Oh my word! This author never, ever disappoints. In fact she gets better with each book that she writes, and this one is an absolutely gripping page-turner that I couldn’t put down.
After walking out on his girlfriend Naomi in the early days of the COVID lockdown, Sam moves back in with his beloved grandmother Joyce. Things go back to the way they were when Sam was much younger and when his gran had brought him up: just the two of them, in the beautiful large house with the lovely garden that taught him to love as much as she did. She’d never liked Naomi and had just been waiting for Sam to realize that she wasn’t right for him. Thank goodness he came to his senses, even though the entire experience had done huge damage to him emotionally and mentally.
But those lockdown days eventually ease, the world opens up again and one day when he’s out walking Sam is shocked when he’s sure he sees Naomi in the distance! As he gets closer, he realizes it’s definitely her, but he’s even more surprised to see that she’s got a pram with her and inside it is a little boy. They greet each other awkwardly. Their parting was far from amicable, and now they’re not sure how to deal with this unexpected meeting. So much time has passed and the world has been through so much. They exchange a few words and she tells him that the child belongs to a friend of hers. She’s just helping out by looking after him for a couple of hours. They go their separate ways, but Sam can’t get the little boy out of his head … can’t help wondering …
Sam calls Naomi and asks if they can meet. Immediately, Joyce can tell that something is up and she suspects that if Naomi is back in his life, bad things are sure to follow. But to her surprise, it seems that Sam is right and that Naomi truly has changed for the better. Maybe the future will not be bleak and they can plan for happier days. Joyce tentatively welcomes Naomi back into their lives, knowing that she’s not getting any younger and that Sam will need a family of his own when she’s no longer there.
As the story unfolds you just know that you shouldn’t be taking any of it at face value; you know that there’s more to all of it than meets the eye, but you won’t know what it is or when that punchline is going to smack you in the face! Boy oh boy … when it does, it’s a whammy!! The tension builds throughout, perfectly paced, and cleverly created through the part-narration by Miranda, Sam’s good friend and boss who is watching events unfold from the sidelines, helpless but wondering all the time if she should step in and say something, only she’s not sure what, because nothing seems to be wrong. But she still has the feeling (as we do) that we’re witnesses to a pending car wreck that we’d be unable to prevent!
The chapters are interspersed with letters from Naomi to Sam, and it’s obvious that these letters are only intended for ‘after’. But after what exactly? You might think you know how this is going to end and you may even get some of it right, but I guarantee that you won’t see all of what’s coming!
I’m really not at all sure how Susie Lynes manages to withhold so much information, while still creating an absolutely riveting, unputdownable read! This is a 5-star roller-coaster ride from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it if you like your thrillers taut, tense and gripping!
Thank you Bookouture for the Books on Tour …
Author Bio:
A former BBC Producer, S.E. Lynes has lived in France, Spain, Scotland and Italy and is now settled in Greater London. After completing her MA, she taught creative writing at Richmond Adult Community College for ten years. She now combines writing, mentoring and lecturing in Richmond Borough.
Author Social Media Links:
Website: susielynes.wixsite.com/website
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susie.lynes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SELynesAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susielynes/
Bookouture Email Sign Up: https://www.bookouture.com/se-lynes
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