5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.
In a Nutshell: Tense domestic thriller
What an excellent piece of writing this is - I was engrossed throughout. It concerns Genna and her husband Melchior, and their five month old baby, Jim, and begins with a tragic scene that doesn't immediately connect to the rest of the story. I love a prologue/first chapter that's a snapshot of an event in the past or one to come; done well, it means that the reader will keep turning the pages, eager to find out more, and this was executed very well indeed.
We realise early on that Genna is deeply affected by something in her past, to the extent that many of her security habits verge on OCD, but she's aware of her idiosyncrasies, and tries to keep a hold of herself. Her fear and anxiety is so very cleverly drawn. Intricate domestic details run through the whole book, but it's never boring, because the undercurrent of fear and possible danger is forever present. And just when you think she's imagining it...
Events take a turn for the worrying around halfway through, and it's real edge-of-your-seat stuff. Gripping. By the time the story was nearing its close, I suspected everyone of everything.
This is not a long book, it's either a long novella or a short novel, but it works perfectly for the length. It's part one of a continuing story that will be told in three books, and as such it does not wrap up neatly at the end. Suffice to say I'll be first in the queue for Book 2.
A great read, I highly recommend.
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