BOOK DESCRIPTION
Emily and Jake are the perfect couple. Or so everyone says. But Emily just read a letter that has shattered her perfect world. Now she only has one thing on her mind… which one of her friends is sleeping with her husband?
Emily watches Jake as he makes small talk with their children, still the perfect man she married years ago. But when the phone rings and he answers before quickly putting it down again, she sees the look on her husband’s face – guilt. She knows the signs – after all, she’s been lying to him for years.
Working with Jake at the local doctor’s surgery, Emily starts to listen at closed doors and read things she shouldn’t, hoping to find the truth about her husband. Soon she learns that hers isn’t the only family telling lies to each other. Is there anyone Emily can trust? And who is behind the letter to Jake?
When a second letter, revealing a wife’s hidden pregnancy, is sent to the woman’s husband, it has disastrous consequences. And as more angry letters revealing people’s biggest secrets begin to appear, fingers point at Emily. After all, she’s the one with access to everyone’s private history, and she’s the one with a score to settle. Emily says she didn’t do it. But this isn’t the first time Emily has lied. What happens next will have you questioning everything…
You might have already decided that Emily is guilty, but as each twist is revealed, you’ll begin to doubt everyone in this quiet little town. This is a psychological thriller that will keep you up all night.
Emily watches Jake as he makes small talk with their children, still the perfect man she married years ago. But when the phone rings and he answers before quickly putting it down again, she sees the look on her husband’s face – guilt. She knows the signs – after all, she’s been lying to him for years.
Working with Jake at the local doctor’s surgery, Emily starts to listen at closed doors and read things she shouldn’t, hoping to find the truth about her husband. Soon she learns that hers isn’t the only family telling lies to each other. Is there anyone Emily can trust? And who is behind the letter to Jake?
When a second letter, revealing a wife’s hidden pregnancy, is sent to the woman’s husband, it has disastrous consequences. And as more angry letters revealing people’s biggest secrets begin to appear, fingers point at Emily. After all, she’s the one with access to everyone’s private history, and she’s the one with a score to settle. Emily says she didn’t do it. But this isn’t the first time Emily has lied. What happens next will have you questioning everything…
You might have already decided that Emily is guilty, but as each twist is revealed, you’ll begin to doubt everyone in this quiet little town. This is a psychological thriller that will keep you up all night.
Oh,what a tangled web we weave,when first we practice to deceive
Deception is most definitely the name of the game in this, the latest psychological thriller by brilliantly talented Sheryl Browne. Set mainly in a doctor's surgery that is situated in a small village, the story is narrated by multiple characters but is mainly told from the perspectives of Emily and Jake, two doctors who were very good at listening to and caring for their patients but not so good when it came down to sorting out their own issues. Emily's default mode seemed to be,walk away and don't listen and I thought her teenage daughter Millie behaved more maturely than her mother at times. No matter what she did poor Millie didn't seemed to be able to do anything right and Emily always seemed to be constantly on her back about one thing or another. Emily seriously got on my nerves throughout the book for various reasons but the main problem that i had with her was there was times when she reminded me of myself and caused me to sit back,reflect and feel rather ashamed of some of my own behaviour in the past. There was a number of times especially when my hubby worked away that i behaved just like Emily, anxiety and paranoia causing me to have doubts and throw accusations down the phone. The problem is that once the seed of doubt is planted, it refuses to stop growing no matter how many times that you are told that the seed is a lie. There was loads of factors that added to Emily's feelings of doubt and paranoia including a character called Sally and the small minded gossip of the other residents of the village. Emily was also living with the burden of a secret from her past, a tragic event that changed her life forever and left her with overwhelming feelings of guilt and regret.
But she wasn't the only resident who was harbouring a secret, many of the other diverse characters were concealing things from their loved ones. The question was who was the twisted individual who was sending the poison letters and destroying the villagers lives and what was the motive behind their actions?
For me personally, this was a thought provoking read that caused me to experience a wide range of emotions.As always,it is a extremely well written story that has a fantastic cast of realistic, relatable characters. The author skilfully draws the reader into her character's fictional but realistic world,the twists and turns of the plot keep the reader captivated and glued to your kindle. I love this author's thrillers and look forward to reading many more of her books in the future.
Prologue
The night of the party
‘For God’s sake!’ He lunged for her as she grappled with the passenger door, causing the car to swerve violently across the narrow road. ‘What the hell are you doing
‘Let go of me!’ She fought him, squirming away from him. ‘Let me go!’
Fear constricting his throat, he tightened his grip on her arm and squinted past the windscreen wipers sloshing ineffectually against the lashing rain. Frantic, he searched for somewhere to pull over. The night was dark and moon-free, affording him little visibility. Relief flooded through him as he spotted a passing place on the single-track road. He slowed the car. And then hesitated. The entrance to Apple Tree Farm was only thirty or so yards ahead. The field beyond it would give them some privacy. There was no way he was having a full-on argument out in the open, no matter how remote an area it was.
‘Stop the car! Let me out, now!’ she cried, trying to prise his fingers from her arm. ‘Christ almighty!’ Cursing as the front wheels hit a pothole, he hurriedly loosened his grip on her to wrestle with the steering wheel.
Her scream was loud and piercing, jarring his already shattered nerves, as the car veered towards the woodland at the side of the road. He pushed his foot hard on the brake, realising his mistake too late as the vehicle careered into a tailspin before grinding to a nauseating stop. His heart pumping with shock, he wiped a trembling hand over his face and twisted to face her. ‘What in God’s name are you trying to do?’
‘Get away from you!’ she shrieked, lashing out at him, her balled fist pounding heavily into his shoulder.
‘While the car was moving?’ Disbelief and anger unfurled inside him. ‘You could have bloody well killed yourself!’
‘What do you care?’ she retorted tearfully. ‘You lying bastard, pretending you give a stuff about me when all you ever really wanted was to use me.’
‘I do care. You know I do. I would do anything for you.’ Softening his tone, he tried again to reach for her, but she recoiled.
‘Of course you would. That’s why you wanted to keep me as your dirty little secret. You’re despicable, do you know that?’ she spat. ‘It’s about bloody time everyone found out what you’re really like. I’m going.’
‘Don’t,’ he said, growing desperate. ‘It’s not safe walking around here on your own.’
‘Ha!’ She laughed derisively and reached again for the door. ‘Save it for the next gullible fool you win over with your twinklyeyed smile and bleeding-heart crap. It was nice knowing you. Not.’
‘Come back!’ he begged as she scrambled out of the car. ‘It’s pouring with rain. You’ll get soaked.’
‘No chance!’ she yelled.
Panic knotting his stomach, he tried to start the engine as she fled, only for it to splutter and die. Shit. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. What should he do now? He couldn’t let her broadcast his business all over the village, ruin everything he’d worked for.
Go after her, whispered the woman whose death had changed the course of his life. You have to stop her.
Author Bio:
Sheryl Browne writes psychological thriller and edgy contemporary fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and awarded a Red Ribbon by The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.
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PUBLICATION DATE: 20th November 2020
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/2IsoEcoApple: https://apple.co/35jz5YKKobo: https://bit.ly/38xEf5uGoogle: https://bit.ly/3ncnQaF
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Thanks so much for sharing an excerpt, Nicki! Really appreciated! xx
ReplyDeleteNicki! Thank you so much for reading and a fab review for Trust Me! I love it! You're a total star! xx
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