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Five stars are not enough; they just aren't.

I read No Way To Live, almost feverishly, desperate to finish, yet wanting to take it slow because the writing and the plot make for such a compelling read.

Where has this author been hiding and will she please write more? This is such an atmospheric, unnerving, even sweet read...not quite like, but still reminiscent of, Sarah Waters, Minette Walters and Ruth Rendell all rolled into one.

There is a slight, underlying kind of sinister feel to the tale. I always begin to feel a bit uneasy when I realize I'm relating a bit too much with the villain of a story...or, rather, the supposed villain of a story, as other people seem to think our main character Rose is.

Her life is more one of torment and bullying, both formerly by her classmates years ago and presently by her ailing, abusive mother, for whom she cares for day after day. The house they live in is rented out to a group of quirky, often troublesome, lodgers who also add to Rose's daily stress.

Rose's only escape is a hidden attic she has made into a studio where she both paints and dresses up in wigs and different outfits so that she can be someone else, if only for a few minutes at a time. This need and ability to transform herself into a fantasy character gives her a flash of courage to attend a small class reunion she has inexplicably been invited to, seemingly from out of nowhere.

At the event, wearing a brunette wig and gold dress way too fancy for the occasion, Rose overhears some of her classmates talking about her...using their old nickname for her..."Scissors Sharpe." One of the women expresses remorse over how they used to tease her so, but another member of the group says Rose "brought it on herself" by dressing oddly and being a quiet eavesdropper.

This is where my sympathy kicks in hard. Through brief flashbacks, both Rose's and others, we discover Rose's only real crime was not knowing how to fit in with her classmates...hardly an action worthy of the bullying she experienced in school.

I had to take a few minutes to breathe at this point and then return. Things truly begin to take off once one of the former bullies begins a friendship with Rose and, as an experienced professional in the field of nursing home care, tries to ease some of Rose's hardships with her mother.

There is a hint that Rose may be involved with some of the deaths sprinkled throughout Chrissie McDill's alarmingly addictive read. Neither romance nor mystery, it's more psychological suspense dabbling in heartache and sometimes even hope.

I spent the whole day cozied up with tea and finished not too long ago. No Way To Live is everything you could want and more. The twists and turns and emotional depth it takes on wrecked havoc with my heart and nerves...just a superb and beautiful read that has left me kind of speechless.