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 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.
My husband can’t understand how I could 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.
The chapters of this brilliant book alternated between our main character Vanessa, Julia (Vanessa's neighbour) Charlotte (Julia's mother) and Detective Blakley. Towards the end of the book there was chapters that were voiced from the perspective of missing thirteen year old Mia. All of the main characters had their own personal flaws and most of them were harbouring secrets.My favourite characters were Vanessa's best friend Janie, Officer Donahue and poor Charlotte who suffered from dementia and therefore struggled to recall if she had witnessed anything of importance on the day that Mia disappeared. Dementia is a terrifying affliction and something that I live in fear of as I get older and I thought the author's descriptions of Charlotte's confusion and foggy brain were very realistic and written with care and sensitivity. I had mixed feelings about Vanesssa but mainly I just wanted her to listen to Janie and realise that Tripp had married her for his own personal reasons and it had absolutely nothing to do with love. But as they say, love is blind and Tripp had her firmly wrapped around his charmimg, manipulative finger. I also had mixed feelings about Mia, I think a lot of readers would probably label her a brat but she was only a child and therefore could she really be expected to fully understand the repercussions of her actions. How much of her behaviour could be blamed on Tripp's daddy's little princess cant do no wrong attitude? Talking of Tripp, I thought he was a very unlikable character for various reasons.
Wow....just wow, this is one hell of a twisty thriller that is really well written, keeps the reader guessing and frantically turning the pages. I was so captivated by this incredible debut that I read the whole book in one sitting. I was surprised when I discovered that one of the characters had the same name as my dad. I can't wait to read more of this author's books. Worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.
Wow....just wow, this is one hell of a twisty thriller that is really well written, keeps the reader guessing and frantically turning the pages. I was so captivated by this incredible debut that I read the whole book in one sitting. I was surprised when I discovered that one of the characters had the same name as my dad. I can't wait to read more of this author's books. Worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.
Author Bio:
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.
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 Social Media Links:
Author website: www.Georgina-Cross-Author.com
Twitter: @GCrossAuthor
Facebook: GeorginaCrossAuthor
Instagram: GeorginaCrossAuthor
Publication Day: Sept 2nd 2020
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B08C5L1TVGSocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/yt5J50Arui9
Kobo: http://ow.ly/qZVq50ArugJ
Google: http://ow.ly/iGyT50Arukh
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