My thanks to publisher Bookouture for the opportunity to read this title ahead of publication via NetGalley.
Book Description:
It’s a normal afternoon when I walk out the patio doors of our kitchen to check on Mia, my stepdaughter, who is swimming in our backyard pool. But she’s gone. My heart stops when I see the back gate is open, her pink, fluffy towel lying folded on a chair. I was just feet away. Why didn’t I hear her scream? Who took our little girl?
My husband can’t understand how I could I have let his daughter disappear. And when the police come asking questions, I wish I could wind back time to that normal afternoon when I was cooking lasagna for my family, Mia’s favorite. I can tell the officers don’t believe me: they’ve cast me as the evil stepmother.
I just wish I could understand the messages I’ve found from my husband on Mia’s phone: I’m so sorry, I still love you. And why his wedding ring is found at the bottom of the pool after Mia disappeared. He never told me it was missing. What else is he hiding?
But the detective keeps asking me where I was during those ten minutes when Mia vanished. And I can’t tell her my secret. From the way she’s looking at me, I know she thinks I did something to my stepdaughter. Mia and I haven’t always been that close and sometimes she drives me nuts, just like any normal teenager, but I would never hurt her.
I just need you to believe me.
A twisty novel packed with unputdownable suspense about the power and damage of secrets we hide. Perfect for anyone who was totally hooked by The Mother-in-Law, Kerry Fisher and Big Little Lies.
My Thoughts:
Oh what a tangled mess a neighbourhood can be! There are secrets and lies (often by omission) aplenty in this excellent debut from Georgina Cross.
Julia and Thomas Sinclair live next door to Tripp Tanner and his second wife Vanessa and Tripp's daughter from his first marriage, Mia. Julia was close friends with Mia's mum but does her best to welcome Vanessa into the neighbourhood despite her reservations that Tripp is rushing into bringing a new woman into the family home. Everything appears to be going well until the day that Mia, a champion swimmer in her age group, goes missing from the pool in their back garden. Incredibly, Julia's home is engulfed in flames in virtually the same instant. Surely a kidnapper would never go to such extremes merely to cause a diversion to their actions? This is the situation the local police and fire departments are faced with solving - and the pressure's on to find Mia.
I really enjoyed reading about the inner thoughts of the different characters in this book - it's hard to believe it is the author's first publication. Tripp is career driven and expects everyone to fall in with his plans at the drop of a hat - something I was surprised Vanessa was willing to do when she was such a career woman herself before she met him. The torment Vanessa experiences is explored too, as she tries to get the balance right between doing what was best for the family but without trying to take Mia's mum's place. I couldn't quite work out Julia and Thomas and their family though as very little is said about their children - I couldn't get a grip on how the friendship group worked between the two families. I liked that the story focused on the families rather than the officials investigating as we get in most crime novels. The rumours which threatened to lead the enquiry astray are typical of most communities when news like this breaks and the way the leading officer put the clues together was well-presented, the light bulb moment coming across as much a shock to the reader as to the officer herself. A plot very well executed in my opinion.
I feel this is a very strong first novel and yet another author on my watch list - my poor shelves/kindle!!About the Author:
Georgina Cross is the author of The Stepdaughter (publishing September 2020) and Book 2 (title to be released January 2021) and Nanny Needed (to be published 2021) which are works of domestic suspense, psychological suspense, and thriller.
She is represented by Rachel Beck with Liza Dawson Associates with her suspense fiction appealing to readers of The Good Girl by Mary Kubica, The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle, The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth, and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.
Georgina has been writing since she was a child. Notebooks & floppy discs filled with stories: adventures growing up in New Orleans and tales from Malaysia & England where her family lives. After graduating from Louisiana State University, she pursued a career in marketing & communications and founded Susie's Wish non-profit which sends patients with life threatening illnesses to the beach. She spends time with her husband and their combined family of four sons watching plenty of scary movies and is thrilled to be a full-time author.
Author website: www.Georgina-Cross-Author.com
Twitter: @GCrossAuthor
Facebook: GeorginaCrossAuthor
Instagram: GeorginaCrossAuthor
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