You know how sometimes you read a psychological thriller and you have a fleeting thought about what is going on, but you dismiss it because you figure the author probably did not go there.
In this book, the author did go there.
However, the clues to the twist are so well hidden that I am not sure some readers will see them. I read a lot in this genre and (as I have mentioned) I like to challenge myself to see if I can outguess the author.
Anyway, this story starts with a forensic dig and then goes back in time roughly two months earlier. This is an effective way to tell the story because the reader knows something bad is going to happen (from the prologue).
But the author lays the detailed groundwork so that when the action reaches the point of the prologue, everything is clear.
Let me try to explain that better.
The first part of the book flows naturally. The story draws the reader in, but with the understanding that this “event” is going to eventually happen. And it does so in the natural course of the story.
And, as a reader wants in a psychological thriller, the reveal is nothing like what you think it might be. Well, maybe a little. But there are surprises for sure!
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I think Kate is a strong figure. She has a lot to deal with but maintains her kind nature throughout most of the story. She only slips a little at the end, which seemed out of character. But I chalk it up to the amount of stress she is dealing with at the time.
The author weaves a sub-plot (with direct bearing on the main plot) about foreign laborers that is both informative and pivotal. This is a unique perspective that I think is probably still quite accurate in real life.
There were a couple of moments that don’t ring exactly true to me, especially as secrets are revealed. A few incidents seem to be tossed off as part of the overall arc when I think they might have been more impactful.
Also, a couple of moments that were mentioned and then forgotten (a letter Kate receives goes nowhere). And the similarities between Kate, Donna, and Irene could be a little clearer.
Those are fairly nitpicky and minor in the overall arc of the story, however. I like that my theories changed over the course of the book, which means the author kept me guessing.
I will also say that the author has a talent for telling a story that is entirely plausible, but also, by the end of it, the reader feels like certain things should have been obvious. But they weren’t. I think that is smart writing.
It is a solid entry in the psychological thriller genre. I recommend it.
Other titles by the author
Instagram: klslaterauthor
Twitter: @KimLSlater
Author Bio:
For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents but never made it off the slush pile. At the age of 40, she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.
Before graduating, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’
Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.
