Sidney Sheldon’s The Tides of Memory audiobook

Alexia De Vere is Britain's new Home Secretary, which means she is universally hated, but when the secrets of her past start to catch up with her, it's not just her political reputation that's at risk. Admittedly, I was a little tentative going into this one, as I had just read one of Sidney Sheldon's older books, and I was afraid that I would not be excited by the characters. Boy oh boy was I wrong! Whereas the characterse seemed flat in my previous (one) experience with Sidney Sheldon's work, in "The Tides of Memory", the characters came alive and had new levels of depth! Tilly Bagshawe was able to maintain Sheldon's level of intensity, but take the characters to a whole new level for a doubly enjoyable piece of fiction.We begin with the announcement of Alexia's new position as Home Secretary, and then bounce back to the 1970's to a key moment in the life of a seemingly unrelated character: Billy Hamlin. We find that Billy Hamlin, deep in a seemingly schizophrenic obsession, has fixated on Alexia and her family. Meanwhile, other characters seem to be plotting against Alexia from the very onset of her appointment, including her boss and potentially her secretary. Then things begin to go very wrong for Alexia, beginning with the death of the family dog.The twists and turns in this story definitely kept me on the edge of my seat in a level of suspense I haven't felt in a long time. I even found myself wondering about the characters, how they were connected, and who was responsible for the various mysterious events that kept cropping up. It wasn't until the last 20 pages or so that it all began to fit together, yet it managed to never feel anti-climatic.The charactes had depth and feelings, too. None of them seemed to be particularly flat in any capacity, not even the minor characters. All the characters seemed to have an agenda, which added to the suspense, and made me second guess myself as I was trying to predict who was the real "bad guy". I think my personal favorite would have to be Sir Edward Manning, Alexia's personal secretary. Sir Edward is a fierce old queen who likes to use his power to have his way with the young guys on staff, but has the tables turned on him and finds himself in a situation where he needs to betray his boss or be outed, yet he seems to remain loyal to Alexia as much as possible. I would have loved to have seen more of him in the story. The only flaw I saw (besides a small number of grammatical errors that seem to be in every book these days) was that one or two of the side-stories seemed to fizzle out a bit. As we neared the end of the book (remember, it doesn't start to come together until the last 20 pages or so), some of the characters just seemed to disappear out of the storyline without their involvement being totally explained. Most notably, there's just one small line tossed our way to acknowledge why Alexia's boss was plotting against her. Overall, though, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good who-dunit story or a psychological thriller. Actually, I think I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good story! It has intense characters, killer suspense, and very visual descriptions, all of which suck you into the story.

Although this novel got off to quite a confusing start and at first I felt it lacked the page turning quality of a Sidney Sheldon novel, by the time I got to the end and pulled the threads together it had the twists and turns that sent Sheldon to the top. Several times it appeared that all of the threads had been unraveled but there was more and then more to come. Though the revelation and resolution somewhat implausible, it was an intriguing read and I kept tuned in wanting to know what happened next. I listened to the audio version. At first I did not care for the narrator which is an important part of enjoying the works of various authors. However, the story became a page turner after the fist quarter and I forgot about the voice. By the end, the voice seemed right.

"Tomorrow was once again another day."Tilly Bagshawe brilliantly captures the beloved fast paced story telling Sidney Sheldon was known for.Gripping till the last line.

Yes this book is amazing..finished it in mere 2 days over weekend..yes a big deal for me as it shows that I just can't keep the book down..!! This being my 2nd Sidney's work and now I am definitely addicted for some more. Hats-off to him for such an amazing, thrilling and well-written book.Looking forward to some more. :)

Although sold as a Sidney Sheldon book, Tides of memory is the brainchild of Tilly Bagshawe who has been entrusted by Mr Sheldon's family to continue his legacy. It is quite well crafted, with the thriller tone maintained till the very end. The weight of the final reveal is heavier than most of Mr. Sheldon's work, whose writing style is what the author is emulating. This was a very welcome change. The characters are developed very well and the spectrum of emotions displayed throughout the book is wide. The way Mr Sheldon's story have a happy ending is still maintained leaving one to yearn for a more realistic ending where fate does not always dance to the tune of our protagonist. The pacing of the book is comfortable as is with all of Mr Sheldon's book and is overall a very engaging read.

Sometimes. if you are a discerning reader, you will catch the signals, the presaging comments of the author. Sometimes authors presage results that never bear fruition. Not so in this novel. This book is written with flair, well edited, free from distractions, gives the reader characters which are whole, described in great detail in both physical characteristics and in their attitudes, philosophy, ways of living. Nothing mars this story if you trust the author to make good on her presaging. She does. The ending is Sheldonesque, exciting, explosive. Read on, and in this one you will enjoy.

Awesome as always with a Sidney Sheldon book!

Such a great storyline...LOVE TILLY!

This is a book about a great number of people and the intermingling of their lives. Each character is well-defined. The British political intrigues are interesting and different from American ones. Shelton's stories (book or mini-series) frequently focus on a strong a woman. This is not the exception. Alexia de Vere is a capable politican with a secret past. Her husband Teddy is not just arm candy. He loves his wife and knows how to support her in their private and public lives. Lots of twists & turns work out in the end. I can easily see this as a miniseries, probably with one of Sheldon's favorite stars like Jaclyn Smith.

A mystery cum thriller that continues to puzzle to the very end. Sheldon's characters cover all the bases: youthful love and exuberance, power, privelege and class, deceit, jealousy, and hatred all on two sides of the Atlantic. Most of the story takes place in England revolving around Alexia De Vere, wife of artistocrat Teddy De Vere who has been appionted to the powerful office of home secretary. What secrets is she hiding that could destroy everything. A good read that keeps you attention to the end.

It's remarkable how ruthless some people in powerful political positions can be. Politics in England is no exception. Alexia has no real friends except an American woman who was a neighbor . Secrets abound in this thriller. A good beach read.n

This book drew me in from the beginning. It was fast paced and kept me wondering until the end. It was a little hard to keep up with all the characters at first but I really enjoyed the story!

Awesome read.

Good book...lots of twists and turns..