, 22 min Published September 2021 by Macmillan Audio

Amazon | Goodreads

This post contains affiliate links. We earn a small commission if you purchase the book through this link.

About the Book: Think you know the person you married? Think again…

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney.

I read His and Hers last year and was floored by the twists in the book. I was really excited to pick up Feeney’s latest to see if I would be as impressed by this one. My library had the audiobook so I patiently waited for 6 weeks until it was my turn to check it out.

Just as in His and Hers , there were plenty of twists that had me thinking, ‘ohhhhh there it is! I was waiting for it to get here and it did not disappoint!’

Such fun. I love her writing style. I loved the atmospheric creepiness of this story and all of the twists of course. But I really didn’t like the characters. Not any of them. So I was lacking the connection with anyone in the book which actually lessened my pleasure in reading.

Don’t get me wrong, if you like Thrillers, this is a good one to read and I will definitely recommend it for its fun twists. But I’m only rating it a 3 (ok maybe a 3.5) as by the time I got done, I didn’t really care about any of the characters, but still really liked the story.

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Rock Paper Scissors

Recap, summary & spoilers.

The Quick Recap and Section-by-Section Summary for Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney are below.

Quick(-ish) Recap

The two-paragraph version: Amelia and Adam are on a getaway, staying at an old chapel. There's also a woman named Robin living in a cottage nearby. Adam is a screenwriter who is known for adapting the novels of a writer named Henry Winter. He has reoccuring nightmares about his mother being killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was 13. At the chapel, Amelia and Adam find there are strange occurrences (thanks mostly to Robin) and power outages. Meanwhile, interspersed throughout the book are letters addressed to Adam (but never sent) each year on their anniversary detailing their relationship history. The letters culminate in describing how Adam cheated on her with her best friend from work. Later, in a big plot twist, we learn that Robin is actually Adam's first wife (all the letters are written by her, not Amelia). Amelia was the friend that Adam cheated with. He and Amelia married right after the divorce.

In another plot twist, it turns out the chapel belongs to Henry Winter, who is Robin's father. He and Robin had a bad relationship since he was a bully, but she asked him to let Adam adapt his novels. The letters further reveal that Robin has since learned that Amelia was the one in the car that killed Adam's mother. In present day, Robin reveals this information to Adam. It results in a scuffle where Amelia is (presumably) killed. Robin and Adam end up getting back together. (Adam's narration reveals that Amelia had been his girlfriend as a teenager, which is probably why she sought him out later. Adam was the one driving the car that killed his mother. Amelia had merely been in the car with him). The book ends by casting doubt on whether Robin's description of her relationship with her father was accurate (or whether it was the product of an overactive imagination) and it leaves open the possibility that some of the strange occurrences in the house were ghostly in nature.

Amelia and Adam Wright are a couple going through a rough patch in their marriage. Along with their dog Bob , they are on their way to Scotland for a getaway that Amelia won in a raffle at work. Their marriage counselor suggested they use the trip to try to save their marriage. Adam has a disorder called prosopagnosia where he's unable to recognize distinguishing features of people, so he can't recognize faces (including Amelia's).

Adam is a Hollywood screenwriter, known for adapting the works of Henry Winter , his favorite author. The one screenplay he's written that he's always wanted to see become a movie is his first one, entitled Rock Paper Scissors . It's a twisted love story about a man who writes letters to his wife each year on their anniversary.

Interspersed throughout the book are letters written to Adam (but were never set) each year on their anniversary, inspired by Adam's screenplay. The first letters describe how Adam gifted her with Bob when he initially proposed over 10 years ago. Then, on their first anniversary, she had suggested that Adam reach out to Henry Winter about adapting one of Winter's works after his agent had passed away (before the answer had always been no). It resulted in Adam's first Henry Winter adaptation. In the letter, she writes about how Adam doesn't know the role she played in getting Henry Winter to agree to it. By their second anniversary, things are going better for them financially due to the Henry Winter adaption, but it comes at a cost to their relationship because Adam is working so much more.

In present day, they arrive at the place they're staying at, an isolated old church called Blackwater Chapel . The place is dusty and creepy, and there are power outages frequently due to the snowstorms in the area. Amelia thinks she hears someone whispering her name when she's in the crypt. Their night is interrupted when Amelia screams after seeing someone's face in the window. Unbeknownst to them, person peeking in was Robin , a woman who lives in a shabby cottage nearby. Later that night, when Adam and Amelia are up at the bell tower, Adam is almost knocked off when a cloud of bats comes flying out of the bell. Amelia pauses for the moment, apparently paralyzed in fear, but then she saves him. However, Adam tells himself that Amelia considered letting him die for a moment.

That night, Adam has a nightmare that he's had similar versions of many times before. In this version, Amelia is driving when she hits a woman in a red kimono. The nightmare is based on his memory of his mother who was killed in a hit-and-run accident. She had been wearing a red kimono at the time.

Then, as Amelia sleeps, Adam goes downstairs. He has turns off the generator on purpose, but lets Amelia believe that it's a power outage. He thinks about how jealous and suspicious Amelia is all the time and feels frustrated. He knows that he has cheated before, but so has Amelia.

In flashbacks told through the letters, the letters talk about how by their third anniversary, Adam's work has increasingly strained their marriage, with Adam penning more Henry Winter adaptations. Adam also jumps at any opportunity to spend time with Henry, even when it means cancelling on plans. They're also having trouble conceiving. When there starts to be interest in finally turning Rock Paper Scissors into a movie, that becomes Adam's first priority. There's a brief issue with jealousy over Adam spending time with the beautiful lead actress, October O'Brien, but that is resolved. Eventually, however, the project gets shelved after October commits suicide.

In present day, with the power out and the trip going poorly in general, they decide to leave the next morning. Unknown to them, Robin has been sneaking around the chapel. She has overheard them saying they were planning on leaving, but knows she won't let that happen. The next morning, Amelia and Adam get ready to go only to find that Bob is missing and their tires have been slashed. As they look for Bob, they find Robin's cabin. They try knocking but she doesn't answer. Adam gets a glimpse of her inside, but she quickly shuts all the curtains.

Back at the chapel, Adam and Amelia find a brochure talking about how Blackwater Chapel used to be used as a prison for people being accused of witchcraft and how there are still rumors about ghosts. Then, they find a secret room, which Adam recognizes. He realizes that he saw a picture of Henry Winter there once -- this room is his study and this property belongs to Henry. Adam has been out of touch with Henry lately. Adam told him he was going to work on his own stuff instead of adapting more of Henry's books and never heard from him again. Then, outside they find Henry's gravestone. It shows that he's been dead since 2018 -- two years ago.

Switching to Robin's point-of-view, she narrates that Henry is her father and reached out to her before he died. Robin says that Henry made up everything about the ghosts and whatnot at Blackwater to keep people away. They had a bad relationship, but he had asked her to sort out his will before he passed away. Henry had been a bully, and Robin believes he killed her mother (who drowned in a bathtub). He even wrote a book where a man kills his wife in a bathtub. Later, Robin wrote a story in school about a writer who commits crimes and then writes about them, and Henry retaliated by cutting off her hair. As a result, Robin has refused to touch any of the money he left her -- except for using some money to prepare of Adam and Amelia's arrival.

In the letters, we learn that on what would have been their 10th anniversary, Adam was caught cheating with her best friend from work.

In present day, Adam and Amelia notice some photos have been added on the walls. Amelia realizes that there's a photo of Adam on his wedding day with Henry in the background. It's him with his first wife, Robin. (This is the first big plot twist -- the letters were written by Robin, not Amelia. Robin and Adam were married for nearly ten years. He cheated on her with her best friend from work, Amelia. After the divorce, he married Amelia.)

Today is what would have been their 11th anniversary. Robin writes another letter to Adam, explaining how her father had hired a private investigator, Samuel Smith, to keep tabs on her and Adam. Through his research, she learned that Amelia is actually the person who was in the car that killed Adam's mother.

In present day, Robin locks them inside and slips an envelope with the letters she's written under the door. Adam reads the letters and confronts Amelia with this information. Amelia seems frantic and comes at him with a knife, but Robin attacks her with a pair of scissors. Adam and Robin end up getting back together. Adam then narrates the truth about what really happened regarding his mother's death. Amelia had been an old girlfriend of his and they'd been in the car together. She distracted him as he was driving, and he was the one who hit and killed his mother. Amelia then drove off.

Later, Sam Smith (the private investigator) hasn't heard from Henry in some time and goes looking for him at Blackwater. According to Henry, Robin had been a troubled child who had an overactive imagination. When he disciplined her for it once, she cut off her own hair. Sam finds Henry's grave, and he thinks he hears someone whispering his name. When he finds a sapphire ring (a ring Adam gave to Robin and then later Amelia) with a ring finger (presumably Amelia's from when Robin attacked her) still attached, Sam runs away from Blackwater.

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Section-by-Section Summary

(The section headings aren’t in the book, I added them to make this summary easier to navigate.)

In February 2020, Amelia is in the car with her husband Adam Wright , on their way to a weekend getaway in Scotland. Their marriage counselor Pamela had suggested the trip, so they could try to revive their struggling marriage. Their large black Labrador, Bob , is with them, too.

Adam is a screenwriter. When he was 21, he sold the rights to his first screenplay, Rock Paper Scissors . He’s known for adapting little-known books into blockbusters. Rock Paper Scissors is the only screenplay of Adam’s that has never become a film. It’s a “dark and twisted love story about a man who writes a letter to his wife every year on their anniversary, even after she dies”.

(The book is interspersed with letters that written to Adam on their anniversary, but never given to him, inspired by his Rock Paper Scissors screenplay.)

Adam has a neurological disorder called prosopagnosia where he’s unable to recognize distinguishing features, even for familiar faces. This means he cannot recognize Amelia’s or other people’s faces. He doesn’t like to tell people about his condition.

Neither of them have any family. Adam’s father left when he was young, and his mother passed away when he was in school. Amelia was an orphan. Her parents died in an accident on their way to the hospital when her mother was in labor.

In a letter written in 2007, she writes about Bob. She works at a dog shelter, Battersea Dogs Home . She had wanted to adopt one of the puppies that was found in a discarded shoe box, but Adam had said no. Instead, Adam adopted the dog for them and used the opportunity to propose, giving her his mother’s sapphire engagement ring.

In present day, Amelia nearly hits a stag, and they get into an argument. Adam says he was too busy and this trip to Scotland was a mistake. Adam is also grumpy because he doesn’t have his phone with him. (Amelia purposely hid this morning to teach him a lesson, though she doesn’t know he saw her do it). They eventually arrive at Blackwater Chapel , an old church where they’ll be staying. Amelia won the weekend trip at Blackwater in a work raffle.

In a letter written on their first Anniversary (February 28, 2009), it talks about them getting married a year ago on leap day and them going to Scotland on their honeymoon. This morning, she has informed Adam that the agent of his favorite author, Henry Winter , has passed away. Adam has always wanted to adapt Winter’s work, and she wonders if perhaps his agent was the one keeping Winter from agreeing to adaptations. Today, as an anniversary gift, she gives him a origami paper bird for good luck, since he is very superstitious. Later that day, Adam reports that Winter has agreed to allow him to adapt his work. What Adam doesn’t know about is the crucial role she played in getting Winter to agree to the adaptation.

In present day, at Blackwater, the doors initially appear to be locked, but after they look around and return to the front doors, they are wide open. Once the inside, Amelia sees someone has drawn a smiley face in the dust on a church bench. As they bring their luggage inside, Amelia is unhappy when she sees Adam has his laptop with him, since he’d promised he wouldn’t work this weekend. Amelia has always felt that there are three in their relationship — him, her and his writing.

In the kitchen, they find an unsigned note welcoming them to the place. Amelia says the only person she’s interacted with from Blackwater is the housekeeper, who sent her the directions to the place via e-mail. As Amelia explores the house, she finds a pantry filled with tools instead of food. In the corner is a huge freezer filled with home-made frozen meals. The floor is covered with huge slabs that turn out to be old tombstones. There is also a trapdoor that leads to the crypt, which is where the wine is stored.

After dinner, Adam and Amelia both reflect on their relationship, and Adam pulls out his lucky origami crane which he keeps with him. By now, Adam has adapted three of Winter’s books, and Henry eventually became like a father figure to him. However, Adam hasn’t spoken to Henry Winter in a long time, and he doesn’t want to talk to Amelia about what happened. He’s also bitter that Amelia used to care about his work, but doesn’t seem to anymore.

In a letter written on their second Anniversary (February 28, 2010), it talks about how Adam’s work is going well since the Henry Winter adaptation, but his success has been bad for their relationship. They have little time together, and they don’t have the baby she’d been hoping for. Still, for their anniversary, Adam surprises her with a house he has bought for them.

In present day, Amelia grows moody and unhappy as they chat, and she tosses his origami crane into the fire. Adam dives to retrieve it, but the crane is singed. Amelia apologizes, and they start to argue about their relationship.

To Amelia’s delight, Adam suddenly kisses her. However, Amelia then screams when she notices a face in a stained glass window. Adam comforts her, and he reassures her it was nothing. He checks outside, but sees only sheep. Adam then locks the front door, and Amelia wonders where he found the key which she hadn’t seen before.

In a letter written on their third Anniversary (February 28, 2011), it talks about how she has started going with Adam to fancy parties to help him identify people who are talking to him (since he can’t recognize their faces). She knows Adam wanted to go to a party today, despite it being their anniversary, because Henry Winter would be there, but she purposely neglects to tell him when she notices Henry trying to get his attention during the party.

In present day, the point of view shifts to Robin , a woman who lives in a cottage near Blackwater Chapel. The narration reveals that she was the one who opened the doors for Amelia and Adam, as well as being the face that Amelia saw. Robin lives a life of solitude out there, venturing out to the town of Hollowgrove once a month for supplies. The cottage had been her mother’s, now hers. The power goes out frequently due to the storms.

Meanwhile, Amelia goes down to the crypt to fetch a bottle of wine, but gets stuck in the crypt when the trapdoor slams shut and the lights go out. She has difficulty breathing as her asthma kicks in. She notices scratches on the walls. Adam says that he thinks the power has just cut out, and he goes to find her inhaler. She’s unable to find the stairs, so he goes down instead. Just then, the power comes back on, and Amelia holds him in relief.

Afterwards, they head for the bedroom. Strangely, the bed has the exact same pillows and blankets as theirs at home and the walls are painted in the exact same color. Amelia is weirded out, but Adam points out that she copied their bedroom based on a picture from a catalogue and perhaps they did the same. Everything in there is new and spotless, unlike the dusty worn feeling of the rest of the chapel.

Amelia goes into the bathroom to change into something sexy, but when she emerges, Adam is not there. Instead, he’s outside exploring. He saw a “DANGER KEEP OUT” sign and followed it through a narrow staircase. He ends up in the bell tower. He pulls out his phone (which he retrieved after Amelia hid it this morning).

He thinks about how Amelia has been behaving strangely. She had him sign off on a life insurance policy in his name when she thought he was drunk a few weeks ago. He also knows he’s not “blameless” since he has cheated on Amelia before, but he knows Amelia has cheated before as well.

Amelia finds Adam in the bell tower. As they talk, a cloud of bats fly out of the bell and nearly knock Adam out of the tower. Amelia is paralyzed with fear for a moment, but manages to recover in time to save Adam. However, Adam thinks to himself that Amelia almost let him fall to his death.

That night, Adam has a dream that he’s had similar versions of many times before. He dreams that they’ve left the chapel, and as Amelia drives them back in the rain, things seem strange as if they’re “stuck in a loop”. Then, a woman in a red kimono on appears in the road. Amelia is unable to stop in time and hits her.

When Amelia rouses him from his dream, she reminds him there is no woman in the red kimono. Instead, she urges him to write down what he can remember. They both know that the nightmare is really some version of a memory from the night his mother died when he was 13, with his mother being the one in the accident. It had been raining and nd had been out walking their dog. She was dressed in a red kimono because that was the outfit she wore when her various male “friends” stayed over. She also used to love wearing her red lipstick. She was a nurse. Due to his condition, Adam wasn’t able to see recognize the driver of the car that hit his mother, and it still haunts him.

In a letter written on their fourth Anniversary (February 29, 2012), it talks about what a difficult year it has been. She’s has been going through a second round of IVF while feeling increasingly alone since Adam is so busy. There’s a producer interested in possibly making Rock Paper Scissors into a movie, so that has automatically become his first priority. Today, she got the news that she’s pregnant, but Adam missed the appointment and wasn’t there for it. They celebrated later that night, but by that time she’d already miscarried.

In present day, Amelia and Adam go back to sleep, but Amelia is awoken by a noise downstairs. Unbeknownst to her, Robin has snuck into the chapel. Robin remembers Adam from when he was a boy, and she knows about his mother’s accident.

Adam eventually finds Amelia hiding in the bathroom in fear. He claims he was also awoken by the noise. He says he went downstairs but didn’t find anything. They also determine that the power is out again — the chapel has a backup generator but it doesn’t seem to be working — and now there’s no water, which they assume is because the pipes are frozen.

Adam suggests that Amelia take a sleeping pill and go back to sleep. He says they should just head back first thing tomorrow. Amelia warily agrees. She also notices that the grandfather clock in the room has stopped at just after 8, but she’s confused because she thought she heard it chiming at midnight. Unsure what to make of it, she goes to bed.

Meanwhile, Adam merely pretends to be asleep and heads back downstairs. He’s the one who has purposely shut off the power to the chapel and how he purposely trapped her in the crypt. He thinks about how he no longer believes in love and how Bob isn’t “unforgiving and suspicious” the way that Amelia is. He thinks about how Amelia threw away his running shoes because she assumed that him trying to get in shape was a sign that he was going to cheat on her. He then thinks about the various secrets he keeps, like how he slips sleeping pills in her drinks before bedtime occasionally.

In a letter written on their fifth Anniversary (February 28, 2013), it talks about how jealous she’s been acting lately. Last week, they got into a big fight after he told her about how he’d had drinks and dinner with October O’Brien , a beautiful young actress who was interested in being in the Rock Paper Scissors movie. On their anniversary, Adam says he has to work, but she finds him in their home with October instead. October claims she was there to help Adam cook an anniversary dinner for her as a surprise. She feels bad for doubting him, and the three of them end up spending the evening together.

In present day, Robin waits until Adam is back upstairs, relieved to not have been caught. She sneaks into the secret room of the chapel, which is hidden behind the library. She pulls out her favorite red lipstick. She has overheard their plan to leave tomorrow, but she has no intentions of letting that happen.

When Amelia awakes, she realizes Bob is missing and wakes Adam. They search the entire place looking for Bob to no avail. As he’s searching, Adam pulls out his cell phone and Amelia realizes he was lying when he said he didn’t have it. In the process of searching, Adam finds a drawer filled with news clippings about October O’Brien and a pamphlet that recites the history of Blackwater Chapel that hadn’t been there before. It describes how Blackwater Chapel had once been used as a Witches’ Prison (a place to imprison people accused of witchcraft before burning them at the stake) with the prisoners being kept in the crypt.

Unable to find Bob indoors, they begin searching outdoors. Outside, they find a small graveyard and an area where clawfoot bathtubs are being used as large planters. Nearby, they find a small cottage with a car parked outside. The chimney is smoking, but when they knock, no one answers. Adam peeks inside and sees the woman with a rabbit on her lap and the candles everywhere.

Inside, Robin closes all the curtains and feels distressed by Adam’s intrusion into her cottage. Nowadays, the only visitors she’s used to are Patrick (the postman) and Ewan (a local farmer). Outside, Amelia and Adam talk about her, not knowing Robin can hear what they’re saying. Finally, they decide to leave her a note taking about their missing dog, offering a reward for his return and leave.

Watching them go, Robin knows what happened to Bob since she’s the one who took him.

In a letter written on their sixth Anniversary (February 28, 2014), it talks about how things are going well for Adam. Adam is adapting another one of Henry Winter’s books, and Rock Paper Scissors is in pre-production. October’s involvement has brought in other A-list talent. They’re spending this anniversary at October’s French villa while October is out of town. They have a lovely getaway. As an anniversary gift, she gives Adam an iron key. When he asks what it opens, she replies that it’s a secret.

In present day, Adam thinks about how seeing the woman in the cottage triggered a strange feeling of déjà vu. As they head back to the chapel, it starts to hail. From far away, Adam thinks he sees someone enter the chapel through the front doors. He breaks out into a run down the hill, though Amelia is unable to keep up.

After letting herself in the chapel, Robin goes into their bedroom. She empties the shampoo bottle down the drain. She takes the origami bird from Adam’s wallet. She also takes the prescription sleeping pills from the room. Finally, she takes Amelia’s inhaler, releasing its contents and taking it with her.

When Amelia finally makes it to the chapel, she looks for her inhaler, but it’s gone. Meanwhile, Adam has located the secret room behind the library. Adam says that someone was here. He also says he’s starting to remember this place and recognizes the secret room, which he once saw in a magazine.

In a letter written on their seventh Anniversary (February 28, 2015), it talks about how a few months ago October was found dead, having overdosed on alcohol and pills in an apparent suicide. At the funeral, they learned her real name was Rainbow O’Brien . This anniversary, they are in New York for the premiere of the newest Henry Winter adaptation. Adam spends the whole time hanging out with Henry. They meet for dinner and get into an argument, with Adam saying that she needs a life of her own and her saying he’s too obsessed with Henry Winter. She also says that he seems to be prioritizing Henry’s writing over his own nowadays.

In present day, Robin lies in wait as Adam and Amelia look around the secret room, the door to which Robin purposely left open for them to find. Adam says this property belongs to Henry Winter, and that this room is where Henry writes. Finally, Adam tells Amelia that Henry became upset with him when he told Henry a while back that he no longer wanted to adapt Henry’s novels. He hadn’t told Amelia since he didn’t want to admit that she was right about Henry, that he was selfish.

They hear the sound of Bob barking and soon run outside, but then it stops. Outside, they find a snowman dressed up as Henry Winter, which they are certain was not there before. Then, they find Bob’s collar resting on a gravestone that has been wiped clean. The gravestone belongs to Henry Winter, who apparently passed away in 2018 (two years ago).

Going back inside, Amelia notices her inhaler in her pocket again. Adam asks to see the e-mail she’d initially been sent regarding Blackwater Chapel. It was sent from [email protected]. Adam remarks that Henry “had a thing” about the number 3 and the color black. Adam also says that Henry’s agent mentioned that Henry had sent in a manuscript back in September, but according to the gravestone Henry would’ve been dead by then. Adam also notes that Henry’s headstone mentioned that he was the “father of one”.

They go to check on the car to dig it out of the snow so they can go to the police to ask for help regarding Bob and then get out of there. However, they soon discover that all the tires of the car have been slashed.

Back at the cottage, Robin has Bob with her. She thinks back to when Henry was dying and had asked her to come help him. She’d met him at the hospital. He left against medical advice, and she had taken him back to the chapel. She saw he had a pet rabbit, which he said was named Robin. He had told her that he was halfway though his last novel, but was unlikely to be able to finish it. They talk about how Henry had made up the stories about Blackwater being a Witches’ Prison to keep people away.

When Robin had stepped away for a moment, she had returned to find him dead. On his desk was his will and a list of instructions. Robin, however, ended up ignoring much of his instruction. She didn’t tell anyone that he had died. She also didn’t touch any of the considerable amounts of money that he’d left her — except for buying some stuff in preparation of Adam and Amelia’s arrival.

In a letter written on their eighth Anniversary (February 29, 2016), it talks about how she’s thinking about leaving Adam. She has a work friend who makes her feel seen, unlike with him. With Adam busy working and her unsure about their marriage, they didn’t end up celebrating their anniversary that year. She gives him a bronze statue of rabbit as a gift, and he gives her a bronze compass.

In present day, Adam and Amelia search the secret room. Adams finds a small bronze rabbit in the desk drawer which he recognizes and finds his origami bird in another. He also finds an antique key and another drawer filled with copper pennies with smiley faces carved into them.

In a letter written on their ninth Anniversary (February 28, 2017), she writes about how she’s been wanting to suggest marriage counseling to Adam. They celebrated their anniversary at home this year. Her friend from work showed up unexpectedly, after having a bad date. Her friend had apparently had a makeover for her date, and now the two friends look very similar. After the friend leaves, Adam remarks that the friend seems to have an “actress” quality about her. After having spent the night listening to the friend’s miserable stories about single life, they each talk about how they love each other.

Seeing all the anniversary gifts gathered here, Adam accuses Amelia of being a part of whatever is going on here. Amelia denies it. They start inspecting the photos in the study, including three that seem to have been added recently. However, they first notice an open door. Inside is a child’s room, covered in dust. There’s a Jack-in-the-Box toy in the room too, but the word “Jack” has been crossed out and replaced with the name “Adam”.

In a letter written on their tenth Anniversary (February 28, 2018), it talks about writes about how today should be their anniversary, but isn’t. The day before their anniversary, Adam had seen an interview that Henry did where he disparaged Adam’s work. He’d been upset. The next day, she’d left work early to surprise him — only to find Adam in bed with her friend from work. Adam had claimed that he thought she was her. He begged for a chance to try to fix things.

In present day, Amelia points out a photo to Adam. It’s of Adam on his wedding day. Henry is in the background. Amelia then tells him that the woman in the photo isn’t her. It’s photo of him marrying his first wife, Robin, who is Henry’s daughter. (Amelia is Robin’s friend from work.) At first, Adam doesn’t believe that his ex-wife could be Henry’s daughter, but then he thinks about how Robin never wanted to talk about her family and how Henry’s gravestone mentioned he had a child.

(This is the big twist in the novel. All the letters were written by Robin, not Amelia. Amelia is the friend from work who later became Adam’s second wife.)

Back in 2018, after learning of Adam’s infidelity, Robin had left Adam. Robin thinks bitterly of how she’d been kind to Amelia at work, but Amelia had stabbed her in the back by going after her husband. Robin regrets leaving Bob behind. Around that time is when Henry had reached out, saying he was dying and asking for help.

Robin’s mother died by drowning in a claw-foot bath. Robin has always believed that Henry was responsible. He even wrote a book later about a man killing his wife in the bathtub. When Robin wrote a story in school about a novelist who committed murders and then wrote about it, she got in trouble and Henry cut off her hair. Robin also always resented Henry for wanting to solve things with money, which is why she refuses to use the money he left her. Robin is the one who completed her father’s book (not for his sake, but because she likes writing and Henry always doubted her abilities) and submitted it to his agent. She felt vindicated when the agent readily accepted it.

One of the things Robin took with her before leaving Adam was her box of anniversary letters. Even after things ended, she continued to write them:

In a letter written on (what would have been) their eleventh Anniversary (February 28, 2019), Robin writes about living in a Scottish cottage while he’s in London with Amelia now. Robin and Adam are recently divorced by now. She writes about how she was the one who asked her father to let Adam adapt one of his books. Robin had hoped Adam would use that opportunity to open doors to write his own stories, but instead Adam’s career ended up being defined by Henry’s writing. Meanwhile, Robin knows he was using Adam to get to her. In the letter, Robin talks about how she’s now writing a new book.

In present day, Amelia thinks about how her situation looks bad (marrying her friend’s ex-husband), but she thinks their marriage was over long before she showed up. Robin had always been complaining about him at work. Amelia and Adam got married right after his divorce from Robin was finalized.

Amelia tells Adam that they should just grab their stuff and leave, and he doesn’t say much since he still seems to be in shock that this all turned out to be some type of revenge plot by Robin. However, as they go back into their bedroom, they see there’s a red, silk kimono laid out on the bed, and on the mirror the words “ROCK PAPER SCISSORS” has been scrawled in red lipstick.

In a letter written in present day and on (what would have been) their twelfth Anniversary (February 29, 2020), Robin writes that she has completed the “ROCK PAPER SCISSORS” book, about “a couple who have been married for ten years. Every anniversary they exchange traditional gifts – paper, copper, tin – and each year the wife writes her husband a letter that she never lets him read”. The couple goes on a weekend getaway to save their troubled marriage “but things aren’t what or who they seem” (basically, it’s the plot of this book). She plans to submit the book to Henry’s agent so Adam can finally see some version of his beloved story on film, but only if he ends things with Amelia.

Robin also writes about how Henry had hired a private investigator named Samuel Smith to keep tabs on them. It wasn’t a coincidence that she started working with Robin and starting asking questions about Adam. Samuel learned that Amelia and Adam’s paths crossed thirty years ago. Amelia was the one who the police suspected had been in the car that hit Adam’s mother in that hit-and-run. She got away because Adam couldn’t pick her out of the line-up. Robin doesn’t know why Amelia decided to get close to Adam once again.

In present day, Adam admits that he was the one who turned the generator off because he thought that if there was no power, Amelia would give up on this weekend and they could go home early. They decide to leave, but they realize they are locked in. Then, an envelope with Adam’s name on it slides under the door. Inside are Robin’s letters.

Adam reads the letters and feels sick after learning that Amelia is the one who killed his mother. He thinks about how Robin had been the love of his life and everything Amelia was one big mistake. He then confronts Amelia with the information that he’s learned. Amelia starts having trouble breathing. Suddenly she reaches for a knife and starts coming towards him, but then Robin comes towards her with a pair of sharp scissors.

Flashing forwards, in a letter written six months later (September 16, 2020), Robin and Adam are now back together. She talks about how no one will ever know what happened to Amelia. Her book version of Rock Paper Scissors has now been published (under Henry’s name), and Adam will be adapting it for the screen.

Meanwhile, Adam’s nightmare about his mother have finally stopped now that he has some closure. He still feels guilty that his mother had been out walking his dog when she died. He also recalls what really happened. At 13, Adam had met a girl who lived nearby (Amelia). She was his first kiss. She taught him to steal a car and how to drive it. The night his mother died, he had been driving with Amelia when she had placed her hand on his crotch, distracting him. Adam was the one driving when the car hit his mother. After the accident, she had pushed him out and driven off.

(This is the second big twist in the novel. Adam was the one driving in the car that hit his mother. Amelia had been with him and drove the car away.)

The book then switches to the point-of-view of Samuel Smith (the private investigator). He recalls being hired by Henry to follow Robin and Adam. Henry had told him about Robin. Robin’s mother had been a romance novelist who died when Robin was 8. Robin had an overactive imagination and told stories that sometimes got her in trouble. When Henry got mad at her for it once, Robin cut off her own hair. When she was 18, Robin ran away. He didn’t hear from her again until she asked for help regarding Adam. Henry had always liked Adam.

Two years after Sam had stopped hearing from Henry, he went looking for him. He ends up at Blackwater Chapel. He thinks he can hear someone whisper his name. He finds Henry’s grave. The epitaph has been altered to read: “ FATHER KILLER OF ONE, AUTHOR OF MANY.” Nearby, there’s a box of trinkets. It contains a paper crane, a vintage key and finally a sapphire engagement ring with a human finger still attached to it.

The book ends with Sam running away from Blackwater.

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Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Wow, I haven’t read a book with this many satisfying twists in a long time! Rock Paper Scissors is a clever mystery about a couple whose marriage is in big trouble. We first meet Adam and Amelia and their dog, Bob in 2020 as they travel by car from London to Blackwater Loch in the Scottish Highlands for a weekend meant to repair some serious tears in their relationship. Unfortunately, the weather is horrible and Amelia’s ancient car can barely manage the snow and ice. And it’s no better when they arrive at an isolated and equally ancient stone chapel that has been converted to we’re not sure what…a bed and breakfast for just one party? The place is covered in dust, clearly neglected. A cryptic message tells them they can find food in the freezer and to enjoy their stay! Think noises outside, a jumpy dog, roaming sheep, thick stone walls, cold floors, and darkness when the lights go out.

Interestingly, Adam suffers from a unique condition: prosopagnosia, or “face blindness.” He can’t see distinguishing features on faces, even his wife’s and including his own! That doesn’t just mean he can’t recognize other people. It also means he can’t read their emotions. You can bet this has made his life complicated.

The tension between Adam and Amelia indicates a history of deceit and bad feelings. To fill in the details, the author includes letters to Adam, written on each wedding anniversary, beginning in 2007. Here we learn about Adam’s career as a screenplay writer, which takes off when famous mystery/thriller author Henry Winter signs Adam on to convert his novels to movies. The money is good, but Adam yearns to see his own screenplay, Rock Paper Scissors made into a movie. Meanwhile, there’s tension over his wife’s career at a dog shelter. Shouldn’t she just help Adam? Is her job less important? That’s how she feels. The author also fills us in on her characters’ tragic and lonely childhoods, helping to explain why they act the way they do.

As expected, strange things happen at the Blackwater Chapel. Someone else is in the village and she’s messing with them. What can she want?

No spoilers here, but expect a lot of suspense and crazy plot twists, right until the end. I read this book for my mystery book club and we all agreed it was a great read, worthy of a re-read, just to be able to pick up on the clues the second time around. Believe me, you won’t be able to do that with a first read.

I recommend Rock Paper Scissors to readers who like a good suspenseful mystery and who are willing to suspend disbelief for a bit. I recently read one of Feeney’s more recent books, Daisy Darker (read my review here ) and was pleased that I enjoyed this one just as much.

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43 thoughts on “ Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney ”

I know I’ve read this book – but for the life of me, I can’t remember anything but the beginning!

Like Liked by 1 person

Haha – that happens! Thanks for stopping by, Noelle 🙂

ooh, I want to read this

Definitely a good one!

Excellent review, Barbara.

Thank you, John – I appreciate the visit 🙂

This book sounds intriguing–and, interestingly, an endorsement from Read Simple on the cover. Ha!

Oh that’s interesting! Not exactly a simple plot – haha. Thanks for reading and commenting, Marian. How’s the weather in FLA these days? Today we hit the 60s for the first time in a while. 🙂

Over 70 degrees today!

Whew! That couple has a lot going on, even before the creepy getaway accomodations.

Like Liked by 2 people

Yes! A LOT is going on for sure. Thanks for stopping by, Liz 🙂

You’re welcome, Barbara. 🙂

Thank you for another excellent, honest review, Barbara!

Hi Donna! And thank YOU for stopping by 🙂

Downloaded it just now. Thanks for the review.

Oh nice! I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the visit, Anneli 🙂

I adored this book. Great review!

Thanks, Kelly. I thought it was very clever!

Thanks for the review, Barbara. Sounds like a good one!

I definitely enjoyed it – thanks, Lynette!

You had me at the title.

A lot of clever tie-ins to that. Thanks, Betsy 🙂

A most enticing review

Thanks, Derrick 🙂

Great review, Barbara. Emotional mysteries can be involving, and it certainly sounds like this one is.

Definitely – thanks, Tim!

Sounds like a very good read! Thanks for the review 😊

I defnintely enjoyed it – thanks for the visit, Belinda!

Just what I need as I’m stuck indoors! Thanks, Barbara 🙂

Always good to have something to read when that happens. Hope all is well with you.

I’m fine, thanks 🙂

Thanks for the recommendation, Barbara. 🙂

You’re very welcome, Jennifer. Thank you for stopping by – any signs of spring up there? My bulbs are coming up 🙂

Well, that’s a good sign, for sure. It has gotten a bit warmer here. 🙂

Change is on the way! 💐

HI Barbara, this sounds very good. I’ve read other excellent reviews of it too.

Oh that’s good! I like a good suspenseful and entertaining mystery/thriller. Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂

Great review. I finished this book not too long ago. Better than I expected.

Yes, I agree – I’m sometimes skeptical of this genre, but I gravitate to it all the time! Thanks for the visit 🙂

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Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Rock Paper Scissors is her fourth novel. She has been wildly successful. As per Variety, the producer of The Crown will be transforming Rock Paper Scissors into a Netflix mini-series. Interviews-----Washington Independent - Author Q&A - An Interview with Alice Feeney by Adriana Delgado - from 2018 - on her planning and unreliable narrators
Book Review: ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Alice Feeney
A domestic suspense novel with a twisty plot and a cinematic setting. A couple's anniversary getaway in Scotland turns dark and dangerous when they discover someone doesn't want them to live happily ever after.
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS
This complicated gothic thriller of dueling spouses and homicidal writers is cleverly plotted and neatly tied up. 8. Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021. ISBN: 978-1-250-26610-1. Page Count: 304. Publisher: Flatiron Books. Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021. Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021. Categories:
Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Rock Paper Scissors is a fast-paced and easily readable psychological-thriller-slash-mystery. Through most of the book, it's never quite clear who you can believe or trust or even if there's perhaps a paranormal aspect to the story. All of that makes it more fun as the story starts hitting you with plot twists near the end.
Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney. Given all the 5-star reviews, I'm clearly in the minority here. At least the first third of Rock Paper Scissors is painfully slow, making this thriller less thrilling than I'd hoped.
Book review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
My review: If you are looking for a slow build and equally intense thriller, Alice Feeney's books are for you and Rock Paper Scissors is no exception. Set in an eerie chapel in a small town in Scotland, it already seems promising before the main characters and background are introduced. Once Adam and Amelia's relationship is revealed to be ...
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
by Jen | Books on the 7:47. August 9, 2021. I picked up Rock Paper Scissors on a rainy Sunday and couldn't stop reading. Literally. This was a one day read for me; an indication of just how addictive this psychological thriller is! It falls into the domestic noir sub-cat as it explores the secrets and lies of Adam and Amelia's marriage.
Rock Paper Scissors
A workaholic screenwriter, he catapulted to fame when he adapted a book by his favorite author, Henry Winter, a notorious recluse. But in recent years, Adam has struggled to find the same acclaim, and with his own screenplay, Rock Paper Scissors, collecting dust in his desk, he has grown cranky and short-tempered. Desperate to save their ...
Rock Paper Scissors Book Review
Good ones, too. Rock Paper Scissors is an atmospheric, quick read that'll keep you guessing until the end. Then you'll forget pretty much everything about it as you move on to your next thriller, but that's okay. I have a feeling that thought-starter grab bag has infinite ideas for Feeney and her psychological suspense-spewing cohort.
Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. I am always a fan of stories told through multiple perspectives and on shifting timelines, and with Rock Paper Scissors Alice Feeney reminds readers why she is often considered a master at this storytelling device! Adam and Amelia Wright both know there are significant problems in their marriage and ...
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
A book club guide for the psychological thriller Rock Paper Scissors, featuring letters, secrets, and a game of chance. Discuss the characters, the plot, the twists, and the illustrations with other readers.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney [Book Review]
Rock Paper Scissors is told from alternating points of view. Having viewpoints from both Adam and Amelia adds more to the story, plus letters written by Amelia on each of their anniversaries adds insight to their relationship. The novel starts slow, but it eventually picks up. Rock Paper Scissors is an atmospheric and twisty domestic thriller ...
Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney @alicewriterland
Rock Paper Scissors is her fourth novel and is being made into a TV series for Netflix by the producer of The Crown. It will be published around the world in 2021. Her debut novel, Sometimes I Lie, was an international bestseller, has been translated into over twenty languages, and is being made into a TV series by Warner Bros. starring Sarah ...
Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS | Alice Feeney 09.07.2021 | Flatiron Books Rating: 5/5 stars Things have been wrong with Mr. and Mrs. Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter, Adam Wright, has lived with face blindness…
Rock Paper Scissors
Book Review. Rock Paper Scissors is a wintery, atmospheric domestic thriller that will surprise you. At this point, I have read so many domestic thrillers that I am generally tired of them. However, this book proved to be different and refreshing for the subgenre.
Rock Paper Scissors, a review by Tanya
Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney. My Review: I read His and Hers last year and was floored by the twists in the book. I was really excited to pick up Feeney's latest to see if I would be as impressed by this one.
Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Rock Paper Scissors was the first book I've read by Alice Feeney, and I am now a big fan. I listened to this as an audiobook and absolutely loved every minute of it. Sometimes a book is even better in audio, and I think this was definitely the case here! The narration felt spot on, and I truly was envisioning every piece of the plot.
Rock Paper Scissors (novel)
Rock Paper Scissors is a 2021 psychological thriller novel by British author Alice Feeney.The plot follows a couple in an unhappy marriage who take a weekend holiday to a repurposed chapel the Scottish countryside.. In April 2021, Netflix announced that it would be releasing a six-part series based on the novel, to be produced by Suzanne Mackie.
Rock Paper Scissors: Recap & Summary
Book Reviews & Etc. ... 2020), Robin writes that she has completed the "ROCK PAPER SCISSORS" book, about "a couple who have been married for ten years. Every anniversary they exchange traditional gifts - paper, copper, tin - and each year the wife writes her husband a letter that she never lets him read". The couple goes on a ...
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
This is the second book I've read by her, and I loved them both. "Rock Paper Scissors" is very cleverly written and very atmospheric. The plot is complex and layered, but Alice Feeney's writing style, combined with the short chapters and multiple points of view, makes for incredible pacing and keeps everything easy to read.
Book Review: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
February 24, 2024 ~ Book Club Mom. Rock Paper Scissors. by. Alice Feeney. Wow, I haven't read a book with this many satisfying twists in a long time! Rock Paper Scissors is a clever mystery about a couple whose marriage is in big trouble. We first meet Adam and Amelia and their dog, Bob in 2020 as they travel by car from London to Blackwater ...
Book Review
48 likes, 4 comments - alexs_book_hoard on October 11, 2022: "#bookstagram #books #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #booklover #bookreview #alicefeeney #rockpaperscissors #botm #bookofthemonth #thriller #thrillerbooks Book Review - Rock Paper Scissors ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5) This was my first official Spooky Season read and it was a surprisingly enjoyable read!
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
14. Were you worried about Bob the dog? (Alice Feeney says she is owned by her black Labrador!) 15. It wouldn't be right if we didn't end with a quick game of rock paper scissors! Talk about how the game plays a part in the book, then play a quick round with whomever you're with right now.
Rock Paper Scissors (TV series)
Nickelodeon. Release. February 11, 2024. ( 2024-02-11) -. present. Rock Paper Scissors is an American animated comedy television series created by Kyle Stegina and Josh Lehrman for Nickelodeon. It premiered on February 11, 2024, airing after the network's alternate broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII.
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