Tess Stimson

This novel opens with the murder and two women are with the dead man. So, we know what happened, but not why or who is responsible. The rest of the novel provides the details through various voices, starting six weeks earlier.
No one is likable in this novel, and the husband, Andrew, is a creep and totally weak. I had a suspicion early on as to the murderer. When it was revealed, I was correct, but there were many red herrings, with too much obsessive behavior and strange events occurring in the novel.… (mehr)

This story has an explosive beginning and a surprise ending. If you plan to read this book be prepared to ignore everything else as you'll have trouble putting it down.

Alexa Martini faces the worst nightmare of any parent. Her 3 year old daughter Charlotte is abducted during a wedding celebration in St Petersburg Florida. As you read about Alexa and Lottie you'll find it's hard to like the little girl. She is so hard to handle, disobedient and quarrelsome. Alexa is a human rights attorney in London and has flown to Florida for her best friend Mark's wedding. Her Italian husband was killed in a bridge collapse years earlier and she is now the sole caregiver of their daughter Lottie.

The world is watching as news stations report on the abduction and put Alexa in an unflattering light. Is she a good mother? Public opinion is strong about "what they would have done" but that's to be expected in this day and age. Alexa has her supporters but she also has those who vilify her character and actions through social media and news outlets.

Days turn to years as Alexa never stops looking for her daughter. False leads and troubling revelations about family will sway your opinion regarding the kidnapper. Was I surprised? Absolutely!

This is my first book by this author and I will most certainly be looking for more of her work. Great suspense, emotionally moving and fast paced.

Publication date is August 5, 2021 by Avon Books UK. Genre: Mystery, Thrillers and Women's Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.… (mehr)

I am in the minority here about this book. We start off with a tense scene, two women in a hotel room with a dead man between them. One woman is injured and covered in blood. Which one killed the man on the floor?

After that I was confused as there were so many characters introduced at once. I was having trouble keeping them straight such as which one was Andrew's daughter or who was related to the other characters.

Louise is the ex-wife of Andrew Page and Caz is the current wife. There are tensions between the two even as they try and play nicely with the relationships. The interviews at the police station reveal more about each woman's personality and you start to get a picture of their lives and how Andrew played them both. I developed some empathy for characters I previously disliked as the story continued.

I would try another book by this author but I wasn't over the moon in love with this one. Again, I am i the minority after seeing reviews.

Thanks to NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book. This book was published by Avon books UK on July 9, 2020.… (mehr)