Published by Inkubator Books on December 3, 2023
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Amazon UK
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Also by this author: The Caretaker, The Stolen Child, I'm Following You, You Can't Hide, Her Husband's Secret, The Wife in the Photo, The Hotel, The Better Mother
Secrets can be kept. If you’re willing to pay the price.
Anne Marie’s life isn’t easy. She’s a single mom in a dead-end waitressing job with a beater car and bills to pay. Adding to the pressure, her teenage son, Dave, is out of control, and no matter what she does, Anne Marie can’t seem to get through to him.
Then, out of the blue, Dave completely changes. He’s kind, he’s thoughtful, he helps out around the house and looks after his mom. Anne Marie can’t believe her luck.
Until she discovers the reason for her son’s sudden transformation – he’s done something really awful and he’s terrified he’ll be caught. Even worse, someone out there knows about it and they’re blackmailing him.
Anne Marie is desperate to protect her son and knows she has to somehow stop the blackmailer. But how?
As she considers her choices, Anne Marie realizes she may be taking the first steps on a path that will lead her straight to the gates of hell.
How far is she willing to go to save her only child?
In this book, Emily shows us her ability to craft a gripping psychological thriller and just how dark she can go!!
From the very beginning, the story races at 100 mph, hooking me in and keeping me on edge throughout the entire book. The main character, Anne-Marie, is a complex and somewhat downtrodden woman who finds herself tangled in a web of manipulation and deceit. Well until she wasn’t these things, and boy did I feel the cold. What starts as a tale of blackmail quickly evolves into a chilling exploration of toxic relationships. Emily delves into the darker sides of human nature and who was doing the most damage.
I raced through the pages to find out who and what was going on, nothing was ever as it seemed. I guessed the who but didn’t get the why. The why, was a little out there but do you know what, that wasn’t the story, so I kinda let that go. The story was about the relationships, the search for forgiveness, and what limits you can endure in these relationships. Boy were some of these bad, run-for-the-hills types of relationships. I am not sure I could be as forgiving as Anne-Marie, and the lines between love and manipulation were at times, blurred. To be honest, not sure I would or could, but I hope I am never in that position!
Emily has such a tight grip on my attention, building tension until the final pages, and then bam!!!
It was a nail-biting read, as you never quite knew who was manipulating whom. Everyone seemed to have an agenda and fight, and it just shows you nothing is ever what it might seem. Not sure I could carry on living in her house with everything I know though! But like always, Emily has a stinger for you in the finale! Boy was this a sting and a half!
Until the next time xxx
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