The Ripples of Guilt by Angela Richmond is the life story of Helen Richards and covers a good portion of her life, both the present and the past. Helen made a good childhood friend in Kathy and when the two reconnect it is as if they were never apart. Kathy inspires Helen to take control of her life and actually live. Helen laments her marriage with a man who emotionally abused her and belittled her, her failing relationship with her daughter Ruby (who hates the therapy that she goes through), and the loss of another child that Helen blames herself for. This story is about past mistakes and forgiveness. Helen is seeking forgiveness from her daughter but also forgiveness for herself.

Helen is a fascinating character and it was fun to be in her head, hearing her ramblings as she explained her life. She was well written and had an authenticity that isn't easy to create, so for that I commend the author on a job well done. I liked how the chapter headings give the reader an explanation of what the chapter is about, from a counseling session to ruminations about the ex-husband to exotic holidays in foreign countries. I also liked that it stated the place and the date because that helped me as a reader understand where the story was physically as well as what time frame it was in. I found this story interesting and intriguing.

The Ripples of Guilt by author Angela Richmond follows the difficult story of Helen Richards. Helen, a woman trapped in an abusive marriage, reconnects with a friend from her childhood, Kathy, through social media. Where once Helen stayed with her husband for the sake of her children, her rekindled friendship with Kathy gives her the courage to start living her life for herself. But it's not just her husband that she leaves behind. Some of the choices that she makes also affect her children, and her focus on living for herself causes heartache amongst those that she loves. The Ripples of Guilt is a book with an interesting and fast moving story, with situations that most readers won't see coming.

I thought that The Ripples of Guilt was certainly a good read. I read a lot, and many of things that Helen went through were not things that I would have anticipated, which surprised me. Angela Richmond has chosen a first person narrative style for the book, and the style is effective in portraying Helen's thoughts and emotions through the book quite clearly. This book is relatively short, and most readers will be easily able read it in one sitting. I think this book would most appeal to women who love fiction with a focus on realistic and personal stories of other women, and women with flaws at that. Author Angela Richmond has a unique voice in this genre, and I hope to read more from this promising author in the future.

In an intriguing new tale by undiscovered author Angela Richmond, The Ripples of Guilt tells a story that is unfortunately all too common. Protagonist Helen Richards, a woman living in a abusive relationship, reconnects with her girlhood friend Kathy through the internet. Needing a connection with a friend who supports her, Helen is able to look at Kathy's life as an example, and makes some major changes in her own life. Readers may be surprised to see some of the choices Helen makes and the story certainly takes a number of interesting twists and turns that aren't something one would predict. Readers will find themselves sucked into this story and won't be able to put the book down until they've read to the very end.

I enjoyed The Ripples of Guilt very much. It's a short read and easy to get through in a single sitting, which is a good thing as readers will certainly want to finish this intriguing story. Author Angela Richmond has done a great job in writing a surprising and fast paced narrative with characters that don't necessarily do what a reader would expect them to. Readers might not always like the choices that Helen makes, but they will certainly keep reading to find out what she will do next. I am happy to recommend this book to readers that enjoy a fictional story with an intriguing female lead. I certainly hope that author Angela Richmond is working on her next book as we speak. I, for one, would be very interested to see where this promising author goes next.